Coffee 2-4-12

Good morning! Come right in. Find a comfy chair & spend a time with us. Cheese Danish are on the counter. Hot fresh Folgers is waiting for you to wrap a cup around it. Join us, share a story, get a good start to the day.

It's been cold all week, Nights in the single digits, days in the 20's. Fine by me, it's keeping all the snow and yuck away from us. This is surely going to go down in the history books as the most snowless winter in a long time. I can remember every winter since the early 60's and I never saw one this shy of snow. Not that I'm complaining! There is snow up north for the snowmobiliers and I guess the ski areas are doing OK, but local snow is a scarce thing for sure.

OK, we are on the downhill slide to Springtime. The days are over an hour longer now & it won't be long before the sun starts getting a grip on the thermometer. It sure is nice to not have it get dark hours before supper.

I hope everyone has enough coal. I see some places are spotty with rice supplies. It's out there, but you may have to hunt a little. I think the dealers on the edges are letting the supplies get low. We all know there is plenty of coal, it's just a matter of getting it to those that need it.

I hope you all have a smooth weekend!

Morning All,

I have to agree, we ARE on the south side of winter, sliding into spring. We are reaching our daily average temps of 50* degrees day and 30* night. Everyone is concerned about the lack of snow or rain due to the resulting lack of water. Even PA hasn't been very wet so the rivers flowing from there aren't helping much, either. The Rangers out in "the valley" are reminding folks about "no open burning" until after 4pm already. If we don't get a lot of snow in Feb and Mar, we are in for a fiery summer.

I'm off this morning to my class on "backyard beekeeping." I excited to actually be starting. The hive and other hardware were gotten for Christmas and I'll finally be able to assemble it and order some bees. The class goes for 5 weeks during which we will learn everything there is to know about the wonderful world of bees - yeah right - maybe I'll learn enough to keep my bees alive and producing for the summer. I just hope it will be as interesting and fun as I think it will.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a great weekend, I'm backing the Giants in a close game tomorrow night - 35 - 31. Actually, I just hope it's a good game which comes down to the last second. Have great one, Lisa

Good morning,I'll take some coffee but will pass on the Danish I'm making breakfast for the family with my Buttermilk Pancakes(from scratch)always very yummy,as far as the crazy weather I think it's sucks I love the snow and cold(some think I'm a bit of a but thats me )I have almost 3 tons left but I'm trying to get a TT load from UAE for the next few years if I can,and Lisa good luck on the beekeeping I had a old neighbor that had bees(I think almost 20 hives)he enjoyed it and I loved the fresh honey he gave me from time to time.Have a good day and take care Keepaeyeonit

Mornin all, coffees great as usual Freddy,nice fresh Danish. I'm gonna leave this crock of homemade butter for thems that wants. Today I gotta start useing eye drops--2 types, 4X's a day till Tues morn. when they do my left cataract A means to a positive end. Other then that, I'm dead in the water for a few days. I've been through not quite 1 1/2 ton of nut & proobably lookin at another ton to finish off this season (God willin & the creek don't rise) That'll leave me 1/2 ton towards next year.Things are good here on the hill. Have a good week-end everybody. Keep us posted on that BEE venture Lisa. Hell, if I didn't like winter/snow, I'd live in Fla. (NOT)-- Definitly a strange winter--It's all God stuff.

Good Morning one and all. I can tell you all why it is a mild winter with very little snow! It is because I don't have an outside job to do this year. It seems the years that are the worst are the ones that I am trying to frame a house or an addition. This year has been slow but a strong Spring could be in the making so look for snow in about a month or so!! This morning we are off to my girls basketball game. The team has come a long way, they have been working very hard and I have seen strong improvement in everyone. I can't help being a proud PaPa/coach!! Other then that it should be a quiet weekend he says hopefully. Good luck with the eye surgery FF, enjoy the coffee and the temps. NWB

Good morning everyone. Getting a late start today Had the coffee and am about to cozy up to the oatmeal. Good luck with the eye surgury Fred. They have made remarkable advances in eye care and your stuff is pretty routine. The backyard beekeeping is some good stuff Lisa. They are gentle if you are gentle with them Today we try to put the finishing touches on a long project. Hook up the final two zones of this 700 boiler install. Radiant heat to the outer barn, a 1" run, and the office/sidewalk slab radiant. Best part of a job is when it all comes together and you can stand back and look

freetown fred wrote:..... I'm gonna leave this crock of homemade butter for thems that wants. .....

What a crock, Fred! I'll dip the cheese danish in it.

Yeah my ol' man is going thru that same b/s with his eyes. Last year it was a partially detached retina. This year he's going for the same cataract surgery. Docs say he'll be back at it in just days after, so Scott is right. They've come a long way!

Yeah loving this winter. Usually by now my stress level with the snow & cold is at an all-time high. Not this year. Been able to get lots of things done that I ordinarily wouldn't be able to do. It's good for business.

In other news, I've decided to dump my '07 Silverado before anything else breaks on it. Done far too many repairs on such a young vehicle. It's a disgrace what GM is putting out there these days. Don't get me wrong - I love the looks, handling, & engine ... but I just have this bad feeling. Just looking at the service manuals for the truck standing nearly 2' tall makes me shake my head in disgust every day. That & there's lots of money to be freed up by dumping it. For the replacement, I'm going back to basics. I'll be able to buy an early 70's or late 60's truck, fully restored. Not only will it outlast the '07, but in the event it does break down I can fix it on the side of the road with a screwdriver & pliers .... instead of a $2,000 scan tool and all afternoon. Mileage will be about the same if I find one with a 700r4 tranny. I'll even have money left over for a SECOND vehicle to drive in the salt! Might buy a little foreign job ... or another S10 Blazer - the wife has put 5,000 failure-free miles on hers. It's amazing how reliable that thing became once all the electronics were tossed in the trash. Driving it last weekend is what got the wheels in my head turning. Why am I driving all this money around when it could be better spend elsewhere? I know full well that it's going to be just like the Jimmy in a few more years ... so why keep it? I'm going back to what I know I can rely on. I don't need a status symbol anyway.

Gotta get at least $23k for it. If I don't get at least that I'll probably hang on to it for another year or 2. Got about $7k in accessories into it. Roll up tonneau, lots of chrome, Corsa stainless cat back & an extra set of one-of-a-kind 20" wheels off a '10 Silverado LTZ. Bridgestone Blizzak's mounted to the stock 18" alloys. I'll include the 5,000 page service manual too. If anyone's interested, shoot me a PM.

Back to eBay to shop for a new classic.

Mornin all....
Having some instant Folgers while I make the B-fast. I'm fixin up a heap of Biscuits & sausage gravey, eggs, freash thick-sliced bacon, hash browns, and patty sausage for the kids. I like to put all of it on my plate first, THEN put the gravey over everything.
Yep, another warm morning, supposed to be in the mid 60's again today. Haven't seen any snow this year, but we don't miss it Burned about 3700lbs thru the DVC500 already. This place needs insulation bad....

Lisa, when I was in the Air Force, I would help a local Farmer tend to his hives. My only fee: A 4x4 square of honeycomb out of each hive we emptied. YUMMY! After awhile, I stopped taking 'payment' as I already had too much to store in my room. I couldn't eat it fast enough! Lots of fun.....

F-Fred.... good luck on the eye surgery. I had both of mine done, with great success. Yep, eye drops for 4 days before surgery. I think it was anti-biotics to make sure there were no infections prior to surgery.

Keepaeyeonit.... I just updated another thread with the trucking company I used for my TT load of rice... If you need a trucking company, I used Hostetler Trucking. They are from Ohio, but drive anywhere, depending on their schedule.. Heres a link to their contact info... Anthracite Rice coal in bulk delivered in western MA
It cost me about $38 per ton for them to deliver 24 tons from UAE Harmony mine. About 460 miles.

Time to go clean out the ethanol gum from a pile of backlogged Generators & Chainsaw carbs. Ohhh, I got a few lawnmowers to work on to! Thanks EPA, for the never-ending business

SMITTY wrote:

freetown fred wrote:..... I'm gonna leave this crock of homemade butter for thems that wants. .....

What a crock, Fred! I'll dip the cheese danish in it.

Yeah my ol' man is going thru that same b/s with his eyes. Last year it was a partially detached retina. This year he's going for the same cataract surgery. Docs say he'll be back at it in just days after, so Scott is right. They've come a long way!

Yeah loving this winter. Usually by now my stress level with the snow & cold is at an all-time high. Not this year. Been able to get lots of things done that I ordinarily wouldn't be able to do. It's good for business.

In other news, I've decided to dump my '07 Silverado before anything else breaks on it. Done far too many repairs on such a young vehicle. It's a disgrace what GM is putting out there these days. Don't get me wrong - I love the looks, handling, & engine ... but I just have this bad feeling. Just looking at the service manuals for the truck standing nearly 2' tall makes me shake my head in disgust every day. That & there's lots of money to be freed up by dumping it. For the replacement, I'm going back to basics. I'll be able to buy an early 70's or late 60's truck, fully restored. Not only will it outlast the '07, but in the event it does break down I can fix it on the side of the road with a screwdriver & pliers .... instead of a $2,000 scan tool and all afternoon. Mileage will be about the same if I find one with a 700r4 tranny. I'll even have money left over for a SECOND vehicle to drive in the salt! Might buy a little foreign job ... or another S10 Blazer - the wife has put 5,000 failure-free miles on hers. It's amazing how reliable that thing became once all the electronics were tossed in the trash. Driving it last weekend is what got the wheels in my head turning. Why am I driving all this money around when it could be better spend elsewhere? I know full well that it's going to be just like the Jimmy in a few more years ... so why keep it? I'm going back to what I know I can rely on. I don't need a status symbol anyway.

Gotta get at least $23k for it. If I don't get at least that I'll probably hang on to it for another year or 2. Got about $7k in accessories into it. Roll up tonneau, lots of chrome, Corsa stainless cat back & an extra set of one-of-a-kind 20" wheels off a '10 Silverado LTZ. Bridgestone Blizzak's mounted to the stock 18" alloys. I'll include the 5,000 page service manual too. If anyone's interested, shoot me a PM.

Back to eBay to shop for a new classic.

Thats why i drive the OLD one's SMITTY !!!!

Morning everybody. Like Freddie said it's been, well, like winter up here the last few days and should stay that way for another week or more. Nice pattern really, 20's during the days and 10 or teens at night. Clear is the word though. No snow to speak off although I can lace up the CCM's to get down the drive for the paper. Got some nice 8 o clock Bokar in the pot this morning and the requisite onion bgel too! Need to start laying off those soon if I'm gonna have my beach bod in shape for summer. I was just out in the barn filling the hods and it looks like I've got 2 and change of the 5 tons I started with. That should take me through April and thats all I'll need. Can always get a few bags if I run low but don't think I'll need too as I'll only be running one of the two stoves by end of March.
Might go have a look at a generator this morning over to Guptil's logging. They have a truckload sale with 6000's 10hp subaru engine for $500. Not bad really. We'll see.

Fred, those eye drops are a pain in the butt. I just finished giving them to my old Mum the other day. She had the cataract surgury on Dec21st right eye and 28th left. She had 3 types X 4 a day and then after, till they run out. I'll say this though, she's 82 yrs old and was tested a couple weeks ago after the surgery healed up. Both eyes are at 25/20 which is dang good for her age. Only needs a pair of cheaters for reading. The prep time for the surgery took longer then the actual surgery. You'll be done in about 10-15 min! Amazing todays laser tech.
I'm off to the barber now for a buzz. Sick of this buckwheat look . Then off to look at gennies. Have a great day all.

Good morning. Thanks for the coffee Fred; I’ll pay you next Tuesday. I am not complaining about the lack of snow. My enthusiasm for snow ended when it became work for me and not a day off from school. Wednesday it was above 50 in Nashua, NH, it got colder up in Maine but the lack of snow has been a pleasure to drive in this winter.

Yesterday I wasted another match. We lost power because another truck was claimed by one of our mountains. People out west would laugh at these hills we call mountains but we keep it interesting by making the grades steep and strategically placing hairpin turns then they post a truck speed of about 15 mph that any trucker in a hurry knows is just ridiculous. Well they got the truck stopped yesterday but it involved a fancy emergency stopping maneuver where you lay the truck on the side and take out an electrical pole on the way to a sliding halt. I digress; after the power was lost and didn’t come back on within five minutes I started getting the generator ready. Until I got the generator on the tractor and in position and hooked up the damage was done, the mild weather had a small fire in the Keystoker and it just could not handle the down time. The generator needed to be exercised so I ran it for about 30 – 45 minutes until line power was restored.

I am good on coal until next fall but things are not good around here. The breaker I buy from has been low on coal all winter. Along with breakdowns at the breaker there is a problem getting coal to run through it. There is a lot of coal in the ground but the government is standing in the way of getting it out. There are companies waiting for months for permits to deep mine and strip and nothing is happening. The government will put the coal business out of business buy not approving any new mine workings. In the end we will all be licking the boots of big oil and big gas or maybe big windmill but he only lets you heat when the wind blows.

Have fun with the bees. A good beekeeper knocks on the hives everyday and talks to their bees. The local bee keepers here put electric fence around their bees, I think to protect them from the bears.

Have a good weekend and go whoever. I’m not a fan of either teem but I will watch the game, I hope it is a good one.

Mornin' all....
I'm a sucker for that cheese danish.
Nice mild weather to get some garage and outside work done this weekend!

Hey Smitty...I know what you mean about the older vehicles. I got an '87 F-150 that's still running pretty good....clutch linkage at the firewall is held together with zip ties and electrical tape, minimal rust on it at the rear bottom corners of the cab! But nah....I can't part with my coal hauler! I was surprised to learn this past summer that it actually had a computer chip on it somewhere. It left me on the side of the road coming back from an emissions certification that it passed and turned out to be corroded contacts on that computer component. Cleaned it up and off we go again!

I also have an '03 Silverado in addition to the F-150. I like the 4.8 engine a lot, gets about 19 or 20mph, but the dashboard electrical stuff is enough to drive ya nuts. It's left me on the side of the road more times than the '87. I can't complain too much, it's got about 170k miles on it and I hope to get 2 or 3 more years out of it. But I will get rid of it rather than the '87 when the time comes.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Nice weather today. Probably take a ride later to the "Habitat for Humanity" store and donate a few things and see if there isn't anything I can take off their hands.

First weekend in a while that I don't have anything that needs to be fixed NOW.

Going to enjoy my coffee, button up some homework and look forward to a long day on the couch watching football tomorrow.

Everyone is talking about having no snow and warm weather cept me! Oh, it hasn't been that bad so far. Was -17* yesterday morning and was 10* this morning. Supposed to be close to -20* tonight . I heard they cancelled the ice fishing derby on Sebec Lake this weekend. Thin ice and open water isn't safe. Burned close to 4 ton so far. I'll have to say........I really like Blaschak coal. Seems to burn hotter and quite a bit less ash. I used to have to change out the ash tub every morning but now it's every 2 days! Fred good luck with the surgery and Lisa god love ya for keeping bees. I couldn't do it......I hate bee stings! GO PATS!!!!!

Mornin' everyone. Thanks for the breakfast Freddy -good stuff. Tomorrow I'll whip one up like 009to090 did today. All the fixin's are in the fridge

Heading out to retrieve the 97 Explorer. Smitty ... GM?? Got this new and have 237k on it. Fourth set of tires, rebuilt the transfer case once on my coin and once on Ford's. Limited slip - goes anytime. Original running gear otherwise. Intake O-rings on warranty. First new muffler this past summer, rear shackles the summer before to replace the rusted ones. Soldered the fuses in the blower control, got a valve in the heater line to regulate full or zero heat. AC works Just had the thermostat housing replaced - two piece plastic housing came apart after 14 1/2 years. Not bad for that long in my book. I think I'll keep it

Here's one just to think about. I hear about all the "unfortunate" kids that have to school. I see the cars and SUVs curbside to meet the bus so the kiddies don't have to walk a few blocks out in the wild weather. Just made me think that I use to walk 28 "blocks" in grade school. Yup, up hill both ways (half way anyway!). Loved it, especially in the hurricane and blizzard weather. This one makes it look almost like funnnn