Thursday 21 March - coffee and weather (in that order)

[ibike2havefun]

Good morning everyone

There's fresh hot French roast in the pot. We're low on half-and-half so if you use that to lighten your brew you'll have to make do with either heavy whipping cream (which works quite nicely) or Irish cream (also a decidedly acceptable-to-me substitute).

It's a very chilly 32°F in Rockville but the wind has finally died away and the moon's visible so I'm calling it "clear". We hit nearly 65 yesterday but today will struggle to reach 45. Ahhhhhh, spring.

I got the doors for the sewing center fitted and glued up yesterday (they came together very nicely- best result I've ever had), so today I'll mount them. After that it'll be time to start in on the drawers, which may give me a chance to play with the new dovetail / box jointing jig I've got sitting in its box. I'll have to read up to see whether it works with 7/32" plywood.

Stay safe and well everyone and tell your dear ones you love them.

 

[nicksacco]

Good Morning Keith and All!
Nothing like a cuppa to brighten yer day!
Hmmm, the thought of Irish Cream is a pleasant one too!

A brisk 49 F's today with the Hyperbole channel predicting 60 *maybe* this afternoon.
More snow is headed for parts unknown. Yay, get out the shovels and mukluks.
(If you're like @steve3b3 buy more skiis and git out there!)

Lots of work planned today with Mr. Tractor. Moving blocks and dirts all around.
We've got some rain expected this weekend so best git out there today.
At least the lawn fertilizer will get watered in.

@Upt' North Ray, I've got one for you: Curry Stool. Ever seen one of these?

Ya'll have a winderfill day!

 

[Upt' North]

Well thank you kind sir, but I'll avoid the cocktails, just coffee please. Pffffffftttttt.
The weather.....guess what.....Autumn's back, winds, cold and rain, ahhhh that's better. They're still mentioning the sn.. word. I love Autumn; good job really as it'll be 9 months since it started by April.
Curry Stool you say, I can't recall seeing one but I think there's one on Alston Moor in Cumbria. Don't they replace trig pillars when they aren't practical. I don't know if you have trig pillars over there although I should do because I've walked plenty of your high mountains in the SW and NE. My memory isn't what it used to be, now, what were we saying, oh yes, curry stools don't they replace.........
Today will be spent getting ready for the off tomorrow. Pffffffftttttt. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
I did manage to check the engine oil on the Dragon yesterday in anticipation of the trip. The new engine seems to have bedded in nicely, zero oil used in 3000 miles. I'm starting to wonder why I spent £20 on a litre top up bottle. Pffffffftttttt.
Av a gud un and remember, get your motors bought before 2032.
Upt.

 

[STinner]

greetings all!



Its chilly around here once again.
Am categorizing parts I picked up yesterday for the ol' van project.
The 'Wing is starting to give me dirty looks when i walk by.
Bought the rotisserie and slowly putting together
both ends look like that. Thankfully it fit in my garage.
This guy is not going to lay on his back to work on it.
All is good.


Y'all have a great day!


hugs



David

 

[Obo]

Morning all and thanks for the coffee Keith.

@nicksacco curry stool is the exact reason why I shy away from any type of curry.

Weather here is like Keith's, right at freezing. We had heavy rain & winds last night as well as periods of heavy snow. Temps will drop steadily throughout the day and end up somewhere around -10C.

Came across this little song & video, and thought of all of you. It's called "A horse named Bill." The frog may look & sound a bit familiar. I think it was back before he became famous.

 

[steve3b3]

Good morning, and thanks for the coffee, Keith.

It's 24 and partly cloudy and windy this morning. It'll rise to 36 and remain windy and partly cloudy, later.
The snow that @nicksacco speaks of will happen further north this weekend, but I'll watch, in case I can get a last day in. I'm still a bit banged up from my biff on Tuesday.

I had an attack of the lazy's, yesterday, and never made it out to the gym or walk, yesterday, but will get out to do that, today.
Brenda and I will swap vehicles, so the local shop can check out hers. I'll do an early gym visit, stop off at the shop and walk home from there.
I did manage to install the new battery into the VFR. Spent more time adjusting the clock, than installing the battery...

Enjoy the day,
Steve

 

[Whisker Bill]

Good morning all!
Thanks for the start Keith.
We’re headed up to the cottage today.
I’ll check in and view the shenanigans when I can later!
Clear & cool here!
WB

 

[Nashcat]

Good morning, and what a grand morning it is. Bees are buzzing, birds are singing, and there’s a beautiful sunrise coming up. I’ll have another Irish cream, if you don’t mind, Keith.

42 and calm, this morning. Clear skies and 70, a little later on. A little more yard work today. I’ll probably pull the aerator around the lawn, followed by some fertilizer and grub control. Then, I may look at installing a turbo on the riding mower.

Yep, I’ve seen a curry stool. Wasn’t pretty. No more Chicken Tikka Masala for me.

John

 

[STooRay]

Thx Mr Fun!
A proper busy bee you are!

Yesterday I finally got Mrs Stu to agree that treating her husband in a bad manner, being unpolite etc, will not enable him to change norwegian laws of joint owned land ownership .
We inherited in 2013 a 36th part of land (our part is 1,5 meters…) by the sea.

The other owners wants to sell, so we have the choice to buy their parts, or to sell our, since nobody wants to own together with us (her). She wants to keep it as it is, for our kids (that’s 0,75 meter on each…).
This has been a major source of negaitivity in the house of Stu, to the point that Mr Stu has been looking for accomodation elsewhere.

The court has now ruled us to sell, which will bring about $3500.
She’s already spent them on a new fireplace.
Warmer and brighter ahead it looks like.

Other than that, 5˚c/41f, grey, windy, and it just started to rain, after my triumphant return from my walk.

Have a good one, and don’t sweat the small stuff!
Stu

Wet, grey and muddy up on the hills

 

[Sadlsor]

Thanks for the coffee, Keith, but "just give it to me Strait" if you please.

Glad to hear your cabinet project is ah, ...coming together. Still need pictures. Plywood is a beast to use as router fodder, and dovetails could be a challenge. Be sure to put sacrificial material on the top and bottom (or both sides), because plywood will want to come out in chips and chunks. I rarely try to route the stuff, due to the way it's made. I suppose some craftsmen have successfully dovetailed with it, but it is less than ideal.

But there's always wood filler to dress it up.

Had a GREAT day yesterday, as @Shuey met Kaiser and me for dinner when i got off work. He behaved himself quite well, and got a lot of attention. Kaiser did well, too, and hardly barked at all. He just laid at our feet while Shuey and I talked about riding, deer strikes, retirement, and the IBR.

Good time.

Today is expected to be mostly cloudy, but highs in the low 70s and rain tomorrow.

That's all the news from Birmingham, at least all that most of y'all would care about.

I found some quotes by Garfield of which I was unaware, as I stopped reading newspapers years ago. I do miss Garfield, and I'd forgotten he was so wise...

"Never confuse being lazy for being apathetic. We lazy people are not apathetic. Apathetic people don’t care about anything. Lazy people care, we just don’t do anything about it."
-- Garfield

 

[Upt' North]

Wood filler and Silicone, I'll drink to that.
.

 

[Peppermint]

Good morning all, and thanks for the coffee, Keith!

We seem to have plunged back into winter - I hope this is its last hurrah. It is currently -9°C/16°F with a feels-like of -19°C/-2°F, which is not very springy at all. The high will be -2°C/28°F with a windchill of -9°C/16°F, which still categorizes as "decidedly brrr." At least we'll have a mix of sun and clouds followed by mainly clear skies. Snow on Saturday, though...quite a lot of it, if I'm to believe the forecast.

Better go...I have much to do and boxes to pack before I sleep. Everyone have a great day, stay safe and go safely.

Patty

 

[Mr ed]

good morning all. thanks for the coffee Keith. 50F on the dog walk with clouds covering up the stars and moon. on dog walk # 2 the clouds disappeared and the sky was full of stars and an almost full moon. made for a pleasant walk. not sure what is on the to do list today. but the wife is looking for house slippers. might mean a trip around to the department stores. with any luck I'll dodge that bullet and get to stay home. it will be a nice day as the high temp should see 76F. enjoy the day

stay safe

 

[Weaselinsuit]

Morning all! 7C and rain here, with a high of 11 forecast for later.

Met with another possible replacement contractor yesterday, I think we have a winner. Husband and wife duo, straight talkers, get their projects done on time or earlier, very positive references, I was really impressed.

Not sure what's on for today, I'm sure I will learn in due course. Last night was a bit rough sleep wise but a nap should put that right. I feel like I am beginning to regress back to being a toddler but then again I guess it matches my maturity level.

Hope everyone has a great day!

 

[newtonhubcap]

Good Moring all from Wisconsin. Just finished my 2nd cup of a straight dark French roast before heading into my garage/shop to continue on with my spring preparation of my 94 ST1100. Have the heat turned on since we are back in a more normal trend weather wise with an expected 3-5" of snow tonight and another 3-5" on Sunday/Monday. Not in any real hurry to get on the road till all the salt and brine mix is washed off the roads.

 

[George]

Who made the coffee? Oh, yeah, thanks, Keith.

Croissants are on the counter. Not pretty but very tasty. There's just shy of a pound of butter in a dozen rolls.
Danni (my part time baker) worked hard on these so just eat'em without commenting on the looks.


Yesterday evening was also Dinner And A Movie. I picked the movie (documentary Fabulous Fungi); she selected the menu (stuffed portobello mushrooms, spinach salad, chocolate dipped strawberries, and strawberry tea in mushroom shaped glasses. It was a treat for an old bachelor to have an elegant dinner with good company.


Built new bed frame and end tables yesterday. Kits from Amazon, all 4 and 5 mm hex connectors. Cheaper and easier than cutting dovetails. Also hung my MM collage. Next, new drapes. Photos to follow.

Wandering through the bonus room (basement) yesterday. Noted a single drop of oil under STerling. She's been sitting stagnant for three months but received an oil and filter change just before storage. I'm sure it's nothing. :O

28f headed to 50 and mostly cloudy. I think I'm far enough south to avoid the pending last-gasp-of-winter cold snap. Today is officially spring time but such weather is not unusual. Time to revive STerling, and the mowers. (Many lawns are already being clipped in Casey.)

As always, CAREFUL ON THE ROAD!!!!

 

[Upt' North]

Good Moring all from Wisconsin. Just finished my 2nd cup of a straight dark French roast before heading into my garage/shop to continue on with my spring preparation of my 94 ST1100. Have the heat turned on since we are back in a more normal trend weather wise with an expected 3-5" of snow tonight and another 3-5" on Sunday/Monday. Not in any real hurry to get on the road till all the salt and brine mix is washed off the roads.

Newton,
Looks like you've got a bit of a car project on the go too.
Enjoy.
Upt.

 

[SupraSabre]

Morning Keith & All from mostly sunny, Southern Utah!

Currently it is 48F, heading for 65F and they are talking rain early evening. A slight breeze right now, but later we are expecting them out of the W @ 17 to 20 mph.

...
Lots of work planned today with Mr. Tractor. Moving blocks and dirts all around.
...

I guess I'm a day ahead of you Nick! Yesterday, I pulled out a bunch of block to the front yard to get started on the landscaping.



I just laid these out to try to see what it would look like and make changes where necessary. Today, I'll start setting them in with a level, sand base.

Lazyman's breakfast. Pepsi to come later!

Anyone , have a great day on the roads!

 

[ToddC]

Morning all......

Thanks Keith, but the wood shavings in my mug made for some roughage........ Nice cabinet dude!

Overcast and much cooler like many of you this morning. Yesterday was another nice day. Took the crf450l out for an adventure. Found some older logging roads that had been washed out and had some big puddles across and some 2 foot deep ruts. Sorry no pics of the tough stuff, but I finally did hit trails end when four trees were down and no way around. In my younger years........ would've. But at 60 and a brand new bike......and wiser.


With all this warm weather.....the peach trees are showing little buds everywhere......



Go have a peachy day...
T

 

[ibike2havefun]

Glad to hear your cabinet project is ah, ...coming together. Still need pictures.

Here y'go. I've informed Mrs. Fun that work on the cabinet proper will now pause, waiting for her to select and acquire the actual machine. In the meantime, I can shift to starting work on the simple drawers (basically open-top boxes that will sit in the slots on the right hand side of the cabinet.

I'm quite pleased with the doors. They came together easily, fit as intended, and actually line up with the cabinet and (after I do a small amount more "fine tuning") with one another.


I wussed out on the hinges. A real craftsman would have carved shallow mortises along the edges of the case and the doors, so that the hinge plates sat flush with the surface of the wood. That ain't happening here. I'm just pleased they're actually mounted straight and that the doors open, close, and swing easily.

Plywood is a beast to use as router fodder, and dovetails could be a challenge. Be sure to put sacrificial material on the top and bottom (or both sides), because plywood will want to come out in chips and chunks. I rarely try to route the stuff, due to the way it's made. I suppose some craftsmen have successfully dovetailed with it, but it is less than ideal.

I don't intend to try dovetailing 7/32" plywood - particularly the oak-faced stuff whose lower core plies are much cheaper wood of some sort - but may try a simpler box joint on some scrap before I make the final decision. Well-made box joints are nearly as strong as dovetails, and much simpler to do.

There's also the possibility that I'll switch materials and use Baltic Birch plywood instead of the quarter sawn oak (one face) plywood that's left over from the door panels. The birch plywood is much finer grained, and also seems denser, making it potentially more suitable for router work. We'll see.