Good morning!!!!

[KilroyJC]

KJC, reminds me of me and my backhoe. Had hired George to do our cesspool. I volunteered to dig the ditch for the pipe. This was my first bh project. When he returned the next morning, he immediately inspected my trench. “ Practice, David, Practice.” Yea, it was that bad. George had an extenda hoe TLB. I’ve watched as he’ll dig a perfectly round hole 14 ft deep and only move the machine twice. Of course George is a bit older than me. Had over 40 years with company when he retired as equipment operator, and that was more than 20 years ago. I think he’s 89, still works every day.

When we had our business (a gem mine) we had an older gentleman who did our excavating. He had worked everything from manual digging to strip mining, and what he could do with a Deere 275 in four hours rivaled what others could accomplish In much larger machines. And he did it all in backhoe, not ISO. Sheer artistry. Still keeps his hand in it, with an 8 ton machine he salvaged and cobbled from a couple damages/derelict units.

 

[kenmbz]

Well, car is still working, concert done and maybe off to drop him at a fair.
Watered various things, cleaned the pool.
Dog is doing a lot better
Went and picked some radishes.

One of the covers the kids did was a Styx song-come sail away.
When I was in high school, my neighbor Tommy get us front row tickets and backstage passes to see them.
While not one of my favorites, how often do you get backstage passes.

We met the band and Tommy introduced me to his friend, who was his girlfriends brother and was a roadie for bands when in town.

It ended up being emotional to hear the kids play that song.

Tommy passed away last year.

A neighbor and a friend, lots of adventures together. I still talk to his older brother and twin sister every now and then.

 

[m7040]

When I grew up and my toolbox was about as big as a lunchbox I rarely had that problem.
After I retired about 12 years ago I made it a habit to buy what I considered "good" handtools I might use whenever I found them on sale.
With 3 sons and daughter that could put in a patio door I always found someplace to "donate" within the family.
But lately I've ran across the same problem.
"Getting the right one" vs one that will do depends on what I figure is the "right one" out of my collection.

My worst conundrum is cutting metal roofing panels for various projects.
I've aviation shears, 40yr old tin snips, electric metal shears, jig saws, band saws, angle grinders with thin blades, circular saws with metal cutting blades, circular saws with regular blades reversed, "nibblers", chisels, reciprocal saws. Or last resort, chain saw . I don't have a plasma cutter yet.
And many of them are stored in different places.

At what point do we stop buying new tools?

I had a tool box like you are talking about and kept it in the back of the Volvo with tools that I could fix anything on the road with.
Bought the tool box at a pawn shop in Compton California down the road from the office that was in a converted Kmart store in Vernon right across from Farmer John slaughter house. Nice "homy" smell
I still have the tool box see below

 

[m7040]

The oil is changed on the RTV on transmission and oil tank and filters as well. One of the drain plugs had bad threads and would not tighten. It was 12 x1.25 thread and fortunately I found one although a little longer in the scrap box. The threads on the tank were OK. This is where the tread gizmos come in handy to find something that will fit

Then the oil quantities listed in the manual are way over what is needed as measured by the dipstick. Had to drain some out which is always interesting process of not loosing the drain plug down the bucket. Those quantities must be fill up from dry and not maintenance quantities

 

[m7040]

That must have been one heck of a year.
That was 2006 for Sophie and cancer free ever since. We are blessed.

I try to remember that like some others, my background may be dated so it might be helpful to repeat if not annoying. I know many others here have shared. I love reading your history as well as the knowledge you share.

Thank you for your comments, Always love to read about what you and Sophie are doing

 

[m7040]

Down here the same but it's call noise pollution law.

I had a trailer mounted Miller 400 amp welder with a Deutsch diesel and it was also a generator. It was extremely loud and used it during power outages. You could hear a mile away I think.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Neighbor is at least in his 70s, possibly 80s, bought his lot in the mid 1970s, so he was checking up on what the Damned Yankees are up to

Same here, my only saving Grace is my wife is from VA. Our one neighbor made it a point to tell us she was born and raised in that county.

 

[Looking4new]

BEF, the civil war has been over for 158 years and all of the people involved in it are dead. How come 'some' people in the 'states are still fighting it?

 

[Wagtail]

Good (Monday) morning. Overnight Low of -0.5C and it's presently 9.5C, overcast and calm. I very much doubt that it'll reach the predicted 17C.

Lovely evening and a good 'sleep-in' to start the day. My main task is to wrap, then mail, some birthday presents for my Brisbane (QLD) Mate... of course, the older we get, the harder it is to find things for each other.

That's about it, take care all.

 

[KilroyJC]

Same here, my only saving Grace is my wife is from VA. Our one neighbor made it a point to tell us she was born and raised in that county.

I tell people that being a Damned Yankee doesn’t automatically mean I am a Dumb Yankee…