What did you do today? - 2023/2024 version

[street]

Have a chuck roast in the smoker, and I cannot tell a lie - I chopped down a cherry tree.

ETA - added a cedar tree to the mix. I'll make something from the cedar once it dries out.

Looks like a great day! Found wood or wood you harvest yourself is very satisfying achievement when used on a project.

That side x side is a handy piece of equipment to have. Did you get any snow plowing done this winter with it?

 

[Ronstar]

Looks like a great day! Found wood or wood you harvest yourself is very satisfying achievement when used on a project.

That side x side is a handy piece of equipment to have. Did you get any snow plowing done this winter with it?

We have only had 2" of snow twice. I plowed those 2 days about 10 minutes.

I've taken the plow off hoping that will bring snow, but there isn't any on the horizon. Too warm.

 

[street]

We have only had 2" of snow twice. I plowed those 2 days about 10 minutes.

I've taken the plow off hoping that will bring snow, but there isn't any on the horizon. Too warm.

Well, that is a good thing and a bad thing. Lol

I sure hoping for more snow here before winter is over. I want to play in the snow some more also. We need run-off for crick and dams to fill and run. Been 3 years of a lot of snow early than melts and nothing left by this time of year.

 

[Ronstar]

Well, that is a good thing and a bad thing. Lol

I sure hoping for more snow here before winter is over. I want to play in the snow some more also. We need run-off for crick and dams to fill and run. Been 3 years of a lot of snow early than melts and nothing left by this time of year.

I'm hoping for some snow too. Our lake is probably 8" below normal. Usually the ice is about a normal level this time of year. Very little ice too. It'll probably melt next week. It's going to take a lot to snow/ rain to get back to normal. But we had a dry late summer/ fall and so far winter to overcome.

 

[Walt34]

We have only had 2" of snow twice. I plowed those 2 days about 10 minutes.

I've taken the plow off hoping that will bring snow, but there isn't any on the horizon. Too warm.

That's what usually happens when you spend money on snow-removal equipment. I've told DW that according to what the NWS reports as "average annual snowfall" and what has actually fallen the last several years we are seriously way overdue for a huge paralyzing blizzard when the law of averages catches up. An easy way to prevent (or at least forestall) that is to go out and spend a few grand on a new and bigger snowblower.

Getting back on topic, I shampooed the MB carpeting. I was going to do the family room too but my back started hurting so I quit while I was ahead. I'll do that in a few days.

 

[street]

Today did some more oil changes and maintenance on all the small gas engine equipment I have. I have 10 of them to do each year in the spring. It takes a couple days to get everything ready for the season ahead and I have three left to do and I will do those at the ranch someday. I use full syntenic 5/30 in every engine, so it makes that part easy.

 

[skyking1]

We have been discussing the house design, and I talked with my brother about an hour on the latest room drafts. We are at the finished product and I can go to the grid paper and draw a dimensioned drawing, then transfer it up onto a vellum.
I'll submit it to a designer friend to go over but I am quite happy with the results now.
We are down to some door swing decisions and window size and placement.

 

[Ronstar]

We’ve got a couple of bobcats loose in the neighborhood, so I’ve been on the lookout for them. Supposedly a neighbor has them for pets. And did some woodworking, and a lesson from online history class. Now watching super bowl.

 

[Walt34]

We’ve got a couple of bobcats loose in the neighborhood, so I’ve been on the lookout for them. Supposedly a neighbor has them for pets.

Yup, those things can do a lot of damage when they get loose....

 

[ls99]

Usual morning figure skating.
Early afternoon, layabout outside collecting broad spectrum of of sun's radiation.

 

[MC Rider]

Called the first contractor on our short list to talk about building a garage.
A pre fab steel garage. Get the ball rolling.

It's our big project for the new place.

 

[street]

Yup, those things can do a lot of damage when they get loose....

LOL!

 

[street]

Went and worked on the well pit. I need to hand dig down 30 inches and 36 inch in diameter around well pipe. The one-half side is still frozen somewhat. I built a canopy over the dig area to help it along from being frozen. The air space/gap will do the trick in a few more day. This is on the new land I bought in 2021. So many things I want to do there I will have fun till I can't have fun anymore. Lol

We had >50 degrees today and spring is in the air. Bare ground all over now and water standing and running in the cricks. Even had my second summer picnic today outside in the outdoors.

 

[Ronstar]

^^ A great place for a summer picnic!

 

[Walt34]

Early AM dentist appointment to get a cracked filling replaced.

And I discovered the TV show "Andromeda" is now on youtube for free (albeit with ads) so I've been binge-watching those as time allows.

https://www.youtube.com/show/SC9Q5Iw_3ORi0St-GNHujM1g?season=1&sbp=CgEx

 

[street]

Went hiking looking for arrowheads and just enjoying the beautiful day. I walked into the area where the Goldens have been nesting the last 3 year, that I have known of.

They were there, ma and pa working on that huge nest making sure every twig and branch was just right. I watched from a long way off and they seemed all excited for their new family coming.

I will get some more photos of the eaglets this spring again. Late March the egg/eggs will be laid than about 40 to 45 days till hatched out. They will be soaring the sky by mid-August or so.

 

[Walt34]

As promised the plumber called at 8:00 AM and arrived about 8:30 to install the new water softener. This one was more expensive, but I am told is completely rebuildable if needed, and also has a life expectancy of 15-20 years. No sooner than he left the rain started that is forecast to continue for the rest of the day and into Friday.

A few hours after that, the completely unexpected call came from the delivery guy to deliver the new Troy-Bilt Mustang rear tine tiller that I'd ordered last week. It wasn't scheduled to arrive until tomorrow but that's fine by me. Although it has the Troy-Bilt name on it, it's an MTD product sold under a lot of various brand names like Craftsman, Cub Cadet, Poulan Pro, and the like. There are a lot of reviews on Youtube under the Cub Cadet model RT65, and the manual for this one has no brand name on it but does say model RT65. I'm not planning on starting a farm and I don't care if it still runs for three generations of family so this will be fine for my needs.

All that said, it seems to be of perfectly adequate construction, and is strong where it needs to be. At the moment it's in the unfinished part of the basement where I could take the wheels and tines off in dry comfort to apply anti-seize so they won't get "rust-welded" on there in the future. Those tines are heavy! That and check all the adjustments for clutch engagement and the like. Of course there's no fuel in it. I'll do that a few days after the rain stops.

One thing was unusual, was the motor oil came in a plastic bag instead of a bottle. I'd never seen that before. No sign of a leak though.

 

[MRG]

Yesterday, I woke up to fresh fluffy snow, lots of it, too. I think we had 18" in our driveway till I got to the end, and it was between 3-5 feet deep after the snowplow went through. The new snowblower was getting broken in. I gave it help at the end and broke down the peaks so it wasn't over 2 feet deep. We were in the lower accumulation, our local weather guy lives 3 miles north and got 35", twenty-five miles south got 50"!

Today, I had to drive 55 miles to a doctor's appointment. I left a half-hour early and took it easy. The roads were good except for the bad spots.[emoji4] Much worse on the way down, after the sun worked its magic, it was better until I was a mile from home. The thick slush left on our county road was pushing me into the other lane in front of the garbage truck.

I also went to get some bananas and strawberries for cereal, Walmart had neither, City Market had only bananas. Is there a strawberry shortage?

 

[MC Rider]

I went to ranch hoping the frost had come out enough so I could finish my project but not the case. I did get some things done but while I was there, I took a walk to see if I could find any horns. Sure, enough this guy left both side for me in one spot. Not a total loss for the day. Weather has been really nice, but a cold spell is coming next week.

Wow. Good find. That is the way to get those.

 

[street]

I went to ranch hoping the frost had come out enough so I could finish my project but not the case. I did get some things done but while I was there, I took a walk to see if I could find any horns. Sure, enough this guy left both side for me in one spot. Not a total loss for the day. Weather has been really nice, but a cold spell is coming next week.

Sorry MC Rider, I had to fix something so your post is ahead of mine. Lol

 

[Ronstar]

^ very nice! Rare that both fell off in about the same place.

 

[1242Vintage]

Good news!!! Youngest daughter, my bad a$$ cardiac ICU nurse, finally received her nurse license transfer to Massachusetts for an ICU job at MassGeneral Hospital. Plans to get her moved from Ohio to Boston can now proceed.

In two weeks will fly to Ohio, help her pack up her apartment, and road trip in a moving truck with two cats to Boston. Good times!!

Very proud of this kid. She’s our youngest and has no hearing. She has figured out how to succeed in a very intensive and extremely high pressure environment. Fun to watch how high this kid can fly!!!

 

[Ronstar]

Been doing lots of woodworking to get a couple projects done before we head west on a road trip. Did so much hand sanding that my fingerprints no longer work for computer and iPad fingerprint logins.

 

[aja8888]

Good news!!! Youngest daughter, my bad a$$ cardiac ICU nurse, finally received her nurse license transfer to Massachusetts for an ICU job at MassGeneral Hospital. Plans to get her moved from Ohio to Boston can now proceed.

In two weeks will fly to Ohio, help her pack up her apartment, and road trip in a moving truck with two cats to Boston. Good times!!

Very proud of this kid. She’s our youngest and has no hearing. She has figured out how to succeed in a very intensive and extremely high pressure environment. Fun to watch how high this kid can fly!!!

Wow! Impressive! Proud parents, for sure!

 

[jollystomper]

Taking a brief "break" from the grandkids (almost 4 and 2) who (along with DS and DDIL) are in town from overseas. After a week in DC chasing them through the airport, playgrounds, museums, and parks, and babysitting to allow DS and DDIL some quiet time, we are happily tired. Now we are resting while the family visits some friends for a day... then the action starts back up tomorrow night .