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Where Univ of Illinois had several intramural practice facilities Oklahoma chose to build this one (at least) large facility. It could be and often was turned into 2,3 or 4 sections to facilitate gymnastics mostly. Big place.
Brrrr, 16° right now and it's not supposed to get any warmer all day, even with bright sunshine. Overnight lows in the single digits forecasted for the next 3 nights, with below zero windchills. There have been several local reports of "ice quakes", a phenomenon where highly saturated soil rapidly freezes and then large sheets crack from expansion and it sounds like a gun going off and the ground actually shakes. This reminds me of the very loud pops we would hear from the lake behind my parents house in Michigan during extended periods of extreme cold when the ice on the lake would crack. It would sometimes sound like a high powered rifle going off.
Well, all their injuries on Defense finally caught up with the Lions last night and they had no answer for the Commanders Offense. The Lions Offense also shot themselves in the foot multiple times committing at least 4 turnovers, 2 in the Red Zone. This is not to take anything away from the Commanders who played an excellent game, especially their Rookie Quarterback Jayden Daniels who was unflappable and brilliant! So much for my hopes for a Lions/Chiefs Super Bowl!
So, Gabe has another game tonight at 7:50, which will be their last game of the Round Robin part of the tournament. With 2 wins and 1 loss so far, I'm assuming with a win tonight they would make it into the Championship Game tomorrow night. Of course if they do get into the Championship, I'm assuming they'd probably have to play the team that blew them out 5-0 on Friday evening. I think that'd be just fine, I'd like to see the boy's get another crack at them!
Rams/Eagles in the NFC, and Ravens/Bills in the AFC, Divisional Round games today. Both should be good games..
Hope everyone has a great day and stay warm if you're in the frigid weather zone!
Hey guys,
Grandson Gabe's team won their game tonight 3-2, so they won 3 of 4 in the Round Robin part of the tournament. He had the winning goal in the 3rd Period along with an assist in the 2nd. There was one more game in the Round Robin portion of the tournament to be played tonight, and 2 more tomorrow morning. But barring the possibility of some weird tiebreaker, we are almost a 100% sure his team will play in the Champonship game tomorrow night.
Proud Grandpa, ya think! He will be 12 in 3-days, gonna be a big boy!
My fingertips crack/bleed thinking of those temps. Bills vs. Ravens - quite the game. High 41°F this afternoon. Might still see some fluffy stuff tonight/tomorrow.
Very good game. I had recorded it and watched it when I got home from the hockey game. I was rooting for the Bills, I have an Aunt and Uncle (Dad's youngest brother) who have lived there for at least 40-years. Just like in the Lions game, key turnovers killed the Ravens. I also feel like the Ravens handed the Bills another gift when they got away from running the ball after Henry and their other running back (can't remember his name) were ripping off chunks of yardage at the start of the 2nd half. I was not going to be looking forward to the Chiefs having to face either of those teams in the AFC Championship. I think the Bills have more overall talent than the Chiefs, but Reid, Mahomes, and company have shown us time and time again they are capable of pulling a rabbit out of a hat, and they will be playing at Arrowhead.
Greg, a heat wave down here @ 5°. Blowing, drifting snow, roads were ice, took the senic route home to avoid any possible pile ups on the highway. I could feel the Hyundai shifting around on the road, visibility wasn't good. 45-50mph.
Greg, a heat wave down here @ 5°. Blowing, drifting snow, roads were ice, took the senic route home to avoid any possible pile ups on the highway. I could feel the Hyundai shifting around on the road, visibility wasn't good. 45-50mph.
Dan - That sounds pretty nasty! Glad you got home safely.
Tomorrow night (mostly) & tonight will be a hard freeze here. Not trying to tell you old Northern buzzards anything you don't already know; yet, a helpful reminder:
(1) Water expands when it freezes. Expansion bursts H20 pipes. Expansion causes pressure to build, w/ nowhere to go it creates significant pressure on H20 pipes;
(2) Run cold water through pipes prior to going to bed;
(3) If possible, run an absolute "trickle" of cold water through cold water pipe(s) which feed off the main water line - like two drops/minute. Running water doesn't slow down/halt freezing - it's the ability to relieve/lessen pressure as it builds throughout the night as pipes begin to freeze;
(4) Open water enclosure cabinets (e.g. under the sink, etc.) - allowing room/house air to assist in heating pipes.
This has been a Public Service Announcement (from E Pluribus Normus).
Wow, what a fun weekend! Gabe's team won their Championship Game tonight 3-2 over the team that had beat them 5-0 on Friday during the Round Robin play. The game was hard fought and tied 2-2 at the end of regulation. Gabe had both assists on their 2 goals. Then they went to a 5-minute sudden death overtime period, and it was still tied after overtime. Then they went to a shootout and his team scored the only goal to win 3-2. Gabe was voted Tournament MVP by his Coaches and received an inscribed medal. Man, I'm not ashamed to say a tear came to my eye when that was announced over the PA. We were very proud of the whole team to come out and not be intimidated by a team that had beat them 5-0 on Friday. They played like Champions and deserved to be!
Championship Banner that will hang in their home rink in perpetuity Gabe receiving his MVP medal from his Coach with teammates looking on Gabe with Dawn and Brother Keegan Gabe hugging his favorite teammate Adam immediatly after the win
Last edited by Dream67Olds442; Jan 20, 2025 at 10:26 PM.
Keith - It must have been similar for you, I suspect. Both brothers woke to -36°F wind chill this morning w/ temps of -17°F just North of Marinette/Menominee.
Norm, I had to travel this week, so I shut off the toilets, flushed them, and then shut the main water off. Opened the sinks, went to basement, opened the laundry sink thus venting and draining the whole system. Let all water out, then shut all taps. Ideally, very little water in the system.
Keith - It must have been similar for you, I suspect. Both brothers woke to -36°F wind chill this morning w/ temps of -17°F just North of Marinette/Menominee.
Nothing close to that, but it's 2° here with -15° windchill.
It's going to get very, very cold tonight/tomorrow for this area & they're forecasting 4" - 6" of the fluffy stuff. I don't think they have snowplows around this area. I might be wrong. If they do they sure as hell won't be plowing any of these local streets. Ah, well - that's how it goes. Doesn't bother me in the least - until my combination HVAC heat pump shuts down! I will say everyone is up in arms about it all. I can understand as this is a very, very uncommon event around here. Fingers crossed.
I've replaced ~3-4 ballasts in my man-cave overhead lamps. They're 54W T5 lamps. I have seven units total. Each unit contains four 54W T5 tubes & two ballasts, each ballast operating two 54W T5 tubes. Cheap-*** ballasts they used in the manufacturing/assembly is/has been the issue - as I've said I've replaced ~3-4 and they're up there at a height of 14'. I did all the electrical wiring/installation. I setup two tiers of scaffolding on rollers yesterday since I have one unit with two bad ballasts. I have another bad ballast in a smaller shop area I can get to with a ladder. I have ladders which will reach the 14' but working at that height for extended periods on ladder rungs is terribly uncomfortable & IMO not really safe.
The "issue" now presents itself. I have two (good quality) brand new replacement ballasts I've been saving for several years (since I knew this was going to happen at some point). The new good quality ballasts have been working excellently. Finding these ballasts is somewhere of a challenge - I may have found a couple that haven't been price-gouged beyond reason. As soon as stuff goes out of production & is no longer available (discontinued) seems every supply house want at least twice or more what I paid for them. Back to the "issue". I'm thinking I might (instead) eliminate the ballasts (rewire a ballast bypass in each unit) and install new 24W (54W) T5 LED tubes rated at 6500 lumens (max). I'm in a quandary. F250 headlamps arrive tomorrow - maybe. Not sure FEDEX will get to the house if we get the snow. I had my Craftsman propane Torpedo heater running this morning in the man-cave - it heated things up nicely to accommodate my work long enough to call it a day. I just heard the trash vehicle pick up my trash; so, I'll bundle up and head down the street bringing in some of my single female neighbors trash cans for them. The one lady is 91 years old, the other is sorta a dumb 50 year old turd.
It's going to get very, very cold tonight/tomorrow for this area & they're forecasting 4" - 6" of the fluffy stuff. I don't think they have snowplows around this area. I might be wrong. If they do they sure as hell won't be plowing any of these local streets. Ah, well - that's how it goes. Doesn't bother me in the least - until my combination HVAC heat pump shuts down! I will say everyone is up in arms about it all. I can understand as this is a very, very uncommon event around here. Fingers crossed.
Norm - I just watched the forecast on the national news for that storm moving up the coast and headed your way. Looks like it could get pretty hairy for you. I hope not, and hope your power and heating system survives the onslaught.
Good luck with the lighting. IMO, I think I'd go the LED route, especially if it will be less hassle and expense down the road. Just my 2-cents.
Chris - Thanks. Single unit combination HVAC heat pumps are not designed for frigid cold air conditions. They each have emergency heat strips & you pay ~x3 more/kwh to use them. I've not had to use them - yet. I wouldn't hesitate to turn them on manually (they are supposed to come on automagically under extreme/adverse conditions); of course, this assumes the blower (located outdoors in the unit) hasn't froze up & there's actually a method of bringing heat from those strips into the house.
I removed the one overhead shop light I can reach on a ladder this morning & pulled the two ballasts in it. I'll install the two new ballasts I have on hand into that shop light. I'll remove the one overhead shop light at 14'H as it gets warmer over the next week, rewire it for a ballast bypass & install new LED lighting tubes. I'll wait until any of the other (remaining five) overhead shop light ballasts go belly up then rewire & install LED tubes at that time.
I removed the one overhead shop light I can reach on a ladder this morning & pulled the two ballasts in it. I'll install the two new ballasts I have on hand into that shop light. I'll remove the one overhead shop light at 14'H as it gets warmer over the next week, rewire it for a ballast bypass & install new LED lighting tubes. I'll wait until any of the other (remaining five) overhead shop light ballasts go belly up then rewire & install LED tubes at that time.
Sounds like a good plan, no need to fix what ain't broken until it fails.
Chris, congrats on the grandson's hockey success. Jim, Mike, got snow? I see 4-7" in New Orleans per the weather channel. Still crappy here, had 1° on the car thermostat on the way home, supposed to warm to 17° tomorrow, though we are under a winter warning through Thursday a.m. Ordered a pair of pack boots as I have been wanting to get a pair for awhile. Neither Dicks, nor Dunham had what I wanted in stock, so I ordered online from the North face. Sorels, are very good, but pricey. I have a pair of Keen winter boots that I have had about 15 years, and the insulated insoles are giving out. Gotta find a pair to keep them good for a few more years.
--Wow! -10 this morning on outside thermometer. My son and daughter in law just bought a new fangled thermostat for their place across lake. She checked her phone this morning and it said house was at 55 where it was set. Later in day she noticed it was falling so she turned up to 60- (Very New fangled!). Then she got a alert on phone that temp had dropped to 50. So she called me... I went over and checked propane tank.... yep, EMPTY!!! WTF??!! Same propane supplier that neighbor uses and he ran out last week!! I have had no problem at my place and I use the same company- they did just fill mine. Anyway this is bullsh@t! Well she called company and they sent a guy out and refilled it...
-- Norm, about shop lights. I bought new fluorescent 4 ft T8 lights for my shop about 2000. Later I needed some bulbs and found it was a lot cheaper to buy in quantity, so I bought 3 boxes. So when I moved out of that place to up here, I took the new bulbs with me (2 boxes). Anyway when I went to put lights in my barn up here I went to get lights that used those bulbs. I found it was cheaper to just give away the bulbs and buy new LED's. I really like them. You may find it's not worth buying ballasts for them now compared to LED's.
Talked to my Sis in Battle Creek this morning and it was 2° there and they had gotten about 4" overnight, and it was still snowing. As bad as it is here, I certainly wouldn't trade!
Same propane supplier that neighbor uses and he ran out last week!! I have had no problem at my place and I use the same company- they did just fill mine. Anyway this is bullsh@t! Well she called company and they sent a guy out and refilled it...
That is BS! I'm sure you options are limited, but I'd be looking for another supplier.
Running out of propane happened to me ONCE...that's all it took. I let them have it BOTH barrels. Converted over to the single combination electric HVAC heat pump & told the ******** to get rid of their **** (two large tanks) or I was taking it to the dump. Company is a piece of ****.
Running out of propane happened to me ONCE...that's all it took. I let them have it BOTH barrels. Converted over to the single combination electric HVAC heat pump & told the ******** to get rid of their **** (two large tanks) or I was taking it to the dump. Company is a piece of ****.
At my previous place (Ex is still there) we had a home heating oil furnace and water heater. Great heat, but a pain in the ***. The 500-gallon below ground tank had no above ground gauge. I had to regularly get out there in the winter and measure how full it was with one of those very long.folding measuring sticks. Also, depending on the quality/purity of the fuel you got, the injector nozzles would clog. I always kept a couple extra nozzles on hand, but then the problem became once you took the clogged nozzle off, the system lost it's prime and was a real bitch to get it going again. I finally got fed up with it and had an electric furnace and hot water heater put in.
Last edited by Dream67Olds442; Jan 21, 2025 at 04:02 PM.
We're supposed to get wind chills down in the -20's due to wind gusts of 35-40mph. That, combined with up to another 8" of snow, will make driving a real bitch. Gonna take the senic route in to work tomorrow, semi's on the highway just make it too hard to see anything.
We're supposed to get wind chills down in the -20's due to wind gusts of 35-40mph. That, combined with up to another 8" of snow, will make driving a real bitch. Gonna take the senic route in to work tomorrow, semi's on the highway just make it too hard to see anything.
Dan - That sounds horrible! With the frigid weather creating a very dry snow, and those winds, I see tremendous potential for significant snow drifts. I'd be very concerned about even taking backroads tomorrow. Better safe than sorry, be careful!
It was nearly white-out conditions 2' - 3' of packed snow on the ground & coming down like a blizzard - it was a blizzard. I'm Northbound on I-43 (4-lane divided w/ 40' wide center meridian w/ ~4' - 5' deep snow in it from snow plows working the previous week). Barely one lane of two open and I'm struggling to maintain 45pmh - 50mph. Between Sheboygan & Manitowoc I spot a car approaching from the rear ~1 mile behind me. Sorta slows down behind me then decides it's ***** to the walls going to go around me, I slow down & move right into deeper snow to let 'em pass. Less than five minutes later ~1/4 mile ahead of me the same car's headlights are doing five or six 360° donuts in the road - they lost it. Car literally catapults into 5' - 6' of snow in the center meridian. As I pull up I can see snow up to the bottom of the driver's window. It's a young girl. Can't open the door (buried in the snow), rolls down the window and crawls out. She was modestly terrified. Said she was heading to Green Bay I told her to get in. She called her parents, I dropped her off at her parents. Her father was ecstatic to see his little girl. She was a college student @ UWM. I told him not to bother calling a tow truck until tomorrow & I bailed.
Norm - Yes -19 this am in Richland Center river valley warmer here -13.
Not a lick of snow on the ground so the frost is creeping deep, making nice ice on the lakes for fish fry's.
I have to agree with you and Greg and looking hard into the new Light Emitting Diodes for more lumens for the buck. Maybe worth keeping a fixture or two with the ballast's and lamps you have on hand for another application. Retro the other fixtures or replace them with the LED's and let the light shine in...Huge difference, lower Kwh operation, good for the ol'e eyes to see wtf is going on. My 2cents
He will be 12 in 3-days, gonna be a big boy!
