Did something dumb today.

[thecfarm]

Ask that guy named Howard from WV about hills. 

[SwampDonkey]

I usually forward about 80-90 SxS loads of firewood out to the pickup every fall. Those Polaris Rangers are tough buggies. My trails are not smooth. Keeps unwanted trail blazers off the place. 

[aigheadish]

@beenthere 

He came home from college one night, a few weeks after he and his buddies went to Mexico to rock climb, and said he wanted to stop going to school to go on this road trip. We said, ok, you are an adult now you can do what you want, but you'll need money, and a job. He's got a job now and we'll see how he does with saving money. 

He's already on a $500 per month "rent" to my wife and I, that covers room/board (food) and his phone and car insurance. I don't know if he realizes the deal he is getting. 

We will absolutely not be funding his road trip. He understands (I think) that he will likely have to find work on the road, which would be a great experience for him. He also wants to try to save $30k before he starts, so he can minimize the work on the road. My guess is he will not have enough patience for that, but we'll see. 

He's already talking about moving out with some roommates and that will be the first dose of reality, when my wife doesn't buy him groceries, and other bills aren't covered for him. 

[WV Sawmiller]

   If/When he moves out do you think I could take over his old deal? Sounds pretty sweet to me.

[Magicman]

When he moves out, immediately remove the bedroom furniture and the wife can create a "sewing room" or whatever so when he stops in for a visit he will see that he no longer has a bedroom there. 

[Magicman]

The above was not an 'off the wall' suggestion.  That is exactly what happened when Marty moved out.  He passed by 'his' room and now it was PatD's sewing room.  He played it up big time trying to induce guilt, but he got nowhere.  Done was done.

[aigheadish]

Hahaha! Sure Howard, come on over, I think you've got stories to last us several years worth of 500 buck rent, and my guess is you eat less than he does. He's on a egg kick at the wrong time of the economy.

MM, Ha! My wife doesn't need ANOTHER sewing room! We've got a study or den or whatever you want to call it that she took over immediately. She has been sewing/making purses for many years before we met, so it was a must to have her own studio for that stuff. She does great work, so here's a shameless plug, if allowed for her bags:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/TiarellasClutch

Her bags are inexpensive and very high quality! Get one for your wife or daughter/granddaughters! It's not much but the tree trunk design on some of her bags is my handiwork.

[WV Sawmiller]

    Okay, I'll keep my bags packed and be waiting on the call. I eat very few eggs and only when scrambled hard or a well done omelet so that makes them pretty easy to fix. Do I need to bring my own grits?

Lynn,

   You are a hard man taking Marty's bedroom away from him that way. As our kids left home we'd end up replacing their mattresses and such to set them up as guest rooms. The kids asked why we waited till they left to replace them and I told them "We kept the crappy old wore out mattress to encourage you to leave now we got new ones to encourage you to come back and visit."

   My wife cut our daughter 12 x 22 BR in half and built a new wall as a divider to make herself a separate sewing room. We moved the full size bed and furniture out of the remaining half and put a twin Captain's bed down there. My wife also moved her 120" quilting frame into our son's old room so they push it against the wall when they come visit, like tonight as we have a GD birthday party tomorrow.

[Magicman]

Marty was the last one to leave so we already had a spare bedroom.  Didn't and still doesn't matter because we virtually never have over-nighters.  The last person to sleep in the spare bedroom was me when I had Covid two years ago.

[WV Sawmiller]

   Our guest rooms get good use as we have friends from all over the world and my wife has former students who pass through at any time so we usually have 4 rooms ready for them plus the local GDs(10 miles away) come spend a few days at a time here. Our daughter comes up from Charlotte 4-5 times a year and when they come they typically use 3 of the BRs at a time now.

   Besides, we have to be ready for FF guests coming through. 

[SawyerTed]

When our kids came back home to live at different transitions in their lives (all three did at least once), we did different things to our upstairs.   

Did a partial bath remodel, new mattresses, switched furniture etc.  

We didn't need 3 guest rooms so one is office, studio/bedroom.  One is a sitting/reading room and the third one is a guest room.  

They get used but not often and not by our children.  Two live around the corner and one is 2 hours away.  

[SawyerTed]

My luck ran out today.   

Not one but two dumb things - one dinged my ego and pocket book, the other hurt my hand.

My boat needed a little attention today.   It's warm so a bit of maintenance was a good idea. I needed to unlock some hatches.  Couldn't find my boat keys.  I found the spare ignition key but no hatch key, no trailer coupler lock key.  After two hours of searching, coat pockets, closets, the truck, tackle boxes etc., I spent an hour finessing the locks open with a variety of tools.  No damage done.  I went back and searched everywhere again.  Lost is all I could think. 

So I broke down and ordered replacement keys, three of them!  Not too expensive since I have the key code.  The best deal was from an online retailer not named after a South American river.

So a few minutes ago I remembered a handful of items on the blanket chest at the foot of the bed.  Sure enough, among the laundered fishing towels, trolling motor remote, charging cable etc were those dang keys! 

Ouch my ego and pocketbook. It won't hurt to have extras around.   

In the midst of the key search I went back to my original chore, a bit of cleaning and organizing. 
Straightening out a little tub of fishing tools, pliers , scales, lip grippers and knives, I grabbed one of the knives by the sheath.  This particular knife is a Bubba Blade.  Think big ol' butcher knife about 14 or 15" long overall.  There's nothing worse than a dull fish cleaning knife when you have several to do, so it is sharp, sharp and I mean razor sharp. 

The knife wasn't secured in the sheath, it slid out handle down and sliced my right hand at the base of my pinky finger.  Did I mention it's a very sharp knife?

It's a stitch worthy slice.  Some iodine, steri-strips, super glue (on the strips not the cut) and a couple of fabric band aids and I can function. 

I've spent the last half hour cleaning up blood off the boat, the kitchen floor and in the bathroom.

[TimW]

I had an off brand windshield washer fluid bottle and some left over Cutrine Plus water weed killer.  So I put it in the leftover bottle and wrote what was in it on the label. 
Months later, like last week, I needed to refill my washer reservoir.  Looked in the shop and found the leftover bottle with blue fluid in it.  So I started pouring it in my washer reservoir.  Then I saw the hand writing on the label.  I didn't drain the reservoir, as I remember the pain in removing it when I changed the radiator.  But I  topped it off with tap water and all seems fine right now.  Time will tell

[fluidpowerpro]

At least you wont have to worry about any weeds growing on your windshield.

[TimW]

I do worry about how it might affect the pump.

[rusticretreater]

When you get back to your drinking, mebbe check the label eh?

[Resonator]

Ted, one of the best ways I've found to locate a missing tool, parts, hardware, etc. is to buy a new one. Without fail, as as soon as I get the new one home, I'll find the missing one.

[TimW]

When you get back to your drinking, mebbe check the label eh?

I don't drink.

[doc henderson]

It has been diluted x 2 and the washer pump is prob. not all that different from the sprayer pumps.  should be fine but only time will tell.

[hilltopper46]

I do worry about how it might affect the pump.

Somehow this reminds me of when a so-called friend of mine attempted to lube one of my fishing reels with insect repellant. "It's oil based," he said. It welded critical components of the reel together - there was no redeeming it - I had to pitch it. And it had been a really nice reel, too.

[SwampDonkey]

Even vegetable oil will make some types of rubber into goo. In fact the oil in your hand will. I had a pair of Fiskars scissors with rubber crips, after awhile that rubber broke down into a consistency of putty. 

[doc henderson]

Well, it is done.  at this point you can siphon out what you can and refill with water and run it or keep siphoning it out.  or see how it does and replace if needed.  most of our Fiskars with rubber grips have done the same, but not sure if it is oil.  they may just not age well.  like us .

[SawyerTed]

I do worry about how it might affect the pump.

Somehow this reminds me of when a so-called friend of mine attempted to lube one of my fishing reels with insect repellant. "It's oil based," he said. It welded critical components of the reel together - there was no redeeming it - I had to pitch it. And it had been a really nice reel, too.

DEET takes paint off painted surfaces and has dissolved plenty of important plastic items.

It's awful stuff to put on skin!  

[Nebraska]

So I'm sitting here listening to the generator hum..  when the snow quit blowing  late yesterday afternoon i broke down and got it out.. It's a 15 hp vanguard motor 8kw generator.  It came with electric start, its kind of a booger to pull and start, but the battery situation is a joke they don't last long. I pulled a few times and no go. So i open the shop door looking for inspiration and see my battery charger on the shelf.. It has a jump start function.. So i grab it take two steps towards the extension cord coiled by the door and i ask myself just what in the  world do you think you are doing dumb donkey. (Umm yeah the power is out)

So i go pull a few more times and dig out my reading glasses..  The kill switch was on off...

Fired right up.

[SwampDonkey]

One of them booster batteries can come in handy. But gotta be ready charged. I keep one on the buggy. I upgraded my battery to a heavier one because them small bike batteries last maybe 4 years. Them things that come with the buggy will barely turn over a buggy motor. With the heavier battery you barely have to touch it.  I trickle charge my buggy battery all winter, I just installed it back into the buggy yesterday and went on a couple runs up on the snow covered road by the woodlot. The battery framework and strap works good, no mods to install it securely. It probably won't fit in a generator though, as they are pretty tight spaced. I keep the gen battery on trickle charger to. I probably got 7 years out of the original generator battery.