StainlessDeal

I couldn't say it better than this. My gratitude is boundless!

Thanks for sharing.:)

Congratulations Philip, I'm glad to hear you are committed to being a non-smoker. I quit two years ago last April 25th at 12:40 in the AM. At about 12:45 a guy collided with the vehicle in which I was a passenger. At 1:30 or so, I committed to being a non-smoker as the rescue squad was strapping me to the backboard and I was wheezing and terrified that I would start coughing. (The internal injuries and broken bones were painful enough without hacking.) I quit with the aid of morphine and various other painkillers, and a stay in intensive care, but it was the committment to stay a non-smoker that really set me straight. I don't miss them, I was sure I would, but I don't really even remember the habit clearly anymore. I got off easy: Most former smokers have to go through a gauntlet of physical and emotional and mental withdrawals that lifelong non-smokers will probably never have to endure, and I got to float through in a heavily altered condition. I don't smoke now because I don't think of myself as a smoker at all. When you are done patting your back, I'll pat for you. I don't know if I ever would have been able to quit any other way, I'm glad for anybody that quits, regardless of how, but to do it and be committed to being a person that doesn't smoke has worked for many people. I've posted this before, if any smoker out there wants to quit, I'm here to lead cheers or make bets, or whatever I can to help.

I can't speak for anyone else, but I know the feeling of getting worked up more and more until all I do is complain. If I'm lucky, my wife or one of my friends will say something, or even better, I'll hear myself. That's when I remember how good I have it: Two years ago last April 25, I didn't know if I'd ever walk or use my right arm again. I couldn't shower,or even use the bathroom without assistance. Now I have a small business, a house, and a wife that loves me. I can do whatever I wish to, as long as I do what I must first. I love the life my Lord has granted me, and I'm happy doing well with it. What more could I ask for? I spent the first 17 years of my working life doing very rough, physical work that parted me from the ones I loved. When not doing the actual job, I was constantly battling for some cause. That also took me all over the US and cost me plenty physically and mentally. Now, it seems as though NOT EVERYTHING has to be a battle. I'm still passionate, but now I've learned to leaven that passion with a bit more compassion and faith that others mean well and the knowledge that I won't always be right. As a VERY wise soul always reminds me: LIFE IS GOOD! Have a good one Jeff, you still inspire people here!:lgwave:

Guess what I was doing this last weekend? First pic is on the road in to where we later hunted. Second is my buddies heading in to set up later in the day. Last is my buddy taking a smoke break before we move set-ups.

Let me know how it goes down there. The landowner in this case is a great guy and can set you up pretty cheap in a great riverside cabin. I won't post prices here, but if you want to check him out, give me the word and I'll set you up. He's a great guy, just a rancher with a turkey problem. SteveR, if you are out there this is for you, too! I've never tried turkey hunting the traditional method before, way more fun than I thought possible! I'm hooked.

My second bird and another good reason to go here. Both were Merriams and were an absolutely exhilerating blast to hunt! I have found a new love. I can see why you serious turkey guys enjoy this so much. What a great time we had!

First is Yours Truly with my first Tom. Second is the same as above with an old reliable friend from Detroit. Third is Turkey #2 shot the next day. Much larger (Cleaned and plucked, 14 pounds into the freezer) beard visible in picture.

First is my second set-up on day one. No joy here. Second is me after a two hour conversation in a foreign language. I won the argument! Third is my correspondent/adversary from above.

PEOPLE! THEY MAKE IT FROM PEOPLE!! YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO MEEEE!!

I agree with adrian, The Tick is the coolest! (Animated, not that Warburton version)

The paragraph posted above is one of the best-written and most insightful that I have seen on these boards since I first encountered this medium. This is a point I often don't try to even make, because from me it sounds a little dogmatic and even a bit nostalgic. Thanks, Philip. Philip, we really should go bowling together sometime.;) This thread is a gut-wrenching hell to read, but it winds up reaffirming my admiration for the principals posting: You never cease to amaze me with your humanity, TGS. I love this community, if this was a television show, people wouldn't believe that real people talk this way. Where else would you catch a conservative and a liberal and an (bless me they still exist) Ayn Rand libertarian arguing semantics and election prospects as relates to gas prices, corporate profits and corporate officer compensation? Only TGS. PS. Adrian, how's the x-jet? 420 ;)

Too cool to see you around. Be safe on both gigs and tell tales!:lgwave:

First: 1969 Nova SS, 396 from the factory with 850 Puddledumper on a Weiand track manifold. TH-400 built with Fairbanks gear and 2900 RPM converter. 12 bolt posi from factory. Without traction bars, this beastie would wrap the 5 leaf springs into an S-curve until the passenger side lower shock hanger broke. They say big blocks break parts, they were right! That was a VERY fast car: an honest 12 seconds on pump gas and bias ply L-60's. Handling suffered from nearly seven inches of rake, and an oversprung rear. My favorite is the car my dad drove when I was a kid: 1968 Plymouth GTX. His was a 440/Torqueflite car with a BM Torqueflite and a 3-barrel carb that flowed more air than a six-pack, basically a four barrel with one giant secondary. This car was remarkably fast and even handled well. Try to find a decent one today, they are like hen's teeth.

Happy birthday, you old bastardo, you! You should take the weekend off. Perhaps some good food and good company will remind you of those halcyon days of yore. If not, I recommend red sauce and a friendly chianti, especially the chianti. Apply both liberally to the palate, put your feet up, get plenty of rest. Make sure to get lots of liquids, especially the chianti. You'll feel young and fit directly. Tempus Fugit, Amicus! :lgwave:

Here are some shots from the final throes of winter here in Omaha. I was moving snow until I thought I'd croak from it. These pics are of the last day, the only daylight work I remembered to bring a camera for.

This is a new water treatment plant going up. The construction is over sixty feet below the existing grade, and the snowfall two days prior to this shot was more than ten inches on level ground. Factor in high winds and all the things to drift, and some areas in the pit had seven and eight feet of snow standing. It was all removed with loaders, and graders, and then loaded into dumps and carted a mile away (still onsite) and dumped in a catch-basin where dozers and loaders piled it well over twenty feet high. By the time these pics were taken daytime highs were back into the fifties, and things got extremely hazardous for men and equipment. I wish I had more, and better photos to show what it was like later, but my camera batteries met an untimely end. Only a few of the pics I did get turned out because of lighting trouble. I wash several of these rigs, soon more, and do some other work for some of the other people working on this site, they needed operators to handle the mess, so there I was selling on the CB and moving snow! Good business is where you find it!

But you have to be careful. I have bought hoses and hand tools there, and the results were pretty mixed. One two wheeler I bought is great outside because of the large wheels, but the axle bushings are shot when you buy them. Bearings are cheap and seem to be able to escape the races like unfenced chickens in a barnyard. I bought a measuring wheel there for next to nothing, and that is what it measured. The minor point was that it measured feet and tenths of feet, which is odd. The major point was that it worked for 9 and 3/10's feet after purchase before the counter failed. I'd say that was a bit behind the curve. Strangely, friends of mine report that the airtools are unrefined and heavy, but work and last well. Kind of like soviet weapons. Go figure. I'm just saying be aware that what you are buying is just junk, some is nice junk, but still junk. Kinda like fast-food: It will keep you alive in a pinch, but really isn't good for you as a steady diet.:lgbounces

Not that it isn't tempting, but you can be fined and even charged postage on advertising materials attached to US Mail boxes. Postal inspectors have worse senses of humor than neighborhood busybodies. (Although if any read this I'd just like them to know that I hold them in the highest esteem, and realize that theirs is a lonely and thankless career.):lgangel:

It is pronounced like the pig-latin for, "pea". I hadn't even heard of it until last year, and Mr. Petry had to pronounce it for me. Some call it ironwood or brazilian ironwood. Very hard.

Good for you and yours, now get that fence stained. I know some people in the business!;) :cool:

Dustin, I know nothing about your situation so I'll give you a few things to think about: Do you obsessively seek challenge? Do you know how to control yourself? Do you like having a boss? Do you like dealing with customers? Do you work hard? What are your bad habits? What are your better habits? Do you have good habits? Do you have a plan? Can you stick to it? Can you recognize when you should change your plan? These are all things I had to honestly answer to myself before I could ask the opinions of my loved ones. I was pretty well thrown in the deep end, by forces beyond me, but needed a way to be sure I could handle the stresses and setbacks and triumphs that are part of operating my own business. Realism and dreams don't seem to go together at first blush, but I would honestly say that you have to have both (in high doses) to be capable of getting this done. You've done the lion's share of the legwork, think of this time as the breath before the plunge: Survey yourself and those around you that you depend on, and those that depend upon you. See what you really think and feel, and then...COMMIT. Whatever decision you make, make it with serious intention and a plan. Then pray and rub crystals or whatever it is you do, and make this decision count. Then keep using this board, these generous people have a great deal of experience they will share. That is a priceless resource you have going for you. Others will post their considered opinions, and many are much better qualified than I to assist you in this decision. Listen to them. Call or email if I can help in any way, I'm excited for you. I love to see people making opportunities for themselves. Best luck!:lgkick:

Then I toss 'em. Dultmeier is just down the road, so I keep the latest removed, the ones installed, and then buy new and they all move up one notch. The one last removed is the emergency spare, the prevoius one hits the can. I change when they start to go leaky. I'm using the "relaxed action" guns, I think from Suttner. My right hand is pretty well shot, but can hold one of these for a much greater time than normal guns. I wonder if anybody has seen any difference in reliability? I haven't replaced one yet, so no firsthand experience to draw from. Anybody else using them?

Are you bidding on concrete countertop installs? Cool to have with your sealing/staining thing going.:)

If you have a question involving complex applied mathematics, Philip seems to be the guy.:) I usually don't even bother to check him anymore. Now, if he could just write a useful dissertation on the mpemba effect. I can't get my father to even read what has been written, and I generally rely on him for answers to these sorts of questions. OK, I know I'm :topic: , but I wanted to aknowledge Philip as the Math:yoda:.