August Coffee Pot - grits & donuts for all

[KRM]

It is morning,

New day new problem, go figure.

 Ranger transmission problem is on the back burner till I get a bent nose long handle snap-ring pliers so I can try to replace the servo snap ring that rusted and broke. Then the servo cap poped out and the truck would not shift into third or reverse. Also chucked oil all over the place.  . Just as well, Last night the AC kicked in and it sounded like a rocket ship was taking off in the basement. Went down and checked and it seems to be cooling but sounds like water running/spraying in it and at first I thought it was the fan motor squealing but when I ran a heat cycle it is fine so it has to be something with the AC system. Oh joy.

So the Plumber just came out and said we got to get a new blower fan. Always something!! He told me the blower has three speeds and on AC it is on high and that is the speed where it makes the noise. So he wired it to middle speed that it runs on in heat mode till he can get a new one for it. So at least we will still be cool. Wonder what that will cost?

 Danny the some day maybe SIL came over yesterday and helped trim up and down the lane, took 4 hours but done for the year now.

 Katie, Dan and the kids came out on Sunday for my 65th birthday that was Saturday and they cooked on the grill and all I had to do was eat and drink beer.

Best be going.

[rtraincollector]

Dennis probably wouldn't give you much more than $1 a car and not much for the engines too. 

Morning all. Not a lot going on here. Trying to think if it would be better to try and sell my stuff in a store setting ( ie after monthly rent would I be better off than selling thru a auction house. )

[wrmcclellan]

Evening all!

Very warm and humid here. 91 today. 86 tomorrow but still very humid.

Boat Propeller shaft packing spud nut is leaking pretty bad. I tried to tighten it but getting too old to lie upside down trying o reach it with one arm extended. So hauled the boat out and hauled it 50 miles to the shop where the young guys can fix it, plus they will replace the packing. I was only going to tighten it To see if it would make the rest of the season.

RT - i thought the market space you and Donna rented a while back did not work well (didn't work badly either) for selling trains?

Dennis - glad you have a break in the heat!

Chief - hope the chemo is going ok?

Ray - glad you are doing better with the swelling!

Phish - man if I could build a small shop..envious!

Mike C - sure that wasn't an American football game?

Kev - i just replaced the fan motor and fan on my a/c condenser. Not cheap. Good deal they got the air handler fan running until the new motor comes in!

[cheapclassics]

Good evening all,

"My" soccer girls lost by a field goal and a touchdown tonight.  Could be a very long season, but the junior high did win Monday night 7-0 so there is hope.  Work was busy and the weather is warmer.  I hope everyone has a good day.

Keep on training,

Mike C. from Indiana

[robmcc]

Morning all! I'm on vacation this week and still up at the crack of dawn!! Ugh...

I got a call from the MasterCard fraud department yesterday to confirm my latest train purchase was legit. It's nice to know they are looking out for you even though it was a little embarassing when the unmentioned store called a few minutes later to say the card was "declined". 

Roy - It does suck wrenching in awkward positions! Every time I work on my Camaro, I curse myself for not putting in a hoist. Now if I had Kev or Jim's garage......

Dennis - You could certainly see what they offer you for your trains. I'm not sure what you would grade them at, but I've seen lots of C5-6 stuff on their website. Like RT said, you know it will probably be a low offer though. You could also check what Traincity has to offer.

Kev - Hope the A/C repair bill isn't too bad. Mine crapped out last year and I planned for the worse. Fortunately, the deacon at my church is also a HVAC service tech and it turned out to be a rusted off connector to my compressor. Happy Belated Birthday too.

Have a great day all and prayers to those in need.

 

[KRM]

The Rusty Ranger is on the road again..

 It was one heck of a fight but at this point it looks like I did it. Just checked to see if it leaked trans fluid on the shed floor and it is dry. So, I got it.

I picked up four items from Harbor freight to get it done. A bent end internal snap ring pliers, A long handle bent end needle nosed pliers, a four pack of assorted pry bars, and an inspection mirror. Total cost at Harbor Freight was $22.00

I ground notches into the snap ring on the flats where you pull it in so it would hold better in the pliers

Then I managed to get the ring into the grove far enough with the pry bar and the bent end needle nosed pliers to where it would not fall out. The problem then was to seat the ring into the grove. So, I invented a fix using the 18” pry bar. I drilled a hole half way through the tip of the pry bar and installed a ½” long piece of 1/8” drill rod into it so it would fit into the trams between the case and the cover and I could push against the exhaust pipe with the bar and push the ring into place. I was doing all of this where I could not reach or see. I thought it sounded as if it had seated but to be sure I needed to see. That is where I used the inspection mirror to look into the ring before I started the truck. It was in place but not seated as well as I would like so I used a 90-degree screwdriver to push between the ring and servo cover till the ring was seated.

robmcc, One thing for sure I am getting too old to be rolling around under cars and trucks at my age. Was not that good 35 years ago but now WOW!

Jim, Thanks for the offer!!

Now to see what today brings???

Here are the tools,

Here is the fix,

Here is the truck,

[Banks]

Hello there,

PT is getting easier. Learning to sleep better too.

Mom is about the same.  Several people have told me she qualifies for nursing care but non have completed the paperwork.

Work is getting less crazy. Did get in a couple of small projects to bid. They will be hard to get since everyone is hungry. Not sure whats up with the owner. His son was in yesterday asking questions

Fife......our August 22 trip to Cumberland got postponed til the first week of October.

Phish. ...good deal on the garage. Built into the hill it would be easy to add a second floor entrance. ......Lot's of extra storage.

I've got several tools from Harbor Frieght. They are pretty good for the price 

Gonna head to bed soon.

Prayers for those in need

[wrmcclellan]

Evening all!

Hot and humid - 90's but no 100's!

Kev - what I like about HF and the cheap tools is I have no hesitation modifying them, cutting them up. I do it all the time.

Banks - glad the arm is doing better!

Rob - good to hear from ya!

[cheapclassics]

Good evening all,

Busy day at work.  Muggy for the walk today.  Thought about mowing tonight, but decided to wait for cooler weather.  Junior high team lost 4-2 but at least they have scored in both games.  Wondering if high school teams ever will.....  I hope everyone has a good day.

Keep on training,

Mike C. from Indiana

 

[lion88roar]

Mornin' Fellas

Hazy Hot and Humid here in MD... fog was so thick this morning I could have taken the kids to their dropoffs in a boat! I can deal with heat, but humidity is another story. Feel like i need to take another shower!

Glad everyone seems to be on the mend!

Fife - glad Fifemax listened... that result could have been rather messy. A couple years ago my neighbor fell asleep in his gazebo, well the next morning he woke to find a good sized bear in the gazebo drinking the hummingbird juice! He got pictures of it after it vacated and headed down to the circle! Worst for me, so far, was the 10pt buck who used our driveway as a path through the neighborhood (he stopped to see what I was doing under the car), the 6ft black snake in the basement, and the snapping turtle who thought our driveway was his sunbed!

[Sturgeon-Phish]

 

Good Afternoon from a sunny hot 96° F w/ 48% humidity Southern Ohio,

 

Due to the hot environment where I work the guys can only work for 30 minutes then go to a cool area for 90 minutes.  This work/rest routine does create some coordinating issues but it is really for the better.  Years ago when I was an operator there were times you would pull off your respirator and pour the sweat out.  It was routine to loose several pounds a day from water loss.  Not so in today’s highly regulated work space.

 

The garage contractors ran into a huge yellow jacket nest while doing ground prep, but the area where the garage is going is looking good.

 

Banks – I was toying with the idea of a gambrel (barn style) roof with a rear entry.  The idea was nixed because my bride wanting to match the existing garage as much as possible and after getting the go ahead to build the garage I didn’t put up too much of an argument.

 

Kev – I bought the snap ring pliers when I did a repair / upgrade to the 4 wheel drive transfer case on my truck after messing with a snap ring for longer than I care to admit.

 

Roy – When we moved it was with the understanding of adding a garage.  I spend quite a bit of time in the garage working on cars or woodworking projects and became totally spoiled by having the garages, not only for the space to work out of the weather but to keep tools safe and where they belong!

 

Brent – We’ve got quite a few critters at the new place.  Two major (beat bare to the ground) deer trail crisscrossing the ridges, raccoons (had to get a different container for the dog food), a crazy fun to watch squirrel family, black and green snakes just so far.  I was surprised  when you consider our wooded 6 acres are in the middle of the city.

 

Got to go

 

May God bless

 

Jim

 

 

 

 

 

[KRM]

Good evening,

Made it through the day without anything else screwing up.

Ranger has a new dipstick tube $36.83 to go with all the rest and the house AC is fixed. Don't know what the bill will be on the AC. Weird thing is the only part Harley changed was the blower wheel and you can't see a anything wrong with it??? Weird!! 

Dip stick tube had a rust hole in it and about as much fluid I put in it came out of the hole.

As for the Ranger. Yeah it is costing me some money but I look at it like this.

Total money in the Ranger to date is $2,100.00 + or - a few bucks, Divide by what I hope to get out of it, 2 years = $1,050.00 per year.

 The new truck after tax and all the other stuff was about 35K+ or - a few bucks. So divide that by the hope of 15 years that will make me 80 years old, then that = $2,333.33 per year. Even more. But if the Ranger does better I win. If not I screwed up but life is risk.

So, so far I am sticking with the program, most because I want that plow on the Ranger.  LOL Besides I like the fight as long as I can do it. 

Jim, those snap ring pliers you have are for external rings and I needed one for an internal ring so they would not work, but thanks!

One thing for sure,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,best thing I ever did was install central AC in the shop along with the heat. If not for that I would not be working in there with this heat at my age.

Roy, I agree on the HF tools, can't go wrong. And I still have all of them even after the fix.

Weather cooled down nice and we have a nice breeze out there, very nice for drinking beer in front of the shop. 

Chief, check in and let us know how your doing. 

Have a good one.

Anyone know where Bob from AZ. is?? Is he stuck on that other forum I am not alowed at??? Hope he is doing well. Always liked his stories of working on things.

[fifedog]

Evenin' boys.  Bear struck the hummingbird feeder out front.  Bent the fancy metal pole at a 90 degree angle, but couldn't figure out how to get the juice.

Banks - I'm not going anywhere.  When you can...

[wrmcclellan]

Evening all!

Another warm and muggy day but not 96 (Phish - ouch).

plus Phish - sounds like you work in a foundry?

Fife - I saw in one of those many Alaska wilderness shows that you should pee high up on your trees around your place as well as the house, etc. That way the Bears will think there is a big competitor claiming the territory! If nothing else the neighbors will be entertained - heck maybe the bears also!

Kev - average the two trucks annual cost -gets better every year the old Ranged makes it.

[cheapclassics]

Good evening all,

Some rain today.  Good day at work.  Boys played well in an 8-0 loss which was much more competitive than the score indicates.   A few inches lower on some of the shots and we would be talking about a vastly different outcome.  The girls on the other hand got humiliated 15-0.   Taking tomorrow off to take wife to eye specialist for a check up.  I hope everyone has a good day.

Keep on training,

Mike C. from Indiana

[Banks]

TGIF!!!!!!!!

Off to get my shoulder stretched.

 

Prayers for those in need

[lion88roar]

fifedog

Evenin' boys.  Bear struck the hummingbird feeder out front.  Bent the fancy metal pole at a 90 degree angle, but couldn't figure out how to get the juice.

Banks - I'm not going anywhere.  When you can...

How to keep bears away

[wrmcclellan]

Hey Brent - I can come to you for a  ?

[KRM]

Good morning,

Off to the dentist for a check up and cleaning at 9:45 then pick up some lunch from Dave's Dawgs and head home. Going to test run the Ranger.

Nice here today. 64 now with a high of 80. AC is off!

Fife, do you have any trail Cams out to get some pictures of your furry black friends?  We have plenty of cridders here but I must say I am glad we don't have bear. They can be a mess to deal with.

[sir james I]

Sun and 75 today. A nice breeze this morning. Windows are open. Some rain yesterday but the yard needed it. We have green grass instead of August brown.

S.J.

[fifedog]

Wifey loves that we have a bear visiting.  She has even named him "Henry".  "Henry" has been 3 feet from the rear porch, and 12 feet from the front door.  She's only caught a glimpse of him.  If she saw the bear guzzling down the hummingbird mix, she would just send me out to Southern States for more.

88 - I loved it when the boys were in pee-wee football.  Good stuff.

[rtraincollector]

Fife, wife worried about you and your bear friend. 

[KRM]

Fife,,,Guess your not going to reply to my question on the trail cams,, but your last post was spoken as one would expect from true city folks.     Better ask your neighbors their thoughts on the bears as long as they have been in the area for a while. Where I know people with bears,,,,, they carry nothing smaller than a 357 with them all the time. They are not like the animals you were used to in your job.

But your new to the neighborhood...they (the bears / Henry) don't have guns but they can get you just the same, and your dog to!    JMHO

Yeah, if we had bear here and thank God, we don’t. I would discourage my wife from going any closer to them then I would her going close to Rainbow Beach in the city.

There was a nice 8 point today run in front of me still in felt. Nice guy but he was on the move.

Life is good in the woods today.

 

[cheapclassics]

Good evening all,

Fife, please careful with the bears.  Usually when people and bears mix, the bears win.  Good check up for wife today.  Mowed yard with big mower.  Despite tall grass, it kept moving well.  Went to Frisch's for dessert tonight.  Humidity lower today.  KRM, I have to admire the logic on the truck.  Going to be busy tomorrow.  Two games to ref.  One English Premiere League match on TV.  Junior high kids play at 2 PM.  Mass at 4:30 and the Indy 11 are supposed to be on TV Saturday night.   Lots and lots of that "all American" sport that the Chief loves so much.  LOL!  I hope everyone has a good day.

Keep on training,

Mike C. from Indiana

[fifedog]

Us "city folks" are taking it in stride, like our neighbors have told us.  We call each other (about 10 homes in all nearby) when the bear is around.  Geez guys, I was born in the morning, but not yesterday morning....

[KRM]

Good morning,

No offence Fife, just be careful around them their bears. I warn the wife to be careful around the bucks here, they are known to attack people at times. You just never know, you know.

Put 30 miles on the Ranger yesterday and she is running fine. Think that problemm is done.

Looks like another fine day on the North Bluff today. 64 now and heading to 79.

I put new gravel down on the north half of the woof shed floor and re-set the plastic pallets yesterday. So Now I got to get cutting and splitting wood to fill that side for next year’s wood.

Prayers for all in need.

 

 

[wrmcclellan]

Morning all!

Warm today and low humidity. Perfect summer day and weekend on tap!

Got the boat back last night - shake down cruise good - no serious water in the bilge.

Also have had enough rain to keep the lawn green - first time in a decade!

[ChiefEagles]

Good morning all.  Sorry haven't been by in a while.  Been bust town and county wise.  Then running with Wifey to pick out stuff.  Hope to mow today.  Wifey wants to go to other side of county to pickup a chest. 

Increase one more pill tonight.  Seems same results.  Get sleepy and then feel better late Sunday.

Out for a 4 PM lunch/dinner as Wifey's birthday tomorrow and Cathy's [daughter] Tuesday.  Granddaughter's birthday in there somewhere.  Col is a BIG boy.  Tall and a little cubby.  Eating everything [Lea grinding food for him].  Loves squash.

Someone calling now.  

Later

 

[robmcc]

Hi all! I finally got around to putting my mug in for my avatar. (I can change it back to the default if requested!!)

I picked up my latest and greatest SD70ACe today. I'll put it through the paces later.

I was going to go to the nearby ANG base for their open house/ air show today, but the weather is looking quite suspect, so I'll pass for this year.

Is anyone going to try and check out the solar eclipse on Monday? Prime viewing in my area is around 2:30ish, so I'm going to sneak out a little early......

Roy - glad the boat is up and running!

Fife - I'm having a craving for bear jerky for some reason........

Prayers to all in need and have a great day!

Rob

 

[dougdagrump]

G'Day all.

Weather has been absolutely delightful this past week, no AC required.

Things went well for most of the day at the museum but two of my MTH engines demonstrated the need for new batteries. For now I am just going with new ones as opposed to spending a lot more for BCR's. Maybe in the future. The BetterHalf has been my chauffer for awhile now and by the time we close for the day I am just dead on my feet and more than happy to sit back and let somebody else do the driving.

Speaking of the BetterHalf, the munchkin's b'day is next month and he goes back to school on Monday. As a last hurrah for summer and an early b'day present they went and did something together while Gramps was at the museum. He is in the clip on the left and the BetterHalf is in the clip on the right.   https://media3.iflyworld.com/flyer.php?id=QPW5Y&utm_source=confirmation+email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=media+purchase>*Please#

Now you know why we have been together almost 52yrs, we're both looney tunes.

Later all.

Have a safe and enjoyable rest of the weekend.

After today's news events thoughts and prayers for the men and women who put on the uniform.