Coffee, 3-20-10

Double filtered Chock Full of Nut's this morning. Step right up & pour yourself a big ol' cup. Looks like waffles & sausage is on the menu and I see some left over St. Patty donuts if you need some sugar while the sausage cooks.

Good golly Miss Molly, Spring has sprung! We still don't dare take the snow treads off the car, but could have done so 6 weeks ago. In my entire life I've never seen such a snowless Feb or March. It doesn't mean winter didn't take it's tole..... I had to put new rear shackles on my van to get it inspected. Darn liquid salt on the roads. The shackles were corroded right through!

I hear talk of "Should we burn coal all summer for hot water" and "Had to actuate the windowstats". Yup, it's that time of year. I haven't emptied ashes in 5 days. Looks like a weekend project from now till I give up & go to oil for hot water.

Today... for the first time in 3 years we get a scheduled break from nursing home mode. Mom-in-law has qualified to have a girl come in for 3 1/2 hours each Saturday. So, we're about to pee our pants with excitement. I think we'll go to the lake & do nothing.....well, nothing important. Light a fire in the wood stove, get out the cribbage board, watch the ice go out. Some of the shallow ponds have no ice right now. Record breaking early. I have one buddy that had his four wheeler on the ice last week. 13 hours later his son came to visit & asked when the ice went out. Gad zooks! My buddy couldn't believe his eyes when he looked out at where he'd been. Our little pond is deep and the ice is always 2 weeks behind the shallow ponds.

Hope you all have a super weekend!

Morning Freddy. I'll have a cup while mine is dripping it's way through the mud pile. MMMmmmm, I needed that - thanks again. Had sausage on my pizza last night so I'll pass on that this morning ,,, maybe

You don't need to live where they use the liquid stuff to have your shackles go swiss cheese. Last summer, had to replace them on the '97. Sprayed em for weeks and the bolts came out of the bushings with an air hammer. Got both done in an hour. Kroil is good stuff. Once I was holding the old ones I couldn't believe that they hadn't just collapsed. They were thin and riddled with big holes!

I'm down to my last 40 Lbs and it's supposed to be in the upper 70s here today. Back down to the low 50 in a couple of days so I should get a few more buckets to hold December's fire over. Got it idled down good and have to use a couple of windowstats but the house is comfy.

Have a good day everyone. My coffee is ready and thanks again for the starter Freddy.

Hi All,

Freddy, I'm so happy for you and your wife. I know you'll enjoy yourselves and come back refreshed. I know you don't look at how you are caring for your wife's mother as anything heroic but it is in my book. I'm impressed beyond belief.

Sooo.. we're are getting an early start on today's Tea Party Activities. Just heard from CokeHead out of Mystic, CT and he and his family are on the way. They have a long drive ahead of them but should just about make it. This event will give me the opportunity to actually meet face to face with some of the people from my Representative's office that have hung up on me in the last few months. I'm sad to say that stopping this "transformational" bill will not stop the attempt by the Progressives to "fundamentally transform" the country into something you find in Europe. I know this sounds far fetched to many of you but think back to your youth and remember the freedoms we had then that we don't have now. Look at the schools, look at the EPA, the list goes on and on. Is the corruption and bribing that is going on to get this bill passed OK with you? And don't tell me the Republicans do it too. That argument didn't work with your mother and it won't work with me. It's time to stop the corruption whatever the source.

No, this is a war for our children and grand children and this is may be Dunkirk but if we lose here we can and will regroup and fight another day but it will take all of us and it will take time. Everyone needs to look around and decide which side you will be on - stop being blinded by the BS and take a stand. You know when something doesn't sound right. Let's fix it. Lisa

mornin all,so Freddy,I guess you guys up there don't have any moose left,so much for them steaks your coffee is as usual,excellent.Just got done w/ the process of getting my Mom,at 96,into assisted living at the Protestant Home outside Philly--I wish it didn't have to happen,but it came down to her safety & well being--that Alzheimer crap is not so great for the people around her,but she seems to be comfortable in the space she has created for herself--Sounds like Lisa has a busy day ahead.Up here we are dealing w/gas drilling--to be specific,Hydrofracking A Secretary of State back in Truman & Eisenhowers days said"what we save today,may be all we save"---got to go pull taps this AM--lousy sugarin season for us little dogs this year--temp is 35 as we speak,supposed to hit 60-70 later--have a good one guys

Morning all, Had to get Tea this morning we are down-but-not-out with colds and such. Son has Broncitious, which I think we all got a little bit of. Weather was HOT yesterday. Took some time to do some outside chores, and repair a chainsaw for a neighbor.
Windowstats are in full use, over the past week. F.P. is out, but I'm still idling the DVC-500.

Enough chat, Time to continue painting the inside rooms.

Good Morning ! I've met the day with enthusiasm and a stiff cup of Freddy's "Happy Time Chock Full O'Nuts And Bolts" Coffee...! Nice touch with the half and half and cane sugar on the table. Freddy,unconditional love and respect deserve rewards,and you and your Bride have received a good one. I too am so happy for your break. Lowfog,I've said in the past that we love being Pearl Harbor'd and taking naps while our adversaries make bold moves on us. Let it be so again. We've got large brooms and dust pans,so while one of us is still alive to fight and clean-up,clean up and fight,we'll be ok. We go about the Country's work quietly. Sorry for the soapbox,Freddy,for this is a friendly,Family place. I like to think of it as a place where my enemy and I can share a cup without arguing,then step outside,go discreetly down the road and have at it once again. Thanx for the Safe Harbor!

Freddie....03:39......It reminds me of the old Dunkin' Donuts commercials when the 'Baker' stumbles around the kitchen saying: "time to make the doughnuts". What a spectacular run of GREAT weather. Hey guys, don't shut 'em down yet, there is still plenty of time for surprises. We made it to 68 yesterday after a 26 degree start. The boilers are running on timers because demand has gone away. 25 lbs for the small units, 40 for the larger units. I just know we are in for some more white stuff and some cold spells. For now, who cares...get out and enjoy it!!!!!!! Take a friend, or a person who doesn't get out often....and of course the animals, too!
Support your local economy, and get some brandi-new Maple Syrup products. Grade A Fancy if you are fussy. Sap is running great, so we need the cold nights for another couple weeks. Get those planters growing , warmer weather will soon be here to stay!

Hello all. A healthy breakfast for me today. Oatmeal with raisins and coffee with whole wheat toast. I've been on a diet for the last two months, trying to get down to my ideal body weight. 1/3 of the way there and feeling better. I'm off to my Corvair Club's monthly tech session at a members home garage. Meeting place changes each month to a different members house and we work on the "car fix it" project of the month. Great spring weather in the Mid-Atlantic for the last couple of days. Same expected today.

Morning all..

I'm sitting outside in the sun keeping a half an eye on my smoker with a mug of Maxwell House "Polynesian Blend". I'm smoking a 9 pound pork butt using all maple wood (no charcoal). It went in the smoker about 8:45 and should come off about 5:00.

A little later I plan to make some coleslaw (or is that "coalslaw")

Right now it's about 55 degrees out and the birds are singing up a chorus so loud I almost need hearing protectors.

No coffee for me today boys. Been sick as a dog. Doctor gave me three days out of work, some tamiflu, Relpax, and heavy duty naproxen to deal with the crushing headache and general "hit by a truck" all over body ache.

Felt good last night and we had plans to go to a movie and dinner with another couple. Don't often get the chance so we went. Now I'm back to Saltines and Gatorade.

Maybe I rushed into it a bit.....

still, work has to be done so I'm hoping I can stumble into the basement and get something done. It would be a shame to have time out of work and not get any work done.

Freddie: 03:39,, I almost started your Saturday Coffee thread this morning at 12:15 AM, I was just getting out of Bed on the west coast, I had to fly a red-eye flight back to JFK. But if I started your thread, then it wouldn't be your's.. so I has taken me till now to sit down and add to the thread.. a long commute home and had to deal with several issues once home..

I've added to the 'huge project' thread with some new photos of stair tread work. My Current Huge Project

It was very nice and warm all last week, but cold weather has returned,, it is 32* right now with rain/snow flurries, supposed to be in the low 20's tonight. The AA boiler hasn't made much ash all week, but it will tonight and tomorrow, so I added some coal to the hopper, and put a fresh ashpan in.

I'm going to sleep like the dead tonight, these 20+ hour days with only a short nap on the way back to Detroit really leave me exhausted.. I'll probably get 9-10 hours tonight.

The snow is all gone here, and the mess that once was my yard around the house has appeared, and it will be a lot of work to make right and get landscaped.. SIGH,, will this project EVER END?? I can see another year at least of projects here and there.

Greg L

With all the excitement of the rally over I'm free to get started on a few "spring" projects laying around the house begging to be done. First I have to decide if I should take the mulch off the flower bed out front - if I leave it, it will smash the returning flowers from last year but if I take it off and we get a frost those flowers will be goners. What a quandary! Then I have to decide where in my back yard is the best spot to put my new garden in. I have a lot of trees and there are only a few spots with sun 6 or 8 hours a day. I'm afraid that all this is too mind boggling so I better slow down and give it a lot of thought while watching the video tapes of the BBall games from yesterday. And if that doesn't give me any insight there are the games scheduled for today. I'm sure by this evening few or no questions will remain as how I intend to complete those projects.

For those of you who are not weighed down by questions of such magnitude, I hope you can get out and enjoy the weather. Have a great weekend and safe rest of the week.

I guess I'm a little late for "Saturday" coffee ...

Busy busy busy! Stove went out on me Friday night ..... was going to re-light, but I'm at that point in the season where it's beginning to become a chore, so I just left it - soot and all from the bitty. I'm going to fire it back up tonight. Took about 24 hours for the basement to radiate all the heat that had soaked in over the winter ... and once that was gone, boy did the house get f'ing cold!! Even though we hit over 70° yesterday, I woke up to a 60° house!

My RD restoration is moving along ... slowly. Got the bearings in the swingarm, & installed new rubber on the rear rim, plus painted the brake plate & sprocket carrier & installed new bearings & seals ... now just gotta throw it back together. Dropped the cylinders & pistons off at the machine shop for a hogging out & stage I port job. Then once I get those back, I gotta put it back together & measure squish clearances, then with that info, head back to the machine shop with the cylinder heads. They will then mill the heads which will optimize squish area for a better burn with less chance of detonation, & also increase compression for a bigger BANG! It's all about the power! Once that's done, then motor is coming out, cases split & all new bearings are going to be installed in the tranny, & the crankshaft will be sent to FL for dynamic balancing, lightening & a rebuild using my parts. That will pretty much wipe out my tax returns & part of my savings. Gotta have my sanity, so it's worth every penny.

Broke the Harley out for the first time in 7 months yesterday. Went for a 30 second ride, as I had so much other stuff going on. Rims were starting to rust ... price you pay for dirt floors. Cleaned the dust off it, set tire pressures & adjusted the stem bearings. I'll be riding that until the RD is finished. Once the fuel got moving, she lit right off. No stabilizer -- I never use the stuff. Cheaper to turn the screw & drain the bowl .

Went through 2 tanks of gas on my leaf blower cleaning the street. My neighbor has to bitch at the town every year to get them up here to sweep. Looks like a dirt road after every winter. They dump more sand than anyplace on earth! So I have to go out there at my expense & clean the damn street myself, because they wont be up here until June, more than likely. I'll bet if we lived in 6,000 sq ft hip roof colonials the street would be swept! They'd probably fix the drainage issues (that I also take care of) & pave it too. Some new houses just went up nearby on a dirt road, & every spring the loader comes up & smooths out all their potholes whenever they form. They never even look at our neighborhood. Guess you gotta be a crybaby yuppie in a huge house to get anything for your tax dollars.

Got the fun part of my yard work done yesterday -- lighting my swamp on fire! Much easier than weedwhacking all of it in the fall ... and more fun too! The wind made short work of the dried up grass & dead Goldenrod & Loostrife. Had flames at least 10 feet in the air. It was only 5 short feet away from setting the largest brush fire in history! But I knew the swamp would keep that from happening -- & had to keep an eye on the sparks. That would have sucked, especially with no permit ...

Sunday Morning.. second cup down the hatch.. I slept for 11 hours last night.. I must be getting old.. I took 600mg of Ibuprofen before bed, so the aches wouldn't wake me up or keep me up.. it worked.. I couldn't believe it was 10am when I opened my eyes.

I took an additional photo of the stairs partially trimmed.. looking through the pocket doors, from the old part of the house.. this is the view from my temporary 'kitchen' I turned around with my first cup of coffee and saw the stair trim work through the doors.. and thought it looked good, so I took a pic. I'm hoping to get started on sorting out slate flooring and designing the pattern I want on the floor.. I have a vision in my mind, but won't know if it will work or if it will look like I think it will untill I lay out the tile on the floor.

I have to fly again this week, so only the tradesmen will be making progress for me.. but next week I'm home for a few days.. I've flown the Max the FAA will allow for the month, so I'm unable to make more $$, so I guess I'll stay home and spend it..

Well I think I need a second pot of coffee today.. time to get it brewing.

Take care everyone..

OH, I saw some pics of the Rally in DC, thanks to all that participated, and I suggest everyone add thier 'vote' here: It is a petition to kill the bill.

Greg L