The new campfire thread...ooooh purrrrty!!!!!!

[toypusher]

We got maybe an inch of snow overnight. But it is 21 degrees and feels like 3. Highs for tomorrow and Saturday are predicted in the teens and WINDY!

[Fenlason]

We were at around zero this morning.. with lightly falling snow. It is a fine dry snow... but falling heavier now. The real storm isn't here yet.
I haven't heard anything on the van yet. We have been sort researching new stuff on-line.

So far just puttering around the house doing house work. I plan to do a little work on my grooming drag.

[Fenlason]

The snow got heavier during the day... as did the wind. Many places were closed. Laurie worked until 1:00. It got quite windy last night. We could hear it in the bedroom, and we don't normally hear anything from within the bedroom.

The snow stopped something during the night.. it was mostly clear at 5:00 am but still quite windy.

I woke at 3:00... and was still awake when it was time to clear the driveway for Laurie. zzzzzzz. Because of the drifting it is hard to tell how much snow we got... but maybe a foot. It is a pretty dense snow.. packed heavy... but dry. I had the tractor parked by this end of the barn [outside]... and I had it plugged in. It started quite nicely, and I am thinking it might be better for it if I plug it in this time of year.

I brought Laurie into work this morning, just so I could borrow her car.

I had a pretty good BKool ride last night. I was fairly tired and wasn't even that sure about doing it. There were somewhere around 20 people. We ended up with 5 of us at the front again. Although some of the 5 were different, and some of the previous 5 couldn't keep up. It was pretty aggressive with different people attacking and getting away. I mostly sat in to start with, although I did chase down the attackers a couple of times. Then part way through Jeff attacked once again... and after a little bit.. Bill went hard after him.. Leaving Matt, Paul and I behind. Matt dropped off from our group.. and as we crested a long non steep hill I had a little gap. We then had a long [not steep] downhill. For quite a few miles I stayed away. Paul a few seconds back, and we increased our lead over Matt. Paul did eventually catch me.. we dropped each other a few times.. at first he wouldn't let me draft at all.. So while I knew he would beat me at the finish.. I pulled.. just so I could stay at a more steady pace. There was a slight uphill to the finish line.. and he dropped back and then attacked hard.. easily beating me. [by 2 seconds].

I have a few errand I want to do today [why I wanted Laurie's van] I do have more snow clean up to do also.

[toypusher]

6 degrees and -9 wind chill this morning for us. Still windy and will remain windy through tomorrow. Should warm up a bit after that and be in the mid to upper 30s starting Monday.

Just doing some stuff around the house today. Have some computer stuff to try and get worked out for my laptop.

[Fenlason]

The lack of sleep it hitting me hard.. zzzzzzzz I did my errands.. and have been home. I should be snowplowing.. but ZZZZZZZ

I did stop about the van.. they say the starter is gone. [at 16,500 miles] They have one on the way.. it was expected today, but they [at that time] didn't know if the storm yesterday would delay that. Even if they got it, and installed it today, they would like to keep it overnight.. to see how it starts after sitting overnight outside in the cold. [which I agree with and am ok with] I did try getting some feedback on this vehicle.. do I just have a bad one... are the diesels and issue.. or is it Promasters in general. I guess I can't expect this service guy to tell me..that Promaster's suck..

[toypusher]

Maybe you can find a forum about them??

[Fenlason]

Maybe you can find a forum about them??

I have been on a Promaster forum for a few years now. I knew the about those earlier issues, before my dealer did. I have just recently started visiting it again. As of yet I haven't found any starter issues. The Promaster overall.. some love it some hate it.

We are cold and grey here today... and still somewhat windy. I knew I would have wished I did more storm clean up yesterday.. vs waiting till today..

I was tired enough that I was worried of making mistakes.. running over stuff... hitting a building..

[toypusher]

Yeah, there is too much drifting still for me to consider much clean up. Winds are supposed to lessen a bit starting tomorrow. It was 2 this morning with wind chill of -11 at 645.

[Fenlason]

Well I let it warm up to 10 below zero [actual temperature] and it's still pretty windy. I got most of the clean up done. Laurie was shoveling the deck off.. and I have to periodically snow blow her pile away. Having everything else done, I hauled fire wood to the wood shed while she shoveled. I was pretty comfortable most of the time.. but I then quickly got pretty cold.. and took a break. I did get some work done on my groomer. The pins I got to fasten the original hitch to the mounts on the new groomer.. are just a little too big around.. so I have been "shaving" them down. I have to do a little more work on one of those.

[Fenlason]

We did get our snow clean up done.. and I got the hitch pins "whittled" down.

We had a meeting at the mill for the up coming race... then back home.. looking at van's on-line.. I see a van of interest at a dealer a bit south of here.. then I see where it says they are open Sunday's [from 11:00 to 5:00] We drive down.. and they aren't open

We did at least look at the vans while there. The van of interest is new.. but a 2015.. it was greatly marked down. Well the reason it only has a drivers seat.. no passenger seat... and with todays set up.. it's not so easy to just buy a seat and put it in. [if that was so.. I would think it would have sold] Also the web page on that van says says it has 2 seats..

They did have quite a few vans there.. most dealers have 1 or 2.. they had many. Peering into one.. I notice the keys in the ignition .. then try the door.. and it's unlocked.. .. then looking around.. a dozen or so vans.. were all un-locked.. and the keys were in the ignition.

We did refrain from taking a test ride.... or hiding all of them..

We did detour a little on the way home to look at the Nissan vans.. dealer not open [and no keys] but to at least get a peek at them.

[toypusher]

Well, it is warmer today, but it is sleeting, freezing rain, and snow. So, not a great day. I did manage to get to the grocery store this morning before it all started. Tomorrow should be a much nicer day (except I have a doctor's appointment at 12:30).

[Fenlason]

Hmm I posted here yesterday. .and it's not here..

I did get the van back yesterday. So far it's working.. Laurie had email the owner and the general manager.. about our issues.. and our now distrust of the van and that we were looking to replace it. It seems they are going to work with us.. to get us in another van, a gas version. Actually at the moment diesel isn't available. They are having a hard time meeting EPA standards. It has been mentioned we were looking at trading for a Ford.. and they don't want us in a Ford...

I did some work on my grooming drag yesterday. I did get to try it out also. I first went out with the bigger sled. We have so much fresh snow.. that even the sled was work. I headed out with the drag.. and that felt good, except it did not track well. It would slide out on the corners.. and on downhills it also would slide out sideways.. and then hook and edge.. and throw me. It needs more runners. I had 4 planned.. I had 2 on when I first tested it. I did get the others on, it was somewhat better but still needed more. I had also planned a toothed come for the tail end. I built that and installed it... and it dragged horribly. I think most of the issue was the snow was wetter by then.. and parts of the sled iced up.

[toypusher]

Got news yesterday - I need more back surgery! This one should be out patient, but that might change after I have a CT scan next Wednesday. Tentative schedule for surgery is Feb 6th.

Just back from Home Depot and got materials to build a shooting bench for the range that I use. Might even get it put together tomorrow, but have other things to do, so not sure.

[Fenlason]

Sorry to hear about the surgery.. I hope it goes well.

I got some roofs cleaned off.. I think most of them will be fine. Laurie and called the cable company again.. and after getting transfered a few times gave up. They did schedule a tech to come out today.. 5:00 to 6:00. One of their offices is 3 miles up the road.. so we stopped by.. We can upgrade some stuff.. for less than we are paying now. I am not sure this tech was all that good.. [it is hard to say] Most everything has already been changed. We did have new digital boxes to hook up.. so he did help with that. He did 2 the 3rd is a pain.. getting at the connections and such.. I said I would handle that. He left the box in the living room on the floor.. I was going to move it so I could put the love seat back.. the power cord was still bundled up... and wrapped around another.. so I unplug it, unwrap and untangle.. and hook it back up. I knew the box would re-boot.. and that takes some time.. but I had no signal after

I also had no signal downstairs... I checked.. and rechecked all my connections. {actually one of his was barely finger tight.. It took quite some time.. but there was a separate system button on the remote.. that fixed both.

Of course I have no idea what we have for channels.. It looks like one of my old channels is gone...

I tried using their website to learn what we have.. and we are supposed to look up what we have by putting in our address.. and they say my address is invalid

[Fenlason]

We are supposed to be close to 50 degrees with rain later today. I did a little more snow clean up yesterday, as well as some house work. I did some work on the snowdog also. It feels like the choke isn't fully closing. I was going to look at adjusting that, but I would have had to take it further apart than I wanted to, right now. I did adjust the throttle cable. It had stretched some. I don't really like the cable housing stop, that Briggs and Stratton uses. I will look at finding something for a bicycle part I can adapt.