When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Thanks everyone for the well wishes. It's a long trip for sure but a good time once I get there. I might be able to check in here once in a while, though I hate looking at this website on the phone. It's all small and scrunchy and hard to read. I'll be back late Tuesday.
Richard Harris' last movie was Caesar in 2002, he died just before the premier of the first Harry Potter movie. Only 72 years old. Someone whom I was surprised to see in Gladiator was Oliver Reed, as I hadn't seen him in a film in ages. He died from over drinking in a drinking contest with sailors during filming of Gladiator.
Thanks, Dan. Quite interesting regarding Oliver Reed.
After a couple of beautiful days, another one in store today with sunshine and close to 80°.
I haven't posted as much the last couple of days because I've been busy helping Dawn with a good sized project. One that I definitely did not want to put off with even more warmer temps coming.
A little over 6-years ago when we 1st got our younger dog Maggie, we suspected she was trying to eat the gravel in the planting beds behind the retaining wall that exists the full length of the back of the house (3rd and 4th pics below). Dawn did not want to take any chances and wanted the gravel gone. So, I shoveled it all out and moved it all via wheelbarrow up to the two planting beds that exist in the front (pics 1 and 2 below), just making it extra deep up there. Well, Dawn has never been able to get anything to grow well in the back because of full shade, and decided she wanted the rock back. So I agreed to move it back. Although it was easier this time because I was going downhill with a loaded wheelbarrow, it was still a real killer. The 4 pics are how it looks now, pretty much like it did 6-years ago! AiYiYi. I have already made it clear, never again! Front bed Front bed Back bed under deck Back bed along length of house
Last edited by Dream67Olds442; Mar 12, 2025 at 10:13 AM.
Oh, meant to, but forgot to mention, Gabe will start his "All Star Tournament" tonight in East Alton, IL against other "All Star Teams" from multiple states. After doing some online sleuthing to find some info on the other teams that are entered, I think his game tonight against a team out of the Chicago area may be their toughest? It's gonna be a ****-ton of hockey, a minimum of 5-games thru this Sunday, and possibly a 6th if they make it to the Championship.
Chris - Although I saw 3 or 4 rocks out of place...it looks real good.
Norm - Thanks! I was shoveling/hauling/dumping. Dawn was spreading/leveling, so those out of place rocks are all on her.
Originally Posted by Vintage Chief
Chris - Sounds like an excellent All-Star Tournament.
Yes, it should be alot of fun. It will be interesting to see how good of a team Gabe's League has put together and how well they stack up. Another factor, being a recently selected All Star Team, I know Gabe's team has only been able to practice together 2 times for this thing. It will be interesting to see how well they are able to play together? I would assume the other teams will be facing the same challenge too though.
Chris, I would vote for a few azaleas [Since you.re exercising back anyway]
Jim - You know I love Dawn to death, but if I had the cumulative value of all the plants she's killed I could buy Tesla (at least after the past few days). I'm not gonna plant that seed (or Azalea), but if she gets the urge, she can go for it.
Jim - You know I love Dawn to death, but if I had the cumulative value of all the plants she's killed I could buy Tesla (at least after the past few days). I'm not gonna plant that seed (or Azalea), but if she gets the urge, she can go for it.
Chris - I have ~50 Azalea plants. They can handle filtered sunlight so they'd do well in that location. I think a more robust plant might be a Big Leaf Hydrangea (or several). I have a 1/2 dozen. I feed this one coffee grounds to make the soil acidic to get deep blue/purple blooms (which I prefer). If you feed them egg shells or baking soda you can raise the pH (alkaline) to get reddish blooms. They're basically care-free low maintenance plants like Azaleas.
These get very limited direct sunlight, mostly indirect/limited sunlight as they're on the North side of the house.
Hello. Good landscaping and plants. Enjoy down under, Mike, send me back a Shiela.
I packed up Friday and drove to Sparta, IL and spent the night. Did Appleseed at the World Shooting and Recreational Complex, a state run huge trap, skeet, clays, and cowboy action facility. Good class. Good place. I had packed a subway sub for lunch, then we had dinner at the range restaurant where I ate a rich meal of salad, grilled chunk of prime rib, and baked potato. Came back to the hotel and had a case of the trots. I thought it was the rich food.
The next day, I ate the other subway sub for lunch, went home, and, on the last third, felt worse with heartburn. Walked through the grocery store, but, by the time I got home, I felt awful. Ended up with a full on bout of gastroenteritis and had fireworks at both ends for a day, then fireworks at the south end for the next two. I appear to be cured, or close to it. This morning, I was down ten pounds from Friday, which I needed to lose. We will see how I am tomorrow. I had not been to the subway in a while and I blame it. I think one sub was bad, and the other was worse. I may stop using this chain, or, at least, most of its franchises. Took a day Monday and worked from home the past couple. May travel tomorrow to work.
John - Strong suggestion. >50% of all humans are infected with Helicobacter used to be Cryptosporidium as I recall. Drink 2 cap fulls of Pepto Bizmol daily for two weeks. Bismuth subsalicylate will knock it out.
Chris - I have ~50 Azalea plants. They can handle filtered sunlight so they'd do well in that location. I think a more robust plant might be a Big Leaf Hydrangea (or several). I have a 1/2 dozen.
Norm - Thanks for the extra info. That bed across the back is essentially directly North facing, and combined with the height of the house gets 0% direct sunlight. Also, another factor to remember is that we can get extensive periods below freezing in Winter, with some periods of sub-zero temps. With those conditions in mind, which would probably do better Norm?
Another beautiful morning. Sunny, and already 63° at 0830 and headed towards a high of 80°. There is some kind of front moving through tomorrow where we're supposed to have a high of 85°, sustained winds of 20 - 25mph, and a chance of severe weather and tornadoes, but I don't see alot of moisture associated with it..
Well, Gabe's team really got clobbered last night, 5 - 0. My worst fears came to fruition, they looked like a team that had no chemistry and poor teamwork from essentially no time together. Plenty of blame to share, including Gabe, who I didn't think played anywhere near his best. I don't know if having school all day yesterday had any impact on his play, but he looked sluggish and uninspired during several shifts. His team's goaltending was especially atrocious, with most of goals against them looking like they should have been fairly routine saves. The really disappointing thing is that I think Gabe's regular season team would have had a much better chance of winning. Next up, they have a game Saturday at noon, and then another game Saturday at 7:30pm. They'll have to win both those games to have any chance of getting to the Championship.
With all the nice weather I had been thinking about getting out and doing the oil/filter change and front end lube on the 4-4-2 today, but right now I'm not feeling it. We'll see, maybe I'll be more fired up after some more coffee?
Chris - Gabe should look at his membership in this All Star Tournament as a tribute to his personal capabilities throughout the year - not his team's capabilities. It would be tough for adults who've never played together to find cohesion & coordination as a team let alone a 13 year old. Hope he has fun.
John - You "may" start to feel better after a couple days following Pepto Bizmol (Bismuth subsalicylate) however take a full two weeks regimen to eliminate Helicobacter pylori from your gut (like you would a course of antibiotics).
Chris - Gabe should look at his membership in this All Star Tournament as a tribute to his personal capabilities throughout the year - not his team's capabilities. It would be tough for adults who've never played together to find cohesion & coordination as a team let alone a 13 year old. Hope he has fun.
Norm - You're absolutely correct and I couldn't agree with you more on all points! Gabe (and all of us) is extremely proud he was even chosen, and I know he's having fun! Trust me when I say that no family members, including myself, presented any negative feedback to Gabe after the game. We all want the entire experience to continue to be fun for him. I just wanted to provide you guys with an honest critique of how I saw things play out last night.
Sanding, priming + two top coats to both sides of the interior rear door complete - looks fantastic. Removing paint w/ a razor blade & box knife (corners) on both sides adds to the time & labor. I'm in the middle of removing ~75 years of paint from original door/frame hinges - I'm half done. Hoping to hang the door late this afternoon.
John - You "may" start to feel better after a couple days following Pepto Bizmol (Bismuth subsalicylate) however take a full two weeks regimen to eliminate Helicobacter pylori from your gut (like you would a course of antibiotics).
Norm, I quit with the fireworks yesterday and seem to be normal, but empty. A little low on stamina. I'll go get the pink stuff today.
This has been a horrible winter. Between 2 colds, this stomach bug, 3 weeks of bad weather, a funeral, and a trip to the K plant, I have rarely been in the office more than 1 day a week at my home plant. Perhaps it is a sign to hang it up and be retired.
This has been a horrible winter. Between 2 colds, this stomach bug, 3 weeks of bad weather, a funeral, and a trip to the K plant, I have rarely been in the office more than 1 day a week at my home plant. Perhaps it is a sign to hang it up and be retired.
John - You sure have had a rough go of it! I hope the rest of this year goes much better for you! 🤞
I was sitting watching world and national news this morning, just trying to relax and enjoy my morning coffee. Wasn't gonna happen, it seemed like every story was burning WTF into my brain! I thought to myself, this song captures all the craziness I'm seeing.
I got a late start to the day (so what). Taking much longer detailing hinge hardware (so what). Why finish today what I can put off until tomorrow (so what). Took a break & went to hardware store - forgot to go to grocery store. Burnished more hardware went to grocery store. Most likely will need to make some new shims to hang this door which I don't much feel like getting into towards end of the day. Opted to make Shrimp & Rice Lo Mein, carrots, peas, & steamed broccoli. Finishing it off w/ a bowl of chicken, carrot noodle soup.
Opted to make Shrimp & Rice Lo Mein, carrots, peas, & steamed broccoli. Finishing it off w/ a bowl of chicken, carrot noodle soup.
That sounds like a tasty meal. I went a very easy route. About a week ago I got a craving for Bologna sandwiches, which I hadn't had in years. I went to the store and bought 2 large packs of Oscar Mayer thick cut Bologna, because Oscar Mayer has a way with B-O-L-O-G-N-A. Tonight I had it fried on toasted bread, and as a side I had Busch's original baked beans cold out of the can. Yum!
One of the things I didn't mention previously about the hockey game last night was that my 2 work buddies, both of whom were in Dawn's and my wedding, did show up to the game. It had been about 3-years since I had seen either one of them. It was great getting caught up with what we all had been doing. One of them is still working at NGA, and said it was just crazy with all the mandates and downsizing coming out of the Whitehouse. He told us we should be very happy that we got out when we did. I told him he wouldn't get any argument from me!
Dawn and I finally got down to Festus to pick up our new glasses, and return Dawn's package. I really like my new glasses. While we were down there we went to Home Depot and got a new outdoor rug (8x10) for the deck. The old one was getting moldy and nasty looking. I was glad she quickly found one she liked with minimal "shopping"!
All in all, a very nice day. Hope everyone has a great evening.
Last edited by Dream67Olds442; Mar 13, 2025 at 04:24 PM.
Norm - You're absolutely correct and I couldn't agree with you more on all points! Gabe (and all of us) is extremely proud he was even chosen, and I know he's having fun! Trust me when I say that no family members, including myself, presented any negative feedback to Gabe after the game. We all want the entire experience to continue to be fun for him. I just wanted to provide you guys with an honest critique of how I saw things play out last night.
Originally Posted by Vintage Chief
Chris - Gabe should look at his membership in this All Star Tournament as a tribute to his personal capabilities throughout the year - not his team's capabilities. It would be tough for adults who've never played together to find cohesion & coordination as a team let alone a 13 year old. Hope he has fun.
X3
Gabe is a talented team player and earned his recognition, such a great point Norm. He did not have his team, like one oar in the water and I am sure it is a frustration. I did not put it together until I read your reply. "Teach the children well" Always make it fun. We always learn
X3
Gabe is a talented team player and earned his recognition, such a great point Norm. He did not have his team, like one oar in the water and I am sure it is a frustration. I did not put it together until I read your reply. "Teach the children well" Always make it fun. We always learn
Red Green.... "Keep your stick on the ice"
Keith - Your philosophy is spot on pardner, thanks! Great group, terrific song! 👍
Norm - Thanks for the extra info. That bed across the back is essentially directly North facing, and combined with the height of the house gets 0% direct sunlight. Also, another factor to remember is that we can get extensive periods below freezing in Winter, with some periods of sub-zero temps. With those conditions in mind, which would probably do better Norm?
Hydrangeas would fair much better than Azaleas in St. Louis. Several Hydrangea varieties/species/cultivars are native to Missouri. The Annabelle hydrangea thrives well in Missouri.
Hydrangeas would fair much better than Azaleas in St. Louis. Several Hydrangea varieties/species/cultivars are native to Missouri. The Annabelle hydrangea thrives well in Missouri.
Yep, certainly another option, and to the best of my knowledge they are pretty shade tolerant. I have them in the bed in the front of the house. The ones I have up front look just like these.
I have already made it clear, never again!
I'm not gonna plant that seed (or Azalea), but if she gets the urge, she can go for it. 
