CC_Ranger

The other week I was at a habitat field day for the Ruffed Grouse Society. After we finished our tree planting and were heading to another spot to have lunch I decided to jump into the brush to relieve myself. As I walked past this spruce tree I saw something on a branch about 4 feet off the ground, I glanced at it and thought, geeze someone threw a rubber snake out, what a litter bug, but then I looked again and realized it was about a 4 foot black snake stretched out on the branch. That was a first for me, it was one of the first warm days of spring and I think the snake just got out of hibernation. We found another one in the next location also. Now I don't just watch were I step, but what I walk under also !

Prayers from PA to you and your brother. '61 birth year hits home.

I was at the new store last fall. A nice place but smaller than the old school on Lincoln Ave. I remember when they were just a free-standing two-sided shelf in the Binkly store, then they moved out behind the tractor store, hence the name, and then in town. From what I gathered the new place allows them to be all in one building, retail, online and warehouse. I loved the old school for a store, I could wander around there for hours! I stopped in at the new store one Saturday morning last fall, I was in and out in under 20 minutes, the space is small, the store was packed and there was a heck of a line to checkout. I have found the best time to go is the morning in the middle of the week. I will give the new store another try some weekday morning. There was a nice write up on the new store and owners in Lancaster Farming. Here is the link. Outback Toys Celebrates New Location, Owner | Farm and Rural Family Life | lancasterfarming.com I can make a nice 50 mile ride on the Harley, stop in there, then swing to BBQ and some craft breweries, and then home.

Had to replace the control board on our Fisher and Paykal dryer this winter. It would continue to spin, but no heat, only way you could get it to stop was to open the door or unplug it. Did some Google Research and found out it was a common issue with a sticking replay. Of course, it was a soldered relay. I didn't want to mess with getting the relay, so I got a new board from the dealer, which required the old core so that they could rebuild it. All I had to do was pull six screws and tap the relay and it would work, my wife got tired of that! When I call for a service technician to come out, between that and the board and $25 to install the board (did I mention 6 screws?) it would have been close to $500! Wife says we should look at a new dryer and then changed her mind when she saw the prices of new ones! Can't complain about our local family chain store appliance store, they beat the box stores in price, provide service and stock parts. I did have to drive to the next closest store about 15 miles away, but that let me check out a new BBQ place and brewery, got husband points for fixing the dryer and taking her out to eat! We used to have a great appliance parts store, they stock everything for all brands, it was a great place.

Thanks Seth, I will have to look them up and see what they have. I always wondered why the local dealer near Quigley did not stock them I guess there is not enough of a market for them around here.

That is what I am looking at for my next vehicle to replace my 1500 Silverado Crew. I always had 2500 Suburban's; they were the best all-around vehicle for my lifestyle. If GM would bring them back, I would be in line to order one! I did a tour of the Quigley plant years ago, a class act. Now I just have to wait for GM to start putting the 6.6 gas back in the vans, right now you can only get the 4.3. I want/need a 6 (or more at times) passenger vehicle with enclosed cargo space and the 2500 towing suspension. The Quigley conversion is around $15k now. I have a friend who runs a large used car dealership, I might have to get him to start looking for ones coming through the auction. There is an upfitter in Indiana (Explorer Vans) that will dress up the standard van after Quigley does the 4wd conversion, they seem to appear more often than a factory standard with the Quigley conversion. They throw in heated leather seats, insulation, upgraded sound system and most have a Video monitor (which I don't need or want). If there were any dealers that stocked these vans, they could make bank! You have to either pick up a van or order one and then ship it (the factory will drop ship them at Quigley) and then wait another 3 months for the conversion. I am only about an hour away from their shop. You have to really want one, it is a process to get one, not near as easy as making a deal on a truck sitting on the lot. I have wanted one for years and I think that this time it will happen.

Select Wawa stores in our area sell the non-ethanol fuel, it is a separate hose and nozzle from the other grades of gas. We have another station that sells nothing but non-ethanol fuel. I have been using that for years in all of my small engines, the snowmobile and the Harley. I mix my two cycle fuel with also and I still add some StaBil and marvel mystery oil to each of my cans. I have an Ariens tiller with the Briggs engine and metal fuel tank that got regular gas at one time, I worked on the carb last summer and know that I need to do some more to it this year before I use it. The tank is all corroded. A new engine might be the easiest and cheapest in the long run, depending on how much time you spend on the tank and carb. Good Luck !

I heard that they were visible last night around midnight in SE Pennsylvania. I didn't bother to get up to check for them. I don't have the best view of the horizon since we are in a hill and valley area, so we miss great sunsets also. I have seen them in upstate PA and they are pretty cool to watch.

I will second what Jass posted. The other thing is sugar. It is hidden everywhere and excess carbs turn to sugar. Sugar causes inflammation and that leads to a lot of issues as we age. I was doing really well on the keto/carnivore diet until right before Easter, too many treats and snacks that I gave in to, I felt it, my weight is up, my joints are stiff and swollen and I walk around like an man older than 61. Find what works for you for you and stick with it and don't worry about what folks say. Real whole foods are the best, avoid most processed foods and items with list of ingredients that you can't pronounce. Sleep is the other thing, good sleep and a clean diet make you feel young again. Of course, I was at a charity event today and overate and couldn't resist the double chocolate cake, back on the wagon this weekend!

Thanks for the heads up on the diner!

I know of Dallas, I was in Scranton on Thursday. This is work trip this week, so no time for a side trip, but someplace to put on the list.

And we always seem to forget the needle sharp teeth that puppies have! Enjoy, dogs are one of the great joys of life. What part of PA did you come to? I'm headed to Keene, NH this week.

Make sure the hoses are in correct order, some hydraulic pumps only turn one way. We had this happen with a turbine leaf blower. Switched hoses and ran like it should.

Saw this ad in our local Merchandiser paper this week. M1 Garand, International Harvester. Government rebuilt with a new walnut stock, new barrel, reparkerized. Very nice with case $1850 I didn't call because my paper always gets delivered a day later than eveyone else. I would love to own one someday, but I don't have a spare 2K sitting around right now. I have held them in the past and found them to be a heavy gun. I have the number from the ad if anyone of my Pennsylvania folks want to give it a call, just message me.

I read an article about a month ago discussing the economy and the car/truck industry. I don't remember all the details, but the bottom line was that the whole industry is like a house of cards. There has been an increase in the number of repossessions and many folks are under water with their loans on cars that are not worth what they owe. The article was pretty heavy on waiting to see how things play out if you don't need to do anything right now. Dealers have been authorized to allow loans and deals on vehicles that would have not been approved in the past. I am looking, but not really serious, so I will watch what happens from the sidelines. I don't need to do anytime soon.

Loved that video. Aw, 1977 15 years old, a few years younger than most of the crowd. I was listening to them, but wouldn't have gone to a concert. I remember the day the plane crashed, we had a student teacher, Mr. Fletcher, in our English class at the time, he was all down in the dumps that day and we asked him what was going on, he said 'the plane crashed, the band is done". I still remember that after all these years.

Thanks Folks! Hard to believe this will be trip number 62 around the sun. After cutting and splitting some wood yesterday, I had a beer and cigar and counted my blessings with some introspection of my life. Life is good. Went to work as usual, but it was mid 50's here today so I took a walk around my yard and through my woods when I got home. The wife is in Florida helping with the grandkids, so I grilled a big steak for myself.

That is a great reminder. We all need to take the time now and then to remember what we have.

Who did you get quotes from? I am starting to price out a garage/shop at my place. So far I only have one quote, but needs to be adjusted, since it will next to the house, my wife wants more than just a box. There is a metal supply place outside of Womelsdorf that puts together kits. They recommend Shirk Building for installation. I plan to head there next week.

You will like that unit! Glad it worked out for you.

Exactly like that! Talk about a backache waiting happen. A little different design, which made it easy to modify, but same concept.

I ran a 72" JD flail behind a JD 950 tractor for years. It was a good match, always mowed in low range, shorter thinner grass you could get up to 3rd or 4th gear. THE 950 was a 30 hp gear drive machine. We actually wore out two flail units and kept the third when we got rid of the tractor and then wore that out on a Kubota L4400.

When I first got together with my ex, my ex-father-in-law had splitter he had been using for years, the beam was only about 12" off the ground, easy to roll big rounds onto it, but murder on the guy operating the lever and the one dealing with the wood. I only helped him a couple of times before I started thinking on how to improve it. I forget the exact design of it, but it turned out to be very easy to modify, I split the axle off of the rest of the unit and pieced in an 18" I beam in between them and then built an extension for the front jack. What a difference, beam about hip height, lever right at hand level, and any extra- large pieces we lifted with the loader on the tractor. I do remember that it had an 8 hp B&S on it which was crazy loud, I looked for new mufflers for it, but never did find a bigger one, I just got better hearing protection!

I have a friend who had an F-250 to tow a large bumper pull toyhauler camper. Traded down to a F150 with the eco boost and he is very satisfied, says it tows his rig easier than the 250. I don't remember what motor he had in the 250.

I have a '15 2 door Willys with the BFG Mud Terrains on it. I get around 15 mpg on mostly around town trips and back and forth to work (9 miles). I average between 15-17 on those tanks. Last summer I rode back and forth to Harrisburg for a week, 45 miles on the interstate each way, I got about 18-19 mpg that week. The funny thing is that I get about the same mileage with my '15 Silverado 1500 4x4 Crew cab with the 6.2. I think that there is a lot of drag from the front end running all the time, but it is quite a job to put free-wheeling hubs on the front. I have thought about a Banks Power Pack intake and exhaust kit, but $800 buys a lot of gas!