j-bird
Moderator
Thank you everyone for the kind words about Lucy. All of our dogs have been rescues or strays of some sort....no pet store or breeder dogs in my house. We have 3 others in the house currently so them being there helps a lot and though it's a difficult loss, the companionship they provide is something I have always had in my life. We won't rush out and get another one (because this one will never be able to be replaced), but I can't say I won't have another. I also like having a dog as an alarm system. Having something around to alert us of folks in the area is nice to have. 75 lbs of bark and teeth was a pretty good alarm system and kept several folks in their car! It's also nice to not come home to an empty house. They are always at the door to me....so there is at least somebody happy to see me at the end of the day!
j-bird
Moderator
Anyone want a 15 y/o? I have to get rid of one.... She is smart, athletic, outspoken and driven, but, well, a recent decision has meant she can't be mine, and thus we need to just start over! She and her older sister have been elected to the local home coming court. It's a big deal to them. As such we have another parade to participate in. In trying to locate suitable convertibles (cause mine hasn't moved in 20 years) we located 1....the first is a 72 GTO judge convertible. Which of course I think is pretty cool. We was working on another old car as well, as I anticipated a fist fight. Well.....I was wrong....and SO disappointed. My youngest, "I don't want an old car....I want a new one" What? Seriously? So, like I said....I have a 15 y/o that I need to just walk away from. It's broken.... somethings you can work with....but this, this, is just too much.
j-bird
Moderator
So I didn't get rid of my 15 Y/o......no takers! Spent most of Saturday supporting her in her volleyball tournament. Lets hope loosing builds character....they will have lots of character.
I did get some work done on the "battle wagon" project. Lots more to do, but progress none the less. Progress is slow as I am designing and building at the same time and am working by myself.... I tend to do a lot more "thinking" than building in the early stages. I decided to assemble the blind portion at ground level first. Less likely to fall and/or do something really stupid!
Windows are 24" tall by 48" wide (inside). I have plans to install typical vinyl sliding windows (hopefully double sliders). The enclosure will be 6 feet wide outside dimension and roughly 7' feet outside. There will be a 3' landing/porch as well. Wall construction is all 2"x4". Some of the ends (that reach for the sky) are currently 16' long and there is discussion about adding a platform on the roof (and thus a railing as well). Right now windows are 36" from the floor but that may change.....I won't fishing those out until we have things up on the wagon and we can see if we like that height or not. I had to stop.....ran out of screws and juice (down to only 1 battery for my tools).....
I did get some work done on the "battle wagon" project. Lots more to do, but progress none the less. Progress is slow as I am designing and building at the same time and am working by myself.... I tend to do a lot more "thinking" than building in the early stages. I decided to assemble the blind portion at ground level first. Less likely to fall and/or do something really stupid!
Windows are 24" tall by 48" wide (inside). I have plans to install typical vinyl sliding windows (hopefully double sliders). The enclosure will be 6 feet wide outside dimension and roughly 7' feet outside. There will be a 3' landing/porch as well. Wall construction is all 2"x4". Some of the ends (that reach for the sky) are currently 16' long and there is discussion about adding a platform on the roof (and thus a railing as well). Right now windows are 36" from the floor but that may change.....I won't fishing those out until we have things up on the wagon and we can see if we like that height or not. I had to stop.....ran out of screws and juice (down to only 1 battery for my tools).....
j-bird
Moderator
Got some data for my county from last season deer harvest.
here is the link for any of my fellow Hoosier's out there that want to look up their county as well.
https://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/files/fw-2018_Indiana_Deer_Harvest_County_Summaries.pdf
This is simply part of the report....I have not seen the full report yet.
So a few things to point out:
My county of 373 square miles has only 89 square miles of "deer habitat" - that is 24%
My county killed 10 more deer in total than it did last year...sounds pretty stable to me.
We don;t have many deer reported taken on depredation type tags.
Not sure how they count "hunters"....IN has an exemption that landowners hunting their land don't have to buy a tag....so if they hunt, but don't kill a deer the DNR has no idea they existed as a hunter....
The second half of the data is based on surveys...which we have poor participation rate on....so I am not sure how representative that data is.
Also note that the rules for this season have already been published....prior to this data being made available to the public.
here is the link for any of my fellow Hoosier's out there that want to look up their county as well.
https://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/files/fw-2018_Indiana_Deer_Harvest_County_Summaries.pdf
This is simply part of the report....I have not seen the full report yet.
So a few things to point out:
My county of 373 square miles has only 89 square miles of "deer habitat" - that is 24%
My county killed 10 more deer in total than it did last year...sounds pretty stable to me.
We don;t have many deer reported taken on depredation type tags.
Not sure how they count "hunters"....IN has an exemption that landowners hunting their land don't have to buy a tag....so if they hunt, but don't kill a deer the DNR has no idea they existed as a hunter....
The second half of the data is based on surveys...which we have poor participation rate on....so I am not sure how representative that data is.
Also note that the rules for this season have already been published....prior to this data being made available to the public.
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
Here ya go j-bird... if you were closer you could have my convertible for the weekend. It does well with youngins.
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j-bird
Moderator
I totally agree! In a perfect world my convertible would be done....but it's not. Maybe some day she will come around....but I was certainly surprised. When I get mine done....we will see if old cars are cool enough or not!
j-bird
Moderator
I would kick my kids ass if they drove my convertible like that (not that I have to worry about that at the moment)! My son drove the nuts off my truck enough as it was. It's one thing if it's your and you want to do that stuff.....it's another when it's somebody else's. I don't think the guy with the GTO would appreciate doing that with his!!!!Here ya go j-bird... if you were closer you could have my convertible for the weekend. It does well with youngins.
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Catscratch
5 year old buck +
Lol, I instigated it. I took the kids out and did a couple of donuts, then threw them the keys and said "your turn". It took them a couple of tries but they got the hang of it.
j-bird
Moderator
I'm sure they did.... especially once dad said it was OK. We tend to use trucks for that sort of stuff and instead of dust it's mud. And the only convertible I have in my 67 GTO.....so....no....the kids will NOT be doing donuts in the field with it when it's done (whenever that may be). Let's just say I better be dead if they do....cause I'll kill'em if I'm not! My son in particular is hard on anything with wheels....he almost had to become a mechanic out of necessity vs choice! There is a reason I don't have an ATV....dang kid was dangerous enough with a go cart!
j-bird
Moderator
My boy did that with a highly modified go-cart once. Just after I told him he needed to STOP power drifting a particular hair-pin turn because if he caught an edge or rolled a tire he would roll it. Yep.....literally 2 or 3 laps later. He rolls it....several times. Stops upside down (it had a cage) and he gives me the thumbs up while he is upside down...."I'm OK!" Bent axle, mangled cage, and some rattled brains but he was fine.
j-bird
Moderator
Well - I wasn't sure how it would all go down but when I had issues with my Chestnult hill trees (A 3 year in the ground chestnut died and I had a grafted persimmon graft died). I got a notice today that they are sending me 4 chestnut seedlings and a 1 gallon size persimmons tree as free replacements. It's still frustrating, but I am pleased to report that they showed serious concern about the chestnut dying and have been very good to work with and seem to stand behind their product as best as they can. Yes I would rather have my 8'+ tall, producing, chestnut tree, but I understand they can't ship me one of those and the replacement persimmons is cool too. I am not sure if anyone else has had issues but I will certainly remain a customer of theirs with this sort of product support. Looks like I will have some holes to dig shortly.
j-bird
Moderator
So this weekend had me working on project "battle wagon" again.
Friday I bought some sheeting for the walls (4) 4x8 x 3/8 plywood at ~ $12 each and another 2 pounds of screws (should have just bought 5 pounds to begin with) and another box of screws to secure the sheeting. So I have about another ($80) in the project. I figured for the walls I didn't really need anything substantial, but I didn't want OSB or the like either.
Saturday started out by what I thought would be securing some funds. I worked my way around the farm and gathered up a bunch of scrap metal that needed to go for some time. So I ended up with almost 1,400 pounds on my half ton pick-up. Not sure if the price was good or not a $60/ton....but I walked away with $41. After I spent the morning loading it all and then again unloading it all.....it really didn't seem worth the effort. But I got rid of some stuff that needed to go. I got more, but for the effort....it will wait.
Saturday afternoon and Sunday I actually was working on the project. I got the other 2 walls framed. I installed the sheeting I had, and got the roof panels framed as well. It was also decided that it wasn't a proper construction site without a flag! Roof is 2x6 construction not for snow load, but my son wants to be able to access it a a higher shooting platform as well. Thus the tall 2x4 to act as part of a railing system....that I have to figure out yet. Roof has slight grade sloping forward - nobody wants to climb a ladder while the rain from the roof drains on you (better for the ladder/steps as well.
I also have to bite-the bullet and redo the deck on the wagon.... I am trying really hard to ensure this all seals really well and the 2x8's on the wagon are not cooperating.... I will reuse the 2x8 as joists and the use some sheeting to try to get...and keep a much more level surface to mount the wall panels to. I added the red line so you can see the distortion a little better. I am not sure if it would have been as bad if I had mounted the panels right away.....but live and learn.
I will say that I spend about as much time thinking about how this is all going to come together as I do actually doing it.... Hopefully it all comes together in the end....and soon. I got stands to get up yet and to check and the like!
Friday I bought some sheeting for the walls (4) 4x8 x 3/8 plywood at ~ $12 each and another 2 pounds of screws (should have just bought 5 pounds to begin with) and another box of screws to secure the sheeting. So I have about another ($80) in the project. I figured for the walls I didn't really need anything substantial, but I didn't want OSB or the like either.
Saturday started out by what I thought would be securing some funds. I worked my way around the farm and gathered up a bunch of scrap metal that needed to go for some time. So I ended up with almost 1,400 pounds on my half ton pick-up. Not sure if the price was good or not a $60/ton....but I walked away with $41. After I spent the morning loading it all and then again unloading it all.....it really didn't seem worth the effort. But I got rid of some stuff that needed to go. I got more, but for the effort....it will wait.
Saturday afternoon and Sunday I actually was working on the project. I got the other 2 walls framed. I installed the sheeting I had, and got the roof panels framed as well. It was also decided that it wasn't a proper construction site without a flag! Roof is 2x6 construction not for snow load, but my son wants to be able to access it a a higher shooting platform as well. Thus the tall 2x4 to act as part of a railing system....that I have to figure out yet. Roof has slight grade sloping forward - nobody wants to climb a ladder while the rain from the roof drains on you (better for the ladder/steps as well.
I also have to bite-the bullet and redo the deck on the wagon.... I am trying really hard to ensure this all seals really well and the 2x8's on the wagon are not cooperating.... I will reuse the 2x8 as joists and the use some sheeting to try to get...and keep a much more level surface to mount the wall panels to. I added the red line so you can see the distortion a little better. I am not sure if it would have been as bad if I had mounted the panels right away.....but live and learn.
I will say that I spend about as much time thinking about how this is all going to come together as I do actually doing it.... Hopefully it all comes together in the end....and soon. I got stands to get up yet and to check and the like!
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j-bird
Moderator
So we had an interesting weekend...
Friday night was local homecoming....my two youngest girls where involved. Emma (left) was the Sophomore class female rep, Jenna (right) was a queen candidate. Both enjoyed the parade and the festivities.... and you don't have to tell me....I know....I'm in big trouble! My 2 older kids came out to show their support and my folks came out as well. We even won the football game....which is sort of surprising....but we will take it!
Saturday (some work done during the week) I worked some on the "battle wagon" - got the sides all sheeted up, roof sheeted (5/8 plywood) and started on the new wagon deck (tearing off the 2x8) and building frames for the new. That evening we went down and visited with my folks (mom's birthday).
Sunday I completed the new wagon deck....MUCH better! So the outer frame is 2x4 with the joists being the 2x8's. This recesses the joists down into the wagon for stability and I used the wagon pockets to connect everything as well. Decking was secured with 2" coated screws. Joists are roughly on 12" centers. This gives me a much smoother surface to get a good seal with. I should have planned on this from the beginning.
Sunday was WAY to windy to try to put the panels on the wagon. We had at least 20 or 30 mph winds all day....so wrestling with large wooden "kites" was NOT on my list of things to do. I need to paint/protect the deck and building first anyway. Plan is to paint the inside flat black and the outside will be either painted or metal siding (if I can find some on the cheap). Otherwise the siding will wait until next year. Then we can assemble on the wagon, put the final roof covering on and attack it with caulk and expanding foam. Still need to get windows ordered.....and the door built/installed.
Friday night was local homecoming....my two youngest girls where involved. Emma (left) was the Sophomore class female rep, Jenna (right) was a queen candidate. Both enjoyed the parade and the festivities.... and you don't have to tell me....I know....I'm in big trouble! My 2 older kids came out to show their support and my folks came out as well. We even won the football game....which is sort of surprising....but we will take it!
Saturday (some work done during the week) I worked some on the "battle wagon" - got the sides all sheeted up, roof sheeted (5/8 plywood) and started on the new wagon deck (tearing off the 2x8) and building frames for the new. That evening we went down and visited with my folks (mom's birthday).
Sunday I completed the new wagon deck....MUCH better! So the outer frame is 2x4 with the joists being the 2x8's. This recesses the joists down into the wagon for stability and I used the wagon pockets to connect everything as well. Decking was secured with 2" coated screws. Joists are roughly on 12" centers. This gives me a much smoother surface to get a good seal with. I should have planned on this from the beginning.
Sunday was WAY to windy to try to put the panels on the wagon. We had at least 20 or 30 mph winds all day....so wrestling with large wooden "kites" was NOT on my list of things to do. I need to paint/protect the deck and building first anyway. Plan is to paint the inside flat black and the outside will be either painted or metal siding (if I can find some on the cheap). Otherwise the siding will wait until next year. Then we can assemble on the wagon, put the final roof covering on and attack it with caulk and expanding foam. Still need to get windows ordered.....and the door built/installed.
Bill
Administrator
You said it brother!
