What did you do today?

[Jeff-C175 7,202]

8 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

Just get you a Flowbee. 

 

I've actually been using a Flowbee since they first came out!  Honest!  And it does a darn nice job too...  but I'm "On Strike" until God gives in and gives us all a break!

 

By then I might need new blades to cut through the under brush!

Edited February 11, 2021 by Jeff-C175

[ebinmaine 67,627]

5 minutes ago, Jeff-C175 said:

 

I've actually been using a Flowbee since they first came out!  Honest!  And it does a darn nice job too...  but I'm "On Strike" until God gives in and gives us all a break!

 

I did know someone years ago who's wife cut his hair with one for several years. He had a 70s bowl haircut as long as knew him.... From about 1991 to 2000 when I moved. Worked for them. 

 

S'not your god that needs to give a break... It's all the "flock"....

Oye. Humans......

 

[Pullstart 62,912]

I just had a thought.  I can only imagine how hard we’d laugh if we were all sitting around a bonfire!

[WVHillbilly520H 10,373]

This is the 4 tenths of a mile driveway going in my parents' place from off the old county road, I just wanted to illustrate how much snow blowing/plowing and maintenance the old Cub Cadets and my 520H has done throughout the years now mainly its the Kioti, bit of a long video, (I had my boy run the camera while I drove).

[WVHillbilly520H 10,373]

@Ed Kennell, from age 6 to 16 had to walk that driveway (most days unless torrential downpours) to catch the "van" to go another 3 miles just to catch the actual bus to go to school. Kids don't know they have it made now adays.

[Ed Kennell 38,227]

Thanks for the ride Jeff.     Brings back some tough but sweet memories.   The small shed about half way up....Is that a pump house with a clam shell pump maybe.

[Handy Don 12,237]

14 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

The small shed about half way up....Is that a pump house with a clam shell pump maybe

Had the same thought...spring house!

[WVHillbilly520H 10,373]

48 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

Thanks for the ride Jeff.     Brings back some tough but sweet memories.   The small shed about half way up....Is that a pump house with a clam shell pump maybe.

 

33 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

Had the same thought...spring house!

 

First off I know I have mentioned before I grew up "Amish" style all horse drawn equipment slowly changed over to Allis Chalmers drawn for gardening/farming/haymaking ect, my great/grandparents were "subsistence" farmers homesteaders, not so much for profit but did sell any thing overproduced to pay the bills,   Okay now the drive...  First one the right (now) grey vinyl sided house is my (now deceased) grandparents' house built around 1950/60, the garage to the left, red 2 story to the right was a (layer) chicken house (half of it was torn down, the next 2 story is/was the "smoke house" for pork/beef with a cistern house in front, next up on the left is a "spring" house no pump , but piped to the cistern the next on the left is newer but was a "machine" shed but fell apart before being rebuilt to what you seen and then only 30 or so feet above it is the foundation of the old "brooder" chicken house, then the house next up on the left is/was my great grandparents' home built around 1920, next on the right "corn crib" with additions and then the barn built around 1950 to the mobile home I grew up in from 1973, my dad was/is very "frugal" to say the least, I can't say the same, I figure I can't take it with me, but I am still very humble by my upbringing. Hope this helps.

Edited February 14, 2021 by WVHillbilly520H

[Handy Don 12,237]

I think a lot of us got our starts in households where money was really tight. That you have so much of your family's history along one lane is pretty unusual and something I'm sure you cherish.

[WHX?? 48,828]

1 hour ago, WVHillbilly520H said:

had to walk that driveway

Bet it was uphill both ways Billy! 

 

What I did this weekend ..Lake Winnebago...google that and sturgeon. Very traditional here, we cut big holes in the ice and look down them in hopes of seeing a fish.  Looking to spear a dinosaurus ( no not you @stevasaurus) came up empty handed but boy did Cindy fish hard and saw a lousy gar and two shad.... 

-16 when we cut in on friday and -18 when we went out today got up to a high of -1. So warm in the shack tho I took my boots off and napped while she fished! I bought a tag but regulated myself to just a guide. 

[WVHillbilly520H 10,373]

12 minutes ago, WHX24 said:

Bet it was uphill both ways Billy! 

 

Depends which direction you were walking 

[Handy Don 12,237]

14 hours ago, WHX24 said:

sturgeon

I live along the Hudson River. Atlantic Sturgeon are endangered in the river and protected (taking or possession carries stiff penalty). Last summer out in my rowing boat I spotted one dead along the shoreline and reported it to the state DEC. They picked it up and messaged me thanks saying that it had been hit by a "high speed boat propeller", that it was a not-fully-mature female, and it was 60" long. Yeah, I was really surprised at how big they were!

[Jeff-C175 7,202]

Some more work in the crawlspace past week or so.

 

Please don't beat me up too badly on the quality of my block work.  I can do better in not such a confined space, honest!  I'm a frugal SOB and these block are OLD SALVAGE and not all the exact same size.  I had trouble cutting the old block for the small gaps at the end of the course, probably because they were so old, so I filled with foam.  

 

There was this opening in the foundation wall into the old 'well pit' alongside the house.  The pit is underneath a concrete patio, that's what you see in the first pic below the backer board piece.  The 'blackness' beyond is a 5x5x5 'bunker of doom'.  I sealed the well head and abandoned the pit in prep for contractors coming to 'encapsulate' the crawlspace.  Once the insulation is on the foundation walls no one will see my amateur masonry work.  In spite of it's looks, it's not going anywhere in my lifetime!

 

I framed above the replaced blocks to support the sill and joists that have been 'free hanging' for about 60 years.  They had sagged a full 1" over the years.  I don't know why the 'dead men' thought this was a good idea?!

 

An interesting side note, for me at least, is that I used the very same trowels and tools that were probably used to build this foundation back in the mid-20s!  All my Grand-FILs and FILs tools were left for me when we bought the home in the early 80s.

 

The 'bow' in the framing that makes it look 'crooked' is mostly from the fish eye of the camera lens, but there might be a 'wee' bit of sag on the left side.

 

 

Then I covered the framing with tile backer concrete board which I may spooge over with mortar if I can complete all the other jobs before March 3rd.  If not, it "is what it is".

 

 

 

SCARY for me!  Some of the CINDER (not Concrete!) block was starting to crumble apart.  I don't have any progress pics, but here is the end result. 

 

I supported the house best I could, chipped out the worst of the blocks, fearful for my life that the house would collapse on me, shoved in and mortared some NEW blocks in place, and parged the reapaired area with mortar.  I had much more room to work in this area and it was actually easier than closing up that well pit.

 

 

Next phase is to pour the footings for the support piers under the main beam... stay tuned for more fun!  Same bat channel, same bat place!

 

File this under "I'm too old for this 5h1t" !

 

 

Edited February 15, 2021 by Jeff-C175

[Mickwhitt 4,642]

Good work there Jeff, I have started to measure things in will it last as long as me. I don't care if someone e new has to redo the work after im gone, good luck to them.

Spent an hour putting up information signs, checking the toad fence and getting bucket traps ready to collect stray toads to stop them hitting the road.

Then made a mounting bracket and fitted a cctv camera for my brother. All in a days work lol 

 

[Handy Don 12,237]

9 hours ago, Jeff-C175 said:

File this under "I'm too old for this 5h1t" !

 

Amen to that. Still, ya done good!

Last week was in a crawl space that required some gymnastics to get into via an awkwardly located hatch. I nearly got myself stuck and it finally dawned on this dunce that I don't have the strength and flexibility I once had.

However, did my inspection, found the ductwork routing that the contractor claimed wasn't there, shot some videos and stills to prove it, and managed to get out again to tell the tale! I'll get someone else to do the "after" inspection!

[Horse Newbie 7,075]

10 hours ago, Handy Don said:

Sturgeon

I thought that was that big motorcycle rally in "The Black Hills"... always wanted to go !

[Handy Don 12,237]

Sturgis, Sturgeon, Potato, Potato, right?

VERY impressive set of wheels, but must be uncomfortable to ride sitting on those frame rails! 

[Jeff-C175 7,202]

10 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

awkwardly located hatch

 

This one isn't really easy either but not to the point that I might get stuck.  I swear it's shrunk over the years though, it's about half the size it was 20 years ago!

 

I worked as electrician helper about 50 years ago.  I got all the 5h1t jobs of course.  We had to pull a cable from one end of the home to the other.  The crawl was a 'slither on your belly like a reptile' type.  Had to tunnel under the main beam.  To make matters worse, it was on a lagoon about two feet above sea level.  I dug down about a foot and hit water.  I didn't last long at that job!

[Horse Newbie 7,075]

29 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

Sturgis, Sturgeon, Potato, Potato, right?

VERY impressive set of wheels, but must be uncomfortable to ride sitting on those frame rails! 

I have took it down the street a ways with no saddle...for a quick burn out after a tune up...lol.

This pic was taken one day after it got a bath and I had not put the saddle back on yet

[Horse Newbie 7,075]

@Handy Don, you had it right...just having a little chuckle 

[Ed Kennell 38,227]

On 2/14/2021 at 6:02 PM, WVHillbilly520H said:

they have it made now adays.

I'm not so sure Jeff.            When I look back at my childhood, I sometimes wish my kids and grandkids would have had the opportunity to experience some of the time I spent in the  fields, woods and coal mines  of the Appalachian Mts.       My Dad ran a sawmill near Ft. Ashby WVa.

  My Granddad had three hand dug mines  open on his 25 acre hog farm which is where I was raised.    And as Loretta sang, my mother was a "Coal Miners Daughter".

This is my Granddad holding My mother.

Me on BOB....one of the ponies we used to pull the coal from the mines and to work the fields.

Right to Left.   Me, Uncle Sonny, Sisters Lois and Elsie.

 

 

Yeah, it was lean times, but I cherish every memory as I know you also do.

 

Edited February 16, 2021 by Ed Kennell

[Horse Newbie 7,075]

15 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

I'm not so sure Jeff.            When I look back at my childhood, I sometimes wish my kids and grandkids would have had the opportunity to experience some of the time I spent in the  fields, woods and coal mines  of the Appalachian Mts.       My Dad ran a sawmill near Ft. Ashby WVa.

  My Granddad had three hand dug mines  open on his 25 acre hog farm which is where I was raised.    And as Loretta sang, my mother was a "Coal Miners Daughter".

This is my Granddad holding My mother.

Me on BOB....one of the ponies we used to pull the coal from the mines and to work the fields.

Right to Left.   Me, Uncle Sonny, Sisters Lois and Elsie.

 

 

Yeah, it was lean times, but I cherish every memory as I know you also do.

 

Man, I love these pics.

I'm telling ya... They. Do. Not. Make. Them. Like. That. Anymore !

I've always thought I would have liked it back then...probably would not have known it until later though...

[Handy Don 12,237]

On the topic....

I gave some significant thought to some of the earlier posts about member's pasts and came to a conclusion.

What I knew as a child and youngster was what my parents and grandparents lived not what they said. Yes, I had chores (lots) and little money, and yes I found ways to misbehave and cause some trouble and get yelled at, but I had food, clothing, a home, people who took care of me and showed me things that turned out to be important (because what did I know?). I hope as a parent and grandparent, that my life has been, and continues to be, valuable to these next generations. I cannot confer wealth, great wisdom, or an absence of either fear or sadness--only my example.

I worked with hundreds of teens (10th-12th grade) for over 20 years and I can tell you with conviction and proof that among those young people there were enough good ones that I remain optimistic for the future. Some have become treasured and fast friends with families of their own.

I have, I hope, some years more to be amid those I care about. I plan to do my best to make it worthwhile.

[Horse Newbie 7,075]

14 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

On the topic....

I gave some significant thought to some of the earlier posts about member's pasts and came to a conclusion.

What I knew as a child and youngster was what my parents and grandparents lived not what they said. Yes, I had chores (lots) and little money, and yes I found ways to misbehave and cause some trouble and get yelled at, but I had food, clothing, a home, people who took care of me and showed me things that turned out to be important (because what did I know?). I hope as a parent and grandparent, that my life has been, and continues to be, valuable to these next generations. I cannot confer wealth, great wisdom, or an absence of either fear or sadness--only my example.

I worked with hundreds of teens (10th-12th grade) for over 20 years and I can tell you with conviction and proof that among those young people there were enough good ones that I remain optimistic for the future. Some have become treasured and fast friends with families of their own.

I have, I hope, some years more to be amid those I care about. I plan to do my best to make it worthwhile.

Very well said my good man !

[WVHillbilly520H 10,373]