What's everybody doing today?

[zannej]

Ben, the siding on that house looks like the siding on my friend's house (but in better condition).

Had to take mom for her doctor appointment today. It went well. She needs to cut back on sweets, adjust her insulin, and take prescription vitamin D (since she doesn't go outside enough in the sun).

Got mail and then went to Walmart. Brother helped unload stuff and put things away. I helped him unload his laundry from the dryer afterward. I need to do some loads now that the washing machine is working again and I cleared enough of a path to get through (although it's still a pain with my brother's crap piled up on the floor). I need to replace a lightbulb since there is no light working in the hallway.

Found some diagrams my father drew of all of the electrical in the house. Need to see if I can figure it out (need a magnifying glass or some kind of glasses to read it). I'll have to scan it.

Ran out of room on my phone for taking pictures and such so I need to clear some junk.

Tomorrow will hopefully be a day of rest.

 

[Neb]

Ben, the siding on that house looks like the siding on my friend's house (but in better condition).

....

That "siding" may have been the exterior wall of an add-on to the original structure. There was another addition where kitchen is going to be that was build with 1Xs or siding... before plywood...

That siding may have been covered for 1/2 a century.

I would love to dig into the history of the building. It appears there was a central room with a fire place. The laundry room was added with the siding shown in the picture and had a hole in the roof for a chimney.... A kitchen maybe?

Ben

 

[GaryLa]

I am leaning toward learning how to build the boiler because a ready made boiler is $6k !

I was wondering if you've made any headway on the design of your boiler.

I have been using the Bryan Boiler and Stanley Steamer Boiler designs for inspiration.

I have been kicking around a number of ideas for some time, and frankly it's time to actually build something.

 

[Spikedriver]

Headed back to my hometown for the sale of my grandmother's farm. The auction company rented the reception hall at the golf course to conduct the auction and there will be phone and online bids, I guess. It was advertised nationwide. I had no idea things were going to be such a big deal. I have no idea what to expect, other than sadness. Daughter and I will visit the place for a few minutes before it sells...

 

[Neb]

I was wondering if you've made any headway on the design of your boiler.

I have been using the Bryan Boiler and Stanley Steamer Boiler designs for inspiration.

I have been kicking around a number of ideas for some time, and frankly it's time to actually build something.

I purchased a set of plans for one but...

I have an issue with...

What I have to do vs what I want to do.



Ben

 

[GaryLa]

I purchased a set of plans for one but...

Would that be one of those "M" boilers from Tiny Power?

Have you seen the Bryan Boilers or looked at the Stanley Steamers?

 

[squirrelhunter]

Took the Mrs. to town to get a few things,now I'm waiting on some stuff I ordered for her Christmas plus something else for us.

 

[Neb]

Would that be one of those "M" boilers from Tiny Power?

Have you seen the Bryan Boilers or looked at the Stanley Steamers?

That sound right.

Ben

 

[zannej]

I imagine using the paperclip is like using a lockpick. I've never tried to pick a lock though, so no skill there, although I sort of wish I had that skill just in case of some emergency. My characters in ESO can do it at least. LOL.
(This part was in response to something in the rant thread bc I initially posted in the wrong thread like a derp).

So far this has been a day of rest. I'm very fortunate to have that luxury. I went to bed fairly early & slept until noon. Cats are happy that I stayed still for so long and are still happily sleeping in here.

My dog is sleeping under the dog bed pillow thing I got her. All I see are fuzzy blankets, the pillow, and a dog paw sticking out. It actually looks nice outside right now so I might go for a short walk.

It makes me want to clear the porch off enough to get a porch swing or some sort of seating out there so we can sit out there and relax & get fresh air. Mom only goes out every few months so she needs the sunlight. She was low on vitamin D in her blood.

I know I still have a lot of work/cleaning to do, but not today. LOL. Hopefully I'll have the energy tomorrow. My body is still aching today. I need to do some stretches. I remembered to take my vitamins for the first time in weeks-- but I can't find my multi-vitamin bottle. I'll have to look for it.

As an aside, I got a cheap little plastic drawer thing to hold small items on my nightstand and it's just the right size to hold my new Vornado fan in place on it's top and it holds what I need it to hold-- flashlight, battery powered mini fan, medicine, etc. New desk extender is working well. I'm feeling content.

 

[Spikedriver]

Just finished up the land auction. The farm brought $9,100/acre for 156 acres, or about $1,400,000 total. The family is satisfied with that. It's quite a bit below what some other prime farmland has been bringing in the area, but it's also not quite as productive as those farms either. It was purchased by a local farmer a few years younger than me, which also pleases the family. We didn't really want some investor from California or New York to buy it and then treat it like it's just a commodity. This buyer is a lifelong member of the community and has an interest in being a good neighbor. He'll also probably let me keep hunting birds in the tangle, so that's nice too. My daughter and I went out to the tangle to take some pictures before it sold, so she'll have something to remember.

 

[Neb]

Would that be one of those "M" boilers from Tiny Power?

Have you seen the Bryan Boilers or looked at the Stanley Steamers?

I haven't seen those other boiler sources. Thaks.

I will have to check them out.

Ben

 

[Neb]

I woke up last night git by the thought I had not accounted for the lighting in the kitchen!

After a short brainstorming meeting with my brother we agreed that only the under cabinet lighting needed to be addressed before we moved to drywall.

So switching back into electrician mode...

Two switches fed from the load side of the nearby GFCI outlet will let us have control of light above the sink and the under cabinet lights. A double duplex will be install inside one of the wall cabinets.

I am going to run another line to power the lights on the counter on the wall with the refrigerator.

So I can plan for another day of fiddling with wires.

Behave

Ben

 

[phideaux]

Called a local Chevrolet dealer this morning to find out if the 2014 Silverado I seen was still there .
It was.

So I went by myself , cuz wife has a bad head cold.

I fell in love with the truck.
It's a LTZ with Z71 package.
Like new inside and out.
Not a scratch , interior is same as new. Drives and runs like a dream. Easy in and out, cream color .

Called wife , she said go for it.
So I did.
Love it , but takes most of the day to finish everything.

It's home now.

Now I got a truck.

Jim

 

[Peanut]

Catching up...

I finished for now the electrical work on Thanksgiving day.

View attachment 76403

Ben

A professional dressed cable run is a nice thing to see! And you did it up right, big service loops for individual wires, really nice. Few people take the time to do it correctly. A shame you have to add a couple more circuits for kitchen lighting.

I did very little today, trip to town yesterday wore me out. I really hate cfs sometimes. I have so much to do right now before real winter arrives.

Edit... update! Finally found my phone this evening. It disappeared a few days ago, not sure when.

 

[hashbrown]

The boy told me he didn't feel well yesterday so I took him to the Dr. They said he had some sort of viral infection. This morning he woke up and couldn't smell or taste so I took him back today and they did a covid test and it came back positive. After all we have been through this fall now we have to fight this.

 

[Peanut]

Sorry to hear it... it was very mild for me, had head colds that were worse. But the loss of smell was bad, even worse was smelling things I knew weren't real... Hope your boy recovers quickly! keep us posted.

 

[hashbrown]

Sorry to hear it... it was very mild for me, had head colds that were worse. But the loss of smell was bad, even worse was smelling things I knew weren't real... Hope your boy recovers quickly! keep us posted.

It seems pretty mild for him as well, I'm worried for my wife and I guess I'll get to test the vaccine I got.

 

[Patchouli]

@Spikedriver that's great news about the farm going to a local.
@hashbrown you guys will pull through this too. Sorry your son isn't feeling so great.
Still waiting for water. At least a real plumber looked at stuff today. Thankful for his down-home demeanor.
Foot still hurts. But it'll all work out. Thankful for all my friends IRL who don't mind if I shower at their houses.

 

[Bacpacker]

Spike, sorry to hear the farm had to sell, but glad a local bought it. Had to go through that with both grand parents farms. The smaller one is still as it was. The other has been destroyed. Hillside stripped for fill dirt, now just some busnesses on it.

Hashbrown, My prayers are with you guys that the kiddo heals up quick and you guys don't catch it.

Jim, Glad you found a truck to your liking

We got our laser project finished today. Customer is happy. Working on a couple other projects now.

 

[Neb]

A professional dressed cable run is a nice thing to see! And you did it up right, big service loops for individual wires, really nice. Few people take the time to do it correctly. A shame you have to add a couple more circuits for kitchen lighting.

I did very little today, trip to town yesterday wore me out. I really hate cfs sometimes. I have so much to do right now before real winter arrives.

Edit... update! Finally found my phone this evening. It disappeared a few days ago, not sure when.

Thank you.

Ben

 

[LadyLocust]

Today was kinda nutty. Seemed like I hit the ground running. I'm tired.
@Patchouli Still no water? That's harsh. Glad you have a place to shower at least.
It was warm today! Strange for Dec. 1. I brought the tote of Christmas decorations in the house. Will start cleaning and putting a few up here and there. I don't usually do much decorating for the holidays, but want a few things out.
Getting ready for a holiday market on the 11th. I'm kinda excited, haven't done one in a few years.

 

[zannej]

Jim, glad you finally found yourself a truck you love!

Ben, I hope the lighting works out for your kitchen. I need to add some under-cabinet lighting in my kitchen. Also need to replace the hard-wired light above the sink that no longer works. Used to be some sort of fluorescent bulb thing but it broke. I wonder how difficult it will be to surface mount some sort of outlet thing there to plug the new light into. At this point I don't care if it looks good or is pretty-- I just want something functional and safe around a sink (in case of water spray).

Hashbrown, sorry to hear about your son having Covid. One of my brother's former co-workers recently died from it.

Backpacker, glad to hear your laser project is finished. Would love to see pics when my internet isn't being retarded (and I mean that in the literal sense as being slowed down/hindered).

Patchouli, sorry to hear you have no water. I know how much that sucks.

LadyLocust, I hope your Christmas decorating goes well. I never liked decorating. Mostly because I associated it with my mother getting mad & yelling. Instead of a happy family activity it was stressful.

I didn't drag my fat keester out of bed until 4pm. It was a nice rest. I cooked for Mom and then washed the celery she got and put it in a ziplock bag (but opened to let it breathe) and gave her some as a snack. Doctor recommended it as a snack. Forgot to get raisins from the store though. Peanutbutter on celery with raisins is good.

Cats have piled on me. Itsy was evicted from the living room for knocking too much stuff down so she's curled up on my belly right now. For such a small cat she gets into big trouble sometimes. LOL. But, she's our best mouser and is too cute to stay mad at.

 

[Spikedriver]

After grandma's farm sale we went out to Pop's farm for the afternoon. With mom in the nursing home, I figured he might like some company for dinner so we went to the restaurant in town. For a town of 550 people, the restaurant is a gem, and has been a finalist for both best steak and best burger in Iowa. I went to high school with the owner. It might be a steakhouse, but I tried the fried cod filet tonight. I think I found a new favorite! It was absolutely fantastic, and supporting an old classmate is just a bonus. I'll be back for more of that fish!

 

[INresponse]

Pantry taped and mudded, electrical in the pantry done, light installed and working. 1/3 of living room/kitchen ceiling taped and mudded, and the living room ceiling fan and light installed. Had to make a trip to town to get some new, good screws and washer for the ceiling fan install because the cheap china crap in the box from Hunter wouldn't work for my install. They were too sort apparently I placed the electrical box too deep in the ceiling and the drywall would not allow the screws to set deep enough into the ceiling box threads.
Tomorrow, maybe tape and mud the top of the stairwell?

 

[Bacpacker]

Jim, glad you finally found yourself a truck you love!

Ben, I hope the lighting works out for your kitchen. I need to add some under-cabinet lighting in my kitchen. Also need to replace the hard-wired light above the sink that no longer works. Used to be some sort of fluorescent bulb thing but it broke. I wonder how difficult it will be to surface mount some sort of outlet thing there to plug the new light into. At this point I don't care if it looks good or is pretty-- I just want something functional and safe around a sink (in case of water spray).

Hashbrown, sorry to hear about your son having Covid. One of my brother's former co-workers recently died from it.

Backpacker, glad to hear your laser project is finished. Would love to see pics when my internet isn't being retarded (and I mean that in the literal sense as being slowed down/hindered).

Patchouli, sorry to hear you have no water. I know how much that sucks.

LadyLocust, I hope your Christmas decorating goes well. I never liked decorating. Mostly because I associated it with my mother getting mad & yelling. Instead of a happy family activity it was stressful.

I didn't drag my fat keester out of bed until 4pm. It was a nice rest. I cooked for Mom and then washed the celery she got and put it in a ziplock bag (but opened to let it breathe) and gave her some as a snack. Doctor recommended it as a snack. Forgot to get raisins from the store though. Peanutbutter on celery with raisins is good.

Cats have piled on me. Itsy was evicted from the living room for knocking too much stuff down so she's curled up on my belly right now. For such a small cat she gets into big trouble sometimes. LOL. But, she's our best mouser and is too cute to stay mad at.

Sorry Zanni, no pics allowed. It really ain't much to look at either.

 

[phideaux]

Okeedokee then,
Truck shopping over....

Now back to important stuff.

Today ,Dec 2nd, in KY, it's gonna be in the 70s.( Tomorrow also)
Soooo , I'll take advantage of the warmth and spend 2 days wiring the garage.

Don't like doing that in cold weather.
I got plenty inside work to do during cold weather.

Wife's got a bad head cold, so she's slacking on me , as far as helping.

@hashbrown , tell Jake I'm pulling for him , and betting he'll not slow down much, he's on tough kid.

God bless all here.

Jim

 

[snappy1]

I hope Jake gets well quickly, Hashbrown! And with no lingering side effects.

Jim, I'm glad you found your truck. Silverado is my DH's favorite, too!

Been a busy couple of days with walking (of course), Doing Walmart stock up and taking DH to doctor appt. Also, went to salvage grocery and got instant yeast- vacuum sealed with an exp date of 2023. I froze it immediately.
Made traditional chex mix and packaged what I didn't take to prayer meeting.

Today, will walk first and walk dogs.
Mail out Christmas cards at Post Office.
Clean baths and wash rugs and dog blankets.
Dust house.
Make sweet and salty chex mix.
Label and put away the 12 quarts of turkey broth.
Grill burgers for dinners for the next few days.

 

[LadyLocust]

@Amish Heart must be buried under a big ol' pile of laundry. She's not been on much.
Had to go to Dollar Tree to find those soft peppermint sticks. Evidently their solution is to just set the boxes in a pile, open them, and set a few of whatevers on top. If you want more, you'll have to open the box yourself. I did find peppermint sticks though. Those things are the best for stirring cocoa. (By cocoa, I'm talking real cream with melted cocoa nibs - no sugar needed. It's so rich and delicious!)

 

[Amish Heart]

Yes I am piled in laundry! And God was smiling, because it's in the 70's here today, shocking! Hanging laundry on my drying racks on our back deck. The kittens keep jumping on to the deck when they hear me go out with more. The two insist on being picked up and loved on, our they will go after your toes.
I found some of those peppermint sticks at Dollar Tree ($1.25 Tree), and put them by the big container of hot cocoa mix I make. We use them the same way.
Going through boxes today. Husband's been on the phone dealing with medicare issues and then my med bills from the few hrs in ER and why our Christian Sharing program won't pay for it. He's been at it for hours. Will try to get most of my houseworky stuff done today. My favorite cousin called and asked if I could be driver for a Walmart and Aldi trip tomorrow morning. I need to do my shopping anyway.

 

[Peanut]

I need to get some candy canes. It's the only thing I buy for the holidays, put them in a bowl on the table for anyone to get.

Another nothing day, 70 degrees here also, sunny, and I don't have the energy to get out of my chair. I have so many things I need to do...