What are you doing today?

[TwoTankAmin]

Here is what I do know. Where I live it is difficult to plow our driveway. A 3 minute plow in the last century was costing us $140 and then I had to shovel for a few hours to fix things. So I fired the plow guy and bought a utility tractor with a snow thrower mounted on the front. In t first few years I used it a lot, We even had one snow that was so deep I had to go out in the middle of the night and clear the driveway as if I did not the depth of the snow in the morning would be above the top of the intake of the 40 in. thrower.

Ove the year snowfal became less deep and less often. In 2017 we took out a mortgage to upgrade out home and this included getting a new tractor and snow blower. I spent way more and got a more powerful tractor with a 3 stage thrower instead of the origin 2 stage. I threw more snow in the first few years of the original tractor than I have had to handle in almost all of the 6+ years combined that I have owned the new tractor.

Two days ago we got an inch of snow. It is almost impossible to clear that with a thrower. It used to be the dividing line between precipitation being rain or snow was south of us. And we are at a decent elevation for being 35 miles out of NYC. But often I would get into my car at the house when it was snowing and down into the town where it was raining. I used to hate having all the extra snow clearing work.

And now things have changed drastically. The inch of snow we just got dwarfed how much state well to the south on new you got deep snow. They are in Rehoboth Beach, De and got 10 inches. They are coastal and and about 250 miles south of me. Further south got even more snow. I feel like after many decades of being covered in deep snow I had to clear it is now falling on the traditionally warmer winter states well to my south. I hope it stays that way. Unfortunate;y, the winter temps are still the same it is just the snow that has changed. Right now the wind chill has us feeling like it is 12F.

 

[MattW]

@jaylach Have you seen anything from CES 2025 yet? AMD continue to confuse me with naming of their products

 

[Oldspartan]

Bow building? Yeah, it's a lot to learn, and it's a bit heart- (and sometimes skin-) breaking when one explodes on me. But carving on wood is relaxing, feeling it start to bend and live, shooting an arrow downrange and knowing, "My hands made this!" Very satisfying, and worth the time spent in the garage. Mrs. Badger's milage might vary, however. ha ha

Risk, along with its big brother, Axis and Allies, are my favorite board games. The trouble is my family doesn't want to play with me because I usually win. Price of success, and all that...

We have the Hussain version of Axis and Allies, (at least I think it plays the same), that collects dust too. We used to play Meir's Civilization quite often on the computer, but Linda and the youngsters got tired of the beat downs.

As for hobbies, I guess I will stick to routing, sawing and sanding. A few scraped knuckles here and there, a swollen finger or two, but so fay no loss of limb.

 

[Oldspartan]

Here is what I do know. Where I live it is difficult to plow our driveway. A 3 minute plow in the last century was costing us $140 and then I had to shovel for a few hours to fix things. So I fired the plow guy and bought a utility tractor with a snow thrower mounted on the front. In t first few years I used it a lot, We even had one snow that was so deep I had to go out in the middle of the night and clear the driveway as if I did not the depth of the snow in the morning would be above the top of the intake of the 40 in. thrower.

Ove the year snowfal became less deep and less often. In 2017 we took out a mortgage to upgrade out home and this included getting a new tractor and snow blower. I spent way more and got a more powerful tractor with a 3 stage thrower instead of the origin 2 stage. I threw more snow in the first few years of the original tractor than I have had to handle in almost all of the 6+ years combined that I have owned the new tractor.

Two days ago we got an inch of snow. It is almost impossible to clear that with a thrower. It used to be the dividing line between precipitation being rain or snow was south of us. And we are at a decent elevation for being 35 miles out of NYC. But often I would get into my car at the house when it was snowing and down into the town where it was raining. I used to hate having all the extra snow clearing work.

And now things have changed drastically. The inch of snow we just got dwarfed how much state well to the south on new you got deep snow. They are in Rehoboth Beach, De and got 10 inches. They are coastal and and about 250 miles south of me. Further south got even more snow. I feel like after many decades of being covered in deep snow I had to clear it is now falling on the traditionally warmer winter states well to my south. I hope it stays that way. Unfortunate;y, the winter temps are still the same it is just the snow that has changed. Right now the wind chill has us feeling like it is 12F.

This so true. We used to get mountains of snow. I have a similar snow blowing setup. In the past three years I have used rarely. The temps in 2022 and 2023 were well above normal with just short cold snaps. This year seems colder so far. The forcast says we will be 15 degrees below average for most of January. Last two nights 8 degrees. I do not like snow or cold, never have.

 

[anewbie]

I found a fish at the bottom of my 40 gallon pail.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I found a fish at the bottom of my 40 gallon pail.

Is it OK? I found a bunch of kuhli loaches and amano shrimp inside a canister filter one time, looking just as fat and happy as could be.

 

[jaylach]

@jaylach Have you seen anything from CES 2025 yet? AMD continue to confuse me with naming of their products

To be honest, since I closed my business in 2009, I don't really pay attention anymore.

 

[GaryE]

Canadians have been naming winter storms since time immemorial. It's just that we can't put their names on a family forum.

 

[Fishmanic]

The weathermen here say we could get a big northeaster snowstorm this week. But they also say we may not get any snow at all. Make up your mind!

 

[WhistlingBadger]

The weatherman here say would could get a big northeaster snow storm this week. But they also say we may not get any snow at all. Make up your mind!

They like to cover their bases.

 

[GaryE]

I've noted with the popularity of television weather network here, there is often an event - a storm, a warm day, a really cold day, 5 to 7 days away. The same info is on the website.
And the 'weather' in question rarely materializes.
On the government run site, the drama isn't needed. They are a service, not an ad/hit dependent for profit business. And they are far more accurate. They have a lack of apocalyptic predictions at the end of the week. There's no reason to stay tuned when you have an accurate forecast.

As a retired High School teacher, I love a good snowday (or even the hope of one) but I hate manufactured drama.

We're getting very little snow compared to past years, and the pattern is that the heaviest snow lands south of us. It's snowing now, but with very little accumulation. I look at what tropical Boston gets, and it's crazy. The temperatures are the usual winter cold, but the winters have become disturbingly dry. It's no wonder we've had threads about the effect of forest fire smoke blowing down to US cities.

I confess. I would love to drive a 3 stage snowblower. I don't care about trucks or cars, but a snowblower tractor? If they had NASCAR in the high artic, I'd even watch snowblower races. But if I had one, I would have used it 3 times in the past 2 winters. There's still 2 and half months of this one to come, and Snowzilla may be out there, but I can recall winters where I could have fired up a snowblower 40 or more times.

 

[anewbie]

Is it OK? I found a bunch of kuhli loaches and amano shrimp inside a canister filter one time, looking just as fat and happy as could be.

Well it was alive but in a bit of shock; i put it back in the tank and it rejoined the herd but since i didn't tag it i have no way of tracking it

 

[jaylach]

The weatherman here say we could get a big northeaster snow storm this week. But they also say we may not get any snow at all. Make up your mind!

Finally got some snow here in Sheridan, WY this past Sunday, about 6 inches, mayhaps a bit more. First snow, other than a couple of light flurries, this winter.

Sometimes weather people get a bad rap that is actually not their fault. For instance, when they say 50% precipitation, they are not saying that there is a 50% chance of rain/snow. They are saying that 50% of the viewing area will get rain/snow. Actually the weather app on my computer, the one that comes with Windows 10/11, is very accurate but it is localized more to my actual location, not a wide area. It is even pretty close as to the hourly forecast as to when, during the day, precipitation will start and stop.

 

[connorlindeman]

The weatherman here say we could get a big northeaster snow storm this week. But they also say we may not get any snow at all. Make up your mind!

This seems to be a tricky storm to track. I am holding out hope for more snow. The last few years in NJ/NY have been very disappointing.

 

[jaylach]

Well it was alive but in a bit of shock; i put it back in the tank and it rejoined the herd but since i didn't tag it i have no way of tracking it

LOL! I remember a cichlid tank I had in Ohio that also had a rope fish. Ropes are escape artists and, being a lung fish, can survive quite a while out of water. No matter how much I tried I could never seal the tank hood enough to prevent escapes... never did figure out how the thing got out... One night (I worked 2nd shift) I got home from work and no rope in the tank. Looked everywhere and no luck. I gave up and figured that the dog got it. Then and now I use under gravel filtration with air risers. Had to be close to a month later I'm looking at the tank, just chilling, after work and here is my rope swimming up one of the under gravel filtration air risers and back in the tank. It had been living under the filter plates for all that time. It was no worse for wear and just went back to his stacked slate cave. It was like nothing ever happened from his view and he even came up to the surface to take a meal worm out of my hand when I tapped the water surface, ya, he ate from my hand. Needless to say I went out the following morning and got some slotted caps for my air risers. I have zero idea as to how he got past the air stones in the risers but he did.

Oddly my Blue and Yellow Acaras became MUCH more active for a day or two after the rope came back. It was like they were welcoming back a gang member. The Blue was about 5 inches and the Yellow about 4 inches while the rope was around 8 inches. The rest of the cichlids showed no difference. Don't know how to explain that other than food sources as the Blue, Yellow and rope were usually in the same area especially when giving live food such as feeder golds for the cichlids and meal worms for the rope. I think the rope liked what was left of the feeder golds and the cichlids liked getting the meal worms.

Sorry, I'm nostalgic rambling but that was beyond a doubt my favorite tank. Even built a cave system on the back glass that the convicts liked. I probably spent a month building before even adding any water. Pulled off the supposed impossible having Blue and Yellow Acara, convicts, Jack Dempsey, Green Terrors and a rope all living in peace in the same tank without issue. The 'trick' was that it was a large tank and all the cichlids went in as juveniles of about half an inch and had time and space to set up their territories. Sigh, I SO MUCH wish I could have another 100 gallon plus tank in my apartment. I could probably move my cockatiel's penthouse and arrange to fit such a tank but am just too afraid of putting a tank that is going to weigh at least half a ton on the floor of a third floor apartment...