hey there pops
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inside joke?
Better life through Zoodles and poutine...
Derek's been around awhile, has a couple dozen posts. "Pops" just registered on Christmas day. Looks like we have a somewhat shy new member? Hope he stops by to say "Hi"!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Thanks, I was wondering what that was about. Welcome Pops.BTW, FG, have you dug out yet? We were able to get out finally yesterday. For necessities (wine and books).Cheers,Peter
Better life through Zoodles and poutine...
Hi, Peter. We've been able to drive during the whole stormy time. Our Blazer (mid-sized 4WD SUV) with chains on the front was pretty darned good in the snow and on the ice, although I'd ask Nick to drive if the ice was bad. Worst ice was as the temps raised a bit over freezing, but then dropped below freezing every night. I feel for the folks who couldn't get out and about for days and days!
Things down at the barn were a bit dicey, what with the hill the complex is built on. Didn't take the horses out to work until today, for fear they'd slip on the ice going downhill. One prefers not to be in front of a 1200-1400lb beastie when it falls or slides downhill! and they're high as kites anyway, from lack of work, so more likely to be dancing around at the end of the lead rope. This pic was taken from up near the main barn; big building half-way down the hill is the covered arena.View Image
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Edited 12/30/2008 8:27 pm by forestgirl
Jamie:
Sure is pretty, but I wouldn't wanna live in it. Guess I won't complain about our 40 degree mornings here in sunny CA. Stay warm
Dennis
The 12" of snow we received over that week is exceptional for us, as was how long the cold held on, creating the ice problem. The last time we had a similar weather "event" was in 1990. Usually, the snow dumps and then melts off within a day or two, and is only 2-3" here on the island.
I love how pretty it is, brightens up our gray environs, but it is extremely inconvenient when it's that deep and/or icy. Have to admit, I've gotten a bit smug and cavlier since we got a whole-house-capable generator, LOL. Have been through a 5-day stretch without power and water, it was not fun. Especially when it's 15-20 degrees outside and gets in the 30's in the house!
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Edited 12/31/2008 12:23 pm by forestgirl
Guess it's a glass half-full or glass half-empty thing. Here in N.California they're talking about water rationing. The Sierra Mountains would love some of your snow!. Stay warm.
Not sure we have any snow to spare this year, the mountains don't have much pack yet....forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Don't get too smug and cavalier.
The less-than-four-year-old battery in our standby exploded a few months back. For whatever reason, I subconsciously missed hearing the generator start at its weekly "exercise" time ... went to check (with a bad storm fast approaching!) and discovered the battery in pieces...even blew off the cables at the posts!
Apparently, the constant trickle charge had dried up the electrolyte (my bad for not periodically checking). Well, low electrolyte + trickle charge = excess hydrogen gas + spark from starter motor = BOOM!!!
Luckily, I was able to get the battery out of our truck and install it. (Cables j -u-s-t long enough to attach.) and the truck battery, too long for the battery compartment, had to sit outside the generator with the access panel removed until I could find a replacement battery the next day.
Please...check the battery monthly and top off the electrolyte if needed.
kreuzie
Kreuzie,FWIW,I have an older F150 long bed I use for lumber and sheet stuff, but it sits alot. Was always somewhat nervous about the pick-up's battery via a standard trickle charger. Now have a 4"x16" solar panel that sits on the top of the seat back (I suppose I could mount it). Not enough charge to damage the battery but more than enough trickle charge - even on the Oregon Coast winter days to keep the battery topped off. cigar lighter plug. 4 year old battery and started instantly at 18 degrees two weeks ago. It's one way so it won't drain battery. Bought it through West Marine. It's for sailboats.Boiler
Boiler-
The trickle charger is built into the generator, although I suppose I could disconnect it and trickle charge another way. It's my understanding that it wasn't so much the fault of the charger as the battery. The guy at Interstate Battery told me that they had this problem with this particular line of batteries, and were having better luck with another (less expensive) line.
He sold me the new battery, after informing me that exploded batteries were not proratable under the warranty. I would have gone elsewhere, but they are the only place I can find a battery with the recommended CCAs and physical dimensions to fit in the battery compartment.
I later contacted the generator manufacturer and suggested that they might allow more space for the battery and add longer battery cables and maybe even a pullout battery tray to make periodic inspection easier. The lady thought that these were excellent suggestions and she'd pass them along to engineering....
I won't hold my breath.
kreuzie
Hi All
Spend a couple extra bucks and get one of those glass mat batteries. Far less maintenace and good warrenty. Put one in my quad and it keeps going even in - 20c weather.
Last night wife had to spend in town as we had a nice blizzard pass through. Only 5 inches of snow and 40 MPH winds = 0 visability , Love Westren Canadian Priaries Forest Girl Nice looking place! Draft horses? I have made pulling harness for reindeer, and a couple sled dog harnesses.
Already checked them out. Can't get the dimensions and/or CCA rating.
kreuzie
I won't complain about our 40 degree mornings here in sunny CA. As the house slides down a hill into a brush fire.
40 something here in Chicago yesterday. Freezing today! Tomorrow may be 70 degrees and snow in the evening.
Edited 12/31/2008 1:14 pm by WillGeorge
Yes, I live in the state of natural AND man-made disasters (i.e the California legislature).
Dennis
"...AND man-made disasters (i.e the California legislature)." I don't know about what's going on now, specifically, but what really killed California was Prop 13. I'm so glad I left when I did! (1989)forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
What's going on now is that we have a 41 billion dollar hole in the budget and gridlock in Sacramento. Our celebrity governator can't get his own party members to sit down in the same room with him, let alone admit we need some new source of revenue.
I agree that prop 13 was the start of a long downhill slide. The end result of continuously cutting taxes is anarchy, which we have in our future if this keeps up. Ok, off the soapbox and back into the shop.
Our celebrity governator can't get his own party members to sit down in the same room with him, let alone admit we need some new source of revenue.
LOL LOL LOL
You should live in Illinois! We have this Governor that is type "A" and has no idea we common folks do not like his BS! Yes we elected him into office.. Shame on us midwesterners!
But it's a tradition in Illinois, is it not?
I'll add my hello to Pops as well.
Can't help but chime in since weather croped up. Will be a balmy zero here in Juneau tonight, but a little cool at -55 for some friends in interior Alaska -- and dark, too, this time of year.
Greetings from the last frontier,
Verne
Oh, man, Verne -- that's wicked-cold! You have my awe-filled respect for being able to handle both the cold and the dark!
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Edited 12/31/2008 12:23 pm by forestgirl
Not so bad here in Southeast, but I get to experience the real cold now and then when traveling up north. Everything gets a tad surealistic at -50 with ice fog hanging ing the air.
Verne
Ice fog? Wow! I thought snow-fog was weird. Pretty, actually, but very strange....forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Oh my, I would not want to have to handle horses in that kind of icy terrain. Glad you had an appropriate vehicle for this crap.Cheers,Peter
Better life through Zoodles and poutine...
If we have a storm like this next year, I'm going to look for ice-cleats for horseshoes, LOL! Definitely will get some for moi. Sad thing is, even though we can get them down the hill now, we can't do a whole lot of work with them because about 1/3 of the indoor arena has standing water that seeped in from the melt-off. At least 2 more days before it'll go away, methinks.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
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