# The "What did you do today thread"?



## Chris

I didn't see one of these here so here goes it.


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## Chris

So far today I finally put away my rifles from my last trip and ordered some more ammo.

About to make up a batch of potato sausage for Christmas.


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## oldognewtrick

Potato sausage? Please tell more.


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## Chris

It's a Swedish/Norwegian thing. 1/3 Pork, 1/3 Beef and 1/3 Potato and some seasoning. Excellent sausage.


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## havasu

I drove 3 hours and saw the knee doctor. He said, "Yep, they are shot, when can you come in and get replacements?"


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## ME87

Worked 8-6, cooked dinner, Did some more work on the computer...I'll read for a couple hours and then sleep. That should cover the next 3 days for me as well lol.


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## ME87

Washed the wife's Corolla, my Subaru in prep. for the new rear bumper cover and exhaust system. Oil change on the RZR and cleaned it as well. Cleaned the garage and cut some firewood for the new fire pit in the back yard and tonight we're cleaning out the book closet. 2 degrees and 8 years of education (between the 2 of us) there are a lot of books and notebooks to be gone through.


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## havasu

I was suppose to go camping today but the G/F is sick so we cancelled and have been sitting on my a$$ all day watching movies and football, with the laptop on my lap!


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## ME87

Could be worse ^. What kind of laptop? I just donated one of my desktops to my wife this afternoon and we got it set up for her, but I may be in the market for a new laptop.


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## havasu

My primary is a Sony Vaio, and it works really good. I also have an IPad but for some reason, I can't access the administrative sections on the forums.


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## ME87

havasu said:


> My primary is a Sony Vaio, and it works really good. I also have an IPad but for some reason, I can't access the administrative sections on the forums.



I have an ipad as well, but except for checking e-mail and looking at high res. porn. I find it useless. I'm still not sure what the allure of Apple products is. Even the iPhone is a mystery to me.


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## havasu

I agree. I just got a Samsung Galaxy III phone and it is great. You can have the I phone and its propriority apps.


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## oldognewtrick

ME87 said:


> I have an ipad as well, but except for checking e-mail and looking at high res. porn. I find it useless. I'm still not sure what the allure of Apple products is. Even the iPhone is a mystery to me.



I got an i4s recently and it's ok. There are things I like and things I don't. I think it's a Ford/Chevy sorta thing. And if it wasn't for porn, there wouldn't be an internet...


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## Trophyman

Working on getting the chassis set up. Polished stainless tubular upper and lower control arms, power rack and pinion, air ride front and rear. Hanging a 2002 Explorer 8.8 rear with 353 Trak-Lok. on polished, stainless triangulated 4 link bars from Ride Tech. 13" drilled and slotted disks with Wilwod 6 piston calipers.

Once I get everything fitted, the chassis gets a nice shinny powder coat. Anybody set up a 4 link from scratch?? 

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## Chris

Sweet, all I did was brew some beer.


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## MarkWood

I swapped out a hollow interior door for a solid wood one so I can put a dead bolt in it, The customer single lady was worried about someone breaking in her basement and kiking in the upstairs door. She asked if I could just put a dead bolt in the existing door but I recomended swapping out the door one sift kik to a hollow door with a dead bolt and they would be in. No pics I'll take some tomorrow.


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## Chris

I went to a job walk and then worked on my company website for a bit.


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## Chris

A couple just got out of there car and started fighting in my front yard. I feel like I live in the ghetto.


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## oldognewtrick

Well, guess I'll get a job started this morning. Weather hasn't been good for roofing the last couple weeks.


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## Chris

^ I'm in the same boat. I was looking up water companies yesterday. Starting to not sleep at night is not fun.


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## oldognewtrick

Pulled the front and one side off and the decking is rotten, so picked up 60 sheets of ply so far. Nothing like adding a day to a tight schedule.


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## MarkWood

Wish I had a tight schedule.....oh well atleast my truck will be runnin this week.


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## Chris

I have been getting everything set up for a big job I am starting on Monday and just ordered a new Glow Plug Control Module for my stupid duty, hopefully that fixes her.


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## Chris

Hate it when I can't sleep.

Got teh stupid duty running to find out that my AC compressor is also seized. Amazing how all these problems came after driving it and parking it like any other day.

After that I color sanded my camper shell I painted and buffed it out, shining pretty good now.


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## cruzn57

sat watched TV,  ate a sandwich,   played with the dogs, 
watched more TV,  
OH wait, I took out the trash!  

sorry, but someones gotta be the lazy bum!


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## oldognewtrick

cruzn57 said:


> sat watched TV,  ate a sandwich,   played with the dogs,
> watched more TV,
> OH wait, I took out the trash!
> 
> sorry, but someones gotta be the lazy bum!



How do you manage to get it all done...


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## cruzn57

but with proper time management, and wife who yells "get off yer *** and do 
something"


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## oldognewtrick

cruzn57 said:


> but with proper time management, and wife who yells "get off yer *** and do
> something"



You're my hero, I want to be you when I grow up.


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## MarkWood

I installed this today. I built it last week. 

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## Chris

Looks good.


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## MarkWood

Thanks !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## MarkWood

I think its to plain to go with the mirror and sink cabinet it needed something more but they like it, And I always say if they like it I love it!! And if I would've done any more to it It would've been way more than they wanted to spend I had $200 in material like it is!!


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## oldognewtrick

Nice job WR!


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## Chris

Today I put some pipe in the ground, then I dug a hole. Came home and charged the AC in my stupid duty that I have to keep working on, she is blowing at 40 degress now.


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## Chris

Today I am going to attempt to trench lay and backfill 500 feet of sewer pipe.


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## havasu

Today I am headed out of the house for the first time since surgery. The G/F's 91 year old mom needs diapers at Sam's Club, and I an the only with a membership card. I believe I will get one of those battery operated chairs with a built in basket. Let's see how much havoc I can cause in the store!


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## Chris

Chris said:


> Today I am going to attempt to trench lay and backfill 500 feet of sewer pipe.



Success, exactly 500 feet int the ground today.:rockin:


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## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> Today I am headed out of the house for the first time since surgery. The G/F's 91 year old mom needs diapers at Sam's Club, and I an the only with a membership card. I believe I will get one of those battery operated chairs with a built in basket. Let's see how much havoc I can cause in the store!



Well, I didn't see any headlines from Sams Club in the news this morning...


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## havasu

It was a blast. Unfortunately, the carts are so slow I was unable to get it on two wheels.


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## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> It was a blast. Unfortunately, the carts are so slow I was unable to get it on two wheels.



Wheels, you don't need no stinkin wheels. 

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## havasu

That is really nice. Wanna buy it for me?


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## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> That is really nice. Wanna buy it for me?



Sure, when I win the Lotto...can ya wait that long?


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## havasu

With my slow healing process, I have nothing but time on my hands.


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## Chris

So today I worked a bunch then ran around begging people that owe me money for it so I can pay my huge tax bill then called my wifes uncle who is a civil engineer to draw up a plan to modify three of my trusses in my garage so I can put in a lift.


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## MarkWood

I pulled a transmission out of a stupid duty! I wish I was going around collecting money like chris though!!


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## Chris

Problem is nobody wants to pay their bills. No money collected.


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## MarkWood

That is not cool!! thats the bad part of self employment!! I've been there myself.....


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## Chris

It's bad but I am getting used to getting ripped off. Happens all the time. If it were only legal to to strongly encourage people to pay their bills.


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## MarkWood

yea I guess you can't shootem can you?!?


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## Chris

Thought I would share a pic of my baby girl. 

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## havasu

You should patent those blue eyes. You'd be a rich man!


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## Chris

The next gerber baby


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## MarkWood

I tore off 10 feet of gutter, rotted sophet, and dental mould and other uneeded fancy trim that they put on those high dollar homes then made a material run then put all back new. Im here to tell ya that much rebuilding 24' in the air by yourself aint easy. Pics later im to tired to post em right now.........


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## havasu

I celebrated my son's 39th birthday and a bar/grill which loves bacon on everything. Here is a slice of their bacon brownie... 

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## Chris

Thought you were on a diet?


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## Chris

I played in the poop all night. Verizon bored a 2" Conduit through a sewer main that I got that i got the lucky call on to fix. Going back out this morning to finish up.


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## havasu

I'll die on a diet. This place is called Slater's 50/50 in Anaheim Hills. My son ordered the 50% bacon, 50% burger, with their hot sauce and peanut butter and jelly. I had to try it and it was pretty good. Chris, it is off the 91 fwy, exit at Weir Canyon. Two thumbs up for a great time with family and friends.


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## Chris

I may have to try it, my uncle lives close by there.


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## oldognewtrick

Called in sick, went turkey hunting, shot a jake, feeling better.


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## Chris

Pics.........


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## Chris

Sitting at the city trying to pull a permit for the emergency repair from last night.


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## havasu

Getting ready to get my car smog tested. Another dumb California law!


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## oldognewtrick

Just a big jake with a 3" beard and 3/4" spurs. But he had really big breasts.  

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## havasu

I've only seen the wild turkeys that you drink.


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## Chris

I have yet to get a Turkey.


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## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> I have yet to get a Turkey.



We've got plenty, when ya coming to visit?


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## Trophyman

Nice bird!!!!!


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## oldognewtrick

Needed some turkey breast to make some turkey poppers. Going to use the fan on my strutting Tom decoy.


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## Rusty

Went fishing and only caught a snapping turtle, but "the worst day fishing is better than the best day working".


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## havasu

Do people eat snapping turtles?


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## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> Do people eat snapping turtles?



Only if they don't eat you first...

And yes, turtle is good eatin IF cooked right.


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## Rusty

havasu said:


> Do people eat snapping turtles?



Yes, they are very good eating. I didn't have time tho. They take hours to clean and cook.


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## havasu

I ate sea turtle while in Mexico years ago, but was so drunk I may have eaten dog crap and never would have known it.


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## Chris

Going down today to start the paperwork on finally incorporating my company. Then going to look at some pavers for my RV parking and then to load the truck for work tomorrow.


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## Chris

I was supposed to start a job today out in LA but the the owner of the company I am working for wanted to be there when I layed it out so he said he would be there at 10:30am. WHo starts there day at 10:30? I told him I would meet him but I will not have a crew on the job because I can't pay guys to sit around half the day waiting for him to show up to give his blessing. I am about to leave for my 3 hour drive to work. Anyone want to go for me?


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## havasu

Not me. I'm going to go to physical therapy for a few hours then head out to Lake Havasu for a much needed mini-vacation. I'm wondering how many batteries and gallons of gas will be needed for this trip?


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## Chris

Don't forget to bring some tires, I am sure there are a few flat ones sitting out there.


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## havasu

I'm sure I have many flat tires but I just air them up and they are good for a few months.


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## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> Not me. I'm going to go to physical therapy for a few hours then head out to Lake Havasu for a much needed mini-vacation. I'm wondering how many batteries and gallons of gas will be needed for this trip?



How's the recovery coming along?


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## Rusty

I have to hang around home today. This is the last day of school for my 17 year old autistic son. He is graduating a year early. When it sinks in that he isn't going back, I don't know how he will take it.


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## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> I have to hang around home today. This is the last day of school for my 17 year old autistic son. He is graduating a year early. When it sinks in that he isn't going back, I don't know how he will take it.



We'll keep ya all in our thoughts and prayers.


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## Chris

Rusty said:


> I have to hang around home today. This is the last day of school for my 17 year old autistic son. He is graduating a year early. When it sinks in that he isn't going back, I don't know how he will take it.



Off to college now.


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## Chris

So today was a crappy day at work for me. I am so busy I am borrowing guys from all my friends companies to try to get some work done. One job started today and two more starting Monday and all a few weeks long. Well today we go to saw cut our concrete and asphalt and I am using a rental saw from the company I use all the time. Well the saw would not stay running for more then 30 seconds. After phone fighting for an hour they had me a new saw by 10 am. by then it is almost lunch time and I am paying a crew to sit around all morning. Mind you we left for work at 4am. Finally got through saw cutting by 3pm and had to pack up and go home. Already a half a day behind and we are on day one.


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## Chris

Then I found out two of my guys cant make it to work tomorrow. The two I really need to get progress done. Both Operators/Pipelayers.


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## MarkWood

Not cool at all chris.


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## Chris

Another one just called and said he had to leave town for a while. I told him not to bother coming back. Also my main guy broke his leg a few weeks ago and has been out. I am down to one employee that barely knows how to push a broom and thats it. After I told the general I would have extra guys on jobsite tomorrow. This sucks! If I didn't have a job meeting 40 minutes away from the job I am working on at 9am I might be able to get some work done myself. I called my brother to try and get him to help but he is whining he is in school and can't miss a day, come on man you are almost 40 it's too late for school.


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## MarkWood

How much can you pay a man that knows how to do most anything and can learn anything he doesnt know in no time??


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## MarkWood

Oh ................. and then theres travel pay.


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## Chris

I pay pretty well, and then work you like a dog. It is hard work most of the time, digging by hand a lot and everything is heavy and there is never enough room down under ground to make work easy. But the pay is good.

Travel pay is a thing of not around here. I get questioned when I put a line item in my bid for Mobilization, like it is free to get equipment transported and for me to drive 3 hours each way for a month.


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## Chris

So I called my father in law who lives in the mountains but does pipeline work too. He is heading down the mountain in a few. He will be here by midnight to work at 4am. I should probably get some sleep.


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## Trophyman

Hey Guys. Sorry been gone so much, but been thrashing on the hot rod. Got the chassis back from the powder coater and just about done with then new firewall and front floors. Another week and I'll send the body over to have it blasted, then painter will come and prime it.

I'll start on the chassis build up(AIR RIDE ON ALL 4 CORNERS) next week. 
Spent today in the dentists office getting some long needed work done. 

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## oldognewtrick

Frame and firewall look sweet!


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## Chris

Car is looking good.

I worked for free for a few hours today then proceeded to rip a live electric line out of the ground.


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## Chris

Car is looking good.

I worked for free for a few hours today then proceeded to rip a live electric line out of the ground.


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## Trophyman

Chris said:


> Car is looking good.
> 
> I worked for free for a few hours today then proceeded to rip a live electric line out of the ground.



HAHAHA, I work "for free" EVERY DAY!!


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## MarkWood

I pressure washed a house and removed a non load bearing decorative column that was rotten and started installing a new PVC column but........I have to get some stronger nails for my .22 Cal Remington nail gun It seems the Rock I was trying to nail the cleat to is harder than concrete................. Oh well Monday is another day. Then I scheduled another wash job for Wednesday of next week. If I could stay this busy all the time I might not be so broke. I have the next 2 plus weeks booked!


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## oldognewtrick

Worked out in the yard today, have a 16' dump trailer full of old bushs. Grilled some backstrap and have a nice salad...life is good.


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## Chris

Graded some trenches and laid some pipe. I am ready for a vacation. I haven't been this busy in a couple years.


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## havasu

Me and the G/F took a drive up to Lake Arrowhead today, walked around the village, looked at some homes for sale, and visited my cousin's house. (No Chris, he has yet to make the necessary repairs to his backflow)


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## MarkWood

Im assuming thats not the lake arrowhead in waleska Georgia. That would be quite the saturday trip!


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## oldognewtrick

WoodRacing said:


> Im assuming thats not the lake arrowhead in waleska Georgia. That would be quite the saturday trip!



He's retired, he can travel at leisure. Except he doesn't call when he's in town.


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## havasu

I've only been to Georgia twice, and that was changing planes in Atlanta. It does look like a great piece of the world looking out the airport windows!


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## MarkWood

It is pretty great!


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## Chris

I drove the Hemi around today for a while, got the windows tinted. That car is gonna get me in trouble.


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## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> I drove the Hemi around today for a while, got the windows tinted. That car is gonna get me in trouble.



Just put a block of wood under the skinny pedal.


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## Chris

Whats the point of that? Then I should have bought a Kia.


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## havasu

Hay now, I live the G/F's Kia. I drive it, she pumps the gas....win-win!


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## Chris

And she probably only has to put in gas every month or so.


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## Trophyman

Loaded the 39 on the trailer, put the doors, fenders (frt and rear), deck lid and hood inside the car. Taking it to have everything media blasted.

Moving right along.


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## havasu

I made it to the cemetery today and visited the folks, both WWII Vets. 

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## Chris

Finished up another job today. That is a great feeling.


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## havasu

I didn't even leave the house today. I feel like I will never regain these last 24 hours.


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## Chris

You won't, they are gone for good. You should kick yourself.


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## havasu

Yep, never again. Just came from PT, now to go to lunch and gain back the weight I lost this AM.


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## Chris

I drove to beverly hills today stopping off in downtown LA to see some hookers and robberies. Can't believe people fly from around the world to see that mess.


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## Trophyman

Got the chassis near done. Still have to run plumbing, air (for air ride), brakes, fuel. Stay tuned! 

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## Chris

Sure is pretty! What are you building?


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## Trophyman

39 Chevrolet 4 door sedan. I had a dozen cars, all coupes. Tired of not having enough room for everything when we hit the road. If we were going for more than a few days, I had to pull a trailer. This car, somebody could live in the back seat. 

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## Chris

That thing is sweet, so do you actually road trip in it?


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## havasu

I myself would love to live in that back seat!


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## Trophyman

Chris said:


> That thing is sweet, so do you actually road trip in it?



YOU BET! I build my cars to be completely road worthy. That's why I do "frame off" builds. I want to be sure that EVERY system is right. Custom built it just that. I select install and tweak everything from brakes to A/C-Heating, to GPS to work in the vehicle I'm building. I don't build "show" cars, or trailer queens. I build cars that I can drive and enjoy.


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## Chris

That is awesome, that is what I am all about, function with show added. I love going to the car show and seeing just about every vehicle over heating and the drivers saying how horrible it is driving them.


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## Rusty

Spent the day shooting pictures in the Badlands in South Dakota.


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## havasu

Where are the pics, buddy?


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## Rusty

................... 

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## Chris

Visited family today. It was good.


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## Chris

Today I have one of my employees working at my house and I just did the math and I paid him 60 bucks to pull a couple weeds and trim a gate 2". I need a beer.


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## Chris

Working on a fence at the house today. then I will bid a job and drink some beer I guess.


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## oldognewtrick

Waiting at the hospital to get my mom discharged. ... Waiting...


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## havasu

I was just going to ask how your mom was doing when I saw this ODNT. I'm glad she is doing good!


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## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> I was just going to ask how your mom was doing when I saw this ODNT. I'm glad she is doing good!



Thanks. ... And waiting...


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## Chris

I have been jackhammering old fence posts out of the ground all day, I have two blisters. I haven't had blisters in years, someone must have stolen my man hands. I'm gonna grab my purse and go home.


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## havasu

Too much lotion?


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## Chris

Nope, my hands are pretty tore up from work, I have to pay someone to do that for me.


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## oldognewtrick

Well, I guess I'll open the garage and put a alternator on the ol super duty...


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## havasu

I got to visit the Alamo. Pretty cool.


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## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> I got to visit the Alamo. Pretty cool.



So did you meet Austin/Keith? Are they really the same person?


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## havasu

Well, sorta, I guess.


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## Rusty

havasu said:


> Well, sorta, I guess.



Is Keith the chicken? (inside joke for Havasu)


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## havasu

Well, he does cluck like one Rusty. 

I drove to Sante Fe, NM today. Very artsy-fartsy.


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## oldognewtrick

What a great day to work in the garage. Sanded and patched on a little dresser the swmbo picked up at a garage sale last weekend. Going to spray it satin black and then she's putting comics on the front for my 2 year old grandson. Not my idea, just the hired gun...

Going to friends house tonite for dinner and drama. Weekends don't get better than this, sadly


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## oldognewtrick

Just had a customer move his 58 Vette and new Ferrari out of his garage so we could cut some hole in the ceiling and look for plumbing leaks... Dang them red Italian cars sound sweet


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## oldognewtrick

Sitting at the dept of safety getting my carry permitting renewed... Govt bureuracery at its finest. Think I could spend two birthdays waiting here.....


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## MarkWood

Got all of the walls painted on a full interior paint job today. Also started on the trim and doors. I should finish and get paid tomorrow.


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## oldognewtrick

Survived another Friday...I think.


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## MarkWood

Finished and got paid today! H.O. even gave me and all three of my guys a $50 bonus each:rockin:


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## MarkWood

Also decided I will be buying my brother a $1000-$1500 car or truck and put him on a $100 a week payment plan  so I can get my jeep back then use some of my truck $$ and get a new top and windsheild and do a few other mods and repairs to it. As long as the work holds like it is I will still have enough cash put back to get a truck by the end of november when my dad needs his van back............sounds lime a good plan anyway we'll see how it works out!?


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## Bubaman

Fixed the coolant leak in the wifes van.Replaced the hoses,belts,water pump coolant pipe,and motor mount.


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## Chris

Smoking some chicken and ribs today and trying to polish of a keg in my bar so I can put some home brew in. If it wasn't going to be 105 today it would be more enjoyable.


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## oldognewtrick

Put a cap on a customers chimney this morning. 

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## Chris

Today I will get my painting gar together and head to the mountains, have to paint the rental so people can move in next week.


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## MarkWood

I could go paint it for you........................but theres that travel pay................


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## oldognewtrick

Chris won't mind the trip charge. He'll be happy to get ER done..


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## oldognewtrick

Went with the Mrs and my 2-1/2 year old grand son to watch the first practice of our hockey team. He loved it.


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## Rusty

Changed both power window motors in my 85 Econoline. What a PITA.


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## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> Changed both power window motors in my 85 Econoline. What a PITA.



How much blood did you loose Rusty?


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## havasu

Rusty, you know how we like to watch builds as they occur. With this being said, please go back, pull out the motors, and reinstall them with pictures for us.


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## Rusty

havasu said:


> Rusty, you know how we like to watch builds as they occur. With this being said, please go back, pull out the motors, and reinstall them with pictures for us.



Not this time.


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## Chris

I went hunting twice today, no luck.


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## oldognewtrick

2 weeks and I'll be baby sitting trees in the great Tennessee deer woods...


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## havasu

Today we are headed up to Ventura to help a small winery bottle, label, and box up a few pallets of wine. They supply the lunch and all you can drink wine. It should be a kick in the ***.


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## oldognewtrick

Sounds like a great way to spend a day havasu.


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## Chris

Working on my diesel. Again!


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## havasu

Learning how to navigate the reconfigured lap top. I miss the old style but the computer guru says this set up is much safer.


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## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> Learning how to navigate the reconfigured lap top. I miss the old style but the computer guru says this set up is much safer.



Apple? My Iphone updated yesterday and I was ready to smash it with a hammer, today I'm liking it again. All getting use to it I guess.


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## havasu

No, I was having problems with Google Chrome as my web browser. The geek (he's a friend) told me many folks are having problems with this, so he installed Sea monkey as my new browser. Problem is that I had valuable password information written in a code on the old browser, and he deleted everything. I've been working for the last 6 hours trying to get everything needed.


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## oldognewtrick

What deep thinkers men are... I mowed the lawn today, and after doing so I sat down and had a cold beer. The day was really quite beautiful, and the drink facilitated some deep thinking. My wife walked by and asked me what I was doing and I said 'nothing'. The reason I said that instead of saying 'just thinking' is because she would have said 'about what'. At that point I would have to explain that men are deep thinkers about various topics which would lead to other questions. Finally I thought about an age old question: Is giving birth more painful than getting kicked in the nuts? Women always maintain that giving birth is way more painful than a guy getting kicked in the nuts. Well, after another beer, and some heavy deductive thinking, I have come up with the answer to that question. Getting kicked in the nuts is more painful than having a baby; and here is the reason for my conclusion. A year or so after giving birth, a woman will often say, "It might be nice to have another child." On the other hand, you never hear a guy say, "You know, I think I would like another kick in the nuts." I rest my case. Time for another beer.


----------



## Trophyman

Still working on the 39. Today I installed the flush mount 3rd brake light. Ever hear that old adage; "it's cheaper to buy a hot rod than build one" ABSOLUTELY TRUE!!! This is my 4th street/hot rod and the only one I made money on was a "WILD ROD" glass 37 Ford cabriolet. ONLY because I was a authorised dealer for them when they first started business and I got the roller at cost. Put a little over $34,000 in it and sold it for $56,000. 

I've got enough in the one I'm building now to have purchased one. Corse, I KNOW how this one is built 

View attachment 3rd Brake Light.jpg


----------



## havasu

That third brake light is really slick. Good job!


Me, I hung seven new doors in my vacation home. Have I told everyone how much I hate hanging doors?


----------



## Chris

I just got a text from my hunting buddy who just got his second deer of the season, must be nice to live in the woods.


----------



## havasu

Get off the computer and get into the woods.


----------



## Chris

Wish I could, had one of my better employees quit yesterday.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> Wish I could, had one of my better employees quit yesterday.



I got a call yesterday from a former employee that had to leave and go back home. His mother had pancreatic cancer and he went to take care of her, he's on his way back and wants to go to work.


----------



## Chris

I had another employee not show up today but he has always been an idiot.


----------



## havasu

You could always try that guy who was calling you 24 times a day.


----------



## Chris

Thought about it but no. The job is like 10 minutes from your house, why don't you come by and work?


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> Thought about it but no. The job is like 10 minutes from your house, why don't you come by and work?



That would interfere with his coffee break and siesta.


----------



## havasu

Come on now, you all are a bunch of meanies. I'll have you know so far in three days, I have painted 7 doors twice. I painted 7 full door jambs inside and outside and trim pieces with 4 coats of paint. I then hung all 7 doors and even drilled out for the lock sets. Since that job is done, tomorrow I will install granite in two bathrooms and while that is drying, I'm pulling 250 sq feet of carpet in 6 different locations and installing a click lock rubber flooring, then folding the existing carpeting under, so it will all mesh as a good looking floor. Once that is done, I'm installing new oil rubbed bronze faucets and resetting the sink bowls, then installing brand new tall, oblong toilets. This will be a treat for my sore knees!


----------



## Trophyman

U work too much


----------



## Chris

Today I will bid a job than go out to the field for a bit than it is off to the mountains to go hunting.


----------



## havasu

Today I will go shopping for food. Something better than the horrible TV dinner I had last night.


----------



## Trophyman

chris said:


> today i will bid a job than go out to the field for a bit than it is off to the mountains to go hunting.



good luck chris


----------



## Chris

Im hoping a buddy just sent me a text of the one he got this morning out of where I hunt.


----------



## Trophyman

Chris said:


> Im hoping a buddy just sent me a text of the one he got this morning out of where I hunt.


Wait for the Boone and Crockett shot


----------



## Chris

Im gonna grab a bear tag today just incase, but now that it will be legal I won't see one.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> Im gonna grab a bear tag today just incase, but now that it will be legal I won't see one.



I see you are a graduate of my hunting luck school of hard knocks...


----------



## Chris

I chased a buck around for a couple hours tonight. I can't feel my legs or lungs after this workout.


----------



## havasu

I haven't done a damn thing today.


----------



## Chris

Paying bills, I hate Thursdays.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Came home from 2 days in the deer woods.


----------



## Chris

Well? Did you see anything?


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> Well? Did you see anything?



Had a couple small bucks come in, nothing I wanted to bring home with me. 20* this mornig when we open the gate, beautiful day to be in the woods.


----------



## Chris

I'm jealous and I was there last week.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Drank a pot of coffee, put some hinges on my grandsons toy box, took a nap, fried some bacon for BLT's...time for another nap...


----------



## Chris

Fixed my jeep after breaking it wheeling a couple months ago, forgot how much I like the thing.


----------



## Rusty

Enrolled in college for the spring semester. And I know I'm crazy, I'm 65.


----------



## havasu

Just keep the Nitro pills close by in case you see one too many sets of long, pretty legs!


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> Just keep the Nitro pills close by in case you see one too many sets of long, pretty legs!



We'll, maybe it's time for the oldog to see about going back to school also. But any new tricks would probably kill the ol hound...


----------



## Rusty

You can get a Pell grant to pay for most/all of it and many schools will give anyone over 60 one free class. I wanted mainly to take photography, but signed up for 13 hours. Only takes up two days a week. I'm semi retired anyway


----------



## oldognewtrick

Cut, hauled and stacked a pickup load of firewood today...I'm whipped...


----------



## Riff_Raff

<---- 50 and jealous.

Good job, bro.:rockin:


QUOTE=Rusty;15328]Enrolled in college for the spring semester. And I know I'm crazy, I'm 65.[/QUOTE]


----------



## Chris

Drove to the mountains to pick up my other jeep and fishing boat to take them to the warmth for the winter.


----------



## Rusty

The wife is babysitting grandkids all day. In laws will be here tomorrow, so I spent the day cleaning house. Mopping floors etc.


----------



## Chris

Today I am still fighting this cold and about to head to the office to do payroll, it's a sad day.


----------



## havasu

Make sure you spell my name correctly on my check.


----------



## Chris

Will do!

Make sure you start showing up to work on time.


----------



## havasu

Sorry. I was too busy picketing in front of Mc Donalds for a better wage. In fact, I was so busy that I didn't realize I dropped my free Obama Phone, my EBT credit card, my free healthcare booklet, my free immigration visa, my free legal defense credit card, and my welfare check.


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> Sorry. I was too busy picketing in front of Mc Donalds for a better wage. In fact, I was so busy that I didn't realize I dropped my free Obama Phone, my EBT credit card, my free healthcare booklet, my free immigration visa, my free legal defense credit card, and my welfare check.



What about the key to your section 8 housing, did you loose your keychain too...


----------



## Chris

havasu said:


> Sorry. I was too busy picketing in front of Mc Donalds for a better wage. In fact, I was so busy that I didn't realize I dropped my free Obama Phone, my EBT credit card, my free healthcare booklet, my free immigration visa, my free legal defense credit card, and my welfare check.



You didn't drop them, someone hid them under your work boots.


----------



## oldognewtrick

He would have never looked there unless they were in the driver seat of his pontoon boat... ;d


----------



## havasu

How did you know that is my song?

[ame]http://youtu.be/V0O0nzkESTI[/ame]


----------



## oldognewtrick

I live in Music City USA, we know *all *things music related.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rainy yesterday, so not much in the roofing world going on. Spent some time in the garage purging stuff. Have the bed of my truck full of junk I'm taking to the dumpster. Out with all the stuff I've been hording, meaning to get to and fix, accumulating dust. Time for a Garage Makeover I think. Anybody in need of a 3 position exercise machine? Come and get it, won't ship.


----------



## havasu

I'm going to sneak back over to my soon to be "former" house, and taking my roll away tool box while the "ex" is out of town. If I can, I'm also taking my 6000v generator.


----------



## Rusty

I  screwed up the flooring forum.


----------



## havasu

Did you screw up, or was "you know who" just using this as a reason to follow his butt buddy, FM?


----------



## oldognewtrick

I'm so confused...


----------



## Chris

oldognewtrick said:


> I'm so confused...



Me too!

..........


----------



## havasu

Sorry, and inside joke from another forum. 

Today, I went to my old house and recovered my upper and lower Craftsman roll away. It took three of us to load it into my Lexus pick up. On my way home, I purchased a center set of drawers and also purchased a side hanging 6 drawer chest. I will now attempt to consolidate two roll aways into one, organized tool chest, all with roller bearings.


----------



## Chris

Did you get your generator?


----------



## havasu

No, I ran out of room. I still have to get my stand up air compressor, a treadmill, gun safe, a curio full of antiques, and a 120 year old dresser and mirror to take, so I'll be taking several more trips, I'm afraid.


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> No, I ran out of room. I still have to get my stand up air compressor, a treadmill, gun safe, a curio full of antiques, and a 120 year old dresser and mirror to take, so I'll be taking several more trips, I'm afraid.



If only you knew someone with a trailer, one and done.


----------



## havasu

Well, my 6 drawer side chest didn't fit, so I had to repack it and run it back up to Sears for a refund. It appears my ball bearing heavy duty roll away is an odd size, and they don't make a side case for it. Hell, I just don't know what to do. 

I did remove the tools from 5-6 drawers and vacuumed ten years of dirt and dust, and even wiped down my tools before organizing them again. Yeah, I'm a tad OCD.


----------



## Rusty

Froze today. Low was 8, high was 17. This drafty old house never did warm up.


----------



## Chris

I opted out of going to work in the field today, it's nice to sit in my office from time to time. So much less stress at times.


----------



## Rusty

I watched grandkids all day. I would rather work. Much easier.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> I opted out of going to work in the field today, it's nice to sit in my office from time to time. So much less stress at times.



I hate office days with a passion... Just sayin


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> I watched grandkids all day. I would rather work. Much easier.



I love having the grand kids around. Ice cream, cokes, sugar cookies and send them home.  Yep, paybacks a *****..


----------



## Rusty

I have 12 altogether. 6 that are 8 and under. The ones today were 3, 5 and 8.


----------



## havasu

Rusty, you are a bigger man than I.


----------



## Rusty

Fly me to the moon. Hurt my bad hip yesterday. Got a shot in it tonight and some really good pain pills.


----------



## MarkWood

worked on an exterior paint job, mostly on a 40' ladder, should finish tomorrow.


----------



## havasu

I would never get caught on a 40' ladder. No way...no how. Now a 40' scissor lift, that is more my style. I once painted a house with 35' ceilings, and used a scissor lift everywhere. One hand on the spray wand, the other hand on the forward controls. I was done in no time flat...or should I say eggshell, to be exact!


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> I was done in no time flat...or should I say eggshell, to be exact!



Uh,... that was punny.


----------



## havasu

Yeah, I'm full of ($#)whit.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Took my 14 year old Shepard/Collie mix to the vets this morning. Last couple days she's been very inactive, in pain. The vet gave me some pain pills yesterday and they seemed to help. This morning he gave her a cortisone cocktail and didn't think we're at end of life situation yet. Unbelievable how attached you get to our little friends. Really thought we'd taken our last walk together this morning. If she's comfortable, I'm blessed to be in her company, but no matter how hard it is, I won't let her suffer. Looks like we have another day to be together.


----------



## havasu

It's rough having pets. I have an old dog with rotten teeth problems and is having surgery on Jan 2. It is going to cost me $1k just for them to decide if she needs to be put down.


----------



## MarkWood

My dalmation that we have had for about 8 years wandered off 3 days ago and we have not seen hide nor hair of him since.


----------



## Rusty

We have a Bichon that will be 16 in January. She is blind and has arthritis. My autistic son has had her since he was 2 . It's gonna be rough when she goes.


----------



## Rusty

Went to a birthday party for two of my grandkids, one's birthday is on the 19th, the other the 20th. Here are my 6 youngest grandkids at Pizza Hut. 

View attachment 1483147_10153590775175702_678822286_n.jpg


----------



## havasu

Great pic Rusty. I can see they are the love of your life.


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> Great pic Rusty. I can see they are the love of your life.



An we don't spoil them either.


----------



## Chris

Added a new truck to my fleet this week. 

View attachment image.jpg


----------



## Rusty

........... 

View attachment 1530602_585868724800535_1672271371_n.jpg


----------



## havasu

So much for your hatin' Chevy's, huh?


----------



## Chris

It's still American, kinda.


----------



## MarkWood

Is that a duramax?


----------



## MarkWood

Nope its not I dont see the badge.....6.0?


----------



## Chris

Nope a 6.0, I wanted a gasser this time. Cheap and easy.


----------



## MarkWood

Chris said:


> Nope a 6.0, I wanted a gasser this time. Cheap and easy.



Cheaper, but theres nothin cheap about maintaining trucks and equipment.


----------



## Trophyman

Finished welding in a new fuel door in the 39. Fun just startin. Getting ready to assemble whole car for mock up. 

View attachment FUEL DOOR.jpg


----------



## Chris

Today I am in the office trying to get a few bids out. Hopefully I can get motivated and bust them out and go home early but so far I just want to nap.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> Today I am in the office trying to get a few bids out. Hopefully I can get motivated and bust them out and go home early but so far I just want to nap.



See, you ARE an old fart, ask me how I know that feeling???


----------



## Rusty

First day this week I haven't been busy. Sunday and Monday I worked all day. Tuesday, I was in class all day. Wednesday I worked. Yesterday, I had classes from 8 am to 9 pm, and then made a 5 hour round trip to KCI airport to pick up someone. Got in bed at 3 am. I getting too old for this crap.


----------



## oldognewtrick

What classes are you taking Rusty?


----------



## Rusty

English, Algebra, Government. All the fun stuff.


----------



## Trophyman

Picked up a set of Cadillac CTS seats so worked on getting the wiring sorted out without blowing up the air bag Got everything working except the massaging lumbar  

View attachment CTS SEATS.jpg


View attachment seat wiring final.jpg


----------



## Chris

Put a leveling kit and my 5th wheel hitch on my dodge.


----------



## Admin

Finishing off my back yard soon. I want my kids to be ready for camping in the summer. 

I had so much to burn off I now have two 50 gallon drums burning. One still has the chemical that was in it in there, so the kids had to stay inside during the initial burn.


----------



## Rusty

Out in the cold, working on two pinewood derby cars for two of my grandsons.


----------



## havasu

Rusty said:


> Out in the cold, working on two pinewood derby cars for two of my grandsons.



I still have my Pinewood Derby car stashed somewhere after winning the semi-finals in 1966. I'll have to go look for it.


----------



## Chris

Put my Banks exhaust on my dodge along with some traction bars to hopefully keep it smooth while towing.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> Out in the cold, working on two pinewood derby cars for two of my grandsons.



Uh... thats suppose to be the kids project (like my son ever got to touch his before race day...) 4 years, 4 trips to the districts.:rockin:


----------



## havasu

Yeah, I also had my Dad make most of my Pinewood Derby car. We hollowed out the nose of it and inserted lead, and it kicked all the other car's butts.


----------



## Rusty

We cut them out for the 8 year olds and they painted them. Not pretty, but they got to do it.


----------



## Rusty

One grandson is going to district.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Tell him congrats Rusty!


----------



## Trophyman

Finishing off installing new A/C compressor, expansion valve and filter drier in my van. One day, I'd like to be in a room with the engineers that designed this A/C system and the one that designed the Chevrolet Vega. Just five minutes alone, that's all!!!!! 

To get to the expansion valve on the van I had to COMPLETELY REMOVE the windshield wiper tray, wiper linkage and all!! Then you need hands and arms that resemble a 3 year old but fingers that are 7 inches long!! SMH 

View attachment ExpValve.jpg


----------



## oldognewtrick

I hear ya TM, to put a water pump on my wife's Grand Cherokee I almost had to take the back bumper off the car. And get this, her dad is a retired electrical engineer from Chrysler. We don't talk much.


----------



## Trophyman

oldognewtrick said:


> I hear ya TM, to put a water pump on my wife's Grand Cherokee I almost had to take the back bumper off the car. And get this, her dad is a retired electrical engineer from Chrysler. We don't talk much.



Yea, I've worked on a friends Ram PU. I'd have to take a poke at ur father-in-law.


----------



## Rusty

Even some of the old stuff is a pain. I recently put a fuel pump on a 302 in my '85 Ford van. It took four hours, And I had to do it three times because the first two new ones I bought were defective.


----------



## Trophyman

Rusty said:


> Even some of the old stuff is a pain. I recently put a fuel pump on a 302 in my '85 Ford van. It took four hours, And I had to do it three times because the first two new ones I bought were defective.



Yep, "been there, done that" enough to learn to purchase a quality pump instead of the chain auto parts outlets. After dropping the tank on my Expedition 2x I learned my lesson as well Rusty.


----------



## Rusty

Can't buy anything here but the cheap stuff. Everyone in town carries only Airtex pumps.


----------



## Trophyman

Rusty said:


> Can't buy anything here but the cheap stuff. Everyone in town carries only Airtex pumps.



Bought mine on-line, like most of the stuff I buy, from Rock Auto. Got a 4Seasons pump, exp-valve, rec/drier, 8oz PAG oil and condenser all for a little over $300. I've used the 4Seasons pumps and A/C parts in the past without a single problem.


----------



## MarkWood

Painted two rooms.......do I win???


----------



## oldognewtrick

WoodRacing said:


> Painted two rooms.......*do I win*???



Maybe...but not today.


----------



## havasu

I took a 2 hour nap then went out to dinner. Ahh, the life of a retiree.


----------



## Rusty

Shoveled snow out of my driveway twice today and it needs it again.


----------



## Rusty

Shoveled it again this morning. 7 f and -11 wind chill.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Hey, you young college guys are full of pep and engery, I'm suprised you aren't shoveling snow as a side job...


----------



## Trophyman

havasu said:


> I took a 2 hour nap then went out to dinner. Ahh, the life of a retiree.




Hey Havu, don't you find it exhausting doing nothing?




YOU CAN NEVER TELL WHEN YOUR DONE!!


----------



## havasu

Hey Trophy, when I can no longer sleep, I am done...until I get tired again!


----------



## Trophyman

Can't understand why it was banned from super bowl.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=E3WBHOeVSSY


----------



## havasu

At least that commercial would have been something to talk about for quite awhile.


----------



## Trophyman

havasu said:


> At least that commercial would have been something to talk about for quite awhile.



Yea, the game left me wanting more!!!


----------



## havasu

That game left me wondering how the Bronco's missed their flight to the game. It would have been nice if they showed up so we could have seen a game instead of a slaughter.


----------



## Chris

Put some new shoes on the jeep today. 

View attachment photo (7) (1).jpg


----------



## havasu

Nice shoes Chris.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Did you hear about the fat, alcoholic transvestite - All he wanted to do was eat, drink and be Mary. 

I got invited to a party and was told to dress to kill. Apparently a turban, beard and a backpack wasn't what they had in mind. 
After a night of drink, drugs and wild sex, Jim woke up to find himself next to a really ugly woman. That's when he realized he had made it home safely. 

Since the snow came all the wife has done is look through the window. If it gets any worse, I'll have to let her in.  
After years of research, scientists have discovered what makes women happy. Nothing. 
Seven wheelchair athletes have been banned from the Paralympics after they tested positive for WD40.  
An Englishman has started his own business in Afghanistan! He is making land Mines that look like prayer mats! Its doing well! Prophets are going through the roof!! 
Japanese scientists have created a camera with a shutter speed so fast, they can now photograph a woman with her mouth shut.  
A woman standing nude in front of a mirror says to her husband: 'I look horrible, I feel fat and ugly, pay me a compliment.' He replies, 'Your eyesight is perfect.' 
Wife gets naked and asks hubby, 'What turns you on more, my pretty face or my sexy body? 'Hubby looks her up and down and replies, 'Your sense of humor! 
An elderly couple is attending Mass. About halfway through, the wife leans over and says to her husband, 'I just let out a silent fart; what do you think I should do?' He replies, 'Put a new battery in your hearing aid.'


----------



## havasu

oldognewtrick said:


> Did you hear about the fat, alcoholic transvestite - All he wanted to do was eat, drink and be Mary.
> 
> I got invited to a party and was told to dress to kill. Apparently a turban, beard and a backpack wasn't what they had in mind.
> After a night of drink, drugs and wild sex, Jim woke up to find himself next to a really ugly woman. That's when he realized he had made it home safely.
> 
> Since the snow came all the wife has done is look through the window. If it gets any worse, I'll have to let her in.
> After years of research, scientists have discovered what makes women happy. Nothing.
> Seven wheelchair athletes have been banned from the Paralympics after they tested positive for WD40.
> An Englishman has started his own business in Afghanistan! He is making land Mines that look like prayer mats! Its doing well! Prophets are going through the roof!!
> Japanese scientists have created a camera with a shutter speed so fast, they can now photograph a woman with her mouth shut.
> A woman standing nude in front of a mirror says to her husband: 'I look horrible, I feel fat and ugly, pay me a compliment.' He replies, 'Your eyesight is perfect.'
> Wife gets naked and asks hubby, 'What turns you on more, my pretty face or my sexy body? 'Hubby looks her up and down and replies, 'Your sense of humor!
> An elderly couple is attending Mass. About halfway through, the wife leans over and says to her husband, 'I just let out a silent fart; what do you think I should do?' He replies, 'Put a new battery in your hearing aid.'



I had some good belly laughs from those. Keep 'em coming.


----------



## Chris

Took my Cummins in to the shop today, it's been dripping coolant for the last couple weeks while it is running and I don't have time to work on it. I think it is the weep hole in the water pump saying to fix it before it blows.


----------



## MarkWood

Looked at a couple of jobs today then went and got milk bread eggs and bacon so we are ready for snow/ice #2 in Ga. Then sold two loads of firewood that I will deliver in the morning.......for some reason nobody wants wood till we're about to get snow and ice and I cant deliver hopefully the roads will be ok in the morning????


----------



## oldognewtrick

I'm getting low on wood, when can you deliver?


----------



## havasu

Suppose to hit 80* here. I hope the air conditioning still works great.


----------



## oldognewtrick

40 and 60's here next week. I guess I'll pass on the firewood WR.


----------



## MarkWood

Thats ok I'm fresh out sold 8 loads this week.......


----------



## MarkWood

Actually I think I could round up another cord of wood so if you change your mind......I must tell you the price goes up per mile for any delivery greater than 20 miles from Jefferson Ga.


----------



## oldognewtrick

48* here today, and beautiful and sunny. Got the Jeep out, put new plugs in, adjusted the timing, went for a short ride. Life is good!


----------



## Trophyman

Finished making my rotisserie. Now I can get the bottom of the floorboards done without craning my neck and getting metal shavings, welding sparks and paint in my face. 

View attachment 1-1-2-ROTISS.jpg


View attachment 1-1ROTISS.jpg


View attachment 1-ROTISS.jpg


----------



## oldognewtrick

Trophyman said:


> Finished making my rotisserie. Now I can get the bottom of the floorboards done without craning my neck and getting metal shavings, welding sparks and paint in my face.



I thought this was going to be about BBQ.


----------



## havasu

I thought the same and wondered why I couldn't see any BBQ in the pics. What a great little jig...was it custom made?


----------



## Rusty

Spent all night at the ER with my wife. She will be Ok, but man I am tired. Too old to survive on 90 minutes sleep.


----------



## havasu

I'm glad she is doing better. Go get some rest!


----------



## oldognewtrick

Sorry to hear about your wife Rusty, hope all is well.


----------



## MarkWood

I to am Sorry bout your wife Rusty hope its nothing to serious............
ER visits are never fun.


----------



## Trophyman

Rusty said:


> Spent all night at the ER with my wife. She will be Ok, but man I am tired. Too old to survive on 90 minutes sleep.



Hey Rusty, hope ur wife is doing better.





havasu said:


> I thought the same and wondered why I couldn't see any BBQ in the pics. What a great little jig...was it custom made?



Havasu,
Yea, I had a thought that I could use those air jacks and just make the rotating parts and connecting brackets. Works real nice.


----------



## Trophyman

Started final mock up before taking it all apart again for paint. Been a long year. 

View attachment 01A-RearShot1.jpg


View attachment 01A-Side Shot2 copy.jpg


View attachment 01A-SideShot1.jpg


----------



## oldognewtrick

What color you going with TM?


----------



## oldognewtrick

Getting out the short sleeve shirts, it's going to 70 today.


----------



## Trophyman

oldognewtrick said:


> Getting out the short sleeve shirts, it's going to 70 today.


85 here today. I think winter is gone





oldognewtrick said:


> What color you going with TM?



I've had several paint schemes in my head over the last 8 months. Think I'm going with black above the belt line and champagne below. Like the one below but more of a silver/cream on the bottom. 

View attachment 2tone17.jpg


----------



## havasu

^ Damn, that is a purty color combo.


----------



## oldognewtrick

^ I agree, for what thats worth...


----------



## oldognewtrick

Had to put rocks in my pockets today. 28 mph wind gusting to 40. 60+ tonite. Should be interesting about 9:00 this evening. 

View attachment image.jpg


----------



## havasu

It's hot here. Just did another 4 miles on the treadmill and still fat. How many more times do I have to be on the treadmill before I look good?


----------



## Chris

846,277


Than you will be slightly desirable to someone?


----------



## havasu

Just slightly I assume. 

Whassup Chris? I guess your big job is done. What else do you have lined up as far as work?


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> It's hot here. Just did another 4 miles on the treadmill and still fat. How many more times do I have to be on the treadmill before I look good?



Uh...sometime before the end of the next Myan calander...

i gave up on looking good, I'm happy now with just breathing...


----------



## Rusty

All right. I got the grade back on my first college English composition and I got a 96 out of 100. I'm not as stupid as I thought I was.


----------



## havasu

Pretty damn good Rusty. I knew you would have an edge on that ancient history class!


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> Pretty damn good Rusty. I knew you would have an edge on that ancient history class!



I do have an "A" In government class, too. I explained to the youngins that I was at the Boston Tea Party. That's why that class is easy. But Algebra is kicking my butt.


----------



## Chris

havasu said:


> Just slightly I assume.
> 
> Whassup Chris? I guess your big job is done. What else do you have lined up as far as work?



Not quite done but in the stages of costing me money instead of making money. Nothing left to bill and everyday there is some sort of set back from the poor management out there. It's a stressful situation. A lot of money on the line.

Other than that I am building a couple Farmer Boys restaurants and some more grocery work of a sewer line replacement that is 20 feet deep and 400' long.  Still busy at least. Can't wait to be rich and retire to Wyoming and kill things for the rest of my life.:rockin:


----------



## havasu

I myself love South Dakota.


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> I myself love South Dakota.



Me too....


----------



## oldognewtrick

Guess I'll head down to the deer lease in the morning, fill up the corn feeders, do a little walking in the woods, get some fresh air with the S-I-L. He has a friend thats going with us that wants to get on the lease, lost his place to hunt south of here. The way the weathers been, cabin fever is about to get the best of me.


----------



## Trophyman

Chris said:


> _Can't wait to be rich and retire to Wyoming and kill things for the rest of my life_.:rockin:



REALLY!! Some friends and I were sitting in front of my shop last night (78 deg) talking about retirement and living in Florida. One of the guys said, "ya know, I've NEVER heard anybody say,_ I can't wait to retire and move north
_"  Now I have

BTW, talked to a friend of mine last night that lives in Lusk, WY. It was 12 deg. and snowing.


----------



## havasu

I was told wearing colorful bermuda shorts was mandatory in Florida?


----------



## Trophyman

havasu said:


> I was told wearing colorful bermuda shorts was mandatory in Florida?



I've got long pants, but I seldom wear them


----------



## oldognewtrick

Finally got my barn find Honda back to the house. Now to change the fluids, tune it up, replace the fuel lines and a whole lot of cleaning. 

View attachment image.jpg


----------



## havasu

How about pics, Old Dawg?


----------



## oldognewtrick

Tried attaching them before, guess I'm computer stupid today. Did fill up the feeders at the lease and take a long walk in the woods...I'm whipped...


----------



## Trophyman

oldognewtrick said:


> Finally got my barn find Honda back to the house. Now to change the fluids, tune it up, replace the fuel lines and a whole lot of cleaning.



WOW--I like that Honda Dog!!


----------



## oldognewtrick

It sure is yellow, might have to camo wrap it like my other Honda.


----------



## Chris

Trophyman said:


> REALLY!! Some friends and I were sitting in front of my shop last night (78 deg) talking about retirement and living in Florida. One of the guys said, "ya know, I've NEVER heard anybody say,_ I can't wait to retire and move north
> _"  Now I have
> 
> BTW, talked to a friend of mine last night that lives in Lusk, WY. It was 12 deg. and snowing.



I'm delusional. I like the cold and don't like mass quantities of people so I guess north it is.


----------



## MarkWood

oldognewtrick said:


> Getting out the short sleeve shirts, it's going to 70 today.



Been wherein short sleeves for three days but its gonna be in the 20s tonight and high of 54 tomorrow .........


----------



## havasu

I finally received my knee replacement authorization today, so it looks like surgery is in my near future, accompanied with a month of bed rest.


----------



## MarkWood

That sux havasu hope you have a quick and pain free recovery.


----------



## havasu

Unfortunately, it won't be quick nor painless but necessary.


----------



## Chris

Tell me next year if the pain was worth it?


----------



## oldognewtrick

Well, since being virtually unemployed since Dec 20, I guess I have to go back to work. 4 roof inspections set for today, 2 for tomorrow, 1 for Friday and already booking next week appointments. Feast or famine around here lately...


----------



## havasu

Too bad you weren't closer to me. I need my roof inspected, but I already know your answer....*get a new roof, dummy.*


----------



## oldognewtrick

To bad you're not closer, I'd get you the favorite discount. We only charge double for relatives...


----------



## havasu

Maybe I should just send you money now with no roof inspection, so you won't have to charge me double. Maybe I will save money?


----------



## oldognewtrick

Get your knee fixed and we'll have a roofing party...never been to sunny Califiornia, heck I haven't been far past the Mississippi River.


----------



## havasu

One of my old Lieutenants took a few days off to re-roof his house. On his first day and within 10 minutes, he fell off his roof and broke his leg. Guess who spent a week roofing his house while he sat in a chair drinking beer and smoking cigars? Yep, dumb ol' me. Now that I look back, I think he planned the entire thing to get out of working himself!


----------



## oldognewtrick

You have now figured out one of the greatest mysteries of the universe.


----------



## havasu

Akin to Dumb and Dumber?


----------



## Chris

oldognewtrick said:


> Get your knee fixed and we'll have a roofing party...never been to sunny Califiornia, heck I haven't been far past the Mississippi River.



I'll bring the beer and lawn chairs.:rockin:


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> I'll bring the beer and lawn chairs.:rockin:



Cool...I'll bring my hispanics...


----------



## havasu

Mucho trabajar, poquito dinero!


----------



## oldognewtrick

No hay problema, mi muy mejor amigo.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Here's a couple we've roofed, see anything you want on your house? 

View attachment Brochure 006.jpg


View attachment westview.jpg


View attachment Chimney Caps 003.jpg


View attachment SAM_0234.jpg


View attachment c7fb91894c153f29c828d4fc5ee20570.jpg


----------



## havasu

I bet some of those abodes purchase their Grey Poupon by the case. Very beautiful homes with equally beautiful roofs.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Second pic, the house just listed for 14.6 mil. They have over 1.5 mil in the wine cellar alone.


----------



## Chris

I pulled tge front axle out of my Cherokee today to clean it up and toss in a locker and new ball joints. 

View attachment image.jpg


----------



## oldognewtrick

Got it back together yet Chris?


----------



## Chris

No I decided on doing radius long arms while it was out.


----------



## Rusty

Waiting for A T&T. Land line is out again. Third time in three weeks. Would get rid of it, except I need it for my business. When I'm on a job, many times I can't answer my cell or don't want to be bothered but don't want to not know who called.


----------



## zannej

AT&T can be a pain about getting landlines fixed sometimes. They aren't as bad as Bell South, but they can still be pains.

Did you know that some of the people that are supposedly at call centers are actually sitting in their own homes answering phones? A friend of mine worked for them for awhile and they sent him some equipment to set up so he could field calls and help customers. But the equipment kept having issues and not logging the hours so he didn't get paid for many hours of his work and he was being berated and treated like crap by customers. Also, his biyatch wife kept banging on his door and screaming at him when he was on calls. He got in trouble once because she came in and started swearing at him because he didn't say anything out loud to her when she told him she was going someplace. He ended up having to quit.

Anyway, I finally got my garbage disposal installed and am able to use at least one side of my kitchen sink again (the other side is piled up with dishes-- which I'm leaving to my brother because that's his job). I had to rework the plumbing a bit to make it more efficient. Its still S-trapped, but I'm planning to fix that (I hope sometime this year).

*Before*






*After*





My proposed fix:





Captain Fluffy will not be happy when we start filling the cabinets back up with clean dishes.


----------



## havasu

I love cats (provided they are skinned and baked at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, coated with BBQ sauce!)


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> I love cats (provided they are skinned and baked at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, coated with BBQ sauce!)



Heard it tastes a lil like chicken...


----------



## havasu

oldognewtrick said:


> Heard it tastes a lil like chicken...


Nope. Tastes like frog.


----------



## Chris

Got the fuel injection all plumbed on the Scrambler. Now to tackle the wiring then onto new exhaust and a bunch of other fixes.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> Got the fuel injection all plumbed on the Scrambler. Now to tackle the wiring then onto new exhaust and a bunch of other fixes.



What about the Cherokee?


----------



## Rusty

My wife's words.

June 22 woke up with no phones or internet called AT&T had to wait till June 26 before repair man came out, he "fixed" it in about 10 mins and left by 11:30am. June 27 at 1:15 while i was talking to my mom (yes less than 26 hours later) phone went out again, had to wait till July 2nd to get another repair man out to "fix" it again,, took him about 5 mins and it was up and running..July 13 phone was out again, Never believe AT&T, this time they said they would be here July 16 to fix it, They never showed so I called and they said there was an outage that had to be fixed ok i got that part but when the tech's have to be rerouted for an outage they cancel all repair tickets and don't bother to call the customer oh and don't seem to know what's going on as when AT&T called to ask if the repair man had finish and was able to make the repair and I told them he never showed, they told me he was still on his way. Next call to ask me if he had finished the repairs I found out about the outage thing. and now they say someone will be here tomorrow to fix it... really??? As we have sat waiting and wasting our time for two days now I'm not holding my breath, I can't hold it that long.


----------



## oldognewtrick

And now you know why we just dumped the house land line. Cells only here now and couldn't be happier.


----------



## havasu

The house I use to own, and is now owned from the b!^#h from hell (I sure digress, don't I?) had horrible cell service since it was backed up to a mountain and no cell sites were close, so a land line was necessary. 

Now that I live in the flatlands, the cell service is fantastic and there is no reason to have a land line. Face it Rusty, you just don't want to upgrade from your dial up modem, right?


----------



## Rusty

I have Uverse, fastest internet available here. I need the land line. Anyway, I knew the tech who came today and fixed it. He gave me his personal cell number and said to call him direct next time and skip the A T & T service number. We shall see. There are a lot of dead spots around here for cell service. A couple of the smaller towns have no tower available at all.


----------



## zannej

Ugh. That sucks, but I'm glad you got your lines working again. Did the tech say what was wrong?

I need a landline since cell service is spotty out here.


----------



## Rusty

It was the modem, again. Those little kids in China don't  make quality electronics.


----------



## oldognewtrick

I do believe it's Gin&Tonic Time.


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> I do believe it's Gin&Tonic Time.



I'll take straight JD.


----------



## oldognewtrick

3 racks of spareribs, corn on the cob, fresh green beans and salad... Maybe a Bud or 3 too. 

View attachment image.jpg


----------



## Rusty

Sick all day. About once a year my BP goes nuts. Only  lasts for a day or two. No doctor has ever been able to figure out why. If you have ever had high BP, you know how sick it can make you.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Hope you're feeling better soon Rusty.


----------



## havasu

Sorry to hear about the BP Rusty.


----------



## Chris

I broke a toe yesterday kicking a cleat on my boat. It is now purple and black and the nail is split, yay me!


----------



## zannej

Yikes, Rusty, I wonder what causes that... 

Ouch, Chris that makes my toe hurt just thinking about it. I hope it heals quickly.


----------



## glock26USMC

Went to the Wild Horse Tour in OuterBanks, NC 

View attachment image.jpg


----------



## Admin

We have wild horses in West Texas I've been told. Never seen them, just been told about them. 

How's the vacay Ger? Off to a good start?


----------



## Admin

Rusty said:


> Sick all day. About once a year my BP goes nuts. Only  lasts for a day or two. No doctor has ever been able to figure out why. If you have ever had high BP, you know how sick it can make you.



I have similar events. I keep getting told to lose weight or go on meds. I'm going to lose the weight. Eventually.


----------



## glock26USMC

GRAdmin said:


> We have wild horses in West Texas I've been told. Never seen them, just been told about them.
> 
> How's the vacay Ger? Off to a good start?



Having a great time, great weather..... Thanks for asking


----------



## Admin

I envy you sir!


----------



## Rusty

Well, it was yesterday, but we took our grandson to the doctor, only a 4 hour round trip. He's fine.


----------



## glock26USMC

Rusty said:


> Well, it was yesterday, but we took our grandson to the doctor, only a 4 hour round trip. He's fine.



Glad to hear, all is well Rusty


----------



## Chris

I looked and today is not a good day to look at my stocks performance.


----------



## zannej

I'm just sitting around waiting for my mother to wake up so I can make her something to eat. I was going to go renew the registration on the CR-V today, but my brother took it and went over to a friend's house. The friend's puppy just died from Parvo and apparently it left a mess (because the friend's girlfriend brought the puppy in to a room with carpet and let it crawl under his chair to die). I wish she'd actually tried to take it to the vet or something. She really shouldn't have pets. They have 5 more puppies that will now need to be vaccinated asap so they won't die, but I don't think she'll get that done.

Anyway, I suspect my brother just used it as an excuse to go over and play video games because there is no way he's going to clean up any excrement-- he won't even wipe his own off of the toilet seat when he manages to smear it on.

I'm hoping the world of warcraft beta servers will be back up soon so I can test things out and do some bug reporting.


----------



## havasu

Careful, that Parvo is nothing to play with. I hear the virus is airborne and can be transferred quickly to your houses and dogs! 

Sold furniture via Craigslist today for the first time. It was quick and painless, but the seller thought I was out to get him, and I thought he was out to get me. With my gun at my side, I wasn't going to lose this win! Transaction went great, and we laughed at both of us being paranoid.


----------



## zannej

I didn't know it was airborne. I did warn my friend that it is highly contagious. My vet told me that it can stay around in an area for 6 months up to 2 years so I said they can't get any more puppies for 2 years unless they get them vaccinated. Apparently the girlfriend had a temper tantrum about it.

I came pretty close to slapping her the other day when she told me how she broke her glasses. She apparently was hitting her 5-year-old son so violently that she managed to break her glasses. And after her boyfriend had worked a 12 hour shift at one job and then worked a double shift at another job he wanted to sleep. But she didn't want to watch her own kid (its not her boyfriend's kid) so she literally slapped the daylights out of him (on his head, back, legs, etc) until he got up. I think now I know why her ex-husband hit her. During the school year she would get mad at her then 4-year-old son because he was slow to get dressed in the morning (partially because he was groggy in the morning- she never enforces a bedtime, but also because he's not coordinated). Rather than help him, she would start screaming at him and then "beating his a**". She has no patience with the kid and will sometimes just slap him upside the head with no warning.

We've all told my friend that he needs to get custody of his daughter, call cps and have them take her son away, and kick her to the curb.

Anyway, I'm glad the transaction went well, havasu. I don't blame you for bringing your sidearm. You never know what sort of crazies you will encounter.


----------



## havasu

My G/F's 92 year old mom had a heart attack last night, then suffered a stroke today. Obviously not in good shape, and expect the inevitable to occur in the next day or two. Not a fun time around these parts.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Sorry to hear that, thoughts and prayers for her and her family.


----------



## havasu

Thanks. No phone calls last night so the drain must still being circled.


----------



## Admin

havasu said:


> My G/F's 92 year old mom had a heart attack last night, then suffered a stroke today. Obviously not in good shape, and expect the inevitable to occur in the next day or two. Not a fun time around these parts.



My FIL is being rushed to the hospital as I type this. His diabetes is out of whack and he's more or less in a diabetic coma. Didn't know where he was, what was going on, etc. My wife is beside herself.


----------



## Chris

Sorry to hear Austin.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Hope they can get his blood sugar straightened out Austin. Let us know how he's doing.


----------



## zannej

I'm sorry to hear about your g/f's mom, Havasu. Strokes and heart attacks always suck and I know the waiting part really sucks. I've been down that road a few times now with watching people circling the drain and wishing they would get better but knowing there wasn't much chance. Give your gf a hug for me.

Austin, I'm also sorry about your father-in-law. Diabetes sucks. My mom has it and I'm constantly checking on her and making sure she has enough sugar. She's had some incidents where her sugar spiked way too high and others where it got way too low, but she's been lucky thus far. I'm knocking on wood and hoping it will stay that way. I do hope they can straighten things out for him and maybe he'll be more careful from here on out.


----------



## Rusty

My next door neighbor is a 50 year old veteran. He's diabetic, has had 9 strokes and 3 heart attacks, and was out running around today. You never know. There is always hope.


----------



## havasu

The administered "Last Rights" to my G/F's mom today, and is on morphine every two hours. She hasn't eaten or had fluids for 2+ days, so the time is coming soon.


----------



## Rusty

Sorry to hear that, Mark.


----------



## havasu

Thanks Rusty, but the time is long overdue. The lady has Alzheimer's, and doesn't know anyone. For the last 10 years, she has been in a special memory care facility which is charging my G/F $6K a month. No quality of life at all. 

We humanely put dogs and cats down, but....well, that is question for another thread.


----------



## zannej

Man... That really sucks. I recently lost someone who was like a grandmother to me who was in similar condition. She was in a nursing home for the last few years of her life. It took about 3 or 4 days for her to die. Her husband took 10 days to die. That was really hard because we knew he was dying and we were up there every day holding his hand and sitting with him. I did get to see him while he was still awake and he told me he was dying. At that point I didn't believe it, but the next day he couldn't open his eyes. He just sort of grunted to acknowledge that he heard us and squeezed our hands. I forget when he stopped being able to squeeze hands and respond. He'd also been in the nursing home. While we were there they had problems with the oxygen machine and then the air conditioner went out. When they were replacing it, I saw that there was black mold under the unit. It probably contributed to his illness and death.

And yeah, I have to say... they are quick to put animals down even when its not necessary and the animals can live happily for awhile longer, but with people they keep them hanging on and suffering.

It is strange how some people can die young from stuff that might not seem all that serious and then others really hang in. I knew a guy who smoked for over 70 years, had numerous car accidents, and was still able to walk around and function up until a few weeks before he died of brain cancer at the age of 91.


----------



## havasu

I spent the day at the nursing home, on day three of this ever-lasting vigil. The only good thing to come of this long vigil is the fact that all three siblings are together, for the first time in several years. 

This lady (Ida) was apparently a self-centered pain in the arse to her children, who really couldn't care less about keeping up her relationship with her own children.

Now that the time is near, her kids are talking, laughing and forgiving, so she can rest comfortably knowing she finally succeeded in something. 

Good job Ida Kepler!


----------



## oldognewtrick

It's amazing how end of life sometimes brings family's together or can tear them apart. Guess every ending has it's own way of finalizing things. It's not easy dealing with loss of a loved one and moving on. Glad things are healing Mark and hope they stay that way. Theres no guarantee what tomorrow will bring, live every day like it's your last.


----------



## Riff_Raff

havasu said:


> The administered "Last Rights" to my G/F's mom today, and is on morphine every two hours. She hasn't eaten or had fluids for 2+ days, so the time is coming soon.




You'll know when the catheter bag stops filling that the last 24 has arrived. At least that;s about how it worked out for my father. He went another 8, but he had a special kind of tenacity.


----------



## Chris

My whole family thought my father would die first, he lives an unhealthy diet lifestyle. Lives off gas station food and soda, is diabetic but not over weight, never exercises. Meanwhile my mother exercised, took her vitamins and ate healthy and died of heart failure last year at 59 years old with no warning. Go figure. All while my moms parents are both above 90 and still running around like teenagers. They have lost both of their kids now. Dads parents died young, one of heart attack and one a blood clot. The world works in mysterious ways.


----------



## Riff_Raff

No kidding, especially on the heart thing. Read a fascinating book called Enter The Zone.

Basically, every male in Dr Barry Sears family died by 49. He figured if he didn't figure out the mechanism, it would happen to him too. What an eye opener! Really refined how I do nutrition research.


----------



## zannej

I had a friend-- my godbrother-- who just suddenly dropped dead at the age of 30. They never determined the cause officially, but one of his sister's was later diagnosed with a heart condition where, if the heart stops, it can't start again and she can die at any minute.

There are some people that I only see at funerals or when someone is about to die. We keep saying to each other "we have to stop meeting under these circumstances". I think my father's death helped my mother get in touch with her sisters again briefly, but my mom is not good at keeping in touch with people and hasn't made an effort to reciprocate any attempts to continue communication. It's put me in touch with my aunts a bit more at least. It nearly wrecked my relationship with my sister because of some misunderstandings and a lot of stress. In some ways we are closer but in others there is still a bit of a rift.

Anyway, I had another one of my days of just feeling exhausted today so it was not productive.


----------



## havasu

Well, the catheter bag thing didn't work for me. She quit eating and drinking last Sunday and is still here, barely.


----------



## glock26USMC

havasu said:


> Well, the catheter bag thing didn't work for me. She quit eating and drinking last Sunday and is still here, barely.



Praying for you and yours


----------



## havasu

Thanks. We left the Old Folk's home exhausted last night and told the staff to call us when the deed was done.


----------



## Rusty

My son's dog passed away at 9 30 tonight. He had Biscuit since he was three, for 16 1/2 years. She was part of the family, but it was time. 

View attachment 304087_272162646138154_284998263_n.jpg


----------



## glock26USMC

Rusty said:


> My son's dog passed away at 9 30 tonight. He had Biscuit since he was three, for 16 1/2 years. She was part of the family, but it was time.



Very sorry to hear this news, thoughts and prayers to you and yours.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Sorry to hear Rusty, amazing how much they become a part of your life.


----------



## havasu

That's tough Rusty. My condolences go out.


----------



## zannej

Sorry to hear that, Rusty. It sucks to lose pets. I hope your son is taking it ok. 

Yesterday I took my friend and his girlfriend to Sam's club about an hour away, helped unload groceries, then took his girlfriend to Walmart where she spent over an hour shopping. I sat down and waited and texted him about shopping hell and then took her back home and helped unload groceries.

I got sick last night and had my brother take our housemate to work and pick him up. I was still feeling bleh so I slept until about 4pm. Well, I did get up once to give my dog her morning meds but then I curled up again. Not sure what hit me. Right now my brother is nagging me to take him to the store to buy a birthday cake for our housemate. We have cake mix.. I don't know why doesn't just make a cake or birthday cupcakes.


----------



## zannej

So I was going to head out to the grocery store and my brother tried to open the front door when this happened:






Good thing its not the only door. I had to go out the back and work my way around. Had trouble getting it to open and he had to push the knob back on and turn it to get it to open because it locked itself when it broke off.

So, we ended up going to HomeDepot. I picked out a replacement knob-- I really hated the one we had, which was absolutely tiny and a pain to turn. Found one that I knew my mother would like and went to check out. The guy couldn't ring it up because someone had done the inventory wrong. We told him the price and he marked it down to clearance price because we were inconvenience by having to wait.

I got home and had to put it on in the dark (the lights in the room don't work) so I had to use a crappy little plastic lantern, but I think it turned out ok. and man.. I need to clean that door with some Pledge.


----------



## havasu

Good job on the door knob assembly!


----------



## Riff_Raff

I like that style. Surprised it fit, that looks like a '30's door.


----------



## zannej

Thanks. I was able to keep the strike plate on the doorjamb, which was a relief, but when I picked up the box I found one little part that I wasn't sure where it was supposed to go. The instructions were all pictures and didn't really have descriptions to say where it went. In retrospect I think I know where it is supposed to go, but I don't know if I want to take it apart again.
It took longer than I'd hoped because of the visibility issue and I was turning the screws manually instead of using a power screwdriver since I didn't want to strip the screws.

I'll have to get a picture of the door. It's not that old. When we bought the place in the 80s it was a wide sliding glass door that was a pain in the *** to open. So my father built up the wall and put a tool closet on one side and then put the door in. I believe this is actually a second door because I saw a nearly identical one in the barn with the windows broken out. So, the tenants may have replaced it-- which probably explains why its in such crappy condition.

I do need to fix where the paneling is patched with duct tape. LOL.

The knob works so much better than the old one.

I really do like that style of doorknob. I got a non-locking kind for $2 from the HfH ReStore before it went out of business.


----------



## zannej

This is the door





And this is the metal piece that I missed. Not sure if its important or not.


----------



## Rusty

Wow! Amazing. The first picture looks just like a door.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> Wow! Amazing. The first picture looks just like a door.



Yep, I at first thought she was going to show us before and after pics of how it cleaned up. I guess I was confused.


----------



## havasu

You can toss the round piece. Many manufactured and mobile homes use the round sleeve instead of the square on the door edge.


----------



## zannej

LOL. Yeah, I do need to clean the door up. It has dirt marks from when we push it closed with our feet when our arms are full of groceries.

And I need to find a better solution for the wall panels instead of that duct tape. LOL.

Thanks, havasu. I really could not for the life of me figure out how it was supposed to fit in or where it was supposed to go. I'm glad that is nothing important for the mechanism.

My mother had actually wanted a blue door and we once bought the paint but I don't know what happened to it...


----------



## zannej

So, today I sold my cows and helped the lady who bought them by getting them in to the yard of my nice neighbor (whom I believe is her boyfriend or at least good friend). She was surprised at how my cow followed me and liked to be petted. She gave me a check and I went back into my house.

So I had $1200 for about 30 minutes when the lady came back. I went outside and my cows were in my front yard. She then told me that she'd never seen anything like it. Apparently a few minutes after I disappeared from the cows' sight, my older one completely freaked out and started mooing and running back and forth along the fenceline until she found a spot and then leaped over it. The other cow followed. My older one was practically hyperventilating, her nose was running, she had diarrhea, and she was basically very stressed out at having been separated from me. So I went over to hug her, pet her, and calm her down. She scraped her front dewlap a bit, but I think she's ok now. They lady decided that it wasn't a good transaction if the cow was that attached to me so I returned her check (since the cows returned themselves).

I guess now I really have to get my barn fixed up.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Reminds me if the time we had pigs at my boss's farm. We found out pigs don't lead, pigs don't follow and pigs don't heard. I wish we had a video of us trying to load 7 of them in a livestock trailer. Wasn't a good day for us or the pigs. We found out that a 350 lb pig can flip 2 full grown men carrying a stock panel.


----------



## Trophyman

So--watched the neighbor dig a giant hole to bury 15 cows that died after a lightning strike hit the ground behind my house. I swear, I live in the lightning capital of the world.


----------



## havasu

Wouldn't that cow meat be good for something besides fertilizer?


----------



## Trophyman

Oh Yea, got my engine started last week. 1997 LT4 383 roller cam. All controlled with 1995 OBD1 PCM tuned by me (work in progress).

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22csaCtsjX8[/ame]


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> Wouldn't that cow meat be good for something besides fertilizer?



Not unless you cod get them dressed and hung immediately. Who knows what damage the lightning did to the tissue. Sure is a waste though.


----------



## Trophyman

oldognewtrick said:


> Not unless you cod get them dressed and hung immediately. Who knows what damage the lightning did to the tissue. Sure is a waste though.



Naaa, I had to call him when I discovered it the following morning. The storm hit at about 8 PM


----------



## zannej

trophyman, that is so sad! It makes little baby cows cry!





(that's actually my younger cow the day she was born-- she was crying because her mother was too retarded to understand how to let her nurse).

I feel sorry for your neighbor. I thought it was bad enough when I had to dig a hole large enough to bury my 100lb rottweiler one summer in 105 degree heat.

oldog, pigs are interesting and entertaining animals. I had a pair of mule-hoofed ones that weighed around 400lbs. They actually did come when called and liked to follow. I could walk up to them and hold the palm of my hand out for them to sniff and they would fop on their sides and want their bellies rubbed. The male was a clever one. He realized what a jerkwad the horse was and liked to antagonize him. I wish I had video footage of the hot mocking that horse and causing him to have a temper tantrum. It was hilarious. And there was the time my little brother was kicking dirt in the hog's face and annoying him until the hog had enough and grabbed him by the pantleg and yanked until he fell down, then dragged him all the way up the hill to the pile where we burn our trash and then dumped my brother in it (it wasn't burning at the time obviously). I'm sure my brother's memories of it aren't so fond. He was screaming and shrieking the entire way and I was practically ROTFLMAO.

Right now some sort of bug is going around in my house. My cats have been sneezing for a couple days and now I've got a low-grade headache, sore nose, and sore throat. I know I didn't get it from the cats because it doesn't work that way-- although apparently animals can get some illnesses from humans. As I was typing this, Captain Fluffy climbed on me to snuggle and purr.


----------



## oldognewtrick

zannej said:


> As I was typing this, Captain Fluffy climbed on me to snuggle and purr.



Uh...is Captain Fluffy your cat or is this thread becoming suddenly triple X rated?


----------



## zannej

LOL. Captain Fluffy is my elderly kitty. She's about 12 years old now. Her mother dropped her off on the doorstep in December of either 2001 or 2002.


----------



## Trophyman

I've got a 14 yo cat that lives in my shop, Sheba. This cat will sleep anyplace! She also is a vicious hunter. Mice, bats, moles, she gets them all. 

View attachment 01A-Sheba On Shop Door1.jpg


View attachment 2.jpg


View attachment 3.jpg


----------



## zannej

Trophyman, she's beautiful. I actually have a fluffy black cat like that. We got him from a friend who named him Jiggaboo (because he realized it offended my mother and he thought it was funny to see her reaction). The cat was one of two kittens from a litter. The other one was white and was named Cracker.
We tried changing his name, but he won't answer to anything else. Sweetest kitty with a very loud purr.

I love when kitties sleep on their backs like in the 2nd pic.

I slept most of the day yesterday because I was sick and today I'm a bit better, but still tired. Its a lot cooler today and I'm trying to work up the energy to do something productive. Its so nice to not have 90+ degree weather, but its still very damp outside.


----------



## Trophyman

zannej said:


> Trophyman, she's beautiful. I actually have a fluffy black cat like that. We got him from a friend who named him Jiggaboo (because he realized it offended my mother and he thought it was funny to see her reaction). The cat was one of two kittens from a litter. The other one was white and was named Cracker.
> We tried changing his name, but he won't answer to anything else. Sweetest kitty with a very loud purr.
> 
> I love when kitties sleep on their backs like in the 2nd pic.
> 
> I slept most of the day yesterday because I was sick and today I'm a bit better, but still tired. Its a lot cooler today and I'm trying to work up the energy to do something productive. Its so nice to not have 90+ degree weather, but its still very damp outside.



Yea, Sheba is old but I guess being an outside cat, living on a farm has made her tough. If Im under a car, she will walk under and sit right next to me. Never was much of a cat person, but she great company.

Hope U get to felling bettr. Im in Florida so its been in the mid 90's since May. I had to learn to tollerate the heat cause I didn't want to stay inside for months at a time. Anyway, fall is near and the time is coming when I LOVE being in Florida. 

Take care of urself.


----------



## Rusty

I came out of retirement and installed 80 yds of carpet today. Need to do that more often. Didn't realize how much I missed it.


----------



## havasu

I watched my grandkids soccer games today. Although it was over 100 degrees, if was fun....then again, it wasn't me running around the field chasing that dumb ball!


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> I came out of retirement and installed 80 yds of carpet today. Need to do that more often. Didn't realize how much I missed it.



Put new carpet on the stairs going to the basement today, where were you when I need ya?


----------



## Chris

We had a birthday party for my two year old today where all of our friends with kids that she plays with flaked because of tge heat or other excuses. Now I have a wife who has been crying all evening. At least family showed up.


----------



## havasu

We went to the LA County Fair today. It was 106 upon arrival at noon. It was heroes day, so we got in for $2 each. Yep, we baked.


----------



## Rusty

High was in the 70s here today, 50s tonight. Was in the 40s last night.


----------



## zannej

Trophyman, its interesting how some people who were never cat people end up loving cats. I had a friend who didn't become a cat person until his late 80s and then he adored his cats and wanted to have little kittens sitting on his lap all the time. His favorite kitten stayed with him when he was dying. She only left his side for absolute necessities and she was curled up on him when he died.

My father had a few cats as a child and grew up loving cats and I grew up always having cats around so I was raised to be a cat person. 

I think I went to Florida once. I can't remember much about the trip. My uncle took me there for a fishing trip. I wish I could remember more about it but it was over 20 years ago.

It was cool again today but I'm still under the weather. The headache is gone but I've got the stupid runny nose thing and I'm trying to keep it under control so I don't get bronchitis again. But, on the scale of how sick I've been in the past (scale of 1-10 with 10 being worst) this is probably about a 1.5.


----------



## havasu

Not only did I dislike cats as a youngster, I despise them now. It seems all the cats come into this yard to crap, then return to their homes. We have spend several hundred $$'s covering all of our dirt with weed cloth, then rubber mulch, trying to stop their antics. 

I did have one cat I enjoyed and that was at the ranch where my horse was boarded. The cat was a great mouser and earned his keep. A coyote spooked him up to the top of a telephone pole one evening and I had to pull some strings to have a utility worker come up with a cherry picker to get my cat down.

Oh, to follow the theme of this thread, I have no idea what I am going to do today, since I barely began to drink my coffee.


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> Oh, to follow the theme of this thread, I have no idea what I am going to do today, since I barely began to drink my coffee.



Days a wastin mister, get busy doing something.


----------



## zannej

I guess since I have 32 acres, any crap the cats leave outside is not an issue since I never see it, but I imagine it must be frustrating having neighborhood cats messing in your yard all the time. 

I'm a little nauseous today so I took some meds and am trying to keep my breakfast down.


----------



## Chris

Today I put new tires on one of my tractors. Ouch!

Now I need to shop for tires for my truck.


----------



## oldognewtrick

I have the second set of Toyo's on my F-350. First set I got over 55k and this set will do better I think. Right around $900.00 tax,title and install.


----------



## Chris

What size were those? I am looking at 315/70 R17 for my truck. I was running BFG all terrains and get around 50k out of them normally sometimes more. I do a lot of highway driving. Since I picked up this Dodge ram a year ago next month I have put 33k on it.


----------



## oldognewtrick

16's 

I do like BFG's, thats what I'm gonna put under my Jeep when I can afford a Old Man Emu lift.


----------



## havasu

I was told the factory quit manufacturing 16" BFG's. A buddy of mine just dealt with this, and he had to get them shipped from out of state from a leftover stock. They will no longer warranty them since the company quit making them.


----------



## Chris

17's are the new 15.


----------



## havasu

I have the same problem with my 16.5" rims on my boat hauler Blazer.


----------



## Chris

I had the same problem on an older ford, I ended up getting new wheels. It was cheaper than tires.


----------



## Rusty

I need one good 16.5 for my 1 ton. I refuse to give $300 plus for one. I have a friend who works at a tire shop on the lookout for a good used one. I only drive the truck a couple times a year.


----------



## Chris

You need the wheel or tire or both?


----------



## Rusty

Just a tire. It has 5 good tires and one bad on it now.


----------



## oldognewtrick

So, I got the urge to clean out the garage, but I don't have the urge to throw much away...,


----------



## Riff_Raff

havasu said:


> I was told the factory quit manufacturing 16" BFG's. A buddy of mine just dealt with this, and he had to get them shipped from out of state from a leftover stock. They will no longer warranty them since the company quit making them.



I put the Rugged Terrain in 265/75/16 on my Tacoma about 18 months ago. Tire Rack had them about 6 months ago. SOunds like I'll hafta check again, just for grins.


----------



## Riff_Raff

oldognewtrick said:


> So, I got the urge to clean out the garage, but I don't have the urge to throw much away...,



Always boggles my mind how all the stuff seems to 'disappear' once it's organized an put away.


----------



## Rusty

Went to the in-laws house at the lake. Finally got to relax for a few hours.


----------



## havasu

We made it out to the lake yesterday. There is a big sign at the boat launch ramp prohibiting launching because "Chris peed in the water!"


----------



## Chris

Sorry about that. I had to go!


----------



## oldognewtrick

Well, this was a boring day......


----------



## Chris

I brought my rifles to work today to clean them for the start of rifle season in a few weeks.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Picked up material for a job, put up a chimney cap, came home washed my truck and now I'm drinking a cold Bud. Todays better than yesterday.


----------



## Rusty

Climbed up into the back of my box truck, a tool box shifted, I fell and put a 5" long gash in my arm. Old people are just clumsy.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> Climbed up into the back of my box truck, a tool box shifted, I fell and put a 5" long gash in my arm. Old people are just clumsy.



I fully understand.


----------



## Chris

I have no idea what you are talking about.


Old man!


----------



## zannej

Ouch. Sorry about your arm, Rusty. 
So far today I gave my fat dog her meds, fed all of the cats, fed the dogs, opened a new bag of cat food (which was actually an older one I didn't realize was still in the back of the car-- it had a different formula and the cats like it better than the new formula), and now I'm checking my e-mail.

I'm trying to convince myself to do something productive today.


----------



## Chris

I was awarded a project that I didn't bother looking where it was located and now we get to drive 3 hours each way to work.


----------



## havasu

What city?


----------



## Chris

Rancho Palos Verdes


----------



## Rusty

zannej said:


> Ouch. Sorry about your arm, Rusty.
> So far today I gave my fat dog her meds, fed all of the cats, fed the dogs, opened a new bag of cat food (which was actually an older one I didn't realize was still in the back of the car-- it had a different formula and the cats like it better than the new formula), and now I'm checking my e-mail.
> 
> I'm trying to convince myself to do something productive today.



Being productive is not much fun.


----------



## Rusty

Spent the day at a blue grass music festival. Yee-Haw.


----------



## havasu

Blue Grass music is alot of fun. 

I spent the day visiting with my 3 grandkids. They just make me smile!


----------



## Chris

I spent the day hiking through the woods chasing a deer. You would think I would be in better shape.


----------



## havasu

Watch out for tics in your nether regions!


----------



## Chris

But they eat the crabs?


----------



## Rusty

Bought a '95 Chevy Lumina to run small jobs in. Couldn't believe it. It has no body damage and no tears or stains in the interior. Has almost new tires. Probably will need front brakes and a battery.


----------



## havasu

Is the Lumina still missing the fuse panel?


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> Is the Lumina still missing the fuse panel?



Yep, can't find it.


----------



## havasu

You sure it's not in the door jamb on the driver's side?


----------



## Rusty

Finally found it. It's behind a hidden panel inside the second glove box on the passenger side.


----------



## Chris

Seems like a logical place for it.


----------



## havasu

I no longer need to ask why they quit making those beasts. That was dumb!

Our detectives had a fleet of Lumina's for work use. When we would go out on an undercover job, we'd jump into them things and the gangbanger would just laugh at us, because a Lumina in the Varrio stuck out more than a black and white car.


----------



## oldognewtrick

You would of been idols if you would of rolled in this. 

View attachment Chevy.jpg


----------



## Rusty

This one will just get occasional use. It has no body damage and an almost perfect interior. 
It was made in Canada, so I have to find out how to turn off the driving lights. Guess they are mandatory up there.  This one is the minivan, I assume you were driving the coupe?


----------



## havasu

Yeah, we had dozens of the coupes, but did have one van, which was painted black and white. It was for our Community Service Gal. We called it the "Space Wagon" since it had that futuristic look to it.


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> Yeah, we had dozens of the coupes, but did have one van, which was painted black and white. It was for our Community Service Gal. We called it the "Space Wagon" since it had that futuristic look to it.



Maybe I should paint a little green man on it.


----------



## Rusty

Is this the original motor? 

View attachment th.jpg


----------



## Rusty

Why I bought the old Lumina for $750. 

View attachment 001.jpg


View attachment 002.jpg


View attachment 003.jpg


----------



## Chris

That is the ugliest spaceship I've seen this week.


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> That is the ugliest spaceship I've seen this week.



Shhh. The aliens will hear you.


----------



## havasu

I am kinda fond of the whitewall tires.


----------



## Rusty

I like whitewalls on old vehicles.


----------



## Rusty

Had two vehicles down. Got one running today. Should get the other one tomorrow,


----------



## havasu

A little R and R... 

View attachment 10-11-14.jpg


----------



## Rusty

One of my neighbors can't understand why I keep my old work van. I could get my tools in one of the mini's. But this way I don't have to load and unload tools or haul them all the time. Besides the old work van costs $25 a month for insurance. Just makes sense to me to keep it.


----------



## Riff_Raff

havasu said:


> A little R and R...



Catamaran?


----------



## oldognewtrick

Went to the shooting range today with my son-in-law, his brother, sister, mom and my ex's current boy friend, yeah, I know...had a good time burning 22's, 9's, 44's, 45's and some 223. Lot more expensive to shoot than it use to be. But it was a lot of fun. s-i-l's mom and sis had never shoot before, now they want to go back for more.


----------



## Chris

I did some tile work on my mountain house. 

View attachment image.jpg


----------



## Rusty

My father-in-law passed away. I had known him for 31 years. He was a heckuva guy.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> My father-in-law passed away. I had known him for 31 years. He was a heckuva guy.



Sorry to hear of your loss Rusty, but so glad you had a good relationship with him.


----------



## Chris

Sorry to hear Rusty.


----------



## havasu

My condolences Rusty.


----------



## Riff_Raff

oldognewtrick said:


> Sorry to hear of your loss Rusty, but so glad you had a good relationship with him.



Yep.

Condolences Rusty. I was sad when my ex-fil passed.


----------



## Rusty

Watched the Royals win the American League championship. On their way to the World Series. 

View attachment 10689743_794844433888396_99952734764483913_n.jpg


----------



## oldognewtrick

Sitting on the back porch, drinking a Miller Highlife, grilling chicken legs and wings, watching Taladega on my lap top, sunny 65, life is good.


----------



## havasu

How is Ricky Bobby?


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> How is Ricky Bobby?



Ricky failed to qualify today.


----------



## Rusty

Back to the lake today to pick up my wife. Her dad's funeral was yesterday.


----------



## havasu

How is the wife Rusty?


----------



## Rusty

Pretty good, considering.


----------



## havasu

My girlfriend lost her mom on August 8th, and her brother on September 8th. She says she is fine, but she now has a keen sense on her mortality now. 

Today, I'm gunna relax. (Yeah, what's new?)


----------



## Chris

I went to the office today. I might bid some work.


----------



## zannej

I haven't really done much today so far, but in the past few weeks I've cleaned the toilet, got my first ever speeding ticket (I saw the speed limit sign but they had the "school zone" sign on the opposite side of the road and I was driving slower than the cars around me so I thought that I was going speed limit), some old bat backed her car into the side of my car in a parking lot, took my mother to doctor's appointments, etc.

My car is in the shop having the door replaced. I was backing out of a parking space and was about to change gears to go forward and the old bat hit the side of my car with the rear of her car and kept trying to back up before pulling forward. She moved her car and refused to give me her info-- she insisted on calling the cops to come see. Then she lied to the cop and said it was my fault. The place has security cameras all over, but the cop couldn't be bothered to go request the footage so he wrote it up as "improper backing" on my part and said that we were both being put at fault bc it was her word against mine. He easily could have solved the dispute. Hell, he could have looked at the scene and figured out who was at fault. The repair shop said its about $1800 to replace the door (but I noticed he tacked on labor for one of the tail lights, the mirror, and the front door-- all of which were not damaged at all- oh, and had paint down for the front door). The insurance is covering it and they claim they will have their legal dept. look in to getting the security footage and hopefully we will get the deductible paid either by the old bat's insurance or by the old bat herself. We may have to get a lawyer to get the footage though. Cops refused to pull it.

I'm trying to get around to scheduling an appointment with my cardiologist and hoping they didn't lose my records again.

Other than that, nothing much going on. Just waiting for the car place to call so I can go pick up the car.


----------



## havasu

If both of you were backing, then the fault would be 50/50, since it is illegal to back unless it is safe to do so. Seems like your insurance company is helping you, but one question I have is..."Was this on private property or a city street"?


----------



## zannej

Havasu, it was in the Walmart parking lot-- which the cop said was "private property". At the time the woman hit me, I was already backed out of the space. My car was directly behind hers when she started backing out, and even hitting my car did not stop her from trying to back up because she gave it gas and pushed my door in even more after she hit my car. The way was clear when I backed out, but it was not when she backed out.

Its one of those parking lots where there is enough space for two cars to drive by each other while going down between the aisles. I checked to make sure no cars were coming from the oncoming area before pulling out and I looked behind me to make sure it was clear. I was still on the right side of the lane so that if another car did drive by from the oncoming area, it would have had room to pass. The parking spaces are angled so you don't back straight out, its at a slight angle. I had already turned so I wasn't at an angle and was almost completely straight down the aisle when the old lady backed out and hit the left  rear driver side door with the right rear of her car.

Here is where she hit me: (the front of the car is to the left). This was the rear driver side door-- she hit the front part of it.






And here is the part of her car that hit mine (the right side of the very rear of her car-- as you can see by the exhaust vent)





I wish I'd had a farther away shot of both vehicles and that I'd thought to take more pictures of the scene. She had to move her car forward for me to be able to open my door and get out.


----------



## havasu

Unfortunately, on a private party parking lot, vehicle codes no longer apply.


----------



## Chris

Should have stabbed her?


----------



## havasu

One could always fall down to the ground while screaming, and threaten the parking lot owner with a huge lawsuit.


----------



## Rusty

Whiplash!!!!!!


----------



## zannej

Thanks for clearing that up for me, Havasu. I was wondering why the cop was so disinterested. A friend of mine who used to work in "loss prevention" told me that the cops had previously gotten involved in checking footage of car accidents even without injury. He said if I'd gotten a different cop that it might have helped. But nobody was hurt and the damage is minor.

I'm now thinking of going to the body shop where I left my car and getting it back and finding another place. When I called to ask what the progress was, the guy laughed at me and told me that it takes more than a day to replace a door. I looked at the labor estimates and it was a little over 6 hours. I realize it takes time for the paint to dry, but they had the door on Monday supposedly. I brought it in on Tuesday. The guy said it *might* be ready on the following Monday or Tuesday. Now, if the guy had said that there were other cars ahead of mine to be worked on and it would take time to get to mine, that would have been fine. I can understand that. But he was copping an attitude and acting like I was an idiot for asking about the progress. I didn't ask if it was finished, I just wanted to know if they had done anything yet.

Now, when I handed the guy my keys, I said to keep the car locked. Just around the corner there are crackheads and there are a lot of break-ins in that area. The shop has no fence around it so the cars are just sitting out there. I went to get something out of my car on Friday. Not only had the car not been moved or worked on at all (which I understand since they have other cars to work on) but my driver side window was rolled down, bird crap was on the inside of the door, the car was unlocked, and the keys were in the ignition. Granted, the looks of my car are probably a theft deterrent, but it just bugged me. I'm tempted to find another place to fix it and schedule a specific day where I know it will get fixed by and take it there instead. But this was the "preferred" place of my auto insurance.

Maybe I'm overreacting, but I just didn't like the attitude I got from the guy that worked there.

Anyway, today I went to pick up my brother's inhaler medicine and stopped to visit a friend at autozone. He had a customer in there who was griping about the local chevy place. He took his 3 day old car in to have something changed in the computer and two months later they called to say it was ready-- only they had inexplicably dismantled the entire engine and forgot to put some of the parts back. Apparently AFTER they told him his car was ready and he came to get it, they found his carburetor on a shelf in their shop. So, my gripe with the body shop has nothing on this guy's beef.


----------



## havasu

It is not that the cop was disinterested...(well, he may have been)...problem is that he has no jurisdiction on private property to conduct a Property Damage Report. As a matter of fact, most agencies prohibit PDO investigation and leave it up to the insurance companies to work out. However, many of the public know this and will then start screaming in pain, as a way to force the cops to conduct an investigation. Unfortunately, when push comes to shove, even the judges will chastise a cop who digs too deep on something that is suppose to be handled by our insurance companies. After all, this is why we all pay the big bucks to them.


----------



## zannej

havasu said:


> It is not that the cop was disinterested...(well, he may have been)...problem is that he has no jurisdiction on private property to conduct a Property Damage Report. As a matter of fact, most agencies prohibit PDO investigation and leave it up to the insurance companies to work out. However, many of the public know this and will then start screaming in pain, as a way to force the cops to conduct an investigation. Unfortunately, when push comes to shove, even the judges will chastise a cop who digs too deep on something that is suppose to be handled by our insurance companies. After all, this is why we all pay the big bucks to them.



Ahhh. Ok. I wasn't aware of that. I hope that my insurance company can still pull the tapes. The people at Walmart said that only the cops can pull the tapes and the cops said they don't pull the tapes. but maybe if the lawyers get involved-- if State Farm actually pursues it.. I wonder if the lady who hit my car was aware of this and was deliberately trying to find a way to NOT have to give me her info. 

Her info should be in the police report, right? So I can give it to my insurance company. I wonder how much it will cost me to get the police report. IIRC there is a fee for getting copies. I wonder if my insurance company would be able to get it for me or if I have to be the one to go get it.


----------



## Rusty

Spent the morning playing pickleball.


----------



## Chris

At my office now preparing for an overnight job tonight, I'm gonna be tired tomorrow.


----------



## zannej

I got the old lady's info and she has the same insurance company as me. Looks like we may have to go to small claims court to get the deductible paid. Finally got my car out of the shop Friday around 4pm. Apparently something went wrong with their first attempts to paint it.. The guy said that "they" switched to water based paint and he tried to use solvent based paint first. When that didn't turn out, he had to use water based. My car has one of those finishes with the metallic flecks so it must be a pita to get distributed evenly. They painted almost the entire left side of the car-- I think they even did the front door which didn't have damage. Charged the insurance company over $2k.

I had an argument with the owner of a small town hardware store because he was selling my friend a sanitary tee to use horizontally. I explained it should be used vertically and that a wye would be the better choice. Old guy gave me stink eye and talked my friend into getting the tee because the wye would require another piece and my friend was on a tight budget. He also sold my friend an S-trap kit. I facepalmed, but still helped my friend by driving him back and forth to the store to get stuff (like he bought a hole borer and the old man told him it did not need a pilot drill bit but it did). 

I also got to laugh at my friend's fear because the day before he thought he'd accidentally killed his kitten. The kitten didn't move or show signs of life for an hour so he buried the kitten. The next morning (Halloween) the kitten had dug himself out and was meowing at him. I threatened to send him a copy of Pet Cemetery. Now he's afraid to let the kitten be in the house when he's sleeping.

Then my brother twisted his ankle in my friend's driveway because the city workers destroyed the driveway while claiming to be looking for a broken waterline. They refused to fix it afterward. He used to have a paved driveway and now its pretty much mud and is full of potholes. Every time he gets the dirt leveled out so his driveway isn't so bad, they come and dig it up again. So there was a hole my brother tripped in. My friend was pretty pissed off about that.

I'm trying to figure out who to report the local animal "shelter" to because it claims to be No Kill, but the kill dogs that don't get adopted after 30 days. It's pretty much a dog pound but they lie to the public to try to get donations because people don't want to donate to a facility when they know it kills dogs.

I'm also trying to figure out how to fix the lavatory in my mother's bathroom. The stopper won't pop up even when the pivot rod is pushed down (I reached in and manually moved the rod up and down independent of the clevis strap). So something inside is disconnected and I have to figure out how to reconnect it. For now I had to take the metal part of the stopper off of the pop up thingy so the sink will drain.

Fun times. Other than that, I'm sitting around in a hooded bunny onesie and staying warm.


----------



## oldognewtrick

zannej said:


> Fun times. Other than that, I'm sitting around in a hooded bunny onesie and staying warm.



OK, this is a pic or it didn't happen moment if I ever saw one... 

View attachment Thread.jpg


----------



## zannej

So, I watched a video on how to repair the stopper in a sink. I started dismantling my own and discovered that the pivot rod had broken off inside the pipe and was still stuck in the stopper with a wad of hair and gunk. So, now I need to go buy a new pivot rod. Old one had rusted all to hell. But at least I know what is broken.

Meanwhile, still sitting around in the bunny onesie.






They didn't have one that had feet so I went for this one. And yeah, the hallway is a mess. LOL.


----------



## Chris

Nice outfit. I didn't dress up this year or any really that I can remember.

Today I did the usual. Bid jobs and dig holes to fix leaky pipes.


----------



## Rusty

I didn't even pass out candy this year.


----------



## Chris

I passed out candy from a white van.....


----------



## Rusty

I normally get less than 10 kids. Went to help my blind stepson pass it out. He got 2 trick-or-treaters.


----------



## Rusty

Tried to figure out why it's so peaceful here. Then I remembered, Havasu is gone on vacation.(how can you take a vacation from doing nothing?)


----------



## Chris

Must be nice, He was probably getting bed soars from his couch.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> Tried to figure out why it's so peaceful here. Then I remembered, Havasu is gone on vacation.(how can you take a vacation from doing nothing?)



Don't ya feel sorry for the people on the cruise ship...?


----------



## zannej

LOL! I haven't had trick-or-treaters in so long-- probably the year 2000 when I was still on Guam.


----------



## glock26USMC

Voted !!............


----------



## Chris

Not yet for me, Who should I vote for?


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> Not yet for me, Who should I vote for?



Wish I could say it makes a difference. 6 to one, half dozen to the other. But vote anyway. We early voted.


----------



## Chris

Im stopping on my way home from work.


----------



## zannej

I had to make my way out in a remote area to find the voting place. It used to be right off of LA 10 in an easy-to-find spot, but they moved it several miles out in an area that has no street lights, no street sign to indicate which road it is, and no signs anywhere to indicate that its a polling place. There was an old lady who was having to write down in pencil the names of all of the people and another one who was trying to figure out how to reset the machines after each person used it. But at least they have machines now. Used to have to write it down or fill in a circle with a pencil or tick certain things and then pull a lever.

I voted on some amendments but the part with the names on it was on the far left edge and it was too dark under the curtain for me to read it (I need glasses). They did have a thing where I could look at the amendments before going in so I wrote on a piece of paper which ones to say yes or no or to leave blank when I had no opinion. That way it didn't take so much time once I was in there.

I don't feel bad for missing out on the names because there was only one person on the ballot that I recognized and would have voted for. I was too pissed off at the other dickheads for their smear campaigns against one another to vote for them.

And man, it seemed like everybody on the road going the opposite direction had their high beams on right in my eyes. LOL.

Since my mom was with me, I actually got to use the handicap parking spot. She made an old lady happy when we were going out to the car because the lady was just getting out and needed a riding cart. So mom got out and let the lady get in.


----------



## Chris

I voted for nothing I guess. We are keeping our money wasting govoner.


----------



## Rusty

Over in Kansas, they reelected a senator that had missed 80% of his committee meetings. Guess they don't expect much.


----------



## Riff_Raff

zannej said:


> I voted on some amendments but the part with the names on it was on the far left edge and it was too dark under the curtain for me to read it (I need glasses). They did have a thing where I could look at the amendments before going in so I wrote on a piece of paper which ones to say yes or no or to leave blank when I had no opinion. That way it didn't take so much time once I was in there.
> 
> I don't feel bad for missing out on the names because there was only one person on the ballot that I recognized and would have voted for. I was too pissed off at the other dickheads for their smear campaigns against one another to vote for them.



I usually just vote against the incumbents and against anything that costs money, or restricts freedoms even further. I NEVER vote for anyone who's running unopposed. 

Wish we still had polls in Washington.


----------



## zannej

I forgot to mention that the polling place didn't have handicap parking spots. I went to the store afterward to get milk. I went to Burger King to get a mushroom swiss burger but they were out of mushrooms and swiss so I ended up going to Subway instead.

The polling place is actually at a remote firestation with no actual parking spots. But at least this time there wasn't anybody standing around with a rifle outside.

There was some amendment about letting the government play the stock market with funds, to which I said "No" because that usually goes badly and can be abused. There were some that were for disabled veterans to get tax exemptions on certain things. I figure if they got disabled serving our country or became disabled after serving our country that they deserve a break. Another thing involved two amendments to put funds in an account that could accrue interest so they could draw from that fund for medicare and such. That has actually worked with retirement plans for federal workers in the past and it means the government can generate money without spending as much.

One of these days I need to find the video again.. I think it was something like "Uncle Jay Explains Congress" and talks about recess and how thy only actually work a few months per year and basically get a full-time salary for working less hours than most part-time workers. 
Aha! Uncle Jay Explains Congressional Recess.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsWlkcsI5Ko


----------



## Chris

I hate it when I can't sleep.


----------



## oldognewtrick

I hear us Chris, just wait till you get to be an old fart like me.


----------



## glock26USMC

ChecKing Garage Retreat


----------



## Riff_Raff

Chris said:


> I hate it when I can't sleep.



Have you tried melatonin?

I take a whole cocktail of natural stuff at bedtime.


----------



## Riff_Raff

zannej said:


> I went to Burger King to get a mushroom swiss burger but they were out of mushrooms and swiss so I ended up going to Subway instead.
> 
> There was some amendment about letting the government play the stock market with funds, to which I said "No" because that usually goes badly and can be abused.
> Aha! Uncle Jay Explains Congressional Recess.
> www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsWlkcsI5Ko




Can't make a mushroom swiss burger but without mushrooms and swiss! 

George Carlin talks about saving the planet. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=BB0aFPXr4n4


----------



## Riff_Raff

Oh, I fixed my rain gauge based on the failure mode described by a guy on Amazon reviews.


----------



## Chris

Riff_Raff said:


> Have you tried melatonin?
> 
> I take a whole cocktail of natural stuff at bedtime.



I have and it will work the first few times I take it then I have to stay away for a while for it to be effective. I usually don't have much problem sleeping but my body hurts so much I toss and turn a lot and sometimes when I'm tossing I start thinking about work and then it's over.


----------



## Riff_Raff

Chris said:


> I start thinking about work and then it's over.



I can relate to that! 

Stuff we can take without rotation;

Taurine (amino acid)
GABA (amino acid)
Arginine (amino acid)
Niacin (vitamin B3)
Magnesium citrate

Cleaned the roof yesterday. Need to apply the moss killer this weekend!


----------



## oldognewtrick

What are you using for moss killer?


----------



## zannej

My brother's platform bed arrived from overstock.com. Free shipping. yay. So a friend came over to help assemble it. The advertisement said the bed was solid wood and came with two drawers that fit underneath. It did not mention that the drawers were not solid wood. So I was putting together the drawers. Turns out they didn't measure properly so one of them didn't fit together AND 10 screws were missing from the package. I had to go to the store and buy some.

While my friend was there helping, he got a text from his girlfriend complaining about how she'd just broken her hairbrush while beating her 5-year-old son (she previously broke her glasses while beating the kid). My friend was pretty angry about it and said that last week (when he was at work) she was home doing nothing when she decided to take a nap at 3:10pm even though she knew her kid was getting home in 20 minutes. Around 4:30pm she woke up and went outside to let her child in-- he'd been standing in the rain for an hour. Some people should not be parents.... 

Anyway, I'm heating up some chicken cordon bleu now. I'm hoping I will feel more awake after I eat. I'll have to eat some liver tomorrow because I'm pretty sure my iron is too low.

on the bright side, my brother got his room picked up again and is very happy with his new bed. I took the metal L brackets off of the old broken boxspring that was thrown out (I previously put them on to fix it when it had broken before).


----------



## oldognewtrick

But, are you still wearing your bunny costume?


----------



## Riff_Raff

oldognewtrick said:


> What are you using for moss killer?



The zinc granules that come in the shaker can. I'm dissolving them in water so I can apply with a two gallon sprayer.


----------



## Chris

It's midnight and of course I can't sleep. I have two large projects starting Monday and only have enough guys to properly do one and I have a baby due in a week. Anyone want to trade lives for a week or two?


----------



## Riff_Raff

Chris said:


> It's midnight and of course I can't sleep. I have two large projects starting Monday and only have enough guys to properly do one and I have a baby due in a week. Anyone want to trade lives for a week or two?



Do I get to use the boat in your avatar? 

You have a lot going on and I can relate, for sure. 

I've recently learned that when I wake up in the middle of the night, if there isn't anything I'm going to do _right then_ about my concern, I tell myself to dismiss it until the time I'm going to act on it. I also use this technique. When followed properly, it always works. My Doc recommended turmeric, and it seems to help in a variety of ways. It's an anti-inflammatory, so my joints feel better, but it also helps calm nerves _'all across the board'_. I do about a 1/4 teaspoon in an ounce of hot water. Mix and let cool, then drink. Any time of day is fine. It has a sharp, but not too bad of flavor, a little like Dijon mustard. The restaurant food stores and the club stores sell it for around 50 cents an ounce. Grocery stores want about $12 an ounce, in which case I'd look on line.

Another thing I'm doing is reading David Allen's book Getting Things Done; _The Art Of Stress Free Productivity_. If I keep the book on the commode, I can get an hour of reading done every week and even skip reading it on Sunday. 

It's a vicious cycle, because when we're not resting well, our stress level climbs.

One last thing to do is give yourself a little time to do something you really like once a week. This should be something that is so engaging, that you cannot think of anything else while you're doing it. That way your mind gets a guaranteed 'check out' time every so often.

Hope this helps.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Just took a nice nap while the race was on...


----------



## zannej

olddog, I'll probably resume wearing the bunny suit in a few days. I've been running a high temperature and then sweating like crazy the past few days and I don't want to soak the bunny suit in sweat.

I had some liver to boost my iron levels and am hoping to do something productive tomorrow.

I was walking through the hallway without shoes earlier and something fell over and nailed the top of my foot. Its got a big bruise. It's sore, but nothing is broken.


----------



## oldognewtrick

View from my office window this morning. Hated coming back to town. 

View attachment image.jpg


----------



## Chris

Riff_Raff said:


> Do I get to use the boat in your avatar?
> 
> You have a lot going on and I can relate, for sure.
> 
> I've recently learned that when I wake up in the middle of the night, if there isn't anything I'm going to do _right then_ about my concern, I tell myself to dismiss it until the time I'm going to act on it. I also use this technique. When followed properly, it always works. My Doc recommended turmeric, and it seems to help in a variety of ways. It's an anti-inflammatory, so my joints feel better, but it also helps calm nerves _'all across the board'_. I do about a 1/4 teaspoon in an ounce of hot water. Mix and let cool, then drink. Any time of day is fine. It has a sharp, but not too bad of flavor, a little like Dijon mustard. The restaurant food stores and the club stores sell it for around 50 cents an ounce. Grocery stores want about $12 an ounce, in which case I'd look on line.
> 
> Another thing I'm doing is reading David Allen's book Getting Things Done; _The Art Of Stress Free Productivity_. If I keep the book on the commode, I can get an hour of reading done every week and even skip reading it on Sunday.
> 
> It's a vicious cycle, because when we're not resting well, our stress level climbs.
> 
> One last thing to do is give yourself a little time to do something you really like once a week. This should be something that is so engaging, that you cannot think of anything else while you're doing it. That way your mind gets a guaranteed 'check out' time every so often.
> 
> Hope this helps.



Sure, use the boat whenever you want.
I am pretty good at telling myself there is nothing I can do about it now but then I grab my phone and email myself things to remember. Everything always works out so I don't even know why I worry. I see people go their entire lives not giving a half a crap and I don't know how they do it. 

I used to give myself time but lately I just work on one thing or another.

Here us a pic if today cleaning out a quarter mile of storm channel. 

View attachment image.jpg


----------



## Riff_Raff

Chris said:


> Sure, use the boat whenever you want.
> I am pretty good at telling myself there is nothing I can do about it now but then I grab my phone and email myself things to remember. Everything always works out so I don't even know why I worry. I see people go their entire lives not giving a half a crap and I don't know how they do it.
> 
> I used to give myself time but lately I just work on one thing or another.
> 
> Here us a pic if today cleaning out a quarter mile of storm channel.



Nice looking house. The moat is pretty cool too.


----------



## zannej

Thank you for sharing the pictures. It is so nice to see mountains. There aren't any around here. In some ways that is good but in others its boring.

I just discovered that the other day when my brother "cleaned" his room, he basically just shoved all of his laundry and trash out in to the hallway. So now I can't get through that hallway to do my laundry.

I'll have to ask him to clean it up later. Mom has a cardiologist checkup today. I get to drive her. I'm hoping I can convince her to let us go to the Thai place.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Thai sounds good today.


----------



## Rusty

Stopped at my local truck stop to eat breakfast and it was free. They were feeding all veterans free. Really nice of them.


----------



## havasu

God Bless our VETERANS!


----------



## Rusty

I did nothing today. Probably try to finish it tomorrow.


----------



## Chris

I might be heading to the hospital in a few.....


----------



## havasu

Wait until USC gets back the win!


----------



## Chris

Sitting at the hospital now.


----------



## Riff_Raff

Chris said:


> Sitting at the hospital now.




No need to induce?


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> Sitting at the hospital now.



Let us know how everyones doing.


----------



## Chris

Sent us home for now. She was dehydrated so contractions are bad. Will likely end back up there in the morning. Well see.


----------



## Chris

Less then an hour later I almost delivered the baby in the car. Barely made it back to the hospital. Baby came out within two minutes of showing up.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> Less then an hour later I almost delivered the baby in the car. Barely made it back to the hospital. Baby came out within two minutes of showing up.



Congratulations, hope all is doing well...boy or girl?


----------



## Barrie

Chris said:


> Less then an hour later I almost delivered the baby in the car. Barely made it back to the hospital. Baby came out within two minutes of showing up.



Congrats Chris, hope Mom and the baby are doing well. View attachment 2481


----------



## havasu

Congrats Chris. Where are the cigars? Also, please post girl, boy, or other, height, weights, names, and all that other stuff so I can post it everywhere.


----------



## Chris

Girl
7 lbs 6oz
21 inches tall

Savannah longlastname


----------



## oldognewtrick

Sweet! .......


----------



## zannej

Congrats, Chris!! One of my cousins named her firstborn Savannah. It's a pretty name!

I've been sick with the flu since Wednesday. I went to court on Thursday to contest a traffic ticket and they refused to let me contest it. The cop wasn't even there, but I was too sick to argue. I was coughing and having a hard time speaking and I think I had a fever. The guy (who never even identified himself to me) shoved some paperwork at me and told me to sign it and then go pay a fee. If I hadn't felt so damn sick I would have argued, but I wasn't even well enough to drive there in the first place and was not thinking clearly. Ugh. 

But that is over and done with now and the guy said it won't make my insurance go up and it won't affect my driving record.

I'm still feeling icky. Hope everyone else is feeling good though.

I'm very happy for Chris on the baby though, so that is a good thing.

Oh, and I found out that a TV show I watch is going to have the return of a Volvo Amazon P130 car that was shown in the 2nd season. I'm a wee bit obsessed with it so that was happy news for me. LOL.


----------



## Rusty

Put a starter on my work van. Took maybe an hour and I have been putting it off for a long time.


----------



## havasu

I thought you just replaced that starter last year?


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> I thought you just replaced that starter last year?



No, always replacing something though.


----------



## zannej

I watched my cows running around like psychos for no apparent reason. I think the older one was looking for her daughter. She was mooing and running all around the yard. I called the daughter over and over. She finally started mooing and ran over. I was petting the mother cow for awhile, but I have to be careful of her horns. She was a bit too hyper. I fed them some sweet feed and they seemed happy. But one of the troughs is broken so I have to repair/replace it.

I tried to re-attach the doors to my vanity, but the new hinges don't fit quite the same as the old ones and no matter what I do, the door won't close properly. The inner portion keeps hitting the top. I have tried adjusting it over and over, but it just won't work. I think I'm going to chisel/sand the top edge of the inner part to make it fit. It's a very small overlap.

I decided to take a break since I was frustrated and don't know where my tools are to file it down, but I'll go take a crack at it later.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Zanne, go drink a beer, give it some thought, then pick up a big, fine tuning hammer. If that doesn't work, get a bigger hammer..


----------



## zannej

oldognewtrick said:


> Zanne, go drink a beer, give it some thought, then pick up a big, fine tuning hammer. If that doesn't work, get a bigger hammer..



LOL. I already gouged the paint with the screwdriver because I slipped. Once I find where I put the right tools, I'll fix it.

I'm also thinking of making my own medicine cabinet because I have a mirror to put up, but I'd like some storage. I saw a blog that described how to make one:
http://www.iloverehabs.com/2011/04/11/rehab-cheap-mirror-into-medicine-cabinet/

I wouldn't even have to be in the wall so long as I attach it to studs. That way, I don't have to cut a hole and it can still serve as storage without sticking out too far. I wish I knew what to call the little clamps the person used to hold the corners of the box together. I need to get some of them.






I think I might be able to get 3 or even 4 shelves inside the one I want to make because its a rather large mirror. To avoid the problems of not getting hinges lined up properly, I'll use a piano hinge. I'm hoping that will be strong enough to hold the mirror-- its rather heavy. 

But I know I have other projects to complete first. Today I was out for the count. I was just so exhausted. When I wasn't coughing, I was sleeping and having a bizarre dream about driving my car, but I could make the car hop and I was jumping on top of giant hay bales and then had it jumping on top of giant recliners and couches in a furniture store with no roof... Dreams just make no sense. I think I will blame it on watching the Grumpy Cat movie twice in a row. LOL.


----------



## Rusty

67 degrees yesterday, 23 today. Makes no sense.


----------



## Chris

I got home at 2am after an all day sewer repair job. Now it's apart 7am and I have to head out to work again. Sometimes making money is tiring.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris, if you don't like today, you really won't like tomorrow.


----------



## Chris

Never said I didn't like it, it's just tiring. I love working. I would do it everyday if someone wanted to pay me.


----------



## zannej

I imagine you're not getting much sleep with a new baby in the house anyway.


----------



## Chris

I'll sleep when I retire! With my job sleep is optional anyway.


----------



## Chris

Took two of my trucks tot he shop today. My dodge cummins decided the valve body on the trans was done so that will be a 1200 fix and then my guys towed a tractor for the last couple weeks with my superduty with the rear brakes shot so now I get to buy rotors too. A 500 dollar fix on that one. When will it end?


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> When will it end?



It doesn't, it will just be something else....


----------



## Chris

It will be nice when I can keep the money I earn.


----------



## zannej

tax deductions for business expenses?

Sucks about having to get those things fixed. :-(

But, at least you are being productive.


----------



## Riff_Raff

He's reinvesting in the trucks.


----------



## Chris

Tranny completely went out this morning after spending a grand yesterday on it. I will have 4k into this trans by next week.


----------



## Riff_Raff

That sucks. Sorry to hear it.


----------



## zannej

Ugh.. That really sucks, Chris. Hope it can be fixed without costing too much more.


----------



## havasu

You've always had a thing for Trannys, haven't you?


----------



## Chris

I guess trannies and me just don't get along.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Well, I had to put my F-350 on a roll back yesterday. Wouldn't. Run for more than 3 seconds. I also have a cold start oil leak that they are looking at...Merry Christmas.


----------



## MarkWood

My how the tables have turned around here........My truck is running fine, hate it for yall though.............


----------



## oldognewtrick

WoodRacing said:


> My how the tables have turned around here........My truck is running fine, hate it for yall though.............



Mark, you deserve some good luck for a while, you've paid your dues...


----------



## Chris

Mine runs great too. Just doesn't move.

Sometimes I don't know why I keep diesels. They always break and cost three times as much to fix than gas vehicles.


----------



## havasu

Yeah, but the klanga klanga klanga sounds so manly!


----------



## Chris

I only here cha ching.


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> I guess trannies and me just don't get along.



You don't like their choice in shoes?


----------



## havasu

He's afraid their high heels are prettier that his.


----------



## Chris

I am afraid I don't know which came first the P or the V?


----------



## zannej

Man, truck problems need to stop! Too bad its not as simple as making a declaration.

Today (well, technically yesterday) I went to the post office early to grab a bunch of packages. I took a basket with me and brought them in to my mother and started opening them for her. She got a new tablet and was excited. Then I put stuff away. I'm still sick so I took a nap and the vet called to say it was time for Fippy's stitches to come out so I had to go back in with him. Poor guy was practically hyperventilating by the time we pulled up because he remembered the last time he went in. The stitch removal was quick and painless and he was ecstatic when I said we were going "home". Put gas in the car and noticed that the price is down to about $2.40 per gallon. That was a nice surprise.


----------



## havasu

I always hated to see my happy dogs enjoying the car drive until they see the vet's office. That happiness immediately turns to fear.


----------



## MarkWood

Chris said:


> Mine runs great too. Just doesn't move.
> 
> Sometimes I don't know why I keep diesels. They always break and cost three times as much to fix than gas vehicles.



This is the very reason I decided on the 1500 gasser! operating costs are much lower. once you step up to a 3/4 ton or bigger costs atleast double on parts and tires.I love them big trucks but you gotta be bringin in $$ to keepem up.........


----------



## oldognewtrick

$935.00 and it should be done Monday.


----------



## Chris

$3,885 and mine will be done Friday.


----------



## oldognewtrick

See if they'll take some glitter as boot.


----------



## Chris

That would be nice. 

What was the problem with yours?


----------



## MarkWood

chris said:


> $3,885 and mine will be done friday.



ouch.............


----------



## MarkWood

oldognewtrick said:


> $935.00 and it should be done monday.



ouch...........


----------



## oldognewtrick

Cam position sensor, Injector issue, oil cooler leak, water pump.


----------



## Chris

Well I believe you got off cheap. Is yours the 7.3 or 6.0?

I miss my 6.0 as it drives past my house everyday. Should have never sold it.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> Well I believe you got off cheap. Is yours the 7.3 or 6.0?
> 
> I miss my 6.0 as it drives past my house everyday. Should have never sold it.



I found a guy who use to be a Ford mechanic and opened up his own shop. Been using him for stuff i dont have time or the right tools for.. Half what the Ford truck dealer charges..yes, mines the 7.3 with 316k on the clock. Wouldn't trade it for nuthin.


----------



## Chris

The only thing I don't like about my cummins is that it is not in a ford.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> The only thing I don't like about my cummins is that it is not in a ford.



I saw a car show on tv where they did that and turned a 96 short bed into a dually.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Walked around Bass Pro today with son in law and my 1 y/o granson, came home, raked and ground up leaves, winterized the mower, got the christmas decorations out, built a fire in the fireplace and now I'm drinking a PBR and typing on this blessed tablet I'm not real fond of...waiting on pizza...


----------



## zannej

I went to vote in the runoff elections, corralled some cats, made dinner for my mother, and tried to ignore a ton of phonecalls from political campaigners. So I didn't pick up the phone when my elderly friend's daughter called to tell me that her mother, Jeanne, had fallen and broken her hip and wrist and is in the hospital.
She said that Jeanne will not be able to be on her own when she gets out. I wanted to go visit, but I don't want to bring the flu and get her sick. I'll have to get a card for her. I wish she hadn't moved so far away. I really miss her and I worry about her.


----------



## zannej

I think my toilet has a leak-- water level in the bowl is lower and the floor is wet around it. When I flush the toilet, it bubbles up in the tub upstream and I can hear it gurgling in other pipes-- like in the ones for my bathroom sink. Fun times.

Also, as I mentioned in another thread, I fell off my damn porch last night. My dogs just stared at me and yawned. I practically did a little dance trying to regain my balance before I finally fell. Landed in piss saturated leaves and dirt. Ugh. Must have looked pretty funny though. Too bad nobody but the dogs saw it.


----------



## zannej

Cleared the clog with a 50' snake. Woohoo! Had to stick my arm all the way in to the pipe to get the snake to move-- not so woohoo. But it worked and the toilet flushes, so woohoo!.


----------



## Rusty

zannej said:


> Cleared the clog with a 50' snake. Woohoo! Had to stick my arm all the way in to the pipe to get the snake to move-- no so woohoo. But it worked and the toilet flushes, so woohoo!.



Oh crap.


----------



## Chris

Today, I may or may not go to work. My dad is in town so I might visit but he brought his money grubbing ***** of a wife so who knows?


----------



## havasu

Don't sugar coat it Chris. How do you really feel?


----------



## Chris

She is a wonderful woman.


----------



## zannej

LOL. I'm procrastinating and trying to get up the energy to go change out the wax ring on the toilet. I'll have to see if I'm able to lift it by myself. I'm debating whether or not to replace the OSB piece under it with treated plywood (which I would have to go buy)-- which would mean the toilet would be out of commission for longer while I do the work. Since it is the only working one in the house, that might be a problem for other household members.


----------



## Rusty

Finally putting in a wood stove.


----------



## havasu

I'm bored. It is raining outside (duh, like it ever rains inside!).


----------



## havasu

zannej said:


> LOL. I'm procrastinating and trying to get up the energy to go change out the wax ring on the toilet. I'll have to see if I'm able to lift it by myself. I'm debating whether or not to replace the OSB piece under it with treated plywood (which I would have to go buy)-- which would mean the toilet would be out of commission for longer while I do the work. Since it is the only working one in the house, that might be a problem for other household members.



There is an easy way to replace the wax ring. First, shut off the water, and flush the toilet, holding the handle down to completely empty the tank. Fill a gallon bucket with water from the tub or sink, and quickly dump it into the bowl. The force of the water will siphon the water from the bowl. Disconnect the incoming water line, so you don't break it in the upcoming directions. Pop the caps at the toilet base and remove the bolts holding the toilet to the floor. Now comes the tricky part...

...instead of pulling the toilet, simply lean it over on either the left or right side, allowing it to stop against the wall or tub, which should be on a 45 degree angle. You now have access to the wax ring. Scrape all residual wax from the bottom of the toilet and on top of the drain. Install a new wax ring on the top of the drain, then rock it back into the correct position. Once you have the bolts visible through the bolt holes, sit on the toilet to get a firm seat on the wax ring, wiggling your butt, which should settle the toilet a bit better. Install the nuts, tightening them snug...but not so tight that you crack the porcelain. Install water supply line, and turn on the water. Done!


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> I'm bored. It is raining outside (duh, like it ever rains inside!).



I'm a roofer, people call all the time with rain coming inside. Sorry about the boredom. Get a hobby...


----------



## Chris

I'm making alcohol today. Boredom solved.


----------



## Rusty

Coffee and donuts for dinner. Too tired to cook.


----------



## havasu

I went to an acupuncturist today for the torn tendon in my shoulder, then went Christmas shopping, then out to dinner with friends. No boredom at all.


----------



## Riff_Raff

Chris said:


> I'm making alcohol today. Boredom solved.



Beer?


----------



## Chris

Tis the season to make hard cider, I make beer the rest of the year.


----------



## zannej

Thanks, Havasu. I'm worried that I'll mess up the tank somehow if I lean it instead of pulling it up-- knowing my luck it would end up slipping and falling over and shattering. LOL. Maybe if I tip it and have my brother hold it-- just to make him do something and listen to him whine about how I need to hurry up.

I've had to use the bucket technique many many times when the power was off and water pump wasn't working. Pump was broken for 3 weeks once and we had to use rainwater in buckets to flush. That was not fun.

I ended up procrastinating (partially bc of pain in my neck and shoulder) and need to work on it today. The OSB patch on the floor is not seated over the studs so it just sort of hangs loose and wobbles a lot. I'm thinking of pulling it up and seeing what I can do to fix that.


----------



## Riff_Raff

zannej said:


> The OSB patch on the floor is not seated over the studs so it just sort of hangs loose and wobbles a lot. I'm thinking of pulling it up and seeing what I can do to fix that.



I vote marine grade plywood.


----------



## havasu

Zanne, I thing I would leave your brother alone, so he can continue peeing off the front porch and not make a mess in the bathroom!


----------



## zannej

LOL! Well, I procrastinated again. Mom insisted I run to the post office and then I had to assemble the doggie stairs. The local hardware stores are closed until Monday.

Is there even such a thing as marine grade plywood? I'm still debating whether I should wait until the stores open and try to repair the floor better, or if I should just replace the ring now and then have to replace it again later.

I've heard there are some rings that don't have wax that seal better-- I might get those later in.

I still need to fix my bathroom floor. I hate that I procrastinate so much. It's probably one of my worst habits. I'm thinking I won't tell my brother when the bathroom is fixed because he will be in there all the time.

Next time I go to HD or Lowes I'm planning to grab some paint chip thingies and let my mother pick some colors so we can redo her walls, cabinets, and the shelf system. She wanted to do the walls in cobalt blue, but I think that will make the room too dark. I think the cobalt blue would be better on the cabinets and shelves with a lighter blue on the wall (blue is her favorite color)...

But first, I need to figure out how to measure out 5.2 cups of water and 10lbs of the self-leveling flooring from the 50lb bag.

Meanwhile, I got the dog to run up the doggy steps to see if he could use them. It worked so Mom was happy.


----------



## Riff_Raff

zannej said:


> Is there even such a thing as marine grade plywood?



Yes, it's in the plywood section between the automotive grade plywood and the aviation grade plywood.


----------



## Chris

I need some automotive grade plywood!

But really yes there is marine grade. I installed a bunch of it a couple years ago. It's more water resistant.


----------



## havasu

...and the glue they use is water resistant. Nice stuff, but a bit pricy.


----------



## zannej

I checked and the closest Lowes and HD do not carry the marine grade plywood. :-(

Too bad that company in Canada that makes Pinkboard and Blueboard doesn't sell to the US. Some of their stuff is water AND fire resistant. (I contacted the manufacturer and they said they only sell in Canada).

Meanwhile, I've been pitching gaming mouse design ideas to Logitech on their facebook page.


----------



## Riff_Raff

zannej said:


> I checked and the closest Lowes and HD do not carry the marine grade plywood. :-(
> 
> .




The marine grade uses clear sheeting, 'waterproof' glue and more plys per sheet thickness.


The home store should have a treated/outdoor grade.

http://www.ezwoodshop.com/plywood/plywood-grades.html


----------



## oldognewtrick

Or look for a product called Advanteck.


----------



## zannej

Thanks, Riff_Raff and oldog.
Man, that stuff is expensive. But probably worth it in the long run.

Saw this pic and was amused


----------



## Chris

Been going back and forth on offers on another property. This one is looking pretty good. 4.26 acres 1800 SF 3 bed 2 bath three car garage with plenty of room to add on and build a shop. Wish me luck.


----------



## MarkWood

Good Luck!!I want your old three car garage if you get a new one.............


----------



## Chris

The old one is nice. Electrical all done, epoxied floors and good lighting. Sure the renters might complain tho.


----------



## zannej

Ooh, I hope you get that one, Chris! Love to see pictures if you get it. I'm crossing my fingers for you.

I managed to agitate a muscle/nerve in my right shoulder and neck on Saturday. That cleared up but now I agitated something in my left shoulder and neck. I was trying to sleep last night and had to clutch my shoulder and apply pressure because the muscle started spasming. I think I need more potassium in my diet. 

I'm trying to get myself to do something productive today.


----------



## Riff_Raff

zannej said:


> Ooh, I hope you get that one, Chris! Love to see pictures if you get it. I'm crossing my fingers for you.
> 
> I was trying to sleep last night and had to clutch my shoulder and apply pressure because the muscle started spasming. I think I need more potassium in my diet.
> 
> I'm trying to get myself to do something productive today.




Yes, good luck Chris.


Hey Zanne, try taking magnesium citrate. Magnesium works wonders for muscle spasms. You can also get 'magnesium oil' and apply it topically for relief.


----------



## Chris

I just rebuilt part of my excavators boom, another part of the damage from lack of proper greasing.


----------



## MarkWood

Chris said:


> The old one is nice. Electrical all done, epoxied floors and good lighting. Sure the renters might complain tho.



NO NO NO! I want it in Jefferson Georgia. If I have to Go to Cali and share it with some liberal Californian Renters I'll just continue to pack more stuff in the one I have...................


----------



## Chris

Your in luck, although it is in CA, it is in a very conservative area/valley. Not too much for liberals until you drive north towards Havasus place or south towards San Diego.


----------



## havasu

Yep. I often feel like I am the only Obama hater and conservative person in this entire area. Everybody here gots themselves a few Obama Phones.


----------



## Rusty

Watching "Christmas Carol" on TCM.


----------



## havasu

I'm watching a high speed pursuit on TV in what is known as the pursuit capital of the world.


----------



## Chris

I'm heading out to the beach to pick up a trailer I bought for my dump truck.


----------



## havasu

Another trailer?


----------



## Chris

Yup, it's December spend your money before the tax man takes it month. It would be nice if a business could just keep the money they earned.


----------



## Rusty

Money? What's that?


----------



## Chris

It's that stuff the government takes from you. If you don't have any you are in luck and they can't take it from you.


----------



## Rusty

Oh, OK. That imaginary green stuff.


----------



## Rusty

Went to a birthday party for two grandkids. One had a  birthday yesterday, the other today.


----------



## havasu

I made a crapload of tamales today. We went through 45 pounds of masa, 10 pounds of cheese, 10 pounds of pork roast, and 4 huge cans of green chilis. So far, we have made 35 dozen.


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> I made a crapload of tamales today. We went through 45 pounds of masa, 10 pounds of cheese, 10 pounds of pork roast, and 4 huge cans of green chilis. So far, we have made 35 dozen.



Getting ready for a little mid nite snack?


----------



## havasu

Come to think of it, they do sound pretty good right now!


----------



## Riff_Raff

havasu said:


> I made a crapload of tamales today. We went through 45 pounds of masa, 10 pounds of cheese, 10 pounds of pork roast, and 4 huge cans of green chilis. So far, we have made 35 dozen.



Man, I was already hungry, Maybe post up the recipe?


----------



## havasu

My son is the expert chef when tamales are involved. I know he purchased ready made maza from a Mexican grocery store, then adds finely diced jalapenos, pepper juice, fresh lard, and other crap. You paste this onto wet corn husks, then wrap in a huge chunk of pepper jack cheese in a stuffed green chili. Place in a steamer pot for 30 minutes and it's done. Lots of work, but fun to hand out for gifts and a big feast on Christmas Eve.


----------



## Rusty

Had the "new" Pizza Hut pizza at the grandkids' party yesterday. That stuff is especially nasty. No one, not even the kids liked it. How can you ruin peperoni or even plain cheese pizza?  They did it. All you could taste was the nasty sauce.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Gotta be 10 years or better since I've been in a Pizza Hit, doesn't sound like I've missed anything...


----------



## oldognewtrick

Got the jeep out and went for a ride since it was 50, sunny and beautiful today. The plexiglass windows were getting where I could hardly see through them. So, looking through the cabinet, I found some 2001 polish that said it was safe to use on fiberglass, so I think, what the heck, can't hurt. Rubbed, buffed and the windows look 100 percent better.


----------



## Chris

I drove my jeep today around the block. It's not registered right now so I don't want to go too far.


----------



## MarkWood

I pulled the Motor out of my jeep Saturday and its now in the Garage sitting on the stand..See the gas thread for details


----------



## Chris

You just don't have luck with vehicles do you?


----------



## MarkWood

nope..........


----------



## Chris

I drove up to my mountain house to pick up a tractor to have my trans go out again in my dodge. This one lasted two weeks.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Warranty?..


----------



## Chris

Yes warranty. Just 100 miles from the shop.


----------



## havasu

You should have called me. I wouldn't have helped ya, but would have laughed at you. (na, I would have helped ya!)

Me, I walked 6 miles today, and my knees didn't hurt at all. I think I'm healed!


----------



## Chris

I had my wife drive my ford up to tow the tractor down. I let AAA take the dodge away.


----------



## mustanggarage

since i pretty much finished the stroker swap I decided to tackle the leaking steering gearbox on the tj.  I got that swapped in today.  Oreilly's was open till 5 so I ordered it a couple days a go and it came in this morning.  got it swapped and everything squared up again without much problem, except that stupid pitman arm nut.  I used dad's 3/4 inch impact wrench but it wouldn't come loose.  finally got that loose.  for future reference that is a lot easier if you take the stupid nut loose before you pull the gear out of the jeep lol.   last time I did this on the yj I borrowed a pitman arm puller from oreilly's  I kind of have a policy, if I think a tool will likely only be used once I will borrow or rent it.  the next time I need it I buy it.  so I bought a pitman arm puller.  

once I got that swapped I noticed there was still some oil dripping from the oil drain plug again.  so i drained the oil and got a new drain plug  and changed the oil.  of course the oil change place put the stupid oil filter on so tight I had to drive a screwdriver through it to get it loose.  but I got it.  then spent some time with the buffer, getting it all buffed out and looking good.  my daughter was pleased when she got home.  so basically a great new years day in the garage  how about you guys?


----------



## Rusty

Got a phone call at 5 30 am and had to go over and reset a breaker at my daughter's house. The WC is below zero and the breaker box is outside.


----------



## havasu

Brrrrrrrrrrr.


----------



## Chris

I wore shorts and no shoes all day today. It was nice out. Bbq lunch and dinner.


----------



## havasu

ALso spent the day looking at houses to buy. Found a great house, newer construction, 4 bed, 2 bath, newer pool, on 1/2 acre lot, which was priced pretty good. So good that there are also another dozen bids on the house already. Crap.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Buy Chris's old house, it has a great bar/BBQ all set up and ready for a party...


----------



## Rusty

Watched football. The NFL officiating is so bad, makes it hard to watch.


----------



## oldognewtrick

-Went to the grocery store for my mom...it's a Sunday thing.
-Went and visited her at the senor home.
-Did a couple loads of laundry for her.
-Came home, ran the vac around the house.
-Prepped then cooked 3 dozen chicken wings in the fryer.
-Had the kids and grandkids over for Sunday dinner,
-Drank a couple beers with the son-in-laws.
-Gave the grandkids piggy back rides.
-Helped with the dishes.
-Cleaned up the cooking mess. 

I'm tired, I need to go back to work and rest up...


----------



## Rusty

Back to school.


----------



## zannej

I'm trying to catch up. I think you guys would probably get along with my brother-in-law pretty well. He likes guns and hates Obama. Politicians in general piss me off. LOL. 

Today I spent a few hours dealing with AT&T's outsourced Indian CS dept being transferred around, disconnected, and jerked around until I finally found someone helpful. I now have a long distance plan - unlimited nationwide calling and I got a $12 discount for bundling my landline and cellphone.

I also bagged and taped up the broken pipe where the lavatory used to be and I covered the shower drain (shower had no P-trap and its vent was the drain for the lavatory).

Right now I'm cooking asparagus and hoping it turns out ok.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Finishing up two trailers.  Today is iron bench day.  Came up with a different design than I have built in the past and thought I would give it a go.  Besides, who doesn't like to sit around and watch the world go by.





*  There is perfection in imperfection !


----------



## oldognewtrick

51 out and headed to 57* today, guess I'll get the plumbing stuff out and fix the hose bib that burst when I forgot to cut the water off to it when the freeze hit a week ago...


----------



## Rusty

Well, yesterday, left the house at 6 am. Drove 100 miles, met my MIL at a storage unit. We unloaded it into a trailer, two pickups and a minivan. Drove another 100 miles, unloaded it and drove 80 miles home. Got home at 8 pm. 
On the good side, she gave me two scroll saws, a table saw, two B&D workmates, a chop saw, a Craftsman socket set and two weed eaters. But I'm tired.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Never could figure out why people rented storage buildings for items they never intend to use.  After time the rent easily out weighs value.
I have read some get a couple months behind on payments and the contents is sold for back rent.  That really makes sense.


----------



## oldognewtrick

StingRayCaretaker said:


> I have read some get a couple months behind on payments and the contents is sold for back rent.  That really makes sense.



There are TV shows about this...


----------



## havasu

Yep. (Un)reality TV called Storage Wars.


----------



## Rusty

StingRayCaretaker said:


> Never could figure out why people rented storage buildings for items they never intend to use.  After time the rent easily out weighs value.
> I have read some get a couple months behind on payments and the contents is sold for back rent.  That really makes sense.



They rented it for a month and then it became 5 years.


----------



## havasu

I have a buddy who has a 10' x 20' rental storage shed, which is packed from the floors to the ceiling. His table saw was one of the first items packed away. He recently needed to cut some wood, and noticed the new table saw in his garage. I asked him what happened to his old saw and he told me that he needed a saw right away, and it would have taken him a full day to dig the old one out of the storage shed. 

Seems like a waste to me. 


To jive with the purpose of this thread, I'm shutting down the lap top so I can walk 4 miles on the dreaded treadmill.


----------



## zannej

I can totally relate to the buying something new when I already have something-- mostly because things got misplaced. I have a terrible memory and I'll put something where I think I'll remember and then I can't remember and can't find things when I need them. Plus I come from a family of hoarders. I really need to make myself let go of some stuff and get organized... I keep cardboard boxes for things when I really shouldn't.

Today-- well, technically yesterday-- I felt like crap and slept until 9am. Got up to give the dog her meds. Went back to sleep until 6pm. Rolled over and went back to sleep until 8pm. Went out and made dinner and sat with my mother to watch TV, gave the dog her meds at 9pm (she has to take them twice per day). Watched TV until a little after 10pm when I felt too tired and went back to sleep. Woke up around 2am and have been awake since then (its now 4). I feel incredibly lazy, but I just get days like this where I feel utterly exhausted for no apparent reason. I'm hoping to be more productive today.


----------



## havasu

Yesterday went to son in law's and helped removing 200 sq ft of tile in their entry way by using an air chisel. Removed two rooms of carpeting, pulled baseboards and prepped for the laminate floor install, which is happening today. I then came home and removed (3) 4x4 posts that support the patio cover that were rotten. I installed new posts after a few coats of primer. I am sore today.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Work interfering with that cushy retirement job is it...


----------



## havasu

You got that right.


----------



## Chris

You want to come drywall my garage tomorrow? It's only a four car.


----------



## havasu

I tore down a rotten patio cover today. Now, I have to decide whether to leave it down, rebuild it with fresh lumber, or spend $4K and watch someone else build one in Alumawood for me.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Thought you were buying a new house?


----------



## havasu

We bid on a house but were shot down. Now, we are cleaning/fixing this place so when we find the right house, we won't be caught having to repair or fix anything.


----------



## Rusty

Rusty said:


> Well, yesterday, left the house at 6 am. Drove 100 miles, met my MIL at a storage unit. We unloaded it into a trailer, two pickups and a minivan. Drove another 100 miles, unloaded it and drove 80 miles home. Got home at 8 pm.
> On the good side, she gave me two scroll saws, a table saw, two B&D workmates, a chop saw, a Craftsman socket set and two weed eaters. But I'm tired.



Went back today and moved the stuff from her other storage unit. This time she gave me a riding lawn mower. Another 280 mile trip. I am beat.


----------



## Riff_Raff

zannej said:


> Plus I come from a family of hoarders. I really need to make myself let go of some stuff and get organized... I keep cardboard boxes for things when I really shouldn't.




Watch 'Tiny House Nation' on HGTV.

It does two things: Helps you pitch stuff out, and makes your current place feel like a big palace.


----------



## Rusty

In  the 20s and the furnace quit. Trying to get someone to fix it.


----------



## Chris

Light the carpet on fire


----------



## oldognewtrick

Watching the news, there is a rape trial going on where 4 Vanderbilt football players gang raped a drunk coed. There defense is...get this, "we were drunk and didn't know what we were doing......Yep, you heard it. We were to drunk to know what we were doing. Unfreaking believable. 

Pack your bags football boys and have a vacation courtesy of The Great State Of Tennessee... I don't know who's stupider, the guys accused of the rape or the lawyer for such a lame plea. Can't wait to see how this turns out..


----------



## havasu

Them idiots ought to move to California. They would fit right in with the other fruits, nuts, and disgruntled conservative minorities such as myself.


----------



## MarkWood

Cashed a check, bought $1,500 worth of materials for a patio roof I am building this week then delivered it. Then drove an hour to measure a fascia board replacement job that i will start when the patio roof is complete. now i am here tellin yall about it....


----------



## havasu

Finally got my check from the ex, from my buyout of the house. I'm also still negotiating on the house of my dreams. Me and the seller are now only $2,500 apart from landing this deal. Here is a pic of it. 

View attachment 1.jpg


----------



## Riff_Raff

havasu said:


> Finally got my check from the ex, from my buyout of the house. I'm also still negotiating on the house of my dreams. Me and the seller are now only $2,500 apart from landing this deal. Here is a pic of it.



Purty!!!


Hope y'all come to an agreement.


----------



## havasu

Yeah, me too!


----------



## Riff_Raff

I payed about $1,300 more than I wanted to for my place...............................






.............................in 1994.


Seems insignificant now.


----------



## havasu

Riff_Raff said:


> I payed about $1,300 more than I wanted to for my place...............................
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .............................in 1994.
> 
> 
> Seems insignificant now.



That is exactly what is bugging me right now. The G/F is saying this same thing. I'm just trying to land the best possible deal.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Split the dif and call the movers. Don't let it get a way for a few hundred bucks if its what you really want.


----------



## Barrie

oldognewtrick said:


> Split the dif and call the movers. Don't let it get a way for a few hundred bucks if its what you really want.



X2!!!!!!!   Hope it all works out for you. View attachment 2562


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Nice ranch.  Looks like the sunshine capitol of the world. Never had the opportunity to buy a house.  Always built our creations one stick at a time.  Only took four times to get it right but no complaints.  Between houses and cars it is a never ending tour.
You forgot to show the most important part ........... the garage !


----------



## havasu

Yeah, the garage will be nice but the owners used the one garage for a big additional master bedroom and bathroom, with a jet shower. The second garage was converted into  huge walk in closet for "said" master bedroom, so as it is, it is a single car garage. I will be doing alot of demo'ing to get me the garage I want/need.


----------



## Chris

I paid 5k more than I wanted or planned to on my place  but it was worth every penny now that I am in.


----------



## havasu

Hell Chris, I would buy that house you are in right now and give you a $5K profit. Whadoya think?


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> Them idiots ought to move to California. They would fit right in with the other fruits, nuts, and disgruntled conservative minorities such as myself.



Well, the I was to drunk to be responsible for my action defense didn't turn out to well. Guilty of 6 counts of rape, 1 count of tampering with evidence, 1 count of unlawful filming ...15-25 years on each count. Guess they won't be on the practice squad next year...C-Ya. Took the jury about 3 hrs to return the verdict.


----------



## havasu

havasu said:


> Finally got my check from the ex, from my buyout of the house. I'm also still negotiating on the house of my dreams. Me and the seller are now only $2,500 apart from landing this deal. Here is a pic of it.



Well, the guy held firm, and I agreed to come up the wanted $2500. I also just listed this house for sale and our final offer will be presented to the sellers tonight. Mark my words, if they ask for one red cent more out of me, the deal is done. I am asking for his newer washer,dryer and fridge since they fit in real nice, and they no longer needs them since they are moving in with their family members. Keeping fingers crossed~


----------



## oldognewtrick

Tell him you'll give him a really neat hat.


----------



## havasu

I'd rather give him some lead...from a .44!


----------



## oldognewtrick

Let me know if you need backup.


----------



## Chris

Good luck.

Got the new estimate on my truck. 16k in damage to a 24k truck and they still won't total it.


----------



## havasu

Chris...my son had accident recently where a kid driving daddy's truck pull in front of my son's 2014 Lexus with 3K miles. They fixed the $24K damage but that was it. They filed an appreciation claim with the insurance company (I believe) and they wrote out a check for $15k to cover the loss. Something to consider.


----------



## Riff_Raff

oldognewtrick said:


> split the dif and call the movers. Don't let it get a way for a few hundred bucks if its what you really want.




Tb.Hs.I.2S 



working around the caps police


----------



## Chris

I'm working on it but my insurance company refuses. It will happen one way or another.

In other news anyone want to buy my 2013 charger hemi black on black leather? Getting an SUV this week for the wife. 21k and its yours.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

The only Chrysler product we have is a Wrangler.  Wife doesn't drive it, I don't like it, it remains in the storage garage as a statue.  Drove most of the SUVs and ended up with a Toyota Highlander.  It has the stability of a truck, pulls a car trailer, and rides like a cloud.  Best new car purchase so far. Replacing the Chevrolet truck is in limbo.......... what was the trailer boss is unemployed.  It also is in statute mode.
Good luck selling the Charger.


----------



## oldognewtrick

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/a2gCFOtaZPo?rel=0


----------



## havasu

Yep, Glock perfection!


----------



## zannej

Chris, I really hope that you can get enough $ to cover your medical expenses as well as a decent amount for pain and suffering. More importantly, I hope that your back recovers soon.

Havasu, that is a beautiful house! I love the roof. Is ranch style the term for single-story homes? I like them because I have a hard time dealing with stairs now. I really need to lose about 30 to 50lbs.

My dream house is probably not obtainable. I want something with a basement, large bedrooms, a bathroom for each bedroom, indoor swimming pool (or at least covered in a sun-room), garage large enough for all of the vehicles, doors that are disguised as bookcases, and some hidden passageways like you see in old movies. I really miss the basement from my house in Virginia. It's about the only thing I remember about the place. The builders accidentally dug and put down foundation in the wrong place and ended up having a basement twice the size of other basements in the area. The house was on a hill so it looked like a two-story home from the front but 3-story from the back with a sliding glass door out from the basement. My dad built a little playhouse with a slide on top, put up a chalkboard, and we had a whole play room with a pool table and such. We could have birthday parties in just one room of that basement. 

I'm lazy so I'm going to paste something that I posted on one of the related forums. 

My chiweenie tried to earn a Darwin award by picking a fight with the neighbor's guard dog that is 5 times his size. She's bigger than my rottweiler. Fortunately for the little one, she was only trying to teach him a lesson and not kill him (because she could have easily bitten his head off or gone for the throat). She tore him up though. He's been in the vet's since Tuesday and had to have surgery and is wrapped up in bandages. Today the infection was cleared up enough for them to stitch him up. They initially thought we'd have to wait until Monday to bring him home, but if he's doing better tomorrow morning, I might be able to bring him home then.

He would have been hurt much less if he'd just submitted after the initial attack. Once the dog had him on his back and he was holding still, she let him go; but he had to jump up and and bark at her. I tried to put my legs and arms in the way to protect him, but she just shoved me out of the way and I couldn't pull her off of him. She kept picking him up like a rag doll and shaking him (although not shaking him very hard). The owner finally came out and ordered her to stop. She immediately let him go and walked away-- then the little dumbass ran up to her and tried to bite her. When I described what happened, the vet just shook his head and said it was "Little Man Syndrome". While Fippy nearly got skinned and had huge gashes in his skin, it doesn't seem like any of the bites went too deep and there wasn't damage to internal organs.

Now that my brother is back from his trip, he's been eating the food and making messes for me to clean up. He can't be bothered to put something in the trash can 3 feet away so he's been leaving trash on the counter and leaving empty plastic grocery bags all over the floor- as well as having spilled some of his trash from his room on the floor when he dumped it in the kitchen trash. I've had to take him to the store for milk twice now, and had to take the trash out (which he's supposed to do) and wash his dishes... If our dryer was working, I'd probably be doing his laundry just to get it out of the hallway so I could walk back there more easily to do my own laundry.

I hope that if I can bring Fippy home tomorrow that I will just be able to sleep all day Sunday. I haven't been sleeping well since I was so worried about Fippy.

Here are some pics of Mom holding Fippy at the vet's today.


----------



## Chris

So my wife is the proud new owner of a Ford Expedition.

I am the proud new owner of a Dodge charger hemi. It is my new toy.


----------



## Riff_Raff

Sorry to hear about the dog brawl and I'm wishing the best for your pup.


----------



## havasu

Poor Flippy!

Chris, I need a cheap, dependable Chevy truck. How many you got in your fleet, and care to dump one cheap?


----------



## zannej

Ooh, what type of Ford Expedition? We've got a 2005 Eddie Bauer model. The auto-adjust seats are nice. I love the round air con vents because they don't jam as easily as the rectangular ones. Its a bit of a pain to maneuver at times because it doesn't turn very well and the brakes are not as good as the brakes on the Honda CR-V.

We used to have a Dodge Ram charger back in the 80s. I don't remember much about it.

Riff_Raff, thanks. I felt so bad that I couldn't get to him to pick him up before the dog grabbed him. He'd run on ahead of me when I was walking. 

Scared the crap out of the dog's owner because she thought the dog had bitten me and fully expected her dog to attack me if I got in the way-- but the dog was friendly to me and had absolutely no interest in trying to bite me. Considering the damage, there wasn't a lot of bleeding. It was mostly in the skin and the pudgy guy had a pretty thick layer of blubber to protect him. He's going to be incredibly spoiled when he gets home.

On a weird side note, a friend pointed out to me that the dog is aptly named-- after Fippy Darkpaw-- a gnoll in EverQuest. It was a computer controlled gnoll that would spawn every few minutes and charge at the gates of Qeynos city where he would promptly be killed by either players or guards. Just charged in like an idiot.


----------



## Rusty

We have been house hunting too. Need a three bedroom at least. Think my MIL is going to move in. Looked at a 5 BR, 2 1/2 bath today. Total dump. Bank is asking $12,000. Probably take $30-$40,000 to make it livable. Yeah, property is cheap here.


----------



## havasu

Rusty, I can't understand how prices can be so inexpensive there. Just the price of 2x4's are each over $2.20 a stick, which adds up quick. Add in the labor, and the price of the land and ka-ching. I'm embarrassed to admit what I am paying for the house I'm looking at.


----------



## Chris

Mark check here for some cheaper trucks. I buy fleet trucks from this guy.

Englemantrucksales.com


----------



## havasu

Nice looking stuff there. Thanks.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

zannej said:


> Chris, I really hope that you can get enough $ to cover your medical expenses as well as a decent amount for pain and suffering. More importantly, I hope that your back recovers soon.
> 
> Havasu, that is a beautiful house! I love the roof. Is ranch style the term for single-story homes? I like them because I have a hard time dealing with stairs now. I really need to lose about 30 to 50lbs.
> 
> My dream house is probably not obtainable. I want something with a basement, large bedrooms, a bathroom for each bedroom, indoor swimming pool (or at least covered in a sun-room), garage large enough for all of the vehicles, doors that are disguised as bookcases, and some hidden passageways like you see in old movies. I really miss the basement from my house in Virginia. It's about the only thing I remember about the place. The builders accidentally dug and put down foundation in the wrong place and ended up having a basement twice the size of other basements in the area. The house was on a hill so it looked like a two-story home from the front but 3-story from the back with a sliding glass door out from the basement. My dad built a little playhouse with a slide on top, put up a chalkboard, and we had a whole play room with a pool table and such. We could have birthday parties in just one room of that basement.
> 
> I'm lazy so I'm going to paste something that I posted on one of the related forums.
> 
> My chiweenie tried to earn a Darwin award by picking a fight with the neighbor's guard dog that is 5 times his size. She's bigger than my rottweiler. Fortunately for the little one, she was only trying to teach him a lesson and not kill him (because she could have easily bitten his head off or gone for the throat). She tore him up though. He's been in the vet's since Tuesday and had to have surgery and is wrapped up in bandages. Today the infection was cleared up enough for them to stitch him up. They initially thought we'd have to wait until Monday to bring him home, but if he's doing better tomorrow morning, I might be able to bring him home then.
> 
> He would have been hurt much less if he'd just submitted after the initial attack. Once the dog had him on his back and he was holding still, she let him go; but he had to jump up and and bark at her. I tried to put my legs and arms in the way to protect him, but she just shoved me out of the way and I couldn't pull her off of him. She kept picking him up like a rag doll and shaking him (although not shaking him very hard). The owner finally came out and ordered her to stop. She immediately let him go and walked away-- then the little dumbass ran up to her and tried to bite her. When I described what happened, the vet just shook his head and said it was "Little Man Syndrome". While Fippy nearly got skinned and had huge gashes in his skin, it doesn't seem like any of the bites went too deep and there wasn't damage to internal organs.
> 
> Now that my brother is back from his trip, he's been eating the food and making messes for me to clean up. He can't be bothered to put something in the trash can 3 feet away so he's been leaving trash on the counter and leaving empty plastic grocery bags all over the floor- as well as having spilled some of his trash from his room on the floor when he dumped it in the kitchen trash. I've had to take him to the store for milk twice now, and had to take the trash out (which he's supposed to do) and wash his dishes... If our dryer was working, I'd probably be doing his laundry just to get it out of the hallway so I could walk back there more easily to do my own laundry.
> 
> I hope that if I can bring Fippy home tomorrow that I will just be able to sleep all day Sunday. I haven't been sleeping well since I was so worried about Fippy.
> 
> Here are some pics of Mom holding Fippy at the vet's today.




Hope your dog recovers well.  I know what your going through.  Our wire hair terrier got into a misunderstanding with our pomeranian.  The scuffle ended up with spine surgery for the pom, six hours in surgery and over 5k in bills.  Took six months to get him walking again at 85%.  Both have since passed away.  Our short hair wheaten terrier is perfect .  He loves car rides and is best friends with anyone willing to pet / scratch his ears.  Life would not be the same without a four leg wonder following one around. 
It's a shame vet bills are so high. I am sure it hinders having a dog in some families.
Take good care of the little guy and hope he is back to normal soon.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Rusty said:


> We have been house hunting too. Need a three bedroom at least. Think my MIL is going to move in. Looked at a 5 BR, 2 1/2 bath today. Total dump. Bank is asking $12,000. Probably take $30-$40,000 to make it livable. Yeah, property is cheap here.



Let me in on the secret..... Houses in the mid west are no bargains.  Like you said if they are in total need of repair your looking at the cost of the lot plus a bit more.
This is why we build our own homes.  Get what we want at the location desired.  Were on number four and has most of the features we want.... or need.


----------



## Rusty

You can buy a nice 3br 2 bath ranch style for $50,000 here but no shop. . Problem is, there are no good paying jobs. Most jobs here pay less than $10 hr. 
A few years ago, a friend bought a 3 br 2 bath with finished basement on 3 acres for $53,000. It was move-in ready.
We looked at one last week that was 3br two bath, with a 2 car attached garage on 2 1/2 acres with a pond and two outbuildings for $59,000. Need probably $5,000 in repairs. Not unusual to find fixer uppers under $20,000.


----------



## zannej

StingRayCaretaker said:


> Hope your dog recovers well.  I know what your going through.  Our wire hair terrier got into a misunderstanding with our pomeranian.  The scuffle ended up with spine surgery for the pom, six hours in surgery and over 5k in bills.  Took six months to get him walking again at 85%.  Both have since passed away.  Our short hair wheaten terrier is perfect .  He loves car rides and is best friends with anyone willing to pet / scratch his ears.  Life would not be the same without a four leg wonder following one around.
> It's a shame vet bills are so high. I am sure it hinders having a dog in some families.
> Take good care of the little guy and hope he is back to normal soon.



Thank you. He's home now. I brought a cushion and fuzzy blanket for him in the car and he's now on Mom's bed wrapped up in her comforter. He LOVES her comforter. If he's feeling up to it, I might bring his favorite cat to see him later. He perked up when I told him he was going to see her when he got home. She cleans his ears, snuggles him, and plays with him gently. When she was a tiny kitten she used to follow him around.

The vet bill was close to $800-- which was more than we were expecting. I should be glad it wasn't more than that-- but its high for this area. The median household income is less than $25k per year around here. Most people can't afford their own medical care much less bills like that for a pet. 

The talk of number of bedrooms and bathrooms made me think of a tv program that was on when I was assembling Mom's computer chair. They were talking about some rich bastards who were buying multiple mansions and one guy who felt his home was too small because it only had a "measly" 39 bathrooms. Mind you, I don't begrudge them for having that much money. It just boggles me that people could think 39 bathrooms is not enough-- unless it was a freaking hotel or something. I thought 9 bathrooms was a lot (on a $2million house for sale in a town about an hour away from here). Hell, it would be nice to have 2 working bathrooms. LOL.


----------



## oldognewtrick

If you would get off the computer and get working on the bathroom, you'd be done by now....sorry, tough love at the dog house today. 

Somehow I've made my 24 y/o son mad at me. He works nights, comes and goes as he pleases, don't see him for a couple days and he thinks I should not make noise today cause he wants to sleep... sorry for ya...


----------



## Rusty

Had my stepson ask to stay for a couple weeks one time. Took 5 years to get him out.


----------



## oldognewtrick

What's the secret?


----------



## Rusty

He mouthed off to my wife(his mother) and she threw his stuff out in the yard while I was at work.


----------



## zannej

oldog, you're right. I really need to work on that bathroom. Having a hard time staying motivated. My inner procrastinator is always telling me "its too cold, its too dark, my back hurts right now, my head hurts, I can't breathe with this stuffy nose, its too dark, just another 20 minutes, no another 40...." and I try to convince myself to ignore it. I wish I had inherited my father's work ethic-- but I inherited Mom's instead.

I ended up having to take a friend to a larger town an hour away so he could look at some stuff in stores instead of getting to sleep in on Sunday. I also had to get Fippy new bandages and re-wrap him (I might have mentioned that already). The vet said he's doing well, but I noted he was in a lot of pain and requested pain meds for the little guy. It made a world of difference. Once the meds kicked in he had improved appetite, he was standing up and wagging his tail, he even wanted to go outside to water the lawn in various places and he came running back and jumped up the steps. The vet said he doesn't need to come back until Friday. Said that we should leave the current bandages on but that we can change them if he manages to get out of them before we take him back. I think I'll change them just to get him some new gauze and make sure his drainage tubes are not clogged.


----------



## havasu

Poor little Flippy!


----------



## zannej

Well, Fippy has the drainage tubes out now, but he still has one open wound that is draining. Those tubes were half the length of his body. No wonder he was so uncomfortable. He was feeling great this morning. He was all excited to see me when I went to give him his medicine and he ran to the door to go out. He ran around outside watering the lawn and barking at things for several minutes before coming back in. He's currently snuggled up with Mom. The rest of us are sick right now. I'm wheezing and coughing despite having taken medicine, but at least I don't have a headache anymore. I'm hoping it will clear up soon.

Gave my old barbecue to a friend (since we weren't using it and his barbecue got smashed by a falling tree when it crushed part of his house). That thing was heavy and it just barely fit in his "new" truck. So that cleared a good chunk of space off of the porch. I need to move some more stuff out. Now that my friend has a truck, he can help us haul stuff off once he gets his license renewed.


----------



## Chris

I came to the office today, need to do some billing and some bids. We are so busy and I am getting behind.


----------



## zannej

I slept through my alarm this morning and woke up 2 hours late with Fippy climbing on me. Gave the red dog her thyroid meds and let Fippy out. He's back to normal and all happy and hyper. I'm still sick, but I'm really hoping it will go away soon.
I had some really bizarre dreams last night but I can only remember bits and pieces-- such as being underwater but being able to breathe and going through some tube system with some worm-like creature that could talk as the guide through the system.... Just all sorts of weirdness.
I'm still half-asleep right now.


----------



## Rusty

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz       What?


----------



## oldognewtrick

Whats an alarmclock?


----------



## havasu

An alarm clock is the first thing I threw away when I retired. 

Me? I once again drove endlessly throughout 5 different cities, looking for a house to buy. Nada, zilch, negatron. Not a damn house that either we can afford, in a somewhat nice area, preferable single story, three car garage, and a pool.


----------



## Chris

Let me know when you want the best broker around?


----------



## havasu

Yeah, my hands are tied on the broker. She hikes with the other half 3-4 times a week, and then does Yoga and line dancing the other 3 days a week. My opinion was permanently silenced!


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

havasu said:


> Finally got my check from the ex, from my buyout of the house. I'm also still negotiating on the house of my dreams. Me and the seller are now only $2,500 apart from landing this deal. Here is a pic of it.



I missed the ending... Did you buy the house ?  Looks fantastic !!!!!!


----------



## havasu

StingRayCaretaker said:


> I missed the ending... Did you buy the house ?  Looks fantastic !!!!!!



Funny this was mentioned this morning. Just to keep ya up to date, me and the seller finally agreed to a price. He said the only thing he wants is for me to put my house up for sale to show good faith. Well, that day it went up for sale, and 4 days later, we received an offer $9K more than what we asked, so I presumed it was a done deal. I called the homeowner (the house in the pic) and he told me he sold it to a cash buyer, leaving my house sold, and the house I wanted is now unavailable. Just this morning, I see that same house back up for sale, so my realtor is currently calling to see if it is actually back on the market, or a misprint.


----------



## zannej

havasu said:


> Funny this was mentioned this morning. Just to keep ya up to date, me and the seller finally agreed to a price. He said the only thing he wants is for me to put my house up for sale to show good faith. Well, that day it went up for sale, and 4 days later, we received an offer $9K more than what we asked, so I presumed it was a done deal. I called the homeowner (the house in the pic) and he told me he sold it to a cash buyer, leaving my house sold, and the house I wanted is now unavailable. Just this morning, I see that same house back up for sale, so my realtor is currently calling to see if it is actually back on the market, or a misprint.



WTF? he got you to agree to sell your house and then sold to someone else? What a douchewaffle! I hope his deal with the other person fell through.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

All too confusing to me.  What is the good faith part, signing your house ?  I thought  " good faith " was money down to show your a buyer, not a looker.
Is this a warm climate thing, cause my brain is frozen on this concept.  Sounds like he was working you for a sale / commission.


----------



## havasu

Yeah, I am confused as everyone is in here. Yes, his house went on the market again. It appears his "all cash" buyer decided at the last minute that he did not want the house. Well, with new vigor, I offered him $500 more than his asking price, and told him we could move as early as in 2 weeks, which is what his seller wants. We submitted him our $6K earnest money yesterday morning, and again, we wait. We wait for this seller to decide if he wants this money...or does he wait for the weekend to once again be over, with the hope of someone walking in and buying his home?


----------



## zannej

havasu said:


> Yeah, I am confused as everyone is in here. Yes, his house went on the market again. It appears his "all cash" buyer decided at the last minute that he did not want the house. Well, with new vigor, I offered him $500 more than his asking price, and told him we could move as early as in 2 weeks, which is what his seller wants. We submitted him our $6K earnest money yesterday morning, and again, we wait. We wait for this seller to decide if he wants this money...or does he wait for the weekend to once again be over, with the hope of someone walking in and buying his home?



Well, I hope you get the house. I can understand the guy wanting to make as much money as he can, but to get someone to put their house up and then sell to someone else is a dick move.

Crossing my fingers for you and hoping everything goes smoothly.

My mom told me about the time she saw a house she and my dad loved. They put money down to buy it and everything, but it turned out that the lady who was selling it hadn't discussed the sale with her ex-husband and his name was still on it as well. He didn't want to sell. I think she also mentioned one house they went into that had mirrors on the ceiling, nude portraits all over the walls, and some other stuff that my prudish mother found offensive.

Meanwhile, I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel on this being sick crap. I'm breathing a bit better and the headaches aren't quite as bad. I slept for over 12 hours yesterday and I think it helped. Chronic fatigue is a pain in the ***, but I'm hoping I'll feel better tomorrow so I can get some cleaning done.


----------



## havasu

Glad to hear you are feeling better. Well, so far, the penishead other realtor called my realtor a few minutes ago and gave us a verbal indication that they were going to accept our offer. It is an encouraging sign, but many more roads to cross.


----------



## zannej

havasu said:


> Glad to hear you are feeling better. Well, so far, the penishead other realtor called my realtor a few minutes ago and gave us a verbal indication that they were going to accept our offer. It is an encouraging sign, but many more roads to cross.



Still keeping my fingers crossed for you.

And I am sooo ready to not be sick anymore. I know its TMI and embarrassing, but all the coughing just killed my bladder control and I've been having to wear Depends. They aren't as uncomfortable as I thought they would be and there were times when I had massive coughing fits before I could even sit up to run to the bathroom and was so glad that I had them.. But I'm really hoping that particular problem will go away. At least I can laugh at myself that I'm having to wear frickin' diapers, but man... not what I wanted to be doing at this point in my life. 

I guess I need to find an avatar of a rabbit in a diaper now.


----------



## havasu

It is my opinion that if Depends are needed, it's time to get the doctor involved. Do you think it is possible that you are allergic to your lazy brother?


----------



## Barrie

havasu said:


> It is my opinion that if Depends are needed, it's time to get the doctor involved. Do you think it is possible that you are allergic to your lazy brother?



X2!!!!!

In all seriousness though I hope you feel better soon.


----------



## zannej

Thanks. I'm still coughing stuff up, but my bladder seems to be more under control.

I got a little bit of cleaning done today, but I know I need to do more. I need to see if I can figure out what is wrong with the dryer.

And LOL! I love my brother, but the hypocrisy from him was a little much. I suppose I shouldn't let myself get angry about it and I should just be amused when he thinks he can lecture me on things. 

I need to have people around me who are motivated and who can help me stay motivated.

I know there are people who do more and have worse situations and such, but ugh.... But I know I'm still pretty fortunate, so I shouldn't complain too much.

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a good day. And I hope Havasu can get a good deal on that house-- if the house is worth buying with all of the problems.


----------



## Trophyman

Hey Guys,
Been a while but still plugging away on the 39. Finally got it into the paint shop and painted. Started putting it back together and found a few places in the new paint that need a re-look/do. Little dirt in the frt door and a small run in the clear in the rear. 

View attachment Painted-back2.jpg


View attachment 01A-BackHome.jpg


View attachment 01A-AlgusPaint7-1.jpg


----------



## havasu

I really like the color combo Trophyman!


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> I really like the color combo Trophyman!



Only one word describes it. WOW!


----------



## oldognewtrick

Came home this evening and as I was pulling up to the house there were several neighbors standing around the mailbox across the street. There was a kid about 12 laying on the ground and a car blocking the road. I took a blanket from the truck and covered him up till the ambulance came. Just checked with the neighbor a few minutes ago and the kids got a broken leg. Hope he learned not to run out in front of cars.


----------



## zannej

Trophyman, I have to agree with Rusty. WOW! That is gorgeous!

I'd love to see it when its finished. I didn't know it was possible to get a car that shiny.

I went to the doctor (the clerk sets the appointments so my mother and I have ours the same day near the same time since I drive my mother in and sit with her). I described my symptoms and said I'm almost through it and he gave some recommendations for food and otc medicines to take. He explained how to do some exercises that might help. My bladder has been behaving, so that is a good thing. I'm hoping this crud will be gone by the end of the week. My voice is still not back to normal quite yet.

Fippy is fully recovered and his fur is growing back.

I hope the "penishead" real estate agent doesn't give havasu anymore trouble.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Wow,  that is going to be a knock out.  Yesterdays style, todays flashy, durable, long lasting, paint combination.  There are always a few minor gremlins in the process.  Huge amount of hours to get them to look this nice.


----------



## Rusty

Started interviewing some one of a Native American religion for my college World Religions class.


----------



## Riff_Raff

Rusty said:


> Started interviewing some one of a Native American religion for my college World Religions class.




Great!

Peyote on the schedule for next weekend?


----------



## Rusty

Riff_Raff said:


> Great!
> 
> Peyote on the schedule for next weekend?



Haven't even had a beer for two years. Always on call for the grandkids.


----------



## Chris

Finally I can take a little break. Haven't had a weekend to do what I want since December. with buying the new house, moving and getting the old house ready to rent I have been busy. That and work is busier than ever. Tomorrow I  taking a half day at work as long as nothing hits the fan and I am going to attempt to organize the new garage a little. Then I am going to do some maintenance on the jeep and the travel trailer for a four day weekend next week for some R&R and jeeping and beer drinking, I can't wait!

Sure gonna miss this old garage. 

View attachment image.jpg


----------



## zannej

That's a nice garage, Chris!

I apparently was wrong about getting better. My chronic fatigue decided to come back and kick my *** bigtime yesterday. I did not even wake up until it was almost 8pm. My poor dog didn't get her morning meds. I was only able to stay awake for about an hour and a half before I was too exhausted and headed back to bed. Didn't wake up again until almost 3am this morning and I still feel exhausted.

I'm hoping it will pass soon and that I'll have more energy and that this feeling dizzy crap will go away.

anyone heard from havasu on the status of the house buying?


----------



## havasu

Zanne...time to get a full blood test to see what hidden ailments you have.

Regarding the house, after weeks of highs and lows, combined with completely unrealistic sellers and a complete *** of a seller's real estate agent, I finally raised the white flag and signed the cancellation of contract papers yesterday. I am once again looking for a new house to buy.


----------



## Chris

Come move down my way. Houses are more affordable.


----------



## havasu

So you could look through your telescope down at me? I think not!


----------



## Chris

With what you are prepared to spend I think you will be looking down on me......


----------



## havasu

That is funny. Untrue, but funny.


----------



## zannej

Thanks, havasu. I'm pretty sure my iron levels are too low. I'm still waiting on the results of one test. 

I think its probably best that you didn't go with that house. Sounds like there were a ton of problems and I bet there were even more undisclosed problems that would have come up. I hope you made it clear that the real estate agent's attitude was part of what made the deal fall through.

I wish you luck with finding a good home!


----------



## havasu

I do plan of letting their agent know he was the reason I backed out. I still love that house and enjoy the challenges of repair. If there was just a way....


----------



## Rusty

We got 5 inches of snow today, still took my grandson to a scout bridging tonight. And a sad story just a short distance from my house. Three young boys fell through the ice on a pond this morning. One got out by himself, a passer by saved one but an 8 year old died.


----------



## havasu

Tragic Rusty. Why isn't an 8 year old kid under better parental supervision? Maybe just a California thing?


----------



## Rusty

By age 8, I was rabbit hunting with a 22 by myself. We don't coddle kids here. And this was a rarity for something to happen. First accidental death of a child around here in many years.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Trophyman,
Is the light color called briarwood, 78-80 GM color ?  Looks like the light & dark briarwood color I had an Olds Cutlass painted.  Has a deep plastic like look that gives it depth.  A lot of fine metallic.


----------



## Rusty

Been out shoveling snow.


----------



## Riff_Raff

Rusty said:


> Been out shoveling snow.



What part of the country?


----------



## Rusty

Riff_Raff said:


> What part of the country?



Missouri. got 4 inches


----------



## havasu

I guess it's true that Misery loves company.


----------



## Chris

I cleaned my garage up some today. 

View attachment image.jpg


----------



## havasu

Damn, that's sweet.


----------



## Barrie

Looks great Chris. View attachment 2605


----------



## Rusty

Drove 70 miles to the funeral of someone I had never met. He was a childhood friend of my wife's. She had not seen him for years either.


----------



## zannej

Chris, that garage looks beautiful. I like it so much I tagged it on my Houzz page. 

Rusty, sorry about your wife's friend. and ugh.. Funerals. I hate funerals. When I make my will I'm going to have a clause that I do not want a funeral. 

I've still been very tired and I'm waiting for the test results from my doctor. No news is usually good news though. If something was seriously wrong they would have called me-- unless they lost some paperwork or something (which has happened to me more than once). My medical records have been lost two or three times now.


----------



## Chris

I'm getting my jeep and trailer ready for four days of camping. Can't wait.


----------



## zannej

Hope you have fun, Chris!


----------



## havasu

I hiked the mountains for 6 miles yesterday, just to see if my titanium knees could handle the stress. Boy, this proved how much I am out of shape, but the knees did fine.


----------



## Chris

I'm too fat to hike six miles, that is unless I am chasing a deer through the woods, then I am good for 20 miles.


----------



## zannej

I'm too out of shape to hike even a mile. LOL. I almost got winded walking out to the car. I really need to do some cardio. This weather is really sucking though. I'm still not feeling very well and I'm waiting for results from some tests. I may have to just call the doctor's office and ask. Or at least I can ask them to post the results to the patient portal.

Glad your knees are holding up, havasu.


----------



## havasu

Thanks. Did another 5 miles on the treadmill yesterday and plan the same today. I've walked 35 miles this week alone, but yet I haven't lost a pound. Stupid metabolism.


----------



## zannej

Ah! so that answers my question from another thread. Treadmills are cool.
You might not see an actual drop in weight because you might be getting more muscle. That was something they told us in weight-training class. It's more important to pay attention to how you feel than how much you weigh.

And I feel fat and tired. LOL.

Right now I'm heating up some chicken cordon bleu for the mothership. She decided to page me at 3am to watch chihuahua videos.


----------



## Chris

I'm buying another work truck today. Getting a Chevy 3500 dually with a utility bed.


----------



## MarkWood

Still workin!!


----------



## zannej

I'm feeling a bit better today and the weather isn't so bad. I'm trying to convince myself to get up and do something productive-- or at least eat something.


----------



## Rusty

Hoping the mother ship comes soon so I can go home.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Had a very lite damaged Chevrolet hood a friend gave me.  I was tired of storing it and few body men actually fix dents anymore ............. so i made a bench out of it. Turned out pretty cool.  The back or top piece looks like a wing back chair.  The dog and I now have a place to watch the world go by, at least another location. 

View attachment IMG_0913.jpg


----------



## oldognewtrick

^ Nice job SRC!


----------



## Chris

I widened an access road on my property this morning to find out that two of my neighbors needed to inform me that I am breaking the law by not getting a permit. It's ok that their yards or tore to crap but me cleaning up an existing road is cause to go to prison.


----------



## zannej

Chris said:


> I widened an access road on my property this morning to find out that two of my neighbors needed to inform me that I am breaking the law by not getting a permit. It's ok that their yards or tore to crap but me cleaning up an existing road is cause to go to prison.



That's why I like living out where I can't see my neighbors and they can't see me. Nosy neighbors piss me off. 

My sister lives in a place with an HOA and they are total dicks about stuff. Someone went around peeking in to people's back yards and noticed that my sister's shed was one foot wider than allowed by the HOA. It wasn't hurting anything, it wasn't obstructing anyone's view... But they had to go and complain so the HOA ordered her to either tear it down or make it smaller. I could understand if the thing was massively huge and ugly or something-- but even then, I'm not the type to really care what my neighbors are doing.

If I ever move, I want to have plenty of space to spread out and have a nice big work shop (like the one I have here-- only more organized) and a garage.

In the back of my mind I'm trying to make plans for a replacement for my barn. I'm thinking of building something small over where the food troughs currently are with some stall-mats to keep the cows from digging ruts with their hooves. That is a much later project on the to-do list though.

Another thing I like about my yard is that I get to see some nature. I saw a crow, a woodpecker, a bunch of cardinals, and a few squirrels frolicking around in my yard this morning.


----------



## Rusty

I miss where we lived before we moved here, We had a house on 40 acres, with timber, a stream and a bluff. We had a hand-shake agreement to buy if they ever sold. I rebuilt all the fence, added a room, redid the whole interior, reroofed, rebuilt the well pump, and cleared the brush. I was only paying $100 a month rent. They sold it out from under us.


----------



## havasu

Chris is a law breaker. 

Me, I had a donut in Laughlin, a full blown breakfast at the Avi Hotel in Bullhead City, had lunch at Havasu Lake, then dinner in Parker Arizona. We then drove home and arrived 10 minutes ago.


----------



## ME87

Covered 1800 miles in the last 36 hours.  Got 400 to go.  The good news is I can now smell colors and see sounds I've had so much Rockstar to drink.


----------



## zannej

Rusty, that totally sucks that they did that to you. :-(

When we bought this place it was with the impression that the entire lot was being sold, but they later said part of the property wasn't included and they charged double the price per sqft for that 13 acre lot. They said that if we didn't buy it from them, they would sell it to someone else and that we would have to allow whoever they sold it to access by letting them drive through our yard to get to it. From what I understand, that isn't how it actually works though. If we didn't agree to it, whoever they sold it to would have to find another way to access it because they would have had to drive through 3 gates to get to it. We ended up buying it anyway. Paid off somewhat because a few years back we were paid by a company to let them cut down some of the pine trees to use for timber.

It was actually hot outside today. Went to Golden Corral and got there just in time for steak. Had a very nice waiter who made sure the drinks stayed refilled . He was efficient and very friendly so he got a good tip. 

Got some stuff from Sam's Club (frozen chicken and frozen fish) and saw a 65 gallon rainwater catcher that I wanted. It can be very useful, but I will have to negotiate with the mothership about getting it.


----------



## ME87

havasu said:


> Chris is a law breaker.
> 
> Me, I had a donut in Laughlin, a full blown breakfast at the Avi Hotel in Bullhead City, had lunch at Havasu Lake, then dinner in Parker Arizona. We then drove home and arrived 10 minutes ago.



How far is Parker from you? I'll be there for a Model T race in April and it'd be great to buy you dinner and put a face to a "screen" name!


----------



## havasu

Parker is about 3 1/2 hours from my main house, and 55 minutes when I'm out at Lake Havasu. I spent last weekend talking to some owners of a few Model A's, and might need your help sooner than you'll know. I'd love to see that race and hope I can find the time, since April is going to be a busy month for me!

By the way, I was thinking about you on Friday when I was looking at Don Laughlin's car museum. Here are a few pics...

Also, the last pic is a buddy of mine's speedster. I've only seen pics but think it is fantastic. Don't you have one? 

View attachment 20150313_125818_resized.jpg


View attachment 20150313_125830_resized.jpg


View attachment speedster 1 (3).jpg


----------



## ME87

that's a beautiful car. Can't see under the hood, but based on the body, I'm sure it's properly built.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

I remember when model A's , especially coupes and roadsters , were " the cars " to have.  Now most have moved on to custom 32s to 40s and have become very high dollar pieces.  So popular fiberglass bodies are every where.
While tri five Chevrolets bring huge prices ( along with anything with a bow tie emblem ) I have owned early 60s Corvettes for what seems a lifetime.  One of my favorite pieces is a 63 Bel Air two door post car.  Guaranteed, go to a car show and never have several others to  stare at.  The roof style, economic use of bright work, and of course  big engine / four speed makes them the beginning of the muscle car area.  The family car that can get one home before the ice cream melts.


----------



## zannej

stingray, I forgot to comment on that awesome seat you made out of the chevy hood. That is beautiful!

Havasu, I wish I could like your post more than once. Love those old cars. I have a section on Pinterest where I post pictures of classic cars-- I need to add more pictures though.

Before the sun came up I was daydreaming about building a garage on the side of the house that would meet the carport on one side and the porch on the other. Pipe dreams....

But then I decided that since my brother hasn't been pulling his weight and taking trash out and stuff spilled all over, that I was tired of slipping on trash and hearing my mother gripe about almost falling because of it so I did a lot of cleaning in the kitchen and living room. I also cleaned the hallway and litterboxes (cats had been pulling trash into the litterboxes). I filled two and a half 33 gallon bags. My back started hurting so I left 2 of the bags in the living room and my brother saw them and hauled them in to the front room and then took credit for it when he talked to my mother. So my mother thought he'd finally decided to pull his weight and clean up. When I told her that wasn't the case, she chewed him out for leaving the work for me and taking credit.

Anyway, the rooms look nicer now. I still have a lot of cleaning to do though.

I think I'm going to take a walk before it gets dark and then tackle some cleaning in my bathroom.


----------



## zannej

This is basically summing up my week instead of "today". Monday was the anniversary of my father's death and I discovered that there was a waterline leaking just below the shut-off valve right near the back door. It had previously broken above the shutoff so the faucet was gone. I decided to replace the whole shutoff as well as install a new faucet. I used one of the threaded kinds with teflon tape. I will probably have to replace the faucet later. The screw in the top looks rusty. It was an old faucet I had laying around in the tool closet.

I talked to my uncle who told me about his shellback initiation in the Navy and asked some questions about the family history.

I just now fixed the constantly running toilet. I couldn't remember how to get the thing disassembled so I finally found a video. Poor dude had a hard time with it. It was easier for me- although I did scrape my knuckles on the inside of the tank while pulling the hose off.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZaU77anI90[/ame]

I used a rubber grippy thing (not sure of the exact name, but we call it "Rubber grippy" and sing a song about it every time we use it-- "rubber grippy, you're the one. You make my caps come all undone." to the rubber ducky tune) to grab stuff so it was easier than that poor dude's attempts. There appeared to be some kind of chunks of blue plastic inside the filter. WTF? I'll have to provide pictures later-- probably on the plumbing thread.

My mother was all "No! I want that replaced" and I was like "That would involve getting on the floor and getting out wrenches. Let me try this first!" and it worked. So Yay. 

Also, my one cat who is too dumb to figure out the cat door managed to get out when I had the door open to go out and fix the broken pipe. He spent the night outside and something bit his front leg. He slept the entire next day and then I saw that he was not walking on his leg and it was swollen. He screamed like a little baby when I touched it so I took him to the vet. $58 later he had an antibiotic shot and was sent home. He seems to be feeling a bit better now.


----------



## Chris

Today I have a 2-1/2 hour drive on way to go look at a job.


----------



## Barrie

Got the lawnmower all cleaned up and serviced today. Had to order new blades for the deck though.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Barrie said:


> Got the lawnmower all cleaned up and serviced today. Had to order new blades for the deck though.



I already cut the grass once so far. Turned the fuel line on, filled with fresh gas and the Honda engine started first pull. Love them lil engines.


----------



## zannej

I woke up early because I heard a loud crashing sound outside. Not sure what it was... I went out with a flashlight but the mosquitoes swarmed. My dogs were frightened and all ran inside.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Made some metal flowers for a friend that is retiring soon. Flowers are not done but my bench is a mess. Love clutter, steel scraps, and free project ingredients. 

View attachment IMG_4202.jpg


----------



## oldognewtrick

OK, I'm intrigued, whats the metal flower making process. I always have access to scrape metal of different colors and copper sheet.


----------



## zannej

The metal flowers are awesome!

The source of the crashing sound I heard is not so awesome-- ok, well, in the original intent of the word "awesome" it might be...

Large branch and a giant chunk of socket for said branch fell off of my 300 year old water oak tree...





That's a large cow next to the branch to put it in perspective.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

I end up with buckets of scraps left over from small projects.  The light gauge tim I cut into strips, bend it and tack it together with the mig.  Sometimes they don't look like anything.  Its all in perspective.  I love being the end user of pieces that would ordinarily be tossed in the recycle bin. 

View attachment IMG_4208.jpg


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

More blarny stones or flowers.  What ever one can imagine.  I think I ended up with 22 misfits from two buckets of cutoffs.  I'm thinking a curved bending square tube pieces welded together to resemble a branch attaching the various pieces along with foliage against the garage brick wall.  That will break up the maze of endless brick pattern.  If it doesn't work out I can always transplant it at someone else's house and call it a gift. 

View attachment IMG_0803.jpg


----------



## zannej

That is very cool, Stingray! I bet you could even sell some of that to people. I know there are people who love to collect things like that.

Meanwhile, I got in touch with the tree service that we hired years ago. Just talked to one of the guys on the phone this morning. They checked the computer and saw the work they had done and are going to set up an appointment to come assess the situation. The guy will call back in the afternoon when I'm not so sleepy. LOL.


----------



## Chris

Got up at 4am today for no reason, I am ready to go back to bed now but I have a PT appointment and a job I should show up to. Today is gonna drag.


----------



## Rusty

Checking into CCW class. If I can fit it into my schedule.


----------



## havasu

Still trying to hammer out this new house deal. I wish sellers would understand that their house will never sell with all the much needed repairs.


----------



## Chris

They don't care, they just want top dollar.


----------



## havasu

You ain't kidding.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Today is security day.  I am making an ID badge for the head of security, my four leg friend Winston.  I looked in the computer and didn't find the exact picture that I was after.  My friend was in a motorcycle accident.  No helmet and serious injuries, I decided to make the badge in the form of a helmet.  I know my associate would not wear one so I thought having one on his collar would be next best.  This is what I came up with. 

View attachment DSCN0737.jpg


----------



## Chris

I spent the day clearing brush and making an obstacle for my jeep. 

View attachment image (1).jpg


----------



## zannej

StingRayCaretaker said:


> Today is security day.  I am making an ID badge for the head of security, my four leg friend Winston.  I looked in the computer and didn't find the exact picture that I was after.  My friend was in a motorcycle accident.  No helmet and serious injuries, I decided to make the badge in the form of a helmet.  I know my associate would not wear one so I thought having one on his collar would be next best.  This is what I came up with.



That is so adorable!
My rottweiler is recovering from a snake bite. The swelling is already gone and she seems to be feeling much better. She enjoys getting the medicine in a cheese cube. The red dog wants to steal it from her and keeps getting in the way though-- the red dog is on thyroid meds. Talked to the vet about reducing her dosage because she lost a lot of weight. She's around 50lbs now and she was 90lbs when the meds were prescribed. Gave my chiweenie a bath, which wasn't his favorite thing, but he behaved ok during it.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> I spent the day clearing brush and making an obstacle for my jeep.



I'm sure The Sierra Club will be visiting you shortly....


----------



## havasu

(I fixed your sideways pic.)

 I like it, when does the off road park open up?


----------



## Chris

oldognewtrick said:


> I'm sure The Sierra Club will be visiting you shortly....



Can't wait til they step foot on my property.



havasu said:


> (I fixed your sideways pic.)
> 
> I like it, when does the off road park open up?



Whenever you show up, my jeep failed to make it up the waterfall. Could be that I sucked a valve and my jeep is running like crap or the 37's just aren't big enough for this obstacle.


----------



## Rusty

Still trying to get the wood box off the 5x8 trailer. There is a screw every 1/2" around all four sides of the plywood. Thinking sledge hammer next.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> Still trying to get the wood box off the 5x8 trailer. There is a screw every 1/2" around all four sides of the plywood. Thinking sledge hammer next.



You know the saying " The jobs not done till the biggest hammers brought out"


----------



## havasu

I've spent the last 4 hours trying to pack up some of the damn Harbor Freight stuff in the garage. I cut off the Harbor Freight retractable air line, the retractable extension cord, the retractable light, the wall mounted HF halogen light, the cabinet mounted HF shop light. Did I mention I despise HF! I also found a 4 drawer metal cabinet loaded with brand new HF hole saws, zip ties, a full sleeve of HF teflon tape, a full case of HF block sandpaper, a HF masonry tool kit, a HF tire removal kit, a HF sleeve of 6 rolls of duct tape, and a HF plastic welder. Who in the hell buys a HF plastic welder? It is a fricken heating iron, in a stupid plastic case. 

I hate HF as much as I hate moving.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Then don't shop at HF and you won't have all that stuff.


----------



## havasu

No, the crap belonged to my partner, who retired just before me and was killed on his Harley. I am now living with his wife...you know, taking care of his family.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Oh.... Never mind.


----------



## havasu

Trust me, I cuss him out daily for all the useless crap he saved.


----------



## Rusty

Running on fumes.....Took my wife to the ER last night, she's Ok, We got home at 4 a.m. My son woke me with an ear infection at 7 am. Took him to the ER. Had to stay up to pick up meds  when the pharmacy opened at 9. Got a phone call that my cousin had died.  Can I start the day over?


----------



## havasu

Time to go back to bed and start the day over Rusty!


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> Time to go back to bed and start the day over Rusty!



I would but I'm babysitting now.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Chris said:


> I spent the day clearing brush and making an obstacle for my jeep.



You actually climb that with a jeep ?  The angle that steep or is the photo deceiving ?  Lots of seat belts, roll bars, and a chain tie off.  Would love to see a live clip.  I bet going down would be an experience.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> Running on fumes.....Took my wife to the ER last night, she's Ok, We got home at 4 a.m. My son woke me with an ear infection at 7 am. Took him to the ER. Had to stay up to pick up meds  when the pharmacy opened at 9. Got a phone call that my cousin had died.  Can I start the day over?



Dang Rusty, that's sounds way to busy to me, take a day off will ya?

Sorry to hear about your cousin.


----------



## zannej

I helped my brother carry his laundry over to a friend's house so he could use the dryer there and get his clothes cleaned while we sat with the friend. His father had been staying with him and helping him out (this is my friend who has a broken neck and arm) but the father's drug habit interfered. My friend repairs cellphones for people for a fee (and sometimes as a favor) and had a couple in his drawer. His crackhead father stole them and must have sold them or traded them for drugs. Idiot had been painting and left a paint trail all over stuff so there is paint inside the drawers, and the crackhead tried to say the 2-year-old had been going through the drawers. The case for one of the phones was in pieces- one was inside the drawer and the other was outside in the driveway-- both had paint on them. My friend is really upset because now he has to tell the owner that the phones were stolen. The father then had the nerve to show up at his house so high that his tongue was hanging out and he couldn't speak clearly. And he found out the father had been watching porn while babysitting the 2-year-old. Quite frankly, he needs to not have that guy around his kid, but he doesn't know anyone else who can watch her.

He left me to watch her for a few minutes, but I don't know WTF to do with a kid. Fortunately, there is a youtube channel that has a bunch of videos about opening up easter eggs, blind toy bags, etc.. and she loves to watch those nonstop, so my friend loaded that up on the tv and had her watching the whole time. And if the kid is thirsty, she'll bring her cup and a soda over so people can pour the drink in for her. 

I wonder if my mother would be willing to babysit when she's feeling better. She loves kids, and she could probably get set up with a computer to play over there to use fast internet...

My doctor's appointment got postponed until next month because the doctor had to go out of town. I've been having a harder time waking up and I really want the test results back. bleh..

But other than that, I'm doing pretty good.

Rusty, sorry you had such a crap day.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Painting.... anything that was green or blue that got in the way was coated.  Couple benches, fork lift attachment, tractor grapple, even more flowers. 

View attachment DSCN0745.jpg


View attachment DSCN0747.jpg


----------



## Rusty

I painted that old tilt trailer I have working on.


----------



## Chris

StingRayCaretaker said:


> You actually climb that with a jeep ?  The angle that steep or is the photo deceiving ?  Lots of seat belts, roll bars, and a chain tie off.  Would love to see a live clip.  I bet going down would be an experience.



Very steep and yes I do climb it or at least try too. I'm sure I will flop it over at some point.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Came home early fighting a cold. Figures, when we finally get busy, i get sick. Ill be better by morning....


----------



## zannej

oldog, I hope hope you get feeling better soon.


----------



## havasu

Damn dawg, slow down!


----------



## Barrie

oldognewtrick said:


> Came home early fighting a cold. Figures, when we finally get busy, i get sick. Ill be better by morning....



Hope you fell better soon Tom.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Chris said:


> Very steep and yes I do climb it or at least try too. I'm sure I will flop it over at some point.



Mine doesn't have positraction or big tires.  I didn't think it was safe crossing a deep ditch.  It is neat touring the woods though.


----------



## Chris

I built mine for rock crawling and doing stupid stuff. It's a fun toy but I miss when it was more road worthy.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Today is rake and rock picking.  Two of my favorite activities.  Moved a pile of black dirt.  Had to make the area level with less protruding rocks so the flail mower can pass through it without throwing high speed projectiles.  Another 600 square feet added to my cutting list.


----------



## zannej

Today I cleaned stuff up in the kitchen, took the trash out (which my brother was supposed to do) because there were maggots in the trash and I didn't want a kitchen full of flies, gave the chiweenie dog a bath, and helped my mother make some tunafish. Then I had to fight the cats off because they smelled the tuna and were losing their minds. Had to give them a can of cat food to distract them so I could walk from one room to another without being tripped.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Mounted the 60" mid mount mower on the John Deere tractor.  It's the  worst spring task I look forward to.  The mower has to weigh 400#, has a 2 ton belt tensioner to deal with, and is just a pain to get into position.  Between all the clips, pins, and attaching points it only clears the mower tires 3" from the ground.  This makes the loader impossible to use due to the low clearance.  Should have done my home work before purchase.


----------



## zannej

Today I'm waiting for my doctor's appointment in the afternoon. My brother's supervisor called around 7:15am and the phone woke me up this morning-- stupid supervisor wanted to remind him something about being at work at 8:30... Then at 8:27 she had another employee call the house to ask why he wasn't there yet. That call woke my mother. I'm going to have to talk to the supervisor about not calling before 8am.

My bro was out sick for a couple days and he had an asthma attack yesterday morning. He couldn't get an appointment with the doctor until Tuesday. I'm starting to come down with something-- sore/swollen throat, cough, and headache. bleh. hopefully it will go away soon.


----------



## Rusty

Be careful. Strep throat is almost at epidemic levels here.


----------



## Chris

Today I drove to Huntington beach to start a job then came back to my office to work on bids. Exciting isn't it?


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Chris said:


> Today I drove to Huntington beach to start a job then came back to my office to work on bids. Exciting isn't it?



Could be ......... What was the beach scenery like ?  Swim suit material must be awful expensive.  At least that is what the styles suggest.


----------



## havasu

This move has been pure hell. I can't believe the incompetent realtors, lenders, and escrow companies. You really have to pay attention. Just today, one realtor wired my half of the new house ($250,000.00) to the wrong company, the escrow forget a $1,500 credit, one realtor said wall mount tv brackets must stay, and another realtor said it was OK to take. The lender wrote the wrong close of escrow, and I'm now faxing papers that the other escrow company "forgot" to have us sign.


----------



## Chris

havasu said:


> This move has been pure hell. I can't believe the incompetent realtors, lenders, and escrow companies. You really have to pay attention. Just today, one realtor wired my half of the new house ($250,000.00) to the wrong company, the escrow forget a $1,500 credit, one realtor said wall mount tv brackets must stay, and another realtor said it was OK to take. The lender wrote the wrong close of escrow, and I'm now faxing papers that the other escrow company "forgot" to have us sign.



I had a very similar situation with my house, seems the lenders don't know what they are doing.

The beach was cloudy and cold. Not much scenery out.


----------



## zannej

Chris and Havasu, I'm sorry about your troubles with the lenders and real estate agents. I always despised moving.

Meanwhile word from my doctor is that my thyroid and stuff seems good but my blood sugar was a little high and my cholesterol is pretty bad. The "bad" cholesterol was way too high and the "good" was a little too low. So I'm on cholesterol meds and antibiotics for the throat and postnasal drip. Also on something for my swollen thumb.

Meanwhile, I got a cheapo coffee table that turned out to have hollow plastic legs (I may later reinforce it with wood), assembled it, put it in my room, and now have my desktop sitting on it. It got a seal of approval from my cats.


----------



## havasu

I bet you feel better now knowing what ails you. Pay attention to the doctor!


----------



## Rusty

zannej said:


> Chris and Havasu, I'm sorry about your troubles with the lenders and real estate agents. I always despised moving.
> 
> Meanwhile word from my doctor is that my thyroid and stuff seems good but my blood sugar was a little high and my cholesterol is pretty bad. The "bad" cholesterol was way too high and the "good" was a little too low. So I'm on cholesterol meds and antibiotics for the throat and postnasal drip. Also on something for my swollen thumb.
> 
> Meanwhile, I got a cheapo coffee table that turned out to have hollow plastic legs (I may later reinforce it with wood), assembled it, put it in my room, and now have my desktop sitting on it. It got a seal of approval from my cats.



I couldn't take statins, so I started taking fish oil capsules, dropped my bad cholesterol by thirty points in three months.


----------



## Chris

Just eat Cheerios. That's what the commercials advertise.


----------



## Rusty

Well, last night I went to a kindergarten program to watch my favorite duck (my granddaughter) 

View attachment 038.jpg


----------



## havasu

Too cute. I remember years ago, I was filming my daughter in a similar setting, and she started picking her nose. Yep, I got it all on film.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Grand kids are a blessing, I _love_ mine!


----------



## zannej

Thus far the statins seem to be giving me heartburn and angina symptoms. At least I think its the statins. I'm going to let my body adjust to it and if it continues to make me feel wretched I'll talk to my doctor. I may try the fish oils. My mother gets some sort of fish oil stuff that she takes.

Mmm.. Cheerios. I actually really like Cheerios.

I don't know if the cholesterol explains the fatigue and some of my other symptoms. I know some of it is just being out of shape. I'm supposed to take the statins at "bed time". Not sure why.

My cats have been enjoying the new table and it really is nice to have cleared up some space and organized one small little area.

Today I went for a short very slow walk around in the yard. I'm not supposed to be out in direct sunlight but it was a little overcast so I was able to stay out for about 15 min.


----------



## Rusty

Statins can cause fatigue and muscle problems. If you get a lot of aches and pains, like I did, tell your doctor. It can lead to serious problems.


----------



## zannej

Rusty said:


> Statins can cause fatigue and muscle problems. If you get a lot of aches and pains, like I did, tell your doctor. It can lead to serious problems.



Thanks. I generally get aches and pains on a regular basis, so its hard to differentiate sometimes. I'll try to keep note of any new pains. My mother has been taking statins for years and is actually doing better, so I'm hoping I will get her luck in some regard on that. I believe my father took statins too, but he was on a ton of medications toward the end and wasn't terribly healthy. So I don't know if they did any harm to his system.

I'm just going to try to keep a positive attitude about it and try to work on adjusting my eating and exercise habits as well.


----------



## Rusty

Two finals today. World Religions and Speech.


----------



## zannej

Rusty said:


> Two finals today. World Religions and Speech.



Good luck!


----------



## Rusty

zannej said:


> Good luck!



Thanks, but for the first time I expect less than an A in a class.


----------



## Rusty

Got an A in World Religion. Got an A on my final speech, won't know my semester grade until Friday, except it's at least a B.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Congrats Rusty, I'm happy for you.


----------



## Chris

Not the best picture but since Havasu doesn't want to gift me his boat I had to wash mine. Washed with three coats of polish and three coats of wax on both the boat and trailer, never seen it so shiny before. 

View attachment boat.jpg


----------



## oldognewtrick

Just go take it Chris, he's to busy with the cable guy right now to even know it would be missing...


----------



## Chris

But I don't know if he filled the fuel tank or not.


----------



## zannej

Great job on the exams, Rusty!

Chris, that is a gorgeous boat! I love the color.


----------



## havasu

My son tells me he wants to play at Havasu next week. i told him both boats need new batteries, oil changes and impellers...and gas. I hope he understands this is going to be an expensive weekend.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Havasu, you sure let the maintenance schedule slide.  Too much realtor time. I am sure you will find time to splash in the water.

Chris, Very sharp boat.  Reminds one of 60s colors, pastel I believe is the handle.  That was yesterdays task.  Blending paint for " pastel flowers '. 

View attachment IMG_1069.jpg


----------



## oldognewtrick

I like these flowers a lot better, might I suggest adding some highlights to the pedals?


----------



## Chris

My boat sure looks pretty for being 22 years old.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Most owners I know never get the time to play so the boat is heading on ten years old with twelve hours on the hour meter.  Those that have the time either are not interested in water activities or don't have the scratch to buy one.
I would like to color match that aqua to a fifties car.  It is my favorite.  GM had a close tone called cascade green.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Great use of space.  I completed a similar task in a half bath. It was for useful items, or so I thought. Turned out to be another enclosed space for nickey - nacks.


----------



## zannej

Stingray, those are nice little flowers. Have you ever tried to make anything involving elephants out of metal?

Yesterday, I went with my friend to see the remains of his truck.


















I think he needs to set up a gofundme page to try to get some help with his medical bills. He can't work for awhile with the broken arm and neck.


----------



## Rusty

Cut grass all morning.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Elephants have never come to mind.  Dogs & cats have.  I am thinking a donkey with long ears would be a neat project.  Have to see what I can conjure up. 

View attachment IMG_4269.jpg


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

zannej said:


> t
> I think he needs to set up a gofundme page to try to get some help with his medical bills. He can't work for awhile with the broken arm and neck.



Didn't he see the train coming ????????  If you have to have an insurance total ..... this one qualifies with flying colors.  Only a broken arm ?????? The pain probably radiates from inside to the toes and hard drive. Those half size trucks are pretty occupant safe in drastic situations.  Hope he is back on his schedule shortly.


----------



## Rusty

Neighbor's cat got into the robins nest and killed the baby robins. bang!


----------



## oldognewtrick

rusty said:


> neighbor's cat got into the robins nest and killed the baby robins. Bang!



s.s.s. .......


----------



## oldognewtrick

I haven't done a pea picking thing all day except drink some coffee, trying hard to keep it that way too.


----------



## havasu

I filled my second dumpster with crap from this new house. I also ripped down a cabinet to open a wall in the kitchen, and busted the brick mantle with faux marble pillars surrounding it.


----------



## zannej

StingRayCaretaker said:


> Elephants have never come to mind.  Dogs & cats have.  I am thinking a donkey with long ears would be a neat project.  Have to see what I can conjure up.



Those are cool, Stingray!

As for my friend it was much more than a broken arm. He's not sure what caused the accident since he doesn't remember it or the next few days after. The passenger said he was driving at speed limit and then suddenly said "Oh God!" and appeared to be trying to regain control of the vehicle before it rolled about 5 times. The truck had previously had a problem with the tire rod and one of the back tires came off, but he didn't know if that was the cause of the accident or caused by the accident. 

Now, the passenger is not the most reliable person since she has pre-existing brain damage from an abusive ex (she has an inoperable chunk of bone sticking into her brain from the ex putting her head through a wall).

My friend had to be taken via helicopter to the hospital. He had a concussion, punctured lung, subconjunctival hemorrhage in both eyes (which has left his vision blurry in one eye), upper arm snapped clean in half and now has a plate with about 5 screws holding it in place, bone in his forearm actually broke out and came out of his arm, broken wrist, broken hand, front teeth broke off at the gums, and fractured c7 vertebra. He almost didn't make it that first night because of brain swelling-- the cop said he'd never seen someone survive a crash with that much damage to the vehicle. To add insult to injury, his crackhead father came over to help take care of him and ended up stealing some of his pain medication, raided his desk for all of the cash he could find, stole all of his tools, and stole a bunch of his electronic stuff (including some cellphones my friend was going to repair for people). He got one of the cellphones back, but the rest of his stuff is gone. His girlfriend just quit her job (her boss was yelling at her and giving her crap about having to take time off to take him to medical appointments and take care of him) so they have no income. The insurance didn't cover any of the medical stuff and the vehicle was not worth much and he doesn't have medical insurance. 

Havasu, it sounds like you're making good progress on your new house!


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

There are soap operas with less drama than the above. Without medical insurance how does one begin to pay for the costs involved ?  Most view vehicle inspections and insurance / drivers license checks as annoying,,,,, but I wouldn't want an unsafe vehicle / non insured driver crashing into my family. 

Havasu, did you buy a rebuilder ?  Definitely not the one in the first picture.  If you have any frustrations from the past they should disappear quickly.

Chris , park the dump trailer at the back door.  Hope the land fill or wood grinder is close .


----------



## havasu

SRC, the house we bought was a full price, normal sale house. Since the only way I'm going to be taken from this house is after I croak, I'm setting it up for comfort.


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> SRC, the house we bought was a full price, normal sale house. Since the only way I'm going to be taken from this house is after I croak, I'm setting it up for comfort.



You could always be buried in the back yard.


----------



## havasu

I sure could save money with a backyard burial. Well, not me, but the significant other.


----------



## Rusty

I tell my wife to just put me in a trash bag and set me on the curb. Cheap and easy.


----------



## havasu

Thank God for *Hefty* trash bags!


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Rusty said:


> You could always be buried in the back yard.



Way ahead of you,.... bought a back hoe.  Cut out the middle man. 

View attachment 336 copy.jpg


----------



## Barrie

Told the wife to dispose of me the cheapest and easiest way for her. I'm sure as hell not going to know.


----------



## Rusty

Disappointed, I finally got a "B" in a class after two+ semesters of all "A"s.


----------



## zannej

Stingray, I forgot to mention that my friend's front teeth got broken off at the gums so he needs dental work. Right now he has exposed nerves and has to be careful about what he eats. He was not a heavy guy to begin with and he lost over 20lbs. There isn't much to do around this town so it has a lot of drug use and drama. I like to stay out in the woods away from people because I despise soap operas. My friend's truck had insurance-- but only collision. It would have covered damage to someone else's vehicle in a crash but didn't cover the driver's injuries or the damage to the truck itself.

Even with medical insurance in this state, its really tough to pay the medical bills. The prices here are particularly high and a lot of places overcharge or try to double-bill people.
I don't know what my poor friend is going to do in this situation. He *might* be able to qualify for medicare while he's recovering and maybe that will cover some of the bills, but I don't know if it is retroactive or if the places will accept it. I do think he should tell the one doctor's office to stick it for charging him $147 to sit and wait for an hour only to have the doctor tell him to come back in two weeks. Didn't do an exam or anything. Just walked in, shook his hand, and said "I'll see you in two weeks for x-rays". Then the clerks were saying he needed to pay up. The doctor could have just told him on the phone to come back in two weeks, but he just wanted to get more $. So, my friend's intent is to go back to work and start making small payments to pay off the bills gradually.

Rusty, a B is still good, but I know how you feel. I had a teacher misplace my term paper in college (the staple got stuck to another paper and she didn't see it). She didn't actually read the papers so she never noticed it and gave me a zero. I went back in and found the paper in the pile and showed it to her. She then gave me credit but docked points for it being late-- even though it had been in the pile on time. She was a moron so she wouldn't listen to reason on that and it brought my grade from an A to a B.  I was pretty ticked off about it. But in the long run, I still got my degree so I didn't lose any sleep over it.

The one that pissed me off more was in high school I had a math teacher who didn't like me for some reason (she didn't like any of the girls and was always calling the girls stupid, but was nice to the boys). I had all "A"s in her class on all of my exams, midterms, and the final. My report card showed A first semester, A second semester, A on the final exam, and a B for the final grade. She had no paperwork to document how she justified giving me a B and she just put the letter grade, not the number. She refused to meet with my parents to discuss how she got a B out of a straight A average. Ah, the joys of small town life. I'm glad I moved overseas after that. I think I would have become violent if I'd had to spend more years at that school. LOL.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Zannej;

No elephants .... but I did come across a mule by the name of Stanley. He and Winston will be the security team. 

View attachment IMG_4307.jpg


----------



## zannej

Is Winston a Wheaton Terrier?


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

He sure is. Fantastic companion. Loves everyone, runs like crazy.


----------



## zannej

I feel silly that the only reason I could tell his breed is because Josh Groban (famous singer) has one. I've heard they are very good-tempered dogs.

Winston is adorable!

Today so far my cat woke me up in time to give my dog her meds and am trying to get enough energy to get up and do something. I slept all night and don't feel rested. I'll be very happy if they ever find a cure for chronic fatigue.

I need to fix up the shower-seat for my mother-- need to move the arm to the opposite side. And I need to see if I can find replacement screws because it looks like they are rusted. I know there are ones that come with thumbscrew type things (or rather, they have plastic knobs on them). I wonder if I can find some online somewhere. It would make seat adjustments easier. (It's a seat that was donated to my friend when he had his car accident and he gave it to us since he doesn't need it now).


----------



## Chris

I finally bought a new work computer today. I have been working off of an old laptop for the last five or six years. It got to the point to where I have to keep it plugged in all the time and can't close it because parts are broken. I figured I probably should do something before I lose all my work. I spent a whopping 279 bucks on a package deal from Office depot. Lets hope I get five years out of this one. I was really trying to avoid windows 8 because I don't like the whole working like a cell phone thing. Windows 7 was easy for me to use so we will see how it goes.


----------



## Rusty

Look up start8, for $4.99 you can download a W7 type start button.


----------



## Chris

Will do, this is annoying. I have spent all day transferring files and updating and backing up crap. Trying to get quickbooks working again so I can get back to work. My 200 computer has cost me over a grand now.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

We had so darn much trouble with Windows and the Norton anti virus.  It screwed up one computer so bad the hard drive was junk. Went with a Mac laptop and desk model.  Love the 27" screen, and no virus problems to date.  Its pretty user friendly once you get the system down. Wife has an I pad.  That is really travel friendly.


----------



## Rusty

Norton is a bad, bad program.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Rusty said:


> Norton is a bad, bad program.



Some of us found this out too late.  If I see a site that has Norton protection I don't go there.  Who knows what else they could screw up. Just my personal opinion.


----------



## zannej

Norton is one of the first programs I remove if its on my computer. But sometimes that vicious stupid program will disable your wifi if you uninstall it.

Malwarebytes is much better. I also like Spybot Search & Destroy.

Chris, I think there is a way to get windows 8 to act a bit more like Windows 7 for free, but I'll have to ask my techie friend (the one who had the bad accident) about it. He always customizes his stuff to get rid of really annoying crap on his computers and phones.

Speaking of him, I took him to the doctor's office to have the pins removed from his wrist. They didn't even have the decency to numb him or give him any type of pain meds for it-- and one of the pins was stuck. The pliers slipped off and the doctor had to try again. Poor thing. I'll have to get pictures of the pins later. They were pretty long.


----------



## Rusty

I used Superantispyware for a long time, but it has malware attached to it now.


----------



## zannej

Last night I pushed the pill (cholesterol meds) out of the foil and when I was trying to extract it all the way, the foil sliced the tip of my middle finger open. I'm probably not the only person to get a papercut from foil like that, but I imagine its not very common. I guess I just have special skills. LOL. I mean, I managed to cut myself on the metal part of a paintbrush that held the bristles on before... I have a cat lying on my left arm with her face near my ear purring away to soothe me now.


----------



## Rusty

Watching it rain, again. Forecast is for 3-6 inches this weekend. I am getting nothing done.


----------



## zannej

Rain always makes me sleepy. It was raining awhile ago-- thunder was very loud and actually scared my cats, but now its sunny again.

I'm trying to find out more info on ADA rules as it pertains to COPD and work. Yesterday my brother's temporary store manager threatened to fire him because of his COPD (he had trouble breathing while at work and had to use his inhaler). He has done double-shifts and filled in for people who just didn't show up for work, and last week she said he was her best worker, but yesterday she was threatening him. WTF? One of the supervisors spent an hour talking to friends in the parking lot when she was on the clock and customers were actually complaining about it. They make my bro do things that are not part of his job because the store only has 6 employees (including the store manager) now and this manager is just being unreasonable. I mean, I understand that its frustrating that he has health issues and he's had to be sent home a couple of times, but he always tries to make it in and he works harder and faster than the other employees.... I'm just frustrated on his behalf. The store knew when he was hired that he has COPD.. Granted, this is an "at will" state, but it doesn't seem right that she can threaten to fire him when he has no control over whether or not he gets sick. He takes his medication, uses his nebulizer at home, and uses his inhaler at work...


----------



## oldognewtrick

Hung a closet door, cut the grass, rode the pressure washer for a couple hours, I grilled some steak, she fried some shrimp, made a salad, 4-5 gin and tonics later, life is good.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Took the day for a joy ride in the wife's new Toyota Highlander. She likes all the buttons / options so finding new controls was definitely cool.  Great car, lots of room, fun vehicle.  Took in a car show, stopped at a couple estate sales, bought more junk for future projects, out for lunch and a long side road trip home. Met an iron / steel / artist with a shop full of neat tools.  Super guy to share ideas with. Great day, beautiful weather, and a fun time. 
Washed car, took Winston for his long walk & run in the back yard, and caught some retro tv.


----------



## havasu

Painters are finished. I hooked up the home computer, both printers, added baseboards in both master bedrooms, rearranged the furniture, and fixed the phone line.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Couple dozen chicken legs defrosting, she's making corn on the cob, diced taters and green beans, deviled eggs, cobbler for desert, some friends, family coming over this afternoon and hanging out. Doesn't get a lot better than this round here.


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> Painters are finished. I hooked up the home computer, both printers, added baseboards in both master bedrooms, rearranged the furniture, and fixed the phone line.



And in the afternoon?


----------



## havasu

LOL. The other half has dusted the several dozen pictures and placed them where she wants them. What is funny is she just rested a big picture on my knees. I guess she wants that picture hung over my head. Time to shut down.


----------



## Rusty

Got over 3" of rain last night. Stayed up all night to keep the sump pump running. Supposed to get another 3" today. 
__________________


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

In the news, I think it was Texas, got 10" of rain in 24 hours.  I could not even imagine that.  We built on a hill & I am not so sure that would help.  Crazy weather the last couple months.


----------



## mustanggarage

well I have posted my old 99 f150  that I made into my version of what ford should have built  it is a 99 supercab 4wd that I made into an all weather cruiser.  it is not an off road rig it is a street truck built to handle snow but handle nicely in the corners.  it is lowered with lightning wheels and tires it has a kenne bell supercharger and really just runs and drives great and does exactly what I want it to do.  it is not for everyone but it suits me perfectly.  anyway the upholstery was starting to show its age and I recently got a nice big split in the seam of my drivers seat so I decided to upgrade the interior a bit so here are a few pics for you all.

first of all this is what the truck looks like.





it is my daily driver so it is showing it's age.  it could really use a new paint job.  but it still looks decent.

here is what the old upholstery looked like,  this was after I spent a considerable effort cleaning it up trying to make it look nice,







if you look closely in this picture you can see where I repaired the drivers seat with some nylon suture I got at the office.  it actually held for over a year.








so it really was not terrible but that drivers seat cushion needed some work and I had wanted to put some nice leather seat upholstery in there for a while so here are the after shots





















I also put some 1 inch memory foam and new canvas in the drivers seat and repaired the foam cushion with canvas and 3m upholstery adhesive.  all in all it looks and feels and smells a lot better


once the adhesive has some time to dry I will take it out and take some better pictures.  that is if it ever stops raining


----------



## oldognewtrick

Looks nice, where'd you get the covers? I need to replace the front buckets on my f350.


----------



## mustanggarage

https://www.leatherseats.com/home/


----------



## havasu

Looks brand new!


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

It is expensive to update your ride.  One has to decide if the expensive components ( frame, drive train, ) are in good condition and reliable.  Todays vehicles seem to tolerate higher mileage and remain safe.  New purchases have varied finance plans but the initial cost is still high.  The mileage travelled also should be considered.  If you enjoy maintenance, have the time to take care of small details, older vehicles remain very popular.


----------



## mustanggarage

the truth is I like tinkering.  My hobby's are unfortunately very expensive.  but I enjoy it.  and my truck looks alot better now.  I already decided it was not worth trying to trade it in, so I might as well make it nice and keep it tell it falls apart.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

There was an interesting article on the computer about the over production of new vehicles.  Seems they are stacked up all over, some a year or two aged already. They " over engineered " them to last longer than desired.  We have more foreign car manufacturing here than in their own countries. 
Our new Toyota Highlander is a fine piece of equipment but early 60s Corvettes still have my passion for getting there in style.


----------



## Rusty

Kids. My grandkids brought breakfast with them. Ketchup and cheese sandwiches.   It's what they like.


----------



## Chris

Kids like the darnedest things. 

Today I am fighting allergies.


----------



## havasu

Got a new alarm installed yesterday. I can now view the house from my smart phone, arm or disarm the system from anywhere in the world, and I have a running log  of whenever any door, window or my safe is opened. A little pricy, but really good peace of mind.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> Kids. My grandkids brought breakfast with them. Ketchup and cheese sandwiches.   It's what they like.



Actually, grilled cheese dunked in ketchup is quite good!


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

oldognewtrick said:


> Actually, grilled cheese dunked in ketchup is quite good!



When I was a youngster on the farm we had maple syrup and mayonnaise sandwiches.  It was tolerable due to the great home made bread.  In no hurry to relive those precious moments.


----------



## zannej

I had to take my friend (the one who was in the bad wreck) to the ER the other night. It was his 4th visit for the same symptoms but his pain was much much worse. The first two trips he got foreign doctors who aren't that great with English and they sent him home without tests. His 3rd visit was to another hospital where they ran some tests and did some stuff that made his symptoms worse-- and then they sent him home. Finally he got a US born doctor who figured out what was wrong and prescribed the right stuff. Since his grandmother just had a heart attack and triple bypass surgery, he's not getting the emotional support he needs.. I will refrain from my commentary on his girlfriend since the language filter on this forum would censor most of it. Didn't get home until 2am and the next morning had to take Mom for an appointment, only she had the wrong date. So we ended up going to the hospital cafeteria for breakfast. I forced myself to eat some plain oatmeal (it does not taste good at all) and was able to tolerate it by sipping orange juice to wash it down. The last couple of days I've been going over to help my friend and offer moral support. 

I took my brother for his doctor's appointment yesterday and it turns out he has diabetes (his blood sugar was 500). I made asparagus for dinner and I'm trying to wind down and get some sleep.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Finally got my road and drive approach completed.  This fiasco started last September.  First coat of asphalt, then the winds, snow, and cold started.  Now I can drive out without another front end alignment . 
Looked in the steel rack.  One more large project in there to sort out.  Drew some plans on a napkin yesterday while waiting for the CFO.  So much for engineered drawings and specifications.  I am a process as we go person.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Due to a " mild " shower that dumped two plus inches in two hours our drive was history in 28 hours.  From perfect pavement ( paved 2pm Thursday to Friday @ 6pm ) to a six inch slump as the granite was washed from the lower surface.  Apparently two culverts were not enough capacity.  Next stop, larger culverts X two. 

View attachment IMG_1124.jpg


----------



## Barrie

Damn! That had to have been some serious water flowing.


----------



## Chris

I hate it when that happens


----------



## Rusty

My granddaughter as Little Miss Bushwhacker 

View attachment 549336_848354091901929_2786109721555684657_n.jpg


----------



## zannej

Forgot to comment on mustanggarage's post. Wow! The leather seats look MUCH nicer!

stingray, Ugh! I'm so sorry about your driveway! After all that work and it got messed up from the rain.. :-(

I hope that it won't be too expensive to fix it.

Rusty, your granddaughter is cute!

My sleep schedule got messed up again so I'm awake in the middle of the night. I need to get back on normal hours again.


----------



## Rusty

zannej said:


> Rusty, your granddaughter is cute!



Thank you. My wife made that dress.


----------



## glock26USMC

Just got off of work, 1 more month of night shift, then day shift, here I come 0600-1800


----------



## Chris

Just got back from driving to LA to drop materials off to my guys and it is only 7am. Gonna put the axle back in my club car before I hit the office.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> Just got back from driving to LA to drop materials off to my guys and it is only 7am. Gonna put the axle back in my club car before I hit the office.



Well?                   Axel On?


----------



## Chris

Yup, drove it around and everything seems to be working fine. Now time to get the new boat project in the garage.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Building a drone.  Ordered the thrusters & camera from Wall Mart.  Should be flying shortly ! 

View attachment IMG_1162.jpg


----------



## Rusty

My daughter hit a rock and blew a tire. Took it back to Walmart and they refused to honor the road hazard warranty. What a ripoff


----------



## Chris

I have found that most warranties are a scam. I hate that people and companies are just out to profit and not provide.


----------



## Chris

Today I had sold a Chevy Tahoe I received in trade for one of my trucks then about an hour later I got a call from my sister that she blew her motor in her Jeep. I had to call back the guy who bought the tahoe and tell him the deal is off and that I would be giving the car to my sister. I really wish my family could fend for themselves at some point.


----------



## havasu

Today was another day that I needed a truck. Damn getting old borrowing one from friends.


----------



## Rusty

I miss having a truck too. I do have a 5x8 tilt trailer, but a truck would be much better.


----------



## Rusty

Cops woke me at 4 am to tell me they were in my yard. They caught two teens who were breaking into cars and ran into my yard to get away.


----------



## Chris

I currently own seven trucks. You can borrow one if you need.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Got home from work, fried up some bacon, made some BLT's with tomato's that actually tasted like tomato. Life is good.


----------



## havasu

I haven't had a BLT in years. Sounds excellent.


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> I haven't had a BLT in years. Sounds excellent.



It was, even had two...


----------



## Chris

Where did you find tomatoes that taste like tomatoes?


----------



## havasu

Epic Fail: My son in law decided to make an au' naturale Bloody Mary last week. He used only the best vodka money could buy, and made the tomato juice from tomatoes he picked from his garden. He said it was so horrible, they had to toss out the entire drink. I guess there is more to tomato juice than throwing a few tomatoes into a blender?


----------



## Chris

Yes a lot more. I love bloody mary's and I wouldn't even do that. You use vegetable juice not tomato juice.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Zing Zang is the best one I've ever tried.


----------



## Rusty

I watched my 6 year old granddaughter and 6 year old great granddaughter ride carnival rides.


----------



## zannej

I am resting after a few days of having to take people to doctor's appointments.

My brother's ceiling fan broke so I got a new one to install. I'll have to figure out which breaker serves his room. I can never remember and the tenants tampered with the wiring so the labeling my father did doesn't apply anymore.


----------



## Rusty

Got a break from the rain, so I cut grass most the day. then I got my work van running again.


----------



## havasu

I installed 3 cabinets in the garage today while a crew of roof ripper offers were on the roof tearing off the old concrete tile. New roof starts tomorrow. 

View attachment 20150615_092024_resized.jpg


View attachment 20150615_120942_resized.jpg


----------



## Chris

You feed your dog that crap?


----------



## Rusty

Built a stand for 55 gallon aquarium this afternoon. This morning I scraped up some rubber back carpet by hand.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> You feed your dog that crap?



No, that's where he hides his garage vodka bottle.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> Built a stand for 55 gallon aquarium this afternoon. This morning I scraped up some rubber back carpet by hand.



Pics???.........


----------



## Chris

Today I drove to Manhattan beach then to the city of commerce for job walks, since none of you probably know where those are, one is really far away and one is really really far away. Over two hours each way. I need to find work close to home.


----------



## havasu

If you can roof a house, I have a job alot closer to you...


----------



## Chris

I don't even know what a roof is, let alone how to build one.


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> If you can roof a house, I have a job alot closer to you...



And you have friends in the business and you didn't even call...


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> I don't even know what a roof is, let alone how to build one.



Roof is what our dog says every time a leaf blows.


----------



## zannej

Today I cleaned up trash in my brother's room so I don't trip over it next time I go in there to talk to him. I'm waiting for him to get home to see if he notices.

I'm about to make some steamed chicken for breakfast.


----------



## havasu

Was up at 5:30. Plumbers were here at 0700 sharp. Roofers were also here at 0700 sharp. Didn't stop until 6 PM, jumped on the grill and made grilled squash with potatoes, onion, garlic, green onion, green beans, and anything else I could find, with a few top sirloin steaks and sat outside on the patio with a bottle of wine. Was about as nice as it could get.


----------



## Rusty

If I had all those workers here, I would be dumpster diving for food.


----------



## Rusty

Spent the day trying to help a young man I know find an apt. He works at Walmart. He doesn't smoke, doesn't drink, doesn't do drugs. Never been in trouble, but he was a special Ed student in school. Not having any luck. I just don't have room for him myself.


----------



## Chris

I packed my bags tonight to head home. Hate leaving dad here in the state he is in but I need to get back to my family and work.


----------



## Rusty

Rusty said:


> Spent the day trying to help a young man I know find an apt. He works at Walmart. He doesn't smoke, doesn't drink, doesn't do drugs. Never been in trouble, but he was a special Ed student in school. Not having any luck. I just don't have room for him myself.



My wife found him a place.


----------



## havasu

Good to hear. You both have huge hearts!


----------



## Rusty

I have a feeling we will be a taxi service. He's living near us now.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Adopt him and get the tax deduction.  That should cover some expenses.


----------



## Rusty

StingRayCaretaker said:


> Adopt him and get the tax deduction.  That should cover some expenses.



He's 19 and has/had a family. They moved off and left him by himself about 3 years ago. He was with a foster family and they decided to move back home to Texas. My 19 year old son is autistic and this boy has been his only friend for several years. Even as a special ed student, he graduated from high school ( so did my son) and led the ROTC color guard. He just has very little common sense.


----------



## havasu

Rusty said:


> He just has very little common sense.



Seems like a typical American kid these days!


----------



## Chris

Rusty said:


> He's 19 and has/had a family. They moved off and left him by himself about 3 years ago. He was with a foster family and they decided to move back home to Texas. My 19 year old son is autistic and this boy has been his only friend for several years. Even as a special ed student, he graduated from high school ( so did my son) and led the ROTC color guard. He just has very little common sense.



I'm glad you are helping him out. every kid needs a family.

They don't teach common sense in school and most parents gave up on teaching their kids much at all. Scary to think what this country will be when all the adults are dead and gone.


----------



## Rusty

This boy had a couple thousand dollars in cash and was going to take it to work and leave it in the break room while he was working. I convinced him to leave it at my house.


----------



## zannej

I'm lazy so I'm just pasting my post from the plumbing forums.

My internet has been going out because of the rain and the other day my power went out again and stayed out for about 7 hours.

I think I may have mentioned that the adhesive for the rearview mirror on the ford expedition gave up the ghost and the mirror fell off (but it has some sort of wires going to it so it was dangling). Bought some glue and took it to two different places (Autozone and Bumper to Bumper) but neither one of them could figure out how to get the metal piece that has to be glued to the glass out of the back of the mirror. it has to be glued on and then we have to wait 2 hours to put the mirror back on it, but thus far it is not cooperating.

Today I took my friend who had the truck wreck to a doctor's appointment. Saw the x-rays for his arm. The screws go all the way through the bone and stick out on the other side.






Saw this in front of the store where my friend's cousin works:













I noticed that my friend has been a little distant with his stepson since his wreck and he finally admitted to me that he did not remember the stepson and kept wondering "who the hell is this kid?" when he first got home, but then eventually figured it out. But he has absolutely no memory of the kid from before the accident. He also didn't remember a few other people but he didn't want to tell his family for fear they would be really upset.

The good news is, the impound place that was going to charge $1,100 to get the remnants of his truck off of their lot, are letting him get it for $45 to clear the space and he can use the engine out of it in a different truck.

My brother has been having a better time at work because the new store manager is making accommodations for his COPD-- scheduling him for afternoon shifts because it takes him about an hour or two to recover from his morning nebulizer treatments.

Oh yeah, almost forgot that my friend's cousin said he might be able to fix our Kubota tractor AND might be able to help with tearing down the parts of the barn that are completely ruined so we can get something safer put up or at least reinforce the salvageable parts of the barn. Turns out he knows the owner of my favorite Thai restaurant too. We met there for lunch and he left earlier and paid for my food and my friend's food. I wish I'd known before he left so I could have thanked him. He was rather sneaky about it. I ended up ordering soup to go for my mother afterward and I bought my friend another Thai iced tea for the road. The owner was in a good mood, which was nice to see.

Found an unopened Peerless gooseneck/swan neck style faucet in my plumbing supplies and gave it to my friend because his current faucet is absolute garbage. The neck does not swivel and I have a faucet that can be put in if we ever get the guest bath fixed.

Man, I'm really babbling.

Chris, I'm sorry to hear about your father. I'm glad he's doing better though.

Hope everyone is doing well tonight.


----------



## Barrie

Good morning GR.

Raining hard here today. Glad I got a lot of the yard work done yesterday.

Glad to hear that your Dad is doing better Chris.


----------



## havasu

Man, I miss rain. Nothing but heat in my neck of the woods.


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> Man, I miss rain. Nothing but heat in my neck of the woods.



Man, I miss the sunshine, nothing but rain and thunderstorms here. Looks like that for the next 5 days...


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> Man, I miss the sunshine, nothing but rain and thunderstorms here. Looks like that for the next 5 days...



Same here. We got 3 inches in two hours last night. My MIL was under a tornado warning for two hours last night in central Mo. More heavy storms on their way today.


----------



## zannej

I wish the people who wanted the rain could get it and those of us who need a break from it would have a good break-- or at least some light rain without all the wind and thunder that scares the dogs.


----------



## Rusty

Supposed to get another 2-3 inches of rain Monday and Tuesday and maybe severe storms.


----------



## zannej

Today my power went out again for several hours. Couldn't cook at home since there was no light and nothing to cook with. Thunderstorm also zapped my phonelines. Went to see why the rechargeable base phone wasn't working and discovered that the phoneline had burnt off at the connection to the phone. I went to trace it to the wall and started pulling lightly on the cord to follow when it just came up with the other end burnt off in the jack. The jack is fried and I'm pretty sure the phone is fried too.
RIP phone, you were my favorite one thus far









So for now we have no working landline. I tried to replace the jack, but couldn't find all of the wires its supposed to have (I'll get pictures of that later).

Also had trouble finding a parking space in a small parking lot partially thanks to this cabrone:









Anyway, had some fried chicken, which I'm sure I'll regret in the morning. I peel most of the breading off because it tends to make me sick, but its still greasy.

Other than that, I'm feeling good for now.


----------



## Rusty

They are now giving a chance of as much as 5" of rain by Wednesday night.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Today's the first time I've seen the sun since I don't know when....


----------



## Chris

I can ship you some sun if you need it, we have plenty.


----------



## zannej

Had to take my mother for an eye doctor appointment (regular checkup) and then had to endure shopping hell with her. They were having some knife demonstration at Sam's where they give away free knives to people who watch. She fell for the spiel and bought a knife set (although I think my brother's room ate most of our knives so I have no idea where they are).

Was going to get an oil change on the car and decided to get it washed first. Paid for the most expensive automatic wash-- undercarriage spray didn't work and it only sprayed one side of the car. It left the car pretty muddy. We called the customer service number and got no answer.

My mother lost the base phone (I have no idea how or where) so I can't test it to see if the intercom at least works. Still need to get a pic of the wires and such, but I have to literally climb over her bed because she has so many empty cardboard boxes piled up across her room that I can't walk across it.  I'm going to get the picture when my back is feeling a bit better (probably later tonight).

Update: Rested for a bit and then discovered we didn't have the right size flathead screwdriver to remove the button from the mirror. Mom said it was 10:30pm or something. Decided to head to the store and discovered it was actually an hour later. Store closes at midnight. Made it there at 11:57 and rushed to the tool department. They didn't have a solo screwdriver in the right size so we grabbed a package of different sizes (the only one that had the right sized one). The clerk was nice enough to hold the register open for us because she saw us run in. Went over to my friend's house after my brother still couldn't get the button out and the friend got it out after 20 minutes of struggling with 3 different screwdrivers. Went back home and my bro cleaned the spot where the button went and stuck it on-- it went on a little crooked, but I probably would have dropped it and gotten it glued to my pants bc I'm all thumbs. Waiting for the glue to cure so I can put the mirror on and take my friend for his MRI tomorrow.

Phone is charging so I have to wait on getting the picture of the phoneline wires.


----------



## Rusty

A friend's garden. 

View attachment 11695859_10152951543056024_5183184902214066889_n.jpg


----------



## havasu

Damn, in California, you could sell that water for a hundred bucks.


----------



## Chris

You'd be arrested if you had that kind of water here.


----------



## zannej

What's your friend growing in the garden, Rusty?

I put the mirror on the button and got all of the cords (compass and such) hooked back up. 

On my way through the kitchen I noticed an unopened face plate for a power outlet just lying on the floor in plastic. No idea when/where its from. It just seemed to appear out of the blue.

Drove my friend to an appointment to get an MRI, which took a couple of hours. Went to get some food at Outback (we got the appetizers because they were cheaper than full meals) and brought home some of that brown bread. Got home and gave some of the leftovers to Mom and then cooked for her because she was still hungry.

I'd sent a link to some surge suppressors that protect RJ11 cords for phones and Mom realized we had one in the room. I took off the old outlet thing that has 6 spots for plugs and put in the new one and discovered that there was no face plate over the outlet. The new plug thing didn't cover it entirely so there was a large gap. I remembered the mystery face plate and went and grabbed it. Installed the plate and surge protector, hooked up the RJ11 cable that came with it to the bottom, wired the new jack up, plugged it in to the surge suppressor, plugged in a corded phone to the Out jack of the surge suppressor and tested the phone. Success!

Still weird that the face plate just appeared out of seemingly nowhere just when I was about to need it. usually its the opposite and stuff goes missing when I need it.


----------



## havasu

Why isn't that plate screwed on?


----------



## zannej

havasu said:


> Why isn't that plate screwed on?



Good eye. 
Because the surge protector screws in to it and I hadn't put it on yet. I thought I took a picture of it after, but I either forgot to upload it or forgot to get the picture. They are both screwed on now.


----------



## Rusty

Branson Mo. has been getting 1 1/2 inches of rain per hour.


----------



## havasu

Went to the "ex's" house and picked up my airless sprayer. Damn thing only cost $350 new. Hose was never cleaned out and the trigger was frozen shut. I paid $120 for a new trigger, and $49 for a hose, but now I'm thinking of just biting the bullet and returning them, and just purchase a new airless for $300. What say we all?


----------



## oldognewtrick

Just dip the cat in the stain bucket, wipe his but with turpentine, toss it in the room, close the door.... Ceiling stained. &#127866;


----------



## zannej

Havasu, for the price of the parts, I think you're better off just getting a new one and maybe selling what is left of the old one at a local swap shop thing or whatever.

Still need to work on my water heater but found that there is no shutoff for the water to it and I'd have to go shut off the main. It will have to wait until Friday I guess since I'm busy tomorrow.


----------



## havasu

I agree Zanne. I returned the parts last night. I did consider renting an airless. At HD it is $79 for a full day. After this painting job, I really don't see me painting much more.


----------



## Rusty

Another 1-2 inches of rain today.. Then it is going to turn off hot.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Took off early to meet the plumber. Having trouble with water backing up in the basement shower when we run the washer. He snaked the drain and now it flows fine. Worth the 150.00 cause me and my hand held snake couldn't get it. 

Swmbo agreed to go to Sonic tonite after dinner for ice cream in the Jeep, so that's been my day. Suns shinning, drains working, ice cream later. Life is good at the oldogs house.


----------



## Rusty

Need to mow. 

View attachment 11694819_1000906906616060_7955661406929627247_n.jpg


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty, need some rain up your way. We have a lil extra we'd be glad to share with ya.


----------



## Barrie

Rusty said:


> Need to mow.



LOL!!




oldognewtrick said:


> Rusty, need some rain up your way. We have a lil extra we'd be glad to share with ya.



We sure got some rain yesterday.


----------



## zannej

Took my friend for the followup appointment about his neck. Herniated disk between C5 and C6. His useless girlfriend tagged along. I don't know if she should be called a girlfriend since she has no affection for him whatsoever and she basically just sleeps in his bed (and doesn't want to touch him or be touched by him), lives in his house, uses his computer and tv, and uses his food stamps to buy food to stuff her fat face (buying tons of junkfood for herself and her son but then not having enough left over to get stuff he needs). 

The doctor explained the situation and the options and his girlfriend had absolutely no concern for him whatsoever. they said he would need injections in his neck and he was scared, but all his girlfriend cared about was some cyst in her vagina. When the doctor was out of the room, that was all she talked about and whined about not being able to afford treatment. Then the doctor came in and told my friend he was going to have to live with the pain since they wouldn't give him the treatments because he doesn't have medical insurance. Then told him that if he ever gets insurance to not tell the insurance about the herniated disk and to come back for treatment.

Even the girlfriend's father was showing more concern for my friend and was getting on her case about it when we got back to unload the groceries. This twunt has some of the worst case of entitlement I've ever seen and my friend needs to kick her out asap. But because she's lived there for so long, I think he'd have to go to court to get a formal eviction notice and she just might destroy most of his stuff in retaliation before she leaves.

Oh yeah, the twunt still owes me like $350 and has shown absolutely no interest in re-paying it-- and has indicated to my friend that she doesn't feel obligated to repay it and probably never will-- and then she had the gall to ask me to pay for her meal at a restaurant. Then she sulked when I told her "no".

Anyway, I posted pics of my water heater on the plumbing forum and it looks like its worse than I thought. I think I'll contact my plumber about that one.


----------



## havasu

I'm still perplexed with the word "twunt"?


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> I'm still perplexed with the word "twunt"?



Really?


----------



## zannej

havasu said:


> I'm still perplexed with the word "twunt"?



its an amalgam of two words-- I think both of which would be censored here. one starts with C and ends in the rest of the word shown and the other ends in AT and starts with the first two letters of the word.

There are just no words for her that wouldn't be censored... She accused my friend of being a pussy because he's in pain from serious injuries. He nearly died and could have been paralyzed for life, but she's more concerned with her own minor issue-- which she uses as an excuse to miss work and not do things.

Anyway, AT&T came out to check my landline. They opened it up and made adjustments but then said it was not on their end (but they weren't charging). I had to get a new phone. I discovered that the jack I just wired had reversed polarity (I used a tester) because the line at the box must have the wires hooked up wrong. So instead of being red to red and green to green, its the opposite. Fixed that and now have a temporary corded phone set up while we wait for the new base phone to arrive.

Cleaned the bathtub that my brother left horribly messy and clogged with hair.

Now my brain feels sort of fried.


----------



## Chris

I picked up an sks today......


----------



## oldognewtrick

Back out to the farm today for, I hope, the last day of metal work on my smoker.


----------



## havasu

I saw a beautiful SKS on my phone this morning. It had a collapsible stock and a great bayonet. The guy that sent the pic must be a friend of mine who lives in Arizona or one of the other 48 states which allow Americans to buy and keep firearms, just like our Constitution says we are allowed to buy and keep, and not California, the land of the fruits and nuts.


----------



## Chris

Yeah I saw that one too. Must have been that guy from AZ.


----------



## zannej

Yeah, I would have a serious problem with the government disarming citizens. I'm not a paranoid person, but that is usually one of the first steps before the government relives citizens of other liberties.

I understand disarming felons, but not law-abiding citizens who actually respect and use guns carefully.


----------



## Rusty

Went out to go pick up carpet for a job today and my work van wouldn't start. While I am messing with it, my wife calls, she took the granddaughters to a donut shop and her mini van won't start. Got my wife's van going, still working on the other one.


----------



## havasu

When it rains, it pours.....


----------



## oldognewtrick

Dang Rusty, my lucks wore off on you...


----------



## Barrie

Sounds like one of those days Rusty.


----------



## Rusty

Luckily, it's an empty house and the customer is in no hurry. I'll pick up the carpet tomorrow with my trailer.


----------



## zannej

My brother has been dumping stuff from the store on the kitchen floor and I was going through taking things out of bags to police up the bags so they weren't in the way. There was a bottle of roundup and the bag handle twisted around it and pulled the cap off so it spilled on me, the floor, the bags, a jar of pickles..... Ugh.. So I had to clean that up. Washed a bunch of dishes, cooked for mom, and researched stuff on the internet.

I need the weather to cool down so I can work on some stuff outside.


----------



## Rusty

Interesting day. I was unloading carpet and pad and carrying it into a house. I had noticed an ambulance across the street but didn't pay much attention Next thing I know, two EMTs start carrying my carpet up to the porch and handing it to me. They said they just thought I might like some help. Great guys.


----------



## havasu

I replaced my sprinkler valves, built a new manifold, added more sprinkler lines with trenching under the planters and seeded the grass. Damn if I didn't get a bit overheated. After looking at the thermometer, I understood why. 

View attachment 20150815_144018_resized.jpg


View attachment 20150815_143951_resized.jpg


----------



## oldognewtrick

Why are you installing sprinklers, you don't have any water?  &#128166;


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

That's what I thought....is the news wrong ??


----------



## havasu

Yeah, "f" it. If us so cal folks only use 5% of the water for our uses, but the farmers take 95% for them to sell their crops around the world, then I'm not going to stop. Have the farmers cut back only 5%, and we will have all the water we need.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Put front brakes on my daughters 4 Runner, woulda been the easiest brake job I've ever done if it wasn't for having to replace 2 calipers.


----------



## zannej

I really wish there was a teleporter and I could teleport barrels of water to you guys. It's been raining down here. Thunderstorms have been messing with the power. At least its made things slightly cooler outside.

Not much going on today except the rain. Tomorrow I get to take my friend to the DMV in another town to get his current truck registered. The truck is from Alabama and the local DMV said the previous owner would have to register it to this state and then transfer to my friend and he would then have to register it-- which means he would have to pay for registration twice. The DMV in the other town said he only had to show that title was transferred to him and he can register it here without having to involve the other guy.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Picked my Honda up from the shop today...

Aligned the front end
Adjusted the valves
Rebuilt the carb
Changed the oil and filter
Changed the front and rear dif fluids
New battery
New air filter

Hope I can get another 10 years out of her.


----------



## Barrie

oldognewtrick said:


> Picked my Honda up from the shop today...
> 
> Aligned the front end
> Adjusted the valves
> Rebuilt the carb
> Changed the oil and filter
> Changed the front and rear dif fluids
> New battery
> New air filter
> 
> Hope I can get another 10 years out of her.



Hope it works out for you Tom.


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> Picked my Honda up from the shop today...
> 
> Aligned the front end
> Adjusted the valves
> Rebuilt the carb
> Changed the oil and filter
> Changed the front and rear dif fluids
> New battery
> New air filter
> 
> Hope I can get another 10 years out of her.



Did you check the blinker fluid?


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> Did you check the blinker fluid?



Dang it....I knew I forgot something, guess I'll have to take it back...


----------



## havasu

Ran out to Havasu to check on the place. One golf cart had 6 dry and dead batteries and a flat tire. This sure sucks.


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> Ran out to Havasu to check on the place. One golf cart had 6 dry and dead batteries and a flat tire. This sure sucks.



I have some left over blinker fluid and some muffler grease if you need some .


----------



## Admin

oldognewtrick said:


> I have some left over blinker fluid and some muffler grease if you need some .



I hear that's rare stuff so don't be too generous with it.


----------



## Chris

I only have elbow grease.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Admin said:


> I hear that's rare stuff so don't be too generous with it.



The way world events are heading, there's no sense putting things away for a rainy day. Share that muffler grease!


----------



## Rusty

Talked to my stepson. He's a 35 year old single father of three and totally blind because of diabetes. He had what is supposed to be his final surgery Wednesday. Now he waits. They are hoping he will regain a little sight over the next 6 weeks. If he doesn't, there is no hope. He cooks, cleans and makes his own coffee. If you saw him walking around his apt., you might not know he is blind. He's a survivor.


----------



## havasu

Here's hoping for vision Rusty!


----------



## oldognewtrick

Sorry to hear Rusty. We take so many things for granted, I think sight would be the worse sense to loose. Prayers for your son.


----------



## Barrie

Thoughts and prayers for your son Rusty.


----------



## zannej

I hope the surgery works for your son, Rusty.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Meeting a friend for lunch at the Mexican restaurant, waiting here for him, there's a Asian massage parlor next door. $39.99 foot and body massage. Wonder Whats that all about 

View attachment 1440432632734-2034389166.jpg


----------



## oldognewtrick

Dang my windshields dirty....


----------



## havasu

I'm surprised you didn't see me slipping out the front door of that massage parlor.


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> Meeting a friend for lunch at the Mexican restaurant, waiting here for him, there's a Asian massage parlor next door. $39.99 foot and body massage. Wonder Whats that all about



Massage with happy ending.


----------



## zannej

For some reason that reminds me of a friend who went to a massage parlor in Guam. He was asking about the type of massage they do and how much. The Japanesese girl in there kept saying "No masazi". He was very confused but later found out that pretty much every "massage" parlor was just a front for prostitution.


----------



## glock26USMC

Just got off work 14 1/2 hour day....... ate some dinner, and headed to bed......only to be up at 0400 and do it all again. #bluelivesmatter


----------



## Chris

I need that message after today. Had a guy call in sick, I ran a 90 pound jackhammer for 8 hours. I can't move now.


----------



## zannej

Been taking care of my sick cat most of the day. Had to go to the store for lunchmeat because I can't use my microwave.

Turned microwave on today and after 3 seconds lights dimmed in the house and turned the microwave off. Microwave came back on but wasn't cooking. Tried it again, same thing happened. 5 more times and it kept happening. I really don't need more electrical problems on top of plumbing issues right now.


----------



## havasu

Just had a 16 hour day working. Smoke is so thick you have to drive with headlights on all day. Pray for rain so I can go home!


----------



## zannej

Hope you get some rain, Havasu.

Turns out my electrical problem was a loose wire at the top of the meter pole.

Made dinner for Mom an am currently serving as a bed for two cats.


----------



## havasu

It is drizzling outside now. I think all it's gunna do is piss off the flames surrounding us.


----------



## zannej

I'd do a rain dance for you, but I think that would just make it rain here instead.


----------



## Chris

Mark the weather is clear and beautiful here at home. Bet you miss it about now.


----------



## havasu

I wish I brought a jacket along. Brr...


----------



## Rusty

Should I just turn out the lights?


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> Should I just turn out the lights?



I think the lights burned out...


----------



## Riff_Raff

zannej said:


> Hope you get some rain, Havasu.
> 
> Turns out my electrical problem was a loose wire at the top of the meter pole.
> 
> Made dinner for Mom an am currently serving as a bed for two cats.



Glad the power is back and hopefully the fires are under control. The haze in Western WA was unbelievable last week due to the fires.


I got to sleep in for the first time in five months. New job and school had me up at 4 during the week and 6 on the weekend for class.


----------



## havasu

Yeah. Washington had a big rainstorm come in Saturday AM allowing me to immediately fly home so I could help a friend move to a new house.


----------



## Barrie

havasu said:


> Yeah. Washington had a big rainstorm come in Saturday AM allowing me to immediately fly home so I could help a friend move to a new house.



Glad to hear that you made it back home safe and sound.


----------



## Chris

Saw lots of deer today. 

View attachment image.jpg


----------



## havasu

How is that deer sticking to that cliff?


----------



## Admin

Supper glue on the hoofs?


----------



## Chris

They are talented creatures I tell you. Imagine what I had to go through to get that picture.


----------



## havasu

Chris said:


> They are talented creatures I tell you. Imagine what I had to go through to get that picture.



The biggest question is........




........did you spill your beer taking the shot?


----------



## Chris

No I drank it first.


----------



## Rusty

Never forget 

View attachment 11863469_1027768423913738_5432509242703330488_n.jpg


----------



## havasu

Yep, 9-11 has been on my mind all day. Today I installed Time Warner internet and s#!tcanned that stupid DSL router. I'm now twice as fast as I use to have but still only half as fast as the old FIOS, but that is not offered where I currently live.


----------



## Rusty

I wrote a 500 word paper on immigration completely off the top of my head in about 15-20 minutes. Makes my wife so mad, she has to do research on everything but my head is always full of useless information.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Not that I am some kind of brain trust but viewing / rewriting  reports was a major  part of my former career.  It is amazing how ( some ) of the new generation cannot accurately describe situations including important points that justify the means.  
Like you said Rusty, ..... When I am on a subject my thoughts turn a hundred miles per hour checking outcomes, alternatives, and of course how to make the reviewer see situations from my point of view.  The power of the written language is immense.  Current educators  place so little value on it .  Cursive is almost dead, texting ( with no regard to spelling ) is in. Few have a traumatic issue writing a grammatically correct paragraph.  Three months of the school year is waisted every year.


----------



## Chris

I agree that the new generation are practically useless. Sad part is that it is now taught that way and is acceptable.

Today I am doing major tune ups on a Wacker (Dirt Compactor) and an old Coleman Generator I have sitting in the shop. It would be nice to toss a small generator in the truck instead of my 6000 watt that takes two people to load.


----------



## oldognewtrick

StingRayCaretaker said:


> Three months of the school year is waisted every year.



I take issue with this statement, I feel it is a much greater number than just 3. I feel sorry for a few of the generations behind us.


----------



## Chris

Hey! I am a generation behind you and I am not an idiot. At least that's what my wife tells me. Heck I even dropped out of school in the tenth grade to go to work.


----------



## oldognewtrick

It's the teens and twentysomethigs I'm more worried about. Heck Chris, dropping out of school doesn't mean anything, I know a lot of highly educated people who are raving idiots....


----------



## Chris

I'm worried about them too. I can't find a laborer under 35 that is willing to work.


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> I'm worried about them too. I can't find a laborer under 35 that is willing to work.



That was why I finally started working by myself. They don't want to get dirty.


----------



## Barrie

Chris said:


> I'm worried about them too. I can't find a laborer under 35 that is willing to work.



I hear you Chris, here at the Bowling Green, Ky FedEx terminal we can't keep delivery driver's under 35 because delivering packages is actually physical work.


----------



## Rusty

Back in the mid 80s when the average wage  was about $4 an hour, I was paying $10 hr for 32 hours a week. Three day weekend every week. No hard work and not even dirty work. Just carrying tools and bagging scraps. Most lasted a couple days.


----------



## Barrie

Rusty said:


> Back in the mid 80s when the average wage  was about $4 an hour, I was paying $10 hr for 32 hours a week. Three day weekend every week. No hard work and not even dirty work. Just carrying tools and bagging scraps. Most lasted a couple days.



Sounds like a sweet gig to me.


----------



## Rusty

Barrie said:


> Sounds like a sweet gig to me.



Yep, but most young people are lazy.


----------



## Rusty

First my work van won't run. Then last night, the minivan I use for repairs quit. I think it needs a starter. Not sure I feel like changing it.


----------



## havasu

GFI 20 amp breaker popped and wouldn't reset. Replaced breaker and still popped. Removed load and it worked. Added one load at a time and it would pop. Discovered 110 v landscape lights were buried in dirt and were all muddy. Removed them and breaker still popped. Put everything together and found a raw hot line in a metal shield. Fixed that and now all works......8 hours later!


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> First my work van won't run. Then last night, the minivan I use for repairs quit. I think it needs a starter. Not sure I feel like changing it.



That sucks Rusty, been there, done that...usually when it rains, it pours.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Took two hours and unburied my work bench.  Have no idea how everything got stacked, pushed aside, and lost all at the same time.  Two bags of junk for the garbage, tools put away, bench wiped down and time for a break.  Next some quality time with the John Deere cutting grass.  That is always relaxing except for the diesel noise and having to wear hearing muffs. 
Also finished welding &  painting another small project. 

View attachment IMG_4506.jpg


----------



## Rusty

Got my work van purring like an old Ford today.


----------



## zannej

Just popping in to say "Hi". I've been trying to catch up on the thread. Rusty, I'm interested in reading your writing about immigration. My father was with INS for 30 years and continued to help some people with the paperwork after he retired.

I do know some people under 35 who work hard. My friend who was in the truck wreck in April is a hard worker. Before the accident he was willing to do a lot of hard manual labor. Now he physically can't do it anymore, but he does whatever he can. But I do see a trend with people wanting instant gratification and not wanting to work for things. And then we have the whole thing with "trigger warnings" and people becoming oversensitive.

Stingray, that is so cool!

On a side note, there was an opening at Pizza Hut and the manager finally decided to hire my brother. He gets paid $1 more than he did at his former workplace. His new pay is higher than the second highest paid person in his old workplace. He gets to work with his friends now. During the job interview, the manager told him "I can be an ***hole sometimes" and my brother said "You're adorable." The other coworkers were bugging the manager to hire him for quite awhile now. It's actually fulltime hours instead of part time so it will help. He actually took out some trash last week, which was shocking. But he hasn't done anything around the house since, so I've been trying to pick things up. 

Mom was sick for awhile so I've been playing nurse maid. 

I found out that my mother can get a 15% discount on her monthly cellphone bill if she gets her military dependent card renewed so I called a few places to find out what she needs to get it and am planning a trip up to Camp Beauregard to get it.

Not too much going on around here though.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Bent up a 17 x 20 medallion with eight corners and two initials.  Splashed it in red paint. Tomorrow add the gold stripe and done.
Transplanted some three foot tall maple trees that grew adjacent to the drive.  Helped clean the attached garage of accumulated junk.


----------



## oldognewtrick

StingRayCaretaker said:


> Bent up a 17 x 20 medallion with eight corners and two initials.  Splashed it in red paint. Tomorrow add the gold stripe and done.QUOTE]
> 
> And then we'll have pics...right?


----------



## Chris

Today I have woken up and am drinking coffe. About to go run a backhoe for eight hours pulling tree stumps.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

oldognewtrick said:


> StingRayCaretaker said:
> 
> 
> 
> Bent up a 17 x 20 medallion with eight corners and two initials.  Splashed it in red paint. Tomorrow add the gold stripe and done.QUOTE]
> 
> And then we'll have pics...right?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I didn't want to spoil you !
> As they say in show biz.... leave them on the edge of their seats.
Click to expand...


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Chris said:


> Today I have woken up and am drinking coffe. About to go run a backhoe for eight hours pulling tree stumps.



That sounds like fun.  Put over 4k hours on a 580 Case during my youth.  Have a new Bradco 611 on a TC55DA New Holland. Remodeled a new old stock 24" bucket to fit this machine.


----------



## Chris

They are a fun toy. I'm running a Deere 710k this week. It's a big boy. 

View attachment image.jpg


----------



## oldognewtrick

Grass looks awful green for being in a drought Chris...


----------



## havasu

Yeah, that is a beautiful course with such mature trees. Isn't there a way to install irrigation without ripping them all out?


----------



## Rusty

Got my other vehicle running again. Back to three.


----------



## Chris

havasu said:


> Yeah, that is a beautiful course with such mature trees. Isn't there a way to install irrigation without ripping them all out?



I'm only ripping out old cut down trees. I can work around live trees when I can see them. These were all stump ground to a couple inches below grade.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Finished planting the Maples, 25 in all. Ran into some rock, this one was all rock in this location.  Never give up though, a sharp shovel will find a way. Winston was in charge of sticks and squirrels.
 Last fall I planted trees with the backhoe . It  went a lot faster with less physical labor. 

View attachment IMG_4509.jpg


----------



## zannej

Had "fun" dealing with AT&T. Found out they overcharged me by over $72 one month-- basically they charged me for a month and a half in a single month for no apparent reason. Spent awhile on the phone over that and then got them agree to waive my phone upgrade fee when I upgrade. They are phasing out the 2-year contract deals where you can get the phones for free. So I got in on it and upgraded 2 phones before it goes away so we don't end up paying $600 for the phones on the Next program. Then I had to try to order the phones but it only lets you order one at a time and the website was slow as molasses and kept freezing up. Then I had a problem because they didn't accept P.O. Box as a valid address and because the USPS won't deliver to my physical address, it wouldn't verify my address. I somehow got it to accept my address on one phone and it went through. 3.5 hours later I was still trying to get the other phone ordered but it no longer accepted my address as valid and when I tried to put in a friend's address, it said it didn't match the credit card. So I had to use a different credit card. Afterward I called AT&T billing to get my account credited for the upgrade fees. They agreed that I should be compensated due to my aggravation, so I saved $90. Also found out they do a 15% discount for military and military dependents. Since my mother is a military widow, she qualifies-- just have to renew her card. Was supposed to do it Monday but she said "tomorrow" and then she said that again today. Hoping she'll actually go tomorrow. She needs to get out of the house and walk around a little.

Stingray, what kind of tree is that? The leaves remind me a bit of the gumball trees in my yard.


----------



## Riff_Raff

zannej said:


> Had "fun" dealing with AT&T. Found out they overcharged me by over $72 one month-- basically they charged me for a month and a half in a single month for no apparent reason. .



AT & T;s logo looks quite a bit like The Death Star, doesn't it?

They screwed me for the last time about ten years ago.


----------



## Rusty

Watched "Super Size Me" for sociology class. Guy almost killed himself making a documentary.


----------



## zannej

Riff_Raff, it _does_ look like the death star!! Unfortunately, it is the only phone service available in my area. They sort of have a monopoly here. It's the only one for the landline services and its the only cellular service with a tower in range of my area-- and even then, I have to use a micro-cell tower to get signal in the house. I have to be close to the micro-tower to use it. Tried Sprint and couldn't get signal even with amp and antenna.

Rusty, I've heard that they debunked that "documentary" as being erroneous and having unreliable results. There was quite a bit of placebo effect going on. I forget where they had the article about what was done wrong in it and why it wasn't reliable. Basically because the guy believed he was going to feel sick, he did feel sick. 

Not that I would recommend eating at McDonalds constantly though. I don't even get food from there once a month anymore. Every once in awhile I'll get the fillet of fish though.

When I took mom to renew her ID, there was a little sign printed out with a picture of a lemon. It said "Unless life also gives you sugar and water, your lemonade is going to suck". LOL.


----------



## Rusty

Blood moon last night 

View attachment 12046693_979086072142711_8182168600286805124_n.jpg


----------



## Rusty

And a little later, the eclipse has started 

View attachment 030.jpg


----------



## Chris

We had a nice view of it from the house but my camera skills would have it look like a blip of light in a dark room.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Sunday afternoon cut down two large dead elm trees.  They were losing limbs and some stuck in the ground like projectiles.  Today was clean up.  Cut branches and tree sections in manageable lengths, then haul away.  Watered the maple trees I transplanted.  Hopefully some take a liking to their new surroundings.


----------



## Rusty

And here I was sitting out in the backyard with my wife, eating popcorn and just waiting to see what the end of the world looked like. What a let down, I'm just going to go back to waiting for hell to freeze over.


----------



## havasu

Quit reading those doomsday books.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> And here I was sitting out in the backyard with my wife, eating popcorn and just waiting to see what the end of the world looked like. What a let down, I'm just going to go back to waiting for hell to freeze over.



Did you at least have butter on the popcorn?


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> Did you at least have butter on the popcorn?



Of course, I threw all caution to the wind.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> Of course, I threw all caution to the wind.



Attaboy. ......


----------



## Chris

Today I drive to San Diego twice. Once to check on the job and once to spray a half squirt of carb cleaner through a carb to get the machine running again. Amazing three guys with years of experience thought it was ruined over a gummed up carb.


----------



## havasu

You should have hired "said" person.


----------



## Chris

Than I would have four guys that don't know their asses from a hole in the ground.


----------



## Barrie

havasu said:


> You should have hired "said" person.



In other words ME. LOL.


----------



## Chris

Can you tell the difference between you rear end and a hole in the ground?


----------



## havasu

Let me look.......


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> Let me look.......



Guess Mark got lost on the way...


----------



## havasu

Sorry, it was dark in there and I lost my flashlight. Yeah, I'm a BIG arse!


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> Sorry, it was dark in there and I lost my flashlight. Yeah, I'm a BIG arse!



ummm, ....., well, .....I got nothing.....


----------



## Barrie

oldognewtrick said:


> ummm, ....., well, .....I got nothing.....



X2!!.........


----------



## Chris

Today I may fire someone.


----------



## havasu

Hey, you said I could wear speedos on the job!


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> Hey, you said I could wear speedos on the job!



There's a visual I'll try and purge from long term memory.....


----------



## Chris

It wasn't the speedos, it was the snorkel and flippers that got in the way.


----------



## Chris

Chris said:


> Today I may fire someone.



Pretty sure she knows something is up, hasn't spoken to me all morning.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Does she lurk on Garage Retreat?  &#128564;


----------



## Chris

Maybe? She has been here 2-1/2 hours and still hasn't said a word. Hasn't checked the mail today and just looks grumpy.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> Maybe? She has been here 2-1/2 hours and still hasn't said a word. Hasn't checked the mail today and just looks grumpy.



Are you sure she's not my wife. &#128563;


----------



## havasu

I just washed out and scrubbed my trash cans. Put some orange cleaner in them and now they smell 100 times better. Is my OCD getting worse or is this something anyone else has done?


----------



## Chris

I hate stinky trash cans.

I just gave her an option, work one day every couple weeks paying bills or no work at all. She took the one day every couple weeks.


----------



## havasu

You're a pushover, aren't you?


----------



## Chris

Nope just doing things that benefit myself and my company. She won't last more than a month or so at that.


----------



## havasu

I wish I could think of a way to take the load off of you and give me something to do as well.


----------



## Chris

Move closer?

I need another field guy or two. I have picked up three jobs this week.


----------



## zannej

I love you guys! You crack me up!

I recently started watching the show "Arrow". Been catching up with the episodes. My comic book nerd brain fusses at some of the differences from the comics, but I've just accepted that its not the same universe as the comic books-- although the changes usually really bug me. I've lost over 20lbs. My brother is finally under 300lbs now. He used to be over 400lbs at one point. A few months ago he was 385lbs and now he's down to 298 or so.

I'm trying to get my mother to approve the purchase of a testing kit for mold as well as a carbon monoxide/smoke detector. Our current smoke detector no longer works. Even though we have all electrical appliances, I can't help but wonder if there is some carbon monoxide in here somehow that is making us tired. Even house guests feel sleepy in here.


----------



## havasu

Good lord Zanne, get yourself a working smoke alarm as well as a carbon monoxide detector. If funds are tight, many fire departments give them away for free. Also, in my area, the Red Cross is giving away and installing some 50,000 smoke alarms next week. They want me to help but I'm just too busy.


----------



## oldognewtrick

I'd look into a radon tester, you might be getting bad air if you have a crawl space and dirt floor.


----------



## Rusty

And Havasu wears a tinfoil hat so aliens can't read his mind.


----------



## havasu

Rusty said:


> And Havasu wears a tinfoil hat so aliens can't read his mind.



It's not working. I also see dead people!


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> It's not working. I also see dead people!



I told you, hanging out at the funeral home is not healthy


----------



## zannej

I'm sure we can afford the testers, its just a matter of my mother not being a cheap*** and actually approving the purchase. Radon was a problem in our home on Guam. It was made of concrete and designed to withstand bombings, but it had a lot of radon. We didn't know that because the detector they installed was broken. It wasn't until a maintenance man came to fix the water heater that we found out about it.

Since its after midnight and is technically my birthday, maybe I can use that to get Mom to order the one I sent her a link to today.

She got me a case for my phone and a screen protector-- only the scumbag seller (fulfilled via amazon) opened the container the screen protector was in and switched it out with an inferior product.

She ordered this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0116WGN42/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

But they had opened the nice wooden box it came in and put this in it: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Y8OCBSI/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I wouldn't even mind so much if it wasn't a cheaper product that smears, smudges, and glares so badly I can't see my phone's screen when I'm outside.

I contacted the seller and politely chewed them out-- but made it clear that this was fraud and am giving them 2 days to contact me to make things right. I told them that they will have to pay for any return shipping for the items that were sent. I included a photo to show the packaging as well as the items I received. The screen protector they put in the case isn't even the same brand. I also notified amazon already, just in case the seller tries to pull some BS.

At least my new case is nice.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Happy Birthday Zanne!


----------



## havasu

Happy Birthday girl! 

View attachment Birthday_candles.jpg


----------



## Chris

Happy birthday zanne, what are your plans?


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> Happy Birthday girl!



Show off......


----------



## Rusty

Happy Birthday!


----------



## zannej

Thanks! 
I got Mom to get up early with me. I made her breakfast and we watched Antiques Roadshow and a few old movies from the 50s. This afternoon we went to Texas Roadhouse. They were having a special sale on 8 oz steaks and didn't charge the $2 for having them smothered with a cheese, onions, and mushrooms. So I got the mushroom smothering and some steamed veggies as a side. It was nice. Also stopped at the AT&T store to get the discount on our monthly service for military dependent.

Right now my sister is on the phone talking to me.


----------



## zannej

I was the first one on the scene of an accident on my road involving the school bus and a smaller vehicle. I'm not sure exactly what happened because the people were a bit upset-- but from what I gathered, I think the vehicle was either driving in front of the bus or trying to pass it on the left when it spun out of control, went off the road and spun around to face the other direction and hit the side of the bus. The driver told me he was afraid the vehicle was going to flip over. Chunks of it broke off in the bus wheel, it scraped the side of the bus a bit, and messed up a little piece on the front of the bus (I forgot to get pics of the bus). The front passenger had been looking at her cellphone when the airbag deployed. It shattered her phone screen, broke her right wrist, and injured her left shoulder. Poor kid (she was 19) was crying. At least 15 other vehicles showed up and it was quite the scene. I briefly went home (which was about a mile away) to get some ice packs because I know the paramedics can take 45 min to an hour to arrive. They used the ice packs until the ambulance arrived to take her away. The parents were all called to come get their kids, principal of the school was called to come see what happened, and they were waiting on someone from the school board. The kids were all excited and chattering about what happened-- they were worried about the "lady" with the broken wrist.

The truck up ahead was one that stopped to see if everyone was ok before driving by on the shoulder to avoid running over the wreckage in the road.





I'm pretty sure this vehicle is toast





Green and red fluids. Not good.


----------



## havasu

That accident looked like it was pretty substantial. Glad the kids were ok. 

I installed a bathroom exhaust fan, wired up a new sprinkler controller in the garage, and repaired a sprinkler line with a slight crack in it, probably from this... Still happy this guy helped me out because I'd still be chipping concrete if he hadn't come over to help me. 

View attachment 070315f.jpg


----------



## Rusty

Grandsons are out selling Boy Scout popcorn. One sold over $1000 last year. Wants to beat that this year.


----------



## zannej

Good work, Havasu. I'm glad the guy helped you.

Rusty, I hope they meet their quota on the popcorn sales.


----------



## havasu

Rusty, can you ship the popcorn?


----------



## zannej

Today a neighborhood guy who is going to help cut down some of the little trees that have sprung up in places we don't want them came over. He decided to bush-hog about 10 acres before something on his tractor broke. We discovered a broken waterline underground down at the workshop. When I went to shut the water off in the pump-house I discovered the line out of the cistern to the pump had a leak. So we gathered some miscellaneous fittings and fixed it. I hope it will hold. Then went and dug up the broken waterline-- stupid tree grew up inside the thing that held the shutoff and busted the line-- and capped it.

He's going to come back to bush hog more and cut down a bunch of the little trees. He refused to accept any money this time. I may have to slip some $ into his truck when he's not looking next time.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Went to my 4 y/o grandsons soccer game this morning, stopped at the grocery with swmbo, went to my 2 y/o grandsons birthday party this afternoon, watching the hockey game in a bit.... Going to the deerwoods tomorrow. I love weekends.


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> Rusty, can you ship the popcorn?



Yes. http://www.trails-end.com/?scout=81e63aa26cd12f8

Sales are supposed to be credited to him, if it works right.


----------



## havasu

Rusty said:


> Yes. http://www.trails-end.com/?scout=81e63aa26cd12f8
> 
> Sales are supposed to be credited to him, if it works right.



Here is what I got when I ordered. i hope he gets credit!

Thank you for supporting walter d!

116-5985541-6989814
Ozark Trails	$16.28
Pack 0117 - First Christian Church	$16.28


----------



## Chris

I spent 14 hours in the woods and only saw one deer and it wasn't legal.


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> Here is what I got when I ordered. i hope he gets credit!
> 
> Thank you for supporting walter d!
> 
> 116-5985541-6989814
> Ozark Trails	$16.28
> Pack 0117 - First Christian Church	$16.28



Thanks Mark, he got credit.


----------



## havasu

Always glad to help out when possible. 

I repaired the back screen after the daughter wasn't aware the screen was closed and she walked through it. Screen company wanted $125 to repair it and I did it with a roll of screen material costing $7.00


----------



## Rusty

My FIL died a year ago today. We spent the day with my MIL and took her to the cemetery.


----------



## havasu

How is your MIL doing these days? 

Remember, the greatness of a man is measured on how long we grieve and miss them. My dad has been gone for nearly 6 years and there isn't a day that I don't think about him. 

I patched and painted some old stucco today, as well as installed a magnetic door stop, which is used to keep the garage door open. it failed miserably and now I have five holes I have to patch in a metal door and in my metal cabinets. I hate it when a thought bursts with failure.


----------



## Rusty

My MIL is doing pretty good. She has sold off the boat and camper, which he wouldn't sell even though they never used them anymore. And is using the money to do stuff around the property. We do what we can for her, but living 70 miles away limits it some.


----------



## Rusty

Working on my daughter's van today and needed an 8 or 10" magnetic screwdriver. Went to Sears, they just looked at me funny, Said they don't sell magnetized screwdrivers in any size. WTF? Are they no longer made? I know I could magnetize it myself but I was in a hurry.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rainy, crappy weekend, dang I'm bored. All my hunting buddies are either working or at the race in Talladega...


----------



## Chris

I hiked miles today. Fell on my butt climbing down a mountain. Saw a shooter deer but didn't see its rack until I didn't have a shot. Looks as if I may not get a deer this year. My freezer will be sad.


----------



## havasu

I went to my annual family picnic. Once a year I see relatives I have no idea who they are, what their relationship is with me, but we do eat good.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Took a nap, grilled out some pork loin, life is good.


----------



## Rusty

Cleaned out my wood stove. Ordered a blower for it. Did an on-line test for my geography class.


----------



## Chris

Went to work. Have a meeting in a few minutes. Thats all so far. Have a new office lady starting tomorrow.


----------



## Rusty

Have a small carpet job in the morning.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> Have a small carpet job in the morning.



Need some help? Nothing but rain here the next couple days...


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> Went to work. Have a meeting in a few minutes. Thats all so far. *Have a new office lady starting tomorrow*.



Pics, or it didn't happen...


----------



## Chris

She is 75 years old. Pretty sure you don't want to see that.

Loaded my hoe up for a date. 

View attachment image.jpg


----------



## havasu

Just got a bid to upgrade my central a/c unit. All new 5 ton, new ducts and vents, dual intake, attic installation, 16 seer, $7995. Great price!


----------



## Chris

Aren't you still under your home warranty? I just had mine replaced for 65 bucks.


----------



## havasu

I currently have an 8 SEER unit. I'm tired of the $450 a month electric bills. Idiot boy (seller) crushed all the ducting so he could lay plywood in the attic to hide his kilos of cocaine. He went to prison and I need everything new, although $65 sounds nice.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Did you look real good to see if there's any _leftovers_?


----------



## havasu

I've spent alot of time in the attic hoping he left a few bundles of cash. So far, I've struck out. As far as the dope, Chris's friend has dibs on it all.


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> I've spent alot of time in the attic hoping he left a few bundles of cash. So far, I've struck out. As far as the dope, Chris's friend has dibs on it all.



See any fresh drywall patches?


----------



## havasu

Yep, lots of them. I even ran infrared cameras looking for great hiding places.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Check the duct work _before_ the new units installed.


----------



## havasu

Knowing my habits, I will be up in the attic when the ducting comes down so I will have first hand knowledge of anything foreign.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Did you stop by and see Chris's hot new secretary today?


----------



## havasu

He won't invite me to his place. This is reserved for only "special" friends.


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> He won't invite me to his place. This is reserved for only "special" friends.



You need to start flying helicopters.....


----------



## oldognewtrick

Where'd that glockguy run off to?


----------



## Chris

havasu said:


> He won't invite me to his place. This is reserved for only "special" friends.



Bring a helmet and come on over.




oldognewtrick said:


> You need to start flying helicopters.....



I don't need another one of those.


----------



## Rusty

Watching the World Series. Come on Royals.


----------



## havasu

Yep, Royals are kicking butt currently. 

I ran 66' of thin wall conduit in order to add a sub panel next to my pool equipment.


----------



## zannej

I went for a 40 minute walk in my front yard-- staying mostly under the trees to get shade since I'm not supposed to be in direct sunlight. I fed the cows and watched the latest episode of "Arrow" online. I hope the weather stays in this temperature range for awhile-- not too hot and not too cold-- although it would have been nice if it were a tad bit cooler.

I'm trying to figure out how to fix my front gate. I think that maybe the top hinge on the post got turned the wrong way or something and that its supposed to be facing up instead of down. Not sure though. I can't find good pictures that show how its supposed to be. I'll have to get pics later to post.


----------



## havasu

Post a pic, we can help.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Dang work boots felt really, really good to kick off today...


----------



## Rusty

Just as my load of wood gets here, it starts raining. Figures.


----------



## Chris

Today I picked up this for a little project. 

View attachment image.jpg


----------



## Rusty

Upgraded a little laptop to W10. Hated it. changed it back.


----------



## havasu

Rusty said:


> Upgraded a little laptop to W10. Hated it. changed it back.



I thought you did that awhile ago? Yeah, I also tried Win10, hated it, and now happy with my Win7.


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> I thought you did that awhile ago? Yeah, I also tried Win10, hated it, and now happy with my Win7.



I put it off, but I was changing it for school. I did not think that anything could be worse than 8.1, but I was wrong.


----------



## Chris

I like 10 compared to 8.1 but like 7 the most. Upgraded my work computer to 10 and am dealing with it. I just figure they will all suck. After 7 I cant figure out anything. Seems they want to make it like using a cell phone but without the touch screen.


----------



## havasu

Honestly, I'd rather have the Win10 rather than the Win8.1. Is it possible it is something you would just need to get use to?


----------



## havasu

Ironic that Chris and I posted just seconds apart. 

I cleaned the pool filter and replaced one little o ring gasket. $25 for a silly piece of rubber!


----------



## Chris

I'm gonna fire my new front office lady then get ready to go hunting.


----------



## havasu

WHAT? What is wrong with this new gal? Maybe you should just hire....well, nevermind!

Me?


----------



## Chris

Time passed her by many years ago. She knows very little about anything electronic. Computer and email are new fangled contractions. Asked her to take some mail to the post office so she found my phone book to look up the post office and then went to her car and got her map out of the glove box to look up where it is at. Took me 30 seconds with my computer, took her about an hour just to know where she was going. I don't know how people managed to accomplish anything without just a little bit of technology.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Spent the morning in the woods with the bow, then sighted our muzzle loaders in. Son in laws was still spot on, I was shooting about 8" high at a hundred. Spot on now. Black powder starts Saturday. Hunting buddy's bringing the motor home down Friday, spending the weekend at the lease.


----------



## Chris

I'm heading up tonight. Season ends Sunday. Hopefully I can get one down. The weather has changed and it got cold and snowy so hopefully that helps.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Temps have been in the 60's the past week or so, dropping to mid thirtys this weekend. Perfect weather for the deer woods.


----------



## Rusty

Upper 70s today. Cold by the weekend.


----------



## havasu

I sat around, waiting for the A/C installer to get here as well as the electrician. Well, electrician called there was an urgent job he needed to work on, and the A/C guy said he will start the job on Monday. So I didn't do crap except watch TV.


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> So I didn't do crap except watch TV.



Sounds like a good day to me...


----------



## Rusty

Had sociology class tonight. Next Wednesday I teach class for 30 minutes.


----------



## Chris

I want to take a Spanish class and some water treatment classes but I am a high school drop out so who knows if they will let me.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Schools are businesses, they will gladly take your enrollment monies.


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> I want to take a Spanish class and some water treatment classes but I am a high school drop out so who knows if they will let me.



They will want you to take a placement test.


----------



## MarkWood

I got my job started then went to the wound care center, got my daily 30 min dose of IV antibiotics and my daily 2 hour ride in the hyperbaric chamber. After that I went back to the job and collected a (very small) check for the remaining balance of the job. now I am home watching my son olay computer games.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Isn't that what Michael Jackson use to ride in?


----------



## MarkWood

hyperbaric chamber is a chamber about the size of a tanning bed that you get locked in for 2 hrs. they pressurize it with pure oxygen. Its suppossed to promote healing for severe infections which I have.


----------



## oldognewtrick

WoodRacing said:


> hyperbaric chamber is a chamber about the size of a tanning bed that you get locked in for 2 hrs. they pressurize it with pure oxygen. Its suppossed to promote healing for severe infections which I have.



From the looks of it, it makes your beard grow...


----------



## MarkWood

Yep looks that way... 

View attachment FB_IMG_1446485435419.jpg


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> From the looks of it, it makes your beard grow...



And it makes you stand sideways.


----------



## zannej

I'm too lazy to retype so I'm pasting what I wrote on plumbingforums

Today I agreed to take my friend's girlfriend to a clinic in Lafayette. She asked me last week and I agreed. I didn't realize that she hadn't found out some important things like:
1. What the name of the clinic was
2. The address of the clinic
3. Whether or not she needed an appointment

After I picked her up around 10:50am, I drove her to a few places she needed to go in town and she called to find out the name and address of the clinic. She turned on her phone's GPS to navigate us in the right direction and her sister-in-law gave some advice on which route to take since she used to live in Lafayette.

Sometime around 1pm I was on a 2-lane highway going speed limit when I started to hear a thunking noise, but nothing seemed wrong with my control on the vehicle. It got very loud so I started to pull over and I saw chunks of plastic flying off. The tread on my rear driver side tire sheared off and broke off pieces of the side bumper trim. The tire was still inflated, but I could hear the air starting to hiss out. I tried calling the number on my insurance card for State Farm but nobody answered after 20 rings and then I got an answering machine-- I then remembered that they were closed until 2pm. So I googled for roadside assistance approved by State Farm and found a number, called, explained the situation, got disconnected, called back, spent 10 minutes waiting for them to confirm they would send roadside assistance. Waited 35 min for the roadside assistance to get there. Young dude-- seemed nice enough but it turned out he wasn't very experienced with taking tires off. He didn't have the right equipment. He put the jack in the wrong spot, then had to use two jacks to lift the car up high enough, then he couldn't get the lug nuts off and almost gave up. He tried his hand tool, his power tool, my power tool to remove lug nuts-- nada. A second roadside guy had to come help. I had a cross lug wrench that I brought out. Guy 1 pushed up on opposite side while I helped lift guy 2 high enough so he could get enough height to half-jump on the other side to push down hard enough to get the lug nuts off. Then it took both of them (taking turns using my rubber mallet) to get the tire off. Once they arrived, it took about an hour and fifteen minutes to change the tire.

While we were waiting, my friend's gf called the clinic to ask if she needed an appointment and was told to just come on in and that they wouldn't close until all of the patients had left or something like that. After the tire was changed and we were on our way (about 30 min away from the clinic), she called back to ask something and was told by a different person that she would need an appointment. She still needed to be seen about an allergic reaction she was having, so we decided to keep going. She got on her phone and was kvetching up a storm so much that the gps instructions weren't coming through and we missed a turn-- that added another 20 minutes to the drive. We finally made it and not only did the clinic say they would not see her, they said they didn't even accept her regular clinic's paperwork as a referral and would have to show it to a doctor at their place to see if that doctor thought she should have those tests done and give her a referral and eventually they would call her back. They gave her a card and told her to call back once a MONTH until they could give her an appointment (estimate was 2 to 3 months). The clinic was in a hospital so we walked to the opposite end to the ER portion because she insisted on being seen about her poison ivy rash on her face, legs, and hands. More waiting. She got a shot and more waiting for a prescription slip. It was after 5pm when we got out. Then we went to CVS pharmacy where it was another half hour wait. Then we drove 20 min to get to IHOP where the service was terrible. Only saw the waitress thrice (ok, she only came to the table that many times-- I kept trying to flag her down for a refill) and the second time she returned to the table I asked her for a refill on my very empty drink and she ignored me. Had to get up and go ask kitchen staff for a refill. 

I observed first hand why my friend is always broke and why the girlfriend never has money. I got a spinach mushroom swiss burger and a tea. She got steak and eggs with 2 extra eggs, extra hash browns, strawberry covered french toast, strawberry cheesecake pancakes, and two iced coffees (which are not refillable so you have to pay for each one). My food was like $10 total-- bill was over $40.

Later on the way home we stopped at a gas station that had very high prices on the snacks. She got like 3 bags of candy, a $5 Red Bull, and some $3 milkshake thingy from a machine.

I decided to use GPS on my phone and had it linked to my Tenergy Bluetooth Beanie (which is basically a hat that is a headset-- there's a button on the side to answer the phone). It came in very handy. Drive home was uneventful. Dropped the chick off and got home after 10pm.

The tire and the spot where the plastic trim got broken off:






Another angle-- Mom somehow put that dent in the bumper when she was driving it.





My friend's gfs meal minus the pancakes


----------



## Rusty

My daughter had a tire do that on a car she had. When the tire came apart, on the front, it ripped out the inner fender. That is where all the electrical cables were. It tore them in half.


----------



## oldognewtrick

I had a rear tire come apart on my F-350, took the side of the bed off. Sure made a lot of noise...


----------



## havasu

My son borrowed my Harley to make a run across the desert with my old tires. I told him to replace the tire but he kicked it saying it was fine. Half way across, he had a rear blowout, ripping all the wires in the fenderwell. He then  had to pay $500 to tow it to the Harley dealer. That oops ended up costing him $1800.


----------



## MarkWood

yep dont know why the pic did that?


----------



## Rusty

Went to the ER with one of my 10 year old grandsons. His little brother threw a stick and hit him in the eye. Split his eyelid open.


----------



## havasu

Ouch. I hope he is ok?


----------



## oldognewtrick

Sure hope its not real serious rusty.


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> Ouch. I hope he is ok?



He's fine, he went to school today. He did try to talk his dad into letting him stay home, though.


----------



## Chris

Today I decided I would try and put a new stereo in my dodge ram. Bad Idea. After spending 400 bucks on the new radio I found out that if I want my steering wheel controls and factory amp to work it would cost me another couple hundred, then It comes with a back up camera feature and I can hook my phone to it for GPS. of course I have to buy cables and parts so there is a couple more hundred. Then I need to modify my dash or buy a factory navigation bezel for my truck at 350 bucks. What ever happened to just buying anew radio and tossing it in like we used to do?


----------



## havasu

Now that truck is junk. Time to sell her to me.


----------



## havasu

I spent the last few days with the A/C guy helping him build my new space shuttle in the attic. Here are a few pics so far... 

View attachment 20151109_080333_resized.jpg


View attachment 20151109_080352_resized.jpg


View attachment 20151110_154552_resized.jpg


----------



## Chris

havasu said:


> Now that truck is junk. Time to sell her to me.



I kinda like this truck. Think I will keep it for a while.


----------



## havasu

Here are a few pics of the finished A/C system. Even has a wi-fi thermostat which scrolls family photos on a screen saver. Pretty slick IMHO. 

View attachment 20151111_090400_resized.jpg


View attachment 20151111_133302_resized.jpg


----------



## Chris

My thermostat has a turn dial, beat that!


----------



## Chris

Today I am coming down with a cold and have a work comp audit in a few hours, maybe I can give them the gift that keeps on giving.


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> Here are a few pics of the finished A/C system. Even has a wi-fi thermostat which scrolls family photos on a screen saver. Pretty slick IMHO.



Ya just can't hide money...


----------



## Chris

All those years of extortion.......


----------



## oldognewtrick

Put new brakes and shocks front and back on the F-350 tonight. I'm getting to old for this crap. Getting new tires tomorrow morning.....


----------



## odorf

speaking of pictures,    have you seen the new picture frame for your house?

its a led screen,  you load your pictures and it scrolls thru them

kind of neat...i feel a christmas gift in that


----------



## havasu

Sure beats throwing photo albums on the laps of guests. 

I bought a new bar fridge to replace my wine fridge outside. Yeah, I like wine, but red wines. Having a huge fridge for 1 bottle of white wine, then throwing a couple cases of Coors Light all willie nillie just doesn't cut it. it also only had red or white temperatures settings in the wine fridge. Now, I can control to 37 degrees and have really cold mountains on my beer cans.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Sitting at the tire store getting new treads.... Kaching.....


----------



## havasu

Tell them to just replace the quarter portion of your tires that touch the ground. That should save you some money Tom.


----------



## oldognewtrick

I'll mention it and see what they say.


----------



## havasu

Don't tell them that you know Chris. They will charge you double!


----------



## oldognewtrick

I wish Chris would buy a tire store.


----------



## havasu

... that sells batteries. We would all save money.


----------



## Chris

What do I have to do with tires? Or batteries? Besides I am good at buying them?



I should open up a tire/ battery store.


----------



## havasu

Works for me.


----------



## Rusty

Drove down to my MILs because she was upset with the guy building her deck. Read the contract, he did exactly what was in it and did a great job. Wasted day.


----------



## odorf

Rusty said:


> Drove down to my MILs because she was upset with the guy building her deck. Read the contract, he did exactly what was in it and did a great job. Wasted day.




well, at least she called you.  30 years ago,  my mom was having her carport redone and a roof put on.
i stopped over after work.  and saw where the carpenter did not use 2 20' 2x12 to span the garage.  he used a 2x10   scabbed in the middle.

i looked up,  told my mom.  that aint gonna work. he needs to redo it correctly

my mom,  to my amazement,  said he told her it was AOK...that way.

i just said ok and left.

20 years later the roof sags at that spot.  my mom asked me why i did not tell her it was wrong.

i said i told you it was,,you ignored me.

she said..WELL,  Why didnt you tell me again!!!


----------



## odorf

havasu said:


> Sure beats throwing photo albums on the laps of guests.
> 
> I bought a new bar fridge to replace my wine fridge outside. Yeah, I like wine, but red wines. Having a huge fridge for 1 bottle of white wine, then throwing a couple cases of Coors Light all willie nillie just doesn't cut it. it also only had red or white temperatures settings in the wine fridge. Now, I can control to 37 degrees and have really cold mountains on my beer cans.



what did you pay?  just saw this on another forum  


FOR ALL YOU WINEAUX'S OUT THERE: Magic Chef 44 bottle wine cooler. Great cooler, great condition. Model MCWC44DZ with two separate cooling areas which can be adjusted to whatever varietals you desire. $140 MSGO price in Jackson. Can take credit card.


----------



## havasu

Yeah, that is nice but try to stuff 2 cases of beer in there. It ain't gunna happen.


----------



## odorf

havasu said:


> Yeah, that is nice but try to stuff 2 cases of beer in there. It ain't gunna happen.


well **** man,  2 cases go in the extra fridge in the garage


----------



## havasu

My new fridge only gets down to 42 degrees. If the manufacturer can't tell me how to get it colder, it's going back to Costco and I will continue my search for true blue mountains on my Coors Light.


----------



## Chris

Use a deep freeze with an electronic temp regulator use for brewing beer, you can set it to whatever temp you want.


----------



## Chris

Today I drove to La to pay a bill then to one of my jobs to catch another contractor using my tractor to do their job. He said he would fill it up with gas for me. I said okay then he asked if it takes regular or 2stroke so I told him not to bother. Don't need my diesel blowing up by someone putting gas in it.

I did get a call on the way home of a customer that wanted to pay me, I thought great but we just finished the job today. I got there and he handed me cash money for the job. That doesn't happen every day.


----------



## mustanggarage

I always try to pay my contractors the day they give me the bill.  in fact this last time the guy I had do my tile, his wife happens to be a waitress at our favorite restaurant.  she was the one who told me he is working on his own now.  anyway she told me she would get him over to do my tile right away.  and he came over that weekend and did it, we paid him with a check the day he finished.  then the next time we were at dinner and she was our waitress I gave her 50$ cash tip in addition to the tip for our meal for getting him over there quickly.  I always think that when someone does good and timely work, it never hurts to leave them thinking you are a good customer.  there may be a next time when I need help right away.


----------



## Chris

I do the same. I take care of people that take care of me.


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> Today I drove to La to pay a bill then to one of my jobs to catch another contractor using my tractor to do their job. He said he would fill it up with gas for me. I said okay then he asked if it takes regular or 2stroke so I told him not to bother. Don't need my diesel blowing up by someone putting gas in it.
> 
> I did get a call on the way home of a customer that wanted to pay me, I thought great but we just finished the job today. I got there and he handed me cash money for the job. That doesn't happen every day.



I get cash for a lot of jobs.


----------



## Chris

Lucky!.....I don't have to wear roller skates though.....


----------



## Chris

I don't like seeing 3am, especially when I don't have to work til 7. The joys of being a business owner.


----------



## havasu

Yep, it's called the grind. Been there, done that. 

Now I wake up and have to spend at least an hour trying to decide whether to go to the movies, or help a friend install a patio cover. 

Or...maybe work on the garage.....

Or nuthin!


----------



## Chris

Must be nice. My guys had the day off so I decided to start my entry gate project and more walls.


----------



## havasu

Don't forget pics for us folks.


----------



## Chris

I'll try. I am searching pictures to see what style of gate I want to build.


----------



## havasu

Swing away or roll sideways? Are you going to have it power open? I'm also looking for a new iron gate. I like a thick edge, not too ornate of foofy, manly and strong. I also like the option of adding the PVC phony wood inserts vertically within the iron gate. I saw one locally that is very simple but beautiful, but I can't find the pics of it now. I also like this style of gate pictured below. 

View attachment stock-photo-black-wrought-iron-entrance-gates-to-rural-property-with-trees-and-sky-in-background.jpg


----------



## havasu

Here are some that I really like. Just a note, these gates really look great when you carry the same theme around your property, which would look good in smaller pedestrian gates. For this reason, keeping it simple but strong should be a big consideration so you can duplicate if or when needed down the road. 

View attachment spanish-style-driveway-gate-wrought-iron-hardware-stout-design-build_9906.JPG


View attachment wood-metal-driveway-gate-designs-by-shellene_2143.jpg


----------



## oldognewtrick

I know I don't have a vote, but I like the idea of the square stone columns. Make them out of the same material you building the walls out of. A much bigger footprint than just a 4X column.  My 2 cents.


----------



## Chris

The 4 x 4 steel is just to hold the gate. There will be large stone columns and walls coming off of them, it will all tie together when I am done. The steel will be inset in the stone so you don't really see it but it will give a good backbone. I have been looking at some options for wood combined with steel for a gate. only problem with wood is that it is heavy. I am thinking of recessing some redwood into the lower couple feet and then steel on top. 

View attachment gate.jpg


----------



## oldognewtrick

Just make sure its zombie proof.


----------



## Chris

Zombies don't stand a chance.


----------



## Rusty

I trapped a raccoon in a live trap. Animal control picked it up, he is taking it out of town to release it.


----------



## Chris

I have some Coyotes I need to trap.


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> I have some Coyotes I need to trap.



30-30 trap them.


----------



## Chris

Was thinking .17 HMR trap.


----------



## oldognewtrick

We have lots of yotes at our deer lease, popped one a few years ago with a 7 mag, sure made a mess of things.


----------



## Chris

I've done it with my 30-06, same thing. A mess.


----------



## Chris

Today I let go the new guy. Bad idea to ask my contractor buddy for a job when you have worked for me for three weeks.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Sounds like he has a lot of time to be asking for jobs now.


----------



## Chris

Sure does. Had him working in the mountains and all he could think about was snowboarding. My buddy got a call from him just after I let him go. I told him to hire him and good luck.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Spent a good deal of yesterday with my mom at the ER. Never like going there.


----------



## havasu

We should move my daughter to your mom's hospital. This way, we can gripe together about the incompetent doctors.


----------



## Rusty

Fighting with the insurance about my autistic son's meds. After years on one of them, they no longer want to cover it.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rainy, crappy day here, cleaning out the garage....thank goodness for garage beer fridges.


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> Rainy, crappy day here, cleaning out the garage....thank goodness for garage beer fridges.



This is the third day of rain here, temp in the 30s. Not supposed to quit until Tuesday.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rain started overnite, suppose to stick around til Tuesday. Off to the deer woods Wednesday with my son in law and spending the weekend with my hunting buddy, his son in the camper at the lease.


----------



## Riff_Raff

Chris said:


> Today I let go the new guy. Bad idea to ask my contractor buddy for a job when you have worked for me for three weeks.



He worked?


----------



## Chris

Not really. I worked in the field this weekend with my guys and I was told by one of the guys that the only thing that guy listened to was "Don't worry, I got it!" From my foreman. Seems he avoided work like the plague.


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> Not really. I worked in the field this weekend with my guys and I was told by one of the guys that the only thing that guy listened to was "Don't worry, I got it!" From my foreman. Seems he avoided work like the plague.



Sounds like he should run for office.


----------



## Chris

But then I would have to listen to him. I am a people person but I also like things quiet and don't need someone asking a question every three minutes.


----------



## Rusty

My granddaughter on the news

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lFHtlBAKPk[/ame]


----------



## havasu

Thank God she doesn't look like you! She is beautiful! 


What did I do today? I finally got my daughter out of the hospital. 15 gawd awful days being there!


----------



## oldognewtrick

Sounds like prayers were answered Mark.


----------



## Chris

I am on a mission ti hire a sober individual, do you know any?


----------



## odorf

who is that lil spanish kid on the plumbing forum,  from around your area?
sounds like a guy that wants to learn, in with a company that does not want to teach.
gotta give a guy respect for taking the time to TRY and learn on the forums after work.

extramileplumbing....check him out chris, I am not above poaching help from other companies


----------



## havasu

I wish I was closer, younger and stronger. I would be running Chris's jobs so well he could just sit home and collect the big checks and work on his gun room, truck, jeep, mountain house, rock wall, swimming pool, and have time to replace the batteries in the dump truck, the bobcat, the backhoe, the ,,,,,, gawd darn Chris, you got just way too much stuff!


----------



## Chris

I know, do you want some? I almost need to have a full time mechanic.

I think I have adult ADD. I just can't rest or relax. Makes me wonder why I am not thin.


----------



## havasu

I could use that Bobcat to rip the top 5" of the grass and dirt so I could fill the front planter with concrete and rock. Feel free to leave it for a few hours. Oh, I would also need that dump truck as well. How many cubic yards of dirt would be in an area that is 8 feet x 50 feet, x 5" thick?


----------



## Chris

If you want it I can have my mini ex dropped off at your house tomorrow with my dump trailer for the weekend. My foreman is picking it up in LA and was going to bring it to my house but I don't need it. He lives out by you. You would just need a truck to pull the trailer, it has a 7 pin connector and electric brakes.

Its a bobcat 331 if you want to look it up. Easy to operate and will scratch that dirt right out. 

View attachment 331.jpg


----------



## Chris

It's about 8 yards of dirt, a little more than two trailer loads in my dump trailer.


----------



## havasu

No kidding? Wow, that is alot of dirt.


----------



## Chris

Adds up quick, good luck finding a place to dump it if it has grass in it.


----------



## Chris

Just don't go so deep. Go down 3" then black plastic and rock?


----------



## havasu

I guess that would work. So, can I just order a load of 6" diameter river rocks from a rock quarry? Any idea how to measure what I'd need?


----------



## Chris

Text me in the morning. I can get you the rock too


----------



## oldognewtrick

I need a couple loads of dirt. I need to fill some low spots in the yard to keep the neighbors water runoff out of my yard. I'll take it, if you deliver.


----------



## Chris

There you go Havasu, get on the road.


----------



## havasu

it would probably be cheaper just to mail the dirt to ya, since it is only ~$.45 or $.46 per envelope. I'll just stuff it extra heavy.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Sweet.......


----------



## havasu

Just remember, it is that special entitled California dirt. It demands a free Obammiephone, it doesn't work at all, it survives on welfare, and will only vote for democrats.


----------



## havasu

havasu said:


> How many cubic yards of dirt would be in an area that is 8 feet x 50 feet, x 5" thick?



Well, as all expected, I overstated the size. I just paced this area off and it is only 6 feet x 33 feet.


----------



## Rusty

Tell the FBI that Hoffa is buried there, they will dig it up for you.


----------



## havasu

Maybe I should call Geraldo Rivera?

http://www.geraldo.com/

Today I drove 1 1/2 hours each way to deliver a bottle of cough syrup for my daughter and do her dishes. Amazing what we do for our kids...


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> Maybe I should call Geraldo Rivera?
> 
> http://www.geraldo.com/
> 
> Today I drove 1 1/2 hours each way to deliver a bottle of cough syrup for my daughter and do her dishes. Amazing what we do for our kids...



You'd drive cross country if she wanted you to, wouldn't ya?


----------



## havasu

Yep, you are correct.


----------



## Chris

I would drive cross country if his daughter wanted me too.............


----------



## Barrie

Chris said:


> I know, do you want some? I almost need to have a full time mechanic.
> 
> I think I have adult ADD. I just can't rest or relax. Makes me wonder why I am not thin.



I'll take the mechanic's job,when can I start? I also have my own tools, would have to get them out there somehow. Also need a place to stay unless your shop is extra comfy.


----------



## havasu

If I lived closer, I'd be there helping Chris on his projects, but he would need a few more refrigerators for my beer.


----------



## Barrie

havasu said:


> If I lived closer, I'd be there helping Chris on his projects, but he would need a few more refrigerators for my beer.



I restored an old highboy like Chris's for my old boss who was a contractor, took care of all his rolling stock also.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Barrie said:


> I restored an old highboy like Chris's for my old boss who was a contractor, took care of all his rolling stock also.



Need an application? Resume updated?


----------



## Barrie

oldognewtrick said:


> Need an application? Resume updated?



Evening Tom, if that's what it takes.


----------



## Chris

Shop is pretty comfy. There is a lazy boy, Internet and a beer fridge.

I just hired another guy today. Hope he works out.


----------



## Barrie

Chris said:


> Shop is pretty comfy. There is a lazy boy, Internet and a beer fridge.
> 
> I just hired another guy today. Hope he works out.



Story of my life, day late a dollar short. LOL


----------



## zannej

Technically it was yesterday, but I got my new outside faucet wrapped in insulation and covered up so it won't freeze and break when it gets colder. I still need to tether it to the side of the house or some other sturdy object to make secure it.

I'm hoping that today or tomorrow a friend can come over and help us move our old TV out so we can put the new one in. Old one is a Sony projection TV from over 10 years ago that weighs 240lbs. New one is a Samsung 4k UHDLEDSmartTV that weighs less than 50lbs. I'm hoping to find ways to have it connect to some of the input devices wirelessly so we don't have to worry about the tangle of cords. It was on a big sale just before Black Friday and we've been wanting to replace the big monster for awhile. We also got a stand for it on a big discount-- old TV didn't need a stand because its huge (one of those ones with built-in-speakers below the screen). I think it even has wheels or rollers on the bottom. With the new setup we'll have even more storage.

I've also been cleaning the kitchen and trying to not eat junk food. I went to McDonalds for the first time in several months the other day and ended up getting grilled chicken snack wraps instead of burgers and fries. I'm sitting at around 200lbs the last I checked, but I know I need to lose about 50 more.

Hope everyone else is doing well and having happy holidays.


----------



## odorf

zannej said:


> Technically it was yesterday, but I got my new outside faucet wrapped in insulation and covered up so it won't freeze and break when it gets colder. I still need to tether it to the side of the house or some other sturdy object to make secure it.
> 
> I'm hoping that today or tomorrow a friend can come over and help us move our old TV out so we can put the new one in. Old one is a Sony projection TV from over 10 years ago that weighs 240lbs. New one is a Samsung 4k UHDLEDSmartTV that weighs less than 50lbs. I'm hoping to find ways to have it connect to some of the input devices wirelessly so we don't have to worry about the tangle of cords. It was on a big sale just before Black Friday and we've been wanting to replace the big monster for awhile. We also got a stand for it on a big discount-- old TV didn't need a stand because its huge (one of those ones with built-in-speakers below the screen). I think it even has wheels or rollers on the bottom. With the new setup we'll have even more storage.
> 
> I've also been cleaning the kitchen and trying to not eat junk food. I went to McDonalds for the first time in several months the other day and ended up getting grilled chicken snack wraps instead of burgers and fries. I'm sitting at around 200lbs the last I checked, but I know I need to lose about 50 more.
> 
> Hope everyone else is doing well and having happy holidays.



I bought a box that looks like a treasure chest
cut a hole in the back of it.
i route all the wires and plugs into the box.
makes a big difference


----------



## zannej

frodo said:


> I bought a box that looks like a treasure chest
> cut a hole in the back of it.
> i route all the wires and plugs into the box.
> makes a big difference



That's a cool idea! Right now we have a huge entertainment center that had to be assembled in the room since its taller than the door. 

I forgot what else I was going to say since Mom just called me to come open a thing of cookies for her that she can't open on her own.


----------



## havasu

I bought a 4 pack of those Danish cookies in the tin cans at Costco yesterday. I really like the ones with the thick grain sugar on top of them. Hell, just today, 1 can down, 3 to go!


----------



## Chris

Today I have woken up and am drinking coffee. About to go tear up a road.


----------



## Rusty

It's too early to  be up.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Just another manic Monday.


----------



## Chris

Well today sucks!

Got to the job a half hour late. Cut a 8' x 8' x 6' deep hole in the highway, as soon as I was done the General came up to me to say he had a problem with the district and we are on hold now.

Went to get in my truck to go to my office and the check engine light came on and it went into limp mode and wouldn't move more than a mile an hour.

I am getting a cold.

I am on hour 11 of today and have a few more hours of work at the office before i can go home.

My forman leaves for Vacation Friday and we have more work than we can handle.


----------



## Chris

And then to top it off I get a call that dad is back in the hospital for bypass surgery.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Sorry to hear about your dad Chris.prayers on the way for his recovery.


----------



## Chris

I swear that woman is trying to kill him.


----------



## Barrie

Sorry to hear about your Dad Chris. Thoughts and prayers.


----------



## Chris

Thanks. He seemed very worried he wouldn't get to see his grandkids. Not that he sees them now.


----------



## Riff_Raff

Tested my Christmas gift; A Lotos LTP5000D plasma cutter. Works well. It was on the Lightning Deals and the wife said, "Hey, do you want a plasma cutter for Christmas?"  

Did dual shield with my buddies Tweco 181i too.  Jeep CO2 bottle came in handy. Man, I'm hooked! Really nice beads, easily as nice as the XMT 350 with 85% argon.


----------



## havasu

Sorry to hear Chris. Does that mean you are taking your siblings to another free trip to Florida? May as well take them to Disney World while you are there!

Me, I took my daughter to her first doctor's visit since her long hospital stay. He didn't know or do much. Referred her to someone who may know more than him.


----------



## odorf

http://dixiecrossroads.com/directions.asp

if you go to Orlando,  this is 30--45 minutes away
you gotta check out the rock shrimp


----------



## zannej

Riff_Raff, the plasma cutter sounds awesome!

Chris, I'm sorry to hear about your dad. I hope he'll be ok.

Havasu, I hope your daughter is doing ok. It can be frustrating when doctors don't know things. Especially when you have to pay to see them and be told that they can't do anything and you need to go see someone else.


----------



## oldognewtrick

frodo said:


> http://dixiecrossroads.com/directions.asp
> 
> if you go to Orlando,  this is 30--45 minutes away
> you gotta check out the rock shrimp



I lived in Titusville for a couple years. Dixie Crossroads was an awesome place to eat. One of the few things I miss in Florida.and if you're that close, a tour of the Kennedy Space center is a must see. We got to see 15 shuttle launches while there.


----------



## Chris

Riff_Raff said:


> Tested my Christmas gift; A Lotos LTP5000D plasma cutter. Works well. It was on the Lightning Deals and the wife said, "Hey, do you want a plasma cutter for Christmas?"
> 
> Did dual shield with my buddies Tweco 181i too.  Jeep CO2 bottle came in handy. Man, I'm hooked! Really nice beads, easily as nice as the XMT 350 with 85% argon.



I have a cut master 42 plasma. I love that thing only wish it would cut more vertical.



havasu said:


> Sorry to hear Chris. Does that mean you are taking your siblings to another free trip to Florida? May as well take them to Disney World while you are there!
> 
> Me, I took my daughter to her first doctor's visit since her long hospital stay. He didn't know or do much. Referred her to someone who may know more than him.



Nope, not going this time. Definitely not paying for another trip. Told dad to call me after surgery. He said if I get a call from a nurse than I know how things went. Still haven't talked to his wife since last time I was there. A little bitter with her anyway. Dad has been in the hospital since last week and no one knew until he called yesterday.


----------



## odorf

oldognewtrick said:


> I lived in Titusville for a couple years. Dixie Crossroads was an awesome place to eat. One of the few things I miss in Florida.and if you're that close, a tour of the Kennedy Space center is a must see. We got to see 15 shuttle launches while there.



I lived in Indian hills subdivision,  Graduated '76 from T-ville high

went back, and lived in Christmas


hope the old man gets better ,  prayers for him


----------



## oldognewtrick

frodo said:


> I lived in Indian hills subdivision,  Graduated '76 from T-ville high
> 
> went back, and lived in Christmas
> 
> 
> hope the old man gets better ,  prayers for him



We lived on Barna at Knox McCray across from the golf course. Use to mail Christmas cards from Christmas every year. Fished the St. Johns on Lake Poinsett, The Banana River, Indian River, the buoy line going out of Port Canaveral, the submarine turn basins with my dad, these things I miss.


----------



## odorf

me too.  i want some smoked mullet,  and some rock shrimp

miss the heck out of fishing their


----------



## Riff_Raff

Chris said:


> I have a cut master 42 plasma. I love that thing only wish it would cut more vertical.



Nice looking unit. Styled just like the Tweco. I found mine worked better at 90 psi, rather than the 65-70 they recommend.


----------



## Chris

I run mine at 100 but I think that is getting me the angles on the cut. I'm going to lower the psi a bit and see if it cuts more vertical.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> And then to top it off I get a call that dad is back in the hospital for bypass surgery.



How's your dad doing?


----------



## Chris

They pushed the surgery until tomorrow morning. Had to do a few more tests first. Five Arteries toast, going to do a quadruple bypass and leave one bad but it should make him feel 100% better. He has been weak since the heart attack and this explains a lot of it. He seems in good spirits for the most part, keeps talking about my mom which is odd. She has been dead for a few years now and they have been divorced almost 30 years. He better last a few more years, heck I'm running out of family and my brother and sister don't handle these things well.


----------



## zannej

Chris said:


> They pushed the surgery until tomorrow morning. Had to do a few more tests first. Five Arteries toast, going to do a quadruple bypass and leave one bad but it should make him feel 100% better. He has been weak since the heart attack and this explains a lot of it. He seems in good spirits for the most part, keeps talking about my mom which is odd. She has been dead for a few years now and they have been divorced almost 30 years. He better last a few more years, heck I'm running out of family and my brother and sister don't handle these things well.



I hope everything goes smoothly for him. I also hope he'll last more than a few years. I know how much it sucks to lose family-- and I hear you on the siblings not handling it well. 

I miss going fishing, even though I was never big on eating fish, I used to enjoy the fishing part.


----------



## Rusty

I like fishing. I just hate cleaning them.


----------



## havasu

I bit the bullet and purchased a new Samsung 6 cell phone last night. Their file, contact and widget list didn't automatically transfer so I have been moving stuff for the last 6 hours. All these new bells and whistles are a bit overwhelming to me.


----------



## Riff_Raff

Chris said:


> I run mine at 100 but I think that is getting me the angles on the cut. I'm going to lower the psi a bit and see if it cuts more vertical.



Maybe something is up with the tip?

At first I was having a hard time holding the torch square to the work piece but I had some guidance from my buddy.

Gonna cut the top off of a Budweiser keg on Monday.


----------



## Chris

It's a brand new machine, only used a couple times. Last time I used it was with my old compressor and it cut fine, now it is a new compressor with higher pressure. I will check out the tip and lower the pressure a bit to see how it reacts.


----------



## Chris

Got a text that dad made it through surgery and in recovery now. I will try and give him a call later on tonight.


----------



## havasu

Good to hear Chris. Now, will you take me to Disney World?


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> Good to hear Chris. Now, will you take me to Disney World?



Daytona during bike week for the win....


----------



## Chris

I think I will avoid Florida. I don't like sweating that much.


----------



## odorf

me and you both,  i would rather have icicles hanging off my beard than sweat dripping in my eyes


----------



## Rusty

Did some target shooting with my Christmas present.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> Did some target shooting with my Christmas present.



Well, what'd you get?


----------



## Chris

I soldered some copper for a little project I am working on.


----------



## odorf

I did not do any  thing. but, hold the couch down


----------



## Chris

I'm holding the couch down now. It's raining out and my one year old refuses to sleep.


----------



## havasu

I made tamales at my son's house. Nothing better than homemade tamales.


----------



## Chris

I woke up with two sick kids. Decided I would take a bunch of vitamin C and zinc. Now I lay here on the couch with a stomach ache. Probably should have eaten first.


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> Well, what'd you get?



S&W M&P 22 cal. Passed my CCW qualification with it today.


----------



## havasu

Good job buddy.


----------



## odorf

Rusty said:


> S&W M&P 22 cal. Passed my CCW qualification with it today.


View attachment 2943


OMG View attachment 2942


You have a GUN!

OMG OMG OMG !!!   EVIL EVIL EVIL GUNS!!!  They all mustt be DESTROYED !!
................................................................................................................



:View attachment 2941


Congrats On your Quals.


----------



## Rusty

I have left my guns at home before and when I got back, they were right where I left them. I was surprised. If you listen to certain groups, you would have thought they were running around shooting people. I guess I trained them right.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Guns don't kill, bullets do...


----------



## Chris

Bullets don't kill people, lack of blood/vital organs kill people.


----------



## mustanggarage

I talked to my daughters boyrfriend last night and he wants to swap the jeep for my old lightning wannabe truck.  I don't need another truck, but I  do like to play with jeeps so I am excited.  I already started fixing some things that have needed to be fixed and others that have been broken since the last time I drove it.  something has gone seriously wrong with the brakes so I am going to need to do some serious brake work before I drive it again.  but I did fix a few things on it.  I put a different steering wheel on it, new shifter, new armrests instead of the pull straps, scuff plates on the door jams.  I started looking into doing an onboard air modification like i had on my old jeep, but this is an oddball year vehicle it is a 90 with a serpentine belt so none of the onboard air setups I have been able to find will work with what I have.  I will have to either buy new brackets for the ac and alternator or go with an electric system.  I am favoring the electric setup at the present.  anyway it will be fun.  so what do you guys think.  should I add what I am doing here to the mpfi thread I did a couple years ago on this jeep or should I put it in my doghouse thread, or just start a new thread?  at the moment I am thinking about just adding to the mpfi thread.

quick peek at my new shifter.  yeah it is kind of cheesy but I think it's cool and it is not wobbly like the old one so functionally it is an improvement


----------



## oldognewtrick

Cool idea for a shift knob! Where ever you want to post about the jeep is ok, we don't charge extra for new threads or piggy backing old one...


----------



## Chris

I vote new thread.

I love my 90 yj. A good year.


----------



## havasu

My 90 yj is sitting in my son's garage as I have promised it to my 13 year old grandson as his first car. I still love looking at it. 

View attachment 08-10-08-001.jpg


----------



## mustanggarage

what engine do you have in that yj Havasu?


----------



## havasu

It has the 242 ci inline six, with a Hesco fuel injection system.


----------



## Chris

Here is mine. 

View attachment IMG_20120903_104201.jpg


----------



## zannej

Today one of my good neighbors came over to start chopping up the huge oak branch that fell-- I had never noticed it was actually two large branches on one segment that fell. Then he started a little burn pile to burn the smaller pieces. The larger chunks are going to get dragged over by the magnolia tree later. There is still a lot more work to be done but its going to take several days. He's refusing to take any money for it, so I have no complaints. We are selling him the tractor and some other accessories for it so he plans to come back on Saturday to get it-- and he's promised to come help with some other stuff as well. His tractor is currently broken, but hopefully mine just needs the fuel dumped and tank cleaned as well as the new battery. The anti-freeze level was good and the oil looked good. I'm a bit sad to see the tractor go, but I'd rather it go to someone who will use it and take good care of it.

I also found out that he's related to the air conditioning repair guy. They are cousins and one of their uncles used to live on the property where I live now. Apparently when their uncle lived here it was still a forest and he helped to clear the trees. He said there was a pine tree almost as big as my oak trees that they had to cut down.

I'm hoping to still save some of the larger chunks of oak in case anyone ever wants to come haul some off to use for something.

I helped to put some of the smaller branches and twigs in the burn pile and then I helped my sister haul off a bunch of trash. She's been cleaning up and helping a lot today. We went to the city dump because it was supposed to be open, but the gate was chained shut with a padlock and nobody was there. It was 2pm and it isn't supposed to close until 4:30pm. There were no signs saying they were closed, so we ended up dumping the bags in the dumpster outside the AT&T store.

Yesterday when I was going to pick my sister up from the airport, I got pulled over in the town that is notorious for ticketing people for things like going 1 mile over speed limit (so I always go 1 mile under instead) and any excuse they can come up with. The cop walked up and told me to step out of the vehicle. I asked him what was wrong and rather than tell me, he insisted that I get out. Then he told me to walk behind the vehicle. He pointed to my license plate to show me that it had a thin layer of mud on it and wasn't easy to read. So I told him I'd just come into town from a rural area and the road was muddy, and that I'd wipe it off. I gave him my license and paperwork while I got a tissue and wiped the plate. Once he saw that everything was up to date, he was much more polite. I think he was really hoping that my sticker was expired or something.

I still don't get why he couldn't have just been courteous enough to say "Hey, you have mud on your license plate, you need to wipe it off". It might have saved some time. I imagine he wanted to make sure I wasn't drunk and he probably wanted to observe how I reacted to see if I was being suspicious since I'm sure he had a ticket quota and was looking for an excuse-- but still, it seemed like a bit of a waste of time.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Should have just put your hands up and said"Hands up, don't shoot"


----------



## Chris

Should have got out of your car and ran, when he shoots you, if you live you will have a huge payday. Cop shoots unarmed citizen.


----------



## zannej

LOL.

For the most part, I get along well with cops. But Woodworth cops have a bad reputation. They are the ones who called in all of the off duty cops to ticket federal agents who were racing through to respond to an emergency situation (a riot at a federal prison where there were buildings being burned down and hostages being held).

The neighbor guy came back today to burn some more debris and cut a few more chunks of the branch.


----------



## Rusty

Had to go to Walmart. Ugh!


----------



## odorf

here is a story that will make you giggle.

few years back, I was traveling, to a job.  my tape measure had a rip in it
so i needed a new one before i got there.
I was going thru a town in Colorado called Silverton. whe i noticed a SEARS store.
I wheeled in with truck and camper, hopped out and walked in the store.
My tape was on my right side,  it lives there.
the clerk looked up as I grabbed my tape.
he hit the FLOOR, yelling dont shoot!!!
I drop the tape,  AND yell its a GD tape measure...
the clerk sheepishly got to his feet,  and we were both shook up.
He handed me a tape and i left


----------



## Chris

I had a wonderful day in Los Angeles. Got two parking tickets and had two hit and runs on my work truck while I watched. Merry Christmas to me.


----------



## zannej

Chris, that really sucks. :-(

Frodo, that reminds me of a story that made the newspaper in Singapore. A Singaporean singer was in a hotel elevator when an American black man stepped in. He said to her "Hit the floor" so she threw herself down on the floor. The guy started laughing and said "No, I meant push the button for the floor!" Later when she went to check out, she found that her bill had already been paid and there was a note thanking her for the laugh-- from Eddie Murphy.


----------



## Rusty

Treading water. 6+'"of rain in last 24 hours, another 2-3" in the next 24 and then change over to ice and then snow. 30-40 mph winds and lows in the teens. We sit at intersection of two major hiways and they are closed in all directions.


----------



## Rusty

................. 

View attachment 10351398_10153829498093377_5972137675722560288_n.jpg


----------



## havasu

.....butt, Missouri loves company?


----------



## odorf

dang,  tornado alerts all night long,


----------



## oldognewtrick

frodo said:


> dang,  tornado alerts all night long,



Hopefully this weather pattern moves out that's been dumping rain and producing all the severe weather soon. I'd rather have 20* and snow than 60 and rain at Christmas.


----------



## odorf

my yard is like walking on a sponge


----------



## Rusty

........... 

View attachment 10520684_10153276814897727_2409932708452568371_n.jpg


----------



## Rusty

Branson Mo 

View attachment 384232_10153475889083732_1945804844186063412_n.jpg


----------



## odorf

LOOK!! a house boat !!!


----------



## Rusty

CNN- This flooded Missouri highway was the scene of a horrific shark attack. Just another reason to not drive through roads that are under water. The names of these folks have not been released, however, they were the recent recipients of 4.5 million dollars from Mark Zuckerberg. 

View attachment 1907952_10208470378344980_3262960485468686952_n.jpg


----------



## zannej

Yikes. That flooding looks bad. I just have tree trouble again.

Around midnight we had some wine and chocolate chips (my sister's idea) but this afternoon I was woken from my nap by a loud crash.

Water oak finally gave up the ghost and came down on the awning of my porch, the side gate/fence, the car port, and both of my vehicles.

It didn't look quite as bad from my window (although if it had landed a few feet more to the right it would have landed on my head)






So, for now I'm stranded out here until we can get someone to cut up the tree and/or get someone to come give us a lift to get a rental vehicle.

Trying to upload more pics but its being slow as hell.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Ouch....


----------



## zannej

Looks worse from the back
Crushed the back of the expedition and nailed the very corner of the awning on the house.





Nailed the CR-V pretty good.





And the car port





RIP tree





Got in touch with one of the nice neighbors. His father is the one who had cut up the branches before but he was out at Toldedo Bend. The guy said to call if there's an emergency and he's going to come out tomorrow to see if we can extract the CR-V and drive it. But the windshield is smashed and the lights inside are on so the battery will probably die. Insurance company local office was closed today. Fun times.

Edit: Anyone need a lot of firewood?


----------



## oldognewtrick

Dang zanne, if it wasn't for bad luck, well you know.....


----------



## zannej

oldognewtrick said:


> Dang zanne, if it wasn't for bad luck, well you know.....



I feel lucky that it didn't land a few feet over and hit my bedroom. It could have nailed the roof more significantly. 

If the branches had been a little longer it would have nailed the external air conditioner unit.


----------



## Rusty

Back door lock broke, so I'm changing front, back and shop, all to take the same key.


----------



## odorf

Rusty said:


> Back door lock broke, so I'm changing front, back and shop, all to take the same key.



I need to do that,  I have a front and back door,  lost the keys to the back door years ago.

we just lock/unlock from inside.  frustrating,


----------



## zannej

The back/side door to ours sometimes won't stay closed. I don't know why. We shut it and it doesn't catch so we had to put a rubber stopper in the way to keep it from swinging open. Sometimes it catches and other times not. I'm guessing it has to do with the wood swelling, but I'm not sure how to fix it.

We got a rental car from Hertz while waiting for news on the two vehicles that were smashed. The rental is some sort of VW. Steering sucks, gas pedal takes more pressure than the CR-V, brakes are very sensitive so I have to use less pressure-- which has led to some abrupt stops. It's been flashing some notice about needing an inspection, so I think I'll take it up to the rental place maybe tomorrow and tell them to check it out. There is no wiper fluid in it, which is slightly annoying. It has a backup camera but its not anti-glare so its useless if the sun is shining in and the backup lights are weak at night. Visibility from inside is pretty bad. The thing I like the most about it is that the key is some sort of switchblade like design. LOL.

My brother has already started arguing and lecturing about car buying. He thinks that he would be able to intimidate the salesman into a better deal or some such BS (he vastly overestimates himself-- he's not the least bit intimidating and he imagines that people are intimidated by him all the time). He knows less about cars than I do. He thinks he should get to pick the vehicle that I am going to drive and took umbrage at the idea that I had a say in what we are going to get. He's also mad that I'm not letting him drive the rental car-- but I've seen his driving and don't trust him with it. LOL.

I'm hoping that tomorrow we may hear back from the insurance company about the status of the CR-V.

The good news is that the guy who cleared the branches for us got an arborist to come out, give us a quote, and agree to do the work sometime within the next week or two. I'm sad that the 400-year-old oak tree will likely be killed, but its not safe to have those huge branches looming over the house and we don't want to take our chances. The previous arborist said not to worry about the water oak (the one that fell on the cars) and that he was more concerned about the live oak over the house. They did say that if they cut it back to the trunk it will sprout again, so I'm hoping it won't be completely dead. 

I saved some cuttings from the water oak and I'm thinking of making the stump into a picnic table.


----------



## zannej

I spent awhile looking for a replacement vehicle for the Expedition and we think we found one-- in Houston. I've driven there before and it sucks, but its doable. The question is, can we make it up there on a business day before the vehicle gets snatched up.

We're still waiting to hear about the CR-V.

I also got the printer working-- Mom was saying "Check the cord" and I had to explain that its a wireless printer. I had to put in a new password for it to connect to the router.

I'm also trying to figure out what car port we purchased and what size we need to replace it with. I'm also wondering if maybe we should put one closer to the house so we don't get rained on when getting out of the car.  I'm thinking something very wide so it can cover the car and the walkway-- I'll have to do some measurements. Also need to get an estimate on fixing the roof. Additionally, the barn is so shot that the cows are afraid to sleep in it, so we need to get some shelter for them. I was thinking maybe something closer to the house that we could put stall mats in to prevent them from destroying the ground/floor and maybe have something rigged so they could be penned in to get vaccinations.

With the expense of replacing a vehicle, its not going to be fun-- I just hope Mom gets a lot on her tax returns this year.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Remember zanne, barns are like outhouses, you don't want them close to the house...just sayin.


----------



## Rusty

Trying to stay warm. 7 degrees -7 wind chill.


----------



## havasu

Has the flooding subsided in your area Rusty?


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> Has the flooding subsided in your area Rusty?



Pretty much. Ground is so saturated that is still soupy except when it's frozen.


----------



## zannej

I typed up a long message and accidentally hit the wrong button and it deleted everything.

Rusty, I hope the ground dries up a bit more and that there won't be any more flooding.

Olddog, good point about the proximity of the barn to the house. I used google maps to get a shot of part of my yard-- I excluded the back area that only the cows use now. I think my entire yard is about 1300' x 1300' but I'm not sure.

Here is the yard without markings






Here is a marked up version of the yard showing some of the buildings and important things to note. The yard slopes down to have some mushy low areas-- the defunct barn is in a low area. I'm thinking of having a new one built up on the high area on the right side-- a bit more than 50ft from the well. The feed troughs are currently right behind the well shed-- the shed across from the well holds the feed.





The oak hanging over the house is going to be cut back to the trunk. I would love to have a garage put in between the house and car port or have a car port added in front of the house where we used to park the Expedition. I'd love to have something to keep the rain off of us when unloading the car and to keep the car shaded from the sun. There are still remnants of chainlink fence that I want to take down. We don't want something flimsy, but we don't want something too expensive. My mother thinks a garage in front would look ugly, but I'm trying to convince her that a detached garage on the side (next to the porch) might be nice. She never carries groceries, so its not an issue for her. The only problem she has is getting to the car on the ground the dogs have dug up.

I'm also hoping that we can get the truck we saw online and talk them in to putting running boards on it (or getting some affordable running boards that work for Mom-- she doesn't have great balance and she despises the tube type running boards). Its a Honda Ridgeline so the back hatch folds down but also opens sideways like a door. There is a trunk in the pickup bed that holds the spare tire and has room for a cooler.









We don't plan to do any heavy duty hauling in it, so it will suffice for groceries and trash (since we have to drive the trash out about a mile to be picked up).


----------



## havasu

I'm kinda liking those Hondas, and been wondering why Lexus doesn't carry a similar type of pick up/suv?


----------



## zannej

havasu said:


> I'm kinda liking those Hondas, and been wondering why Lexus doesn't carry a similar type of pick up/suv?



I forgot to mention that the Honda Ridgeline is all one piece instead of having the bed separate. Apparently that makes it more stable when driving so it doesn't fishtail as much. Consumer reports said that the Ridgeline scores "very good" on almost everything and it is one of the top trucks recommended for non-commercial use. It does very well in crash tests and is listed as one of the safest trucks to drive.

I *think* the trunk in the bed might be a patented thing, but I'm not sure. I think one drawback is that it has a weight capacity-- I think they said 200lbs or so-- so you can't put anything too heavy in there. I've seen pics that show some people just threw ice and some brews in the trunk instead of getting a cooler. Another drawback is that if your truck bed is loaded up, you can't access the spare tire-- which is a problem I had with the Expedition as well-- it had the tire hanging below the car, but to get the tire out you had to open a hidden compartment in the floor of the back and use some tools to crank it down. I believe the truck bed is only 5' which might be too small for some applications, but the tailgate being folded down can buy a little bit of space. Another issue is that the rails on most of the tonneau covers sometimes interfere with the trunk opening fully-- but some let you still open at least 3/4 of the way. I'll have to look at different covers (if we even decided to get one) to see if there are any that don't interfere. I'm considering getting rails up on the sides like my friend got on his truck. Still trying to pick some running boards that will be ok for Mom. I'm leaning toward some Westin running boards with nonslip surface. She hates the pipe style running boards. The backup camera is nice. If the standard bulbs haven't already been replaced with LED, I'll get an LED kit and my friend will install them for me (in exchange for some smothered steak burritos from Taco Bell). 

On the VW rental, the lights for backing up are not very bright so its hard to see the camera view at night. I'm seriously thinking of getting some of those lights that look like the Transformers logo-- or maybe find some Star Wars ones and use them as extra backup lights-- but I need to be practical and get the essential stuff first (although it is so tempting to get a Green Lantern symbol with green LED for either the front or back). 

Anyone have recommendations on tonneau covers? What kinds to avoid in particular.

Note to self: mud flaps.

And anyone have suggestions of things to ask the car dealer to make sure I don't get any unpleasant surprises with the vehicle? Last time we bought a car, the dealership hid a huge crack in the windshield with a piece of paper and we didn't notice until we drove off the lot. So, I'm going to inspect all of the windows, take a picture of the engine to send to my friend who works at autozone, make sure all of the doors and windows open and all that stuff.

If I ask them if there are any known problems, do they legally have to tell me?

The car is guaranteed by Truecar, but I don't know if that means anything.

Man, I'm babbling. I'm excited about getting a truck. LOL. Just hope nobody beats us to it.


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## havasu

Ask for a Carfax report in this used vehicle, and look under the car for any repairs, rust, or damage from salt. Don't look excited because the price will go up drastically, and if you find any flaws, use this to your advantage to bicker about the price being too high.


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## Rusty

Even Carfax isn't 100%. It said our Caravan had not been wrecked, but we found out later that the wreck had not been turned into the insurance and the dealer had fixed it in their shop, so no record. We only know because we found a radiator leak and the mechanic told us that it must have been from the wreck. He could see evidence it had been wrecked when it was on a lift.


----------



## havasu

Yes, Carfax can be incorrect, and part of the reason why you personally inspect. At least it is better than nothing. 

On a side note, my son bought a new Lexus last year. Had a 15 year old girl who was not licensed, pull out in front of him and wiped out his front right portion of his car. It cost $6500 to repair his car, which girl's dads insurance covered it. Yeah, son's car was fixed but was reported to Carfax, which really killed his future trade in value. He filed another claim with girl's dads insurance company and they paid out another $12K to adjust for the Carfax report. There is a name for this insurance claim which I don't know what it is, but is widely used as a way to reimburse for future monetary damage based on the Carfax report.


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## odorf

do not tell them you are coming from out of town.

if you do,  they figure it is a done deal what ever they charge.

spend an extra day in town,  have a mechanic at THE DEALERSHIP

go over the car,  it will cost you a hundred bucks NOW. may save you thousands later.

I guess what I am saying,  do not buy that car with out a CERTIFIED
fortified/homogenized/real deal/  mechanic look at it

if the guy does not want YOUR mechanic to look at it {NOT HIS}

walk away

you can take a car to just about any dealer in the US at 8 am
and they will look it over that day


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## zannej

Thanks, guys! My friend who works at Autozone and who does work on cars said he can take off work to come with us.

I asked the seller to e-mail me some photos that weren't on the site (the inside of the trunk and the back seats). I found it slightly suspicious that those weren't shown. Houston tends to have a lot of options for car sales so we plan to pick a few contenders and then check out other lots to see if there's anything that wasn't online.

IIRC, If I ask them directly whether or not the vehicle has any damage/repairs or has been damaged and needed repairs they are supposed to tell me or else it is fraud. I read somewhere that the shopping should be done on a full stomach and that I should give a bottom line "out the door" price. I'm wondering if something is wrong with the vehicle if  hasn't sold yet because usually ridgelines get snatched up quickly. It's selling for below the usual price for that model so I'm thinking there is some catch-- but there are other vehicles to look at. I will look over every inch of glass this time so I won't have a repeat of last incident.

I think there were black scuff marks on the rear bumper in the photos so I will mention that.

I just need to keep Mom from blabbing about the tree damage because if they know we are without a car, they will try to jack the price up. I've heard about all sorts of BS inflated fees. One good thing is that she will actually read a contract in its entirety and she will pull out her calculator and add things up to make sure there was no creative math involved. I think this particular dealership is open from 9am to 9pm-- which is odd to hear because most places close around 5pm here. LOL.

Meanwhile, looks like we are in the market for two vehicles. I had to pester the insurance company to give me info, but they said that the CR-V is totaled-- it would have cost over $12 to fix it. So, when shopping we can go for that ridgeline, or one of the crvs I saw and then go for a ridgeline later. We basically get 40 days of rental car because we got one for each car and we don't have to start using the other until the 20 days on this one are up. The rental has Texas plates, which might be in our favor. 

Maybe Mom can finally find a Red Lobster to eat at.


----------



## zannej

Had a snag in the plans on going to Houston and now I don't know when we'll be able to go. Gonna cut and paste my post from plumbingforums.

My day started out ok with the arborists arriving around 7:30am. I was documenting the tree cutting and then I called the insurance company to find out if the packet for the total loss had been delivered to their office since it had not come to my house. They didn't call back until after 2pm and then they said the packet must have been lost so they would send it again. Around 3:15 I headed in to town to check the post office (which closes at 4) to see if the packet had been sent there. I was going through a green light around 3:30 heading east when all of a sudden I got slammed and the car spun around. Rental vehicle is totaled.

So, I spent a few minutes looking for my phone and then had to field questions from the other driver, cops, paramedics, called my insurance company but kept having too many interruptions. I texted a friend to ask if he could give me a lift, but his truck wasn't working. I had to sign a waiver to say I wasn't going to the sucky ER here. Turns out the driver went to school with my sister. She felt awful about it and first thing she told the cop was that it was completely her fault. Her air bags had all deployed and she got hit in the face but was ok. I wear my seatbelt tucked under my left arm or else it lays across my throat, so I smashed a tit and have some bruises, but otherwise I'm fine.

The same guy who towed my CR-V away came to tow the rental and I told him we have to stop meeting like that. We were near my brother's workplace-- so close that all of his co-workers heard the crash and his boss went outside to look. He's given my bro the next few days off if he can't get a lift.

I called State Farm back and my agent as Jake. I asked him if he got the question about khakis or what he was wearing often.

I sat in Pizza Hut and made phone calls-- Hertz only had one employee in the office and couldn't send anyone out to get me for another rental, but said they would try to get one tomorrow.

Some other friends picked me up and took me to the salvage yard to get my stuff out of the rental (I had taken stuff out of another vehicle and set it in the rental but my brother took the plastic tub out so I had no boxes-- salvage place gave me a cardboard box).

When I got home I found out the arborists had broken a water line and that they will fix it tomorrow when they finish trimming the tree.

So anyway... UGH!!!

That is 3 cars totaled so far this year and it hasn't even been a full two weeks yet.
The first opportunity I got to take a pic of the rental was after it was hooked to the tow truck.





The cops piled the debris from the cars out of the way so other vehicles wouldn't run them over and get damaged.





As annoying as it is, I'm glad that it wasn't worse.


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## Chris

At least you are ok. Cars are easily replaceable. You should have fallen out of the car and flopped like a fish.


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## havasu

If it wasn't for bad luck, I'm afraid you wouldn't have any luck. 

When I win the 1.5 billion tonight on the powerball, I promise you I'll buy you a new car with tires all around the outside of it like a tugboat, to soften the blow from impacting trees, cars and the occasional cow on your property!

AND, maybe a steel cup for your left boob!


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## Chris

Hopefully you had better luck than I. I spent a couple hundred bucks on tonight's gamble, my best was two numbers. Not enough to win anything. I guess I am meant to work the rest of my life.


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## zannej

Thanks. I seem to have always been unlucky and lucky throughout my life. I've had unfortunate things happen frequently, but I know things could be much worse.

If I'd been wearing my seatbelt properly, the way it hits my neck/throat, it might have killed me. I think this state doesn't like me and is telling me to get out. LOL.

If I had ever purchased the powerball tickets and won (which is highly unlikely) I'd help some people out-- once the government was done taxing the hell out of me.

My insurance company agents were mystified by the bad luck. They'll probably use it to raise my rates. One good thing is that met a guy who does contract work who might be able to replace the car port. He says he builds stuff, so he might be able to put up a shed or something for the cows. But right now I need to get a replacement vehicle and then cover the interior with bubble wrap and tape styrofoam to the outside.


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## havasu

I heard someone from Chino Hills won the lottery. This is about 15 miles from my house. Although the tickets I bought only had 4 numbers on 5 tickets, one had the powerball number, so I get a few bucks. I am also in our local bar pool, and we bought a few hundred dollars worth. The manager of the bar lives in Chino Hills, so I will keep my fingers crossed that he purchased the tickets somewhere in the town he lives in. What kind of car do you want Zanne?


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## Chris

Can you help me to an early retirement?


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## havasu

Depends. You gunna stop by tomorrow for a free breakfast?


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## Chris

I have to be in Pasadena by 6am. I am so ready to get a normal job or move out of this state. Tired of working my *** off to barely scrape by.


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## zannej

havasu said:


> I heard someone from Chino Hills won the lottery. This is about 15 miles from my house. Although the tickets I bought only had 4 numbers on 5 tickets, one had the powerball number, so I get a few bucks. I am also in our local bar pool, and we bought a few hundred dollars worth. The manager of the bar lives in Chino Hills, so I will keep my fingers crossed that he purchased the tickets somewhere in the town he lives in. What kind of car do you want Zanne?



Heh. I was looking at a 2013 Honda Ridgeline RTL. Consumerreports said that 2010 and 2013 were good years and as of 2013, the backup cameras became standard on Hondas since its not easy to see out the back of them.

It occurred to me that twice in the past two weeks I could potentially have been killed or seriously injured if things had hit a few feet farther over. I keep feeling like I'm in a Final Destination movie. LOL. I guess I should make a video of my will or something and type up my last wishes just in case.

I just hope everyone else here is doing better this week. Someone needs to be having good luck.


----------



## Chris

havasu said:


> Depends. You gunna stop by tomorrow for a free breakfast?



I guess I could have stopped by. Left Pasadena driving past your house now heading to my riverside job.


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## havasu

That was what I was hoping for. We could have commiserated and had some good food at a restaurant just down the street. Maybe take a raincheck sometime?


----------



## Chris

Yup. I have to run to Temecula anyway to put fluid in my tractor that someone decided to borrow since we are not on the job today.


----------



## zannej

I called Hertz early this afternoon and got put on hold for over 11 minutes before it kicked me to an answering machine. I had to hang up and call back. Clerk answered and had forgotten that she put me on hold. I then tried to make arrangements to be picked up and she said I would have to come in on my own and file an incident report first. She was pretty frickin' rude about it and then said she was going to call me back. Never did. I immediately called my car insurance to see if they could talk to her or her manager and the insurance agent said Hertz wasn't even picking up the phone. I lodged a complaint about it and they said they would call me back. That was around 3PM. I never got a call back. So I called another number for higher up Hertz and they put me through to roadside assistance. They scheduled to pickup the totaled vehicle and said that the vehicle was counted as being in my possession until they picked it up and it would take 7 days. I had 10 days left on the rental and had just put a full tank of gas in.. I'm a wee bit miffed right now.

They at least gave me a claim number and I'll call back tomorrow in the morning to get things arranged.

I think I'm going to push my insurance to have the other driver's insurance reimburse me for the 10 days I had paid on the rental that I don't get to use it.

I don't know if I'm more frustrated about this situation or about my mother's attitude. Seriously, most mothers when told "Someone ran a red light and hit me so hard I spun around- the vehicle is totaled" would ask "Are you ok". Nope. Never occurred to her. First words out of her mouth were "Are we going to get another rental?" and she has not given one rat's behind about my well-being since. She even woke me up in the middle of the night wanting me to get up, go into the living room, pick up something that was lightweight, and carry it to the refigerator that was less than 10 feet away from where she was sitting. She was in the living room. She could have done it but nooooo. *sigh*

I'm going to take some Ibuprofen and more ice cream and see if I can get a friend to drive me to the doctor tomorrow.


----------



## Chris

If you`want anything from insurance or the other drivers insurance from the accident I am afraid you will have to call someone who sold their sole. insurance companies are in business to pay out as little as possible.


----------



## havasu

I went into a mechanic for a $29 oil change and a free tire rotation. He came in a few minutes later saying my rear brakes were shot. Sure, I've seen that episode of 60 minutes. I said prove it. He walked me out to show me paper thin brake pads. Well, yep, them gotta be replaced. Since I guess I looked stupid, he said my struts were shot. I asked him how he could tell. He showed me a rip in the rubber boot. I gave him a silly look and asked why he would try to charge me $600 for new struts because of a rip in the boot. He said, "well, I guess it is ok without replacing." He then said he would replace the brake pads within the hour, and then flush the old brake fluid. I stopped him and asked if I looked stupid and he said no. I asked him why he would flush my brake fluid and he said, "well, I guess it is ok without replacing." I got out of there for #270, but showed him a smart phone coupon which saved me $25. Big deal. I now know why most women don't like mechanics. He would have taken me for $1400 if I wasn't aware of their scams. Time to find another shop. Mountainview Goodyear tire shops are not trustworthy.


----------



## zannej

havasu, that sounds highly annoying. I'm glad stood up for yourself and saved some $.

In the continuing saga of my frustration with the insurance, I called my insurance company back to try to get them to do something about Hertz and they told me I need the little carbon copy slip of paper that I was supposed to be given as the receipt-- only I don't really remember whether or not they gave it to me and I can't seem to find it. When I went to clean out my stuff from the rental company, the towing people had taken the debris from the vehicle and just dumped it into the interior of the car-- all over my stuff and I'm not sure if the receipt is still in there. I asked my friend who gave me a lift to look for the paper in her car in case it fell out and I'm going to go back to the towing place and look at the vehicle again. If I can't find it then I will have to go up to Hertz and ask for another copy (and then I can fill out the incident report). I had a lot of back-and-forth with them about how I couldn't fill out the incident report at their office if I couldn't get to their office. And I can't get a new rental until state farm processes this claim, but they can't move forward without that stupid piece of paper. Why they can't request it directly from Hertz is beyond me. Maybe I can call in the morning and ask Hertz to fax it to them. I'm hoping they won't be retarded and refuse bc the fax number has 666 in it.

Also, when I mentioned to my insurance company that I think the other driver's insurance should cover stuff, they said I need to call the other driver's insurance company. I said "Aren't you supposed to handle that?" and they said "No." Seriously, my old agent who moved to Texas used to handle everything-- calling tree removal people, calling towing service, calling rental company to get them to come pick us up, dealing with the higher tier agents, etc. She even called after my father died to check on us and see how we were doing. Now I get to play phone tag and hope I can get to a live person. Ugh..

Anyway, they at least gave me the number for Farm Bureau so I called and gave the policy number of the driver and her name so they said she had already filed a claim but I would need to speak to the agent handling the claim and the hours were 8am to 4:30pm so I will have to call in the morning. I did ask them to note that I was complaining of having pain and intended to see a doctor asap but that since their customer totaled my rental, I didn't have transportation. They were actually very nice about it. I'm sure it will be an uphill battle to get them to cover the expenses though. Oh yeah, they said "Just get a cab and go there" and I had to explain that there is no public transportation, no taxi service, and the rental place is an hour away. 

Bleh. Sorry for all the kvetching. I need to get it out of my system. Despite all of the annoyances, I know it could still be worse. And we should be getting around $15k for the CR-V when they finally send the $. But until that arrives, we have to wait on buying another vehicle. At least we're getting that much though.

Thanks for "listening" to me vent.

On a side note, I think I want Transformer as a vehicle so it can just beat up other cars and objects that try to hit it.


----------



## Chris

Havasu, try calling rescue rooter for a drain clog and see what they try and sell you.


----------



## havasu

I really despise crooked sales tactics. Worth noting is the fact that my G/F had gone there for years. The employees were all very friendly and never tried these tactics. This location now looks like every employee is a "Big Belly Crew Member" and all seem to be the lovers of the Raiders football team. This is an inside joke which I am wondering if Chris catches my drift on the description.


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## Chris

Of course I do.

A buddy of mine recently started working for that plumbing company I mentioned earlier. They got called to house for a drain clog and swindled the owner into a 60k complete repipe job. This was on a normal three bedroom two bath tract home.

The went to do a customer supplied faucet install and came out with two grand for the faucet and garbage disposal and new valves. They charge 400 bucks for screwing on a new valve.

They are required to sell a thousand dollars worth of service to each service call or they get pulled from the truck.

This is their way of swindling. 

Get a call for a drain clear
Oops the snake didn't get it send the jetter.
Jetter somehow can't get the drain clean call for the camera truck
along with the camera truck comes the sole less salesman
camera guy is not allowed to talk to the customer, salesman comes up with several reasons they have to do this and that or their system will fail tomorrow.

They say it works on 75% of people who call.


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## havasu

I guess there are crooks everywhere these days. Have you discussed these tactics on PF?


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## Chris

No, haven't had time. They are owned by ARS whoever that is? Pretty sure that is so that when they finally get caught for it they can just open under a different name.


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## oldognewtrick

Here ya go, a shameless plug.

http://www.ars.com/


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## zannej

Sheesh. Those sound like real scumbags, Chris. I hope they get busted.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch... In the continuing saga of my crazy life: My friend who had nearly been killed in a wreck back in April came out to get me so I could go to Hertz to fill out the incident report and try to rent another vehicle. He had me drive since he was afraid to drive that far-- its good to know he trusts me. Turns out they have a policy at Hertz to not let someone rent another vehicle until they have retrieved the previous vehicle even if it was totaled and they said it might take 7 days to get it. The idiots didn't even have the info I had given them before (I told them the address and phone # of the towing place that had the vehicle). So we had to just head back without a rental.

I spent hours on the phone with both insurance companies and the rental company which led to a lot of frustration with each trying to pass the buck (not surprising). The other driver's insurance said they don't work with Hertz but that they could approve of a rental via Enterprise. I may have to see if I can still get that done, but Farm Bureau is closed for the weekend.

I went to my doctor and he said that I should be out of the woods with anything major, but there's a chance my kidneys could have been damaged. He's going to run some tests and get back to me. Meanwhile, he said it will probably take 5 to 8 weeks to recover even without kidney issues. He took note of the various bruises and sore spots to write up for the insurance company. One call with the insurance lasted an hour and thirteen minutes. Ugh.

My friend took my brother in to town and a few hours ago I saw headlights in the yard and assumed it was my friend bringing my brother home. I was feeling too achy to go out and see him. Later I heard my mom on the phone with my brother and was confused and started wondering what the headlights were-- then my dogs started barking and more headlights showed up. There were a bunch of police vehicles. Turns out some felon was fleeing from the cops-- had taken them on a high speed chase of over 100mph -- running other cars off the road. They said he was armed and dangerous. I saw the lights on in my workshop and told them they could search there but to be careful. Then I went into my house to get my 1911 and searched the house for any signs of an intruder, made sure the doors and windows were locked, alerted my mother (well, that was the first thing I did) and then went back out to report that the house was clear. I waited inside for probably an hour and then went to see if everything was ok and they said the perp's brother had called to say he'd been in touch and the guy allegedly ran off into the woods and crossed the river. I told them I would keep my doors locked and firearms handy just in case. They said to call 911 if he came back.

I must have seemed quite confused about someone being in my yard, so they didn't ask to search the house. I kept worrying that the guy was hiding in the workshop with a weapon waiting to ambush the cops. I don't know if they ever went inside the workshop to check, but I hope they did. I described the layout so they would be able to find their way around.

I've got one dog outside to guard the yard and another in the front room to alert if anyone tries to enter.

Anyway, I'm sleeping with the 1911 next to me tonight.

(and yeah I pretty much copied and pasted the same message I posted on plumbing forums since I'm lazy).

Also, thanks for Frodo for the PM to insist I see a doctor.


----------



## odorf

gotta take care of our sister  



i pasted also

A 1911 in the hand is better than 911 on the phone


----------



## zannej

Yup. Even my Italian Mauser has saved some time and negated the need for a 911 call-- and it was more effective.

I was told that the perp the cops were looking for last night was a huge muscular guy and that even if the cops found him, there was a chance that he could have kicked all of their butts.

Meanwhile, I got a rental from Enterprise. The clerk was actually very nice this time-- different clerk than last time. She was sympathetic about the situation. It's a smaller vehicle but it has some cool features-- a start button instead of key turn, backup camera that shows the predicted curve on the screen when the wheels are turned, usb port next to the power outlet, and a thing to let you answer your phone through the car's radio or something.

Talked to the dealership selling the truck I want to buy and they said as far as they know there is nothing wrong and that the ridgeline just isn't that popular over there. I'm still skeptical. I stated my intention to take it to a mechanic for inspection. I asked for a photo of the trunk and the guy was confused. He'd never seen a trunk inside of the pickup bed before and was actually excited to see it when he went out to look. He said the doc fees and temporary license plate fee should come to about $150. We won't have to pay tax up front since we are paying cash. We still plan to try to get the price down lower and ask for an "out-the-door" price since the vehicle has been on their lot for 2 months and he said they were eager to sell it.


----------



## Chris

Went to grandpas today and dusted off the old Chevy. Can you believe this car has over 350,000 miles on it. All original. It has been towing a boat since 1971. 

View attachment image.jpg


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## glock26USMC

Went to the range,  for some much needed range time


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## havasu

I miss having a shooting range downstairs. Damn retirement stuff.


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> I miss having a shooting range downstairs. Damn retirement stuff.



Only one range within 100 miles of here and it's an outdoor range. 17 degrees with 0 WC.


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## havasu

Can't you just go onto your back patio and with a fifth of Whiskey and a box of ammo, go to town?


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## Rusty

havasu said:


> Can't you just go onto your back patio and with a fifth of Whiskey and a box of ammo, go to town?



I wish. I live three blocks from the town square.


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## zannej

Chris said:


> Went to grandpas today and dusted off the old Chevy. Can you believe this car has over 350,000 miles on it. All original. It has been towing a boat since 1971.



Wow! That's a beautiful old car!
Hey, is that a black Honda Ridgline (pickup truck) across the street?

I tried to take it easy for most of the day since the prescribed medicine does jack **** for me. I naturally have a very high resistance to pain medication and it doesn't seem to be doing anything for the swelling. I'm using my cats as heating pads and that helps a little.

The banks are closed Monday, but I was thinking on Tuesday we could collect our money from the insurance company and get a cashier's check for the amount we are willing to pay for the car (which is lower than their asking price). Trade-in-value is around $23k. They are asking around $25k not including doc fees. We know they bought it at an auction and that they probably got it for a pretty low price. They have been desperate to sell it (they admitted that) and there are salesmen trying to jump over each other to take the sale from one another on it. We were told that the first person we contacted was no longer working for them and that the woman who called us was "not really a sales person" by the last guy we spoke with. I'm thinking we can come in with a check for $23,500 or $23,550 and say that is our final offer on an out-the-door price including doc fees. We will get an extended warranty via Honda and not from them. The trunk had some minor dings in it, the paint is scraped on the back bumper, we will have to replace the standard bulbs with LED, and we will need to put running boards on it and get a tonneau cover so those will all be extra expenses to add to it after we buy it (we won't get any of that from the dealer though). We can always walk away since there are other options available in the area and we aren't in a hurry. We saw a red Ridgeline same model and year at another dealership in Houston.

If they say "No" then we give them a note with our number and our final offer price and walk away to go hang out with my cousin and browse other dealerships in the area. Given how desperate they seem to be to make the sale, I suspect they might not want us to walk off the lot.

I looked on Yelp for recommendations on a good mechanic and found one, but I might also ask my cousin and her husband since they've been in the area for many years.

So, does that sound like a good plan? Would it be best for me to tell them the price up front in e-mail or should I wait until we get there to spring it on them? If I tell them in e-mail and they refuse then I can say I won't bother to look at it. But I don't know if they would take the offer seriously if we aren't physically there so they have a better chance of making a sale.

What do you guys think?


----------



## oldognewtrick

Have you checked at Car Max?


----------



## Rusty

Have two grandkids today, 5 and 7 and I have a bad headache. Not fun.


----------



## zannej

oldognewtrick said:


> Have you checked at Car Max?



I just checked and all they had was a 2012 model that was more expensive than the 2013 model I'm looking at (and was the one color we won't get).
The 2013 model was nicer and has the backup camera.

The salesman called today to ask if we thought it was the truck for us. I said it was a contender because we have a list and that we'll be there sometime this week to look at it. His camera sucks so I wasn't impressed with the picture he sent. LOL. He said that they had never figured out how to access the trunk or that there even was one. He sounded disappointed, but I did take his name and cell # down. I think he was calling me from his home because I could hear his kids in the background. I said that when I got there I would ask for him and make sure I had his number handy.

Still not sure whether I should e-mail him and suggest a price, or talk to him on the phone about the out-the-door price, or wait until we get there to negotiate. I'm thinking we should probably at least look at it first before offering a price though.

What do you think?


----------



## Chris

I am a firm believer in looking at it first then make an offer. If it is not what you want don't settle just because you drove all the way out there. A wasted drive is a lot less than years of regret.


----------



## zannej

Chris said:


> I am a firm believer in looking at it first then make an offer. If it is not what you want don't settle just because you drove all the way out there. A wasted drive is a lot less than years of regret.



Good point. Although it won't be wasted since it turns out the dealership is right near where my cousin lives. We haven't seen her since my father's funeral back in 2009 and she said she would cancel some stuff she has planned to make time to see us and she knows two excellent mechanics that she could recommend for us. I'll have to get in touch with her tomorrow and get the names/addresses of said mechanics and find out when they will be available. Looks like it will have to be Thursday since my brother is working in the morning on Wednesday and my cousin is available in the morning then but not in the afternoon, but she's available in the afternoon on Thursday. She knows of some other car dealerships in the area she could show us, so we can browse around.

I told the salesman that I didn't want to schedule an appointment since I don't know exactly when I'd be there and I want to have a flexible schedule since I'm visiting family.

Just seeing my cousin will be worth the trip and my mother is even willing to make more than one trip out if need be (easy for her to say since she's not driving). It was really great to hear my cousin's voice. She's one of those upbeat people who can really boost my mood.


----------



## Rusty

Bought a little gas at $1.44 gallon. Not going to fill up, price is dropping every day.


----------



## Rusty

Streets are ice covered. Classes are cancelled. I'm staying home tonight.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> Streets are ice covered. Classes are cancelled. I'm staying home tonight.



Headed this way, can't wait.....


----------



## oldognewtrick

29* and freezing rain/slush/snow. Thanks Rusty...


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> 29* and freezing rain/slush/snow. Thanks Rusty...



More tonight and tomorrow.


----------



## zannej

It was 34 degrees in the day but 47 degrees at night. WTF?

I had a wasted trip to the DMV, had to explain to the people at Hertz that they somehow thought I was in a different state, transferred insurance to the new Ridgey (that's what I'm calling the truck for now), wasted 2 hours in Walmart  because my mother was in the riding cart taking for freaking ever (as per protocol), and enjoyed the ease of putting my groceries in Ridgey's trunk.


----------



## Chris

Today I woke up and had coffee. About to head to the jobsite.


----------



## havasu

I have the masons coming today to install 3 tons of 4-6" river rock in my parkway and installing 1 ton of flagstone for my sidewalk.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Is a parkway where you drive, park or just ornamental?


----------



## havasu

Yeah, I know that joke. "Why does one park in a driveway and drive in a parkway?" 

Actually, it is the area that we own, but is necessary for city access for utilities. Chris will help on this one. It is basically the dirt planter area between the sidewalk and the curb in front of my house. I had the city rip out the overgrown tree and now looks ugly. The roots from the tree made the soil too high and I hate having to mow this little area. Here are a few pics of what I am talking about. 

View attachment 20151119_141514_resized.jpg


View attachment 20150609_190846_resized (2).jpg


----------



## mustanggarage

the seal on the bottom of my garage door was not doing a very good job.  it gets cold out, the rubber gets hard and it doesn't seal well.  also it has a chunk missing where it froze to the floor and ripped off when I opened the door so I replaced it with a new style seal that has a round rubber tube running down the middle to seal better.  I had to adjust the limits and set the top bracketry again but it works a lot better now.

this is a bit of the left over.  I bought it oversized so I could trim it exactly where I wanted it.





hopefully it will work better anyway I already have the rubber threshold on the floor.  what I really need to do is get some gutters put in, and If I was smart I wound have specified more overlap on the roof.  oh well.  spilt milk and all.


----------



## oldognewtrick

MG, what type roof do you have and how much overhang? On both shingle or metal, you should be able to slide a drip edge under the roof to divert water into a gutter system. Drip edge is rather inexpensive, even if you have to get it shop fabricated.


----------



## Chris

havasu said:


> Yeah, I know that joke. "Why does one park in a driveway and drive in a parkway?"
> 
> Actually, it is the area that we own, but is necessary for city access for utilities. Chris will help on this one. It is basically the dirt planter area between the sidewalk and the curb in front of my house. I had the city rip out the overgrown tree and now looks ugly. The roots from the tree made the soil too high and I hate having to mow this little area. Here are a few pics of what I am talking about.



They don't have those down by me. I like and dislike them.



mustanggarage said:


> the seal on the bottom of my garage door was not doing a very good job.  it gets cold out, the rubber gets hard and it doesn't seal well.  also it has a chunk missing where it froze to the floor and ripped off when I opened the door so I replaced it with a new style seal that has a round rubber tube running down the middle to seal better.  I had to adjust the limits and set the top bracketry again but it works a lot better now.
> 
> this is a bit of the left over.  I bought it oversized so I could trim it exactly where I wanted it.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> hopefully it will work better anyway I already have the rubber threshold on the floor.  what I really need to do is get some gutters put in, and If I was smart I wound have specified more overlap on the roof.  oh well.  spilt milk and all.




I need that. When it rains I get puddles in my garage. It's annoying.


----------



## havasu

I installed 3 more cabinets in my garage, finished mudding and texturing several spots in the garage, then painted the entire garage using a tinted primer. The color is a nice lighter shade of brown. Hopefully the epoxy floor will be done in a week or so, placing a nice checkmark on the garage as "done".


----------



## zannej

Nice looking lawn, havasu.

mustang, that seal looks cool. Nice truck too. I see you have a tonneau cover on it.

I talked to the farm bureau agent to make sure he got the fax on the rental. Not sure how it is going to work out on payment. Fed the dogs, gave my red dog her meds, and am hungry but out of breakfast bowls. I'm trying to convince myself to get up and scramble some eggs.


----------



## mustanggarage

Chris said:


> They don't have those down by me. I like and dislike them.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I need that. When it rains I get puddles in my garage. It's annoying.



yeah one of the dumber things I did was to not put a drain in my floor when I had this shop built.  oh well, live and learn.  someday I may have someone come out and cut a hole in the floor to put a french drain in.  but as of now I just squeegee a lot.  but the new garage seal should keep most of the water from running under the door.  not much I can do about the snow melting off the truck however.


----------



## Chris

Floor drains would be nice especially with snow.


----------



## zannej

Note to self: Floor drains. If I ever get a garage built, I will want a floor drain. If I ever get the concrete poured for one, I think I would have it raised up a bit like my workshop and then create a little ramp. Dad and I made our own ramp out of some excess cement when we were pouring some out to make something else-- I can't remember what it was now. One day I'll take a picture.


----------



## mustanggarage

oldognewtrick said:


> MG, what type roof do you have and how much overhang? On both shingle or metal, you should be able to slide a drip edge under the roof to divert water into a gutter system. Drip edge is rather inexpensive, even if you have to get it shop fabricated.




the roof is metal and it has about a 6 inch overhang.  I asked a seamless gutter guy what it would cost to put gutters up and they said they would have to have me trim the roof overhang in order to do it, or I would have to get commercial gutters installed which increased the cost by a significant amount.  I do not want to have to trim the overhang off for many reasons, so I have just left it as is for now.

the first garage I built at my first house was a stick built 24 x 32 building and the trusses came overlong so they had to be trimmed.  not knowing too much about building anything I left them as long as I could which left about a 2 foot overhang.  usually I understand people trim them off to about 1 foot.  well anyway we had a terrible hail storm about a year after my garage was built.  all the houses and garages around where I lived had there windows broken out and a lot of damage except mine.  that extra overhang shielded it enough to keep the hail from the window.  I had to replace the shingles, but no damage inside the building so I like a longer overhang than many I guess, but I did not build this building it was put up by a local steel building company.  anyway it is not that bad, just annoying lol.


----------



## oldognewtrick

MG, just to clarify, overhang in how far does the metal roof panel extend past the fascia board. Not how far does the roof extend past the exterior wall.


----------



## mustanggarage

this garage does not have a fascia board.  it is just metal.  they have sealer run along the edges, but no fascia board.


----------



## zannej

Love the mustang decal on the garage doors.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Damn, I'm glad this work weeks over..>


----------



## Chris

You're telling me. It was a tough one.


----------



## havasu

Making progress. As a matter of fact, we just agreed to add a second walkway through the middle of the grass, and they will include a strip of flagstone in the middle of the rock parkway. He even threw in 3 boulders (1500 pounds worth) which will be accent rocks in the front. 


Oh, and the garage is all done except for the epoxy floor. 

View attachment 012916e.jpg


View attachment 012916f.jpg


----------



## odorf

that looks good


----------



## Chris

It's all coming together. I will have to stop by and take a look.

Right now I am sitting at the airport waiting to board a plane. Should be back home tonight with a new broken in truck.


----------



## zannej

That looks great, havasu!

Chris, I hope everything goes well. Crossing my fingers and hoping you have a safe return. I trust your driving, but you can never account for other people.

I ended up behind a drunk driver on my way back from Houston. Person was weaving back and forth among 3 lanes and spent a significant amount of time with the lines in the middle of the vehicle. I went over about 5 lanes to get around him/her. I did not want to be stuck behind that if the idiot caused an accident.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Zanne, next time call the hwy patrol and report them. I've done it before early in the morning heading to deer camp.


----------



## havasu

As a retired cop, we use to love receiving calls from motorists about drunk drivers. It made for an easy report explaining the reason for the traffic stop. I also stopped a motorist because someone called 911 to report a probable drunk driver. Instead, this driver was suffering a diabetic seizure, and could have easily died if the motorist didn't report him. That 911 caller saved a life.


----------



## Rusty

Havasu, I have one for you. One of my neighbors saw someone breaking into a house and called police. When they showed up, they told her there was nothing they could do. Before they could arrest them the house needed "No Trespassing" signs. Unreal, huh?


----------



## havasu

Burglary is defined as the entering a structure to commit grand theft, petty theft, or any other felony. This is a statute that is in all 50 states, so either it was not a burglary, or the cops didn't do what they took the oath to do. In any case, an investigation needs to occur. I hate dirty and lazy cops.


----------



## Rusty

I had to explain to one of the local cops what historical tags are on an old truck I had.


----------



## zannej

oldog, I would have called if I hadn't been driving. I asked my mother to call, but she didn't feel like it and we couldn't see the license plate #. I couldn't safely get close enough to see it. I need to get my eyes checked to update the prescription lenses for my glasses. I have called hwy patrol on people before when someone else was driving-- one time the bad driver was in a Department of Public Safety vehicle. 

Havasu, we have a lot of inept and lazy cops around here. I think part of it is lack of training. They are pretty bad about committing traffic violations themselves-- parking in fire lanes, going through red lights, not using indicators, etc. Almost all of the new vehicles they got are messed up because they crashed them due to bad driving. We also have quite a few morbidly obese cops who get winded just walking down the hallways of the police station. That said, the cops were very nice to me when the chick ran the red light and hit my rental.

I don't know why, but Rusty having to explain historical tags to a cop reminded me of the time my father had to explain what the qualifier "or" meant to the school board here. They didn't understand that "or" and "and" were not the same thing.

Meanwhile, my brother just had his training for shift-lead at Pizza Hut. He's only been there a few months is already getting a promotion. And I get free drinks whenever I'm at Pizza Hut. I was trying to order something online while sitting in Pizza Hut (because the website deals are better than the walk-in ones) and my brother's boss said to just show him the deal on my phone and he would put it into the system for me. His boss is also really cool about him taking days off if he's sick or like the time he needed the day off to go to Houston with us.


----------



## havasu

Speaking of ordering online...I flew to Nashville, Tenn for a wedding a few years ago, I needed to rent a car for 4 days but figured there would be so many available that I didn't book ahead. I went to Hertz and said I needed a car. She told me the price was $149 a day just for a compact car. I asked her why it was so expensive and she replied that I didn't have reservations. She told me, "I know you have a smart phone. Step away from the counter and call this number and book a car online." Within two minutes, I booked the car, returned back to the clerk, and got the same car for $19 a day. 

To keep inline with the thread, I hopefully will acid etch the garage today in preparation for the epoxy flooring, which I will do sometime this week.


----------



## Rusty

Splitting and stacking wood again.


----------



## Chris

I'm looking for a headache rack and new tool box and fuel tank for the new truck. these people think I am made of money.


----------



## havasu

Are you referring to the bed mounted fuel tank? Do you put the red diesel in it?


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris, check on Craigslist before you buy new.


----------



## havasu

Just finished scrubbing out the garage with two coats of citric acid, then a strong solution of muriatic acid to really etch the concrete. It is pouring rain right now so hopefully all the rain will dilute the acid etching before scarring my driveway.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Took the head and footboard off my oldest daughters baby bed and made a headboard. Used strut to make runners along the back at the top and bottom. Repurposed!


----------



## havasu

This thread is worthless without pics....


----------



## Chris

Checked CL but only a few and not what I want.

Yes transfer tank for red dye diesel.


----------



## odorf

Chris said:


> Checked CL but only a few and not what I want.
> 
> Yes transfer tank for red dye diesel.



tractor supply is where i got the best deal on my last tank

what do you use to tie your pipe down on the rack?

i use a ratchet strap. 

also install wire mesh in the front of the pipe rack, to stop oh oh's like pipe flying off when some idiot stops short in front of you


----------



## Chris

On his truck there will only be a headache rack so the occasional pipe laid on it and the tailgate. I don't haul much pipe anymore. I use a ratcher strap or ten mil tape. Tractor supply ha the tank I want so I will probably grab it tomorrow.


----------



## Rusty

My MIL was life-flighted to a Joplin hospital this morning. She has pneumonia, they think.


----------



## zannej

It's a good thing I saw a "headache rack" in listings when I was looking for accessories for my truck or else I would have no idea what it was. LOL. I'm thinking of getting one just-in-case. I'm also wondering if it is possible to upgrade my truck to have blind-spot camera functioning. I was reading that some of the CR-Vs have the blind spot cameras. I have to say that I absolutely love the backup camera on my truck.

Rusty, I'm sorry to hear that. I hope she will be ok. Pneumonia is awful. :-(


----------



## havasu

Prayers being sent Rusty!


----------



## oldognewtrick

More prayers Rusty.


----------



## Rusty

Thanks. Haven't heard much yet. I had to stay home and run things here.


----------



## Chris

Tested out the new truck today. 

View attachment image.jpg


----------



## havasu

Must go fast at an angle like that.


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> Must go fast at an angle like that.



Gravity helps....


----------



## Rusty

I knew the Earth was flat.


----------



## Chris

You guys didn't know I lived on the vertical side of the earth?


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> You guys didn't know I lived on the vertical side of the earth?



I wrongfully assumed you came from the darkside of the moon...my mistake...


----------



## zannej

I discovered a bit of plastic broken on my truck that wasn't broken when we first looked at it (but might have been broken when the dealership took it to wash it).






It's the plastic around one of the lights that shines up toward the license plate and I think it also provides light for the backup camera. Not sure what the part is called, but I want to get it replaced.

I get to go talk to the insurance company and Hertz tomorrow about Hertz trying to charge the credit card-- they want to charge $40 per day until they replace the vehicle that got totaled. I could see them doing that if we had caused the accident-- but 1. My insurance company covers those things and 2. It's ultimately on the heads of the insurance company for the other driver who caused the accident. So, we told our credit card company that the charge was under dispute and refused to authorize it. We already paid them for 10 days of use we didn't get.
It's already going to be a pain to get reimbursed for things we've paid for out-of-pocket like doctor's visit, medicine, 2nd rental vehicle, fee to get the police report, etc.
I'm ready to tell Hertz to take a long walk off a short pier considering the way they handled things after the accident. I gave them all of the pertinent information weeks ago. 

We decided that Ridgey sounds close enough to Reggie so the truck is now being called Reggie.


----------



## havasu

I epoxied my garage yesterday. 

View attachment 020216a.jpg


View attachment 020216b.jpg


View attachment 020216c.jpg


View attachment 020216d.jpg


View attachment 020216e.jpg


----------



## oldognewtrick

Bah-Hum-Bug......


----------



## Rusty

Drove to Joplin Mo. today. My MIL had a heart cath. Said her heart was in good shape. Had to laugh, he wanted to know if she was active. A few weeks ago she loaded 80 lb. bags of Quikcrete in a wheel barrow, mixed them and patched holes in her driveway.


----------



## havasu

Good to hear Rusty.


----------



## Rusty

Went to the grandfather/granddaughter dance last night. Had a blast.
My great granddaughter was also there with her grandfather.


----------



## havasu

Sure would like to see pics of that Rusty!


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> Sure would like to see pics of that Rusty!



Should have some soon. A local photog took some and is supposed to put them on her FB page.


----------



## Rusty

here you go 

View attachment DSC02949 (3).jpg


----------



## oldognewtrick

That's a memory that will last a lifetime Rusty. &#128077;


----------



## havasu

Or until he forgets?


----------



## zannej

Aww. That is sweet, Rusty.

Yesterday was my brother's birthday so we took a friend and went to Best Buy to get a case for his chromebook, went to Hanas for dinner, picked up a cake from Sams, and then went to Pizza Hut to share the cake with his co-workers. They came out and sang Happy Birthday to him and we had a nice time.

I think I may have finally heard the last from those idiots at Hertz. I had to e-mail, tweet, and call to tell them to stop calling me and that not only do I not have their vehicle or the keys, but I want my deposit back for the days I didn't have use of the vehicle. They said they would do that and give me something in writing. I'm still waiting.

Then the claims agent for the other driver called and was trying to tell me that I need to have the medical claim part wrapped up by the end of this month-- right after I told him the doctor said it could take 2 months for me to recover. I told him I'm not wrapping it up until I'm fully recovered. I have a followup appointment with my doctor in 3 weeks. Last appointment he prescribed meds specifically for pain (the first stuff was for inflammation) and he noted that I have bilateral spasms in my torso and back. The pain meds really haven't seemed to do much. Which reminds me, I need to go to the store and pick up my cholesterol meds today.

It was very windy the other day and the damage to the roof from the tree falling is starting to expand. I'm going to need to find a roofing contractor to come look at it and figure out how much it will cost to fix it. I think I'll stop by the local hardware store and ask about that after I drop my brother off for work today.

I'll try to get some pics of the damage when I get back from dropping him off (if I can remember).

On the bright side, the tree people cleaned the dead leaves off of the roof when they were cutting the branches.


----------



## Rusty

Listened to my 11 year old grandson and his 10 year old girlfriend plan their wedding. It's funny. But they have liked each other for a couple years.


----------



## havasu

Uh oh buddy. Kids of today are a bit more foreword than we were.


----------



## zannej

Went to see the Deadpool movie last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. Ate at Logan's restaurant but wasn't very impressed. I felt sorry for one of the waiters-- he was busting his hump to serve a table of 20 (birthday party) and they didn't even leave a tiip-- not even a single dollar. Our waitress was not very good and we had to ask other wait staff for stuff, they forgot some of our food, forgot stuff that was supposed to go on our food (partially a snafu in the kitchen I guess) and it took forever to get refills. The other waiter went and got us stuff a few times, but he said that our waitress was new and was just trying to get the hang of things. She was very nice at least. We chatted with the other waiter for awhile because we were waiting for our waitress to bring some stuff to us-- and because we were concerned that he didn't get any tip. I was with friends and we all chipped in to tip him -- he was saying it was ok and we didn't need to because he's used to that kind of stuff happening. We ended up with a free dessert because of some of the messups on the order. I prefer the food at Texas roadhouse though.

Today I took my brother in and he was supposed to get a lift to go tow the lemon he just bought- a 95 GMC Sierra 1500 that can't currently be driven. The former owner is a 19-year-old kid who just got diagnosed with stage 3 cancer in his lymph nodes (kid found out the day my brother was purchasing the truck from him). Anyway, the guy who was supposed to take him was too busy today and will have to pick another day to go. But we chatted with him while he was working on his truck. He was trying to put a new (used) manifold in his truck but it was cracked. Fortunately he had another manifold lying around outside. I took his nephew to autozone to get some parts for him.

This is a shot of just part of his yard from the driveway.





He's a big fan of Elvis music





I also discovered my truck has a DVD player mounted under the driver's seat. I need to get a better picture. It looks like it is hooked up to power, but I don't know if it ties in to the navigation screen or what-- or how to operate it.


----------



## Rusty

70s and 45 mph winds today. strange winter.


----------



## Rusty

"What did I do today?' Nothing, but I didn't get done so I'll finish it tomorrow.


----------



## havasu

Mama said she was tired of seeing our bedroom tv on the chest, so I bought a wall mount for it. Way cleaner. 

Also picked up another small rolling cabinet for the garage that fits under my workbench. I can now store all my paints and gas can out of view. The top of the cabinet is butcherblock and will be a great place to set up my compound miter saw when needed.


----------



## mustanggarage

havasu said:


> Mama said she was tired of seeing our bedroom tv on the chest, so I bought a wall mount for it. Way cleaner.
> 
> Also picked up another small rolling cabinet for the garage that fits under my workbench. I can now store all my paints and gas can out of view. The top of the cabinet is butcherblock and will be a great place to set up my compound miter saw when needed.



where are the pics?


----------



## havasu

I know. This thread is worthless without pics.


----------



## Chris

948894894984894 

View attachment 303625_504783032884482_1990540994_n.jpg


View attachment 391253_452349564797113_1503715273_n.jpg


View attachment monkey gun.jpg


View attachment plug.jpg


View attachment Chris phone pics 053.jpg


----------



## mustanggarage

nice pics!!!!!!!


----------



## oldognewtrick

mustanggarage said:


> where are the pics?



I don't know about asking for bedroom pics here...we are a family site...


----------



## Chris

I put my amp research tailgate step on my truck today. 

View attachment image.jpg


----------



## Chris

And since the site won't let me post more than one pic from my phone. 

View attachment image.jpg


----------



## zannej

I get to take Mom to the doctor for a checkup today and also consult my insurance company about the recall on my truck's driver front airbag. Fun times.


----------



## Rusty

I would like to see a recall on a couple people I know who are clearly defective.


----------



## odorf

zannej said:


> I get to take Mom to the doctor for a checkup today and also consult my insurance company about the recall on my truck's driver front airbag. Fun times.




I dont have the link,  google it

check vin # to see if recall has been fixed


----------



## zannej

I checked the vin and it says mine has an active recall. Insurance agent had no idea what to do about it.

The good news is, it seems that it is mostly the older vehicles that are having the problem because it takes time for the gas for the airbag to degrade. I just have to hold out until they get the replacement in around June or July. I'm guessing I'll be lucky if they have it by August around here.

I went to U-Pull-It-Auto and helped my brother find some parts for his "new" truck. He couldn't drive it because the driver seat was stuck and he couldn't get it to back up (the motor for the powered seat was dead). So for $40 he got a non-powered seat out of a junker. Also got a center console, miscellaneous trim pieces, and a radiator cap. Headed back and helped my bro get a license plate (day before I took him to get registration and insurance), went to the doctor for checkup, then got a new battery and mirror glass for bro's truck. He's been driving it so I can rest. Good thing because I have a sinus infection and it sucks.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Saturday I replaced the front drivers 4wheel hub on my F-350, the old one was whining. Took it for a test ride and the whine was gone but I heard an awful grinding in the rear. back to NAPA and I told Brian I felt a compulsive need to throw some more hundred dollar bills at him. New calipers, caliper brackets, rotors, pads and brake fluid....somebody make it stop...


----------



## odorf

oldognewtrick said:


> Saturday I replaced the front drivers 4wheel hub on my F-350, the old one was whining. Took it for a test ride and the whine was gone but I heard an awful grinding in the rear. back to NAPA and I told Brian I felt a compulsive need to throw some more hundred dollar bills at him. New calipers, caliper brackets, rotors, pads and brake fluid....somebody make it stop...



do you do a lot of 4 wheeling in mud ?

after 4 wheeling,  pull rims,  pressure wash hubs and brakes

the mud is hell on that stuff, you get pebbles stuck between pad and rotor

mud and sand IS sand paper just grinding away in their


----------



## oldognewtrick

Not a lot of 4X time. Mostly city and highway travel. 340k on the clock its due for something to fubar. Cant believe how much better it drives.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Put a new set if headlights in the old F350. What's a difference they make. 

View attachment image.jpg


----------



## havasu

They must have cost a pretty penny. Did you try using the headlight refinishing stuff? I just waxed my car and was amazed at how much better they look just by applying wax and buffing them out.


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> They must have cost a pretty penny. Did you try using the headlight refinishing stuff? I just waxed my car and was amazed at how much better they look just by applying wax and buffing them out.



The old ones were pretty beat up and I wanted the clear turn signals like the newer models. $109.00 plus shipping.


----------



## havasu

That's alot cheaper than I expected. Obviously an aftermarket and not from the dealer?


----------



## oldognewtrick

You are correct.


----------



## Chris

Ebay/Amazon special. They have gotten a lot better over the years. I put tow mirrors on my old ram 2500 from Ebay, thought they were gonna be made of cheap plastic but I was wrong. I can't tell them from the original.


----------



## oldognewtrick

The more I think about it, the more I want Havasu's job.....


----------



## Chris

You and me both.


----------



## havasu

What job? I went out to Havasu to clean up. Hasn't been used in months. Cbris, you need to come out here. It is,beautiful. Tom, you're welcome one as well. Just a,long drive from Tennessee 

View attachment 20160310_140042.jpg


----------



## oldognewtrick

I'll hook the ole mule up to the buckboard and start making my way within the next fortnight.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Ooop, looks like the mule died, guess we wont be able to make it...


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> What job? I went out to Havasu to clean up. Hasn't been used in months. Cbris, you need to come out here. It is,beautiful. Tom, you're welcome one as well. Just a,long drive from Tennessee



What does that woman see in you?


----------



## Rusty

My wife came home Wednesday after 5 weeks of taking care of her mother. Last night she headed over to babysit grandkids until Monday.


----------



## havasu

Dayn Rusty, obviously not what your wife sees in you!


----------



## zannej

Great pic, Havasu!

I am recovering from the trip to Texas yesterday. Brought along my mechanic friend to the dealership this time and he seemed to have helped inspire my mother to have some more backbone on dealing with the people-- plus, she regretted letting the last dealership step on her and was willing to put up more of a fight.

We arrived a few hours earlier than expected-- I didn't think I'd get everyone out of the house before 6:30am, but everyone got up and I had packed up stuff we would need the night before. Snacks, sugared drink in case mom got low blood sugar, peanutbutter, water, blanket, etc.

I'll post more about the experience in the thread about the vehicle. It's a 2013 Honda CR-V EX-L with bug guard on front, towing package (no ball though), side molding, spoiler over back hatch, some sort of extra molding thing near the moon roof, etc.

The short version is that the dealer tried to charge us over $600 more than it should have cost for the vehicle with all doc fees and taxes. 

We refused to pay that and ended up with the right price. Salesman probably got into trouble and finance guy was not too happy. Although sales guy was happy to make the sale a stayed friendly.

Got home around midnight and racked out. Now I'm looking for accessories for it. Thinking of replacing the stock antenna with one that looks like a shark fin. Maybe some chrome rocker trim, pillar post trim, etc... First we need to get something useful like all-weather mats though. Trying to decide between Husky mats and Maxliner.


----------



## oldognewtrick

6" lift and 35's?


----------



## Rusty

Went to the shop and picked up my riding mower. Drove it home. Only a few blocks.


----------



## zannej

Walked out of the Chinese place and saw this on my truck:





LOL!

And here's the latest addition to my "garage"


----------



## oldognewtrick

Got a call from my daughter tonight that her grandpa, my ex-father in law passed away today after having a heart cath. He was a great guy znd a good friend. I drink a beer tonight in his honor. We shared a few over the years and had a lot of great times. To you Steve. Hope your next journey is as rewarding as your life was.


----------



## zannej

oldognewtrick said:


> Got a call from my daughter tonight that her grandpa, my ex-father in law passed away today after having a heart cath. He was a great guy znd a good friend. I drink a beer tonight in his honor. We shared a few over the years and had a lot of great times. To you Steve. Hope your next journey is as rewarding as your life was.



Sorry to hear that.  :-(


----------



## odorf

oldognewtrick said:


> Got a call from my daughter tonight that her grandpa, my ex-father in law passed away today after having a heart cath. He was a great guy znd a good friend. I drink a beer tonight in his honor. We shared a few over the years and had a lot of great times. To you Steve. Hope your next journey is as rewarding as your life was.



sorry for your loss,   RIP Mr Steve,  Your memories will live on in the minds of those that loved and respected you


----------



## Rusty

zannej said:


> Walked out of the Chinese place and saw this on my truck:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> LOL!
> 
> And here's the latest addition to my "garage"



saw a bumper sticker on a truck at a Chinese restaurant. " so many cats, so few recipes."


----------



## zannej

Rusty said:


> saw a bumper sticker on a truck at a Chinese restaurant. " so many cats, so few recipes."


LOL!

So, I probably mentioned that when I went to download the dealer photos of my vehicle, I discovered that they had listed it for $999 less than they said their sale price was when I got there. Looked it up and legally if they advertised it for a certain price even if the customer was not aware of the drop and already purchased it, they have to honor that lower price.

Been trying to get in touch with the dealership on it and got told the supervisor went home for the day and will call me back Monday-- but now my landline went out so I can't make or receive calls. I'm going to have to call them on my cellphone if it isn't fixed by 10am Monday.


----------



## oldognewtrick

I got a call this morning from the doctors office about a blood test they did last week. First time there in over 12 years. Everything was good except that I'm borderline diabetic. Suggested a low carb diet and exercise. Everything I like is packed with carbs. Pasta, white bread, potatoes, candy, heck even grape Koolaid that I'm addicted to....Guess it's time to start looking at healthier alternatives. This is why I hate going to the doctor. Oh yeah, forgot the skin cancer doctor and trip to see the keeper of the silver stallion. Guess someone has a Porsche payment due.


----------



## Chris

Try having Celiacs and liking everything you can't eat. I live with a tore up stomach.


----------



## havasu

I walked 7.66 miles, or actually 12,929 steps today. Now to indulge in a huge birthday dinner for my G/F!


----------



## Chris

I walked about 50 steps today.


----------



## havasu

I wish I could find a diet consisting of just pasta, bread, butter and potatoes. I'd be on that like stink on poo-poo.


----------



## Chris

Thats the diet I am on, I'll let you know how it works out.


----------



## zannej

I took one of my cats to the vet because he had a suppurating abscess on his abdomen and needed antibiotics. Then I went to the post office and store. Hung out with my best friend while he was at work and went to grab him some food. Ate at the Chinese place with my brother. Other than that, the day was uneventful.

The vet had a funny sign up. It said something like Pets love our vets "I shih tzu not."


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> I walked 7.66 miles, or actually 12,929 steps today. Now to indulge in a huge birthday dinner for my G/F!



I just use the remote for the TV.


----------



## havasu

Dinner was great. Went to Paul martin's restaurant for the G/F's birthday dinner. They have a Monday night special. Two dinners, two salads, and share a bottle of wine, for $50!


----------



## Rusty

We had pulled pork, baked potato, bbq beans and homemade bread last night. Cost me $35.


----------



## Chris

I had leftover mexican from camping, cost me nothing.


----------



## havasu

What was the Mexican's name?


----------



## Chris

Juan................


----------



## zannej

I went over to my friend's trailer early in the morning to help him patch a hole in the floor. I donated a scrap piece of plywood and brought my Matrix toolkit. We had to make a couple of runs to the hardware store to get some things, but ended up getting the floor patched. I mostly just handed him stuff and held things in place and helped him figure out how to do some things. I picked up food again and took his girlfriend to work.

Then Mom called me and wanted me to come home and help her with something. I waited 'til my brother got there to help out. He was supposed to bring my tools home, but he forgot. If my stuff gets stolen, I'll be pretty pissed off. My friend's girlfriend was going to let some of the new neighbors borrow my tools, but I said "no". I don't know them and the last time she let someone I didn't know borrow my stuff (without my permission), I never got it back. I really hope nobody breaks in and steals the stuff. If it wasn't so late, I'd ask my friend to meet me over there so I can pick my stuff up tonight.


----------



## Rusty

I never loan tools anymore. They don't come back or if they do they are broken.


----------



## havasu

I'm still frosted when my G/F's son in law borrowed my table saw. Went over there unannounced and saw him hammering the fence to adjust it rather than loosening, because he didn't know what the fence lever was for. It was so bad after he got done with it that I threw it away.


----------



## Rusty

I bought some cheap sockets on a FB bid site yesterday. They are for when the kids want to borrow some. I don't loan  my Snap-on.


----------



## zannej

I will let my best friend borrow stuff, but I like to be there with him when he's using it and then take it home. But my brother had left my mother home alone and she wanted me to come home and my friend was still using the tools. He has been good about taking care of my stuff-- but his girlfriend, not so much. 

Not only does she break stuff, but she has loaned (and in one case sold) my stuff to other people without asking me.

When I borrow someone's stuff, I'm extra careful with it and I don't let anyone else use it.


----------



## Chris

I'm packing to go turkey hunting.


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> I'm packing to go turkey hunting.


I know where my stepson is.


----------



## havasu

I thought you weren't going to go Chris?

Also, where is Rusty's new promotion accolades?


----------



## Chris

I am still on the fence. I want to go but I am also lazy and don't want load my trailer and drive six hours each way.


----------



## Admin

Shoot a turkey at the store and take it home?   Do you have to drive to a different state to do your turkey hunting?


----------



## Chris

Same state. California is tall. My buddy owns a bunch of land where we go.  I am contemplating backing out on this trip again. I look at my property and I have so much to do I shouldn't be leaving.


----------



## Chris

Chris said:


> I'm packing to go turkey hunting.



And then I didn't go. Woke up with my daughters cold and said screw it.


----------



## havasu

Let's get that jeep running. Wear long sleeves to use as a snot rag.


----------



## Chris

It should be movingby saturday afternoon as long as I can hold off this cold. I need to put rear springs and shackles on it and a gas tank skid and new trailer hitch. Need to replace a slave cylinder on the rear axle and cut and weld up some new driveshafts. Then I need to clean the carb since it has been sitting for a few years it wont start now. After all that I need to pull the carpet the rest of the way out and weld in some unibody parts I took out of the donor jeep to be able to mount the new seats properly. Then put it all back together and test drive it.  am sure I will have another complete list after that of stuff to do. I need to find a front diff cap that fits, I lost the original somewhere. Or I have to drain and pull the diff cover off and toss on a different one.


----------



## zannej

Hope you get feeling better soon, Chris.

Power company came by to put in a new meter box this morning. I had no warning and my computer got shut off.

Then they discovered that all of the power surges had fried something in their meter box and they couldn't leave the power on without risking a short that could create a fire. They also said my crape mertle tree was too close to the wires and they wanted it cut down. So, we had to wait for some guys to cut down the trees (leaving the debris in the yard) and then for the electricians to arrive to replace the box and then they had to call the power company back to have them come turn the power back on. Power was out for several hours.

I went into town to pick up mail and was hoping to pick up 2015 tax forms for my state because even though we paid for the H&R block tax forms for state, it wouldn't let us file electronically, the software kept erasing the data we entered into certain fields-- causing the end results to be incorrect so the printouts weren't right, we couldn't get just the blank forms to print, and the post office no longer carries tax forms. I went to the library only to find it is closed for construction. H&R block office only has forms on computer and say they are not affiliated with the online software stuff. So, I'm trying to figure out where the hell to get the forms.

On the way back home, I saw the poor electricians had broken down on the side of the road. They said they had a tow truck coming to get them.

One of the electricians was cracking me up because he said "Oh My Godzilla!" instead of "Oh My God". He substituted with "Godzilla" every time.

My cow wanted to play with all of the new visitors, so I had to stand around singing her a lullaby and petting her (which I did when she was little) to distract her.


----------



## zannej

I pulled my lower back so hard it made a loud POP noise and could barely walk to make it to my bed. Hurts all the way through my pelvis and hips. I'm using an ice pack (which my brother brought me when he got home from work) and I took several pain meds, but it's still sucking. 
I just had to grab my pantleg and pull to get my legs close enough to pull my socks off. Bleh.


----------



## Rusty

Bought another pump BB gun on FB for $10 today. I always start my grandkids shooting on them.


----------



## zannej

Rusty, hope your grandkids have fun with the BB gun.

I ended up going to the ER and wasting over 4 hours. I think they thought I was a drug addict there to score pain meds. They didn't even do the x-rays til almost 7am and I got there around 4am. They made me pee in a cup (claiming they wanted to make sure I wasn't pregnant) before they would even do an x-ray-- but they waited an hour to ask me to do that and then it took another hour for the results. Then I didn't get out of there until almost 9 and when I mentioned I had started having chest pains, they said they weren't going to treat me. Said "We can't treat you here if you're having chest pain." Nevermind that another guy had just come in with chest pain. 

They said essentially what happened was that a ligament must have snagged somehow and then pulled like an elastic band and snapped back down on my muscles, causing them to bruise (which is what accounted for the POP noise my mother heard). 

I was given one pill that they claimed was a narcotic but it did absolutely nothing. The prescribed 800mg of Ibuprofen and some muscle relaxant. Good thing I still had some stuff left over from the car accident. I've been taking the Tramdol every 4 hours.

Got a heating pad on my lower back and am trying to not stress my back.


----------



## Chris

Today I went out and bought a new pump and hosing for my water trailer since the thieves figured they wanted it more than us. I am welding it on this time.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> Today I went out and bought a new pump and hosing for my water trailer since the thieves figured they wanted it more than us. I am welding it on this time.



Still think it's time for a big, mean, hungry dog.


----------



## Rusty

I let it be known here that I shoot trespassers and have had no problem since.


----------



## Chris

I welded the motor in this time. At least they will have to make more noise to get this one. 

View attachment image.jpg


----------



## Rusty

Cutting grass. My yard and my daughter's yard.


----------



## Chris

Paving 800 feet of trench. 

View attachment image.jpg


----------



## Rusty

Must be thick or it would run down toward the truck laying on its side.


----------



## Chris

You would be more impressed if you knew how I got this roller to not fall off.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> You would be more impressed if you knew how I got this roller to not fall off.



Some things we're better off not knowing...


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Delicate eye surgery in progress.  Electric motor armatures cleaned, new brushes, bearings cleaned and lubed ( even though they are bronze ) assembled with stops adjusted.  Not your ten minute headlamp adjustment. 

View attachment IMG_2191.jpg


----------



## ME87

Broke my backup bike this morning





Had to hike out 3 miles and I didn't want to get passed by my riding buddies and I had a good lead so I did a lot of running with the bike and dead sticking the downhills. Made it back with about 10 min to spare.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Cut and debranched ( new word ) the winters fallen trees. Four hours with the chainsaw and I'm ready for a nap.  Good thing there was a loader operator position open.
* Does anyone else hate this stupid spell check ?????  Changes words at random.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

ME87 said:


> Broke my backup bike this morning
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Had to hike out 3 miles and I didn't want to get passed by my riding buddies and I had a good lead so I did a lot of running with the bike and dead sticking the downhills. Made it back with about 10 min to spare.



The chain looks a bit lonely straggling behind.  You need the super competition roller bearing nylon fluted full floating carriers attached by titanium supports. Available with an extended life time warranty giving you a commitment of four trouble free  years. 
 * Not available in states having a riding season of  three or more months.


----------



## ME87

Yeah, my other bike has a nice hollow pin KMC. I'm not sure what happened here. Probably only has about 500 miles on it and I wasn't even getting crazy when it happened.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Went shopping at a local salvage yard today for 63 parts.  Prices are reasonable and getting hard to find for 50 plus year old transports.  Sale pending on some, hope to trade extras for additional accessories.  Early BelAir ,  Biscayne two door sedan values are rising quickly, many with one year only pieces. Buyers must have run out of Camaros and Chevelles. 

View attachment IMG_2208.jpg


----------



## Rusty

Gonna rain all day tomorrow, so took my wife out to do what she wanted today. We went to the range and shot, then to yard sales. Tough life.


----------



## Chris

Yard work and watching the girls while momma is out with friends


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Yesterday it was sand, scrape, and paint day.  Received this old cabinet from a friend that was tossing it into a dumpster.  My son has a woodworking area in his garage so I thought this would be a great feature to hold the fasteners.  Besides it was free and I have left over paint. Last of the big spenders. 

View attachment IMG_2213.jpg


View attachment IMG_2215.jpg


----------



## Rusty

Got a message today, my best friend since age 5 passed away in his sleep last night. He was 67.


----------



## Chris

Sorry to hear.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Sorry to hear Rusty, that's a long time to have a good friend. You got to share more years than most folks do. 67 is way to young.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Most work too late in life to have a great retirement.  I agree 67 is young.  Plan ahead and leave at 55. ( or sooner ) That was my plan, and it worked out fantastic..  Too many things to do than stick around waiting for the national average. Besides one needs time to spend those deferred savings.  Paying off the college tuitions, books, housing, new cars and sending them into the work force with no bills came first.


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> Sorry to hear Rusty, that's a long time to have a good friend. You got to share more years than most folks do. 67 is way to young.



He had a good life. He was married for over 40 years, had kids and grandkids.


----------



## Rusty

Had a neighbor give me an 18 hp Craftsman lawn tractor today. It runs. Need to see what all repairs it will take to make it completely usable. Another project.


----------



## ME87

Turn it into a racing lawn mower? 

http://www.g-team.us/assets/08 CP.JPG


----------



## Rusty

ME87 said:


> Turn it into a racing lawn mower?
> 
> http://www.g-team.us/assets/08 CP.JPG



It has a Kohler motor, ugh.


----------



## oldognewtrick

http://www.ssbtractor.com/wwwboard/view_all.cgi?bd=lawn&msg=14875


----------



## havasu

And I thought Kohler only made toilets?


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Trimming around Maple & Balsam trees removing and replacing wire enclosures.  Darn Deer like to eat new buds.


----------



## Chris

Did some office work now to go clean up the property a little. Dad is visiting and now aunt and uncle are coming for a week, wife is leaving for a few days and father in law is staying with us while he is working for me. We have a house full. I made a full hookup campsite on the property so that is helping.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> Did some office work now to go clean up the property a little. Dad is visiting and now aunt and uncle are coming for a week, wife is leaving for a few days and father in law is staying with us while he is working for me. We have a house full. I made a full hookup campsite on the property so that is helping.



So, I guess this isn't a good weekend to pop in?


----------



## Chris

Come on over.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Road Trip!!!

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMiXWKJQPEQ[/ame]


----------



## havasu

What time will the food be served?


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Finally get to take the doors off the tractor cab. Let the grass grow !!! 

View attachment IMG_1053.jpg


----------



## Chris

havasu said:


> What time will the food be served?



Sometime in the afternoon.



StingRayCaretaker said:


> Finally get to take the doors off the tractor cab. Let the grass grow !!!



I didn't know there was cabs for those lawn tractors? That's pretty neat.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

There are for some models.  I built this one.  The only ones available for this model JD were canvas.  For a few more dollars, steel, tempered glass, with a place for the heater, radio, wiper, and fan.


----------



## havasu

Enough said! 

View attachment 1463093770850-1471478999.jpg


----------



## oldognewtrick

I see Chris is taking pictures for you. ....&#128521;


----------



## Chris

Tomorrow is gonna suck. Worked all day today, have to work with night crew all night and then have to be on another job by 7am.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

havasu said:


> Enough said!



Snow flakes in the forecast for Saturday.  Don't think I will be relaxing by a pool.......


----------



## Rusty

40s here in the AM. Still going to gun range.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

34 Degrees with possible sun ?  I hope its not stuck somewhere.  Blast a few rays to the mid west......... please.


----------



## ME87

Took the T to the "All Ford Club Breakfast" in Tucson today. 





Took the wife on her first 20 mile mountain bike ride yesterday. No complaints on her end and she road the whole trail except for about 10 feet of one hill.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

oooooooooooo


----------



## Chris

Today I am looking at buying an RV to replace my Toy Hauler since I don't use the toy hauler part of it much and it is big and bulky. An RV will do better since I am usually taking my boat or jeep with me somewhere, it will get rid of having to take two trucks all the time.


----------



## havasu

I went and saw 'The Who' last night. What a great show. I believe I got a contact high from all the pot in the air. 

View attachment 20160522_204304_resized.jpg


View attachment 20160522_205121_resized.jpg


View attachment 20160522_205255_resized.jpg


View attachment 20160522_205313_resized.jpg


----------



## Rusty

Went and played "pin cushion" at the Drs. today.


----------



## zannej

Went to the high school graduation of my cousin's oldest child on Saturday-- had to drive 4 hours to get there, but my uncle was visiting from Virginia as well. My cousin's kids were all homeschooled but they are part of an association. Around 2,000 people generally show up for the graduations (family and friends). The ages of the graduates ranged from 14 to 18. Each student was allowed to put up a display in the lobby (it was held at a giant church in Woodlands, TX) showing pictures as well as things they made or things that represent their interests. 

My cousin's daughter likes to sew and design costumes so one piece she made was up with pics and stuff. There were booklets handed out that contained the names of all of the students as well as some messages they wanted to share about themselves and a list of their achievements and interests. They varied from things like computer game design, biochemistry, cooking, design, rocket science, business, hotel management, teaching, etc. The choir sang three songs and they were very good. The first student speaker was very intelligent and funny-- he mentioned Batman AND Yoda so he scored points with me. 

Instead of having a principal hand out diplomas, they had the students line up on one side and the parents on the other. There was video up on giant screens that would display the name of the students and play a 30 second audio blurb while showing pictures of the students throughout the years. They also got to pick their own "theme music" for their videos. So some had rap, some had gospel, some had silly songs, and my cousin's girl had the theme song to Tron. 

She threw in something about chimichangas (sp?) from the Deadpool movie at the end. After the video, the parents met up with their children in the middle of the stage, hugged them, and gave them their diplomas. The audience members in front of us were either former graduates or just friends/family of the graduates and they were adding some amusing commentary throughout. 

My cousin was worried that we would be bored or think it was too weird, but I actually enjoyed it. It was really nice to see so many intelligent young people who had such passion for learning and hopes for the future.

After the ceremony they had refreshments in an adjacent hall (same building). They had little mini slices of pie, brownies, puff pastries, celery, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, crackers and cheese, and strawberries. The strawberries and tomatoes were very good.

Afterward we went to CiCis pizza and my brother wore his Pizza Hut hat inside. Then it was back to my cousin's house to watch her daughter open her graduation gifts (I didn't even realize that gift-giving was a thing for graduations). Someone gave her a Darth Vader card that played little sound clips from the Star Wars movies whenever the card was opened. Then we watched a slideshow of about 500 pictures and chatted. I think it was after 10pm when we finally left and headed home.

The next kid will be graduating in 2 years and we've been invited back for that one when it comes.

I know I'm babbling a lot, but it really was great to see my cousin and her family. My uncle was tired from his flight, but I got him to tell me about his garden a little bit. He's growing some brandywine tomatoes and some blue potatoes. He's also trying to figure out a way to make nests for pollinating bees. He took a class on that apparently. He's a master gardener.

Anyway, sorry I haven't popped in for awhile. 

TL: DR? I had a fun trip.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

[ooooooooooo


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

oooooooooooooo


----------



## Chris

It was played from their nursing home room.

I bought an RV today. Got an older diesel pusher that was babied from day one with a CAT 330 in it, hopefully it lasts me some time.


----------



## zannej

I got to play pincushion today-- it actually didn't hurt this time when they took my blood. That will probably help for the next time I need blood drawn. The previous time I was very anxious, but the nurse at my doctor's office is very sweet and she hummed a song to distract me while she was taking blood. She also held the needle still-- one of the reasons I started to hate getting blood drawn was because I had a nurse who would not hold the needle still once it was in. She was chewing gum and just wasn't being careful.

Chris, sounds cool! Any pics?


----------



## Chris

Here are some. 

View attachment 00C0C_2A1zGUdpuEO_600x450.jpg


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## Chris

Few more...... 

View attachment 00C0C_lv68wqQC3El_600x450.jpg


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## Chris

Last couple.... 

View attachment 00o0o_1tHeycxV616_600x450.jpg


View attachment 00Z0Z_Fvd1Hv8dTC_600x450.jpg


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----------



## Rusty

Well the Dr. office called at 5 55 last night and left a message. I had got tired of waiting. Said to call them at 8 am. I did, left a message and have heard nothing. It's almost 4 pm.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

oooooooooo


----------



## havasu

I'd like to know more about the motorhome. Where did you find it? Did you look long? I've been tempted to search some old folk's mobile home parks in the area looking for a class A diesel pusher. I think it would be fun to travel around the country and I have rv parking that I know it would fit.


----------



## Chris

I have a 5 acre ranch with two full hookup spots. This one had just the right everything. I didn't want a 15 year old unit with no miles to where things are rotting away. This one is an 01 with 49k on it, was used up until two years ago when the husband passed away. Came with every receipt and book since day one. serviced and maintained like no other. Was a very high end unit in its time, cabinetry is all nice real wood and everything seems high end and built to last. So far I am happy with it. Thinking of taking it out this weekend on a test run. I have a trip to washington set for July so I might want to see if it is road worthy first.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Ioooooooooo


----------



## Chris

havasu said:


> I'd like to know more about the motorhome. Where did you find it? Did you look long? I've been tempted to search some old folk's mobile home parks in the area looking for a class A diesel pusher. I think it would be fun to travel around the country and I have rv parking that I know it would fit.



Mine is an 01 Diesel Pusher with the Cat 330 and allison trans. I have been looking for months and found this one on CL local to me. I looked at many and most were beat or just not what I wanted. I went back and forth on gas or diesel for some time because of the cost of maintenance and repairs. The towing and hill climbing is what sold me on the diesel. They don't slow down. I wanted at least a living room slide, didn't care about bedroom as I just sleep there anyway. Problem with most older ones is there is no slides yet they are some beautiful units. Right around 2000 is where you will find the slides. If you go that old find a top end unit because they hold up and last but plan on spending a grand or so on little stuff like broken plastic pieces and vent covers. The drivetrain will last longer than the rv ever will. I looked at many newer ones with the V10 and they were in no better shape so that was the kicker to just find a good well taken care of older pusher. I got lucky and found one that wasn't aged with older style decor except the gold trim in the bathroom area but that can be swapped out.

Just remember a diesel will cost much more for any repair or service.


----------



## Chris

StingRayCaretaker said:


> Isn't it strange the older generation buy these new and many times find driving and backing them becomes more of a task than realized ?  New sticker prices will floor anyone looking for a family unit.  As far as renting one for vacation with all costs considered put me in the Holiday Inn.



I see so many 250k plus units just sitting in storage facilities. There was a 2003 unit that a guy bought for over 250 and sold it with 700 miles on it for 10k a week ago. He couldn't drive it but sat on it in hopes of learning.

I don't know how anyone can justify spending more than a home on an RV. I don't like to finance them so I buy what I can afford because they are never worth what you pay. A 15 year loan on anything is not a good idea unless it comes with property and a foundation.


I agree many times it is way cheaper to just get a hotel. I do a lot of desert camping so it works out for me but still i don't use it as much as I should. My 5th wheel has sat for a year or more at a time.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

I am impressed by the usage of every square inch and making it look ten times more spacious.  A lot of engineering going on to make this rig drive down the road like a luxury car, only miles larger.  Like the new cruise ship with 23 pools, every year these models get more features creating a new standard.


----------



## Rusty

Sat up and listened to the scanner all night. There was a murder a few blocks from here. First one in town in 7 years. Kept my "tool" by my side.


----------



## zannej

Chris, that looks like a very nice RV! I think it's nicer than the trailer some friends just bought.
Some of the prices on RVs astound me. I was watching a House Hunters episode where the people decided to get an RV instead of a house-- they were selling for $700k. That just seems absurd to me.

Meanwhile, the piece of property my late friend owned is still for sale and I think it is less than $50k now. That includes a workshop, greenhouse, a couple outbuildings, and two houses. The yard has some fruit trees and is set up with a sprinkler system for gardening and already has stuff set up for planting. The houses both need repairs though. 

I'm just waiting to go to my doctor's appointment now.

I've been having to give my kitties earmite medicine once per day. The trouble is rounding them all up and remembering which ones have gotten it and which ones haven't. I've got a chart on a dry erase board up. I'm using a different colored marker for each day.

Rusty, are you in a small town? There are less than 8k people here but I think we've already had a few murders this year.

It doesn't help that the sheriff is allegedly corrupt. A friend of mine was driving by when a city mower kicked a rock up and shattered his side window. He filed a report and complaint with the city for the damage. They sent police to arrest him for allegedly filing a false report and threw him in jail for a few days without a lawyer or trial.


----------



## havasu

I took my dog to the vet today to get a refill of allergy pills. Knowing that they will price match online med suppliers, I searched my phone and found the same pill for $2.68 a pill. I figured my vet's price would be about $4 a pill, so I insisted on the online price. They agreed until she told me their price was only $2.40 a pill. Well, I really feel stupid for demanding that they charge me a higher price.


----------



## Rusty

Zannej, about 8k in town, 23k in the whole county.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

havasu said:


> I took my dog to the vet today to get a refill of allergy pills. Knowing that they will price match online med suppliers, I searched my phone and found the same pill for $2.68 a pill. I figured my vet's price would be about $4 a pill, so I insisted on the online price. They agreed until she told me their price was only $2.40 a pill. Well, I really feel stupid for demanding that they charge me a higher price.



Its hard to get out of the vets office for less than 200 even if it for an annual check.  For those reason a lot of people don't take them in unless they show signs of bad health.  Neighbor paid over 400 to get her small dogs teeth cleaned. Seniors just don't have that in their budget sad to say.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Came home, took a nap, grilled some chicken breast on the grill.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Mounted bumpers and scratched my head on rear light wiring on the 66.  Couldn't get power to the inboard set.  A little research indicates someone changed them to red lens's.  They should be clear for back up lights.  The original shifter has a bracket for the backup lite switch but now has a Hurst shifter , bracket delete .  Going to rewire them for clearance lights to give more rear lighting.  Two 2 1/2 " red lenses don't put out a lot of light in the dark.


----------



## havasu

I took my first ride in a Tesla today. I went to visit my aunt in the hospital. My cousin had it on auto pilot for 15 minutes, and it drove itself. Very strange feeling.


----------



## Rusty

Got caught out on the highway in 60 mph winds, rain and hail for about 20 minutes. No place to pull off and I was guessing where the road was. I hate that sh*t.


----------



## Rusty

This was not far from me. 

View attachment 13240127_1775829745982517_8743929794371666359_n.jpg


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## Chris

havasu said:


> I took my first ride in a Tesla today. I went to visit my aunt in the hospital. My cousin had it on auto pilot for 15 minutes, and it drove itself. Very strange feeling.



I heard they are uncomfortable as well.



Rusty said:


> Got caught out on the highway in 60 mph winds, rain and hail for about 20 minutes. No place to pull off and I was guessing where the road was. I hate that sh*t.



I'll keep my earthquakes.


----------



## Chris

Today I put new tires and all new vent covers in the rv and bought a new flat screen tv for it. Pretty sure I'm broke now.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris, did you get "If the vans a rockin" sticker yet? Oh, that was havasu in high school, nevermind...


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

oooooooooo


----------



## Rusty

StingRayCaretaker said:


> If your in Kansas, ..... Hold on to Todo.  The winds, they are a com'n.



I'm in Missouri, but in tornado alley.


----------



## Rusty

Wow, first time ever. I outshot my wife at the range. It won't ever happen again either.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

oooooooooo


----------



## oldognewtrick

StingRayCaretaker said:


> Bought my wife an S&W revolver in 1978.  The shiny stainless piece remains unfired in the box with receipt .  Guess she is not into guns. Oh well, the other four with that one didn't get to the range either.  Her old Corvette convertible gets exercise now and then.  Better choice or more useful.



When the Zombies attack she'll wish she'd of learned to shoot that lil S&W. Or she can just throw that Corvette at them, that will stop em...


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

oooooooooo


----------



## Rusty

A couple years ago, the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta supposedly had a plan for a Zombie apocalypse. Your tax dollars at work.


----------



## Rusty

Went to Prairie State Park, Liberal Mo.They have about 100 head of bison on 4,000 acres. 

View attachment 026.jpg


View attachment 030.jpg


----------



## oldognewtrick

Daughter and son in law and 2 y/0 grand son came over for chicken legs I tossed on the grill. Was suppose to have a birthday party for the 5 y/o grandson, but he and his sister woke up with the stomach bug. That part of the clan is forbidden til they are not contagious.....


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

oooooooooo


----------



## zannej

StingRayCaretaker said:


> Not surprising at all.  They fund a lot of crazy things and throw money like a there is no tomorrow.
> 
> A science channel reported the US govt. sent up over one hundred satellites  in the past year.  Why isn't the news covering this in place of some celebrity splits and divorces ?  Many news items contain topics no one is interested in and should never make national news.



Exactly! There are new discoveries and important things going on that get glossed over or completely ignored, but they talk about some famous person getting a butt-lift or something instead.

On a complete side note, my doctor said I have hypothyroid so I'm on medication for that now. So far it hasn't had any effect except to make me nauseous.


----------



## Chris

I came home from camping today. 

View attachment image.jpg


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

oooooooooo


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## Chris

At the corona airport.... Cessna 172. 

I'm not rich, I just act that way. I'm frugal. I never go out to eat or spend money on useless crap just so I can spend it on junk like this. I also don't believe in making payments on toys. Save first and pay cash. You will end up spending less than half what most do on toys.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

Ioooooooooooo


----------



## Chris

I get it all the time. I'm in my mid 30's and people just don't believe I have what it takes to pay for something. The only thing I have loans on are my house and my rental house and I wish I didn't. I grew up poor and was always taught that if I wanted something I had to save and then buy it, between that and realizing how much money you give away when you get a loan it just makes sense to pay cash. You buy a car for 20k and after payments you end up spending nearly double or you can save that same exact amount you were going to make in the payment for a couple years and pay cash for that same car.

What gets me is how people finance things like TV's, furniture, clothes and even meals. Go out to dinner and eat a hundred dollar meal then pay with your card, don't pay it off at the end of the month and now you are paying 20% interest on a meal you ate a month ago.

Take my dad for example, he is maxed out on his credit cards, he pays about 600 a month on them and about 450 a month is interest. He is throwing away 5400 dollars a year to a bank and wonders why he is broke. 

Worst part is that this is how young people are taught to do and how this is completely normal.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

ooooooooooo


----------



## Chris

I do the same type of things. It's fun.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

oooooooooo


----------



## oldognewtrick

The news is reporting that one of the Blue Angles crashed at the airport about 15 miles south east of me today. They were training for an airshow at the Smyrna Airport next weekend. They were seen flying around town today and the pilot is reportedly  deceased.


----------



## Chris

Well that sucks.

I just got a call that I have a water leak on a line we installed a few months back. This sucks.


----------



## Rusty

Car would not start this morning, so I had to drive my old work van all day.( got it running tonight.)  Took wife's van to a mechanic today, they want $600 to fix the AC on hers. For that price I will just charge it myself every three weeks. She is going to get rid of it this fall anyway.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

ooooooooooo


----------



## Chris

Rusty said:


> Car would not start this morning, so I had to drive my old work van all day.( got it running tonight.)  Took wife's van to a mechanic today, they want $600 to fix the AC on hers. For that price I will just charge it myself every three weeks. She is going to get rid of it this fall anyway.



When you fill it, put some dye in the line so next time you can see where it has been leaking. Probably a 2cent O ring causing this.


----------



## havasu

I changed my medical plans and completely forgot that today's eye doc would not be covered. I didn't realize this until the doc was walking me out the door. Oops!


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> When you fill it, put some dye in the line so next time you can see where it has been leaking. Probably a 2cent O ring causing this.



Supposedly, the rear evaporator is bad. And with a Dodge you can't block it off and run just the front. It is a slow leak, it was charged three weeks ago and you can barely feel a difference in temperature. They put dye in it then and black-lighted it today. He said there is a sealer that might fix it. I will try that first.
Back in the old days, we had a thermometer we put on the vent to check the air temp, guess they don't do that anymore.
I was a certified mechanic in a previous life.


----------



## Chris

I use a thermometer, thats the way I always have but I also use my gauges, I can tell by how the system is running and pressures if it is low or whatnot. I also have a vacume I put on it to check for leaks but it doesn't pinpoint anything. The only thing difficult with ac is getting to the leaking part.

If you buy a set of gauges you can get a 30 pound can of 134 for less than a hundred bucks and that will last you and all your friends for years. Or keep paying 12 bucks for 12 ounces?


----------



## Rusty

I figured I would buy some gauges. I have several cans of Freon here that I bought last summer to use on my daughter's car and then she got rid of the car. I charged them years ago when I worked in a shop. I told my wife that we would try the sealer and if that doesn't work, I will just add some every three weeks or so.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

ooooooooooooo


----------



## Rusty

Went to the range again. Shot about 100 rounds. Good, cheap, entertainment.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

ooooooooooooo


----------



## havasu

I cleaned the 4 guns I shot at the range yesterday and now listening to the Baja 500 race live on the internet. There have been 3-4 deaths of the racers due to heat exhaustion, 2-3 spectators dead at the start line, including an American child, the medical helicopter(s) all broke down. Dead bodies all over the place and they've been instructed to sit with the bodies until a local cap can write the written report. Really sad stuff.


----------



## Chris

I guess people have never heard of water or shade? It's sad because it is so easily avoided.


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> I cleaned the 4 guns I shot at the range yesterday and now listening to the Baja 500 race live on the internet. There have been 3-4 deaths of the racers due to heat exhaustion, 2-3 spectators dead at the start line, including an American child, the medical helicopter(s) all broke down. Dead bodies all over the place and they've been instructed to sit with the bodies until a local cap can write the written report. Really sad stuff.



Wow, that is awful.


----------



## havasu

One guy was on a sat phone for 2 hours asking for emergency help. With no helicopters available to help him, when they got to him, he had died. That is just one tragedy from today.


----------



## havasu

And the race continues into the night...

http://uk4.internet-radio.com:8074/wm.mp3

They hired a bunch of locals to be flagmen and at 6 PM, they left and headed to the bar. Now, nobody is there to make sure the racers can cross the roads safely.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Sad to hear.


----------



## Chris

And why do we still do stuff in Mexico?


----------



## havasu

Because the BLM, the ACLU, and the ambulance chasing lawyers pushed us out of our own country. Very sad to see.


----------



## Rusty

Cut grass all day again. Get my project running, I might take on a few more yards.


----------



## havasu

I floated in the pool for about 3 hours yesterday.


----------



## Chris

Today is the first day in five days I have felt halfway decent when I woke up. Have had strep throat and finally went to the doc and got a bunch of medicine to make myself feel a little better.

I have been trying to get my jeep Cherokee tow and road worthy. Decided when we go on our road trip next month I will tow it behind the RV to have a car to drive. Sunday I cleaned up the garage to fit it back in and yesterday I started building a new front bumper and incorperating my Currie Antirock sway bar into it and a whinch. Found out I have a power steering hose the leak when at full right turn. I gutted the interior out of the front half to weld in my new seat mounts to find out it has cancer so that was fun to fix, at least I caught it before it was too bad.


----------



## Rusty

Still fighting the wiring on that lawn tractor.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

oooooooooooo


----------



## oldognewtrick

StingRayCaretaker said:


> Made a clutch adjustment rod, cut the rest of the lawn ( between rain storms ) , Inventoried a project car for parts, removed the back hoe from the New Holland.  Most importantly, played with the dog and took him for several walks.



Glad you have your priorities in proper order.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

oooooooooooooo


----------



## havasu

Sounds like a really cool partner.


----------



## Rusty

StingRayCaretaker said:


> We have cared for several dogs in the past but this one is different.  He is very attached, watches ones every move, and can't wait to be five inches from you when you sit down.  He lives to car ride.  Wind in his face he surely enjoys.   I think he was sent to watch over old people closely and help them enjoy retirement under the guise of security.  If he could open the refrigerator his hamburger / chicken container would suddenly disappear.   He keeps us active and a joy to be around.  Friends ask " how's Winston " as a greeting more than not. He is certainly the main attraction.



And of course you don't spoil him.


----------



## Rusty

Doing a sleep study tonight. A waste of time but I got tired of being pushed to do it. My bad hip is the reason I don't sleep much. And I have always been up before 6 am.


----------



## oldognewtrick

I had my alarm set for 4:30 this morning, I was up at 4:15. It's either me that has to pee, the dog has to pee or something. &#128545;


----------



## Rusty

I woke up automatically every morning between 5 45 and 6 am for 40 years when I was working full time. Never needed an alarm.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

[oooooooooooo


----------



## Chris

It's 4:25 and I got up at 4 without an alarm. I am not proud of this.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> It's 4:25 and I got up at 4 without an alarm. I am not proud of this.



I hear ya.... Sleep habits such here.

CMA's downtown this week. (Fan Fair) BonnaRoo is just down the road too. Traffic in this hick town is a cluster. Damn I want to retire! &#128545;


----------



## Admin

I hit the snooze 2 or 3 times.


----------



## Chris

Woke up at 3:30am went to work. Got home and welded up a bumper for my jeep. Then went to Costco and just got home, thank god they have a hot dog for a buck fifty, I didn't feel like cooking.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Heading to Costco tomorrow night to pick up some ribs to cook Saturday for her birthday. Did you get the sausage with onions and peppers? They are awesome.


----------



## Rusty

Got told today I am driving my granddaughter in a parade Saturday. Using my sister's Mustang ragtop.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

oooooooooooo


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> Got told today I am driving my granddaughter in a parade Saturday. Using my sister's Mustang ragtop.



Don't forget the pics......


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> Don't forget the pics......



I'm sure someone will take some.


----------



## havasu

This is exactly why I want a Model A or T. I want my grandkids to ask me to drive them around.


----------



## Rusty

Well got the brakes on the work van. It's hot out there. mid 90s. high humidity.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

ooooooooooooo 

View attachment 802222_23143804_1930_Ford_A.jpg


----------



## Chris

Today I woke up at 1am to an earthquake that just would not stop, not a huge one but kept going and going and going. Then got up again at 3:30 to go to work. Thought I was kicking my strep throat but it is coming back with a vengeance.


----------



## havasu

My neighbors felt the shaking, but I slept through it.


----------



## Chris

It was going good at my house, my kids both slept through it. Wife woke me up. I bet it lasted 30 seconds at least. I had time to get up and get dressed and grab my daughter and walk outside before it stopped shaking. I kept waiting for it to get bad but it never did.


----------



## Rusty

At least with a tornado, I can take shelter. Realistically though, we are In the New Madrid fault area.


----------



## Chris

Earthquakes are ok. Until your house falls on you and everything you own is broken.


----------



## Rusty

Rusty said:


> Got told today I am driving my granddaughter in a parade Saturday. Using my sister's Mustang ragtop.



My granddaughter backed out. It is too hot.


----------



## zannej

I heard the quake was a 5.2?
I was online and people in so cal were asking if anyone else was experiencing the earthquake.

Sorry to hear you're sick, Chris. I hope it clears up soon.

Have you tried gargling pickle juice and chugging some honey afterward? It will taste gross, but the vinegar in the pickle juice is good for your throat and the honey is an antibiotic.

I had a crisis in the middle of the night on Thursday (early Friday morning). Water wasn't working and I determined there was a leak outside. Waterline broke off below the shutoff-- the PVC had shattered. I had to shut the main water off until the sun came up and then had to cut off the broken part and install a new shutoff. It was right next to the back steps outside the back door so I was getting headbutted by cats while I was working on it. Then the dog came out and licked my face. Instructions said to let it sit for 15 min to seal. I left it for 2 hours and the checked to make sure the grip was firm before turning the water back on. I wrapped it up in insulation & duct tape once I checked it and determined there were no leaks after a few hours.

It's been hot as hell around here. The humidity has been high and it has been raining constantly.


----------



## mustanggarage

well I got quite a bit accomplished the last couple of days. the last time I drove my daughters jeep the AC didn't work I thought it was the blend door actuator so I had planned to take it to a mechanic here in town that does some of the stuff I don't want to do lol.  anyway this time it was working fine.  so I think it is just in the switch panel so I ordered a new one of those.  Then, I don't like dealing with used oil so for a basic oil changes I let someone else deal with that so I took it over to have the oil changed.  while there I noticed the front tires were really worn a lot more than the back ones.  so I took it home.  looked it over and found out the passenger side tie rod was shot.  so since she is going all the way out to Idaho to college this fall I bought all new tie rod ends.  then I found two rust holes.  one in front of the passenger tire rear wheel, and one on the drivers side front fender right on top.  so I cut those out and welded in some new metal.  the one by the back tire was bad.  it was rusted all out under the rocker etc. so I had to weld in some new metal underneath as well. once I fixed the hole I covered it with metal to metal filler and then painted on a stripe of bedliner on the rockers on both sides.  the fender was just a little pinhole so I welded it up top and bottom sprayed a lot of rust encapsulator all under the jeep.  repainted the fender.  it is not perfect, but neither is the rest of the jeep.  it looks better and should hopefully stop the rust.  I put a bunch of seam sealer under the rocker panel repair and rust encapsulator there too.  













then I swapped the tie rods.  when I was putting the wheel back on the drivers side I felt the ujoint was out in the front axle so off it came and I had to swap the ujoint.  I broke the first one pressing it together so I had to get a second one.  

oh I also replaced the hood latches and while I had it apart I put new front brake pads on it.  
then I took it over to goodyear and had them align it.  then put on a new set of fierce attitude MT tires.View attachment 3208


 I also shampoo'd the carpet and polished the paint.  so everything is looking and working right again. 


View attachment 3209



 It is amazing how if I don't ride in one of our vehicles for awhile the maintenance goes to heck.  anyway that took most of my spare time this week.


----------



## Chris

Thats a good looking jeep!

I enjoy doing work on my vehicles, it is when it breaks down and you really need it that it sucks. I spent all weekend working on my Cherokee. Put a new front bumper and winch on and put the seats out of the 98 in the 85. That was a pain but now I will be comfy and have a power seat. Incorperated a currie antirock sway bar that was made for a TJ into the new bumper, turned out pretty slick. 

View attachment IMG_4481.JPG


View attachment IMG_4482.JPG


View attachment IMG_4474.JPG


View attachment IMG_4477.JPG


----------



## Rusty

Tried all day to find an electrician who wanted to make some money. No return calls. I wired my own house several years ago, but getting to the box is tough on my hip. I just need to add a dedicated plug in in an open area. Maybe 30 minutes work. I would have paid them $100, just to keep from hurting my bad hip but no takers. Guess I will do it anyway.


----------



## havasu

$100? Hell, my electrician won't even drive to my house for less than $200. They're almost as bad as floor layers!


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

oooooooooooooo


----------



## Chris

A few years back when my company was doing well I managed to save about 100k in one year, I was very frugal in everything I did because I wanted the money in my work account just incase of anything. Well came tax time and just for saving that money I had to pay 36k in taxes. My CPA told me I should have spent it on things I could write off. I learned a valuable lesson that year. I learned that our government does not want people to succeed, they want you to have the allusion you are succeeding but they want to keep you just above breaking even at all times.


----------



## Rusty

Heat is too much. 80 at 8 am.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Well, fiddle sticks, guess I'll go measure a couple roof today...


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> Well, fiddle sticks, guess I'll go measure a couple roof today...



HI will be 103 today, 110 tomorrow. Hope it is cooler there.


----------



## havasu

Yeah, that is too hot for me anymore.


----------



## Rusty

Had to work on the A/C myself. Two weeks to get a tech.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Stopped at Costco for a $1.50 hot dog.


----------



## havasu

I love them hot dogs!


----------



## Chris

Stopped at the gunshop and bought a Sako A7


----------



## oldognewtrick

What caliber did you get?


----------



## Chris

.300 Win...........


----------



## Rusty

Charged the wife's A/C. $5 for Freon. I can do that once a month instead of spending $600 or $700 to replace the rear evaporator.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

oooooooooooooooo


----------



## Rusty

StingRayCaretaker said:


> Let me guess,........ Chrysler product ?  They seem to hold the rights to transmission rebuilds and a/c leaks.  Many hours labor to tear out the dash to repair.
> Stock up on freon.



Yep, Dodge Caravan.


----------



## Chris

I also bought a 1911, don't tell the wife.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

ooooooooooooo


----------



## zannej

The 1911 is a nice one.

So far today I've been doing the stretches my doctor told me to do to prevent another back sprain.


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> I also bought a 1911, don't tell the wife.



My wife owns a Ruger SR22 and a S&W M&P compact 22. She would have more if we could afford it. She also has a CCW and is a better shot than me.


----------



## Chris

I went and bought a scope this morning and ended up picking up another gun, I am a sucker for guns. Bought three in two days and a scope. 

View attachment dsc_0125_5.jpg


----------



## Rusty

I thought they were hard to buy in California.


----------



## Rusty

I think I will retrofit my old work van and see if I can get the A/C in it to work. Had to order the parts so it will be this weekend.


----------



## Chris

Easy to buy guns, we just have a short list of guns now as most have pulled out of selling here. I have to wait til next month to pick up the Walther. Only one pistol every 30 days and a ten day wait on top of that. They are not worried about crimes from existing guns, just not allowed to buy new ones and immediately go commit a crime.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

oooooooooooooooo


----------



## oldognewtrick

A Kimber Pro Carry II is my next purchase.

http://www.kimberamerica.com/stainless-pro-carry-ii


----------



## cruzn57

buy a gun, take it home  right then!

heck buy the whole gun store, take it home with you!

oh,   100 rnd  magazines?    all you want, 

sorry. but as retired kalif cop,  even we don't get any respect!


----------



## havasu

You were a copper in Kommiefornia?


----------



## Rusty

Last gun I bought took less than 15 minutes. Including waiting for a manager to walk me out with my purchase. (it was at a Walmart)


----------



## Chris

Last gun took me five minutes including the owner of the gun shop walking me out (He is a buddy) to bad I still have to wait ten days before I can take the gun home. That is the 1911 I bought then I get to wait another 30 days after the 10 to take the Walther home.


----------



## Admin

In AL when I bought a gun, I paid and got it bagged up and left the store.  The background check took about 10  - 15 minutes depending on how busy the store was.


----------



## Chris

I live under the thumb of the Liberal agenda.


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

When Hillary bans guns, .... the money they drag in from background checks disappears.  Wonder what they will invent or increase to offset the loss.  I hope they don't stick their neck into someone else dispute to appease the defense contractors.  They are busy handing money to road / bridge contractors at the moment.  Seems everything is torn up.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Couple years ago a gas tanker hit a bridge overpass just south of town that had been under construction for at least 18 months. Totally fubared traffic coming in from the south on I-65. They dropped everything and had the new bridge rebuilt in a couple weeks. Doesn't make sense to me. :waggingfinger:


----------



## StingRayCaretaker

I seem to hit a cord with an administrator when I mention government, interest rates or the democrat presidential candidate, ... whats her name ?
If he doesn't like the content there is no.............

Like This Post..

I thought there was freedom of speech but apparently in certain places.  I'm on to greener horizons.


----------



## Rusty

StingRayCaretaker said:


> I seem to hit a cord with an administrator when I mention government, interest rates or the democrat presidential candidate, ... whats her name ?
> If he doesn't like the content there is no.............
> 
> Like This Post..
> 
> I thought there was freedom of speech but apparently in certain places.  I'm on to greener horizons.



Someone censored you?


----------



## havasu

StingRayCaretaker said:


> I seem to hit a cord with an administrator when I mention government, interest rates or the democrat presidential candidate, ... whats her name ?
> If he doesn't like the content there is no.............
> 
> Like This Post..
> 
> I thought there was freedom of speech but apparently in certain places.  I'm on to greener horizons.



What the hell is going on? You get your panties in a wad, so you feel is it ok to delete everything that was said, rather than discuss what happened? We are all now left in the dark, and this thread makes no sense?


----------



## Chris

I'm lost here, what's going on?


----------



## havasu

He apparently had one of his posts edited or deleted. He didn't like this so he deleted all of his posts, leaving the viewing public lost as to what is being spoken about. Akin to taking his toys and going home.


----------



## Rusty

I wonder who and why it was edited or deleted?


----------



## Chris

We don't generally delete or change things around here? Wonder what was said? I would like to know. We have spent years getting this forum to stay alive on it's own.


----------



## cruzn57

havasu said:


> You were a copper in Kommiefornia?



stopped , due to political BS.

now days........ not enough $$$ on earth  to do that!

I'd shoot  200-300 people a day, and  look for more ammo.

I do not advertise on number of guns , as no idea who is listening,
thats if I had any guns.  LOL


----------



## havasu

I agree. it is a good thing I am also done with that career.


----------



## cruzn57

oh well, 
sorry to see anyone leave,

but ..........
worried??


----------



## havasu

Yeah, normally if something is said that could be taken offensively, we will put it somewhere else of edit and advise the member. I am also in the dark to what actually transpired.


----------



## Rusty

I'm on here at least a dozen times a day, and I guess I missed it, or it didn't bother me.


----------



## Admin

I wish I knew what it was.   I see I must have posted after whatever happened, so I have no idea.


----------



## Admin

StingRayCaretaker said:


> I seem to hit a cord with an administrator when I mention government, interest rates or the democrat presidential candidate, ... whats her name ?
> If he doesn't like the content there is no.............
> 
> Like This Post..
> 
> I thought there was freedom of speech but apparently in certain places.  I'm on to greener horizons.



Since I'm Admin, I sure would like to know what you are talking about.  Those topics would not get me editing.   

Can you tell which post number "Admin" was suppose to have deleted or edited?


----------



## Rusty

Admin said:


> Since I'm Admin, I sure would like to know what you are talking about.  Those topics would not get me editing.
> 
> Can you tell which post number "Admin" was suppose to have deleted or edited?



Post #1825 is the one that he changed.


----------



## Admin

I hope he comes back and lets one of us know what was there that seemed to have been edited before he did away with all of the post.


----------



## Chris

I'm sad. I want cousin Stingray back.....:boat:


----------



## zannej

I know! I like Stingray.
I wonder if it was a misunderstanding where he thought something was edited and it wasn't? I've seen that happen.

I admin a forum and sometimes people behave like absolute idiots. And my forum is small-- but it is full of women so there is drama (which is one reason I don't actually hang out with women in real life-- for the most part).

Anyway, what I did today: Drove the Ridgeline in with my brother's motor because the mechanic who was supposed to be fixing it said to meet him at lunch. Found out the guy had it towed to a different place than agreed upon and we couldn't find the place or my brother's truck. Guy never met with us and took forever to text back. Eventually he said he hadn't even removed the old motor yet (which was supposed to have been removed by yesterday) and he would do it tonight and to contact him again tomorrow. That is about 3 days in a row that we've been trying to get him to take the new motor out and he's come up with an excuse. It really bugs me that we can't even find my brother's truck. He only gave the guy half the money up front so the guy won't get full payment until the job is done.

If the guy doesn't return the truck by the end of the week, I'm going to get my brother to call the cops and report the truck as stolen. 

But I'm miffed that the motor is still in my truck bed AND I wasted gas two days in a row going to meet with this mofo who no-showed.

Meanwhile, I still haven't gotten a recall notice in the mail for my Ridgeline and I've been told by other owners that Honda has stopped doing replacements in all 2013 models until further notice because they are lower priority than older models (since the airbag defect is something that takes time to develop since it involves the gas inside degrading over time). Honda still recommends not driving affected vehicles until the airbags are replaced. Technically, the dealerships are either supposed to pay for rentals or give people loaners until their airbags can be replaced. Not sure if our nearest dealer will go for that though. 
Some people have already waited a year since their vehicles were put on the recall list.


----------



## Rusty

Just melting today. 97 with 107 H.I.


----------



## havasu

That humidity really sucks.


----------



## oldognewtrick

I feel so blessed, only made 95* with a 99 heat index, where's my sweater?:auto181:


----------



## zannej

I stayed inside today. I can feel the heat from my windows though. Ugh.
The mechanic said he can't take the motor out until he takes the transmission out because the motor is locked up, so he said it will take longer than expected. I think he said he thinks he can have the motor out by the end of the weekend.


----------



## Chris

He is making excuses.


----------



## oldognewtrick

I'm just a dumb roofer, but, how can a locked up motor effect the removal of the engine. Did it weld the bolts to the bell housing? Edumacate me.....:waggingfinger:


----------



## Chris

No because those bolts need to be pulled to pull the trans. It must have welded the motor mount bolts or the wiring.


----------



## Rusty

I have pulled stuck motors. Did not affect pulling them.


----------



## Chris

I've blown my fair share as well.


----------



## cruzn57

Chris said:


> I've blown my fair share as well.



wow, didn't know you were of the "alternative" life style !

oh.   different meaning 

on an automatic, need to get the converter bolts loose, or just pull it with the converter attached, (makes a mess!)
stick, just pull it!

but, we all have our own methods,


----------



## Chris

Torch and backhoe works well. Until the install comes.


----------



## Rusty

T storms. First rain in two weeks.


----------



## zannej

I was told there was one bolt that couldn't be accessed without removing the transmission.
Anyway, our friend who recommended the guy to us went and picked the guy up at 5:30am, drove him over to the place, and helped him take the motor out. He's currently helping him to prepare the new motor to put in.

It should be done soon.

The bad news is, while it was sitting in the guy's yard, someone stole the LED headlights out of my brother's truck-- and you have to take the whole grille off to take the lights out. The guy said he thinks he might know who did it and our friend said he would know in about an hour if that person did take the bulbs. 

The good news is, I now have free use of my Ridgeline-- well, ignoring the airbag recall.


----------



## Rusty

Headed for MIL's place at Truman Lake in a couple hours. She has someone coming in the am to put a new back door on it, and she is in Texas for a funeral. If it wasn't a trailer, I would install the door, but trailers are a whole different animal.


----------



## zannej

Well, turns out it wasn't so easy. A bolt broke off on the new manifold & the old manifold is warped and won't fit. Broke several drill bits and spent a few hours trying to get the broken bolt out. The guy will resume tomorrow. It's my friend's birthday tomorrow so we are taking him to Texas Roadhouse. And he's going to get an impact drill attachment.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Drinking coffee and grilling a beer can chicken is about as energetic as I'll get today. Maybe chase the grand kids with the garden hose.


----------



## Chris

I'm gonna put new AC compressor in the Cherokee then some other final things before I hook it up to the rv and tow it a thousand miles.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Where ya headed? To early to visit Tennessee for deer hunting. And to damn hot here anyway.


----------



## Chris

Heading up threw Oregon to the Washington border area then taking the coast back down camping in several different places. Kids should like it.

Well I got the AC blowing 39 degrees on the jeep and converted to R134. Stupid compressor has the fitting facing eachother so the conversion fittings hit eachouther. Had to tighed the low side all fubar up just to be able to fill it, couldn't get my hose on the high side to properly check pressures but at least it is working now..

Of course one thing lead to another and my idle is not good and low so when the AC was on it wanted to die, I was looking to adjust it and bring it up a little when I noticed the back side of the carb was wet with fuel. also I always had a squeal when I started the jeep and now that the AC is working fine the squeal is constant and found it is the alternator making the noise. I guess I am putting on a new alternator and rebuilding my carb this weekend. Also figured while I had everything apart I might as well replace all the little tune up crap and try and get her running a little smoother. I'm sure my wife is tired of me out there working on it all the time and is probably wishing we would have just bought a cheap car to tow.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Say hi to Nealtw when you get to the border.


----------



## Chris

He said he was going to Alaska when I got close.


I got the alternator and the carb out and taken apart. Parts come in in an hour guess I will get readyt o grab them and some beer and get back to work. Hopefully this is most of my problems and I can finally get this thing done.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Check the tires on everything. And all the fluids. Trans, pumpkins, diffs, you know.....,

Keep in mind, first two weeks on November are the best weeks to be in the deer woods of Tennessee, if you're in the area.


----------



## zannej

I hope you have a safe and fun trip, Chris.


----------



## Chris

I think it will be a great trip and I am thinking if another trip back east in November.


----------



## Chris

Got the carb rebuilt today and put it back along with the new Alternator and it is like a totally different vehicle. Fires right up and runs smooth. Hopefully it lasts this way.


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> Heading up threw Oregon to the Washington border area then taking the coast back down camping in several different places. Kids should like it.
> 
> Well I got the AC blowing 39 degrees on the jeep and converted to R134. Stupid compressor has the fitting facing eachother so the conversion fittings hit eachouther. Had to tighed the low side all fubar up just to be able to fill it, couldn't get my hose on the high side to properly check pressures but at least it is working now..
> 
> Of course one thing lead to another and my idle is not good and low so when the AC was on it wanted to die, I was looking to adjust it and bring it up a little when I noticed the back side of the carb was wet with fuel. also I always had a squeal when I started the jeep and now that the AC is working fine the squeal is constant and found it is the alternator making the noise. I guess I am putting on a new alternator and rebuilding my carb this weekend. Also figured while I had everything apart I might as well replace all the little tune up crap and try and get her running a little smoother. I'm sure my wife is tired of me out there working on it all the time and is probably wishing we would have just bought a cheap car to tow.



Did you evaporate the system, or did just filling it with 134a do it?


----------



## Chris

New Compressor (which holds most of the oil anyway) added Ester oil because it will blend with the old mineral oil that is in those and then pulled a vacuum to evape the system and then charged with 134. Luckily I own a Vacuum, gauges and I buy the 134 in the 30 pound can for less than a hundred bucks. Makes it a lot cheaper to do things. 

If you only need it a few time HF has one for 20 bucks.

http://www.harborfreight.com/air-vacuum-pump-with-r134a-and-r12-connectors-96677.html

I have just filled several with R134 and had success. I did that to an old toyota pickup I had and it worked for several years before I sold the thing.


----------



## Chris

Before 7:30 this morning I had already done Cap and Rotor, plugs and wires, fuel filter, oil change and a few other odds and ends. I'm ready for a cup of coffee now.


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> New Compressor (which holds most of the oil anyway) added Ester oil because it will blend with the old mineral oil that is in those and then pulled a vacuum to evape the system and then charged with 134. Luckily I own a Vacuum, gauges and I buy the 134 in the 30 pound can for less than a hundred bucks. Makes it a lot cheaper to do things.
> 
> If you only need it a few time HF has one for 20 bucks.
> 
> http://www.harborfreight.com/air-vacuum-pump-with-r134a-and-r12-connectors-96677.html
> 
> I have just filled several with R134 and had success. I did that to an old toyota pickup I had and it worked for several years before I sold the thing.



I have never evaporated one, and have no idea how.I did find some Freon at Amazon that supposedly mixes with r12 and can be added to the old system.


----------



## Chris

It's easy. You need a gauge set to use the pump. Just turn it on like you are adding coolant and it sucks out any air and moisture until you get a negative pressure then close the valve on the gauge manifold and move hose from pump to freon and let it fill.

I did learn the hard way to hold the can upright when filling to have the gas sucked in and not liquid. Killed my compressor since liquid can't be compressed. Guess I just got lucky all those other times.

My blower motor fuse melted on me today. Trying to figure out why before I toss another one in. 

View attachment image.jpg


----------



## zannej

Chris said:


> It's easy. You need a gauge set to use the pump. Just turn it on like you are adding coolant and it sucks out any air and moisture until you get a negative pressure then close the valve on the gauge manifold and move hose from pump to freon and let it fill.
> 
> I did learn the hard way to hold the can upright when filling to have the gas sucked in and not liquid. Killed my compressor since liquid can't be compressed. Guess I just got lucky all those other times.
> 
> My blower motor fuse melted on me today. Trying to figure out why before I toss another one in.



Yikes! What can cause that to happen?


----------



## oldognewtrick

zannej said:


> Yikes! What can cause that to happen?



Heat.......


----------



## Chris

I learned a few things today. A fuse will do that when it doesn't have a good connection in the fuse box. This jeep has sat for over five years with leaky door seals, everything has corrosion on it. I also learned that when your blower motor is getting old and about to die it pulls alot more amps to keep running. So my motor was failing which was pulling more power and causing more heat since the fuse didn't have a great connection. 

Every time I finish with one project something else seems to die at that exact time. Pretty soon this whole jeep will be new.


----------



## Rusty

My wife bought a cotton candy machine and a popcorn machine. We are going to try festivals again, like when I made furniture to sell.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty, what kind of furniture did you make?


----------



## havasu

Eff that, i want to know what kind of popcorn you make?


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> Rusty, what kind of furniture did you make?



Mostly children's stuff. Rocking chairs, horses and dinosaurs. And unique one- of-a-kind stuff, like a small table shaped like a ladybug with flower petal stools. All designed by my wife. The shop is closed now.


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> Eff that, i want to know what kind of popcorn you make?



Nothing fancy, just cheese, ranch, sour cream and butter.


----------



## havasu

Kettle corn is the bomb!


----------



## Chris

I am having hell with this jeep. I orderd the blower motor and it cam in wrong. had to order one from a 1990 jeep to find a match. Got home and pulled the resistor and that was wrong too. Now I need to find the right one for that. This quick job is turning into a nightmare.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> I am having hell with this jeep. I orderd the blower motor and it cam in wrong. had to order one from a 1990 jeep to find a match. Got home and pulled the resistor and that was wrong too. Now I need to find the right one for that. This quick job is turning into a nightmare.



Sounds like you graduated from the oldogs school of auto repair...


----------



## zannej

Hope you can get it sorted out soon, Chris.

Ooh, popcorn and cotton candy!

I am going to have to get up in about half an hour to get ready for my cardiologist appointment-- so of course I couldn't sleep last night and now I'm starting to feel tired. LOL.


----------



## Chris

I'll get it sorted. My quick charge of the AC has turned into four days under the hood chasing problems. I feel for people that take cars to a shop for work.


----------



## Rusty

I met my wife 34 years ago today, should I buy her a sympathy card?


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> I met my wife 34 years ago today, should I buy her a sympathy card?



Naw, just tell her how lucky she is...


----------



## zannej

LOL! Rusty, that reminds me of when I asked an elderly friend how old he was when he first married/met his wife, Jeane, and he said something like "21" and then added "Poor Jeane". LOL. They were married for 68 years.

I went to my new cardiologist and was not impressed. I don't know what it is about foreign doctors, but I've found they don't seem to listen very well and they pass snap judgments and once they set their mind, no amount of fact or information will change anything. Like the doctor that insisted that my father's nerve pain must be from Diabetes-- except he didn't have Diabetes, but that information didn't change the guy's mind. When I was in my 20s I went to a quack cardiologist who didn't listen to patients. He dismissed my father for being fat and dismissed me for being young and slim-- said I couldn't possibly have problems bc I wasn't male, older, or fat. I had to go to another doctor to be taken seriously and get diagnosed. Fastforward to today, and the doctor basically blamed all of my symptoms on my weight and said he was sure that was the only problem-- completely ignoring previous diagnosis and my medical history. And when I told him that I've been having a lot of these symptoms since I was 17 and long before I was ever fat (because I only started getting fat a few years ago), he just ignored it. At least he was polite, but it is so frustrating to be dismissed without feeling like he actually genuinely listened. He didn't even bother to read the notes on my history before coming to talk to me (and my previous cardiologist actually did read before coming in and always listened very carefully). 
The upside is, the doctor is at least willing to run tests. Bad news is I need another stress test with the radioisotopes. I will have to get an IV and I hate needles.


----------



## Chris

Replaced AC Compressor, blower motor and resistor and still blowing a fuse when I put one in. All started out of nowhere. Looks like I may have to rewire the AC System.


----------



## Admin

You've been busy Chris.


----------



## Chris

I'm five minute from buying a used vehicle to tow behind the RV for this trip and sell when I get home just so I don't have to wok on this one.

Would it look funny an RV towing a Ram 2500 Diesel 4x4 as a tow vehicle?


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> I'm five minute from buying a used vehicle to tow behind the RV for this trip and sell when I get home just so I don't have to wok on this one.
> 
> Would it look funny an RV towing a Ram 2500 Diesel 4x4 as a tow vehicle?



You got a trailer, put it on there and tow it.


----------



## Rusty

My MIL called. Someone tried to break into her house last. She said they ran when she turned on the deck light. Probably good that they didn't make it in, she had a 12 gauge and pistol waiting.


----------



## Chris

oldognewtrick said:


> You got a trailer, put it on there and tow it.



The places I am going I can't keep the extra trailer with me. Many RV spots up and down the coast. Found an older SUV all set up to be towed for 2900. I'm gonna give myself through the weekend and if I can't figure it out i will grab it.



Rusty said:


> My MIL called. Someone tried to break into her house last. She said they ran when she turned on the deck light. Probably good that they didn't make it in, she had a 12 gauge and pistol waiting.



Lucky them.


----------



## havasu

If you get a cheap jeep, ill buy it when you get back....maybe


----------



## Chris

Was looking at a Suzuki something or other.


----------



## havasu

Get a 2000 or so TJ with a hardtop. Drag it around and I'll pick it up when you are done.


----------



## Chris

If I wanted to toss 10k away.


----------



## havasu

Yeah, them are pricy.


----------



## Chris

If I could talk the wife into a 3rd jeep that might work. We are working on getting her dads CJ8 Scrambler. 

At what point does the insurance company realize I can only drive one at a time? They charge me like I drive six cars a day.


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> If I could talk the wife into a 3rd jeep that might work. We are working on getting her dads CJ8 Scrambler.
> 
> At what point does the insurance company realize I can only drive one at a time? They charge me like I drive six cars a day.



I have one that I drive maybe twice a month and can't get a break on it.


----------



## Chris

I call my insurance company and tell them to lower my mileage to 1k a year on each because I don't drive any of them. I tell them I drive my company truck everywhere and they don't believe me. They try and say the minimum is 8k or something, I argue that I am over insuring it but it goes no where. My jeep I put about 200 miles a year on if that and my other jeep has had 50 miles in five years. They hav my travel trailer at 5k and that thing goes no where. Its all a scam.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Just figure what you spend on insurance in a year and you'll see just who you work for, auto, home, health, work comp, general liability, life...., it's a racket.


----------



## havasu

If I had Chris's wealth, I would seriously consider self-bonding.


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> If I had Chris's wealth, I would seriously consider self-bonding.



If I had it, I would retire completely.


----------



## Chris

If you had my wealth. You would continue going to work everyday like everyone else. I pretend I'm rich. I really just know a guy named rich.

I figured out my fuse blowing issue on my AC. When I put the new alternator in I pinched the AC wire on the adjuster bolt on the back where I couldn't see it. 

View attachment image.jpg


----------



## havasu

^ Yep, that would blow a fuse for sure. Glad you found the culprit.


----------



## zannej

If I had Chris' level of motivation and energy, I'd be so much more productive. I think your "wealth" is not monetary, but in abstract things like your work ethic, devotion to family, and ambition.

Yesterday I went to the grocery store and got some blueberries, bananas, and strawberries. I also got some more hamburger meat. My brother and mother both like how I cook burgers.


----------



## oldognewtrick

zannej said:


> If I had Chris' level of motivation and energy, I'd be so much more productive. I think your "wealth" is not monetary, but in abstract things like your work ethic, devotion to family, and ambition.
> 
> Yesterday I went to the grocery store and got some *blueberries, bananas, and strawberries*. I also got some more *hamburger meat.* My brother and mother both like how I cook burgers.



You put all of this in hamburger... Interesting.....


----------



## Rusty

Getting sick of the rain. Flood watches everywhere. Another 1-2 inches today.
As soon as the rain is done, back to 100 degrees every day.


----------



## havasu

Darn you all for talking about hamburgers. Now I am craving them.  

Anyone want lemons? I've been giving away about 2 five gallons of buckets full of lemons daily for the last week or so. They are just falling off the tree faster than I can pick 'em up.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Trade ya a big, juicy burger for a bucket of lemons.


----------



## zannej

I got raisin bran crunch cereal and I mix the bananas, blueberries, and strawberries in for a nice breakfast.
Hamburgers are for dinner if it isn't too damn hot to cook them.

Woke up this morning literally soaked in sweat. Realized it is hot as hell in the house. The AC isn't blowing cold. I saw frost building up on the outside. Checked underneath where the filters go and could see it dripping and ice was formed. Had to shut if off to let it thaw. I regularly change the filters. The inside of that compartment was cold, but for some reason it's not blowing cold to the rest of the house. Not sure if the outside AC unit is messed up or not. I think there was probably a coolant leak. Not sure when the AC guy will be available though.

It's 90 degrees in the hallway and that is one of the cooler parts of the house. It is absolutely boiling in this room. I have all of my fans going but ugh. I have huge windows on this room so the sun is beating in and the cats yanked my curtains down (broke the rods). #firstworldproblems

I hate to think what its like in my attic.

It was so hot inside that the dogs actually wanted to go outside.


----------



## Rusty

My wife and daughter are taking 5 of the grandkids to my MIL tomorrow to shoot fireworks. I am staying home, hoping I can work on vehicles without interruption.


----------



## Chris

I worked on my jeep most of the day and then went and picked up three of the guns I recently bought.


----------



## Rusty

Thinking about starting to carry the little 22 revolver I have. I can carry it in my jeans pocket and it won't be seen. Probably will take it to the range first and see if I can hit anything with it. My Ruger and my S&W are both kinda big for CC.


----------



## havasu

I hope if you have to use it, you don't piss off the guy you just shot!


----------



## Rusty

You don't think that 6 22 mini mags will stop someone?


----------



## Admin

zannej said:


> I got raisin bran crunch cereal and I mix the bananas, blueberries, and strawberries in for a nice breakfast.
> Hamburgers are for dinner if it isn't too damn hot to cook them.
> 
> Woke up this morning literally soaked in sweat. Realized it is hot as hell in the house. The AC isn't blowing cold. I saw frost building up on the outside. Checked underneath where the filters go and could see it dripping and ice was formed. Had to shut if off to let it thaw. I regularly change the filters. The inside of that compartment was cold, but for some reason it's not blowing cold to the rest of the house. Not sure if the outside AC unit is messed up or not. I think there was probably a coolant leak. Not sure when the AC guy will be available though.
> 
> It's 90 degrees in the hallway and that is one of the cooler parts of the house. It is absolutely boiling in this room. I have all of my fans going but ugh. I have huge windows on this room so the sun is beating in and the cats yanked my curtains down (broke the rods). #firstworldproblems
> 
> I hate to think what its like in my attic.
> 
> It was so hot inside that the dogs actually wanted to go outside.



Please find a way to have at least one room cool enough.   That heat can kill.


----------



## havasu

Rusty said:


> You don't think that 6 22 mini mags will stop someone?



I really don't. The entrance and exit (if you are lucky enough to have) wounds are just too small to debilitate most men. It is normally the loss of blood that will put someone down and it is just not big enough hole to do the damage necessary. 

When a neighboring agency used a 9mm and shot someone 28 times, and he was still able to kill another guy with a shotgun before dying was part of the reason our agency changed to a .40 cal.


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> I really don't. The entrance and exit (if you are lucky enough to have) wounds are just too small to debilitate most men. It is normally the loss of blood that will put someone down and it is just not big enough hole to do the damage necessary.
> 
> When a neighboring agency used a 9mm and shot someone 28 times, and he was still able to kill another guy with a shotgun before dying was part of the reason our agency changed to a .40 cal.



How about a .380? That is what my sister carries. I know that a 9mm and 380 are basically the same size except for length. But is a 380 powerful enough to stop anyone?


----------



## havasu

A .380 is in my opinion the smallest caliber back up weapon I would carry. One of my favorites was my Walther PPKS .380, which I carried on my ankle for years. That is also the only gun i lost in my divorce, and miss it tremendously. 

View attachment walther.jpg


----------



## Rusty

I have been looking for a 380 or a 9. Need something smaller than what I have now. My Ruger is too big for CCW and my S&W is even bigger.


----------



## havasu

Have you looked at the S&W Shield or the Glock 42? I myself am picking up the Shield, but since it is prohibited in Kommiefornia, I have to get it the "roundabout" way.


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> Have you looked at the S&W Shield or the Glock 42? I myself am picking up the Shield, but since it is prohibited in Kommiefornia, I have to get it the "roundabout" way.



How big is the shield an does it have a safety? Does that Glock have a safety? Looked it up. The shield is almost exactly the same size as my Ruger. I want something smaller.


----------



## havasu

The shield, yes. Glock, nope on the safety. I hear it is an itty bitty gun.


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> The shield, yes. Glock, nope on the safety. I hear it is an itty bitty gun.



I read that Glocks lead in gun accidents every year. I assume that is because of the lack of a safety?


----------



## oldognewtrick

No, the reason for leading in accidental shootings is operator error. Never put your finger on the trigger till you are ready to discharge the weapon. I have a Keltec 9mm, no safety, hasn't discharged by itself as of yet. I have a full size Beretta FS 92 with a safety, a lot more things to remember when seconds count. I know, the Keltec was a gift and I'm looking for a reason to turn it into a Kimber Pro Carry II.


----------



## Chris

I bought an LCP 380 for my wife with a crimson laser. Its a nice little gun but my meathooks are too large for it.


----------



## Chris

Now back to my jeep, this thing is gonna kill me. Leaving in four days on a couple thousand mile tow for it. Fixed my broken wire on my AC and took it for a drive, drove quite nice but the ac didn't work. Parked it yesterday and gave up. Today after two hours of folleing wires and checking things I found a plug that I unplugged yesterday to run a wire inside the loom for my fog lights and forgot to plug the plug in. Wonder what else wasn't working? Luckily this jeep is so basic that most everything is mechanical. Seems everything is working now. For the day.


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> I bought an LCP 380 for my wife with a crimson laser. Its a nice little gun but my meathooks are too large for it.



I wonder about too, I extended the mags on my Ruger to make it more comfortable.


----------



## Rusty

Well, I didn't get everything done yesterday, but I tried, high yesterday was 84, today 97.


----------



## havasu

I changed air filters on both cars, along with cabin filters. When is the last time YOU did this?


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> I changed air filters on both cars, along with cabin filters. When is the last time YOU did this?



Just take them out and toss them.:flames:


----------



## Chris

Jeep failed smog check due to aftermarket not CA approved Catalytic converter, which was installed almost 20 years and has passed smog test ten times already with it on.


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> Jeep failed smog check due to aftermarket not CA approved Catalytic converter, which was installed almost 20 years and has passed smog test ten times already with it on.



I am so glad we don't have those tests here. All they test are safety items, brakes, lights, glass, wipers, etc.:flames:


----------



## oldognewtrick

Get this, took the YJ in to get the emission test, tech says you have an exhaust leak and we can't test it cause there isn't enough air moving out of the pipe....I guess he was right, no air moving out of the hitch on the bumper where he had placed the probe.....Here's your sign...:waggingfinger:


----------



## Chris

Went to my trusty always gonna pass smog guy and found out that stupid CA law is only applicable to 96 and newer vehicles and that my cat is totally legal. Passed without cheating, ended up smogging both my jeeps today.


----------



## zannej

Well, cleaning off the grilles in front of the filters and letting the AC thaw for several hours seems to have done the trick for now. We raised the base temperature requirement so it doesn't try to get as cold, but is still tolerable. Thus far, the AC seems to be working again.

Meanwhile, my brother brought home a puppy that he claims he will take care of. I've already stepped in it's excrement once and had to refill its water and deal with it wanting attention earlier. He's a very sweet puppy, but he's already high maintenance. My brother had the gall to ask me if I had picked up after the puppy-- as if I was obligated to do so. I told him he can pick up after the puppy because it is his responsibility. I predict this will become yet another one of those things where I end up having to take care of something because my brother is too lazy/selfish to do it himself. His truck is still not repaired yet. The boy who is working on it is taking his sweet time and apparently can't do it without help. I won't be surprised if there are problems with the transmission afterward since he pulled it out to take the motor out...

Chris, I spy a typo. I know you meant "car" but you said "cat".

I wonder how my vehicles would do on emissions tests. Louisiana doesn't do them. Speaking of that sort of thing, my truck is due for servicing.


----------



## Rusty

T storms again this morning. Always too hot or raining. Can't get anything done.


----------



## Chris

I meant cat as in catylatic converter. Something you don't have to worry about on your car. Here in ca it is the number one excuse for failing smog tests.


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> I meant cat as in catylatic converter. Something you don't have to worry about on your car. Here in ca it is the number one excuse for failing smog tests.



In Missouri only St.Louis county requires smog tests and most of their air pollution is caused by the Budweiser brewery.


----------



## havasu

The liquid that Buttwiper produces is also a pollutant.


----------



## Rusty

The stench from the hops can be overwhelming, too.


----------



## Chris

Rusty said:


> The stench from the hops can be overwhelming, too.



Should be the grain you are smelling, I like the smell but then again I brew beer. Buttwiper has very little hops, just enough to preserve the beer.


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> Should be the grain you are smelling, I like the smell but then again I brew beer. Buttwiper has very little hops, just enough to preserve the beer.



Could be, when I was hanging around up there I was told it was the hops. But after a few beers, it didn't smell as bad anyway.


----------



## zannej

The only thing I like about Budweiser was the commercial with the 3 frogs-- because I like frogs.

Ahh, catalytic converter. Ok. I just thought it was a typo. Thanks for clearing that up.

Heat index was 107 yesterday. Ugh.

I tried to get a photo of my brother's new puppy, Shiro-- (sort of rhymes with "hero") but he wouldn't hold still. This was the best shot I could get.





And surprise surprise, my brother hasn't been cleaning up after him. And I can't find his toys. He dragged them off and hid them somewhere. My two older dogs (the akita and rottweiler) tolerate him, but the russel terrier tries to avoid him. I'm hoping that my brother will take him over to play with his brother (another friend took the brother) so he can play with a puppy his own age and get some more practice with socializing. Earlier he was in the kitchen raising his paw at one of the cats trying to get her to play with him-- but paw raising in cat body language is a threat so she was offended instead.


----------



## Chris

Rusty said:


> Could be, when I was hanging around up there I was told it was the hops. But after a few beers, it didn't smell as bad anyway.



Smells kinda like cooking cereal?


----------



## Rusty

Put an alternator on my minivan this morning. Need one more part and had to order it.


----------



## Rusty

I'm mad today. I have a stepson who is totally blind. Last summer we caught his home health care worker stealing money from him and using his food stamp card for herself. (he is raising three kids alone). When arrested, she admitted stealing the money. That was August, she wasn't charged until October. This June, they dropped the charges, with not even any restitution. She had stolen from two other clients who declined to press charges. Without a conviction she can continue in the field.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Call your city councilmen or the mayors office and be a pain in their *** till you get an answer. Just my 2 cents.


----------



## Rusty

I need one of these. 

View attachment 13620720_10210056227106972_553850318448027987_n.jpg


----------



## havasu

One of these days, I'm going to make it to the Amish country. I hear their woodworking skills are second to none.


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> One of these days, I'm going to make it to the Amish country. I hear their woodworking skills are second to none.



They retail a lot of hand-made kitchen cabinets and load semi loads of produce out. We have several communities within 20 miles. We buy tomatoes from them almost every day. $1 a pound and some of them weigh 2-3 pounds each.


----------



## havasu

I bet them 'maters taste great too.


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> I bet them 'maters taste great too.



Don't know what happened, tried to quote you and it popped up that I had edited you.

Fresh, cucumbers, jalapenos and squash. Corn soon.


----------



## Rusty

Cut two and 1/3 yards this morning. Will finish tomorrow. Was 90 before I got done.


----------



## Rusty

Another lost day. T storms this morning.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> Another lost day. T storms this morning.



That's been every day here lately.


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> That's been every day here lately.



Same here. I was able to get most of the mowing done yesterday morning, but it won't get finished today. Rain in the mornings, hot and humid in the afternoons. Crops are getting too much rain too.


----------



## Rusty

Set up our first festival Sept. 17. We will have 7 flavors of popcorn, kettle corn and 6 flavors of cotton candy.


----------



## havasu

I love kettle corn!


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> I love kettle corn!



Show up at the festival, I'm sure Rusty will hook you up.


----------



## havasu

He'd probably put me to work making it.


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> Show up at the festival, I'm sure Rusty will hook you up.



That would be a long drive for kettle corn.


----------



## oldognewtrick

If he leaves now he can be there on time.


----------



## havasu

I'll just pick up one of the diesel trucks that Chris left at his house so it won't cost me anything.


----------



## Chris

This one will be the most comfy on a road trip.

She has been great this trip so far. 1500 miles down all in comfort and doesn't even know the jeep is back there. Glad I went with a diesel pusher. 

View attachment image.jpg


----------



## zannej

I had my cardiac stress test this week. The staff were all very nice. The nurse who had to put the IV in said that she puts needles in people all day but she hates getting shots and IVs herself, so I felt a little better about being nervous. Its the waiting that is the worst.

I thought they were going to put me on a treadmill, but they decided to do a "chemical stress test" instead. I would rather have the treadmill if they ever did it again. That stuff was awful. I've been having headaches ever since. It took hours for the nausea and headache to clear up. I couldn't eat before the test so I went to IHOP afterward. They were out of bacon so I got the 2x2x2 with toast instead of bacon.
Brought some pancakes home that I couldn't finish & my cat decided she wanted them. She normally doesn't want my food and usually only sniffs a little and maybe licks the food a little-- she sniffed and then chomped and pulled a big chunk out. They were good pancakes though.

I watched my brother and a co-worker playing Pokemon Go in the Walmart parking lot when I went to get groceries.

Got a call from the insurance agent about the car accident back in January. He sort of implied that they won't pay all of the medical bills and gave me the impression that they aren't going to cover pain and suffering either. A friend of mine said they should cover the medical and the gas to get to the doctor as well as pain and suffering. I may end up having to find a lawyer to be fairly compensated. I wonder if there are any who give free consultations that would give me an estimate of how much I could get and how much the lawyers would take as their share.


----------



## Rusty

Rain all day today. UGH! Can not get anything done.


----------



## Chris

Zanne, expect any lawyer to get you three times all of your costs including mileage and everything else. They will keep 1/3, you will have to pay back any insurance and you will get one third. Pretty much you will profit exactly what you have out now. 

Definitely call one sooner than later or you will get hosed. Any good one won't charge you a dime until the case is settled. You will not have any money out of pocket.


----------



## zannej

Thanks, Chris. My insurance didn't pay a dime for anything involving the car accident. And the agent previously agreed to cover the cost of the new rental car (it was more expensive than the previous rental car). I need to get the replacement rental as well as gas to and from the doctor's office.

Meanwhile, here is the newest member of my family:


----------



## Rusty

This is becoming a popular forum, for spammers.:waggingfinger:


----------



## zannej

Yeah. The spammers were out in force last night. And I had to wait 60 seconds in between reports so I was playing solitaire while waiting.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> This is becoming a popular forum, for spammers.:waggingfinger:



Not as bad as it use to be.:Sabrefight:


----------



## Chris

When I took over this forum it was pages and pages of spam with maybe one good post if I were lucky. Took days to clean it up. I'm glad all you guys have stuck it out with me.


----------



## zannej

I remember back in the 90s when I had a message board and some company made and sold software that not only listed a bunch of forums and sold it to companies, but it allowed them to multi-post the same message on multiple forums simultaneously. This was back before most of the sites had moderated sign-ups to weed out spambots. I spent a lot of time talking to one of the CS techs for my forum about ways to deal with it. It was not fun.

Anyway, I really appreciate the work the admins do here. <3


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> When I took over this forum it was pages and pages of spam with maybe one good post if I were lucky. Took days to clean it up. I'm glad all you guys have stuck it out with me.



The flooringforum was the same way when it was handed over to me. For a long time I checked every new member's IP.


----------



## zannej

I haven't gone to the flooring forum in awhile. I should rectify that.


----------



## oldognewtrick

zannej said:


> I haven't gone to the flooring forum in awhile. I should rectify that.



OH, go to House Repair Talk and argue with snootyb, it's a lot more fun. &#127866;


----------



## zannej

oldognewtrick said:


> OH, go to House Repair Talk and argue with snootyb, it's a lot more fun. &#55356;&#57210;



LOL. He seems to have rather strong opinions about that one thread. I was a bit surprised at the hostility, but that's the internet for you.

I wonder if he was offended that I called him Snoopy. I misread the name and for some reason my brain saw Snoopyb instead of Soonyb. LOL. He was coming off as a little angry, but maybe it's just that tone doesn't come across well on the internet.

Not worth getting worked up over, IMO.

I was amused on the plumbing forum that Frodo and I pretty much had the same response to someone-- same product suggestion and such. 
*highfives to Frodo*

On a side note, I found out that my ISP tried to launch another satellite that would have increased bandwidth and allowed users to have more Gb per month, but the company they hired to launch had a "catastrophic failure" and they won't be able to launch until next year.


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> OH, go to House Repair Talk and argue with snootyb, it's a lot more fun. &#55356;&#57210;



Hey, we want zannej at the flooring forum.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Zanne, I've had a failure to launch problem before, but it didn't take me a year to recover. You need a new Isp provider.  :boat:


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> Hey, we want zannej at the flooring forum.



Sorry Charlie, it will cost ya.....


----------



## zannej

LOL. I went to the flooring forum.  

I wish I could find an alternative ISP that would be better. Unfortunately, the only viable options currently are satellite companies. There are two satellite companies that offer service in my area and the one I have is the lesser of the two evils.

Even with antenna and amp, my signal strength is not high enough to get cellular based internet to work (and there are no plans that offer a decent amount of bandwidth for a reasonable price). Dialup, cable, and DSL are not available.

But, I like the privacy out here. I don't have to see or hear my neighbors for the most part, and I like it that way.


----------



## Rusty

We only have AT&T u verse or cable for internet. We use U verse because the cable sucks. The u verse is slow but at least it works.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Zanne, how close are you to Batton Rouge?


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> Zanne, how close are you to Batton Rouge?



Not too close I hope. They are still hunting for active shooters.


----------



## Rusty

I think the grass hates me. My gas weedeater won't start, then my rechargeable one broke and now my good push mower broke.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> I think the grass hates me. My gas weedeater won't start, then my rechargeable one broke and now my good push mower broke.



Time for a couple goats.


----------



## zannej

oldognewtrick said:


> Zanne, how close are you to Batton Rouge?



Pretty far. I think it was a 2 to 4 hour drive last time I went. I can't recall. I'm in central Louisiana. I live out near a wildlife management area outside of a small town.

I think the last time I went to Baton Rouge was in 2005.

Rusty, I can't even get a gas weedeater to start. I have wimpy arms. I need to take my weedeaters out and cut the weeds and stuff, but the heat really gets to me and with my medication, I can't be out in the sun (being in the sunlight and heat causes dizziness, fatigue, and fainting).

On the bright side, last time I went down to the barn, I saw that there are some uninstalled gutters in the lumber stack. I should see if I can get my handy friend to help me put some up in exchange for food (he would do stuff without any compensation, but we like to feed him). I need to get my brother to help me get a ladder up so I can clean the gutter over the front steps.


----------



## oldognewtrick

What do you cook? Hell, I hang gutters. Jambalaya, shrimp boil, red beans and rice?


----------



## Rusty

zannej said:


> Pretty far. I think it was a 2 to 4 hour drive last time I went. I can't recall. I'm in central Louisiana. I live out near a wildlife management area outside of a small town.
> 
> I think the last time I went to Baton Rouge was in 2005.
> 
> Rusty, I can't even get a gas weedeater to start. I have wimpy arms. I need to take my weedeaters out and cut the weeds and stuff, but the heat really gets to me and with my medication, I can't be out in the sun (being in the sunlight and heat causes dizziness, fatigue, and fainting).
> 
> On the bright side, last time I went down to the barn, I saw that there are some uninstalled gutters in the lumber stack. I should see if I can get my handy friend to help me put some up in exchange for food (he would do stuff without any compensation, but we like to feed him). I need to get my brother to help me get a ladder up so I can clean the gutter over the front steps.


I am not supposed to get hot. I passed out with a heat stroke once, but if I don't cut the grass, no one will.


----------



## zannej

oldog, I'm not originally from Louisiana so I'm not big on the cajun food-- I also have allergies and intolerances to pepper and onions. I do miss red beans and rice. A friend of mine used to make fried popcorn shrimp that was good. She and her husband (who passed away a few years ago) used to make barbecue chicken and ribs.

There is a family recipe my mother used to make-- her grandmother called it "chicken buppergosh" but I've since found out that it is chicken paprikash soup. The onions have to be left out for me to eat it.

My brother is the better cook. My cooking skills are limited to microwaving stuff and a few things on the induction burner and nu-wave oven. I can make baked asparagus, hamburgers, scrambled eggs, and potato soup. I need to learn to cook more things though.

Rusty, I have a guy who comes to bush-hog the yard from time to time-- he mostly gets the larger part of the yard. I need to get a new riding mower for smaller areas. I don't do well with push-mowers anymore. I'm hoping the weather will cool off enough for me to handle going outside to at least get the weeds and maybe trim the tree closest to the satellite.

I miss having goats. They used to take care of a lot of the weeds.


----------



## zannej

I was planning to go get my car serviced today, but I'm feeling nauseous and a thunderstorm is rolling in.

I'm also trying to find a decent gate opener-- I have a large tube-style farm gate. Not sure how much it weighs, but I think it's less than 200lbs.

I was thinking of getting the Might Mule FM200 along with a 12v marine battery, am extra remote, a 20w solar panel, and an entry keypad. I'm also considering getting the automatic lock that will unlock when the button is pressed to open the gate. Reviews are mixed on that brand, but the only other one I saw was more expensive and had even worse ratings.

A couple of problems: The gate is under trees, so I would need to run the wire for the solar panel at least 30ft to get sunlight. I can't put posts up in front of my gate since the timber and power company sometimes pass through, so the keypad and such would need to be mounted on the post above the gate (maybe facing sideways so it can be accessed from either side if need be). I'm not sure what I would do about package deliveries. The intercom system seems too expensive so I'm not sure how I would deal with unexpected visitors. I'm also not sure if that gate opener is strong enough for my gate but the next highest one is significantly more expensive.

The pros would be that I could keep my cows locked in and not have to worry about my brother refusing to open and close the gate going to and from work (he currently refuses to close it as it is not automatic).


----------



## Rusty

I posted about my blind stepson having money stolen by a caregiver. He got a check for $230.(she stole several thousand) and they dropped the charges. We are mad. She will still be able to work home health care.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty, I know it sucks, but there's a special place, you know where for her.


----------



## zannej

Rusty said:


> I posted about my blind stepson having money stolen by a caregiver. He got a check for $230.(she stole several thousand) and they dropped the charges. We are mad. She will still be able to work home health care.



Is there any way he can take her to court? Did she steal more than the jurisdictional amount for small claims court? If it is less, then he could sue for the amount plus punitive damages to reach the maximum limit.

Did she get fired by her agency? Maybe you can get ahold of the police report that included her confession of stealing and fwd it to her current employer as well as to other home-health companies in the area so that they are aware of her crimes. Police reports are a matter of public record, so even if charges were dropped, she still admitted to theft. 

On a side note, when I went to visit my cousin I think last month or the month before, I drove around a huge toll road on the way there. My gps kept trying to put me on the toll road, but I kept going around instead. There were numerous warning signs saying an EZ pass was needed and that it was entering a toll road on that side. On the way back, things were not so clearly marked and there was no place to buy an EZ pass that I could find. Also, since we don't have roads like that where I live, I assumed it would have a toll booth. Turns out, you just drive on to the road and there are cameras to take photos of license plates and if a vehicle doesn't have an EZpass, they get a violation. So when I was driving the opposite way late at night and there was road construction. The road to circumvent the toll road was closed and I was forced on to the toll road (only I didn't realize I was going on to the toll road because there was no sign to warn me and I didn't see toll booths-- which I didn't realize don't exist for those roads). I basically got forced on to a toll road because I got to a point where the only path was on the toll road. Fastforward to this week when I got a letter in the mail with multiple fines for being on the toll road coming to $20 plus the fees for using the road (apparently people get charged more than once for the road based on distance I guess). 

I called the number on the print-out and explained the situation. The lady on the phone was very nice. I said that I was willing to pay the fees for using the road, but requested that the violation fees be removed since I had no choice and was not aware that I was even on the toll road. She put me on hold to verify the information and came back and said I was right and they would waive the extra fees. So, it ended up being about $3 instead. I think it helped that I'm from out of state and didn't know how the toll road there worked. It went much easier and faster than I'd expected.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Zanne, I had the exact same thing happen to me when I was driving my daughter back from NYC on the Jersey Turnpike. Couple months later I got a get well card from the state of New Jersey. I sent the money for the toll back and explained I was out of state and confused. H aven't heard from them since. Maybe I should never try going to New jersey again though.:boat:


----------



## Rusty

A friend who lives in Jersey says that the state is broke with Christie Cream as the governor. The probably need the money.


----------



## Rusty

Zannej, that woman still has her job. The company she works for knows she is a thief but don't care.


----------



## zannej

Rusty said:


> Zannej, that woman still has her job. The company she works for knows she is a thief but don't care.



Hmm.. That sounds like it would be time to report reviews of the company to say that they employ someone that has confessed to stealing from customers. The company itself should be libel then.

Also, I'm not a violent person, but when I read about what that ***** did, I wanted to slap her. I don't care how she tries to justify it, that is just scumbaggery.


----------



## Rusty

Cut my daughter's grass this morning. around 90 by 8 am. No relief until monday


----------



## Rusty

Heat Index is 103 at noon.


----------



## oldognewtrick

I was going to cut the grass this afternoon, but thought, heck, another day, not today....


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> I was going to cut the grass this afternoon, but thought, heck, another day, not today....



I cut the yard next door this morning.


----------



## Chris

112 today.

I just got home from vacation to three completely yellow and dead lawns about 50 dead plants and a few dead tree's. Scratches down the side of my pickup and my living room wood floors buckled. All this while I had three different people staying at my house to prevent any of this. I am pretty bitter at the moment.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Friends or family?


----------



## Rusty

My sister-in-law passed away this morning. I had only seen her once in the last 20 years.


----------



## Chris

Both, good friends son on the weekends and family during the week. I asked them to stay there to make it easy, feed the dogs, feed the chickens and make sure everything has water. Walk the property to make sure no plants are drying out. Simple. You would think. Very careful instructions, if something looks dry soak the **** out of it.


----------



## Rusty

You can't depend on anyone these days.


----------



## Chris

If I were house sitting and the main thing concerned is keep the lawn alive you bet I would be out watering it.


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> If I were house sitting and the main thing concerned is keep the lawn alive you bet I would be out watering it.



Probably did not want to get hot.


----------



## havasu

If I was house sitting, I would walk around your property naked, just because I always wanted to do that.


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> If I was house sitting, I would walk around your property naked, just because I always wanted to do that.



Again?:waggingfinger:


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> If I was house sitting, I would walk around your property naked, just because I always wanted to do that.



Now that right there is a thought I hope I never commit to long term memory....


----------



## zannej

Chris, man... WTF? How the hell did your floors buckle?

And your truck was scratched? Ugh.

I would be furious. Hell, I'm pissed off on your behalf. I'm sorry you lost so many plants. :-(

It's bad enough they didn't water your plants, but it sounds like they may have actually caused damage to your property as well. And I bet none of them will admit to it if questioned. 

My brother loaded so much crap on the internet on Friday so we went over our ISP's limit and now we're capped so internet is slower than dialup. I'm going to have to figure out how to throttle his usage via the router so he can't do it next month. And we are capped until the 12th of next month. That means the internet is pretty much only usable between midnight and 5am until then.

Havasu, LOL! I bet that might deter some trespassers.


----------



## Rusty

Found this interesting


"If you put a 20-year-old driver behind the wheel with a cell phone, their reaction times are the same as a 70-year-old driver who is not using a cell phone," said University of Utah psychology professor David Strayer. "It's like instantly aging a large number of drivers."


----------



## Chris

That is interesting.

I have just realized I can't count on the people around me. Seems no one cares anymore. These were all family or people close to us so I thought we could rely on them. It is going to take a while for the plants to come back or get replaced. I am more upset about the bamboo floors, that is going to suck. The truck is liveable and can probably be buffed out. I get more upset because I asked what happened and nobody seems to ever know. It's always a damn mystery. I don't think these people realize how much work and care I put into trying to keep this place nice. I need some new family.


----------



## zannej

I know how you feel, Chris. My brother is completely unreliable and I'm constantly having to do more work to clean up after him and do things he's supposed to do because he just won't do them. I've been having to take care of his puppy (feeding, watering, giving attention) and clean up messes. The puppy has been getting in to stuff and tearing things apart. 

I wonder if someone spilled water or something on the floor and didn't clean it up. And that can be expensive to fix. Sounds like it might have to be replaced.


----------



## Chris

Its pee and yes I will have to replace at least part of the floor if I can find matching wood.



Today I pulled weeds and sat on the couch.


----------



## Chris

Went to work today. Didn't sleep well last night so I wasn't productive. Maybe try again tomorrow.


----------



## zannej

Ugh. Dog pee on the floor is even worse. :-(
I hope you can find matching wood to replace part of it.

The neighbor we sold the tractor to came over and bushhogged a large portion of the yard today. I see he has a sun shade thing on the tractor now. He didn't see me when I waved at him, and didn't hear me call out to say "hello" so I'll have to send him a card or call later to thank him.


----------



## Rusty

Doing everything left-handed. I have an infection in my joints on my right hand. Probably because of my arthritis.


----------



## Chris

Hows wiping coming along?


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> Hows wiping coming along?



A chore....


----------



## havasu

That would suck Rusty. What type of meds do they have you on?


----------



## Chris

I was young and dumb once and decided to stop the guy stealing my car and got a bad boxer fracture in my right hand so bad they had to let it partially heal than re break it to straighten my pinky a little. I was in a funky cast for a few months and let me tell you the worst thing was going to the bathroom.

Now I am just dumb, not young anymore.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Now Chris, tell the truth, you'd do it all over again just for the satisfaction of busting the car thief's nose... wouldn't ya...


----------



## Chris

I would. In a heart beat. I hate thieves. It aint that hard to get a job and buy what you need.


----------



## Rusty

At my age, I would probably just shoot them.


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> That would suck Rusty. What type of meds do they have you on?



Just an antibiotic. I am somewhat ambidextrous, so that helps. As a kid I practiced throwing a ball left-handed and writing with either hand. My computer sits on my left side, so if just surfing, I use the mouse some with my left hand. I learned to shoot a rifle left-handed, then the Army made me switch, so I can do that with either one, too.


----------



## havasu

I too am pretty ambidextrous. I shoot left handed, golf right handed, bat left handed, putt left handed....

maybe this is why I can't golf for crap?


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> I too am pretty ambidextrous. I shoot left handed, golf right handed, bat left handed, putt left handed....
> 
> maybe this is why I can't golf for crap?



Well. Phil Mickleson is right-handed but plays golf left-handed and has done pretty good.


----------



## havasu

Rusty said:


> Well. Phil Mickleson is right-handed but plays golf left-handed and has done pretty good.



True dat. He is my favorite on the PGA circuit, except for this old guy. 

View attachment dad 014.jpg


----------



## Chris

You guys are weird!


----------



## zannej

Scheduled my Ridgeline for service check today. Not sure what they are supposed to do at 60+k miles, but I imagine it is similar to 40k. Gonna have to take it through the car wash twice I think.

Meanwhile, my mother is going to go with me so she's getting dressed. I know she's up because her dog just came in here and is sitting on my legs. Gonna be fun dealing with my brother's puppy when we go through the room. I'll probably have to hold him so my mother can walk through without tripping over him.

Aha! the creature arises! time to go.


----------



## Chris

Good luck, they are gonna charge you a bunch of money for things you likely don't need. 

My typical list when I go to the dealer. I need...

Wipers
Brake fluid flush
diff service (No matter if I just did it or not)
Trans service (Trans had 5k on it, of course they don't ask)
Brakes need done (Always)
Tire rotation
Coolant flush
Fuel filter
Cabin air filter

And we can do all this for 2900 dollars, then I say no I will take care of it myself and I get the attitude and the "we are going to have to put declined in the system which will effect your warranty". Me- I have no warranty, I will take care of it myself. Well if you have no warranty you might want to look into having these services done before anything major happens and we can sell you an extended warranty if you like. No thanks!


----------



## havasu

^ You hit the nail on the head Chris.


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> ^ You hit the nail on the head Chris.



Yes, it is a scam.


----------



## havasu

Just went to a local tire shop because the daughter's car had a roofing nail in it. SOB's charged me $25! I asked why they were so expensive and he said they charge more because they patch the inside of the tire and don't plug it. I explained that if you have radial tires, you must patch and not plug, and America's Tire has never charged me to patch a tire. He gave me more BS, so I told him goodbye, and I will never be back there again. 

Note, Mountain View Tire sucks!


----------



## Chris

Always Americas or discount tire for free repairs, they are a stand up company. Free repairs, free rotations and great customer service always. Usually the cheapest on tires too.


----------



## Chris

I went to court today for not having my motor carrier permit attached to my CA numbers for work. I applied for the permit but none of my trucks require a commercial license so I am exempt from two other programs. The DMV rejected my application stating my truck requires a commercial license so I have to join and if I have any questions then call this number. I have called that number at least 200 times in the last month ans every single time it says they are experiencing high call volume and disconnects me any time on any day. Well the court had no idea what I was talking about and knew nothing about commercial drivers so they just wanted to give me an extension and say good luck figuring it out. I left and went to the Highway patrol office where he stated I had filled out everything correct. I went to the local DMV to see if I could get any help. No one in there knew anything about commercial stuff but at least one lay gave it hell trying to figure it out yet she herself couldn't get a hold of Sacramento either. She finally had to give back my paperwork and say good luck keep trying.

Now I am back to where I started a few months ago knowing nothing and not getting anywhere.


----------



## Rusty

My daughter bought a car from N Carolina about 6 months ago. They only give a bill of sale there. Missouri won't accept it, even though it is notarized, they are insisting that she go back to N Carolina and get it run through there. Why are these DMVs such a mess?


----------



## Chris

California will take a bill of sale written on a gum wrapper in crayon.

They are definitly understaffed and under trained. It's difficult trying to get anything done there.


----------



## zannej

Chris, I think it is pretty much universal for DMVs to suck. I don't know why. There is this one lady at the local one who I never saw smile until the day my 89-year-old friend was in there to renew his license. He got a discount because of his age so he said something like "Goll-ee, if I keep getting older they're gonna start paying _me_ to get a license" and the *****y lady actually laughed.

Here they won't accept just bill of sale. You need to have the title.

I took my truck in for service. They cleaned the underside (because the carwash was broken in my town and in their town) so I couldn't get the undercarriage wash like I'd planned. They checked the tires, changed filters, etc. I believe they put air in my tires. It came out to about $56 including tax. They didn't tell me I needed any extra stuff (maybe they didn't want to do more because of the mud). They marked the tire where they found a screw in it but said they don't do tire repairs there and told me where I could go to get it fixed. (That dealership has a good reputation for handling customers and is not known to screw people).

 I took it back to my regular tire people and they pulled the screw out and discovered it was just wedged in the treads and hadn't done any damage. They did some sort of liquid test to check for leaks. Then checked the tire pressure. Free of charge. I gave the guy a buck because I felt he should get something for having to get on the ground under that muddy truck and pull that screw out. I'm so glad it didn't need to be repaired and the treads are still holding out.

Drove past my brother on the way home and woke him up-- he had fallen asleep at the wheel and was starting to drift to the ditch when the sound of my truck passing woke him. His boss had him work the 4pm to midnight shift the night before and the 9am to 4pm today so he was exhausted.

Honda dealership logged my vehicle in their registry and said hopefully the airbag replacement will be in next month.

I saw a really fugly green honda inside while I was waiting. They also had some Odesseys. I was bored and the tv was showing soap operas (which I despise) so I wandered around opening doors and looking inside. I was trying to find the handle on the Odessey's back hatch and when my hand touched a certain spot a loud beep came out and it opened automatically. Also, if you close it gently, it then mechanically closes tighter and secures. I think I was doing the rear side doors (which slide like on a van) wrong because I really had to use a lot of force to open and close. So, I'm guessing there was a button for that as well somewhere.


----------



## Rusty

Got one, now what? 

View attachment 13686676_1176928178994925_9136366787195819627_n.jpg


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> Got one, now what?



Be careful who you share this info with.


----------



## zannej

I forgot to mention, the place that patches tires where I live charges $10 for repair on a normal tire and $15 for one with a sensor. They actually did a lot of free repairs when we first moved back because we had over 40 incidents of nails in the tires in one year. (we suspect the neighbors were responsible) 

Today my power went out for no apparent reason. Weather was clear. I called to report the outage and via the automated system I requested a callback when the power was restored. Good thing because my power was still out when they called back and the system asked me if I had power. I hit 2 for "no" so they said they would have their crew do further investigating and less than 20 minutes later the power was back. 

I'm so glad they improved the system. In the past I had problems of not being able to communicate to them that my power was still out. One time I had their automated message tell me that my power had already been restored. But there was a tree down on the lines and I couldn't tell them because there was no way to speak to a live person.

Anyway, now it's raining. Rain always makes me sleepy. I was going to watch some usual programs on PBS with Mom, but the stupid political convention crap is on instead.


----------



## mustanggarage

well I think I told you all a few weeks ago that my Dad decided it was time for him to move to the nursing home.  He has been living over there for a couple months now and he is honestly doing a lot better.  He seems a lot happier.  anyway he of course had to sell his cars because the nursing homes basically take all your assets and then medicare and social security take over when you have nothing left.  Anyway so He had to sell all of his cars.  I decided to buy his two 94 mustangs that have been in my garage for the last few years.  I am going to try to give the convertible to my son.  I do not understand that kid.  for some reason he won't talk to my wife or I anymore.  I don't know why.  but anyway I bought the car.  I am going to do some work on it and see if he wants it.  I would really like to do some things with him.  Anyway the first thing I am going to do is replace those wheels.  this was the way Dad bought it.  I have never cared for the wheels so I am going to save a bit of money over the next few weeks and fix it up. 

View attachment 20160510_040038287_iOS.jpg


----------



## Rusty

Nice car. We all have one of those kids.


----------



## zannej

Heh. My mother wishes I would stop talking to her. 

mustang, that is a nice car! 

Since you want the car to be a gift to your son, maybe you should ask him if he likes the wheels first, rather than spending the money. Who knows, he might like them that way better.


----------



## mustanggarage

well, it's actually more than i just don't like them.  It appears someone hit a curb or something with the front wheel and it damaged it slightly.  there is a persistent slow leak from that area.  I do not know if it is fixeable, but since I don't like them anyway it is not worth the effort of trying.  I will save the old ones though and if Bryce wants them I will put the new wheels on the coupe.


----------



## zannej

Ahhh! If they are damaged that makes a difference.

Today I cleaned up, put the puppy outside with the other dogs because he's too much of a pain inside, and am currently waiting for some carpet shampoo to settle in to try to get maple syrup out.


----------



## Rusty

Meds for the hand infection are not working. They put me on something stronger, it is making me really sick.


----------



## Chris

Well that sucks, hopefully the sickness goes away soon. They changed my back medicine from a narcotic to a non narcotic so now I get to crap myself while in pain, it's a great time.


----------



## zannej

Rusty, that's no good. I hope it will clear up quickly.

Chris, that sucks as well. :-( 

In a bit of good news, I got the maple syrup out of the carpet.


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> Well that sucks, hopefully the sickness goes away soon. They changed my back medicine from a narcotic to a non narcotic so now I get to crap myself while in pain, it's a great time.



Been there, done that.


----------



## Chris

It's funny, I took the narcotin pain reliever when I really needed it, never abused it or got hooked. I have been on it for years and can make a 30 day supply last me six months but my doctor told me that the government is cracking down on doctors who prescribe narcotics so he has to give me this other drug that I have to take several times the recommended dosage along with over the counter stuff to get the same results of less pain. I take more Motrin than anyone should, I'm sure my liver or some other organ is going to fall out of my body because some government agency thinks I am a druggy.


----------



## Rusty

I have a degenerative hip and doctors have pushed narcotics at me for years. All they ever did was make me sick. They should let people use whatever works and tell big brother to butt out.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris, remember what happened to the plumber over on Plumber Forum who OD'd on NASIDS,whats his name, can't think of it for the life of me. I remember he was from Northern KY.


----------



## Chris

I never heard of that?


----------



## Chris

Rusty said:


> I have a degenerative hip and doctors have pushed narcotics at me for years. All they ever did was make me sick. They should let people use whatever works and tell big brother to butt out.



I agree, motrin works well for me but I take so much it is bad for me. I can take one narcotic pill every few days and it works well enough. I usually just deal with it but it is nice to have that comfort every now and again. I have four bad discs in my lower back and three in my neck. I played to rough in my life and I am not even old. Thats what I get for being the big guy, everyone just expects me to be able to lift and carry heavy things. Maybe I should have gone to school and not grabbed a shovel? I am 37 now and am in pain every day of my life, the kind of pain that most people just wouldn't continue on in construction but that is all I know and I am to old to start over.


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> I agree, motrin works well for me but I take so much it is bad for me. I can take one narcotic pill every few days and it works well enough. I usually just deal with it but it is nice to have that comfort every now and again. I have four bad discs in my lower back and three in my neck. I played to rough in my life and I am not even old. Thats what I get for being the big guy, everyone just expects me to be able to lift and carry heavy things. Maybe I should have gone to school and not grabbed a shovel? I am 37 now and am in pain every day of my life, the kind of pain that most people just wouldn't continue on in construction but that is all I know and I am to old to start over.



I know, I am 68 but carried 300lb.+, rolls of carpet for years.


----------



## zannej

My father was given NSAIDs instead of narcotic pain meds and it contributed to his early death. My family members have a genetic predisposition to resist pain medication (even narcotic ones-- Vicodin didn't do jack **** for me or my father). He was having to take waay too much just to take the edge off of his pain. He was only 61 when he died.

I know they don't want people getting addicted, but the way they are going about it is just ridiculous.

On a side note, I think my friend is FINALLY going to dump that stupid useless sack of a girlfriend of his. He finally realized he just can't go on the way he's been going. She's a useless mooch and he can barely make ends meet or pay bills bc he's busy supporting her fat lazy *** as well as her psychotic kid. If not for her, he would still have a house and not be struggling to pay the bills. He dropped off some of his stuff with us to keep it safe in case she goes on a rampage and tries to break things. I hope he goes through with it and doesn't back down when she pulls her usual crap.


----------



## Chris

So I have been looking out of state at properties and have had some interest in the Boise area and in particular the Horseshoe Bend town which is about 20 minutes outside of town. Think I might take a trip up there and look around a bit.


----------



## zannej

My friend who had the car accident last year and house fire this year finally kicked his useless **** of a girlfriend to the curb. well, he officially broke up with her. He's letting her stay in the trailer for two months to get her act together, get a job, and find another place to live. It's about damn time.


----------



## Chris

Saw this cartoon online and thought it was pretty true. 

View attachment leaving-california.jpg


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris, that's becoming the norm everywhere. Higher taxes, more regulation is what we have to look forward to. California is just 10 years ahead of the rest of the country.


----------



## havasu

Well Chris, we got the map planned out and we will be heading out to Roseburg, Oregon on Monday, then Gold Beach for the next few days after that. Did you take a boat ride up the Rogue River yourself?


----------



## Chris

havasu said:


> Well Chris, we got the map planned out and we will be heading out to Roseburg, Oregon on Monday, then Gold Beach for the next few days after that. Did you take a boat ride up the Rogue River yourself?



Yes, well worth it. You will have a great time if you do it. Gold beach is a beautiful small town. Windy as hell on the ocean. Remember if you take the river trip it gets about 20 degrees warmer as you go inland.

Where are you going after that?


----------



## havasu

SHE wants to go see the Tillamook cheese factory, then go into Seattle and actually go into the space needle, since we only drove by it heading to the cruise ship last year. From there, either east to the Little Bighorn in Montana, or S/E into Idaho. Maybe Sandpoint, where I can shake Mark Fuhrman's hand?  

Got any other good places in Oregon?


----------



## Chris

oldognewtrick said:


> Chris, that's becoming the norm everywhere. Higher taxes, more regulation is what we have to look forward to. California is just 10 years ahead of the rest of the country.



Very true and that is only a small reason of why I want to go. I make a great living here that I will likely forfeit by moving.

Just this morning like almost every morning I turn on the news and hear about the 5-6 shootings and murders that happen within an hour of where I live along with all the other crime that seems to be on the rise. Then if I plan on going anywhere on a highway it is stop and go traffic all day long, it doesn't really let up any more. Between my house and havasus there is about 20 miles of empty land that is all being built on now, we are growing so fast that the roads can't keep up. I get worried of what this place will be like in 20 years when my kids are grown up. That and I grew up in a small town and really miss that type of life. If I am going to move, now is the time for me as I don't have much for family left here and my kids have not grown roots.

Don't get me wrong, I love my town and my property and somewhat like what I do for a living and California is a beautiful place with a lot to offer, I think it is just my time to move on and try something new.


----------



## Chris

havasu said:


> SHE wants to go see the Tillamook cheese factory, then go into Seattle and actually go into the space needle, since we only drove by it heading to the cruise ship last year. From there, either east to the Little Bighorn in Montana, or S/E into Idaho. Maybe Sandpoint, where I can shake Mark Fuhrman's hand?
> 
> Got any other good places in Oregon?



Tillamook cheese is a cool stop but not worth spending more than a day there.

If you need a stop in between, winchester bay is pretty neat.

We have friends in Sand point and a few other small towns up there. I will be in boise the last weekend of the month if you want to drive several hours out of your way to meet for lunch. Looking at a 274 acre plot and a few homes.


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> SHE wants to go see the Tillamook cheese factory, then go into Seattle and actually go into the space needle, since we only drove by it heading to the cruise ship last year. From there, either east to the Little Bighorn in Montana, or S/E into Idaho. Maybe Sandpoint, where I can shake Mark Fuhrman's hand?
> 
> Got any other good places in Oregon?



While you are running around, go to the badlands and Mt Rushmore. We did about 5 years ago.


----------



## havasu

We did Mt. Rushmore 3 years ago, and I have been to the Badlands twice. To be honest with ya, I don't understand the interest in the Badlands. It is just dirt and rock, not scenic, and no views really impressed me. We do have friends in Sturgis who have lots of ATV's and fishing boats, but his wife has cancer currently so she is dealing with no hair and chemo weekly, so we don't want to disrupt their lives. It was really cool staying with them for a week on my last road trip. 

We wouldn't mind zig zagging back through California and hitting the wine country, Big Sur, Sacramento, and maybe Lake Tahoe area. We just don't have any idea currently.


----------



## Rusty

The impressive thing to me about the Badlands is that people actually lived there. I got a picture, don't know where it is now, of something huge flying over it. One of the natives said it was a Thunderbird, you know the mythical bird.


----------



## Chris

Only Thunderbird I know comes in a bottle and makes me puke.


----------



## Angie

My first view of Mt. Rushmore was from a ski type lift but on regular ground.  It went out to where you view the Mt. framed between the trees.   It was really a great way to see it.

Then left there and drove to the park.   It is very impressive in person.


----------



## Rusty

Angie said:


> My first view of Mt. Rushmore was from a ski type lift but on regular ground.  It went out to where you view the Mt. framed between the trees.   It was really a great way to see it.
> 
> Then left there and drove to the park.   It is very impressive in person.



My 20 year old son, about 15 at the time, who is autistic, had wanted to see it for years. We drove up, he got out and took a picture and was ready to leave. He loved the Badlands, so we changed or plans and drove through it, up and back.


----------



## Chris

Angie said:


> My first view of Mt. Rushmore was from a ski type lift but on regular ground.  It went out to where you view the Mt. framed between the trees.   It was really a great way to see it.
> 
> Then left there and drove to the park.   It is very impressive in person.



My uncle is there today. I envy him, he and has wife sold their house and bought a nice travel trailer and truck and have been vacationing for three years now looking for where they want to retire. 

View attachment 13876122_10207100686611641_7970730710888978214_n.jpg


----------



## zannej

Cool!
Every time I see Mt Rushmore I think of the writer Peter David. He used to write Star Trek novels and then wrote comic books (not sure what he's doing now). For some reason he always had some disaster befall Mt Rushmore in his comic books. It was a running joke for him for some reason.

Meanwhile, I had shopping hell with my mother yesterday. She spent 3 frickin' hours in Sam's Club. And she decided to get some heavy stuff for me to lift for her. I was feeling sick and ended up going to sit down bc I just got tired of waiting on her (she got to go around in a riding cart). She went down the same aisle 4 ****ing times! I kept trying to get her to go to the checkout so we could leave but noooo. I had planned to go to HomeDepot and look for some Iron Out afterward, but I was having too much back pain and just went straight home where I had to unload all of that crap (except for one item that was too heavy that my mother wanted my brother to unload, but it's still in the car bc he refused).

The good news is my friend who had the girlfriend who was pretty much ruining his life, cost him his house, spends 90% of his money, and treated him like absolute crap FINALLY kicked that ***** to the curb. He told her he couldn't put up with her crap anymore and that she had 2 months to get her act together and get out of his trailer and take her psycho son with her. He brought some of his stuff over to our house for safe keeping in case she decided to retaliate and break it and he's been staying with friends and relatives. She's apparently been begging him to give her another chance, but he's wasted 6 years of his life with her & she's ruined him financially and almost ruined him emotionally. He's sticking to his guns and refusing to take her back. He feels bad for hurting her feelings-- which shows that he's a much better person than she is-- but he got tired of her being a complete ***** to him all the time, accusing him of cheating on her (even though she's the one who cheated on him), trying to control where he goes, trying to control who he hangs out with, and constantly harassing him while she sat on her fat lazy *** (after quitting her job when they needed the money) doing absolutely nothing but *****ing at him about everything. 

The toughest part will be trying to figure out what to do about their daughter. She pretty much lives with my friend's grandparents and there is no way my friend will let his ex have custody of the girl. She's neglectful and abusive. Her son is irreparably damaged from her neglect and abuse, but the girl has spent more time with my friend's side of the family so she's doing well developmentally (except she's 4-years-old and not potty trained bc her mother won't make an effort-- she didn't even potty train her own son so he had to be potty trained by my friend's father but he's having trouble trying to potty train a girl). 

Sorry, venting about the *****. I just can't stand how she treats people & I'm very very glad my friend dumped her.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Friend might want to contact an attorney and find out his rights with the child and the common law statues in your state. Just my 2 cents.


----------



## zannej

oldognewtrick said:


> Friend might want to contact an attorney and find out his rights with the child and the common law statues in your state. Just my 2 cents.



Yeah. I think he knows an attorney or two. He also has multiple people who can testify in court that she's an unfit mother. She's only alive now because my friend saved her life and he had to save her son from winning a Darwin award multiple times in the past due to her neglect. Her incompetence nearly cost her and their daughter their lives.


----------



## Rusty

Rained again. Either rains all day or temp is 100+.


----------



## mustanggarage

Rusty said:


> I have a degenerative hip and doctors have pushed narcotics at me for years. All they ever did was make me sick. They should let people use whatever works and tell big brother to butt out.



yeah, and there are 2 doctors out in california now serving sentences for manslaughter and murder for prescribing people what they want.  the trouble is that regulations that work for some don't work for all.  most people use narcotics for what they are intended for, some are abusers.  that's just the way it is, the trouble is that now anything bad that happens, has to be someones fault.  nobody takes responsibility for their own actions.  It is getting to the point where doctors are getting really nervous about prescribing narcotics.  especially for chronic pain.  


and now back to frustrating garage topics lol.  it seems everytime I do something lately I end up doing it 2 or 3 times to get it right.  I put the new transfer case in and had a leak almost immediately  I had to replace a star washer behind the front output shaft yoke.  then I get it all back together and start driving it and it is leaking even worse than before so I put back up on the lift and find it is leaking from the transmission rear output shaft.  I should have replaced that seal when I had the transfer case out, but I didn't  I called napa because I was busy at work and couldn't get over there before they closed and they ordered me a new seal.  It came in and I had my wife pick it up because again I was working late.  I get home get ready to stay up late and swap in the new seal, and they sent me a transfer case rear output shaft seal.   so anyway I ordered one from amazon and it came in today, so I pulled the old seal out and was getting ready to put the new one in, and it is too big.  again wrong seal.  so I ran over to oreilly's with the old seal in hand thinking maybe that way they could get me the correct seal, and they had one in stock,  I was stunned.  anyway I got it back home and swapped it in, with some grey rtv and put it all back together filled everything back up with ATF and took it for a drive.  no leaks!!!!  finally.  what a pain.  I end up doing things over and getting wrong parts alot because I rarely get off work in time to get to the parts store so I order most of my stuff online.  and do most of my work on the cars after the kids go to bed.  anyway one more job done.  I also took the 94 convertible over and washed it, ordered new wheels and tires for it, and moved it over to the lift bay so I can pull the wheels off and check the brakes and undercarriage before I start driving it around much.


----------



## Rusty

More rain and I have to drive to Joplin in it. Can't sleep. Been up since 3 am.


----------



## havasu

Be careful friend. People in Southern California drivers absolutely panic when the wet stuff hits the windshield. 

I'll be on a road trip for 2 weeks, so please excuse my sporadic absence in advance.


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> Be careful friend. People in Southern California drivers absolutely panic when the wet stuff hits the windshield.
> 
> I'll be on a road trip for 2 weeks, so please excuse my sporadic absence in advance.



You should see California drivers back here when it snows. Have a friend who moved here from there. She was afraid to leave home when we had 1/2" of snow.


----------



## Rusty

Enjoy your trip. These forums will be here.


----------



## havasu

Yesss they will!


----------



## Chris

mustanggarage said:


> yeah, and there are 2 doctors out in california now serving sentences for manslaughter and murder for prescribing people what they want.  the trouble is that regulations that work for some don't work for all.  most people use narcotics for what they are intended for, some are abusers.  that's just the way it is, the trouble is that now anything bad that happens, has to be someones fault.  nobody takes responsibility for their own actions.  It is getting to the point where doctors are getting really nervous about prescribing narcotics.  especially for chronic pain.
> 
> 
> and now back to frustrating garage topics lol.  it seems everytime I do something lately I end up doing it 2 or 3 times to get it right.  I put the new transfer case in and had a leak almost immediately  I had to replace a star washer behind the front output shaft yoke.  then I get it all back together and start driving it and it is leaking even worse than before so I put back up on the lift and find it is leaking from the transmission rear output shaft.  I should have replaced that seal when I had the transfer case out, but I didn't  I called napa because I was busy at work and couldn't get over there before they closed and they ordered me a new seal.  It came in and I had my wife pick it up because again I was working late.  I get home get ready to stay up late and swap in the new seal, and they sent me a transfer case rear output shaft seal.   so anyway I ordered one from amazon and it came in today, so I pulled the old seal out and was getting ready to put the new one in, and it is too big.  again wrong seal.  so I ran over to oreilly's with the old seal in hand thinking maybe that way they could get me the correct seal, and they had one in stock,  I was stunned.  anyway I got it back home and swapped it in, with some grey rtv and put it all back together filled everything back up with ATF and took it for a drive.  no leaks!!!!  finally.  what a pain.  I end up doing things over and getting wrong parts alot because I rarely get off work in time to get to the parts store so I order most of my stuff online.  and do most of my work on the cars after the kids go to bed.  anyway one more job done.  I also took the 94 convertible over and washed it, ordered new wheels and tires for it, and moved it over to the lift bay so I can pull the wheels off and check the brakes and undercarriage before I start driving it around much.



I have been down that trans rear seal deal. On my cherokee I swapped in an NP231 fromthe factory 207. I got the correct shaft length but the aluminum case didn't seat as far in as the old so the seal did nothing. I ended up welding up the drain hole on the Tcase bell where it meets the trans and put a gasket in between the two. Haven't had an issue with it. Takes a bit more fluid and makes a mess when I have to pull it but at least it is working fine.

My YJ has a similar issue but it leaks all the time and makes a mess because I didn't weld that one and just used gasket maker. On that one I have my Factory yet built up 231 behind a 5.9 V8 with an RE46 trans, I was suprised it mated up and worked.


----------



## Chris

So last night I drove home from Paso Robles, CA. it's about a 4-1/2 hour drive for me. It was almost midnight and still every freeway I drove down in So Cal (Which most are five lanes each direction) were so packed with cars that the 70 mile per speed limit and we were all doing about 55-60. I just don't understand it, where are all these people going at midnight on a sunday? I truly cannot picture this place 20 years from now unless we all just ride buses.


----------



## zannej

I asked my friend to check up on the progress of my brother's truck repair. He said the boy who's working on it said something with the exhaust system broke off and now something else needs to be replaced. I'm not sure how that happened or how much it will cost to fix, but honestly, it seems to me like the dude doesn't know WTF he's doing.

Meanwhile, my friend already has a new girlfriend. She's got two kids from a previous marriage and has a psycho stalker ex-boyfriend. She saw a vehicle that she thought was my brother's parked at Walmart and thought that she saw my brother talking to her exbf. Her exbf then called her ex-husband and started telling him all sorts of lies about her and my friend. I don't know what was said, but apparently her exhusband called her and was threatening to take the kids away and saying that the info given by her exbf was enough to get the kids taken away (even though it was total BS). So, she then called my brother and started accusing him of talking to her exbf and then screamed at him when he told her he didn't know WTF she was talking about. He hung up and then she told our friend. Friend called my brother who said that he was at work at the time she thought he was talking to her ex.

Now, I don't know why she assumed that seeing the car in the parking lot meant they were talking or why she thought someone had to have told her exbf anything rather than him just fabricating stuff... 

My friend said the car looked just like ours-- dirt and all. So, either there is a very similar car OR someone from my brother's work took his keys without him knowing and used the car (which isn't impossible since he sets the keys down rather than keeping them with him when he's working). I'm hoping it is just the former.

So, now my brother doesn't like our friend's gf bc she screamed at him and she doesn't trust him bc she isn't convinced he didn't blab to her ex. But my brother actively dislikes her ex and thinks he's a dirtbag stalker bc he keeps harassing another ex-gf who is a friend of ours.

Anyway, this town is like a really twisted soap opera and I think I just need to stick with my cats and avoid the people.


----------



## Rusty

My wife transferred to a four-year college. We stopped at JCPenney so she could buy some shoes. I knew they were in financial distress,  but the only men's restroom, had a sign, "closed until further notice".


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> My wife transferred to a four-year college. We stopped at JCPenney so she could buy some shoes. I knew they were in financial distress,  but the only *men's restroom*, had a sign, "closed until further notice".



There is no _men's_ restroom, you can now use whatever restroom you identify with today...


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> There is no _men's_ restroom, you can now use whatever restroom you identify with today...



I still identify as a man (or dog furniture at home.)


----------



## mustanggarage

I still identify as a man, but when you have to go bad enough, I could be flexible briefly.


----------



## Chris

I am a man an can pee wherever needed.


----------



## Rusty

Hooked up a washer and dryer for my stepson today. He is blind and a single father of three, so this is one of the few things he cannot do.


----------



## zannej

That was nice of you Rusty. It must be tough for your son not being able to see. It can really make you appreciate having sight. I love looking at pictures and reading. I can't imagine life without being able to do those things.

Went to the cardiologist today for my followup. Dude didn't even step all the way into the room. Kept the door open with one hand on the knob and was very dismissive. Said he just guessed I must have acid reflux (but never suggested running any tests) and then left. He poked his head in later to say something about a medicine I was taking and that it must be causing the symptoms. but I stopped taking that medicine months ago and I told him that. He just seemed eager to get rid of me, so I don't think I'll be going back to him again.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Zanne, if a doctor doesn't have time to see me, I don't have time to go back. I found a female doctor that has really been helpful. Takes the time to listen and doesn't make you feel like you're getting rushed out the door. If you don't feel like he's an asset, fire him and look for a new one. Just my 2 cents.


----------



## Rusty

Going to  birthday party for my 8 year old granddaughter(my son's daughter). His sister( my daughter) made this cake. 

View attachment 13895175_1121176034619732_4170845373093920503_n.jpg


----------



## Chris

Thats a nice cake.


----------



## Rusty

Watched "Enter the Dragon", had not seen it for years. Best martial arts movie of all time.


----------



## Chris

I moved my new safe into my house this morning, it is an 80 gun that weighs almost 1,000 pounds. Used a tractor to get to to the slider then 1" round steel rod for rollers. Made it an easy job. Except I have to fix the lawns where I drove the tractor.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> I moved my new safe into my house this morning, it is an 80 gun that weighs almost 1,000 pounds. Used a tractor to get to to the slider then 1" round steel rod for rollers. Made it an easy job. *Except I have to fix the lawns where I drove the tractor*.



Job security Chris...


----------



## zannej

oldognewtrick said:


> Zanne, if a doctor doesn't have time to see me, I don't have time to go back. I found a female doctor that has really been helpful. Takes the time to listen and doesn't make you feel like you're getting rushed out the door. If you don't feel like he's an asset, fire him and look for a new one. Just my 2 cents.



I agree. I've known people who died because their doctors didn't listen. I asked around about the behavior of this doctor and people seemed shocked that he treated me this way. They indicated that it is unusual for him. I don't know what his deal is. Maybe I remind him of someone he doesn't like or he confused me with someone else or.. I don't know what the deal is. When I was describing my symptoms to him, I could see his body language and he wanted to interrupt. He actually did interrupt a few times and I think he was frustrated that I wasn't telling him what he wanted to hear. He completely ignored the fact that I was in a car accident and had a seatbelt press on my sternum. I had to tell him that twice in the first visit and this time I told him a third time because he didn't remember. I get that he probably sees a lot of patients, but it is clear he doesn't actually care. The very first time I met him, he took one look at me and made up his mind. I miss my old cardiologist but he's too expensive. 
And then my mother decided she wants me to get my medicine from up there because she thinks it is cheaper-- only it is 65 miles away so the cost of gas makes it cost more than double the price of the medicine if I got it at Walmart. Plus, the I can only get it if that doctor (or one of the doctors there) prescribes it. I really don't want to go back to that guy because he's already proven that he's not willing to listen.
The medicine he wants me to take is something that isn't really safe to take long term and I really don't want to take it unless absolutely necessary.
I'll have to ask my doctor to refer me to someone else. 
It is just so incredibly frustrating. This guy reminds me of the doctor who kept insisting that my father's symptoms were the result of Diabetes-- except my father didn't have Diabetes and wasn't even borderline Diabetic. But no matter how many times we told him that, he ignored it. Some people shouldn't be allowed to practice medicine.

Rusty, that cake looks cool!


----------



## Rusty

69 degrees this morning, so I cut the grass.


----------



## mustanggarage

We had a really nice car show today.  the weather was perfect.  we had 225 cars today.  Both Sarah and I won first in our class.  it was a long day, but a good one.


----------



## havasu

Good to hear MG. 

I drove from Gold Beach, Oregon to Astoria, Oregon. We fought the entire way. Tonight's dinner is cheese, crackers and two bottles of wine in a damn hotel that just cost me $268 for one night. S#!t, i wanna go home!


----------



## Rusty

Like I always say, " I have had 10 happy years of marriage, and 10 out of 34 isn't too bad I guess".


----------



## Chris

havasu said:


> Good to hear MG.
> 
> I drove from Gold Beach, Oregon to Astoria, Oregon. We fought the entire way. Tonight's dinner is cheese, crackers and two bottles of wine in a damn hotel that just cost me $268 for one night. S#!t, i wanna go home!



Must be the road. I fought on that stretch to. Did you happen to see the gun an and grocery store somewhere in the middle?


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> Must be the road.



That road must run right by my house...


----------



## Rusty

I think I made my wife mad. I was working on a car and she could not get the vacuum to pick up. She insisted that she would fix it. She took it apart, cleaned it, checked for a blockage, installed a new belt and no change. Said she was going to go buy a new one. I walked over and switched it from "tools" to "floor" and it worked. Don't think she liked it.


----------



## Chris

I woke up today. Now I get to go to work. I don't find this fun at all.


----------



## Chris

Finally made to works, three days behind and don't care.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> Finally made to works, three days behind and don't care.



Hey, dang it...I'm the poster boy of bad attitudes, get in line...:waggingfinger:


----------



## Chris

I'm actually in a good mood today. Got a list of 15 things I need to get done before I go home and none are small tasks. Drumming up some work for my guys because they have sat home for two days now and my phone won't stop ringing with when are we working again calls.


----------



## Chris

OK let me rephrase that, I was in a good mood today. I just got a call from Dunn and Bradstreet, the business credit scam artists, er I mean business credit company. Just spent ten minutes arguing with the guy about how I don't need or want them and how they charge a bunch of money for nothing and then use threats when you want to cancel. Finally had to hang up on him. Pretty sure all new business is some sort of scam.


----------



## Rusty

Nosy neighbor asked why I keep the old '85 Ford van. It has 121,000 actual miles(it is rough looking). It is old enough that it has lifetime license plates, never has to be inspected or licensed again, and liability is $26 a month. I can let it sit for a couple weeks, pump it a couple times and it starts right up. Why would I get rid of it?


----------



## Chris

I wish California would do that. Ours gets cheaper but not even close to that. I have an 85 cherokee that has 260 on the odometer and will still probably outlast any new car out there. It's all in how you take care of them and if you fix them when they break.


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> I wish California would do that. Ours gets cheaper but not even close to that. I have an 85 cherokee that has 260 on the odometer and will still probably outlast any new car out there. It's all in how you take care of them and if you fix them when they break.



Any vehicle 25 years old can get historical tags here for about $50. Then it never has to be inspected or tagged again. There are supposed to be restrictions on their use, but I have driven this one for years and never been stopped. Not really supposed to work out of them, but I broke down on the highway once and a city cop and a highway patrolman helped me push it out of the way. It was loaded with tools at the time. They even called me a tow truck and never asked for license or insurance.
There are a couple jerks here, my brother is one, but most of the cops are cool about stuff.


----------



## Chris

I am one who never gets harassed by cops. I learned a long time ago that if you are normal law abiding citizen that doesn't give them any reason to harass you then chances are you will not be harassed. I tlk to them like they are people not cops, maybe that helps?

We can get historical vehicle plates here to but it is slightly diferent and I guaranty if I had them on an 85 van I would get bothered.


----------



## Rusty

My autistic son's $1800 alienware desk top just died, It is his life. I gave him my big laptop. I can just barely see this little one.


----------



## mustanggarage

Rusty said:


> My autistic son's $1800 alienware desk top just died, It is his life. I gave him my big laptop. I can just barely see this little one.



you can get a new 17 inch dell laptop for about 500.00 now.  I love alienware computers, but you pay mainly for the name and the styling.  they are owned by dell now and you can get just about the same configurations in a much lighter frame for a lot cheaper by getting a dell.  I bought 2 of them last year.  I am very happy with them.

http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-17-5758-laptop/pd


----------



## Chris

I've never heard of them but then again I have never spent more than 300 bucks on a computer.


----------



## Rusty

Dell has a lot of hard drive problems and their warranty is crap.


----------



## Chris

Today I forgot my lunch. I am sitting down to eat at a fast food joint and it feels wierd. I try and avoid fast food and I can't remember the last time I actually went inside and sat down.


----------



## Rusty

I never eat fast food either. If we eat out, we go to a truck stop. All home-type cooking and inexpensive.


----------



## Rusty

My youngest grandson starts Kindergarton today. 

View attachment 14022218_1128855900518412_4523442779085287800_n.jpg


----------



## Rusty

The crowd.

... 

View attachment the kids.jpg


----------



## Rusty

My great granddaughter goes to first grade 

View attachment 14053964_10154400966074289_3051843268410753531_n.jpg


----------



## oldognewtrick

Handsome crew you have there Rusty!


----------



## Chris

Kids are fun. I should make another?


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> Kids are fun. I should make another?



They are also expensive.


----------



## Chris

On second thought I'll stick to the two I know I have.


----------



## Rusty

I have 5 kids, 2 stepsons, 12 grandkids, 1 great grand kid. Try to remember all those birthdays.


----------



## Chris

Heck, try and remember all their names.


----------



## Rusty

Went to school and ate breakfast with the youngest grandson today. He is overwhelmed so far.


----------



## havasu

Very cool. Were the others envious that Santa visited the school?


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> Very cool. Were the others envious that Santa visited the school?



I look more like Col. Sanders.


----------



## havasu

I met the original Col. Sanders when I was in Cub Scouts.


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> I met the original Col. Sanders when I was in Cub Scouts.



I didn't know you and the Col. we're in scouts together...


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> I didn't know you and the Col. we're in scouts together...



I bet you were surprised that the Col. was that old.


----------



## zannej

I can't remember if I posted this yet or not.. I spent hours cleaning the hallway and moving the litterboxes to a more convenient location. I have it all nice and orderly looking. It is weird to walk down the hallway with it looking so clean. 
I don't have a before picture, but imagine the spot where the literboxes are just piled up with cardboard boxes with shredded cardboard, plastic bags, empty plastic bottles, and miscellaneous trash strewn about. There was also lots of hair and fur all over the carpet. I had to use a broom and one of those Bissel floor sweep thingies to get most of the hair up. The hair is what usually gums up my vacuums.






Well, this was after a lot of cleanup, but before it was finished:





The litterboxes used to be in front of the door with all the scratches on it-- not a great place, but there was stuff in the way in the other spot-- a roll of sheet vinyl, the boxes, etc.
So, this is the layout now:









I need to build something to hold the boxes still so they can't tip-- the little orange klutz in the pictures manages to tip the boxes and spill them. I am debating whether or not to build a sort of hide-away box so it isn't visible if we ever have guests or if I should just build something where they are still visible but there can be a surface on top for placing things and maybe even for the cats to sit. The cons for the hide-away is that they would be out of sight and out of mind. Plus the smell might be trapped inside. Pros: no ugly litterboxes visible right under the mother-of-pearl lacquer wall decor, smells held in and not spread throughout the hallway. The cat food bags are for the full bags from the litter genie. I don't trust the plastic to not rip, so I fill the cat food bags and then staple them shut.

I need to shampoo and vacuum the carpet, but there weren't any accessible outlets-- I need to clear stuff in the kitchen first. I wish the hallway had outlets. I'll have to talk to my electrician friend to see how difficult that would be.

Apparently the cats aren't happy about it because one or more pissed on the mat in front of the sink and then shat on the counter. In all the years I've had cats, they have never shat on the counter before. I suspect it may have been the new cat that moved in on his own.

At least my brother was happy. He actually thanked me multiple times, hugged me, and gave me a kiss on the forehead. My mother was more focused on what hasn't been done yet-- which is typical for her. We joke that one of us could cure cancer and she'd complain that we should have done it sooner or in a different way. Verbal affirmation is not her strong suit.

I need to do more projects like that-- where I just focus on small areas rather than the whole thing. My problem is I get overwhelmed when I look at everything that needs to be done. I would have done more in the kitchen, but I physically could not lift some of the stuff I needed to move. 

In other news, my vocabulary word for the day is vicissitude. I like it.

The floods in Louisiana seem to be affecting a different part of the state. Been getting a lot of rain here, but not as much as in the past. :boat:


----------



## Rusty

There was a rumor that Havasu was gone for a while. Did anyone notice?


----------



## havasu

Who is Havasu?


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> Who is Havasu?



The big question is, did you have a good time?


----------



## havasu

It was ok. Sure is nice to be home though.


----------



## Rusty

I spent the morning in my basement working on my sump pump. I think your trip might have been a little more fun.


----------



## havasu

x got car detailed
x went to Costco
x went to supermarket
x picked up pills at CVS
x made dinner plans for my birthday dinner tonight
x sitting on my *** currently


----------



## Rusty

Well, happy birthday. Are you having your 80th again?


----------



## havasu

Nope. 61, and that's a fact.


----------



## Chris

Well happy birthday!


----------



## oldognewtrick

Happy Birthday Mark!


----------



## havasu

Thanks..........


----------



## Rusty

What did I get myself into?
I am only taking 9 hours this semester but they are:

Introduction to Social Work
Substance Abuse Intervention
Autism Spectrum Disorders.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> What did I get myself into?
> I am only taking 9 hours this semester but they are:
> 
> Introduction to Social Work
> Substance Abuse Intervention
> Autism Spectrum Disorders.



What are you planning on doing, being a *community organizer* so you can run for president?


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> What are you planning on doing, being a *community organizer* so you can run for president?



Thinking of substitute teaching. Only takes 60 hours. I will have 40 after this semester.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> Thinking of substitute teaching. Only takes 60 hours. I will have 40 after this semester.



Good for you Rusty!


----------



## zannej

Took my rottweiler to the vet. She has a tumor on her leg. My dogs have gotten small sebaceous lumps before and the vet said not to worry about them. I had called and described it and they said not to worry-- it was something normal. In the past couple of days it quadrupled in size and is no longer soft. It is bugging the hell out of her. Vet said she doesn't have enough skin on her leg to close up the wound if they cut it off and wouldn't even biopsy it. Said we have to give her medicine to try to shrink the tumor and then see if it can be cut or dealt with. I hope it's benign and that it shrinks from the meds.


----------



## Chris

We have been lucky with our dogs. They are now almost 12 years old and have never really cost us much money.


----------



## Chris

Today I am getting on a plane to Idaho, looking at my possible future home.


----------



## havasu

Say Hi to Mark Fehrman for me.


----------



## Chris

So far this place is beautiful.


----------



## havasu

Just remember that in the dead of winter, that beauty will be short lived.

Climate Boise - Idaho °C | °F
 	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun
Average high in °F:	38	45	55	62	72	81
Average low in °F:	25	28	34	39	47	54
Av. precipitation in inch:	1.22	0.98	1.38	1.22	1.38	0.71
Days with precipitation:	-	-	-	-	-	-
Hours of sunshine:	-	-	-	-	-	-
Average snowfall in inch:	5	3	1	0	0	0
 	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Average high in °F:	91	90	79	65	48	38
Average low in °F:	60	60	51	41	32	24
Av. precipitation in inch:	0.31	0.24	0.59	0.75	1.34	1.54
Days with precipitation:	-	-	-	-	-	-
Hours of sunshine:	-	-	-	-	-	-
Average snowfall in inch:	0	0	0	0	3	7


Climate data for boise air terminal, Longitude: -116.241, Latitude: 43.5666
Average weather Boise, ID - 83702 - 1981-2010 normals
Jan: January, Feb: February, Mar: March, Apr: April, May: May, Jun: June, Jul: July, Aug: August, Sep: September, Oct: October, Nov: November, Dec: December
Boise weather averages

Annual high temperature:	63.7°F
Annual low temperature:	41.3°F
Average temperature:	52.5°F
Average annual precipitation - rainfall:	11.66 inch
Days per year with precipitation - rainfall:	-
Annual hours of sunshine:	-
Av. annual snowfall:	19 inch


----------



## Rusty

Ugh, had to take a flush box off a stool and change the bolts. I hate plumbing.


----------



## havasu

I just installed a Hunter ceiling fan at my neighbor's house. 

An hour ago, I was yelled at for walking my two little dogs by her house because her neighbor's dogs bark at my two little dogs. Wouldn't the more neighborly thing to do would be to ask her neighbor to stop the dogs from barking in the first place? That's ok. This lady's husband has a Peterbilt rig in her front yard and idles it on the weekend for an hour at a time. I'll be calling the cops on it the next time he does this.


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> I just installed a Hunter ceiling fan at my neighbor's house.
> 
> An hour ago, I was yelled at for walking my two little dogs by her houseQUOTE]
> 
> I'm confused, the lady you installed the fan for later yelled at you for walking your dogs...is this correct?


----------



## Chris

havasu said:


> Just remember that in the dead of winter, that beauty will be short lived.
> 
> Climate Boise - Idaho °C | °F
> Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun
> Average high in °F:	38	45	55	62	72	81
> Average low in °F:	25	28	34	39	47	54
> Av. precipitation in inch:	1.22	0.98	1.38	1.22	1.38	0.71
> Days with precipitation:	-	-	-	-	-	-
> Hours of sunshine:	-	-	-	-	-	-
> Average snowfall in inch:	5	3	1	0	0	0
> Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
> Average high in °F:	91	90	79	65	48	38
> Average low in °F:	60	60	51	41	32	24
> Av. precipitation in inch:	0.31	0.24	0.59	0.75	1.34	1.54
> Days with precipitation:	-	-	-	-	-	-
> Hours of sunshine:	-	-	-	-	-	-
> Average snowfall in inch:	0	0	0	0	3	7
> 
> 
> Climate data for boise air terminal, Longitude: -116.241, Latitude: 43.5666
> Average weather Boise, ID - 83702 - 1981-2010 normals
> Jan: January, Feb: February, Mar: March, Apr: April, May: May, Jun: June, Jul: July, Aug: August, Sep: September, Oct: October, Nov: November, Dec: December
> Boise weather averages
> 
> Annual high temperature:	63.7°F
> Annual low temperature:	41.3°F
> Average temperature:	52.5°F
> Average annual precipitation - rainfall:	11.66 inch
> Days per year with precipitation - rainfall:	-
> Annual hours of sunshine:	-
> Av. annual snowfall:	19 inch




You do know I grew up in the snow and cold right? It's also not the weather that I am moving for, it's the people and laws too. Everyone I have run into is way nicer than anyone in CA.


----------



## Rusty

Went to my favorite city park. It has been one since the 1800s. 

View attachment 001.jpg


----------



## mustanggarage

I have been driving my new to me 94 convertible a lot lately.  I really like this car.  and like with every car I have ever had as soon as I get it I start tweaking it.  I suppose I ought to start a thread on it since I will probably working on it a lot, but here are some pictures.  first of all before I got it from Dad he bought the stripes for it.  I put them on, then he decided he needed to sell it.  so I bought it from him and then I did several things.  I bought new floor mats and some carpet cleaner because the interior needed some work.  then I bought new wheels and tires for it.  I also took some time to really clean the convertible top then I drove it for a while and got a lot of positive comments on it, so today I ordered a bunch of stuff for it.  more on that later,  but I started looking at the engine compartment and it really didn't look good.  I should have taken a before picture but I didn't.  anyway I used a couple cans of degreaser then set to work with a wire brush and some sand paper and cleaned some areas up.  I took the center medallion off the intake because it looked bad, I polished, painted and clear coated it.  I painted the castor camber plates with rustoleum because they looked terrible and just basically gave everything a good cleaning.  after a few hours of work this car is coming along nicely. .


----------



## Rusty

Looks great!


----------



## havasu

I wish my fat arse would fit into a Mustang with my bad knees.


----------



## Chris

I'm off to LA today, going to sit in five hours of traffic to work for a hour.


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> I'm off to LA today, going to sit in five hours of traffic to work for a hour.



Fun, fun.......


----------



## Chris

Went there, worked for about an hour and drove back to my shop to get a phone call from the superintendent asking if I could send a guy tomorrow to swap out a cracked pipe on the fire system since the sprinkler guy is not responding. A pipe that I had on my truck and will take about 15 minutes to replace. Another five hours on the road.


----------



## Rusty

Grass cutting day again, all three yards. It is fun being semi-retired.


----------



## Rusty

Found some 22 LR at Walmart. It has been a couple years since they had any.


----------



## havasu

I mowed my lawn for the third time this week. I then planted 40 new plants in the front yard. Should look nice if they take.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Went to the deer lease, cut trails, opened some shooting lanes, rode 4 wheelers, tilled and planted some food plots, put out some trail cameras and I am just flat tired.


----------



## Chris

Third day of the lib party I am at. It has been interesting.


----------



## Rusty

Had an inch of rain. Predictions are 4 more inches by Saturday morning.:boat:


----------



## Chris

Put in some vinyl fencing. Tired of spending money on this place and I have so much more to do. 

View attachment image.jpg


----------



## havasu

Does the UV rays with the sun make that PVC brittle after a few years?


----------



## Rusty

Another 2 inches of rain overnight. More tonight and my sump pump quit. Time to put on the rubber boots and go to work.


----------



## zannej

I've been taking care of sick dogs and a sick cat as well as doing the grocery shopping and driving people places.

My doctor said my thyroid and cholesterol levels are back to normal range & he said my back injury in April was related to the stiffness in my back caused by the car accident in January. He said I should I get the insurance to cover the ER visit and other bills for it. He also gave me the name and number of a good lawyer in case the insurance company jerks me around.

I've heard I can also add in the $ for gas mileage to get to and from the doctor.


----------



## Rusty

Rusty said:


> Another 2 inches of rain overnight. More tonight and my sump pump quit. Time to put on the rubber boots and go to work.


Found an old one that works fine. I have no idea why I took it out in the first place,


----------



## Chris

havasu said:


> Does the UV rays with the sun make that PVC brittle after a few years?



They say no. I say probably.


----------



## zannej

I googled the lawyer my doctor recommended and was amused to see that the office is less than 200ft from where my accident happened. I think the lawyer probably heard the crash.


----------



## oldognewtrick

_


zannej said:



			I googled the lawyer my doctor recommended and was amused to see that the office is less than 200ft from where my accident happened. I think the lawyer probably heard the crash.]
		
Click to expand...

_


zannej said:


> I'm surprised he didn't chase the ambulance when it happened, he must be old like me...


----------



## Chris

Today in going to a four year olds birthday party. Gonna have a hang over tomorrow.


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> Today in going to a four year olds birthday party. Gonna have a hang over tomorrow.



You will at least have a headache.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Went to my grandsons (6) soccer game stopped at the BBQ joint and bought everyone lunch, came home and got the mower out and mulched leaves. Time for a Bud Light.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Can't figure out how I got stuck with the bill....


----------



## Rusty

My stepson, the blind one, had a knot appear in his bicep. The only time they could get him In for an MRI is tomorrow morning(Sunday) at 9 am, about 70 miles from here. There goes my Sunday.


----------



## havasu

70 miles for an MRI? You must live in the sticks?


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> 70 miles for an MRI? You must live in the sticks?



Our hospital has one, but it is really small.


----------



## zannej

oldognewtrick said:


> _
> 
> 
> zannej said:
> 
> 
> 
> I googled the lawyer my doctor recommended and was amused to see that the office is less than 200ft from where my accident happened. I think the lawyer probably heard the crash.]
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> _
> 
> 
> zannej said:
> 
> 
> 
> I'm surprised he didn't chase the ambulance when it happened, he must be old like me...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> LOL. No ambulance involved. The local ER sucks & I was still too stunned at the time. I walked to Pizza Hut (which was about the same distance as the lawyer's office in the opposite direction) and the employees called some of my friends to come pick me up.
> 
> I'm going to have to print out that picture and show my doctor how close the lawyer was.
> 
> Rusty, I hope the lump is nothing serious.
Click to expand...


----------



## Chris

I counter offered on a house today. Let's see if they accept.


----------



## zannej

This is the same house you said you just got on the other forum, right?

Gorgeous house and property.


----------



## havasu

Yeah, I agree. It is a beautiful house.


----------



## oldognewtrick

zannej said:


> This is the same house you said you just got on the other forum, right?
> 
> Gorgeous house and property.



I think this one is for his girlfriend and her family.....


----------



## Chris

oldognewtrick said:


> I think this one is for his girlfriend and her family.....



I wish!, I play hard to want. That and I can barely handle the one I have, why would anyone want two?


----------



## Chris

havasu said:


> Yeah, I agree. It is a beautiful house.



The dollar goes a whole lot further out of California. Hopefully I can still make a dollar out of CA.


----------



## havasu

How far will you have to drive for a gallon of milk? How far is the nearest hospital? 

These were my only two questions when I was looking for land to build a house on in Montana years ago. I too was frustrated with life in California when I was about 35 years old. Now 25 years later, you can see the choice I made.


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> How far will you have to drive for a gallon of milk? How far is the nearest hospital?
> 
> These were my only two questions when I was looking for land to build a house on in Montana years ago. I too was frustrated with life in California when I was about 35 years old. Now 25 years later, you can see the choice I made.



That is one thing that has kept us here. Down at the lake, it is 20 miles on a winding 2-lane road to buy anything. And at night, the deer are always in the road. The nearest hospital from there is about 35 miles.


----------



## havasu

The older you get, the more medical facilities you will need. Sure, it would be nice to have that "Little house on the Prairie", but I myself wanted my kids quick access for when they get hurt and now that I am an old fart, I will be needing these places.


----------



## zannej

Proximity to stores was not a concern when we first bought this place. It's at least 15 miles to the post office (since we don't get mail delivery or pickup), half a mile to trash drop-off, 20 miles to the grocery store, about 20 miles to the really crappy hospital with most roads being about 35mph limit, closest decent hospital is an hour away, and if a tree falls over the road we're stuck. The last time we called an ambulance it took over 45 minutes to get here. 

But then, it took 45 minutes for the ambulance to get to a place that was less than 5 miles from the hospital before-- and it was 2 miles from the fire station. So, response times suck even in town.

So, proximity doesn't always matter. But, I get what you're saying.


----------



## mustanggarage

I just got back from Idaho.  My daughter Sarah is starting school out there.  this was such a SNAFU.  we had it all planned we were all going to go out there, I had taken a week off work.  we were going to tow the jeep out and make a road trip out of it, however last year she was homecoming queen and naturally this year this school decides that they will have homecoming on september 9th.  they always have homecoming in october, one of the last home games of the year.  but not this year.  move in day for her student housing is also september 9th, so what can we do.  she really wanted to crown the new queen, because she felt she had a responsibility to her old school.  so My wife and I tow the jeep and all her stuff out to Idaho, over 1200 miles away, move all her stuff into her room, take care of a few other details and meet her at the airport 35 miles away.  the next day we take her to her new room so she can meet her roommates and get started with all the new student stuff.  then we drove all the way back.  It was a good trip.  I am glad she got to do it.  she is excited, but nervous to start college.  




My truck peformed very well.  I had a 2006 f250 diesel that I had used to pull this trailer before, but I hated the diesel and really only towed once or twice a year so I bought my 2014 f150 ecoboost hoping it would be up to the task.  it has integrated trailer brakes of course and a 36 gallon gas tank thankfully and it did a great job.  pulled the trailer up and down mountains like a champ.  I was very pleased.  other than it really sucked the gas down.  but we made it there and back again just like Bilbo Baggins and had a good time.


----------



## Rusty

Reading 108 pages in my college textbook on Substance abuse intervention. Riveting reading (not).


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> Reading 108 pages in my college textbook on Substance abuse intervention. Riveting reading (not).



Do they provide samples so you can compare experiences?


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> Do they provide samples so you can compare experiences?



I wish......


----------



## Chris

mustanggarage said:


> I just got back from Idaho.  My daughter Sarah is starting school out there.  this was such a SNAFU.  we had it all planned we were all going to go out there, I had taken a week off work.  we were going to tow the jeep out and make a road trip out of it, however last year she was homecoming queen and naturally this year this school decides that they will have homecoming on september 9th.  they always have homecoming in october, one of the last home games of the year.  but not this year.  move in day for her student housing is also september 9th, so what can we do.  she really wanted to crown the new queen, because she felt she had a responsibility to her old school.  so My wife and I tow the jeep and all her stuff out to Idaho, over 1200 miles away, move all her stuff into her room, take care of a few other details and meet her at the airport 35 miles away.  the next day we take her to her new room so she can meet her roommates and get started with all the new student stuff.  then we drove all the way back.  It was a good trip.  I am glad she got to do it.  she is excited, but nervous to start college.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> My truck peformed very well.  I had a 2006 f250 diesel that I had used to pull this trailer before, but I hated the diesel and really only towed once or twice a year so I bought my 2014 f150 ecoboost hoping it would be up to the task.  it has integrated trailer brakes of course and a 36 gallon gas tank thankfully and it did a great job.  pulled the trailer up and down mountains like a champ.  I was very pleased.  other than it really sucked the gas down.  but we made it there and back again just like Bilbo Baggins and had a good time.



What part of Idaho? I am moving out there in a few months.


----------



## mustanggarage

Chris said:


> What part of Idaho? I am moving out there in a few months.



rexburg.  just north of idaho falls


----------



## havasu

My folks use to rent the school apartments in Rexburg in the summer, when the school was pretty much vacant. I had a blast visiting them and enjoying the surroundings.


----------



## Rusty

Me today. 

View attachment 14079477_1258240357551989_7774042271835610480_n.jpg


----------



## Rusty

Been out taking pictures of classics sitting in fields. Will post a few gradually.

Old Ford Galaxie still had all the glass. 

View attachment 004.jpg


----------



## havasu

If they would just cover it to stop the rain from rusting that classic, they could have a little gold mine down the road.


----------



## Rusty

A guy down the road has an old Studebaker with grass growing in the engine compartment.


----------



## AlanE

We've had too much rain lately so we had to take laundry to laundromat. Stopped and got some Subway so it wasn't all bad. 

Laundry - $8 (for just the washing machines) - do you believe dryers are 25 cents for five minutes now... sheesh
Subway - $14  what a ripoff.


----------



## Rusty

AlanE said:


> We've had too much rain lately so we had to take laundry to laundromat. Stopped and got some Subway so it wasn't all bad.
> 
> Laundry - $8 (for just the washing machines) - do you believe dryers are 25 cents for five minutes now... sheesh
> Subway - $14  what a ripoff.



And Subway did away with Monterray Cheddar bread.


----------



## Chris

They also did away with that guy that was always advertising for them.


----------



## havasu

Here you go! 

View attachment jared-trying-to-get-into-smaller-pants.jpg


----------



## AlanE

Rofl


----------



## zannej

I had to take my rottweiler to the vet. She has an extremely aggressive form of cancer on both of her back legs. Vet said all we can do now is give her meds to slow the tumor growth and make her comfortable until it gets to the point that she's suffering too much. :-(

She's the 5th pet of mine to get cancer in the last 9 years. I don't know if it is just bad luck or the fact that I've had a lot of pets or if there is something environmental causing it. I know that at least one of my cats got cancer from the rabies vaccine.

So, I have to give my dog medicine 3x a day indefinitely. Poor baby.


----------



## Rusty

Went to my 50th high school reunion. So many old people there.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> Went to my 50th high school reunion. So many old people there.



'19 will be my 50th, I have no desire to go back and visit the people I didn't like 50 years ago. I have a whole new circle of people I don't like, why dig up old memories...:Sabrefight:


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> '19 will be my 50th, I have no desire to go back and visit the people I didn't like 50 years ago. I have a whole new circle of people I don't like, why dig up old memories...:Sabrefight:



I felt the same way, but time seems to have changed most of them.


----------



## havasu

Alzheimer's works as well...


----------



## Rusty

My son's only friend left today,( my son is autistic) moving a couple hours away. The kid is a pain, but it is like losing one of my own. He has been here daily for about 6 years.


----------



## havasu

That's tough. Are you planning on visits with him?


----------



## Rusty

IDK. I told him if he decided to come back to town, he could stay here until he found a job. He lost the last job because of crap from his GF, and then she dumped him.


----------



## Chris

I had a great birthday party for my daughter today. Then I just read all teh new gun laws going into effect for California next year andyou might as well burn all your guns.


----------



## Rusty

Finished the reunion with a dance last night, Made plans for the 55th.


----------



## zannej

My dog is doing better today. It was refreshingly cool this morning and she was actually outside sort of running around (it's in between walking and running). She had more energy than she's had in the past few weeks so that was good to see.

Picked up one of my cats from the vet (he stayed overnight). He has Leukemia but the vet said "It's not a death sentence" but he said I will have to work to keep him healthy. Poor baby isn't feeling well after the shots he got. I don't have to give him any oral medication, but he has to get a shot once a week to try to perk him back up.


----------



## Rusty

I keep my vehicle clean. My wife seldom washes hers. So I borrowed hers today and scrubbed it at the car wash. Looks like a different car. Next, to use headlight restorer on it and then clean the inside.


----------



## Rusty

My grandson at "the pumpkin patch". I am surprised that the girls left him alone for the picture. He normally has girls hanging all over him. 

View attachment 14502710_1175115279225807_8271231234487985300_n.jpg


----------



## Chris

Today I have an appointment for new wheels and tires for my wifes car and a new GPS stereo for her. She doesn't know she is getting any of this. Her car has been in the shop for a couple days since a mouse decided to eat her knock sensor wire a couple months ago and I could never find time to fix it myself. While it was in the shop I had new brakes and rotors put on, they have been warped for a couple years. Her car get neglected because I don't drive it and she doesn't complain about any of the problems. She should be happy when I get home with it. She thinks it is having an issue with the knock sensor repair and I have to take it back to the shop.


----------



## Rusty

Headed to my great-granddaughter's birthday party.


----------



## Chris

I'm wondering why tge tire shop makes appointments? My appt was 45 minutes ago and my car is still sitting in the parking lot. Have pulled in a few cars ahead of me from people that arrived after. And I was early for my spot.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> I'm wondering why tge tire shop makes appointments? My appt was 45 minutes ago and my car is still sitting in the parking lot. Have pulled in a few cars ahead of me from people that arrived after. And I was early for my spot.



I hear ya, there's a Dr. coming to my house at 1:00 Monday for a wellness checkup from Blue Cross/Blue Shield. I didn't ask for it, they insist. Thank you medi-care. I already have a DR I'm seeing.... Wonder if I should make him wait 45 minutes while I cut the grass or wash the car....When you make appointments, you should keep appointments...just my 2 cents.


----------



## Chris

Took me two hours to get my tires on. No different than if I didn't have an appt. I thought by making it they would get my car in there and work on it as if I made arrangements to be there. They just put me in line with everyone else that showed up.


----------



## havasu

I woke up today to hear my pool pump squealing as if a cat was stuck in the damn thing. Guess what I will be doing today?


----------



## Chris

I have 30 things I need to do and none I want to do. I might put a leaf spring on my jeep, I might do some tractor work, I might go get plants for a new planter I put in, I might get ready for deer season next weekend, I might just sit around and drink beer?


----------



## Rusty

Using a lens restorer on my wife's headlights.


----------



## Rusty

Well, that stuff doesn't work. It was Turtle wax lens restorer.


----------



## Chris

Use 3m brand rubbing compound. It works good. Did you sand then buff?


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> Use 3m brand rubbing compound. It works good. Did you sand then buff?



Yes and the turtle stuff did nothing.


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> I woke up today to hear my pool pump squealing as if a cat was stuck in the damn thing. Guess what I will be doing today?



Trying to find a perfect match for the neighbors cat that died in your pool pump...:drinking:


----------



## Chris

The 3m will be in a black bottle from the auto parts store. It is the best I've found. Works on everything it seems.


----------



## Chris

The more elbow grease you give it the shinier it will get. Works great on paint too.


----------



## havasu

And upon coming from the pool store, mama showed me a leaking pipe under my slab. Gawd dammit, when it rains, it pours. 

I pulled the entire pool pump out and brought it to the store. He can replace the bearing for $90, replace the motor for $450, or sell me the two stage, energy efficient pump for $1100. He plugged it in and agrees that it sounded like a simple bearing replacement.

While waiting for the pool guy to call me, I cleaned out the pool filter, washed both cars and hosed out the garage. I guess I am just nervous about the slab leak.


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> The 3m will be in a black bottle from the auto parts store. It is the best I've found. Works on everything it seems.



Safe on those stupid plastic lenses?


----------



## Rusty

Took the wheel covers off my work mini van and painted the wheels. Bought the paint two years ago and finally got around to it.


----------



## Chris

I use the 3m rubbing compound on my headlights. I did the original time a few years ago and do about every year now to keep them clear. Worked great for me.


----------



## cruzn57

installed  bigger injectors in the  skyhawk, along with  upgraded chip.
 wow, what a difference!


----------



## Rusty

Dr office, blood drawn, flu shot, etc.


----------



## havasu

Just came from the eye doctor. He used a laser to cut a slit across the right eye of my pupil to allow pressure to drain better. Hurt like a *****. Next week, same time, I get the left eye done.


----------



## Rusty

I have been cleaning up  my old service call mini van. I hated the original wheel covers, so I did some changing. It may be old and ugly, but it works. 

View attachment 001.jpg


View attachment 002.jpg


----------



## havasu

A nice change.


----------



## Chris

Thats a cool van. I always liked vans, I am thinking of having another kid so I can get a van. I want a full size van though.


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> Thats a cool van. I always liked vans, I am thinking of having another kid so I can get a van. I want a full size van though.



We have two minivans and I still have my full size work van.


----------



## oldognewtrick

I swear this is Havasu standing outside his shaggin wagon... 

View attachment images.jpg


----------



## Chris

Looks just like him.

I want a van but I need a van like another hole in my head. I'm sure down the road it may happen, when kids are older and have Friends that want to do stuff.


----------



## havasu

Honest to God, when I was 16, my dad bought me a new 1972 Chevy Van. It was the extended model with a side sliding door/window. It was banana yellow, and I since I was the VP of our van club, it had "American Vans" painted on the rear window. I had a 12' whip antenna and added an aluminum spoiler added to the roof. I installed brown shag carpeting in the raised floor in the back, with full length storage. I had low profile American Mags with BF Goodrich tires. I also had really cool brown and gold pinstriping and it it was really "Shagalicious!"


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> Honest to God, when I was 16, my dad bought me a new 1972 Chevy Van. It was the extended model with a side sliding door/window. It was banana yellow, and I since I was the VP of our van club, it had "American Vans" painted on the rear window. I had a 12' whip antenna and added an aluminum spoiler added to the roof. I installed brown shag carpeting in the raised floor in the back, with full length storage. I had low profile American Mags with BF Goodrich tires. I also had really cool brown and gold pinstriping and it it was really "Shagalicious!"



Did you solve mysteries with Scooby?


----------



## Chris

I woke up today, so far just waiting for the coffee maker to finish.


----------



## havasu

When is the big move Chris? Escrow?


----------



## Rusty

Rained all night and still raining. Sick of this ****.


----------



## havasu

I can't remember the last time So Cal had measureable rain. I'm jealous.


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> I can't remember the last time So Cal had measureable rain. I'm jealous.



We have had way too much. The crops are rotting in the fields.


----------



## Chris

havasu said:


> When is the big move Chris? Escrow?



November 10th escrow closes. At the rate I keep getting fined by commercial cops I will be leaving Nov 10th but probably not until next summer or so. I hired an estimator and project manager to help run my company so I don't have to be here so much. Hopefully I am making a good decision.


----------



## Chris

Rusty said:


> We have had way too much. The crops are rotting in the fields.



We don't even have crops in our fields.


----------



## Rusty

Using the 3M rubbing compound to clean up the headlights. It will take a while, but it is working. Thanks, Chris.


----------



## Rusty

My son's best friend showed up tonight. I told him he could stay until he got a job.


----------



## Chris

Rusty said:


> Using the 3M rubbing compound to clean up the headlights. It will take a while, but it is working. Thanks, Chris.



Lots of elbow grease. Let it dry out a bit on the rags and work it in hard. It will buff out faster.


----------



## Rusty

My five year old grandson is singing "I love butts and I cannot lie".


----------



## oldognewtrick

So do I,......, 

View attachment image.jpg


----------



## Chris

That looks good. I went hunting this morning then drove two and a half hours to my office where I am working on a bid for a golf course job.


----------



## havasu

Chris said:


> That looks good. I went hunting this morning then drove two and a half hours to my office where I am working on a bid for a golf course job.



WHich means you only played 9 holes?


----------



## Chris

I wish! Their wells ran dry so it a conversion to reclaimed water.


----------



## zannej

I turned 40 last week. Spent most of my birthday dealing with a kidney stone and taking care of my sick cat. 

The cat is not eating so I had to start force-feeding him a mixture of Pedialyte and baby food with a syringe. Last night the Akita mutt gave us a scare. She collapsed on the kitchen floor (flopped on her side, kicked one back leg and peed before becoming unresponsive) and we thought she was going to die, but I decided to force-feed her some Pedialyte and it worked. She seems fine now. 

I didn't get any sleep last night and I'm exhausted, but I have to get up in about an hour to give my dogs their meds.


----------



## mustanggarage

Rusty said:


> Using the 3M rubbing compound to clean up the headlights. It will take a while, but it is working. Thanks, Chris.



I like to use one of those powerball cones.  it makes it a lot faster.  just have to be careful not to let the lens get too hot. 

View attachment MothersPowerConePackage_web.jpg


----------



## havasu

Funny, I also have the Mother's applicator, but it is completely round?


----------



## mustanggarage

havasu said:


> Funny, I also have the Mother's applicator, but it is completely round?



yeah they have several variaties.  the original, the mini which I really like for wheels the cone which is nice for getting into tight areas, and the one for paint that I have never used.

but for the headlights I think the cone works best.


----------



## Chris

I have absolutely no motivation today to do anything. Have two bids that need to get out and don't know if I will get to them.


----------



## Rusty

Loaned my daughter's boyfriend my 6x10 trailer. Waiting to see what will need repair when it comes back.


----------



## Chris

I loaned my 5' x 10' trailer to my father in law two years ago, he then loaned it to his buddy, then somehow my sister got a hold of it who then gave it to my brother who currently has it and has done several trips from CA to AZ with it. He called me and said it needs new tires. I told him to figure it out as last time I saw the trailer it had a fresh paint job all new wiring and lights and brand new wheels and tires. I am wondering if I will ever see it again. I don't need it but it would be nice to have.


----------



## zannej

Chris said:


> I loaned my 5' x 10' trailer to my father in law two years ago, he then loaned it to his buddy, then somehow my sister got a hold of it who then gave it to my brother who currently has it and has done several trips from CA to AZ with it. He called me and said it needs new tires. I told him to figure it out as last time I saw the trailer it had a fresh paint job all new wiring and lights and brand new wheels and tires. I am wondering if I will ever see it again. I don't need it but it would be nice to have.



Sheesh. Some people just don't have respect for other peoples' property. I'm guessing your brother expects you to pay for new tires when he's the one who has been using it for free. 

I do hope that you will get it back and that it will still be in decent shape.


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> I loaned my 5' x 10' trailer to my father in law two years ago, he then loaned it to his buddy, then somehow my sister got a hold of it who then gave it to my brother who currently has it and has done several trips from CA to AZ with it. He called me and said it needs new tires. I told him to figure it out as last time I saw the trailer it had a fresh paint job all new wiring and lights and brand new wheels and tires. I am wondering if I will ever see it again. I don't need it but it would be nice to have.



When my MIL gave me the trailer, it had set for years. I packed the bearings, put on new tires, painted it, rewired and put on new lights and replaced the 2x8s in the bed and new safety chains. I had used it once.


----------



## Rusty

Had to go get my trailer. It is a mess and the tailgate is gone.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> Had to go get my trailer. It is a mess and the tailgate is gone.



Sorry to hear Rusty, this is why I don't like to borrow or lend things out...Can't wait to hear his excuse...


----------



## oldognewtrick

Came home from work and my wife was in bed sick, said she wanted a Big Mac for dinner....so of to the Clown House I go, first time I've been there in years. How do these places stay in business? Guess I'm good for the rest of my life, don't care to ever go back.


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> Sorry to hear Rusty, this is why I don't like to borrow or lend things out...Can't wait to hear his excuse...



He said it was old and broke. My grandson said he tried to use it as a ramp to load a four-wheeler. It was a wood tailgate that I made out of 2x8s a few months ago.


----------



## zannej

Rusty said:


> He said it was old and broke. My grandson said he tried to use it as a ramp to load a four-wheeler. It was a wood tailgate that I made out of 2x8s a few months ago.



And I don't suppose he cares for the rule about returning something in relatively the same condition as when it was borrowed-- like, if he or a family member broke something on it, the onus is on him to fix it or pay for repairs.

I don't like to loan stuff either. Loaned some stuff and never got it back or got it back broken. Some stuff my brother loaned without permission-- and some even after being specifically told "No".

Today I've been busy playing nurse to sick pets again. It seems I'm going to be doing that until the terminal ones pass on.


----------



## Chris

My inlaws came by today and started fighting in front of my kids (My kids have never seen anyone fight before) After 20 minutes of cursing and swearing and slamming my doors my father in law decides he is going to walk home 110 miles away. My wife told him he better say goodbye to my daughter so he came in and told my four year old that grandma hates him and wants him gone so he is leaving. He then proceeds to throw his crap around before my wife kicked him out. If my kids were not here I would have kicked his *** and threw him out but instead I am trying to explain to my daughter that grandma does not hate grandpa.


----------



## Rusty

When I was a kid we had a monthly get-together. All my aunts and uncles and cousins (my grandmother had 13 kids). I watched my aunts have fist fights several times. The uncles would play poker and ignore them. We finally just quit going. I don't understand fighting like that. It is just stupid. If you can't get along, then someone just needs to leave.


----------



## havasu

Chris, isn't it time to pack to go to potato land? I sure as hell would purposely forget to give the in laws your new address.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris, you're a better man than me, when it first started, I would have told them to take it down the road. Remember, your house, your rules.


----------



## Chris

I was in the shower when they showed up and started. It was more important at the time to keep my kids occupied as if nothing was going on. it till everything I had to not get involved. I know my father in law and it would have only gotten more heated.


----------



## Rusty

I jumped my daughter's boyfriend over my trailer and now she isn't speaking to me.


----------



## havasu

Stand your ground.


----------



## zannej

Chris, sounds like your father-in-law is a complete ***. Saying that crap to a 4-year-old is irresponsible and immature to say the least. I hope your kids weren't too upset by it. I feel sorry for your wife that she probably had to grow up with that crap-- although she has you, so that makes up for it somewhat.

Rusty, I hope your daughter realizes sooner or later that her boyfriend is in the wrong on this. It's not even about the material goods-- it's about the respect- or lack thereof.

I've been playing nurse to my kitty most of the day. He had two seizures (both after the vet was closed). I gave him more Pedialyte and water via syringe in the mouth and had to wait for my brother to get home to do the needle under the skin for more fluids (I can't even look at the needle). I'm really hoping the poor kitty will start to get better soon.


----------



## Chris

He is immature. We always say we are the adults and her parents are the children. Everyone is upset with him at teh moment. My wife knows how I feel about her parents and she agree's. The upset her all the time. She keeps thinking they will change. I know they will not so I just keep my distance.

Rusty, good on you, people need to realize the damage they have done.


----------



## Chris

I got woken up by one of my customers today. Called saying he wants me to get a second dump truck out to the job and we should be done by now. Job is a two week long job that we started on Thursday. These people sure know how to put me in a bad mood.


----------



## zannej

I stayed up all night taking care of my kitty. He kept having seizures and unlucky number 7 (seventh seizure in 24 hours) finally did him in this morning. :-( At least I was there for him in the end, but it still sucked. I was hoping he would pull through.


----------



## Rusty

Sorry to hear about your cat.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Sorry to hear Zanne.


----------



## oldognewtrick

I'm tired, took my ladder rack off my truck, thought I'd wrap up the tear off were started Monday, and start cutting WAY back...thought wrong, guess I need to change my phone number...


----------



## Rusty

Some customers just don't understand. I am 68, and have some health problems, but I still get a lot of work calls. And I do a few jobs. I turn down the big stuff, though.


----------



## oldognewtrick

And my ladder racks back on.....


----------



## Rusty

Couch surfer (my son's friend) plugged up the sewer. Cost me $80. Not happy with him. He needs to find a job, soon.


----------



## Rusty

My daughter had a flat last night with no spare. So, good old dad, has to go get her spare, at her house, and go change the flat. Then I had to give her money to get the tire fixed.


----------



## oldognewtrick

So, Rusty, think I could bowwow the trailer?  


What...to soon?


----------



## havasu

Came home from the lake to find my pool empty. It appears my filter exploded. Cant even sit down and relax after my 4 hour drive.


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> Came home from the lake to find my pool empty. It appears my filter exploded. Cant even sit down and relax after my 4 hour drive.



Aliens stole your water....they do stuff like that.


----------



## havasu

Illegal aliens? That's why I'm voting for Trump!


----------



## Rusty

As dry as it is there, are you sure the water was not stolen?


----------



## oldognewtrick

Why are aliens from Romulac legal and aliens from Mexico illegal?


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> Why are aliens from Romulac legal and aliens from Mexico illegal?


Brown skin and green skin?


----------



## zannej

Rusty, so your daughter is speaking to you again? Or was it just that she needed something?

Havasu, man, that sucks! I wonder if someone did steal the water...


----------



## Rusty

She is speaking again.


----------



## Chris

I cleaned out my garage today, seems a Rat wanted the chickens food and also wanted to shack up in my garage for a few weeks. Crap on everything and the little bastard ate holes in a really nice backpack my mom gave me and a North face duffle bag. Spent all day cleaning that crap up. Now I can finally start building my front gate. Can't wait to be done with this house and moved so I can start the process all over again.


----------



## Rusty

Are you taking any employees with you when you move?


----------



## Rusty

Best thing I have heard on the election........" Picking between Trump and Clinton, is like picking a seat on the Titanic."


----------



## Rusty

Whew, just finished a 3 1/2 page research paper for one of my classes. It is not due until December, but why wait. Only one more to do before the end of the semester.


----------



## Chris

Rusty said:


> Are you taking any employees with you when you move?



No, my company will be lucky if I take it with me. I hired a new estimator and office guy to help me out so I don't have to be there so much, hopefully that helps.


----------



## Rusty

My six year old grandson tried to take a kitten to school in his bookbag.


----------



## havasu

You show me yours and I'll show you mine?


----------



## zannej

My dog with cancer took a drastic turn for the worse this morning. Had to take her to the vet to get her put to sleep. I hated doing it, but she was struggling to breathe. The medicine may have slowed the tumor growth on the outside, but apparently they spread internally. She went quickly and the vet decided not to charge anything. He even said he'd take care of the body for us since he knew how difficult it would be to bury her.
I thought she would last at least another couple months, but at least she isn't suffering now.






On another note, I just got a message from my friend. His ex took their daughter and moved to another town without notifying him and is living with two men who are not related to her or the children. The children don't have their own bedrooms and are sharing a room with the ex and her new boyfriend. So, my friend is going to file for custody immediately. He's considering telling the other child's father about the situation so he can get his son out of that situation as well. The ex is unemployed and so is her new boyfriend. The only reason she took the daughter with her is to be spiteful to my friend.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Sad news about your puppy Zanne.


----------



## havasu

Im so sorry Z.


----------



## Chris

I'm not looking forward to my dog going. He is old and blind but still gives 100% everyday.


----------



## mustanggarage

I just found out my 2 year old German shepherd pup that I just love to death has perianal fistulas.  apparently this is a genetic problem some pure bred shepherds get.  it is not cureable and it is terribly painful for him.  I have to have him on 4 meds right now.  the vet told me that the last dog that he treated for this only lived a couple years before they had to put him down.  I am just devastated.  this guy is my buddy.  since I got him he is the dog that is with me almost constantly he won't hardly leave my side when I am out here in the garage.  he is such a sweet soul.  I hate seeing him hurting.  and I hate hurting him putting the medicine on his rear and forcing him to swallow that cyclosporine that he hates.  this sucks.


----------



## oldognewtrick

I have a 16 y/o Shepard lab mix and she's starting to have problems getting up and mobility issues. You sure can get attached to these little guys.


----------



## zannej

mustanggarage, I'm so sorry about your dog. And it is always harder when you can't explain things to them and all they know is that they are in pain. :-(

It's so hard to let go, but sometimes it is better than watching them suffer. My consolation with my rottweiler is that she seemed like she had given up and was ready to go, and I didn't want her to go through what my cat went through-- although, he seemed to still be trying to hang on. I really hope some day there will be cures for all of these illnesses for animals.

olddog, have you tried glucosomine tablets? They can help with joint pain. I was giving them to my rottweiler to help her. I give them to my russell terrier when she starts to have trouble climbing steps. Poor thing has been wandering around whimpering and looking for the rottweiler.


----------



## havasu

Just arrived in San Francisco 

View attachment 20161031_055320.jpg


View attachment 20161031_055340.jpg


----------



## oldognewtrick

Say hi to Nancy and Gloria while you're there...:waggingfinger:


----------



## Chris

Today I started the tear out of my back yard so I can put in pavers and a built in BBQ. Seems I finally get all my work done on my house in time to move out of it.


----------



## havasu

Walked 18 miles today 

View attachment 20161031_125350.jpg


----------



## zannej

Chris, I thought of you when I was watching a House Hunters episode and they showed how they had renovated. They built a really awesome pool, patio, and outdoor barbecue area. I wish I could find pictures of it but I don't remember which episode it was.

Last night one of my cats puked up something that looked like a 3" long piece of fettuccine. I was trying to figure out when the cat could have eaten it and then it started moving and I realized it was a tapeworm. I put it in a ziplock bag and took it to the vet. She gagged a bit when she saw it and prescribed some meds that are over $10 per pill-- and it's for 12 cats. At least I only have to give it to them once. I wish I'd taken a picture of it before it got trashed. It was sort of cool, even if it was gross. It had these little ridges on it and when it comes out the other end, the ridged parts break up into little pieces that look like rice grains-- but then they stretch out and squirm around. 
I've already dosed two of the cats (the only ones that were inside). One was upset for about 2 seconds before she started climbing on me and nuzzling my face.
Now I just need to dose the other 10 cats. Wish me luck! 

Meanwhile, in happy news, a toilet paper holder that matches my towel bar and towel ring set arrived in the mail today. We forgot to get one when we got the rest of the set years ago. Product line was discontinued and whenever I looked it up online and found an auction, it was over $40. I randomly decided to look it up again and found it for under $20 on E-bay and ordered it. Now I just need to get my *** in gear and finish fixing my bathroom up. I still need to take a grinder to that botched floor leveling stuff.


----------



## Rusty

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I taught one of my college classes today. The teacher had to be gone and got permission for me to fill in. It was fun.


----------



## havasu

So did you get to hand search all the women to make sure they didn't carry any weapons?


----------



## zannej

FBI= Female Body Inspector.


----------



## zannej

I decided to stop procrastinating on changing the light bulb in my old Broan vent/light/heater in the bathroom. I googled to find out how to open it up and ended up having to use a flathead screwdriver to pry it open, take the cover off, and change the bulb. It works now, but the wiring seems persnickety. There might be a loose connection somewhere. Fan and heat parts are still not working. At least there is overhead light now.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Zanne, if you think there is a chance of faulty fixture wiring, replace the fixture. Don't take a chance of posting from the Red Cross cause the house is cinders.... Just sayin...


----------



## Rusty

My youngest turns 21 today.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> My youngest turns 21 today.



Happy Birthday!


----------



## Chris

Legal to get drunk........ Happy Birthday!


----------



## zannej

Happy Birthday to your youngest, Rusty!

I took my Akita mutt to the vet because she just seemed to be feeling off. Vet said it looks like she's had a stroke, but also said she's very old for her breed. Told me they live to be around 11 or 12 and the dog is 13. She was a bit anemic and her kidneys are just starting to have trouble. They gave her a shot of B-12 and she seems to be feeling better. I have her in the house away from the other dogs so she can have some peace and quiet. They want to give her the shot every 2 weeks now-- which is what they wanted to do for my poor kitty that died. I wonder if that is a normal thing or if they are just on a B-12 kick...


----------



## zannej

My akita mutt is feeling much better and was actually running around. It got down to 34 degrees and the russel terrier hates it (but the akita loves cold weather). the little shepherd puppy is crazy hyper and jumping all over everyone. My cats are nesting on my bed and I managed to squeeze in next to them.

Got a call around 8:40pm from a friend and knew it meant something was wrong.His transmission went out on his truck over in Natchitoches. First thing I asked was "Do you need a lift?". Apparently when he called his grandparents they said "What are you going to do?" and he said "I'm calling my 'other grandma'" because my mom thinks of him as a son now (and I've been mistaken for his mother a few times). He found a really nice tow-truck guy who towed the truck to his own house and then gave him a lift to a town in between so I didn't have to drive out that far. We met in the middle of nowhere under a bridge and spotted him some cash to pay the towtruck guy. Took him to IHOP on the way home and subjected him to our singing the whole ride home.

Hopefully his uncle will help him get his truck back. If not, I'll be driving him back there with some transmission fluid and see if he's able to make it back home to get it fixed.

While at IHOP he started to say the day couldn't get worse and I tried to stop him. He did stop before he finished, but he got enough of it out and the universe heard him so his tooth broke during dinner. Poor kid has the worst luck.


----------



## Rusty

We had a Bichon. The average life span for the breed is 8 years, ours lived 16 1/2 years.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Yesterday finished up day 14 of chemotherapy for cancerous and precancerous deep tissue damage on my face. This past week has been a *****. It looks like a frying pan of hot bacon grease blew up in my face (twice) and feels like it too. I highly recommend wearing sunscreen and hats, cause I hope none of y'all ever have to have this treatment for years of skin neglect and sunburns. 

It's been funny the looks I get when I've been out, most won't comment, but I know they want to ask the question , are you contagious?

Guess from now on I'm a big hat guy like Havasu.


----------



## havasu

I told you that even Ol' Dawg needed to wear a hat! 

View attachment images (1).jpg


----------



## Rusty

Found a picture of Mark's jeep 

View attachment 14-Hilariously-Crazy-Car-Repair-Fails.jpg


----------



## zannej

Yikes, oldog, I hope the cancer gets totally cleared away.

I'm currently trying to find a good used 4L60E transmission for a '95 chevy. Thus far, the prices for the ones I've seen are higher than the bluebook value of the truck.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> Found a picture of Mark's jeep



That's way nicer than the HavasuWagon. &#128561;


----------



## brownieboy

I hired a new company for a marketing campaign for me. Here's the site he's going to use hope it goes well! *crossing fingers*


----------



## Chris

I drove to idaho yesterday. 16 hours straight towing my backhoe trailer with two small tractors on it. Will be here for a week doing yard work.


----------



## havasu

Do you take the 15 fwy through Vegas to get there?


----------



## Chris

Yes, 15 to the 93 and up. I come home through the 395, it avoids Vegas traffic.


----------



## havasu

I see you could also go up the 5, then fork N/E on the 80 and up?


----------



## Chris

Not towing. California and its 55 mph I would never make it. Need to get out quick with a trailer so I can move with the rest of the traffic.


----------



## zannej

I ended up driving my friend back to Natchitoches to see if putting transmission fluid in is tranny would fix the problem. The plan was that he would drive it out and I would follow just in case something went wrong. Seemed to be going good at low speeds but wouldn't shift into 3rd no matter what. So, we limped back to town going at first 25 and then up to 48mph on 75mph roads. Fortunately there were multiple lanes so people just went around us the whole time. He had to keep his eye on the rpm the entire trip so his speed wasn't consistent. I had to keep slowing down and speeding up to match his pace. I don't really like driving, so that was not fun. On the roads that only had 2 lanes (one each direction) speed limit was only 35mph so we were ok there. He was able to keep consistent speeds for the last leg of the trip. Took a few hours to get back home. Hopefully the replacement tranny will be fine.


----------



## brownieboy

I love this thresd because I can post on it everyday! lol


----------



## Chris

I bought some stools. 

View attachment 20161121_210739.jpg


----------



## havasu

I spent all day in the closet yesterday building shelving. Hopefully, I will finish this project up.


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> I spent all day in the closet yesterday building shelving. Hopefully, I will finish this project up.



This is just too easy.... so I won't.


----------



## havasu

I figured of all people, surely you would jump on an easy one Dawg!


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> I figured of all people, surely you would jump on an easy one Dawg!



I like a challenge once in a while...&#128521;


----------



## oldognewtrick

Looking at getting another long gun. Remington 700 or a Ruger American in .243.


----------



## havasu

Make sure they fixed the trigger assembly if you get the Remington 700. There was a huge recall on them.


----------



## Chris

I have a .243 not a fan at all unless it is for coyote. I took one deer with it but it was a challenge.


----------



## Rusty

Started moving my daughter into the house she bought. Finally got a ham & cheese sandwich for Thanksgiving. Supposed to have a big dinner Sunday, if we get done Saturday.


----------



## havasu

I'm stuffed, she is stuffed, and even the dog is stuffed. 

View attachment 20161124_182142_resized.jpg


----------



## Rusty

Local police arrested a woman who was selling drugs from a motor home. She had parked in the lot of a local business on Thanksgiving.


----------



## Chris

I woke up today. Hopefully I can do it again some time.


----------



## Rusty

Studying for a final tomorrow. Nothing is sticking.


----------



## havasu

My G/F had female plumbing surgery today. She is OK, but spending 5 hours in a waiting room without a TV is not fun. Worse yet, phone ran out of juice so I couldn't even get on the forums much.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Hope all is well with her Mark.


----------



## Chris

Hope she is fine. I fired people today. Hoping these sleepless nights can go away soon. I'm sure it will just be another thing that keeps me up at night.


----------



## Rusty

Hire me, then you can fire me without meeting me, much easier.


----------



## Rusty

Snow today.


----------



## havasu

The only white stuff we have around here comes in kilo sizes and cost $16,000.


----------



## Chris

havasu said:


> The only white stuff we have around here comes in kilo sizes and cost $16,000.



You are overpaying, they must think you are a cop.:auto181:


----------



## havasu

...never thought of that!


----------



## Angie

Hope the wifey heals well.   And really sorry your phone ran out of power.  (I travel with the charging cord with me.  )

Chris, firing folks.   And at Christmas time.     Hope things are working out for you.


----------



## Chris

For me yes, for them not so much.


----------



## havasu

I thought I'd post what my step-daughter wrote today regarding her dad, and my best friend, and what happens with the flippin liberals are allowed to vote for. Prop 57 was built to release our prisoners from jails. The libs just don;t understand real life these days...

_*so, i haven't been able to really concentrate this week and have had a flood of emotions because i received some disturbing news Sunday afternoon. i don't know if this is the best place for this, but i am deeply saddened and upset and i do believe this story needs to be told.
most of you know my dad was killed by a drunk driver in 2009 while my he was traveling early in the morning on his motorcycle to teach a police explorer program. he was struck by a drunk driver driving the wrong way on the freeway and that man fled the scene. his family aided and abetted him for an entire day. that man did eventually stand trial in 2011 while i was pregnant with amélia and was ultimately sentenced to 12 1/2 years in prison without any chance of parole.
however, thank you to all those who voted for prop 57 to release so-called nonviolent felony offenders. that prop made it possible for this killer to walk free as of November 25 this year, serving a mere 5 1/2 years. i'm not going to shame anyone who maybe didn't read the propositions or are blinded by a do-good attitude, but you can clearly see a great example of altruism gone wrong. i'm all for helping others, but this world has to get a clue.
it is my faith getting me through, and simply trying not to give this man any more of my thoughts to have an affect on my life that has been my recent goal. i'm deeply saddened because a man, who also showed zero remorse on the day of his sentencing, now is able to go home to his family while my dad can not. my dad missed out on the birth of his grandchild, and if you know my history, a baby i thought i might never have. my dad was there for me in my struggles. he was also the person i could go to for advice about anything. i still find myself wanting to ask him so many things, but i can not. amélia knows him through our stories, but she will never know him because some man decided to drink too much, get on the road and 6am, drive the wrong way on the freeway, and then never took responsibility for those actions.
anyway, the great state of California and it's voters have made it possible for these 'nonviolent' offenders to be released early. am i angered? not exactly, but i do wish that more people would open their eyes.*_


----------



## Rusty

The courts are really screwed up. We had a guy here sentenced to life for three pot convictions. The governor finally released him after 20 years.

And this guys serves 5 1/2 years for murder.


----------



## havasu

Yeah, that's messed up.


----------



## Rusty

Bought new glasses yesterday, scratched the lens today.


----------



## Chris

I am pretty sure California will implode or explode soon. The only state with this much regulation on all the wrong people, highest tax rates and most people and is still broke.


When I asked my local city rep why is it in idaho I can register my truck for 80 dollars a year and the same truck in california is 1600 and I was told it was because there is less people there so they don't have to charge so much. I am pretty sure it is supposed to be the opposite? The more people paying should lower the costs.


----------



## havasu

I've always believed that the vehicle registration fees should be equal throughout the 50 states. This obviously would lower the costs in California, but increase them in places such as Arizona, where motorists pay as much as 90% less than the state just west of them. This would stop non-residents from going across the state lines to search for cheaper rates and stop the massive amounts of fraud, which many commit currently in order to save a few bucks.


----------



## Rusty

Yearly tags for my work van are $26. Liability insurance is about $30 month too. Bet your insurance is much higher.


----------



## havasu

I have PL/PD insurance on my 1981 GMC Sierra Jimmy I keep out at Havasu, and it runs $280 a year. The Registration for it runs about $77 a year.


----------



## Chris

On my dually before I had to up the weight fee to tow a trailer it was 657 a year. I pay 1600 a year in insurance on that one. I have a perfect driving record to.


----------



## Rusty

Well, at least the spammers are giving us some posts to count.


----------



## Chris

Anyone interested in a 75 Ford F250 4x4? A project I don't feel like dragging to Idaho.Havasu you know you want a smog free truck.


----------



## havasu

How big a project is it Chris?


----------



## Chris

To do it right a complete rebuild but you could toss a motor in it or rebuild the current one and it might move down the street. To yours and mine standards a complete rebuild. I was going to either put a diesel in it or a newer fuel injected motor along with doing body and interior.


----------



## havasu

Actually, I'd rather buy one of your running work trucks. I actually may need to rent a.truck today since my ex is releasing all my antique furniture from the house she is selling. Yesterday she released my 3500w generator back to me. I was able to take the one back that i bought to replace it, so i pocketed some much needed money.


----------



## Chris

I have an F350 sitting at my house collecting dust. It's an 04 with a V10 longbed standard cab. nothing special but runs great with new tires.


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> Actually, I'd rather buy one of your running work trucks. I actually may need to rent a.truck today since my ex is releasing all my antique furniture from the house she is selling. Yesterday she released my 3500w generator back to me. I was able to take the one back that i bought to replace it, so i pocketed some much needed money.



I love happy endings.


----------



## Chris

I came to work to fire a guy and he hasn't showed up in two days, hard to fire a guy that quits.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> I came to work to fire a guy and he hasn't showed up in two days, hard to fire a guy that quits.



That's rude of him. Send him a message to be at the office at 9:00 tomorrow morning.


----------



## havasu

I love the saying, "you can't fire me because I quit!"


----------



## Chris

Fired him about a half hour ago. he did not take it well. was pissed at me when i brought he has been stealing from me and was still pissed when I brought up proof. Finally had to threaten to call the cops. He is out of my life now, now lets add up what he stole.


----------



## havasu

Give me a price on that V-10 Chris, if you want to sell her.


----------



## havasu

Did he sell my rotohammer? If so, let's kick his ***!


----------



## Chris

If I sell her it will be around 5k. Not sure if it is worth it to you. 04 F350 139k on it V10 just serviced and new plugs, new tires. 

View attachment IMG_0445.jpg


View attachment IMG_0446.jpg


View attachment IMG_0447.jpg


View attachment IMG_0449.jpg


----------



## Chris

havasu said:


> Did he sell my rotohammer? If so, let's kick his ***!



Haven't got the trucks back from the guys yet, we picked up another good size job close to home that I will do before letting them go.


----------



## havasu

Yeah, unfortunately a tad rich for my current wallet contents.


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> Give me a price on that V-10 Chris, if you want to sell her.



I'll start the bidding...$100.00




havasu said:


> Did he sell my rotohammer? If so, let's kick his ***!



Lets kick his *** anyway, it's just been one of the days...


----------



## havasu

I agree. And 

$200!


----------



## Rusty

$250, If he delivers.


----------



## Chris

300 American!


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> 300 American!



You deliver to Missouri?


----------



## Chris

As long as there is something fun for me to do while I'm there. Besides sweating or freezing.


Actually I had a talk with my brother last night and I am giving him the truck in trade for him taking a few loads to idaho for me.


----------



## havasu

Your brother has failed to bid in here, therefore he is disqualified. 

$400!


----------



## oldognewtrick

$450.00......


----------



## Chris

451.56 final offer


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> 451.56 final offer



You can't bid. You're just running up the offer. :Sabrefight:


----------



## oldognewtrick

oldognewtrick said:


> You can't bid. You're just running up the offer. :Sabrefight:



Truth be told, that's what I'm doing to havasu.


----------



## Chris

my kind of bidder


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> Your brother has failed to bid in here, therefore he is disqualified.
> 
> $45,000.00, an old Snicker bar and my monkey!




You misspelled disqualified, I fixed it for you...


----------



## Rusty

25 cents and Havasu's lake property.


----------



## Chris

Rusty said:


> 25 cents and Havasu's lake property.



Sold! I am gonna need that warm property when I move.


----------



## zannej

LOL! You guys are great.

Man, sorry to hear about the thieving employee. People like that never cease to amaze me. They screw you and then have the gall to be pissed off at you when you call them out on it.


----------



## Rusty

Getting the wood stove ready, just in case. Supposed to get to zero tomorrow night with 30 mph winds.


----------



## havasu

My peach tree had only about 40 leaves left on it due to winter. We just had a gust of wind and all 40 of those leaves found their way into my pool, which is about 40 feet away. There it is, pouring rain, and I'm skimming leaves from the pool.


----------



## Rusty

Icy roads in the morning and I pick up my stepson when he gets off at 7 am.


----------



## Rusty

Beautiful evening. At 10 pm, 13 degrees -4 WC and snowing. At 7am when I go after him, supposed to be zero degrees with a 30 mph wind. Roads have a sheet of ice with about 1" of snow on top.


----------



## Chris

Did you make it back?


----------



## Rusty

Yes, went around the overpass. People were sliding all over it. Finally up to about 10 at 1 30 pm.


----------



## oldognewtrick

20* for the high here today, skiff of slush and windy.


----------



## Rusty

Made it to 12 above.


----------



## Chris

65 here.. I put long sleeves on.


----------



## havasu

Long sleeves and shorts. 

View attachment 20161218_142316.jpg


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> Long sleeves and shorts.



At least I don't have to clean leaves out of my pool...:waggingfinger:


----------



## Chris

Is there a such thing as to many tools? I'm trying to find a system for my tools that makes sense.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> Is there a such thing as to many tools? I'm trying to find a system for my tools that makes sense.



That's like saying I've seen to many boobies, no matter how big or how small, how young or how old, if ones out, guys are gonna look. its what we're programmed to do. That and collect tools.

Having a place for everything and everything in its place is the key. My problem (one of them) is not enough space and an unwillingness to purge a lot of junk I've acquired over the years. Makes for interesting discussions with the Mrs sometimes...


----------



## Chris

I'm trying to get more organized for my next shop. It is two story and I have decided I will use the upstairs for storage for all my projects and want to leave the shop for what it was intended for a shop. Luckily I also have a garage that I can store some junk in. I would also like to build a metal storage building for cars and equipment so I don't have to have it outside. Dreams I guess?


----------



## oldognewtrick

Not dreams Chris, just goals.


----------



## Rusty

I have a 27' x 27' foot shop here and can't get in it because it is stored full of my wife's and kid's stuff. (And a few hundred tools of mine but those don't count).

I have three table saws, three scroll saws, two drill presses, a planer, a jointer, two band saws, oscillating spindle sander, etc. Most have not been turned on in years, since I quit building furniture.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Time for a garage sale Rusty. Their stuff, not yours.


----------



## Rusty

I know it's blasphemy, but I would like to sell some of the duplicate tools. My MIL gave them to me when my FIL died. His are mostly Harbor Freight crap and mine are Makita, Delta and Craftsman. But my wife wants to hang on to her dad's tools. For example, his table saw is a $99 special and mine is a $1100 Craftsman cabinet saw with a Beisenmeyer fence.


----------



## Rusty

47 degrees in Phoenix and my wife's niece thinks it is cold. 
__________________


----------



## oldognewtrick

24* for a high here today and I know its cold. Tell her I'll gladly trade.


----------



## havasu

I took my neighbor's Harley for a ride today and yep, with my shorts and tee shirt on.


----------



## Chris

I called my former employee on a bunch of fuel charges in his personal car and tolls I paid on my account on his days off. Of course he started back peddling saying he was doing stuff for me and thats why there was charges.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris, you can get the cards so they send you messages whenever they are used.


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> I called my former employee on a bunch of fuel charges in his personal car and tolls I paid on my account on his days off. Of course he started back peddling saying he was doing stuff for me and thats why there was charges.



Had a nephew who did that on his first job at age 16. Stole from everyone he ever worked for after that. Died at age 54 a couple years ago. I figure his last employer found where had cheated them after he died. He was really good at covering his tracks for a few years.


----------



## Chris

I don't understand why people need to steal. Especially when they are getting paid a good amount.


----------



## Rusty

He was very bright and could have done almost anything.


----------



## havasu

I would be furious if an employee stole so blatantly from me. Don't you hold a week's pay? Does he have a girlfriend you could use to get your money's worth? 

Years ago, I sold a cop buddy one of my trucks. He wrote me three bad checks for it. I finally called his dad and explained if HE did not pay me, I would be going to his chief, and he would lose his job forever. Yep, his dad wrote me a $4k check and drove it over to me immediately.


----------



## Chris

I pissed off my landlord today. I gave notice on my warehouse at the beginning of the month and sent an email today reminding them I would be out by the end of the month. I got an email back saying they thought I was going to give my notice at the end of the month. I told them that I couldn't justify an increase in rent that they want and it was time to move on so the end of the month and I am gone. (They were trying to raise my rent by 650 a month, I didn't tell them I was shutting down to move). I am going to keep playing that I am moving because of the rent just to prove a point. This could get fun. I am sure they will find a way to keep my deposit and that will just lead to more fun for me. I would love to take the owner to small claims just to waste his time because he is always to busy to do any maintnence or anything else.


----------



## havasu

What if he says to forget the increase in the next rent? Then what are you going to do?


----------



## Chris

All about principles now. Can'the buy my loyalty back. I'd be like that even if I wasn't closing up shop. Can't try and screw me then change your mind when I don't fall for it.


----------



## Chris

Carport for sale, make offer.


----------



## havasu

How big? I wonder if it would fit on my side yard? I may be interested.


----------



## Chris

Not if you could see the pictures.


----------



## havasu

We still don't have pics, huh? 

9404674.jpg:
Upload of file failed.


I guess not. Great...


----------



## Rusty

Maybe we should give all members crayons and a Big Chief tablet.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Or we can all chip in and buy one membership. I got a buck leftover after Christmas.


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> Or we can all chip in and buy one membership. I got a buck leftover after Christmas.



I can kick in 39 cents.


----------



## havasu

They could keep that great Christmas present that never got here.


----------



## Rusty

Anyone have a crayon sharpener?


----------



## Chris

I have a wooden butter knife if that will sharpen a crayon?


----------



## Rusty

Last night. Watching the Chief's 346 lb. defensive lineman, Dontari Poe, throw a TD pass. Funniest thing I had seen in a long time.


----------



## Chris

Today I pack my trailer and head for Vegas, then Idaho in the morning.


----------



## havasu

I got a few Fandango gift cards last night. WTF are those? I hear I have to order online after installing the Fandango app? Yeah, more BS.


----------



## Chris

No clue what you are talking about.


----------



## Angie

Never heard of those gift cards.  

Chris, how far along on the trip are you, are you there yet?


----------



## Rusty

Those are gift cards for movie theaters.


----------



## Chris

I made it.


----------



## Chris

Today I think I will get some work stuff done. Three more jobs and then my company closes down for good. Talk about a stressful situation.


----------



## havasu

Lemme know when you are headed up from me. I'll bring you a burrito.


----------



## Chris

They want it in a week or two. I'm booked for a few weeks.


----------



## Rusty

Are you advertising at your new location?


----------



## Chris

No, going a different route in life


----------



## Rusty

Chris must be bored, he posted in almost all forums. 

I'm sitting here waiting for a major ice storm to hit. May lose lights and internet for a few days. Hoping I have enough firewood.


----------



## Chris

Rusty said:


> Chris must be bored, he posted in almost all forums.
> 
> I'm sitting here waiting for a major ice storm to hit. May lose lights and internet for a few days. Hoping I have enough firewood.



It's been raining every other day for a few weeks now, can't work and today it was pouring so I had to find something to do after all my coats were soaked. I hiked every square foot of my property to see how and where the water was flowing. I have a seasonal creek that runs through on two sides that I have only seen run once before, it is kinda neat.


----------



## havasu

But yet no pics to increase the jealousy?


----------



## Chris

havasu said:


> But yet no pics to increase the jealousy?



I don't want to talk about it. I had issues with my new phone the S7 that I would take pictures and it wouldn't save them. They gave me a new phone and it seemed to be working fine. Until today, I took a bunch of pictures of the water and a waterfall and got in and dried myself and guess what, not a single picture saved except one that I took of my mail box so I guess you can have that one. 

View attachment mail box.jpg


----------



## Angie

Sorry to hear that the phone did not "take" the other photos.  You don't look soon after taking?  I cannot wait to see how they look, so I can take another if I don't like the original.

And what I did today.  Sat in Heart department at hospital as my Dad had a heart cath to see if veins/arteries good for a valve replacement.     It's a go for the next steps one day next week.


----------



## Rusty

Angie said:


> Sorry to hear that the phone did not "take" the other photos.  You don't look soon after taking?  I cannot wait to see how they look, so I can take another if I don't like the original.
> 
> And what I did today.  Sat in Heart department at hospital as my Dad had a heart cath to see if veins/arteries good for a valve replacement.     It's a go for the next steps one day next week.



Wish him well from us, Angie.


----------



## havasu

I'm hoping all turns out well Angie!


----------



## zannej

I hope your dad is doing well, Angie. Heart caths can really suck. 

Chris, the spring sounds pretty cool. I hope your phone will cooperate so you can share more pics. Also, water-proof coats or ponchos might be a good idea.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Thoughts and prayers sent for you, your dad and the doctors Angie.


----------



## zannej

Still having my TMI "plumbing" issues. Earliest appointment with the specialist is in February. Ugh. So, I'm taking iron vitamins and Ibuprofen in the meantime.


----------



## havasu

My daughter just texted me that she is now having plumbing problems. She is ready to get pregnant and have a new brother or sister to my grandson, but she spoke to her doc today about her issue, and they are scheduling a hysterectomy next week. She is devastated. I think you gals are plumbed with thin walled copper!


----------



## oldognewtrick

I'm sure appreciative that I was born a hunter and gatherer. Glad I don't have to go through all that those of the fairer sex endure. My hats off to them.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Mark, when the time is right suggest adoption, there's a lot of kids that need love and a good home. I wanted to adopt a 20 year old Ukraine girl...my wife didn't think it was a good idea...


----------



## havasu

A friend of mine adopted a "brother and sister" from either Russia or Ukraine. From what I understand, they spend in excess of $20k, only to find out a year later this was just all a scam. Based on DNA, they were not at all related, and they gave them one cute little girl, and matched her up with a look alike boy, a few years younger, found in their mental system. The boy is now at a US mental institution, to the tune of $50k a year out of their own pockets. Ukraine refuses to help them, and they do not qualify for any government assistance in the US. He had to sell his business here to take care of the kid, and his problems just continue 10 years later. 

No thanks, I'd rather be kidless.


----------



## zannej

havasu said:


> A friend of mine adopted a "brother and sister" from either Russia or Ukraine. From what I understand, they spend in excess of $20k, only to find out a year later this was just all a scam. Based on DNA, they were not at all related, and they gave them one cute little girl, and matched her up with a look alike boy, a few years younger, found in their mental system. The boy is now at a US mental institution, to the tune of $50k a year out of their own pockets. Ukraine refuses to help them, and they do not qualify for any government assistance in the US. He had to sell his business here to take care of the kid, and his problems just continue 10 years later.
> 
> No thanks, I'd rather be kidless.



If they had to spend $20k then it was likely not even a legal adoption. My father used to handle some foreign adoptions when we were overseas. There were a lot of hinky deals from China, Vietnam, and Russia. In China, since they are only allowed to have one child, a lot of parents sell their daughters so they can have a son. Or in worse situations, the kids are outright stolen from the parents and sold for adoption. Basically, if the people brokering the deal ask for money, it is a scam and not legal.

It is easier and faster to adopt foreign children, but there is a higher risk of getting children with severe mental disorders or horrible health problems. Meanwhile there are a ton of US citizen children who are stuck in the system who need to be adopted. 

Sorry to hear about your daughter's situation, Havasu. I know some women who would love to have kids but can't because of health problems. Then there are ones who have no business having children who just pop them out and then abuse and/or neglect them. 

I'm glad you guys don't have these particular issues. It is not fun at all. 

The "fairer sex" remark reminded me of a feminazi teacher I encountered who objected to the reference to a "fair maiden" paired with a "noble knight" in a poem. She claimed it was sexist and degrading to women. /facepalm


----------



## oldognewtrick

Fairer Sex is code words for Once A Month She Devils....


----------



## zannej

oldognewtrick said:


> Fairer Sex is code words for Once A Month She Devils....



LOL! Only once a month? I know some who are She Devils every day. 

My mother started to gripe about me being moody today and then she had a stroke of self-awareness and joked about how she never gets moody and she didn't know where I got it from. LOL.

The Ibuprofen hasn't been as effective today so my lower back is "talking ugly to me" (as my 92-year-old friend likes to say). And Mom was wanting me to get up and bend over and get stuff for her-- she's got a freakin' grabber arm and she was closer to the stuff than I was.

And on a completely unrelated note, has anyone seen the selwayarmory website? They were having a thing to give away free ammo (no purchase necessary).


----------



## Chris

California it is now against the law to have ammo shipped to you. You can't even look at ammo here without a permit.


----------



## zannej

Chris said:


> California it is now against the law to have ammo shipped to you. You can't even look at ammo here without a permit.



No wonder you're leaving. That is just idiotic. I mean, I get they want to reduce crime and all, but the criminals are going to get the stuff illegally anyway. All they are doing is making law abiding citizens jump through more hoops and pay more $.


----------



## Chris

zannej said:


> No wonder you're leaving. That is just idiotic. I mean, I get they want to reduce crime and all, but the criminals are going to get the stuff illegally anyway. All they are doing is making law abiding citizens jump through more hoops and pay more $.



That's is all it has ever been about. There is plenty of proof out there that if you disarm the public than crime goes up.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Had to take my best friend for the last 18 years and have her put to sleep. I liked her better than most people. Hardest thing I've ever done. RIP Saydee.


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> Had to take my best friend for the last 18 years and have her put to sleep. I liked her better than most people. Hardest thing I've ever done. RIP Saydee.



Sorry to hear that. I lost one two years ago after 16 years. I still miss her.


----------



## havasu

Damn Tom. I'm sorry. I put my best friend down the 3rd week of October last year, and I'm still torn up over it. In fact, I was with my granddaughter yesterday. She mentioned that she was not afraid to die. I said that was good, but asked her to promise me she would say hello to "Tyra" for me when she gets to heaven.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Thanks guys, not afraid to admit I shed a tear, I sat with her as she passed. Dang you can get attached to them.


----------



## havasu

You did it the way we are suppose to do it. But damn, it was the hardest thing I've ever done. In a few weeks (or maybe months) these pains will be replaced with the good times you both had. Rest assured, being with you made that pup be the happiest guy possible. You have yourself to thank for this. 

I don't mean to dwell, but in October I kept this sad task mostly to myself and my closest allies. This caused me more damage than just letting it out. Us animal lovers understand this. 

Again, I'm sorry you are dealing with this.


----------



## zannej

oldognewtrick said:


> Had to take my best friend for the last 18 years and have her put to sleep. I liked her better than most people. Hardest thing I've ever done. RIP Saydee.



I'm so sorry to hear that. :-(
*HUGS*

Havasu, I'm sorry to hear about your dog as well.

I lost 3 pets last year (2 of them in October). 

It's just so natural to get attached to them. They can be royal pains in the butt sometimes, but they make up for it with the love they give and just watching them run around and be silly is entertaining.


----------



## Rusty

Biscuit passed naturally, She was laying on my feet. I don't know that I could have had her put down. I am glad I did not have to make that decision. 
We have another dog and that has helped.


----------



## zannej

Rusty said:


> Biscuit passed naturally, She was laying on my feet. I don't know that I could have had her put down. I am glad I did not have to make that decision.
> We have another dog and that has helped.



I had to get my rottweiler euthanized because she was suffering. She was struggling to breathe and I didn't want her to linger. She had cancer so I knew it was only a matter of time. She was rather listless and didn't seem to be afraid. She was just lying there and she went peacefully. I was relieved that it was quick. When I'd previously had a cow put down, she was frightened. She presesd her face against my chest and tears came out of her eyes. It just killed me to see that, but I wanted to be there for her in her last moments. Then I sobbed over her body for several minutes while the vet stood their awkwardly waiting for me to pay him.

My cat that died in October suffered multiple seizures. He was on the floor having his final one while I was doing my best to try to comfort him. The vet was closed at the time and he probably would have died on the way even if they'd been open. It was pretty awful to watch. 

And good grief, I am making myself cry so I need to think of something cheerful...


----------



## Chris

I ate some bad salami yesterday. Was not good to my stomach.


----------



## havasu

How can you tell when salami goes bad?  For me it always tastes bad, but I still love it.


----------



## Chris

Same here. My wife said it was bad, I smelled it and it seemed ok to me. It wasn't.


----------



## havasu

Now you have to suffer with that old saying...

"I told you so!"


----------



## Chris

Thats the easy part, feels like I am wiping with 20 grit now. Gonna have to put a band aide on my butt.


----------



## havasu

I am now the proud owner of a 16' Aljo travel trailer, which is the end result of an ugly divorce from my G/F's daughter. Hubby left it in piss poor shape so guess who is stuck cleaning it up and trying to sell it.


----------



## Rusty

Don't you need a travel trailer?


----------



## Chris

Better start a thread. How much you want as is? My sister is looking for something.


----------



## havasu

2011 Aljo, 16'. Roof air, single axle, retractable canopy, hot water heater and a little bathtub. Used 4 times, sat in the sun so some of the decals are peeling. I would make a killer deal just to make it go away.


----------



## oldognewtrick

You know I'm a smart ***, gotta say it...


Opening bid   $100.00


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> You know I'm a smart ***, gotta say it...
> 
> 
> Opening bid   $100.00



Too much.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> Too much.



That's 100.00 to haul it off..?


----------



## havasu

This thing has a 13.k roof a/c unit that has never been used. How about $200?


----------



## Chris

224.57 american


----------



## Rusty

100 pesos and you deliver.


----------



## zannej

I *think* my medical plumbing issue may be over (for now). Not sure if I should still go to the appointment in Feb or free it up for someone who might need it. I'll see what my doctor thinks on Monday-- if it doesn't come back before then.

I'm waiting for the price to go down on the truck my brother wants to get. I'm trying to figure out if we could get away with just offering a flat price (including whatever fees they add) and then add in the 9.7% tax. 

It's a 2007 Ridgeline with over 185k miles on it. It was in a fender bender (airbag did not deploy) and it looks like the damage has been repaired. It looks like it has a navigation screen but navigation is not listed in the features and the seller never replied to my inquiry via cars.com. KBB shows it would only make about $230 difference in price.
From my experience, the vehicles they sell at the dealerships tend to have cracks and chips in the windshield that are hidden by signs. It's hard to see if there is any damage from the way the photos were taken. 
Inside the glove box looks a bit worn and the leather on the seats is showing some wear (but my bro will put seat covers on it).
KBB assumes that cars sold by dealerships are in Good condition or better when assigning fair market value as sold by a dealer. It's also been for sale at the dealership since November.

Trade-in value was $4,656-$6,961 (est $5,809). It's currently selling for $8,991. 

So, what do you guys think would be a fair offer? Do you think we could offer something like $7500 (which is more than 15% over top trade in value so there would be a small profit margin)?

Anyone have experience with buying used cars that knows whether or not a dealership would accept that or if that is a fair offer? (That would be a flat price excluding sales tax).

I'd love to keep the total price under $9k if possible.

Should I just create another thread for that question?


----------



## oldognewtrick

Go there with cash in hand and offer 7,500 and see what they say, worse they can say is I have to ask my manager. Maybe they'll negotiate, maybe not. Car dealers are as different as ice cream flavors.


----------



## zannej

oldognewtrick said:


> Go there with cash in hand and offer 7,500 and see what they say, worse they can say is I have to ask my manager. Maybe they'll negotiate, maybe not. Car dealers are as different as ice cream flavors.



Good point. I was thinking we could set a specific cap that we won't tell the dealer about (that will account for doc fees, registration, license, and tax). I've figured it out and it *should* all be under $9k. But that would be IF they accepted. The only big issue is that it's in Texas so it is quite a drive over-- however, there are multiple dealerships in the area with other vehicles to look at. I think one place in Spring has about 4 Ridgelines up for sale. We can print out the info on the other vehicles in the area as well and show that we have other options (because we do). And I've learned to point out every flaw and not act excited about the vehicle bc then they think they have leverage.

The sales tax is factored on the sales price, not including doc fees, right?


----------



## oldognewtrick

I've always had sales tax added as an extra cost. Unless they state tax, title and licensee included.


----------



## zannej

oldognewtrick said:


> I've always had sales tax added as an extra cost. Unless they state tax, title and licensee included.



Oh, I know it is not included in the advertised price. And I know the "flat price" doesn't include sales tax. But would that tax be charged on just the sales price or would the doc fee be taxed as well? I think doc fees are around $150 or so and with licensing and other crap it's probably around $200. But I know I need to expect several hundred for the tax. 

I had one dealership that tried to overcharge me in tax while saying we could go get reimbursed from our state for it. We told them "Hell no!" and called our local DMV and had them tell the sales guy what the exact tax % was. 

Adding that I was wrong about my "plumbing" issues being over. It was only a 20 hour reprieve. Bleh.

Meanwhile, today I went over and gave my friend some toilet paper because I know he was running low and he has some people staying with him. A guy with a pregnant wife and two kids who fell on hard times. They'd initially asked him to just drive them to a homeless shelter, but he offered to let them stay there with him until they can get back on their feet. I also got chased by adorable puppies.


----------



## Rusty

Knock knock, who's here? ..................No one.


----------



## havasu

Nuh huh. I'm here. I just washed windows, scrubbed window jambs, scrubbed screens, mowed the lawn, straightened up the garage, and order a new table top for that damn 16' trailer we acquired. I also checked the roof top air, floor heater, how water heater, filled and bleached the fresh water tank, checked the microwave, and caulked the tub. Damn, this thing is like brand new. All I need now is to stick a for sale sign on it and get it off my RV parking pad.


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> Nuh huh. I'm here. I just washed windows, scrubbed window jambs, scrubbed screens, mowed the lawn, straightened up the garage, and order a new table top for that damn 16' trailer we acquired. I also checked the roof top air, floor heater, how water heater, filled and bleached the fresh water tank, checked the microwave, and caulked the tub. Damn, this thing is like brand new. All I need now is to stick a for sale sign on it and get it off my RV parking pad.



You will make someone a good wife some day.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> You will make someone a good wife some day.



I think he already has.


----------



## zannej

Menopause really decided to kick my *** the past couple of days. I woke up with the worst cramps I've had in a long time-- so bad that it was hurting up to my kidneys all the way down through my groin (entire pelvis was throbbing). Painkillers weren't working so I put a heating pad under my back and pulled a fat cat on to my abdomen to act as a heater. It has the added effect of making me nauseous. After about 12 hours the pain finally subsided. I'm still nauseous though.

But I still managed to give a friend some drivers for my old computer that I gave her since I finally got around to setting up my new one. Turns out the place that built it didn't put stuff together right at all and a friend of mine had to disconnect everything and hook it up properly.

The graphics are excellent. I can run two windows of World of Warcraft at the same time with like 70fps each. On my old PC I would get down to about 10fps and would get some freezing.


----------



## Chris

I woke up today. Going to go dig a big hole for a sand/oil seperator in a few.


----------



## havasu

As a kid, we did similar. We would dig a hole and pour our used motor oil in it. The sand and dirt separated our oil. 


Before that, we would dump used oil in the manhole cover marked sewer. The guys wearing suits did not like that very much...


Hey, we all did stupid things when we were young.


----------



## Rusty

I remember as a kid going out into the middle of a lake in an old leaky rowboat we found. And I couldn't swim.


----------



## Chris

Sometimes I am surprised I am still alive.


----------



## havasu

My son surprised me with a spanking new S&W M&P 9mm Shield. He said..."here you go, it's yours as a way to thank you for all you've done for me"

A really sweet gun...and he even bought me an extra mag, and a Kydex IWB holster, left handed, just for me.


----------



## Chris

Do you think your son can surprise me with a new gun?


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> Do you think your son can surprise me with a new gun?



I'm not picky, ill take some old ones...


----------



## havasu

Be careful, all of the old guns in his safe are already in my name!


----------



## Chris

havasu said:


> Be careful, all of the old guns in his safe are already in my name!



Is your name Jerry Brown or Diane Finestien?


----------



## Chris

Today I get to work for free. A salesman from my supply house requested me to pour his back patio on his new house. I tried telling him I don't do that kind of work and have been blowing him off for a few months. He did get it. Only problem id his budget is 2k and the job would go for about 4k or more with what he wants done. Which means he is covering materials and a finisher and one laborer for the day. I get to pay for form boards and a day labor of my guy putting in his gas line and drain pipes and then grading it out. I am not happy about this. I don't mind doing side jobs even with very little profit but he is also pushy and wants it done right away after ai told him if he is getting a deal from me than it is on my schedule and I am not going to work a weekend to make it happen. I told him when my guys are free I will take care of it.


----------



## havasu

You are a glutton for punishment.


----------



## oldognewtrick

That's one of the things that burns my *** the most, people expecting you to work for free or little to nothing. Its not my responsibility to provide dwellings they can't afford or choose to prioritize other things besides taking care of their house. 

Ill go out of my way for folks who at least show some appreciation for things. I've learned to say no to the ones who don't.


----------



## Chris

oldognewtrick said:


> That's one of the things that burns my *** the most, people expecting you to work for free or little to nothing. Its not my responsibility to provide dwellings they can't afford or choose to prioritize other things besides taking care of their house.
> 
> Ill go out of my way for folks who at least show some appreciation for things. I've learned to say no to the ones who don't.


For me I don't mind helping out friends for nothing as long as they are helping as well. When they just expect me to go do it while they are doing something else, that's when it turns into a job and they should pay. 

I lost a friendship a few years back because a buddy of mine was converting his garage I to an apartment and wanted my help to run sewer lines. I got there and was working under his house on a 100 degree day while he was drinking beer on the couch. No pay and no help. I left and never answered his calls again.


----------



## Chris

oldognewtrick said:


> That's one of the things that burns my *** the most, people expecting you to work for free or little to nothing. Its not my responsibility to provide dwellings they can't afford or choose to prioritize other things besides taking care of their house.
> 
> Ill go out of my way for folks who at least show some appreciation for things. I've learned to say no to the ones who don't.


For me I don't mind helping out friends for nothing as long as they are helping as well. When they just expect me to go do it while they are doing something else, that's when it turns into a job and they should pay. 

I lost a friendship a few years back because a buddy of mine was converting his garage I to an apartment and wanted my help to run sewer lines. I got there and was working under his house on a 100 degree day while he was drinking beer on the couch. No pay and no help. I left and never answered his calls again.


----------



## Rusty

I have done some free jobs through the years. Mostly for relatives. I have also done a few when I knew the people really could not afford it or the job only took a few minutes. I did a carpet repair for a lady who was about 80. Took me 15 minutes, so no charge. I have told people how to do something them selves rather than pay me.


----------



## Chris

I'm a suckered for helping people. I don't even want to know how much I have spent on favors that never get returned.


----------



## zannej

Chris said:


> I'm a suckered for helping people. I don't even want to know how much I have spent on favors that never get returned.



The guy we sold our tractor to and who cleaned up the fallen trees is like that. He helps so many people out and does stuff for free or charges very little. That's why we gave him the trailer and some of the tractor accessories that were probably worth a few thousand dollars-- and sold the tractor cheap. We knew he couldn't afford to buy it for higher and that he would use the stuff to help other people. We could probably have made a good chunk of money selling it to someone we didn't know well, but it was worth it to help him out. And he does come around to mow the lawn and help clear branches and help with yard stuff that I haven't been able to do by myself. 

I wish I was in better physical shape to be able to help out, but last year was not kind to my health. It could be much worse though, so I try to look on the bright side.


----------



## Rusty

My dates for the dance. 

View attachment 16388179_1343007792436554_1038022639699600509_n.jpg


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> My dates for the dance.



You're a lucky guy Rusty.


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> You're a lucky guy Rusty.



I sure am. My great granddaughter was there too.


----------



## Rusty

since I am showing off already, my great granddaughter with her uncle. 

View attachment 16473840_10154953819369289_6481278790302458173_n.jpg


----------



## Rusty

A better picture of her. 

View attachment 16473259_10154953807054289_7816864330140612825_n.jpg


----------



## havasu

Damn Rusty, even the puppy is cute!


----------



## havasu

I helped my son install a new family roll bar for the YJ, and it was a breeze. We pulled the hard top and still had it done in less than an hour. We then spend the next 5 hours working on the new TJ  on a new bowless soft top made by shittybilt. Worst instructions in the world. After ripping it, we shoved in back in the box and will return it. Now to order a hardtop!


----------



## Angie

Rusty, those young ladies you showed off are really beautiful.  You are rich in the ways that matter.


----------



## havasu

Absolutely correct Angie.


----------



## zannej

I started going through my computer files to get rid of duplicate stuff and came across a draft of a letter my father was composing that talked about his life history and interest in cephalopods. It just made me miss him so much more and I started crying. The poor cat in my arms had no idea WTF my problem was. I really hate crying. It's been almost 8 years now but sometimes it still feels like yesterday. The flux in hormones probably isn't helping any. The doctor cleared it with my cardiologist and prescribed some kind of estrogen pills to try to stop the bleeding and it seems to have worked thus far-- I haven't had any bleeding in 24 hours and no cramps in probably 18 hours. Here's hoping it stays that way. The pharmacist warned me that I might never have my period again. (And I was wondering why that would be a bad thing. LOL). I told him that 6 weeks straight of that crap was enough for me and I'd gladly be done with it forever.


----------



## Rusty

I have nothing to say, just thought that someone should post.


----------



## havasu

I just spend talking to my attorney for 2 hours. My hearing for my knees is tomorrow.


----------



## Rusty

My minivan is giving problems again. Driving my old work van for a few days.


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> I just spend talking to my attorney for 2 hours. My hearing for my knees is tomorrow.



That was a $750.00 conversation....**** the attorneys


----------



## Chris

I had a couple meetings that made me money today. I also learned I will no longer be doing favors for anyone. I poured a patio for a salesguy at my supply house today. I ran a gas line and stubbed it up at his kitchen because he was going to tie into his stove line. We poured at 9am and finished it today. I told him him I am done and goodluck. Now remember I am doing this job for free, he is just paying my guys labor and materials, nothing for me and he wants to keep on a low budget. He ignored when I said I was done and asked when I would be hooking up his gas line. I said I could give him a hand but not til the weekend. He then called me and said his firepit is being delivered Friday and that I had to hook up the gas tomorrow. I told him I would try but no promises.I told him he might want to tell them to be careful and not walkaround to much on it for the first week and let it harden up a bit, thats when he said he was having his new spa delivered Friday morning along with a bunch of new patio furniture. Now what chaps my hide is I only agreed to help out for nothing because he couldn't afford it. Then today when I go there is a bunch of boxes from his brand new stuff and then I find out he has ten grand worth of crap coming friday and I am supposed to work for free so he can do that. I am bitter. And he has the nerve to tell me I need to strip the forms and hook up the gas and clean everything up as if I was getting paid to be there.


----------



## havasu

Man, now I feel bad about "borrowing" you and your stuff. I apologize. I will give you 2 free hours of backhoe work, provided I get to wear my now famous sequin G string while piloting that heavy machinery.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Remember Chris, no good deed goes unpunished.


----------



## Chris

I have one rule, free work is done on my schedule and when it is easy for me. Pulling guys off paying jobs to work for free is not easy for me.. No need to rush things especially when it is just because you want it done.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Funny how he can afford 10k of patio furnishings but he can't afford to pay for the pad....well, maybe its not too funny...


----------



## Chris

Thats what I am saying. That and rushing me because he already had to push delivery back twice as if I was holding something up? Who orders their furniture before their house is built?


----------



## Rusty

A number of years ago, I would pick up day old bread from a bakery and deliver it to a food pantry. I paid all expenses. One of the people getting free bread complained because a loaf tasted old and got the whole thing shut down. That was the only person that complained. Then no one at the pantry got bread at all. Some people just don't appreciate anything. Out of the thousand or so loaves I hauled weekly, I took a couple loaves to use. I never got any stale bread.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> Thats what I am saying. That and rushing me because he already had to push delivery back twice as if I was holding something up? Who orders their furniture before their house is built?



Its the me, me, me mentality. I'm so glad I'm not dealing with that crap anymore. Retirement sure doesn't pay well, but its a lot less stressful.


----------



## zannej

Man, Chris, it sounds like that guy is a jerk. He should be grateful that you're helping him out the way you are. It would be one thing if he was paying you and had a contract with you. But to be a dick and act like you're inconveniencing him when you put in labor for free... Ugh! I can't stand people like that.

I'm still trying to get my bladder to recover from drinking a gallon of water yesterday for the ultrasound. At least the ultrasound itself seemed to go ok (although I couldn't see the screen). I was told I would get the results from the doctor later this month.


----------



## Chris

So the saga continues. I gave him his costs this morning and it was a couple hundred over his budget. No I never agreed on a budget but said I would do my best to keep it close. So this morning he flipped his lid over a couple hundred bucks saying how he can't afford it and that I would keep it below his budget. I halfway lost it and explained to him that not only did I not charge for any of my labor but I also am eating costs with my guys driving my company trucks there and using my lumber for forms and some of my materials. I let him know that if he were to contract someone for this job it would be about 5k. He doesn't get it.


----------



## Chris

And he still wants me to go connect his gas line to his house, a couple hours work. 

View attachment 20170208_134831.jpg


----------



## oldognewtrick

Let me get this straight, he works for a supply company that you buy from? If it were me, I'd go do what he wants and let him know real quick he lost a customer. I don't mind being used, but for heavens sakes don't abuse me. I don't know how many suppliers you have in your area, here, there's a roofing supply store on every other corner.

Tell him to piss up a rope.


----------



## Chris

I have two supply houses I deal with and he works for the one I do most my work with. I spend about a million a year there. He is not my sales person. I have known him for about 20 years and we worked together for a while at one company. I am quite bitter about this and I normally don't get bitter. I really don't mind helping people out or working for free but he takes the cake. I was supposed to go and hook up his gas line today but called him and told him I had some issues at work and wouldn't make it by. I told him I could come by in the morning and do it if he left me a key. He said that he didn't want to because he wouldn't be home and wants me to come on Saturday. I said no go it's my weekend. I think at this point I am done. We once again talked about the cost. I told him I would talk to my guys and see if they will work for a discounted rate but I can't promise anything. He went on to tell me that if I would have told him if was going to cost this much he would have saved for it and that he can afford 2k but 2400 he is ****ed. I don't get it? I never said I would get it done for 2k and when he told me that was his number I said I would try and keep it close to that but can't promise anything, then after that is when he added the gas line. Between that and his ground being hard as a rock it took my guy two days instead of 4 hours to prep it. I also told him my guys are not 10 dollar an hour employees, they all make 20 an hour+. He has 10k or more of brand new crap being delivered and boxes upon boxes from brand new crap laying in the yard and he can't afford this? At this point I want to finish so that I get paid but I also know if he doesn't pay I call the owner of his company and let them know they lost a customer because of this and he will likely lose a job over it.


----------



## zannej

oldognewtrick said:


> Let me get this straight, he works for a supply company that you buy from? If it were me, I'd go do what he wants and let him know real quick he lost a customer. I don't mind being used, but for heavens sakes don't abuse me. I don't know how many suppliers you have in your area, here, there's a roofing supply store on every other corner.
> 
> *Tell him to piss up a rope.*



I agree with oldog on this.
But make sure you do that AFTER you get your money. And make sure you text him or get some kind of message in writing where he acknowledges that you told him $2400 was the price. You might end up having to take this Dbag back to court.
And maybe tell him that maybe he can return one or two things he bought for $10k. He's not only taking advantage, this is just abusing your kindness. If he didn't budget for an extra $400, too bad. He should have thought about that before he had you do the work AND bought all that crap. The labor you agreed to is done and can't be returned. The materials have already been used. But his extra junk can probably be returned or put on hold a little. If he doesn't like it, too bad.
I would be careful of this guy. It sounds to me like he might turn around and try to sue you for not doing more stuff bc he's a greedy s.o.b.


----------



## Chris

It's a handshake deal so I would be out a few bucks. Concrete company automatically prelims his property so if I don't that bill they go after him but first it hurts me because it's on my account. I'm not to worried about it. I've lost more to more honest people.


----------



## Chris

Showed up to strip forms and he went out and bought a brand new car last night. How does a broke gut afford all this.


----------



## oldognewtrick

You have to be ****ting me, I'd go postal in his worthless ***.


----------



## havasu

Wow,,,just wow.


----------



## Chris

My overage was 351.41 after I had my guys take a cut. He is fighting all this over that amount. Yesterday he told me he plans on using me for his rv parking so I should give more of a discount on this. He doesn't understand these are hard costs and I didn't make a penny that I could even think of discounting.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Does the asswipe have plans for a helipad too?


----------



## Chris

He might.


----------



## Chris

Looks like my Supply house just lost a customer. More to come later.


----------



## havasu

Well, you got my attention now. Are you burning all your bridges before moving to Potato Land?


----------



## Chris

This is one bridge I will never need again.


----------



## Chris

He doesn't get it, he thinks we had a contract for me to install a gas line and connect through the house, run a bunch of drainage, grade out 800 sf of ground form and pump and finish 10 yards of concrete for 2k. A weeks worth of work and 1900 in materials. He won't see it as a favor I was helping him out with. I'll post the emails later.


----------



## havasu

Yeah, by the way, you forgot to paint the back of my house when you were over here as well. Time to lawyer up!


----------



## Rusty

I need my windows washed.


----------



## Chris

He paid me today, reluctantly. He instead of cash like agreed because I was just passing it along to everyone else he wrote a check to my company and shorted me 500 bucks, he says for two reasons, one was supposedly we had a contract for 2k and second that he now has to hire someone to connect the gas line that I had included in my contract. He keeps talking about this verbal contract of 2k, a number I didn't even know until after a few days of working. Words can't explain how bitter I am with him. He has twisted and made stuff up that I said.


----------



## Chris

Now the question is do I call the owner of his company and let him know why I won't be dealing with him anymore or not? He might get fired over it and that is kinda harsh


----------



## oldognewtrick

Seeing as he's not your rep, call yours and let him know the story.

Chris, I feel for ya, I hate to be taken advantage of and it hurts worse to see it happen to good folks. Do what feels right to you. No regrets.


----------



## Chris

My rep has no backbone when it comes to stuff like this. I know everyone at the company, I have worked with most all of them in the past when I was on the sales side of the business. 

I hate to be the cause of a guy losing his job if it gets to that but he just takes the cake with his attitude. It would be one thing to rip me off of any profits but to rip me off knowing I will have to pull money from my accounts to pay the labor is just not cool. He knew damn well I was doing this as a favor and just didn't care. Makes my blood boil.


----------



## havasu

So, does he defend his actions with a straight face? Did you advise you did this ONLY to help him? Did you ask where this signed contract was? I would let loose and tell him that he 100% ripped you off. You are no longer friends and ask how he thinks his boss would react to him being told? Sorry, I would let loose and tell his boss that because of his employee's action, you will no longer spend your hard earned money at a place that obviously likes to cheat people. I betcha his boss will pony up any lost money just to keep your business. 

As I think I told everyone before, years ago, I sold a Toyota 4Runner to a cop buddy dirt cheap. He wrote me 3 bad checks and refused to return the truck. I founds his dad's telephone number and explained what his son did. He told be it wasn't his problem and to deal with it. I said fine, but this would become YOUR problem as he is about to lose his job. He freaked and asked what I meant. I said I was going to file Grand Theft Auto charges as well as charge him for writing bad checks, and I guaranteed his son would lose his job, making this HIS problem. Dad wrote me a clean check that same day. His son is now a Lieutenant for a well known city in Southern California. In fact, I saw him on TV last week. 

Bottom line, you F with me and I will get revenge. Just as you should Chris.


----------



## oldognewtrick

After thinking about it, I'd tell the boss. If I had an employee taking advantage of my customers, I'd want to know it. If he doesn't do anything about it, well, you know the saying about apples and trees. 

Some time folks need to be reacquainted to life's lessons.


----------



## Chris

He had a straight face and honestly believed I ripped him off. I sent him several in depth emails stating everything from how this was a favor and copies of the receipts and all.


----------



## Chris

This was my email to him after a few heated phone calls.

Jason, Here are the actual costs with copies of the receipts. I did everything I could to keep as close to your budget as possible. I paid for several things out of my own pocket like the form boards and a few specialty tools for the job. Also remember I lost money by not being on my own jobs and pulling guys from my paying projects. Normally I do these favor jobs in between jobs when I have guys sitting home. I also donated almost three days of my time which like you is worth something. If you would have said that it couldn&#8217;t exceed 2k I would have let you know before we poured that it was going to happen and we could have waited on the entire project. There still is the gas line hook up which is going to take a ¾&#8221; Gas valve and some nipples and fittings which are going to cost a few bucks as well? Won&#8217;t really know until we cut the drywall out of the wall, then there is the drywall repair and caulking for the stucco and also I am not sure if I have a stucco bit the size for the hole you need, I generally don&#8217;t do that kind of work. Maybe your AC buddy has the proper tools and can help out? That is more his specialty. Sorry it didn&#8217;t turn out as you expected but aside from me taking money out of my wallet to pay for more things I don&#8217;t know how to get it lower. I did short my guys a couple hours and Robertson&#8217;s gave a discount but concrete has gone up in price since we first talked about it so it was kind of a wash, that and all the new environmental charges for 2017.

*


----------



## Chris

This was his response. I never said I would do anything for 2k. He told me after I started his budget was 2k and I said I can't promise that but I would do my best. I gave him verbal of what some of the items cost over the phone 6 months ago without looking at the job and assuming things were prepped. I guess I should have figured those were locked in prices.

Chris,

While I understand you did this job for a better than usual price, you offered, I did not ask you to do that, I asked you multiple times to give me a true quote so I could put the money aside. I do not have extra money lying around. You came to my house and you did an estimate, at the time you included running and connecting gas line as well as a drain line under the concrete going to the wall , you said around 2000.00 and you said I will try and even get it under 2000.00 my wife heard you as well as my friends sitting on the couch 10 feet from us. Now as you have said you could not get it below 2000.00 but 350.00 more and now you&#8217;re not even going to connect the gas in the house or by the looks of it finish the drain line, when I payed for all the gas material out of my pocket(275.00). This is unacceptable. In my opinion a quote is to get as close as possible to what is being done. If I charged a customer an extra 350.00 after I gave him a quote he would lose his mind, as I am sure if it was you, you would not be happy as well. So if you are not going to connect the gas to the house like you said you would I am screwed because I have to bother my busy friend and see if he can make it out between now and Wednesday and connect the gas and I am not going to ask him to do it for free so he will be sending me a quote. By the way if you had no intention of doing the gas why were you telling me you would try to be there Saturday, it just does not make any sense and now you&#8217;re saying it is going to be extra. I feel like you quoted me with the gas line included and that completes the job, if you&#8217;re not going to do it I will have to deduct what my friend charges me to install the gas line in the house I am curious as well, you mentioned you were going to install a drain to go under the concrete leading up to the fence are you no longer doing that as well? Also, I have attached pictures of the back of my house where you splashed concrete all over the house and it is not coming off as well as the brick wall the concrete meets, were you planning on coming back and cleaning that up if not and you are done I will have to pay to have the back of my house painted/re-stuccoed. So the fair number I am coming up with is 2000.00 and that&#8217;s being generous, unless you would like me to deduct what it will cost me to have the back of my house to be painted. So if we in agreement I will have 2000.00 in cash for you on Monday, you can come by and grab it. Thanks.

*

By the way when you verbally quoted this pad for me over the phone to Tina, you quoted me 700-1000 for the truck of concrete and 500 for the labor, so that is 1500.00 bucks and I added the gas line, so that should have still fell under the 2000.00 mark.


----------



## Chris

Then I sent this.

My mistake for not letting you know sooner that things were more complicated than original planned. I should have told you before we poured the concrete and we could have scrapped the entire project. I did not anticipate having to use a jackhammer to dig a Trench and it taking the extra time. I said I would try my best to meet or be under your budget. I was doing this job as a favor and most people have an idea what major construction costs before they start. Trust me if I would have known 350 bucks was going to break the bank I would not have done the job. I was going to still connect the gas line for free until this issue came up.
This has been a very expensive lesson I have learned for doing favors for people.


----------



## Chris

Then this.

The 350.00 was not an issue until you told me the gas connection would cost more on top of that even though you told me that was part of it and that is the reason this went the way it did. Chris, I understand it would have cost more, I had other people quote me, hell my brother in law quoted me and he was even more than you, but not by much, but he was, because he was also doing me a favor, but that&#8217;s just it, you told me 2000 or a little more. You did not tell me only if everything goes to plan it will cost you 2000.00. As far as your response to all this you are wrong weather you did it on the cheap or not, you did not finish the job, and then you wanted to charge me more, I mean I have a green drainage pipe half buried that now I have to run the rest of the line and get a drain for so my yard does not flood. I said it before, if you had told me 3000, I would have had to wait until I had the money, then we could have proceeded. The fact is you told me 2000.00 so I planned for 2,000.00 (actually 2100.00). I do not feel remotely I am screwing you over, It is the other way around, I mean you&#8217;re not even going to bother to finish and you see no issue with this. I sent you a message as well, you did see you splashed concrete all over the back of the house and you have no inclination to fix that instead you ask me not to ask you for any more favors&#8230;doing the job right is not a favor it&#8217;s just part of doing the job complete. If you had told me it&#8217;s going cost me 2350, and I will be over Saturday to finish the gas, I would be sending Mike with a 2350.00 check and none of this would have gone this way, but I am done. My AC buddy will run the gas and I will fix the drains. Thanks.

As far as a favor to me, well that doesn&#8217;t mean I wouldn&#8217;t like it done as professional as someone you are not doing a favor for. Mike will have the check for 2000.00.


----------



## Chris

I just don't get it? Maybe I am wrong? I never once gave any quote and only said I would do the job for materials and labor. He is putting words in my mouth. I did walk off the job without doing the gas line or finishing the free drain pipe work so I guess I am unprofessional. 

View attachment 20170210_074925.jpg


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## oldognewtrick

Well, suck it up and move along. Nothing you can do to make this guy happy. He wouldn't be happy if you did the job for free and bought him a brand new BBQ grill for his patio. 

A suggestion from a Monday morning quarterback, put everything in writing before you start any project, even for family or friends. People hear what they want to hear and forget what they want to forget. I've done the same thing you've done and helped folks I know out before, sometimes they just don't appreciate the favor. Working for friends and family is the thing I detest the most. 

Trying to rationalize with this fool is like trying to teach a pig to roller skate. It will only frustrate you and piss the pig off.


----------



## havasu

It appears from the onset that he was going to play you like a fiddle.


----------



## zannej

Y'know, I might believe the guy that it was a misunderstanding and woe is him he doesn't have the money for it EXCEPT that he bought a new car and $10k worth of stuff.

Honestly, I think you're being too nice in your messages.

You don't have to be rude, but I think if you re-iterate that there was no verbal agreement to have a set price and that you are actually out money. He's a sales guy right? He is probably experienced with lying and manipulating people to get them to do what he wants. He's playing you and trying to make you feel guilty when I bet he knows very well that you never agreed to a set price. He's just trying to make you think he misunderstood while he's taking advantage of you.


----------



## Rusty

Some people really don't want advice even when they ask. My SIL wanted to know what to do with a plant that was drooping. ....I said, go buy a leash and take it for a walk a couple times a day. Should cheer it right up.....She said no.


----------



## Chris

Everytime I think about it it pisses me off. I'm done with favors for now. I think I will give my Supply house the silent treatment for a few days then decide what I'm going to do.


----------



## zannej

I think if you correspond further with the guy, that you should not be so apologetic. If he could afford $10k worth of stuff and a new car, he wasn't hurting for money.

I've known people who can look someone directly in the eye and lie convincingly. 

My scumbag neighbor is one of those people-- which is probably why he's not in jail now. 

When that jackhole wanted to use our back fields for planting (and we are now fairly certain he wanted to plant marijuana) and we told him "no" he tried to claim that my father had told him he could. Only we knew he hadn't talked to my father and we had already discussed it with him and he said "absolutely not". Creep didn't even have a contact number to have called my father, so there was no way. But he looked and sounded like he was telling the truth-- except we knew he wasn't. Or that time he told me he wasn't a thief after I knew he had stolen a whole bunch of stuff from us and he was trying to walk off with some of my tools right that moment (I took them away from him).

He also claimed that the ladder my father loaned him had been stolen, but when my father said he wanted to go over and look around the jerk's yard to see if he could find it-- in case it was just "misplaced" the jerk suddenly remembered that it was in his barn and returned it.

Or when he claimed he didn't know what happened to our trash cans and a friend went over there and retrieved them and he insisted that his daughter must have accidentally taken them (only he doesn't have a daughter).

It sounds like this sales guy is trying to put a spin on things in his favor. If he really was hurting for $ and would have waited until later to do the whole thing bc of money being tight, he wouldn't have bought that much stuff or the car. 

At least, that's my opinion on it. I'm not a mind reader, but my gut tells me he's just using you. And I hate to see a good hardworking guy like you get used.

You can give him the benefit of the doubt in that he assumed the price would be lower, but you know what they say about when we assume. He wanted the work done and the onus was on him to make sure he knew how much it was going to cost and to have enough of a budget to cover it. He never should have agreed to let work start without a firm budget and understanding of what was supposed to be done. He obviously doesn't give a rat's behind about what it cost you or that you were doing him a favor. He can whine all he wants about the job not being done, but it wasn't part of the original agreement so he can shove it.

I guess this is one of those things where you know to next time (if there ever is a next time) get things in writing.


----------



## Chris

I'm done with him, I don't need the stress or headache in my life.

In other news today was a good day, a truck showed up with a 6.6 hemi for my charger build and I picked up the 442 from the upholstery shop. 

View attachment 20170214_181603.jpg


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## Angie

Nice looking car.   Reminds me of the type my brother would 'customize' and enjoy.


----------



## Chris

It's pretty neat, It is my uncles and I have been storing it for him for about 3-4 years now. His wife called and asked if I would help fix it up so instead of storing he can actually use it. I took it down and had the upholstery fixed up and now going to take it to a paint shop to get painted and a new vinyl top on it. After that I will polish the chrome and he gets it back. No more storage for me.


----------



## zannej

It's a beautiful car!
Will you be trying to match the existing paint? I like that shade of blue.

I took my mom to the doctor for her bloodwork and then went to HD to get some parts to fix my toilet flush valve. Got a new cap with rubber gasket for the flush valve assembly and some replacement flappers just in case. Won't hurt to have extra parts if stuff needs replacing again later on.

Took mom to a store that is having a going out of business sale. I pushed her around in a wheelchair since they had no riding carts and saw this sign:





I realize it's for cancer awareness products-- but really? They put Cancer 20% off? LOL.

Also stopped at a Chinese buffet place. Mom had sushi while I ate a lot of stuff with chicken and broccoli.


----------



## Chris

Yes the paint will be exact to what it is now just nice.


Got my new hemi in the garage. Now to make it pretty and swap parts.


----------



## Chris

So today I finally told my salesperson about the other (I assumed they already talked) I told my salesperson that I am thinking of letting his boss know about the situation. My saleperson said that nobody would care because it is a personal matter. I said really? I would care if one of my employees was ripping off one of my customers. My salesperson didn't get it so I then said do you think the owner would not care when I tell him I will no longer be doing business here because of it? Thats when my salesperson asked if that was my plan and I said I was leaning towards that at the moment. Thats when my salesperson said to quit being a baby and grow up. I am not sure how to take it, it wasn't in a joking manner either. I tried to explain that this person ripped me off and that in the world of pipeline construction 350 bucks is a drop but to me it is two things, one it is the principle and two, it was my 350 dollars.


----------



## Rusty

I would talk to the business owner and complain about both salesmen. If he doesn't care, don't buy another thing from them.


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## havasu

I'm with Rusty on this one, but I would go one step further. I'd tell the owner that you will not spend one red cent in his place because of the attitudes of his sales force. Then again, how much with this affect you personally?


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## oldognewtrick

Sounds like birds of a feather flock together. You said there were other sources for materials, buy there. Don't put yourself through the continued aggrivation. Chaulk it up as a loss and move on......Idaho, I'm thinking.


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## Chris

Idaho sounds better everyday, I think I will check it out.


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## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> Idaho sounds better everyday, I think I will check it out.



The snow there should be gone about the time it starts snowing again....


----------



## Chris

Its been in the 50's there lately and staying above freezing. Thats a good sign.


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## oldognewtrick

When's the move in date?


----------



## Chris

No idea. Have one job left. Need to do a few things around my property before I put it up for sale. Hopefully In the next few weeks then it will force me to get onew it.


----------



## zannej

Good luck with the repairs and the sale, Chris.


----------



## Rusty

Bought a good heavy-duty set of car ramps today. Look to be very old, heavy steel. The kind that the ramp part comes off after the car is up on them. Got them for $10. Can't beat the FB sales sites.


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## Chris

Thats awesome!  I have been trying to buy older quality stuff lately and refurbish it. Seems anything made now even from the high end brands is all junk.


----------



## zannej

Chris said:


> Thats awesome!  I have been trying to buy older quality stuff lately and refurbish it. Seems anything made now even from the high end brands is all junk.



It's a bit depressing to me when I see how poor quality a lot of modern stuff is. It is just so flimsy. I miss when things were built to last. But people just want to get things made cheaply nowadays.

It makes me sad to think that crappy quality plywood is considered "good" building material for furniture because mdf and particle board have become the norm.


----------



## Rusty

I made children's rocking chairs out of solid wood but had trouble competing with the pressed wood ones that Walmart sold. I only charged $10 more than them.


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## Chris

IT's funny how people will spend 70 bucks three or four times instead of spending 100 bucks once.


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## havasu

Chris said:


> IT's funny how people will spend 70 bucks three or four times instead of spending 100 bucks once.



Are you talking rocking chairs or hookers?


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> Are you talking rocking chairs or hookers?



Same principle. Of course, I am sure you know more about hookers than Chris or I.


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## oldognewtrick

Sure wish MG would get another project going...things here are....slow.


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## havasu

Yeah, damn MG and his busy life.


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## Chris

Maybe this place could foot the bill for some advertising?


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## havasu

How about a garage retreat decal on Keith's jet?


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## Chris

I found two in my garage when I was packing. I'll go stick them on something at my next protest.


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## havasu

I also found my cabinet containing all those decals. I figured one of these days, they may be worth 10 cents a piece.


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## oldognewtrick

All I ever got was a Wrangled Board decal, is that place even open anymore?


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## havasu

Yeah, I still go there once a day. Since they own Jeep Forum, I still want my foot in the door when they give me those great presents several times a year.

If you believe this, we are both crazy.


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> Yeah, I still go there once a day. Since they own Jeep Forum, I still want my foot in the door when they give me those great presents several times a year.
> 
> If you believe this, we are both crazy.


Let me know how that works out for ya...


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## havasu

They are about as generous as Keith is...


----------



## zannej

Chris said:


> IT's funny how people will spend 70 bucks three or four times instead of spending 100 bucks once.



I read an article that explained why some people do that. The example given was a woman who had a low income and needed work shoes. She didn't have enough $ to buy the nice ones and she needed the shoes so she ended up buying the cheap ones that didn't last long. A few months later she would have to replace them. She was asked why she didn't just save up and buy the more expensive ones, but she said that she needed the shows right then and couldn't wait and she didn't really make enough to save up. Now, some of that may have been poor budgeting, but it is a reality for a lot of people.

I have a friend who buys stuff in smaller quantities even though he will need more later and it is cheaper in the long run to buy the stuff in bulk (like the 12 pack of TP instead of the 6 pack) because he doesn't have enough $ to buy the bulk one during that time period. So, we sometimes give him a few TP rolls when he runs out and is low on $ (in fairness, we do go over there and use the bathroom sometimes so we figure it is nice to replace what we use).

And some people just look at the price tag and think that the fact that it is less expensive is more important than quality or duration. We live in a disposable society where people are expected to just replace things.

This reminds me for some reason that a few years back I was at an elderly friend's house and I saw that one of the neighbors was throwing out an old oak captain's chair. I mentioned it and my elderly friend was curious so I went and grabbed it out of the bin and brought it to him. The only thing wrong was that the seat had split and the fix was as simple as re-gluing it, clamping it, sanding it, and re-staining/finishing it. It took some effort and very little $ to repair and was less expensive than buying a new chair. 

But you should have seen my friend's outrage at someone throwing away that chair. LOL. But he was happy that it was salvaged and another elderly friend asked if he could have it.

Sorry for the digression.


----------



## Chris

I can understand if you just can't afford the higher price tag. In that case I was taught to buy used good quality over new junk. Once again that is also not always possible. Sometimes I am even guilty of buying the cheaper junk if I know I am not going to be using much or its a one time use item.

My mom was the best at thrift store and yard sale shopping. She had no money at all yet had alot of nice good quality stuff. It just takes a lot more work than going out and buying something.


----------



## Angie

That's great about fixing the chair so easily.  More people should fix things.


----------



## Rusty

I was selling hand-crafted solid wood (they were pine) children's rocking chairs for $50. When Walmart started selling pressed wood ones for $40, my sales stopped. People just don't make any sense.


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## Chris

Its the new way of life. When things are mass produced their quality usually goes down. People want instant gratification and think they are getting a better product by buying it at a box store.


----------



## zannej

I have to say, I get irrationally angry over particle board furniture. It just pisses me off. I HATE it and I hate getting it when there is nothing like what I want in my area that is of decent quality.

Got a toilet space saver that was advertised as "wood". Particle board garbage. I'm going to take the measurements of the parts and make my own out of real wood and give the particle board one to my friend (who said he'd be more than happy to take it).

Speaking of my friend, he broke up with another girlfriend and she hit me up at like 3am asking me if I would drive her to work in the morning since she didn't know if my friend would speak to her. I had a doctor's appointment so I offered to come get her right then, have her sleep over, and then drop her off at work on the way to my doctor's appointment. Turns out my friend had wanted to come over and see us to console him (even though he was the one who did the dumping).

I went to my appointment (more on that later) and picked the girl up after work and brought her back to my house and started talking to her. I've been trying to mediate a bit and I reached out to him to try to get them to communicate so there wasn't so much hurt. I won't get in to it-- but basically it all stemmed from drama bc of his first ex (who is a complete and total twunt). I explained to him how she was feeling and vice versa so they are currently in my yard talking to one another. I'm giving them some space so I don't know how it was going. But I encouraged him not to play the blame game and to explain to her what he wanted in terms of them remaining friends.

Also, I only got 25 minutes of sleep last night because I was up consoling her (she's only 19-years-old and isn't handling it well).

Went to my doctor's office and found out that I have a mass on the top part of my uterus (most likely a fibroid) that is almost as large as my uterus itself. I actually have multiple masses, but the largest one is 6cm. The part of the uterus was described as the "fundus". But fibroids on the fundus are no fun at all. The good news is they don't think anything is malignant and the rest of my plumbing looks normal.


----------



## mustanggarage

oldognewtrick said:


> Sure wish MG would get another project going...things here are....slow.



well just a little teaser.  I am going to be buying a supercharger for the 89 convertible as soon as I get my tax return in march.  I have several other small projects I want to do on the jeep too.  so hopefully things will start getting a little more exciting soon.


----------



## zannej

I found out a little more on what caused the breakup with my friend and his girlfriend. Apparently they got home to find his ex in their bed having sex with her boyfriend. Seriously, who the hell does something like that? Oh wait, his ex is a shameless useless piece of excrement who bilks the system and uses people. 

The girlfriend was not at all amused at the situation and that led to a physical altercation that ultimately ended the relationship.

I think I just need to avoid other human beings at this point. LOL. Just too much drama.


----------



## Chris

mustanggarage said:


> well just a little teaser.  I am going to be buying a supercharger for the 89 convertible as soon as I get my tax return in march.  I have several other small projects I want to do on the jeep too.  so hopefully things will start getting a little more exciting soon.



Can you buy me one for my Charger?


----------



## zannej

I haven't gotten enough sleep the past couple of days. Mom has been sick and wakes me up at all hours to ask me to get her stuff. Last night she had a charlie horse in her left leg and needed me to come help. I'm fine with her calling over something like that, but sometimes it gets annoying when she wants me to hand her something that is in the same room that is only a few feet away when she could easily get it herself. LOL.


----------



## Chris

That would annoy me.


----------



## zannej

I discovered that I make my friend's ex extremely uncomfortable. She can't even look at me after I called her out for her BS. I was visiting my friend and the ex came over to feed her dog. She normally hangs out and tries to antagonize my friend and his current gf (well, they are in friendzone for now), but when she saw me, she got the food and got the hell out. My friend was in the bathroom and when he came out he was shocked that she was gone. I told him how uncomfortable she looked when she saw me. So, now he knows that if she is bugging him, he just has to call me to come over and she'll leave. LOL.

I also helped a friend at Pizza Hut clear tables and sweep the floor because she felt light-headed and needed help.


----------



## Rusty

More tornados in the county tonight.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> More tornados in the county tonight.



You sent them our way....thanks...


----------



## zannej

How's the weather for you guys? It's raining here, but the winds are calm.


----------



## Chris

Gonna be 90 tomorrow here


----------



## Rusty

483 homes, 12 commercial buildings damaged by tornado in Oak Grove Mo. I worked In that area for about 20 years. Just east of KC MO.


----------



## zannej

Rusty said:


> 483 homes, 12 commercial buildings damaged by tornado in Oak Grove Mo. I worked In that area for about 20 years. Just east of KC MO.



:-(
Tornadoes suck! That is a lot of damage. I just read a news article about it-- looks like there were only minor injuries. I hope it the weather clears up and there aren't any more.

Got thunderstorms right now but hopefully nothing more serious.


----------



## havasu

My daughter and ex just bought a home in Texas. It was touching tornado alley so the housing development moved the sign 5 miles from the homes. Sure, let's see how you attempt to trick mother nature.


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> My daughter and ex just bought a home in Texas. It was touching tornado alley so the housing development moved the sign 5 miles from the homes. Sure, let's see how you attempt to trick mother nature.



Reminds me of the phone call to the radio station, where a woman thought they should move "Deer Crossing" signs to safer places for the deer to cross. (it was a setup by the  DJ. He had a friend call). But there are people like that out there.


----------



## Chris

Tornados read signs, I've seen it.


----------



## Angie

Then I need to make a detour sign to keep them from this area.   I've seen them too close, too often.   Had family killed, or hurt badly by April 27th, 2011 tornadoes.    I'm still trying to figure out the use for tornadoes in the massive plan of things.


----------



## Rusty

Tornados were Bush's fault, now they are Obama's fault.


----------



## Chris

Without tornado's how would cows be able to fly?


----------



## zannej

Some things in nature don't have a real purpose-- like fire ants. All they do is destroy things.

It seems it's snake season now. I saw a couple on the road and there was one in my yard near my truck. Dog was going after it so I covered it with a plastic tub to make sure the dog didn't get too close. If it was non-venomous then I don't want the dog hurting it-- if it was a cottonmouth, don't want it killing the dog.


----------



## Rusty

80 Thursday, 23 tonight.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> 80 Thursday, 23 tonight.



Same here, we got an inch and a half this morning....


----------



## Chris

About 90 here today. Spent 12 hours doing yard work. Photographer will be here Monday to take pictures of the property and it will be on the market Friday. Gonna miss my view. 

View attachment 20170311_182712.jpg


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## oldognewtrick

Just think of the view you'll get from the real America Chris...


----------



## havasu

I don't know Chris. That is for sure a million dollar view. Is there any way you can hang onto that property while you test out Idaho? Hell, for a dollar nickel ninety five, I'd go check on it occasionally for you.


----------



## Chris

I could keep it if I wanted but I don't want the headache. If I don't like idaho when I get there I'm sure as hell not coming back to California.


----------



## oldognewtrick

At least you're moving closer to God's Country. The south will rise again.


----------



## zannej

Copying and pasting my post from flooring forum bc I'm lazy.

Got two hours of sleep. Yesterday I had to do major grocery shopping and then waited for my bro to get home so we could take his dog over to a friend's house. Friends will be watching the dog while he's away. We were going to stay over until it was time to leave for the airport, but our friends wanted to sleep. The dog did not want to cooperate. As soon as he saw the chain, he started trying to fight to get away. I had to catch him and drag him over while my brother held the chain and then I handed him off to my brother. Tossed and turned trying to get some sleep and then at 6:25am the phone rang-- it was my brother using his cell to call my mother (who was in the same room with him) as a joke, but it woke me up. So then my brother decided that I shouldn't go back to sleep-- even though we didn't need to be at the airport til 9am.

But I couldn't get back to sleep so we left and went to IHOP so my bro could eat before getting on his plane. Got to the airport around 8:40am. Ticket people told him his flight was running behind by an hour. I sat with him for a little over an hour and then headed out.

Stopped at HD to pick up some stuff and ask about windows and doors-- saw a trail of blood and some concerned employees-- door & window guy had cut his finger on something on a door (apparently he was the 3rd person to cut himself on it). I waited for him to get back & discussed custom orders of windows with tempered glass, got the pricing, and headed out.

Post office was closed for lunch so I decided to just go home and sleep-- only I got halfway down my road and discovered it was closed. They were putting in new culverts and had it blocked off. I sat a few minutes and then turned around to go back into town and hang with some friends. My brother's dog had managed to tangle himself up on something in the mud. I walked over to untangle him and the muddy s.o.b. jumped up and tightly hugged my leg and wouldn't let go. Finally dislodged him and went inside. Texted my bro to find out that his plane was an hour and a half late and that he'd bee sitting on the plane over an hour waiting. Eventually they had everyone get off the plane. There was some mechanical problem and it made him miss his connecting flight. He didn't get to leave until 2pm (2 hours after his connecting flight left). So, he had to wait for them to find him another flight but he has a long layover in LAX-- it said ETA would be 31 hours. I'm still waiting to hear more news from him.

Cooked mom some burgers for dinner and now I'm trying to get my brain to settle down enough so I can nap.


----------



## havasu

Where is your brother headed?


----------



## zannej

havasu said:


> Where is your brother headed?



Narita Airport in Tokyo.
They ended up putting him in a motel overnight-- crappiest (probably cheapest) one they could find I'm guessing. He said that the phone didn't work and neither did any of the power outlets so he couldn't charge his phone. Said they had scheduled his departure for noon. He also said a small sandwich was $12 but the airline paid for it. I don't think he'll be able to communicate further until he gets to Tokyo. He likely turned his phone off for the flight.

I've flown to Narita before. It was a long flight.

Meanwhile, my friend who has bad luck recently bought an S-10 from his uncle. The uncle told him it got great gas mileage and was in great condition. He unfortunately trusted him. So, he bought it and then discovered the driver door needed to be replaced, the wrong sized rims/wheels were on it so it was throwing off the speedometer and odometer (thus making it look like it had better gas mileage than it really had), something was wrong with the axle, the steering wheel was upside-down, and the tie rod was loose. The tie rod coming off his previous S-10 is what caused him to have a near-fatal wreck in 2015. So, he fixed it up and was driving it around a corner when the brand new tie rod broke. He's decided he's done with S-10s and is selling it. He'll get less $ than he put into it, but he's got someone willing to buy it from him (person knows about the problems). He's decided to stick with his 1500 (which he was going to sell) because it has been safer for the most part. He also found out that he's got a bone spur growing inside one of his vertebrate (I think one of the ones that cracked in the accident). It's going toward his spinal cord and the doctor said they might paralyze him if they try to remove it. I wish I knew of some sort of treatment that would help or stop the bone spur from growing more.

Thus far today I've been getting pictures and measurements of the back door and trying to figure out the best way to fix the problems with it. Door and frame will likely need to be replaced. The wood under the sill is completely rotted.

Mom just called and wants me to make her some soup so I'm off to do that now.


----------



## havasu

I may have missed it but why is your brother headed to the Far East?


----------



## zannej

havasu said:


> I may have missed it but why is your brother headed to the Far East?



He's been talking to a Japanese girl online and he's going to meet her. Also, he really wanted to visit Japan. He's been learning Japanese the last few months.
He wants to move there eventually.


----------



## havasu

OMG. I sure hope it wasn't some 300 pound, hairy back guy, why is trying to lure your brother into the dark side!


----------



## zannej

havasu said:


> OMG. I sure hope it wasn't some 300 pound, hairy back guy, why is trying to lure your brother into the dark side!



LOL! Reminds me of how one of my sister's middle-age, fat, balding, kinda gross-looking friends has a T-shirt that said "I'm the hot teenage girl you m********ed to last night".

When I was on homeleave from Guam I made arrangements to meet up with some online friends from a comic book forum. We all met up at SDCC. A few of us attended the Will Eisner awards ceremony and met Will Eisner afterward. It was pretty cool. That was back before SDCC became totally crazy and had so many people. Only a few females went there and most of the ones there were operating booths or were the guests that people were there to see. I was in better shape so I was able to demonstrate my sidekick backthrust combo to one of the comic book artists. I also got to meet the writer who answered some of my letters in the letters column in the back of comic books (I had a few letters published).

Nowadays, the predators are much more savvy and it isn't quite as safe.


----------



## havasu

I hope he says hi to all of us on Dr. Phil!


----------



## Chris

Picked up tig welder today, buddy of mine upgraded so I got his old one at a great price. Its a Miller Syncrowave 180 SD.


----------



## zannej

Well, he met the girl and she was a girl-- about 4'10" tall. She took him to some good places and knew the right places to get good food. There was a cat cafe where people could sit and drink tea while surrounded by cats (cats were friendly and liked to be petted). And a bird cafe that had a bunch of owls, some hedgehogs, meerkats, and a kookaburra. Some of them could be petted. Then they went to the "maid cafe" where the waitresses dressed up in Japanese maid outfits wit the sailor moon style bows on their chests and short poofy skirts. No petting allowed. 
And he wasn't allowed to take pictures of the waitresses-- although there are pics on the internet of how they dress.
He also went to a bunch of shrines and temples and gardens. He wanted to stay longer but he'd booked round trip and his boss was sending him messages the last 3 days asking him when he was coming back to work.

But he brought back some kind of respiratory virus so now I'm sick.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Zanne, was the cat cafe kinda like the seafood restraunt where you can pick out your own lobsters...&#128561;


----------



## Rusty

Went to a memorial service for my daughter's best friend. She died in a car wreck last Monday. She was 31.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> Went to a memorial service for my daughter's best friend. She died in a car wreck last Monday. She was 31.



Sorry to hear rusty, 31 is way to young.


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> Sorry to hear rusty, 31 is way to young.



She left 3 little ones and the father is long gone.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> She left 3 little ones and the father is long gone.



Dang, hate it for those kids.


----------



## zannej

oldognewtrick said:


> Zanne, was the cat cafe kinda like the seafood restraunt where you can pick out your own lobsters...&#128561;


LOL!



Rusty said:


> Went to a memorial service for my daughter's best friend. She died in a car wreck last Monday. She was 31.


Oh man, I'm so sorry to hear that. :-( 
Car accidents can really suck. The poor kids. :-(

Reminds me that things can always be worse. I'm sick, but I'm still alive so I'm grateful for that.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Pulled the motor out of the auto lock on the tailgate on the Grand Cherokee that decided to take a dump. Guess ill order a new one and see if I can get it back together and function. Taking apart is the easy part.......


----------



## Rusty

Got a little break in the rain. Too wet to mow but I got the mowers started. Riding mower started right up. Finished the push mower I bought to leave at my daughter's house. Hope to get some dry days later on.


----------



## zannej

Keep getting sicker from whatever Asian flu my brother brought back from Japan-- I'm joking it is Asian bird flu since he went to the bird cafe. He's really doing badly though. I was going to take him to the urgent care clinic in Alexandria but there was a tornado watch in effect. Good thing we didn't go because the tornado rolled right through where we were going to drive.

The video describes it as "horrific"-- it's pretty messed up, but I've seen much much worse. I think whoever posted it has not seen truly horrific damage. 
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrff1E-XI3A[/ame]

I've barely been able to eat. I ate one chocolate muffin on Saturday and one blueberry muffin on Sunday. Just don't have an appetite and my throat is swollen. I'm being a big baby about it. LOL.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Easiest fix I've done on a car, went to the pick a part lot, pulled one out, came home and $10.00 and 20 minutes later back in business.


----------



## Chris

Today I am doing a few things for work then packing for another trip to Idaho, this time I am going solo and don't know when I will come back, probably sometime next week depending on what happens with the rentals I have been looking at.


----------



## havasu

I wish I had time to go with you. I'd love to see real country.


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> I wish I had time to go with you. I'd love to see real country.



Your retired, how busy can you possibly be...


----------



## havasu

Chris would never invite me because he is afraid to see me working his backhoe, wearing only my sequinned G string.


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> Chris would never invite me because he is afraid to see me working his backhoe, wearing only my sequinned G string.



You'd have to pay for years of therapy, that's for sure.


----------



## havasu

If you got it, flaunt it!


----------



## Chris

havasu said:


> Chris would never invite me because he is afraid to see me working his backhoe, wearing only my sequinned G string.



Any time you want to go, pack your bags, I'll swing by your place about 10am tomorrow. We will come back when we run out of whiskey


----------



## Rusty

I need to cut grass in the morning. Wind chill will be about 33.


----------



## Angie

Yesterday I kept waiting for tornadoes and super severe thunderstorms to form.  Apparently they formed about where I was and did damage over in Georgia.  I hate weather days such as that.


----------



## Rusty

We have had several tornados hit about 60 miles south of us already. Too wet to cut grass today.


----------



## oldognewtrick

We've had 14 confirmed tornados in the mid state so far this spring.


----------



## Chris

I've never seen a tornado except at the local am pm food mart.


----------



## Rusty

I have seen probably a dozen,


----------



## Angie

Hope to only see them on the news.


----------



## Rusty

Had to go jump start my daughter's minivan. Kids turned the inside lights on.


----------



## havasu

^ I just did that last week. Damn granddaughter flipped on the dome light, and killed it. I couldn't find my jumper cables, so I had to go buy a new set.


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> ^ I just did that last week. Damn granddaughter flipped on the dome light, and killed it. I couldn't find my jumper cables, so I had to go buy a new set.



My daughter already had mine, naturally.


----------



## Chris

Glad I keep a set in each truck, not normally for me but for others.

Today I put an offer and looked at a fiveplex. They countered and we accepted so it looks like I might be that slumlord I always wanted to be. Tomorrow I have some work to do and then its back to California for a few days than hop in the RV to go visit my brother in Arizona for the weekend and then maybe bring the RV up to Idaho and leave it here. Going to be a busy next couple months for me moving. Also am supposed to have an offer coming over for my California house in the next couple days.


----------



## Rusty

Talk about truth in advertising. I got a call from Windows this morning. This was the caller ID. 

View attachment 009.jpg


----------



## Chris

I have a headache from squinting trying to read that. I love it when companies try to sell me something I don't need or want.


----------



## Rusty

Miserable day. First I go to give my stepson a ride home from work. Suddenly, my wife's minivan starts smoking, a heater hose burst. So when I get home, we decide to eat breakfast out, first thing. My minivan starts running hot, a freeze plug went out. Not to give up, we took my old work van. Now, I have a lot of repairs to do.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Dang Rusty, sounds like you found my luck....


----------



## Angie

Rusty, hope you don't have any more of that unLuck any time soon.  Hope the problems are not expensive or severe.


----------



## Chris

Took 19 hours to get to idaho yesterday. Wife's trailer wandered once so I reloaded it on the side of the highway but she still wouldn't go over 55 the rest of the way. Longest trip ever.


----------



## havasu

You putting your wife in a trailer? Boy, you have to tell us more!


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> You putting your wife in a trailer? Boy, you have to tell us more!



Don't post it on facebook or you'll have the fbi out looking for you.....


----------



## Rusty

Angie said:


> Rusty, hope you don't have any more of that unLuck any time soon.  Hope the problems are not expensive or severe.



My wife's van is fixed. No longer sure it is a freeze plug on mine. Can't tell for sure where it is coming from. Could be a heater core or heater hose. May have to take it to a shop and have it put on a lift. Meanwhile, I am driving my old work van. Raining almost every day here. Need to cut grass again, if it lets up. Have a carpet job this week too.


----------



## Chris

havasu said:


> You putting your wife in a trailer? Boy, you have to tell us more!



She was towing our 20 foot enclosed trailer with my ram 2500. I had the golf cart and grim for the charger in the nose and the rest stuffed with junk. After 6 hours of driving it gave a little wobble and it was all over. She went from confident to paranoid it was going to fly off the road.  Wouldn't go over 60 the rest of the way and kept having yo stop. We were supposed to arrive at 7:30 pm but instead got there at 1am. Made for a long day seeing how we left at 5am. She almost left the trailer in the middle of the Nevada desert for me to come back and get. I had to assure her it would probably be gone by morning if she did. I tried to get her to stay the night 5 hours from the house and start again in the morning but she wasn't having it. We made it and all was good. Ended up putting the enclosed trailer on my gooseneck trailer for the ride home but that sail killed my mileage. Went from 14 to 6.5 for 1000 miles and almost ran out twice in the middle if nowhere. 

View attachment 20170417_195443.jpg


----------



## zannej

Rusty, sorry to hear about your vehicle troubles. Hope you can get it sorted out soon.
Chris, I have to say I can't really blame your wife for being worried. Better safe than sorry. But, I know it still must have been stressful. Glad you guys made it.

I'm about to take a road trip to Houston next Monday. The truck my brother has been wanting to buy dropped in price enough that he can buy it. Well, I'm loaning him like 80% of the money for it and he'll pay me back at 0% interest. I'm going to see if we can negotiate the price down a little bit more when we get there because the 9.7% sales tax really sucks. I know the truck has been sitting for 5 months so it might need a new battery. We're bringing a mechanic friend with us and there is an autozone 2 blocks from the dealership so we can have the battery and computer checked there. Mechanics girlfriend is coming along for the trip-- I don't think she's ever been to Texas so she's excited about a road trip. She's a sweetheart so hopefully it will be fun.
The dealership is surrounded by truck parts and accessory stores as well, so my brother might be able to pick up some stuff for it while he's there. 

I've mapped out how to get there without toll roads and we just have to figure out where to eat and if we want to stop anywhere else (if there is time). Hoping for good weather and little traffic.

I'm also hoping the respiratory crud I've had for the last few weeks will clear up. I'm still coughing up pink mucus (just a little bit of blood) and it sucks. But I'm feeling much better than I was a week ago. I was so sick I was actually hallucinating a bit. Like, I didn't know where I was and every time I closed my eyes I could see myself surrounded by cogs, wheels, strings, and anomatronic dolls and all sorts of weird stuff. I couldn't walk down a hallway without seeing the cogs turning, strings pulling and dolls waving.. It was trippy as hell-- and that was without any medication. So, hoping I won't get that sick again.

Probably boring you guys half to death with this. LOL.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Zane, did you get the LSD mixed up with the Bufferin again...


----------



## Chris

I want some.


----------



## zannej

oldognewtrick said:


> Zane, did you get the LSD mixed up with the Bufferin again...



LOL. So, the weird thing about my mind is that I have a very vivid imagination and I can daydream and "see" images while I have my eyes open and am looking at other things. I can replay things from movies and television in my mind and they register in my brain as me seeing them (but they are somewhat translucent and superimposed over the real world so I can see both at the same time).

Studies show that when our eyes are closed or it is pitch dark, our brains try to compensate by creating images to fill in the blanks. I think while I was sick and feverish my brain was in overdrive and just started conjuring weird images.

At the worst part, I was in a large dark room that my mind indicated was an insane asylum and I was surrounded by all sorts of weird stuff and I was just coughing and coughing and coughing. When I opened my eyes, I was just in my bed, but everytime I closed my eyes, I would be "transported" back to that insane imaginary world.

It was sort of fascinating from a neurological standpoint and actually somewhat entertaining at some points, but I don't want to be that sick again.

And frankly, that is one of the reasons I never have and never will do drugs. If my mind does stuff like that without them, I don't want to know what would happen if I took them. LOL.

Meanwhile, my mother has decided to surprise my brother and she's going to give him half of what I was loaning him to buy the car. She gave the same amount to my sister for a car a few years back. I was loaning him 80% of the cost so now its down to 40% that he will have to pay me back. And I can use the other 40% for the bathroom remodel I'm trying to get started.


----------



## zannej

We made it to the dealership safely and my bro got the truck. The dealership didn't try to jerk him around on anything and it went rather quickly. While the truck was being serviced and cleaned up we went to Fry's Electronics. My mechanic friend said he wanted to move in to the store and live there. He absolutely loved it. We killed over an hour and didn't even see all of the store.

The ride home wasn't as smooth. We got separated and my bro took a wrong turn, which ended up beneficial because he ended up getting home a few hours before I did because I got stuck for 3 hours in traffic because of an accident on the highway near Baytown. Ended up having to turn around and drive back at least half an hour to another highway and take the long way around and got home after midnight. But we made it home safely so all is well for us.

Meanwhile, some friends of mine were having problems with their dog being sick. She kept throwing up so they took her to the vet-- turns out some miserable low life sack of crap neighbor of theirs has been poisoning the dogs. The vet identified it as antifreeze from the vomit and the police were called. They went over and the guy had bowls of dog food out with antifreeze (and the guy doesn't have any pets). Two of my friends dogs ate it and one is at home and they said she should be fine because she didn't get enough, but the other is at the vet on an IV drip and they aren't sure if she'll pull through.

I'm not a violent person, but I swear if I see that guy I will have a very hard time refraining from punching him in the face. I hope he gets the crap kicked out of him in jail.


----------



## Chris

Im packing today, have a meeting to look at a job at 9am and other than that it is getting ready for my trip up north tomorrow. Decided to stop in Nevada this time since the wife, kids and dogs are following me. This is their last trip up, they are staying while I move the rest of the stuff. My 90 year old grandfather wants to do a road trip up there with me next month so I figurd I would leave my RV down here and then fly down to pick it up along with him and start a trip. maybe do some fishing along the way.


----------



## Rusty

https://www.facebook.com/KNWAnews/videos/10154586621347336/


----------



## havasu

Every cloud has a silver lining?


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> Every cloud has a silver lining?



Till they have to make a call to the Swift Water Rescue Squad.....


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> Till they have to make a call to the Swift Water Rescue Squad.....



There was over 100 water rescues in the last 24 hours in just two counties.


----------



## Chris

Today I woke up in Idaho with a list a mile long of stuff I need to do.


----------



## havasu

*Chris' LIst*

1) Take wife to "How do I tow a Trailer" class.


----------



## Chris

Wrong, Take wife to how to tow a trailer faster than 55 class. California law has ruined her.


----------



## oldognewtrick

I Can't Drive 55 https://g.co/kgs/EL3YCm 

Chris's drive song.


----------



## havasu

What is the legal limit up there in Spudsville?


----------



## zannej

The inflatable duck thing was hilarious. I saw people were offended that he might have to be rescued, but it was still funny to see.

Went with my brother to the dealership so he could get his water pump, timing belt, and umm.. whatever that other part was... can't remember what it was called. Took them around 6 hours to do it all. They got excited when he mentioned wanting to change the water pump out-- I'm pretty sure they had $ signs flashing in their eyes. The 10% tax didn't help on the price, but they were happy and my brother is happy.

We went to Walmart to get some SeaFoam and a funnel for him to run through his catalytic converter-- our mechanic friend will guide him through it.

Went to Samsclub and grabbed a few things on Mom's list and then napped on one of the couches for a couple hours. Well, I just reclined with my feet up for most of it and my brother actually fell asleep and was snoring.

Went to Hobby Lobby and grabbed a couple of things. I found a handheld sewing machine thing like one I had about 30 years ago. It broke and I'd never found one like it again until today. Gonna sew tabs on to my shoes to keep the heel from folding down when I'm pulling them on. Also got some little wooden wheels with one flat side that I'm going to use as escutcheons for some cabinet knobs that came with screws that were too long-- and the old knobs pulled the paint off the surface so the escutcheons will cover that. I'm going to paint them white and attempt to paint the bottom edge to look like chrome to match my bathroom fixtures.


----------



## Chris

havasu said:


> What is the legal limit up there in Spudsville?



On the freeway it is 80 and if you have more than five axles it is 70.

On the small highways it is 65.


----------



## Rusty

Found out that the woman two houses down, moved a child molester into her house. That makes three within a block of me. One of the reasons I make a point to open carry around home.


----------



## oldognewtrick

I can understand how you feel Rusty. Use to own a condo. Next door unit was a rental, and yep, they rented to a convicted molester, his wife and 2 kids, same age as my 2 youngest. My wife couldn't understand why I wouldn't be friendly with them. They told her he was framed by the baby sitter and took a plea bargain....didn't break my heart when they moved out.


----------



## havasu

Rusty, if your grandkids frequent your house often, you may be able block his move or send him back to prison. Start making calls to confirm.


----------



## Rusty

The one living behind me was sentenced to 4 years for "failure to register". They put him on probation and he violated a couple weeks later. Still waiting for his hearing. I had a long talk with him a couple years ago and he doesn't walk down my street.
I explained to him that all the kids on my block were "my kids". If he touched one, I would snap his neck.


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> Rusty, if your grandkids frequent your house often, you may be able block his move or send him back to prison. Start making calls to confirm.



Only restriction here is distance from schools or day care centers.


----------



## Rusty

Missouri is closed today, please use another state
(road closure map) we got another 4 inches of rain so far today, I think that is 12 this week. Some places have had 16 

View attachment 18198360_10155436177402275_2115369631711276936_n.jpg


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty, give me your address and ill send some life jackets.


----------



## Rusty

We are doing ok. My favorite restaurant is now lake front though and there is usually no lake there. My yard is a swamp. My gravel drive washed out. After the first 6 inches, had to wade the basement and change the sump pump. It just needs to dry out so I can crawl under my minivan and find the anti-freeze leak.


----------



## zannej

I'm glad you're safe, Rusty, but man.. Sad to see about all the roads closed and hope people will be ok. Floods can really suck. I've been fortunate that my father picked a house on very high ground for the state.

One of my friends was upest about finding out that a registered sex offender lives right next door and he's got a little girl. Right next to the sex offender is a drug dealer and next to him is the animal murderer. I need to help him get out of there. I'm going to do what I can to help him fix up his burned house. At least he had a fence with a locking gate there. Then he can get custody of his daughter away from his useless ex (who is an unfit mother).


----------



## Rusty

Had a back tire wobbling on my work van. Changed that today, it is hot out there, tire had a slipped belt.


----------



## zannej

Rusty said:


> Had a back tire wobbling on my work van. Changed that today, it is hot out there, tire had a slipped belt.



I didn't even know tires had belts or that they could slip... LOL.
I need to learn more about vehicles.


----------



## Chris

He is lying, his tire was just dizzy from spinning around so much.


----------



## zannej

Chris said:


> He is lying, his tire was just dizzy from spinning around so much.



ROTFL! Now I suddenly thought of the site that had something obscene and played "You spin me right round baby right round" in a loop.


----------



## oldognewtrick

zannej said:


> I didn't even know *tires had belts* or that they could slip... LOL.
> I need to learn more about vehicles.


Bet you didn't know about tire suspenders either....did us.....


----------



## zannej

oldognewtrick said:


> Bet you didn't know about tire suspenders either....did us.....



And for some reason the suspenders made me think of the "I'm A Lumberjack" song. LOL.


----------



## zannej

I'm waiting for my mother to get up so I can take her to get bloodwork for her regular checkup. If we go early enough we might make it to the hospital cafeteria before it closes. They actually have good food and Mom gets a senior discount.

Yesterday the guy came from the well service to replace the switch for one of the pumps. He decided not to use the new float and rod I bought. I'm debating whether or not I should try to return those parts. It's an hour drive out to Deridder and the place wasn't easy to find. I think they also charged me for a part they didn't even give me. I didn't pay attention to the price because I was in a hurry to get back but I looked at the receipt later and they didn't even put what the parts were, but when I looked at the parts I was given, I couldn't account for a part that was around $40 or something. I don't know if it was a mistake or if the clerk did it on purpose or if I just need to look again. 
I just am not sure if its worth it to go back because of the gas usage. And maybe I should keep the float and rod in case they are needed later on.

Still trying to get the well guy scheduled to come out and clean the tank. He didn't have time when he showed up because he had other jobs to go to. But at least he fixed the problem and the pipes aren't leaking at the pump anymore.


----------



## Rusty

Working on the roof again. Installing a metal roof as fast as this old man can. (turtle speed)


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> Working on the roof again. Installing a metal roof as fast as this old man can. (turtle speed)



Should of called, I'd of come help.....


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> Should of called, I'd of come help.....



May not matter. forecast is for an outbreak of tornados on Saturday.


----------



## Chris

oldognewtrick said:


> Should of called, I'd of come help.....



Vacation to idaho. I need a roof on my barn.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> Vacation to idaho. I need a roof on my barn.



Will work for food...


----------



## zannej

You going with a tin roof for your barn, Chris?

I just wasted $115 at the incompetent vet's office. Took my cat in and rather than examine her further or run tests or do something more, she just shrugged and assumed the cat had a gum infection or something. The cat was bleeding from one eye and her face was all swollen and she was in immense pain. I thought maybe she'd been bitten by a venomous spider. Vet gave her antibiotics and pain meds, sent her home. A few hours later, cat starts throwing up, choking, and trying to run around but was falling over, flailing, and falling down. I called the vet but they were closed already and then spent the next few minutes trying to comfort her and keep her from hurting herself. She pissed and crapped on my bed (I put her on the bed to try to make her more comfortable and so I could pet her and try to comfort her) and then died a couple minutes later.

She was one of my favorite kitties too. A 6-year-old sweet fluffy very cuddly kitty. When I reached down to pet her, she would hop up to rub against my hand.

I just hope that whatever caused it doesn't afflict any of my other cats.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Sorry to hear about loosing your cat Zanne.


----------



## havasu

Wow, that is terrible. Sorry for your loss.


----------



## zannej

Thanks. I'm very attached to my pets so it always hits me hard. I think it bugs me more that it could have been prevented if my vet was not an idiot. 

The past few days (excluding last night), I've been playing D&D with some friends. Last night no one was up for it. Might play tonight though. We're having fun with it and it's good to socialize. I introduced my friends to magnetic whiteboards for the gaming. They saw me writing down notes for temporary things (like hp loss, loot that will be divided up, etc) and now everyone else in the group wants a whiteboard. LOL. I brought in a large one for the DM to use as the battlefield area-- with magnets to represent the characters so we know where things are.


----------



## zannej

I just got a call that the local elementary school just burned to the ground. The intellectual part of me is aware of the problems this is going to cause and is unhappy. Emotionally, good riddance to that crappy place full of bad memories. It was full of horrible mean abusive "teachers" who had no business being around children much less having authority over them and being legally allowed to beat the hell out of them.

The local cops were called out to close down roads and redirect traffic while the firemen were trying to put out the inferno. Cops called Pizza Hut and asked for free pizza. I don't know about rules for local level law enforcement, but I know that federal law enforcement are absolutely not allowed to ask for free stuff. The staff told them to call their boss to ask. He's a tightwad so he might say "No". But if he does, they will almost definitely retaliate in some way.


----------



## Chris

I'm glad I don't live in a place like that.


----------



## zannej

Chris said:


> I'm glad I don't live in a place like that.



Yeah, I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Granted, there are some nice cops too, but there are some really corrupt ones as well.

A little more than half of the school burned down. Some of it was left standing, but I don't know how much usable space is left. They have until sometime in August before school starts up again. It was out for summer so there were no people inside.


----------



## Chris

I got new tires on my truck yesterday and today taking my dually down for new tires. Been looking for a couple cows for my property, hopefully I can find some soon, my weeds are taking over.


----------



## zannej

Chris said:


> I got new tires on my truck yesterday and today taking my dually down for new tires. Been looking for a couple cows for my property, hopefully I can find some soon, my weeds are taking over.



Cows won't always eat weeds. Mine eat around them. But, maybe it's because I only have two and they are spoiled/picky from getting sweet feed.

Out in an area like that, there are probably some livestock auctions. Ask around about it and see if anyone knows about the auctions.

Goats will trim weeds down better than cows BUT, as you've already noted, they can be destructive. That is why some people tether them so they can only go in certain areas. Mine were contained in a fenced in area and we could lock them in the goat pen in the barn if need be. But, they still ate the paint off of the barn and workshop and the bark off of the trees in the area they were in.

I took advantage of a memorial day sale and got mom to register for a military discount at Lowes so there was an additional 10% off of the sale prices. We got some new doors for the house. I used her tablet to show her pictures of the back door and how messed up it is so she realized it really needs to be fixed and I actually got her excited about the renovations.

While in the store I stopped to explain how to determine door handing to an elderly man. I had to explain it 8 times before he finally got it.

I also made my first attempt at sauteed mushrooms on the induction burner. I used a little bit of olive oil along with the butter and it turned out great. I brought them over to a friend's house for D&D night and they went fast.

I'm still trying to figure out the right heat level and time for scrambled eggs. I made some with the sauteed mushrooms for Mom and she liked them.

Tomorrow I'm hoping it will stop raining long enough for me to examine the threshold for the back door to see how bad the water damage is and figure out what thickness plywood I will need for the floor in that area.

Then I need to get Mom to pick what color she wants me to paint the back door (I know it will be blue, but I need to get her to pick the specific paint chip). Trim and other stuff is going to be white.

I have two prehung doors to paint down in the workshop. Which reminds me that I need to get some LED shop lights because the current lights won't turn on. I may need to replace some stuff in the breaker box down there (barn and workshop have their own breakers separate from the house).


----------



## zannej

Went to take Mom to for a checkup at the doctor. My brother's dog (who was supposed to be tethered because he attacked the chiweenie) had gotten out of his collar. He started jumping on me and tripping me and caused me to step on the side of my foot and torque my ankle. It's my right ankle so I wasn't able to drive. Mom let me use her cane to get in to the doctor's office. Nurse practitioner came out and wrapped it for me and they didn't charge anything. Kept it elevated the whole time. So the elevation and bandage helped enough that I was able to carry in groceries (rode around in the riding cart with my foot up on the basket). Got an ice pack tethered to my foot with the bandage for now. I have to remember to keep flexing it. Doctor told me to flex so the Achilles tendon won't tighten up. A least this means Mom won't be waking me at 3:30AM to ask me to make her eggs and toast (like she did last night). LOL.


----------



## Chris

I built a goat enclosure today for our new goat friends.


----------



## zannej

Chris said:


> I built a goat enclosure today for our new goat friends.



Awesome!! Do you have any pictures?
Also, make sure to keep up on getting the goats wormed. They die very easily if they aren't wormed regularly. We learned that the hard way.

If you have any old tall logs or stumps for them to climb on, they love that stuff. We used to have some stuff set out in the yard for ours to play on.

My ankle is better today but I have a bad stomach bug. I think it was something I ate but am not sure. But my guts do not like me today.

I forgot to mention-- please make sure the enclosures you have for the goats don't have any gaps large enough for them to get their heads through. Goats are notorious for getting their horns stuck in stuff if they get their heads through. We had to add chickenwire to a lot of our fences after the goats got stuck a couple of times.


----------



## Chris

Here they are, they love there new condo. 

View attachment goats.jpg


----------



## oldognewtrick

So, when you starting on the chicken coop?


----------



## Chris

Already done, we have had chickens for a few years now. This house came with a coop built to match the house with its own power meter and septic. 10k chicken coop.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Sounds like you ought to research opening a fried chicken restraunt up there in tater country. You could raise your own chickens and taters for fries. Get some of those 3 legged chickens cause everyone like chicken legs the best...that's if you can catch them...


----------



## Chris

Can I sell Goat nuggets too?


----------



## zannej

Looks great! I bet they will have fun with that!
And I see you have the good fencing that they can't get their heads stuck in.
Adorable little critters.
What kind of chickens do you have? I had whatever kind they sold for 4H almost 30 years ago. Grew to be big fatsos and had huge eggs.

Wish you were in my area because I still have a very large brooder box in my barn that is just wasting away. It was one my father built and had heated lamps to keep the chicks warm.

Not sure on the goat pellets, but some people will buy cow dung to use as fertilizer. Or you can save it in old feed bags and till it in with the soil for a garden.

If you have any gardening questions, I can ask my uncle. He's a Master Gardener (I don't know if that means he got a degree or something, but people from all over ask his advice and he grows gardens at the assisted living community he lives in).


----------



## Chris

I lucked out on fencing here. I have six pastures, three have that fencing you see and two have the 5 row high tension wire for cows and one has 5 row barbed. I just need a couple more gates and I will be set.


----------



## Rusty

Got 3" of rain in an hour last night. Waiting for a similar storm tonight.


----------



## oldognewtrick

We got it around 11 today, thanks Rusty for sending it our way.....


----------



## Chris

Nice and sunny here with a high of 70 today.


----------



## havasu

My A/C has been on all morning long. I'm not going to like my electrical bill this next month.


----------



## Chris

I might go kayaking today?


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> I might go kayaking today?



I am real close to buying a 10' fishing kayak.


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> My A/C has been on all morning long. I'm not going to like my electrical bill this next month.



Heat index 100 t0 105 today. Supposed to get hot tomorrow.


----------



## zannej

Chris said:


> I lucked out on fencing here. I have six pastures, three have that fencing you see and two have the 5 row high tension wire for cows and one has 5 row barbed. I just need a couple more gates and I will be set.



Excellent! The kind of fence pictured is very good. We put up that kind along with a piece of barbed wire (because our horse was a jerk and would push down on the top of the fence if we didn't) at the top. That's a lot of work on that fencing. I helped my father run about 900 linear ft of fencing out here. With those metal posts you can't just use the hog rins (U-nails). Have to get the metal wires with looped ends and use the looping tool and make sure you don't overdo it when you twist them and accidentally snap them (I did that a few times until I got the hang of it). But you probably already know that. LOL.

What kind of gates are you planning to get?

I've been trying to recover from the stupid stomach bug. I think my brother brought it home. He's been sick- sick enough that they had to send him home from work the other night. His boss wasn't happy about that, but he couldn't keep an employee that was throwing up so loudly the customers could hear it. He was particularly unnerved because the idiot boss had scheduled my brother as the ONLY employee there after 8pm. So, he would have had to get things out of the proofer, take the orders, answer phones, deal with dine-ins and wait tables, make the pizzas, put them in the oven, take them out of the oven, cut them, box them, put them in the warming bags, made sure they got to the right people, filled drinks, and at the end of the day he would have had to tally up the money, close out the register, sweep & mop the floors, break down the make table, wash all of the dishes, prepare the dough and pans for the next day, put them in the proofer, and close the place up. Basically it's a 5 person job and he was expected to do it alone for the next several hours (the place closed at 10 but dine-ins often stay an hour past closing and then it takes a few hours of clean-up after closing sometimes). As it was, the boss had to call in 2 employees to cover for him for the rest of his shift.

Meanwhile, I've decided to stop taking care of my brother's dog. I'd been giving him heartworm medicine and so forth, but my mother told him he either needs to keep the dog tethered at all times or he needs to re-home him but he's refused to do either. So, I'm just done taking care of the dog for him. It attacks the other dogs and has injured me a few times from knocking me down and it just isn't my responsibility. I already have the elderly dog that can barely walk to take care of. I had to actually carry her in to the vet's office yesterday and they had to carry her to the back to give her a bath. She can walk, but she is slow and she doesn't always agree to go where I'm trying to get her to go. Fortunately, she's lost weight and only weighs 43lbs now.

My mother's little dog has been waking me up. He didn't follow her to her room the other night so he couldn't get in. He came to me and sat on my head and woke me up. I woke up with dog butthole on my forehead. LOL. So I took him to her room and went in to the bathroom to wash my face.


----------



## Rusty

Gas at the local Walmart is $1.79. Have not seen it that low for a long time. Was over $2 a couple weeks back.


----------



## Chris

Not sure what Gas costs but I am paying 2.70 for Diesel. Fuel on the west side of the country is expensive.


----------



## oldognewtrick

2.29 for diesel, I saw regular for1.98 yesterday in Nashville.


----------



## Chris

Diesel is over 3 bucks in CA. Glad I moved. Gas is well over 3 bucks to, looked at my company fuel card log and my guys are paying 3.15.


----------



## Rusty

Will the last person out of this forum please turn off the lights.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> Will the last person out of this forum please turn off the lights.



We're not paying the light bill, let Angie worry about writing the utility check.....


----------



## zannej

What's the matter, Rusty?

I played D&D with friends all night. Was driving home and thought I saw a tree branch in the road. Turned out to be a man sleeping.






I tried waking him for a few minutes. Didn't work. Called police and informed them of the situation-- they contacted the sheriff's department and sent a deputy out. After 10 minutes I finally got the guy to wake up and was about to call to update the sheriff's office when the deputy showed up. When I first woke him, the guy had no idea where he was and was very confused. He woke up enough to talk to the cop and said that he'd been out mudding and his truck got stuck around 3am. He had some beer and tried to walk to his father's house. Wasn't sure how he ended up asleep in the road. Said he was going to continue walking but the deputy said he'd drive him. Guy apologized to me for the inconvenience. I told him I was just glad he was ok. Turns out some of my friends know the guy. They are going to rib him about it. LOL.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Gee Zanne, you meet men in the strangest places...you didn't sneak him home, did ya?


----------



## Rusty

oldognewtrick said:


> Gee Zanne, you meet men in the strangest places...you didn't sneak him home, did ya?



The shed is probably full.


----------



## oldognewtrick

I think today is a good clean out the garage day. Time to start purging some stuff.


----------



## Chris

I might pull the boat out and get it an oil change and get it ready for the lake? It is supposed to get warm next week and there is a lake a mile away, seems dumb to just keep it locked away in the garage for a third year in a row.


----------



## mustanggarage

I spent yesterday and today wiring the new classic dash instrument cluster for the 89.  I decided to go with a gps speedometer because of the way the cruise control is wired.  I will post up some pictures in a few days when I get back from my conference.


----------



## Rusty

My MIL passed away about 5 30 this morning. It was sudden


----------



## havasu

I really sorry to hear this buddy. My condolences to you and your family.


----------



## Chris

Sorry to hear Rusty.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Sorry to hear of your loss Rusty. Prayers sent for all your family.


----------



## Angie

So sorry for your family's loss.


----------



## zannej

Rusty said:


> My MIL passed away about 5 30 this morning. It was sudden



I'm so sorry to hear that. I hope your wife is ok. It's tough to watch when people linger, but the shock of the sudden deaths is always hard. Please give your wife and family extra big hugs from me.


----------



## Rusty

Thanks all. I had to come home to take care of our handicapped son. Back over to the lake to make arrangements this morning.


----------



## mustanggarage

hope things are going better for you today Rusty.  God be with you and your family


----------



## Chris

Today I am working on bids and a work comp audit, lucky me.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Cut grass this morning, looked at a roof leak this afternoon, now I'm home drinking some iced tea and I'm off till Wednesday


----------



## Chris

Did three bids, worked on my audit and then cleaned out the garage, man it's nice having a shop for all my junk. It makes my garage look like the garage of a guy with no hobbies or junk collecting skills.


----------



## Rusty

I am trying to stay away from the fight. She had no will.


----------



## Chris

Rusty said:


> I am trying to stay away from the fight. She had no will.



Thats no fun. Makes me glad I have a fair family, when mom died we all agree we didn't want much of her stuff but then again she was borderline hoarder and had plenty to go around.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Being an only child has its advantages and disadvantages. When I moved mom to the nursing home, I purged everything except for 2 chairs, a dresser and her bed. Going through all her stuff she amased over the years made me realize the things you treasure don't have the same meaning when your gone. Only thing I kept was a grandfather clock my dad made and my grandfathers old violin. 

I've realized I hold onto to crap, become emotionally attached and I hate going through the selling process. Guess we'll have a yard sale and get rid of stuff, which appeals to me just about like pack,g a moving truck.

Sometimes I wished I had siblings, more often, I'm glad I don't.


----------



## Rusty

Chris said:


> Thats no fun. Makes me glad I have a fair family, when mom died we all agree we didn't want much of her stuff but then again she was borderline hoarder and had plenty to go around.



Besides the house, she left two vehicles. The car was TOD to my wife. The truck was left to no one. Her grandson was living there but did not have a car. We offered to give him the car (he doesn't want the pickup) and we would take the pickup instead. They have about the same value. His mother, my wife's sister says no. She doesn't want either one but doesn't want my wife to have either one either. Mean while, we are trying to find a place for HER son to live . She won't help him. It is a mess.


----------



## Angie

Oh, Rusty, I'm so sorry you're having such issues and problems with family.


----------



## zannej

I'm sorry to hear that, Rusty. People can be at their worst when they lose a close family member. Sometimes the grief and stress can drive a wedge between people. My aunt's husband's family fought like hyena's over their mother's belongings and estate when she died. It got pretty ugly. But grief is still no excuse to be a complete jerk about things. The sister not wanting your wife to have the vehicles reminds me of the tale of the dog who sat in the hay and wouldn't let the other animals eat it. He didn't plan to eat it, but he didn't want to let any other creature eat it even though he really had no use for it.

Meanwhile, I went to go for D&D night and when I arrived at my friend's house, he discovered that his ex-girlfriend (that he allowed to stay with him under certain conditions--- no alcohol and no bringing strange people home) was drunk and had brought home two strange drunk guys. One of them was in the bedroom when I got there. My friend finally put his foot down and was chewing her out for stealing from him, disrespecting from him, and using him. The guy in the room with her was being belligerent and mouthing off so he told the guy to get the eff out. The guy laughed at him and then started arguing and telling him he didn't have the authority to tell him to leave. My friend said he'd call the cops. I got my phone out and pulled up the number for the police for him in case he needed it.
Then, not only did belligerent drunk guy not leave, he went to the refrigerator, got out a pitcher, and started pouring a drink. My friend was trying to wake his roommate (a former professional wrestler) and I confronted the guy and told him to get the eff out. He started walking toward me like he was trying to intimidate me but I didn't back down. I told him that I would shove his a** out of the place if he didn't leave.

I was very close to getting in to a fist fight with the guy. Then the roommate came out and told him to leave and they woke up the other drunk guy who mumbled about how there would be trouble if the cops showed up. Belligerent drunk guy started smoking in the house (which is not allowed) and was walking around kicking things and was going away from the door. I stepped in front of him, he tried to step around, I moved again. He finally politely asked me if I would please let him pass. I told him that since he asked politely I would. Eventually he and his other friend left. The ex-girlfriend was told she had 30 minutes to pack up her stuff and get out. She disappeared for awhile, but her stuff was still there and she came back in and sat with us and didn't leave, but things were calmer then. She apologized to me for the belligerent idiot's behavior. She was still there when we left after the D&D game.

Not sure how things went after we left.


----------



## Angie

My gosh.  Your friend is too nice and should get rid of her or there will be more and more problems and harder to get her out.     

I just went and did grocery shopping for my parents.


----------



## zannej

Angie said:


> My gosh.  Your friend is too nice and should get rid of her or there will be more and more problems and harder to get her out.
> 
> I just went and did grocery shopping for my parents.



Yeah. It really just came and bit him on the keester. She came over when he wasn't there, curbstomped his laptop, smashed his TV, cut up the charger cord for his laptop, stole his external harddrive and a bunch of other stuff and then fled. His roommate didn't know she'd done all of that. She pretended to be all calm and cool and asked for a lift to another town with bags of what was supposed to be her stuff- but also had a lot of his stuff. The roommate's phone wasn't working so we couldn't get in touch with him. He was supposed to take her to Daquincy, but she suddenly asked him to stop in Oberlin and had some random strange guy pick her up and said she was going to Kinder. My friend called the cops and sent her messages saying that she needed to return his stuff so she wouldn't be in as much trouble bc she's already in for destruction of property. But she's on parole so I think she's straight up fleeing and going to go in to hiding. Local police are useless-- they do not care at all. So my bro is going to call the sheriff's department. He's got a friend there now and hopefully they will do something.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to figure out who's butt I have to light a fire under to try to get things moving on the arrest/prosecution of the jerk who poisoned my other friends' dogs. The cop who took the statement and found the evidence said it's out of his hands now. So, any ideas who needs to be contacted now? Is it a district attorney? Sheriff? Mayor? Police commissioner? Someone else?

So far today I picked up trash, went to the post office, played Dungeons and Dragons, and cooked for Mom.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Zanne, how about calling the local newspaper or tv station?


----------



## zannej

oldognewtrick said:


> Zanne, how about calling the local newspaper or tv station?



I've suggested that. Will have to see if they follow through.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Put front brake pads on my daughters 4runner, 2 pins, c clamp and easiest brake replacement I've ever done...why can't they all be that easy...


----------



## havasu

Did you turn the rotors?


----------



## oldognewtrick

I didn't, but the garage up at the corner did...


----------



## havasu

Smart alek...


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> Smart alek...



I'm often accused of much worse.....


----------



## Chris

I sold junk on Ebay today. Finally found a way to get rid of all my moms stuff.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Washed, vacuumed and waxed her car this morning. She's leaving for a week or so to visit her parents in Michigan, peace, quiet and tranquility here for a while...oh what to do with my free time....


----------



## Chris

oldognewtrick said:


> Washed, vacuumed and waxed her car this morning. She's leaving for a week or so to visit her parents in Michigan, peace, quiet and tranquility here for a while...oh what to do with my free time....



Clean out the garage and throw away that junk she likes to save for no reason.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Seriously? I'm the junk saver, she throws away stuff with the price tag still on it...


----------



## Rusty

Went to the ER. Have an enflamed joint where my big toe connects to my foot.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Rusty said:


> Went to the ER. Have an enflamed joint where my big toe connects to my foot.



And, are you ok?


----------



## Chris

oldognewtrick said:


> Seriously? I'm the junk saver, she throws away stuff with the price tag still on it...



I'm the same way, I have been getting better. I am tired of moving crap I don't use. I saved a lot of my moms stuff just because I saw the value in it even though none of it is anything I would use. Thankfully Ebay has been helping me get rid of it. I have a mission, I am going to sell anything I run across and just leave the money in my paypal and pay for all shipping and materials from my paypal and run it like a business just to see what kind of value I was transporting around for no reason. So far I am up to about 100 bucks pure profit on a few items and I am probably pissing off those Ebay sellers that do it for a living because I am just putting everything out there for a buck and letting people bid on it, no buy it now or any reserve price, just enough shipping cost to cover shipping, not like those guys that sell a comic book for a buck then ten bucks shipping.



Rusty said:


> Went to the ER. Have an enflamed joint where my big toe connects to my foot.



You my friend, need to find a penny that's heads up.


----------



## havasu

Rusty said:


> Went to the ER. Have an enflamed joint where my big toe connects to my foot.



Damn buddy, you need to quit shoving that toe up where the sun don't shine!


----------



## Angie

Rusty, hope your foot is better now.


----------



## Rusty

Back out kicking a**.


----------



## Rusty

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...DB9A9D2C58CB8B2959D4DB9A9D2C58CB8B2&FORM=VIRE


----------



## Rusty

https://www.bing.com/search?q=turn+...sc=8-13&cvid=207fe39444d14fdcb3874b9ec57fb047


----------



## mustanggarage

Rusty said:


> Went to the ER. Have an enflamed joint where my big toe connects to my foot.


sounds like gout?

so on another note.  anybody else think photobucket just killed off a whole bunch of forums?


----------



## Rusty

X ray technician says he found a cyst behind the Achilles too. That is the one that worries me.


----------



## Rusty

Replaced the battery in the Nissan my MIL left. It was 7 years old. Was still working, but scared me.


----------



## zannej

Rusty, hope your foot is doing better.
Chris, I need to get rid of some stuff but I am such a hoarder it's hard to let go. And there are times I was glad I kept stuff bc it came in handy and times I regretted giving stuff away bc we could have used it later.

In the small town drama department, I don't think the police even tried to look for the girl that smashed and stole my friend's stuff. I think she's probably in Texas by now. I think the only way she would come back would be to try to get to her kid (her parents have custody and have promised to call the cops if they see her-- and they have called the cops on her before). Just pisses me off that they wouldn't even look up who her parole agent was and she's still using the phone issued to her by the parole officer to keep track of her. 

I did make my friend feel a little better by giving him some food and a 4TB external hard drive. Money is really tight since he got robbed AND McDonalds shorted him an entire week of his pay (did it to most of the employees-- only gave them half of their paychecks and told them they would have to wait another 2 weeks to get paid in full). So he's behind on the rent and his landlord is now trying to change the terms of the lease.

In other news, my mother bought an egg poacher that works on the Nuwave induction burner and I successfully made poached eggs for her. She was happy with how the eggs turned out-- which is saying something because she's VERY picky. She expects 5 star restaurant quality from low end appliances and someone who can barely boil water. LOL. At least there are some good fruits in season-- Mom loves the black cherries.


----------



## Chris

zannej said:


> Rusty, hope your foot is doing better.
> Chris, I need to get rid of some stuff but I am such a hoarder it's hard to let go. And there are times I was glad I kept stuff bc it came in handy and times I regretted giving stuff away bc we could have used it later.
> 
> In the small town drama department, I don't think the police even tried to look for the girl that smashed and stole my friend's stuff. I think she's probably in Texas by now. I think the only way she would come back would be to try to get to her kid (her parents have custody and have promised to call the cops if they see her-- and they have called the cops on her before). Just pisses me off that they wouldn't even look up who her parole agent was and she's still using the phone issued to her by the parole officer to keep track of her.
> 
> I did make my friend feel a little better by giving him some food and a 4TB external hard drive. Money is really tight since he got robbed AND McDonalds shorted him an entire week of his pay (did it to most of the employees-- only gave them half of their paychecks and told them they would have to wait another 2 weeks to get paid in full). So he's behind on the rent and his landlord is now trying to change the terms of the lease.
> 
> In other news, my mother bought an egg poacher that works on the Nuwave induction burner and I successfully made poached eggs for her. She was happy with how the eggs turned out-- which is saying something because she's VERY picky. She expects 5 star restaurant quality from low end appliances and someone who can barely boil water. LOL. At least there are some good fruits in season-- Mom loves the black cherries.



My mom was a big hoarder, I am still getting rid of her stuff and it has been a few years now. I collect things like tools and stuff to work on my projects down the road but I also try and get rid of stuff all the time. The older I get the less I want to keep. I have a bunch of rentals so I need a warehouse just for stuff for them. When I see closeouts or deals on stuff I know I will need down the road for them I buy it.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Went to Home Depot and bought some Hostas and impatients to replant some beds in the back yard. Everything was half price.


----------



## Chris

I have been trying to get my shop organized and cleaned up. Every time I work on a project I have to go buy a new tool but I already own them, they are just still packed away from the move. I got myself busy again. I have two rentals that need love, one needs a roof and paint and the other need a remodel on the interior, that and I need to get water on my property from the creek by this fall or I face to loose my water rights. So much to do so little time. My business in California is slowing down quite a bit and may be coming to an end sooner than I hoped which means I need to jump on getting work up here.


----------



## zannej

Chris said:


> I have been trying to get my shop organized and cleaned up. Every time I work on a project I have to go buy a new tool but I already own them, they are just still packed away from the move. I got myself busy again. I have two rentals that need love, one needs a roof and paint and the other need a remodel on the interior, that and I need to get water on my property from the creek by this fall or I face to loose my water rights. So much to do so little time. My business in California is slowing down quite a bit and may be coming to an end sooner than I hoped which means I need to jump on getting work up here.



My father used to buy tools he already had because they were packed away from a move or he just couldn't find it. No one in our family has ever been terribly organized. We tend to be clutter fiends and can't remember where we put stuff. 

On a complete unrelated side note, I was sad to hear about John McCain having cancer. I'm not going to get political, but it seemed like something was wrong with him at the Comey hearing and it's sad that it turned out to be a brain tumor.

I hate something that didn't agree with me last night/early this morning while hanging out with some friends and am waiting for the medicine to fully kick in to take care of it. Note to self: Don't eat chicken tenders from the 24hr gas station/convenience store. I should see if any of my friends got sick from them or if it's just me.


----------



## Chris

Still working on my shop, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel


----------



## Rusty

Spent all day yesterday at the ER with my youngest. They finally figured out that he was passing a kidney stone.


----------



## Chris

I bet that felt good,  I've never got to experience that.


----------



## Rusty

I have done it. It is very painful.


----------



## havasu

Something I never want to experience.


----------



## Chris

So today I missed my 20 year high school reunion. I guess if I didn't like tgem in high school I probably won't like tgem now. I only wanted to go because I am sure I was voted least likely to succeed but I would be in competition with all those guys tgat rented corvettes while I play hard to like.


----------



## zannej

Sorry to hear that, Rusty. Kidney stones suck. They seem to run in my family.

I didn't go to my 20-year-reunion because it was too far away. I only remember a couple of people from my class anyway so it would have been a waste of time and money.

As I mentioned on the houserepair forum, I had to bury my oldest cat this morning. She must have died sometime the night before-- not sure how. Found her lying in the driveway and the bugs had already started in on her. I didn't see any signs to indicate what killed her and the dogs were keeping their distance. Normally the dogs are all over dead critters, but thankfully they left her in tact. As upset as I was, I would have been a lot more upset if they had chewed on her. I'm trying to focus on how she looked the last time I saw her alive. She was very cuddly and liked to bump her head against my face and rub and was just the sweetest thing. Mom took it hard because Captain Fluffy was her favorite cat. I lost 3 pets last year and she's the 2nd one this year. I'm hoping we won't lose anymore for a long time.


----------



## Rusty

Sorry to hear that. we only have one cat and one dog. Don't want to lose either one even though the cat is  a pain.


----------



## oldognewtrick

I miss my dog, don't like cats, seems they like me... 

View attachment 15008253149991153031475.jpg


----------



## Chris

My dog is almost 13 and blind. Good thing is he still acts like a puppy but the bad part is he hasn't learned he is blind. He still tries to run and play but runs into everything possible and falls off any ledge. Have to keep him tethered for his own good.


----------



## Rusty

My daughter's boyfriend, who says he is a mechanic, tried to tell me that you can't flood the carb on a lawnmower. estupido.


----------



## havasu

Hell, I flood the gas powered blower every time I fire it up. My lawnmower is a quick start Craftsman, and I just pull the cord and it fires first time.


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> Hell, I flood the gas powered blower every time I fire it up. My lawnmower is a quick start Craftsman, and I just pull the cord and it fires first time.



I have the same type of Craftsman mower. I have taken two other mowers over  for them to use and they have screwed up both of them. I won't loan them my rider.


----------



## Chris

How do you screw up a lawnmower? There is nothing to them.


----------



## zannej

I used to have a hard time starting gas lawnmowers (which is why I switched to other means of mowing the lawn). My weak little arms had trouble pulling the cord.

Meanwhile, another one of my pets just died. This time it was my dog, Tina. She was about 5 feet away from where I found the cat dead and she was sitting in a similar posture as the cat's body. I found her while she was still alive but she was paralyzed except for when she started having what I assume were seizures where she barked out loudly in a panicked barking sound and her neck stretched out. For the rest of the time she was limp. Her tongue was hanging out (the cat's tongue was also hanging out when I found her) but there was no sign of vomiting or foam. I brought her inside and put a towel and blanket over her and sat with her until the end. I was hoping she'd make it through the night so I could get her to the vet.
I'm going to see if the vet can do an autopsy so I can figure out WTF is going on before any more of my pets die.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Zanne, any of your autos have a coolant leak?


----------



## zannej

oldognewtrick said:


> Zanne, any of your autos have a coolant leak?



Not that I know of. The truck they were near doesn't appear to have any leaks. Not sure on my brother's, but my cat didn't go anywhere near his truck. She normally avoids that part of the yard. She actually didn't usually go in to the part of the yard where I found her.

I wonder if the outside air conditioning unit could have some sort of leak? But it would have affected more of the animals then.

At first I thought maybe the dogs had dragged Captain Fluffy there, but there were no marks on her and the way she was lying was as if she just stopped there and then couldn't move-- the dogs were staying away from her. And they normally chew on small animals that are dead or dying. For whatever reason, they left her alone.

The vet has Tina's body now and they will do an autopsy.


----------



## Rusty

Another trip out of town working on my late MILs estate tomorrow. I will be glad when it is all settled. We turned most of it over to an attorney. They get paid out of the estate.


----------



## oldognewtrick

My middle daughter has a Toyota 4runner with a small coolant leak, pulled it in the garage today and found the leak at the bottom of the radiator core. Order one from Rock Auto. Guess I'll be tearing into the front end of it come Thursday. 1/2 price of quotes from the major supply places local. And...free labor...guess you get what you pay for...


----------



## havasu

Atta boy ol man. That is our purpose in life these days.


----------



## Chris

I'm going to California this week. Picked up a big street work night time job in LA.  Guess I'll be there a couple weeks.


----------



## Angie

Chris, stay safe down there.


----------



## Chris

They don't allow me to carry a gun there. Only the criminals can.


----------



## havasu

Let's do lunch. I'll bring my gun and protect you Chris.


----------



## Chris

I can probably do that, I will be working nights.


----------



## Rusty

Apparently, I bought some bad gas. Van started running a little rough.  Went to the parts store for an air filter, woman there said several people had complained about cars running rough after they bought gas at the station I bought some. Just need to burn it up.


----------



## havasu

I had a "Spend $30, get $10 back" coupon from Big 5 Sporting Goods store. I saw they had 100 packs of .22 Winchester bullets on sale for $8. So I bought 4 packs (400 rounds) for $22. Hell, I can always use more ammo!


----------



## Rusty

Walmart has minimags (22LR) for $7.47 for 100, but I already have about 5,000 rds.


----------



## havasu

I only shoot the .22's when I convert my Glock 17 (9mm) to the .22 conversion. You add the .22 barrel / slide combo, slip in a .22 mag, and you can shoot all day for pennies. Problem is it doesn't make a good sound when hitting steel targets. I only have about a 1,000 .22 rounds, but I have 7,000 rounds of 9mm and 5,000 rounds of .40 cal, along with about 1,000 rounds of .223 rounds.


----------



## Rusty

When I am just target shooting (paper targets) I use my full size S&W 22. I can shoot for hours for a few dollars. We pay $30 a year to use the range, that is for the family. For CCW, I have a Ruger 380.


----------



## Chris

Today I am in the mountains trying to relac, starting working nights tonight.


----------



## havasu

When I start driving that backhoe with my sequinned g string, that should keep you awake!


----------



## Chris

I bet it will


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> I bet it will



Please do us a HUGE favor..


Don't, post pics.....


----------



## Rusty

You can't UNTHINK the thought.


----------



## Chris

Didn't get any pictured last night because mark didn't show up. Maybe tonight?


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> Didn't get any pictured last night because mark didn't show up. Maybe tonight?



Can't get good help these days, can ya?


----------



## Chris

Nope, I've been out here on the corner all night, he hasn't showed up.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Chris said:


> Nope, I've been out here on the corner all night, he hasn't showed up.



I bet he's down at the bus station buying a ticket to Dallas...


----------



## havasu

No way, no how. Texus suks!


----------



## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> No way, no how. Texus suks!



Come on, we all know you been wearing that cowboy hat since you got back to the left coast....


----------



## zannej

I just cackled so loud at this thread that my cat came over to see if I'm ok.


----------



## Rusty

California style,,,,,,a cowboy hat with a speedo.


----------



## havasu

Midnight Cowboy...a good movie.


----------



## Nick

Dustin Hoffman , One of the best !


----------



## zannej

I'm getting ready to help my unlucky friend move in to a "new" house. Once they figured out the confusion with his mother on getting utilities turned on there was another delay because he had a deal with his ex that she would pay off the balance she owed on the electric bill for the trailer he's letting her stay in and she would then get it turned on in her name. Well, stupid witch deliberately paid with a bad check and then switched it over (utility company let her switch without his permission). He had already put down a deposit of $350 to get the lights turned on at the other house and she owed over $300. When the check bounced they added a $25 and deducted the $341 from his deposit so he couldn't get his lights turned on. She was a real hag to him on the phone about it-- like "What do you expect me to do about it?" I swear, I am not a violent person but I want to beat the crap out of her. She was supposed to have a job working at the nursing home but she quit after a couple days of the training because she's a stupid bint.

The good news is, her current boyfriend-- or rather, fiance now-- is a stand-up guy. He's really nice and we can't for the life of us figure out why he's with a piece of refuse like her. Everyone has been warning him about her, but for some reason he's staying with her and supporting her. He felt so bad about what she did to my friend that he bought food for my friend and brought it over to him at his workplace and then informed him that he paid the money back for the deposit and the lights will be turned on this week. He wasn't going to let the ex screw him again.

Another bit of good news is that the two main auto supply stores in town have been fighting over my friend. He used to work at one but the management was so terrible and other employees were extremely lazy so he moved to the competitor. Well, first place wanted him back and offered him $13.50 an hour (I think he's making about $9 an hour where he works now) for 30 hour weeks. That is all he can physically manage to do with his injuries from the wreck. He thought place #2 would fire him when he told them about the offer, but instead, they are so desperate to keep him that they matched the offer, and they have better employee discounts/perks. He is now making more than pretty much everyone else there, but he's also their top salesperson and has brought them a lot of business. The other employees also pull their weight so he doesn't have to work as hard and they treat him like family.

I'm hoping nothing will go wrong for him, but he knows we will help him out if he needs it. He just feels guilty for borrowing so much money, but he helps us out anyway he can. He's done quite a bit of work on my brother's truck for him.

Meanwhile, the guy we sold the tractor to came by this afternoon and bush-hogged the yard. I went out to greet him and thank him. I can't stay in the sun for even 5 minutes anymore because of my medication, so I couldn't stay out and make sure everything was ok. He got part of it done today and said he'll be back for more tomorrow. I was happy to see the old tractor again. He's added a shade/cover thing to the top and attached some forklift type blades to the scoop so he can use it to lift logs better. Since we gave him the trailer to carry it and a bunch of accessories worth a few thousand $ he promised to come bush hog for us from time to time. He also helps with cleaning up the yard and is going to help fix the front gate post He already helped stabilize it a bit more. I just wish I could go out and help with more stuff.

Dustin Hoffman is amusing.

Unrelated to him, have you guys ever seen the movie "Murder By Death"? It has Peter Faulk, Peter Sellers, Truman Capote, Maggie Smith, and Sir Alec Guinness. It makes fun of the old murder mystery movies and all of the characters are basically parodies of the movie/tv detectives.


----------



## zannej

Well, so far my friend hasn't been able to move in yet. There is no kitchen. Water damage from a leaky roof destroyed the tiny kitchen that was there. I don't know why, but the kitchen was smaller than the bathroom.

The crackhead former tenant still hasn't removed all of her stuff, but she's letting him keep a couch, an air conditioner, and a headboard. Got the disgusting nasty carpet pulled out and cleaned all of the walls with bleach. Floor in one of the rooms is plywood so it's ok. Floor in smaller bedroom is OSB.

The carpet is still in one of the bedrooms because the crackhead hasn't removed the bed and stuff from there yet. She claims she'd had an air compressor and expensive tool set in the house but it was gone when my friend got in-- but the back door was also broken off. We suspect his father did it because he's back on drugs again.

Took my friend to look at carpet remnants. He found some 12x13 rolls for $66-- which is about $100 cheaper than the stuff we found elsewhere. Hopefully it will still be there in a week when he gets his paycheck.

Temp was 95 degrees with 52% humidity and heat index of 104 today. Bleh.


----------



## zannej

The carpet remnants were not there when we went back, but we found others. He found some really cheap indoor/outdoor stuff to put in.

Went to Sam's Club on Friday and saw a really cool car (think it's an Impala?) and asked the driver if I could take a picture.


----------



## Rusty

Nice car.


----------



## Rusty

When the rain stops, sometime, just for something to do I am going to pinstripe the Dodge Caravan.


----------



## havasu

I used Mother's Mag polish and a Mother's foam ball, and with about 30 seconds attached to my drill, my daughter's headlights are clear once again. First pic has only one headlight polished to see the dramatic difference. 

View attachment a.jpg


View attachment b.jpg


----------



## Nick

Looks good Hav ..


----------



## Rusty

havasu said:


> I used Mother's Mag polish and a Mother's foam ball, and with about 30 seconds attached to my drill, my daughter's headlights are clear once again. First pic has only one headlight polished to see the dramatic difference.



Wish I had known it was that easy. My wife spent $30 getting hers done at Walmart.


----------



## zannej

Rusty, I hope the pinstriping goes well!

Wow, havasu, that looks great!

Mother's Mag is the name of the product? Does the foam ball come with a way to attach to a drill or did you have to make modifications to attach it?

I wonder if something like that with car window safe windex would work for me to get the damn bug guts off my windshield. The "love bugs" have been out all over and are stuck all over the front of my truck and on the windshield. Carwash doesn't get them off and neither do the wipers and wiper fluid. The bug and tar remover is sold out at the local stores.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Zanne, try some WD-40.


----------



## zannej

oldognewtrick said:


> Zanne, try some WD-40.



Thanks! I'll have to give that a try. 

Meanwhile, I got some early birthday presents (my birthday is next month): replacement jigsaw attachment,  a reciprocating saw attachment, and a 15pc tungsten carbide router bits set in their own wooden box. Box is raw wood so I'm going to sand it and either stain it and coat it with poly or paint it. I might replace the hardware for the latch since the latch kind of sucks. I'm thinking of using some of the foam/padding stuff that came with some of my mother's junk jewelry she orders from wish as some padding inside the box. If I paint it, I'm trying to decide what color to use. The bits are blue, but I want the box to be easy to find-- so either red or orange. Possibly blue. I might do a test area and see how it would look stained on the bottom and if I don't like it, I can paint over it. But it definitely needs to be sanded.


----------



## Nick

Depends on the wood , and if it is flat sawed the stain and finish will pop out the beauty of the wood ..


----------



## havasu

Zanne, I hear you on the love bugs. I made a mistake of trying to use my wipers to wipe them off last week in East Texas, and it smeared my windshield so bad I had to pull over and scrub the windshield with a dozen bottled waters and a roll of paper towels. That was all I had, but it worked pretty good.


----------



## zannej

havasu said:


> Zanne, I hear you on the love bugs. I made a mistake of trying to use my wipers to wipe them off last week in East Texas, and it smeared my windshield so bad I had to pull over and scrub the windshield with a dozen bottled waters and a roll of paper towels. That was all I had, but it worked pretty good.



I can't reach much of the windshield so I have to use one of those windshield scrubber thingies. I scrubbed the daylights out of that windshield the other day and only got some of the bugs out. I need to figure out where the wd40 went.

Meanwhile, my mother is starting to regret that she agreed to pay someone a certain amount per day for cutting down the trees in the chickenyard. He'd been doing yardwork before and worked about 5 to 6 hours. So, she assumed that he'd be working that long, but he's been showing up for fewer hours than that-- like yesterday he was here for maybe 3 hours (I wasn't home so I don't know what time he left, but I saw him going out to my house on the way in). I haven't checked the progress though. I know that tree removal is more labor intensive than the general yardwork he was doing and there is only one of him and the weather and mosquitoes have been miserable (even with bug repellent the mosquitoes have been eating him). Problem is, there was never any stipulation of a minimum number of hours and I do know that some people would charge $100 per tree and he's cutting down multiple trees. And because she won't get up and go talk to people, I'm the one stuck being the messenger who now has to work out what to say to him because she told me she will not pay him the agreed price for yesterday's work because it wasn't "a full day's work". I haven't even seen the progress yet to see how much he'd cleared.

I admit that I thought he'd be working at least 4 hours a day, but since we didn't stipulate a specific number of hours, I don't think it's fair to reneg. She's paying him $100 a day and assumed he would only take a couple of days working 5 to 6 hours. But once he started doing the tree work, he cut back how long he was working. And seeing the progress, it's going to take a lot longer than expected. What do you guys think? Is my mother being totally unreasonable?


----------



## havasu

You need to pay him for the job, not the hourly wage.


----------



## zannej

havasu said:


> You need to pay him for the job, not the hourly wage.



Yeah. That's what I told her, but since she has no concept of what it is like to do yard work-- particularly with trees, she has no idea how much work it is. She also very rarely sets foot outside for any length of time, so she doesn't realize how hot it is. I think she's sort of stuck on that his initial estimate was that it would take a couple days, but he didn't realize how large the area was until he started cutting the trees.

Edit: It turns out her being fickle was from not feeling well. She ate some candy and I calmly explained how much work he's doing and the size of some of those trees and reminded her how much the arborists charged to cut down a single smaller tree and now she's fine with it.

2nd Edit: He just asked if he could up the fee to $150 so he could have someone help him. Said it would go a lot faster that way and should only take a couple days. I hope he's right. But he got some more equipment to help him haul stuff and it will go better with someone there helping. He apparently left earlier than he intended the other day because he got overheated.


----------



## oldognewtrick

Ask him, "How much to cleanup up yard and haul away the debris?"

Then, when he's done, pay him...just my 2 cents...


----------



## havasu

Seems that guy is going to.sub out the job and pay some guy $10 an hour, and he will sit there sipping ice tea making $20 an hour.  Get rid of him, get 3 estimates, choose the best deal, and like Tom says, pay when done. Easy Peasy.


----------



## zannej

havasu said:


> Seems that guy is going to.sub out the job and pay some guy $10 an hour, and he will sit there sipping ice tea making $20 an hour.  Get rid of him, get 3 estimates, choose the best deal, and like Tom says, pay when done. Easy Peasy.



Estimates in the area were a lot higher than what he's charging. They charged like $80 to $120 per tree. There are a lot of trees in there. I saw the work he was doing and I've actually helped cut down trees before (back when I was in better shape) so I know it's not an easy job. He's a friend of ours and he's not the type to sit back and watch others work. I've watched him busting his hump and he actually helped us out with stuff for free in the past. Problem is, he went to work in Houston cleaning out boilers and his longtime girlfriend decided to clean out his bank account, take his truck (which she'd tricked him in to putting in her name-- in case anything bad happened to him on the boiler job), and basically cleaned him out and left him for his now former best friend. Oh, and she dumped the two kids on him. So he's now trying to pick up the pieces and get back on his feet.

I don't know what it is about some of the local women here, but there are a lot of gold-digging scumbags. At least my usually unlucky friend has finally found a girl who is not trying to mooch. She's 20, has a job, is trying to get her driver's license, and actually cleans and helps out as much as she can. She's the only girlfriend he ever dated who didn't cheat on him or treat him like crap.


----------



## Nick

Get him some Skin so Soft . The bugs won't bother him . I use it all the time for Golf..


----------



## havasu

Skin So Soft also works well diluted on horses. It is great stuff.


----------



## Nick

Why do you have to dilute it Hav ?


----------



## havasu

Because Skin So Soft is expensive and by diluting it with water, it lasts longer and still keeps the flies and other bugs off the horses.


----------



## Nick

Thanks , How about that .

I was trying to make a put one time , There were so many nats about 4" from my face i couldn't see the ball.

They wouldn't get any closer though ..


----------



## Chris

Today at work it smelled like pee and there were used heroin needles all over the ground. I was working in a sanctuary city where it has become a free for all. Then a middle aged normal looking guy came over and proceeded to overdose on heroin on my jobsite. Had to call the paramedics on him.


----------



## Nick

It's bad all over Chris . Phila is training anyone who wants to how to use Narcan .


----------



## oldognewtrick

What the hell is wrong with people that shooting up is such an attraction? I guess Forrest was right, stupid is as stupid does...


----------



## Rusty

I live in a rural midwest town of 8,000. Burglaries done by druggies looking to raise money is rampant. 4 or 5 a night in this little town. Cops bust a meth lab or two every week. 4 attempted home invasions in two weeks. They come in here, last thing they will ever do.


----------



## zannej

Rusty said:


> I live in a rural midwest town of 8,000. Burglaries done by druggies looking to raise money is rampant. 4 or 5 a night in this little town. Cops bust a meth lab or two every week. 4 attempted home invasions in two weeks. They come in here, last thing they will ever do.



Sounds about like here. About 7k people. A LOT of drug users. Shoplifting and break-ins are rampant but cops do not even try to do anything about it. They simply do not care. They won't even fingerprint. The only thing they care about is busting people for drugs (and that is only IF they didn't buy the drugs from one of the dirty cops). The cops sometimes catch people with marijuana and if they like them and/or they are not black, they confiscate the marijuana and let them go-- then they sell the marijuana to their regular customers. They only go after the rival dealers and they plant drugs on people who see them doing illegal things so they can discredit them. Well, to be safe I should say "allegedly" to all of that-- but it's pretty common knowledge around here.


----------



## Rusty

The snitches can do anything here and only get probation, over and over.


----------



## Chris

Yesterday I went out and cut down 11 trees, limbed them and loaded them on my trailer and brought them home. Have another 5 or more cords of wood to split. Won't have to pay for heat for the next year or two now.


----------



## Nick

I have a steel air tight stove . A cord will last most of the winter burning 24 - 7

The fireplace is another story .


----------



## Chris

I have two air tight stoves in my house, and then two more regular wood burning stoves in my shop and I am adding another in another building. I'm sure I will go through a bit.


----------



## Rusty

I have a wood stove as a back up, just in case.


----------



## Chris

My house is all electric. If we had gas out here I would probably use the heater more


----------



## odorf

2 weeks ago I went to the  doctor . As I was checking out I was informed I had an outstanding balance. 
I did not think this was possible. I pay my deductible every visit.  so I asked the girl when was this non payment from
and after 10 minutes of clicking the keyboard she said I owed 17 dollars from 2010
WTH?,  2010?,  dont they have a statute of limitations or some such thing?
i went ahead and payed the 17 bucks
today, i went back to the doctor, as i was checking out, i was told i did not have to pay because i had a credit
credit  WTH? 
how the hell can i have a credit, when 2 weeks ago they said my account was behind and to bring it to date i had to pay 17 bucks
then she said i think your deductible has been met,  hold on here
if my deductible has been met, then i do not owe a deductible and the credit should be a refund
then i received the brush off
see the business department


----------



## oldognewtrick

Good luck with a refund Frodo....


----------



## Nick

Lucky for him if i don't get my $17.00 back ..


----------



## Nick

Lucky for him he is a Dr if i don't get my $17.00 back ..


----------



## zannej

frodo said:


> 2 weeks ago I went to the  doctor . As I was checking out I was informed I had an outstanding balance.
> I did not think this was possible. I pay my deductible every visit.  so I asked the girl when was this non payment from
> and after 10 minutes of clicking the keyboard she said I owed 17 dollars from 2010
> WTH?,  2010?,  dont they have a statute of limitations or some such thing?
> i went ahead and payed the 17 bucks
> today, i went back to the doctor, as i was checking out, i was told i did not have to pay because i had a credit
> credit  WTH?
> how the hell can i have a credit, when 2 weeks ago they said my account was behind and to bring it to date i had to pay 17 bucks
> then she said i think your deductible has been met,  hold on here
> if my deductible has been met, then i do not owe a deductible and the credit should be a refund
> then i received the brush off
> see the business department



Statute of limitations on bills in your state is 3 years.

Speaking of medical charges, for some reason, Blue Cross/Blue Shield (which set itself as a supplemental insurance after Medicare for my mother) has not been paying for things at all lately. Tricare has actually covered a few things and my mother is considering dropping BC completely so she doesn't have to pay the monthly bills to them and get nothing from it. But if there are cuts to Medicare and/or Tricare, she might be screwed. I wish she hadn't ever let them bully her in to taking Medicare.


----------



## Chris

Today, I am doing work comp reports for my company. Then I am going to go over to my rental and do some of the work my employee was supposed to get done last week.


----------



## oldognewtrick

And he's still on the payroll? Nice job if you can get it...


----------



## zannej

Yeah, unless the employee had a family emergency or some really valid reason for not getting it done, I'd say someone needs to get the pink slip.

I renewed my driver's license and got the new card. Picture looks worse-- they zoom in on your face and don't show neck or shoulders. My mother said "You don't look that fat!" when she saw the picture. LOL. I got the nice lady at the DMV though (there are 3 employees-- one who pretty much ignores customers and sweeps the floors all the time, and another who seems to be in a perpetual bad mood). It was getting close to closing so there weren't a lot of people around. The lady saw my thumb and said it looked like it hurts (I thwacked it on something last week and it looks ugly). It looks worse than it feels though.






Weird thing is, it looks like it is puss-filled (I almost put just the puss part with a y at the end and then realized that would not look right), but it just seems to be a callus or blister or something.

Meanwhile, I found out that one of the previous owners of my truck must have swapped the original tires (which would have been 245/60R18-- or 245/65R18) with some 17s. I know the 245 is tire width and the 17/18 is the diameter, but not sure what the 60 / 65 stands for.

Tread is about gone on my tires so I want to get new ones. I want to stick with 17"s but need to find something that will last on dirt roads. Someone suggested getting tires that are 8ply. But I have some people saying cooper discoverer ATs are good and then some saying BF Goodrich ATs and others saying Goodyear Wrangler... I don't want to spend too much, but I want something that will last. I believe the Goodyear Wranglers have a tire that has kevlar-- not sure if that makes a difference though. Weather here is mostly hot-- doesn't usually get too cold in winter but every once in a blue moon will get below 30 and snow. Most of my driving is on gravel/mud roads and substandard roads with pot-holes and bumps. It rains frequently so they need good traction on wet roads. Any suggestions?


----------



## Chris

oldognewtrick said:


> And he's still on the payroll? Nice job if you can get it...



He is working his way out. I think he feels tgat since he is my only employee and working on my rentals tgat he can make is own hours. He likes to tell me he wants to work Saturday to make more money so I give him stuff to do and then he doesn't show up and instead takes the day off which would be fine if he didn't ask to work in the first place.


----------



## Chris

I hate my auto correct on my phone, it changes that into tgat because I have fat fingered it so many times it thinks tgat is the correct spelling.


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## havasu

tgat is dumb.


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## oldognewtrick

Well, when, tgat shows up in the Oxford Dictionary next year from Chris's over use, we'll know where it came from...


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## havasu

I guess tgat could happen?


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## Angie

Add goid  it means the same as good when used on a phone.


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## Nick

my sister e mails me from her I phone .. Auto correct is a bust ..


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## zannej

My thumb kept swelling up more and the white stuff was spreading so I finally poked the skin with a needle and pus exploded out. Looks and feels much better now, but I'm going to have to keep draining it.

My brother started paying me back on the loan for his truck.

The little kittens are starting to climb. Yasuke is such an attention monger that he will yowl while being petted by one person because he wants everyone to pet him. So, he yowled at me when my bro was petting him and wasn't happy until we were both petting him.


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## Rusty

We got a rescue kitten for my son about a month ago. It will run full blast at the dog, jump over her and go on. The dog just looks confused.


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## zannej

Rusty, that sounds adorable! My mother cut a hole in the side of a cardboard shipping box from Amazon and I stuffed it with fluffy rags. Started setting it on the floor and Daisy (the mother cat) ran into it before it was even stationary. The black and white kitten crawled in after her and has been sleeping in it. Sir Hammington has been exploring even more. He saw his father up on the rocking chair (which is a glider type) and climbed up on it and then managed to get up on to the bed to climb all over and check things out. Thus far, he's the only one who made it up there. The others aren't quite as adventurous. I think he's going to be a handful when he gets older.

Meanwhile, my poor old dog has no bladder control. She just pees on herself while lying down and doesn't seem to notice or care. She seems to love being inside on the dog bed though, and she still wags her tail whenever she gets attention and her medicine (which is in a cheese cube so she thinks it's a treat). In her younger days, I wouldn't have let her stay in the room with the kittens, but now she doesn't have the energy to chase things and she's actually afraid of the cats. I have to make sure my brother's hyperactive dog doesn't get in. He'd probably get the kittens in seconds.

My mother's little dog gets jealous of the kittens, but knows not to hurt them.


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## havasu

We are headed up the coast this weekend and I will be imbibing a few bottles of wine. 

California wines are great!


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## oldognewtrick

havasu said:


> We are headed up the coast this weekend and I will be imbibing a few bottles of wine.
> 
> California wines are great!



I heard that NAPA has some hot deals right now....


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## zannej

I remember back in the 70s and 80s my father had to inspect foreign ships coming in to dock and the French sailors always wanted to buy California wine.


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## Rusty

We have some decent Missouri wines too. In fact, we have a winery in town.


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## Rusty

Fired up the wood stove. Toasty in here now.


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## zannej

Rusty said:


> Fired up the wood stove. Toasty in here now.



I miss my wood stove. Former tenant stole it though.

My cats are my heaters-- little mini-heaters. I was sick last night so I grabbed a few of them and strategically placed them. One against my tummy where he happily curled up and I got the other one to sit on my shoulder/side. He purred into my ear. Then another kitty sat on my legs.


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## Chris

I'm not a cat fan. 

I worked this morning in my office, then ran some electrical under one of my rentals and then picked up my auction winnings and quarters from my laundry at the rental. Got home and had a cocktail with my neighbor. Now home with the wife and kids.


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## Chris

Last night I was backing my big trailer into its spot and had my daughter with me and we were talking when I realized I hit my backhoe with the side of my new Dually. I'm kinda bummed about that.


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## havasu

All the frickin land where you live and you smack into another vehicle?


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## Chris

havasu said:


> All the frickin land where you live and you smack into another vehicle?



I didn't even get to hit the tractor, I hit the bucket, Only 1/2 thick steel. It didn't even know my truck hit it. Got two dents in that truck and its a year and a half old, my hunting truck is 10 years old and I take it everywhere and not a ding in it.


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## Rusty

Happy Halloween 

View attachment 22851760_608739642651474_6060177726858588102_n.jpg


View attachment 22853390_608739645984807_1180289354332465509_n.jpg


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## Rusty

boo! 

View attachment 23131566_1691451680867786_5564371653557719679_n.jpg


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## Angie

Rusty, that is too cute.     Now on to stuffed turkeys!


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## Rusty

Angie said:


> Rusty, that is too cute.     Now on to stuffed turkeys!



Stuffed turkeys? You mean my relatives?


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## Chris

Anyone need anything from California, Nevada, Oregon or idaho? I'll be swinging through there today


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## Nick

Have a great trip Chris ..


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## zannej

Hope you have a safe trip!


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## Chris

Made it home from California Wed night, worked and spent time with the kids yesterday and this morning I am Running up to Spokane to pick up a vehicle. Gonna be 13 hours round trip.


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## havasu

There is a great little sandwich shop up in Spokane. Can you pick me up one and deliver it to me on your way back down?


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## Angie

Chris, did you meet yourself coming or going?


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## Rusty

Angie said:


> Chris, did you meet yourself coming or going?



Probably honked at his own taillights.


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## zannej

My father lived in Spokane for about a year. I was there for a couple of weeks when we first moved back from overseas. 

I badgered the clerks at the doctor's office in to setting my mother up with a new sleep study so she can replace her CPAP that broke. Appointment is Monday. They probably won't do the study that day, but I hope they will do it soon. She hasn't been sleeping well and it's been affecting her stress levels and digestion. I tried to get her to get a sleep study and replace her machine before it completely broke, but she wouldn't have it. Now she regrets it.

My kitties have now figured out that there are other tiers on the cat tree they can sit on. Ginger decided to curl up in the tunnel and her brother sat on top of it.

and I just got brain freeze.


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## Chris

I passed myself somewhere on interstate 82. Stopped at an antique store in the middle of nowhere and saw some neat stuff. Snowed on the way up and the way down, 16.5 hours driving. I'm tired and ready to not drive for a while. I need a drink.


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## zannej

Glad you had a safe trip. Driving in snow is not fun, but hopefully you'll be able to rest.


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## Chris

I can rest in January, got too much to get done before winter. I graded out next to my shop yesterday and put down about 40 tons of rock, its gonna be nice to not have mud everywhere.


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## Rusty

All right, furnace guy told me it could not be fixed. Tried to sell me one. We got it working, my wife and I. To be honest, she did most of it, I can't see.


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## havasu

Awesome news. Can your eyes be fixed? I go in in 2 weeks for new cataract replacement.


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## zannej

Chris, sounds like you've been very busy, but it also sounds like your place is coming along nicely.
I hope your eyes can be fixed, Rusty.
Havasu, I hope your cataract surgery goes well. Sometimes about 6 months to a year after the lens will cloud over and you have to get it cleared out, but that followup surgery is very quick. I think it took 2 minutes for my mother.
Finally got around to testing the dryer out and it works. My friend pushing the breaker on all the way worked. My eyesight is so bad I couldn't even tell it wasn't flipped all the way and I guess I didn't push hard enough when I flipped it on and off before. But now it's fixed.
Discovered that one of the kittens we thought was female is really male. Neutering is less expensive than spaying and can be put off longer.


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## Chris

I had lasik eye surgery 6-7 years ago and my only regret is not doing it sooner.


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## zannej

So, a local guy murdered a woman out in my neck of the woods. Claimed he "stumbled" and accidentally shot her. They were trespassing in a no-hunting area and he had a gun. He was drunk and on meth. They are charging him with negligent homicide despite this being the SECOND time he has "accidentally" killed someone out in the woods. The previous time was in 2010 when a friend of his went missing and was found dead in the woods the next morning. At first they said it was suicide, then they found out this guy shot him. The guy claimed they were hunting together and that it was an accident-- except, the victim wasn't wearing his hunting clothes (it was as if he'd been kidnapped and forced out into the woods-- probably at gunpoint) and the killer had recently found out that the victim was having an affair with his wife. Police did a half-assed investigation, gave him a polygraph (he passed) and declined to file charges. And now they are too inept/lazy to connect the dots and have a serious investigation.


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## Chris

zannej said:


> So, a local guy murdered a woman out in my neck of the woods. Claimed he "stumbled" and accidentally shot her. They were trespassing in a no-hunting area and he had a gun. He was drunk and on meth. They are charging him with negligent homicide despite this being the SECOND time he has "accidentally" killed someone out in the woods. The previous time was in 2010 when a friend of his went missing and was found dead in the woods the next morning. At first they said it was suicide, then they found out this guy shot him. The guy claimed they were hunting together and that it was an accident-- except, the victim wasn't wearing his hunting clothes (it was as if he'd been kidnapped and forced out into the woods-- probably at gunpoint) and the killer had recently found out that the victim was having an affair with his wife. Police did a half-assed investigation, gave him a polygraph (he passed) and declined to file charges. And now they are too inept/lazy to connect the dots and have a serious investigation.



It is very hard to be drunk and on meth. Meth counteracts the effects of being drunk. Sounds like a lousy cover up.


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## Angie

havasu is the cataract surgery replacement or lazer breaking up of the haze?

I have parents with eye issues, and I've had cataracts replaced as I had a hole in my left retina 2 years ago and had first air bubble, then gas bubble put in eye to keep area dry so it would heal.  Fortunately it did heal.

The craziest thing, I didn't know about the hole until getting an eye exam for new glasses before an insurance expired.   Found out I could not see center vision.  We tried me looking out at a person walking in a store door, and with that eye I could see the person perfectly, but WITHOUT A HEAD.     Very neat.

Hope you eye correction goes really well and quickly stabilize.


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## havasu

From what I understand, they will be doing a lens replacement and while they are excavating, they will be adding a stint to control my glaucoma. Once done, they will be adding a trifocal lens so with what vision I still have will be enhanced so I should be able to see short, medium and long distances without glasses.


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## Angie

Wow, Mark.   That is a lot of new technology going to work for you.   I find what they can do with eyes amazing.

Mom has Macular Degenration and gets shots in the eye to control it.

I'm glad that you can have new lense and the stint.   Seeing is so important.


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## zannej

Does insurance cover the trifocal lenses now? When my mother was getting hers done they told her she could either get it so she could see far away without glasses or she could see near without glasses. She couldn't do both or in between. The one for both was not covered by insurance at that time. Only, because of macular degeneration she now needs glasses for far away, near, and in between (computer). My father had the surgery to be able to see far away, but soon regretted it because he needed glasses to read and he liked to take his glasses off to read. 

Chris, I didn't realize meth counteracted alcohol. I just know that there are a lot of drunkards and a lot of meth-heads around here. The reports said the guy was found to have alcohol, marijuana, and crystal meth in his system. I still don't buy that it was an accident though.


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## havasu

I have a $2500 co pay per eye with the tri focal lenses. Insurance only covers a normal, non-focal lens.


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## Chris

Still probably worth it. Cost me about 5k to get my eyes done and I would do it again in a heart beat.


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## havasu

My sentiments exactly Chris. I only wear reading glasses, at the tune of 4 sets of glasses for $20 when purchased at Costco, but I get tired of lugging them around. If I can't spend $5k (which is exactly what I will be spending) on myself, I have done something awfully wrong. 

We are burying Cindy's brother in law tomorrow. The guy was 59 years old, a loser truck driver who didn't have a pot to piss in, but had money to buy meth to use everyday before his driving job. Well, he blew up his heart last week. He doesn't have enough money to even bury himself, so the family had to go to a "Go Fund" me site to gather enough money to get him buried. What a frickin loser!

A note to all, if you have worked all your life and can't afford to get yourself buried, you need to really soul search where you made a wrong turn and correct it before it is too late.


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## Rusty

Glad I don't live in California. Ordered some ammo on line, special price, and it will be delivered by FEDEX to my front door tomorrow. (free shipping)


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## havasu

What did you get and how much did you pay?


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## Rusty

havasu said:


> What did you get and how much did you pay?



9mm $8.99 per 50, 380 10.99 per 50


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## havasu

Did you pay tax on that?
I see Cabela's has a sale on Black Friday where they have 350 9mm rounds for $99, but with a $30 rebate. I still get my 9mm factory reloads for $.21 cents a piece delivered with no tax. $210 for 1000.


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## Chris

havasu said:


> My sentiments exactly Chris. I only wear reading glasses, at the tune of 4 sets of glasses for $20 when purchased at Costco, but I get tired of lugging them around. If I can't spend $5k (which is exactly what I will be spending) on myself, I have done something awfully wrong.
> 
> We are burying Cindy's brother in law tomorrow. The guy was 59 years old, a loser truck driver who didn't have a pot to piss in, but had money to buy meth to use everyday before his driving job. Well, he blew up his heart last week. He doesn't have enough money to even bury himself, so the family had to go to a "Go Fund" me site to gather enough money to get him buried. What a frickin loser!
> 
> A note to all, if you have worked all your life and can't afford to get yourself buried, you need to really soul search where you made a wrong turn and correct it before it is too late.



I agree. I have buddies that are my age. About 40 that have nothing to show for in life, By this age you should be trying at least to make something of yourself.


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## zannej

Chris said:


> I agree. I have buddies that are my age. About 40 that have nothing to show for in life, By this age you should be trying at least to make something of yourself.



Although, in fairness, some people just have very bad luck and even without making bad decisions have things happen- like car wrecks or houses burning down or natural disasters or major health problems/injuries.

If someone is wasting their $ on illegal drugs and stealing from people and generally being useless, they are losers. But sometimes there are people who keep trying and life keeps knocking them back down.

I finally got tired of tripping over trash in the kitchen and ended up doing my brother's job (that he hasn't done in a few weeks despite promising to take trash out twice a week) and filled multiple bags with trash. I still have more to clean, but I have difficulty with bending. I also have been working on laundry. Lots of laundry piled up while the dryer wasn't working.


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## Chris

zannej said:


> Although, in fairness, some people just have very bad luck and even without making bad decisions have things happen- like car wrecks or houses burning down or natural disasters or major health problems/injuries.
> 
> If someone is wasting their $ on illegal drugs and stealing from people and generally being useless, they are losers. But sometimes there are people who keep trying and life keeps knocking them back down.



I agree, I have known a few people that just can't catch a break. It also has a lot to do with location, it is harder in a small town to get ahead.


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## Rusty

zannej said:


> Although, in fairness, some people just have very bad luck and even without making bad decisions have things happen- like car wrecks or houses burning down or natural disasters or major health problems/injuries.
> 
> If someone is wasting their $ on illegal drugs and stealing from people and generally being useless, they are losers. But sometimes there are people who keep trying and life keeps knocking them back down.
> 
> I finally got tired of tripping over trash in the kitchen and ended up doing my brother's job (that he hasn't done in a few weeks despite promising to take trash out twice a week) and filled multiple bags with trash. I still have more to clean, but I have difficulty with bending. I also have been working on laundry. Lots of laundry piled up while the dryer wasn't working.



Just go put the trash in his bed or his car. He might get he hint.


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## Nick

When i lived in NY , I knew people who worked two jobs and still had to live out of a locker at the train station because they couldn't afford a apt ..


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## Rusty

Most of the homeless here are former mental patients. In the 80s, judges ruled that it was unfair to keep mental patients confined and make them take their meds. Most of them are now homeless and totally non-functioning. Some became violent without their meds and are now incarcerated.
That being said, those working fast food, getting 25-30 hours a week at less than $8 hour are struggling. My stepson works at Walmart and the kid who used to live with us (he works at McDonalds) share an apt.


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## Chris

When I was younger I lived in an apartment with 3 other guys, a 2 bedroom just to try and get ahead. California was expensive. I'm glad I had the drive to succeed


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## zannej

Well, I didn't take them out of the house, but I eventually got him to take them out. I bagged everything up and tied the bags tightly and had them set up so it would be easy for him to take them out. Usually the bag in the trash can is too heavy for me to lift bc of he sort of stuff that gets thrown in. Fortunately this time it was lightweight. I've found that if I argue with my brother or nag him about things in a way that is accusatory, he shuts down and just won't do things. If I'm nice to him and show him that I'm helping and he's not doing it by himself, he's more likely to do things. 
The irony is, he gripes up a storm about co-workers who don't pull their weight and who expect other people to do their work for them after only doing a bare minimum, yet he doesn't see that he does the same thing to me at home.


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## Rusty

"Turn out the lights, the party is over"


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## Chris

I'm scared of the dark


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## Rusty

Chris said:


> I'm scared of the dark



Coming soon to this site.


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## zannej

Just thought of Howie Mandel's routine where he did the little boy voice and talked about how his mother wanted to turn out the lights. "No Mommy! I'm scared of the dark!" and she said "What if I sing to you?" and he said "No! I'm scared of your singing-- and then she sang to me... in the dark!" 

Ordered some new tires for my truck. Pirelli Scorpion Verde tires. Walmart website had them on sale and I found that the website charges less tax than the local store does. Discover called within 20 minutes to ask me if I made a purchase from Walmart so they could confirm the purchase-- I said "yes" so hopefully they will ship soon. Supposed to arrive by the 27th (ship to store) but with the holidays and these clowns at the store it will probably be December 7th.

In other news, got my flu shot. Doctor said my bloodwork looks good-- need to work on bringing up my good cholesterol, lowering my sugars, drinking more water, and he's upping my thyroid meds. Even though I'm within "normal" range, it's the low side of normal and it just isn't working for me.

Got trim and plinth blocks to make a mirror frame. Trying to figure out the best way to go about building it. Mirror is a frameless one that I want to frame and use as a medicine cabinet door. Medicine cabinet will be surface/wall mount rather than between-studs because the studs aren't in the right places and it's going on an exterior wall. I need to pick up some lumber to build the cabinet-- going to be shallow. I think maybe about 3" deep. I read a guide on how to make it using 1x3s. Will just need to figure out how much to have the door overlap, hinge type, and how to make the hinge hidden.


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## havasu

Plinth is such a funny word!


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## oldognewtrick

Do clowns taste funny?


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## Chris

A little.


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## zannej

havasu said:


> Plinth is such a funny word!



It is! Sometimes I wonder what people were thinking when they invented words for things. The etymology of words has always fascinated me.

Got an update on my tire order. ETA is nov 28th after 6pm (which is after the tire section/service center closes-- I believe they close at 4pm). So, probably won't get the tires on until the 29th at the earliest.

They charge $2 per tire for "disposal" fees. I told them I want to keep the old tires and the employee claimed that it doesn't matter-- that if they take the tires off the state makes them pay/charge it anyway. Other places I have had tires replaced at didn't have that fee. So she's either lying or they just don't know how to file the paperwork for it.

On a side note, the person who was coveting the rims on my brother's former truck (the chevy) actually got pissed off that our friend hauled the truck off. Said it was like my friend thought he was going to steal stuff-- and my friends said from their experience, if the person was mad about it, he was probably planning to steal stuff. LOL. But now it's safely at the friend's house with a bunch of other broken down vehicles and parts.


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## Chris

The state has no idea how many tires they dismount and in bet they don't even count the ones they do recycle


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## zannej

Chris said:


> The state has no idea how many tires they dismount and in bet they don't even count the ones they do recycle


I don't think my state even recycles them. Louisiana is one of the worst states for recycling/ecology/environment stuff.

I was hoping to avoid stores on Thanksgiving but around 5pm my brother decided he needed more ingredients for the stew, I was out of milk, and my mother wanted some cranberry sauce in a can. We made it to Walmart to find they were starting their early Black Friday sales so the parking lot was full. I dropped my bro off and went to find parking. Saw some friends on the way in and hugged them. Fortunately, the sale stuff hadn't started yet so people weren't going crazy, but the place was packed, sections were cordoned off, and I couldn't get through with a cart. So, my brother squeezed his way through to get the stuff we needed a few pieces at a time and brought them back to the cart. After several trips we had what we needed and headed to checkout-- or tried. They wouldn't let us through and said we had to work our way to the back of the store, around and then back to the front. We went back a bit and then squeezed through a shortcut to get to the other side and then go to the front. We were unloading on to the conveyor belt just when the clock hit 6, the employees all blew into cardboard/paper horns and the noise started so we were like "OH $#!+! Time to get out!" and hurried the hell out of there, wishing cashiers and employees luck as we fled. Everyone we encountered was polite though. Made a lady happy bc we gave her the cart when we were done and I let someone who was circling for a parking space know I would be leaving so they got my spot. Had a nice beef stew with mushrooms, potatoes, and carrots for dinner.


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## Rusty

Luckily, we have another supermarket here. I will not  go to Walmart on Thanksgiving, black Friday or Sat. (return day).


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## Nick

I can't even get out of my drive way today .And if i did i would just be in a parking lot in front of my house ..


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## zannej

My new tires arrived (according to the e-mail alert). Gonna be fun seeing if the monkeys at Walmart can actually find them when I go to get them put on today. I'm going to bring my friend's girlfriend so she can do some shopping while my tires are being put on. Have to wait until after she and my friend go to the funeral home to make arrangements for my friend's father, who died suddenly yesterday. I think he was 47. My friend is taking it hard and hasn't told his daughter yet. She spent most of her time with "PawPaw" so she's going to be devastated. Apparently yesterday she was refusing to go to school because PawPaw wasn't there to take her and she didn't know why and she's been asking for him. They are planning to tell her sometime today.

My sister said she hasn't bought her tickets to come out to visit just yet but that she thinks she'll be here on the 22nd. That gives me a bit of time to do some cleanup in the house. Instead of tackling a whole lot at once and feeling overwhelmed, I've been doing a little bit at a time. I also need to clean the truck out before we drive my sister home in January.


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## Nick

....
That's going to be rough .. 

View attachment default_Sorry56fdg.gif


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## zannej

I mentioned on other forums. My friend was trying to sugarcoat it and tell his daughter that PawPaw went to heaven and was with the angels and couldn't come back. He said she gave him a horrified look and said "PawPaw is DEAD?" and started crying. It wrecked my friend. Fortunately, being a child she didn't dwell on it for too long and was back to playing like nothing had happened later on. She sometimes says she misses him.

The funeral today was rough. My friend's grandmother was sobbing and wailing, which made it worse for her surviving sons and my friend. It was open casket and the granddaughter was being held so she could see the body. She put one of her favorite My Little Pony toys in the casket with him and said "I wish he could come back to life" (but she wasn't crying or sad then). It wasn't until later on when she noticed her father (my friend) crying that she got upset. My friend's mother was holding her but she wanted to go to her father. She hugged him and cried on his shoulder and then sat back and was putting her hands on his face and wiping the tears away. There wasn't room on the family bench for my friend's girlfriend so she was next to me. She leaned on me a few times when she was getting hit with waves of grief. She started sobbing when she saw my friend cry, so I held her and did my best to comfort her. I think I went through half a pack of tissues-- seeing other people cry always makes me cry. 
Saw some friends that lately we only see at funerals.
I also noticed a tradition that I'd never noticed in other places where we lived. Vehicles going the opposite direction pull on to the shoulder and stop (or just stop in the road) out of respect for the funeral procession. 
The cemetery part was very short, thankfully. Although, one of the preachers said something about how one day the souls would return to the bodies in the cemetery and they were going to rise up and my first thought was "zombie apocalypse" (which I whispered to my friend and he laughed). His grandmother gave me a big hug and thanked me for all the help we've given her son and asked us to always be there for him. Lots of hugs all around. She invited my mother to come over and visit her for coffee and such. I'm hoping my mother will take her up on the offer because she needs to get out of the house more.
One of my brother's old friends from school now works as a prison guard and was telling my brother they need more guards so my brother might apply there. He also helped my mother up from the seat because she was having trouble. I told him "We have to stop meeting like this!" because the last time we saw each other was at his grandmother's funeral. 
I'm hoping there won't be anymore funerals for a long time, but I would like to see the friends again in a happier setting. Maybe arrange some sort of gathering someday.
My inner Grumpy Cat was cringing through a lot of the funeral-- I hate funerals. They spent less than 2 minutes talking about the actual deceased and the rest was all sermon and how people are going to hell if they don't believe. I almost laughed when they said the guy was "gentle" because he was known for busting people's faces, breaking arms, and generally beating the crap out of people if they crossed him or his family. Of course, they weren't going to bring that up. Also, they played country music and I hate country music. I was sitting there thinking "I'm at a funeral with people crying, my nose is running, and they are playing country music". It was the trifecta. LOL.


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## Rusty

Merry Christmas. 

View attachment 26000867_1988707477812382_3633635681931041709_n.jpg


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## Rusty

Stepson's Husky is having puppies today.


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## Rusty

Lost one puppy. 6 made it.


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## havasu

Sad, but 6 is a good number.


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## oldognewtrick

Sitting here babysitting the old stick burner smoker. 7 lb Prime rib getting a little hickory love..


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## Rusty

17 degrees 0 wind chill, and only colder from there.


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## Chris

21 degrees here, in an inversion for the next two days. Going to work on the wife's truck now


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