What's everybody doing today?

[INresponse]

I'll help you if you're my neighbor. Ha Ha. Around here they call it having a "work frolic", meaning it's supposed to be fun.

People still help their neighbors? I haven't experienced that since I moved from Michigan in '92.

 

[Amish Heart]

Everyone here helps all the time. Word gets out.

 

[INresponse]

I've used heat tapes before, both in a mobile home I had once and on livestock waterers. Problem here is, there's no power outlet where I need it. And, I think what's happening is that there's no insulation around the tub and the water lines run between the tub and the wall so I'd have to be able to rip the tub out to get to them. Don't think the landlady is going to allow me to do that...

Even though both my bathrooms are interior rooms I keep considering running the heated floor tape under the bathtubs to keep that area warmer and to keep a hot bath warmer longer, but with one bathtub already in place that would be difficult or impossible. The master bath is still not set but I don't have the extra cash now to buy and install the heated floor. It's not a major problem, but it would be nice if I could make it happen.

 

[Spikedriver]

Good morning, H&CL! Got my hot water thawed out, but the shower drain is still frozen shut so I'm off to the church coffee shop to use the shower there. Yeah, I know, it's weird that they have showers in the bathrooms there. Pastr told me that when they turned the front of the building into the coffee shop, they decided to put the showers in as a community service in case of disaster like tornados or water line failures in town. It's supposed to be an outreach to the community, and they actually get used a few times each year when something funky happens around town. You know, like a bad cold snap that freezes somebody's shower drain...

 

[Pearl]

Good morning, H&CL! Got my hot water thawed out, but the shower drain is still frozen shut so I'm off to the church coffee shop to use the shower there. Yeah, I know, it's weird that they have showers in the bathrooms there. Pastr told me that when they turned the front of the building into the coffee shop, they decided to put the showers in as a community service in case of disaster like tornados or water line failures in town. It's supposed to be an outreach to the community, and they actually get used a few times each year when something funky happens around town. You know, like a bad cold snap that freezes somebody's shower drain...

He was thinking right!!

 

[rice paddy daddy]

I'm headed over to the east side of our county, away from the farms, cattle, and horses, over to the over populated hell hole to go to Lowes.
Need some 3/4" AC plywood to patch a hole in the living quarters of my wife's horse trailer. The water holding tank leaked and rotted the floor.
I usually get all my building materials at the Ace Hardware in town, but they only sell 4X8 sheets.

Our county, Nassau, is the northernmost in Florida and is divided roughly in half by I-95. To the east is the Atlantic Ocean, and this part is heavily populated by people from elsewhere (mainly "up north") and is getting worse by the year.
West of I-95 is rural, but the cancer is spreading this way. We are looked down on as hicks, rednecks, and that is fine with me.

Our once sleepy area is getting like South Florida, and I'm glad I've only got 10 or 15 years of life left.

 

[Spikedriver]

It's -9° in my sleepy little town today. I've got a Dr. appointment to go to later this morning. It's a two block walk to the office and I don't want to go. Lol...

 

[phideaux]

Them guys are back at it in the basement.
The big jack hammer finished yesterday. So only the baby hammers are running.

They say they gonna Finnish up today.
Hmmm.. we'll see.

It's 15 deg outside with a north wind.
So they're gonna haul 20+ bags of cement downstairs and mix it by hand in the basement .uuugghh.

They sure got a lot of cleaning up to do.

Hope I can hook the hot water heater up tomorrow.

I am just supervising...

Jim

 

[rice paddy daddy]

This is the best time of year in NE Florida.
Tuesday it was 30 degrees at sunrise, by 2:00 PM it was in the 60's.

 

[Weedygarden]

Now that the GF and her kids are all comfortable in their bedrooms and no longer living in trailers in the yard no one wants to help. I really want to b!+(h and complain but that will make me the bad guy.

How old are the kids? I would make up a list of what can be done, all the jobs and chores. Figure out what the kids can do and what the gf can do. Have a sit down meeting and ask if they see all that you are doing? "Am I having fun?" "While I'm doing all of this, what are you doing?" If I wasn't doing this, what would happen to this house? Where were you living? Would you like to go live there again? On and on.

If you are feeling this frustrated, will it get better, or will it get worse. Have a reasonable conversation before you blow your top!

When I was a child and the designated servant, I had no power to have this kind of conversation, but 6 people, 3 of them being adults, and the 3 that were children, equally as capable as me, sat on their behinds while I cleaned the house, cooked meals, did the dishes, mowed the lawn, shovel the snow.

 

[Neb]

Question. It's winter time, can I cut ends off the grapes now and start trying to root them? When I tried rooting a couple years ago I was under the impression I needed new spring growth. But, that was for trees, not grapes. I could use a couple more grape vines.

Thanks in advance.
Michael

See Mike Mcgrority



Hard wood cuttings propagation has worked for me with grapes and Chinese Chestnut.

Ben

 

[zannej]

@INresponse I know you are venting and its frustrating, but have you asked them to help you when you were working on stuff? Maybe they think you've got it handled or are worried they will get in your way. They might not know you want them to help. Verbal communication is important. It doesn't help to sit and stew about things without expressing what you want. I don't think anyone is trying to be inconsiderate of your feelings there. But it sounds like you've had a lot to deal with so you're stressed out. Even if your gf doesn't ask you if you're ok, maybe she assumes you don't want to talk about it unless you volunteer that info rather than her not caring or being concerned. You can tell her you've been feeling anxious. The next time you're working on something and you want someone to chip in, maybe ask someone "hey, can you come hold this" Or ask them to do something specific to help. They might be willing to, but they might not know what you need them to do. I know how it feels to be working and have people just watch and not help, so I totally get the frustration. My brother will stand there and laugh at me when I'm getting winded trying to do something. I'll ask him for help and sometimes he will help.

Barometric pressure has me feeling bleh again. I barely had any room on the bed last night. Couldn't seem to get comfortable. I couldn't move a limb without disrupting the dogs and cats. Fippy was very vocal about his displeasure at being disturbed. LOL.

Took medicine, cleaned cats ears, fed cats, and am listening to my stomach rumble. I think I'll get some chicken noodle soup.

 

[Bacpacker]

Question. It's winter time, can I cut ends off the grapes now and start trying to root them? When I tried rooting a couple years ago I was under the impression I needed new spring growth. But, that was for trees, not grapes. I could use a couple more grape vines.

Thanks in advance.
Michael

I have took cuttings in the winter, but ypically do in the fall.
Give a few a try. Worst thing is you'll have to repeat next year.

 

[Mountain trapper]

Its been snowing all day, only a few inches so far, but it could add up to a foot or more by tonight. The wife wants to do some shooting. We shoot off the covered front porch, mostly at fence posts or trees. When the snow melts I'll set up a target.
Later today we're going to meet another couple in town for pizza.
We get mail 3 days a week here. My snowblower parts and a couple gun catalogs should be in Friday's mail.

 

[Curmudgeon]

since I moved from Michigan in '92.

What area?

 

[Smalltimefarmer]

Wind chill in the teens and it's wet and muddy outside so I'm inside cleaning and having a warm fire.

 

[zannej]

I went and got mail and per mom's request got Boudin at a local place. I had some boudin balls with cheese. Cleaned up a bunch of rice the cats knocked over and spilled. My brother is going to make me some maccha tea.

Watched my brother troll one of the cats. He got Gravy Jones to get on the potato bin. He then petted him and said "Are you a smart feller? NO, but you're a FART SMELLER!" and farted in the cat's face. Cat jumped down. I just about died laughing.

 

[Spikedriver]

OK, I'm a moron...

My brother called and we were discussing my frozen drain. He said, "You've got a coffee pot, don't you?" and my light bulb went on. A coffee pot of hot water into the tub, and my drain is now open. I feel like an idiot for not doing that first...

At my Dr. appointment we discussed my labs.

A1c = 6.1 outstanding for a type 1 diabetic
Cholesterol = 172 but ratio is a little off. She wants me to try Zetia or Welchol and fish oil pills instead of statins.
Triglycerides = 101, just right.

More or less, she said she wished all her patients had labs like mine. To celebrate, I went home and made a double cheeseburger for lunch

 

[snappy1]

Another busy couple of days. Walked yesterday, but not today.

Yesterday, paid a few bills, walked the dogs, made a 3 bean salad for Church meeting today. Went to prayer meeting at 6 last night.

Today, made an Apple Crumble for same Church meeting, Went to meeting at 10 this morning to set up for dinner at noon (after meeting). Served and cleaned up. Church at 5:30 tonight and then hope to rest. My days don't sound that busy, but I don't even sit down to watch tv until late afternoon. I guess it's good to have things to do! And it's cold here! 36 and that's the high. 27 tonight. I'm from Central FL and apparently made for that weather!

 

[Pearl]

Another busy couple of days. Walked yesterday, but not today.

Yesterday, paid a few bills, walked the dogs, made a 3 bean salad for Church meeting today. Went to prayer meeting at 6 last night.

Today, made an Apple Crumble for same Church meeting, Went to meeting at 10 this morning to set up for dinner at noon (after meeting). Served and cleaned up. Church at 5:30 tonight and then hope to rest. My days don't sound that busy, but I don't even sit down to watch tv until late afternoon. I guess it's good to have things to do! And it's cold here! 36 and that's the high. 27 tonight. I'm from Central FL and apparently made for that weather!

That's COLD for Mississippi!! And I'm not from central Florida, but I'm made for that weather! Come on SUMMER!!

 

[Double R]

Are you moving somewhere new? Good luck!
It took us a long time to find the property we have now

Oh yes. Long time dream coming true we hope. We’ve been trying to find a place for a while. Tough time to move though. Prayers are being answered when the time is right.

People still help their neighbors? I haven't experienced that since I moved from Michigan in '92.

Definitely. I run the high risk of being sued but still to this day help. Usually it’s just to pull one outta the mud since they all can’t seem to learn wet means sink

 

[Amish Heart]

It is cold. Warmed up here to 20 degrees, and that's as good as it gets today. Went into the bigger town today for our tax appt, went to Aldi and stocked up, but there were tons of empty holes. I bought a half cart of pantry food, but the other half was fresh food. Sale on cherries, grapes, and strawberries. All favorites. Grocery put away, and the grandkids will be home, soon. Need to work on the bathroom yet. Sad news for my cousin's daughter. She got worse last night, is in the hospital (covid and pneumonia) and I heard that they have her o2 as high as they can without ventilating her. I know it's not the prayer thread, but prayers for
Ellen Schrock, please. Wife of an amish minister (Nathan), and mother of five.

 

[Double R]

Definitely prayers going up @Amish Heart

 

[INresponse]

What area?

Just north of Detroit, 10 and Harper area.

 

[dademoss]

Ellen will be in my thoughts and prayers. Not much today, 24 degrees and breezy, so the outside activity was cleaning and refilling the "Community Cats" water bowl and bringing in the trash and recycle bins.

 

[INresponse]

OK, I'm a moron...

My brother called and we were discussing my frozen drain. He said, "You've got a coffee pot, don't you?" and my light bulb went on. A coffee pot of hot water into the tub, and my drain is now open. I feel like an idiot for not doing that first...

Well, I guess I should apologize. When you posted about this last time I thought about using hot water to thaw the drain but I assumed you would have tried that already. Usually bathtubs and showers have hot water so I thought the frozen part was too far away.

 

[Neb]

I finished the puck light on the right side of the sink.

With no other lights on there seems to good light coverage. In case it helps the pucks are about 12" apart.

The rats nest of wiring was tamed using corner concealers and tie wrap mounting pads.

I could have been cleaner if I cut wires and solder them heat shrink etc but I would loose the modular plug n play if any of the pucks fail.

After hob nobbing with my brother we agreed to lose the dimmer since it complicated the install and the kitchen has 16 possible lighting options (ceiling, range hood, under counter, and sink and any combo of those).

Strated the grape vine clones ( see garden 2022 thread ).

I will order another set of puck lights as spares if ever needed. The complication with gizmos like the puck lights is there is no guarantee they will available in the future. (There more to prepping than just food guns gold and retirement after all.).

Tomorrow my brother will gost the counter top contractors when they come to make the templates.

Keeping at it.

Ben

 

[Curmudgeon]

Just north of Detroit, 10 and Harper area.

10 fer, I was just curious. I'm about an hour west of there in Jackson County, Waterloo Rec Area.

 

[zannej]

Spikedriver, have you ever tried Krill Oil? It doesn't leave a fishy taste. I get 500mg Krill Oil from Samsclub.

Amish_Heart, sending good vibes for your cousin's daughter. Hope she'll pull through.

Ben, kitchen is looking great! Where did you find the corner concealers? Is that the term they are called when shopping for them? I hope your grape vines grow well.

It's chilly here. Got a call from the nice neighbor to say that he dropped off some hay while I was napping. He refused to accept any money for it. He's such a sweet man. Said the cows were trying to eat it before he even got it unloaded. He and his wife just got over Covid but he seems to be feeling well now. I wish I'd heard him out there so I could have gone out and thanked him in person.

 

[Neb]

...

Ben, kitchen is looking great! Where did you find the corner concealers? Is that the term they are called when shopping for them? I hope your grape vines grow well.
....

Amazon
85in Corner Cable Concealer, One-Cord Corner Duct, Paintable Corner Cord Cover, Cable Management Channel for Wall Corner, Floor Baseboard, Ceiling - 5 X L 17in
Ben