What did you do today?

[davem1111 2,343]

On 9/26/2026 at 10:44 AM, ebinmaine said:

I rolled my left ankle at work yesterday so I'm spending the weekend with it off the ground. 

 

😬

 

Hope it's getting better.  Best to take it easy as long as you can. 

 

In 2017 I rolled my ankle while jumping on trampolines (like I though I was still a kid) at Urban Air with my son. Broke the Talus bone, was in a boot for about 2 months. I actually bought a peg-leg device that straps on and I could walk almost as good as normal. Can't get in and out of a vehicle with that on though.  

[ebinmaine 80,599]

1 hour ago, davem1111 said:

 

Hope it's getting better.  Best to take it easy as long as you can. 

 

In 2017 I rolled my ankle while jumping on trampolines (like I though I was still a kid) at Urban Air with my son. Broke the Talus bone, was in a boot for about 2 months. I actually bought a peg-leg device that straps on and I could walk almost as good as normal. Can't get in and out of a vehicle with that on though.  

 

 

The med doc wanted me to wear an air boot for two to three days. She said it would probably cause some stiffness. We had a little discussion about the fact that I have fibromyalgia and I already have more joint stiffness than most people and I don't need help with that.

 She said okay let's scratch that idea.

Let's take a step down and use a lace up boot that has metal side supports.

They also gave me a slip-on type sleeve but has a support in it.

I left that office and immediately went down the hall to PT. 

That therapist said, no. No boot. No sleeve. No nothing. Wear it only when the injury is causing serious discomfort.

 

Well, that really hasn't been a serious issue because I've been off my feet as much as possible until yesterday. That was a little challenging but I'm quite a bit better today.

 

I never even installed that lace-up boot.

 

Interesting how different medical professions give you different options and requirements.

Edited Thursday at 05:39 PM by ebinmaine

[Handy Don 17,456]

Watched in amazement as a large hawk aggressively tried to reach a squirrel in my trap! When I approached, the hawk reluctantly took a perch in a nearby tree. I thought it might want to fight me for taking its breakfast so I was very wary. I returned the expired carcass to the area a few minutes later and left it for a bit but the hawk had departed.

About an hour later, the hawk was back, though, checking out the empty trap!

(I started reducing the squirrel population somewhat once they began climbing on the house.)

 

Edited Thursday at 05:48 PM by Handy Don

[ebinmaine 80,599]

1 minute ago, Handy Don said:

Watched in amazement as a large hawk aggressively tried to reach a squirrel in my trap! When I approached, the hawk reluctantly took a perch in a nearby tree. I though it might want to fight me for taking its breakfast so I was very wary. I returned the expired carcass to the area a few minutes later and left it for a bit but the hawk had departed.

About an hour later, the hawk was back, though, checking out the empty trap!

 

 

 

As you know our land situation is a little different from yours.

 

We take whatever carcasses we have from whatever Adventures we cause and toss them out to certain places in the forest.

[Handy Don 17,456]

1 minute ago, ebinmaine said:

We take whatever carcasses we have from whatever Adventures we cause and toss them out to certain places in the forest.

The hawk is a very rare sighting for us. We do have turkey buzzards more frequently. I so wish I had somewhere in the vicinity where I could leave the carcasses without attracting raccoons to our immediate area.

As it is, our DPW’s instruction is to individually double bag them and keep them in a shaded place before putting them out in the regular rubbish pickup. I’ve made a nice dent in our saved bread bag cache. 

[davem1111 2,343]

19 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

 

Interesting how different medical professions give you different options and requirements.

 

True, but doctors being very protective of their own kind will rarely, if ever, say that the other doctor was wrong or mistaken. 

[ebinmaine 80,599]

1 minute ago, davem1111 said:

 

True, but doctors being very protective of their own kind will rarely, if ever, say that the other doctor was wrong or mistaken. 

 

 

They sure did on this occasion!!

 

I was quite impressed. I'm well aware that movement of an injured joint as soon as possible after the injury is excellent for a speedy and thorough recovery.

[davem1111 2,343]

12 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

The hawk is a very rare sighting for us. We do have turkey buzzards more frequently. I so wish I had somewhere in the vicinity where I could leave the carcasses without attracting raccoons to our immediate area.

As it is, our DPW’s instruction is to individually double bag them and keep them in a shaded place before putting them out in the regular rubbish pickup. I’ve made a nice dent in our saved bread bag cache. 

 

Wow, I feel lucky - I either hear or see one or more hawks just about every day. Have heard (but not seen) eagles at times also, but not recently. Buzzards are pretty much a daily thing also. 

 

Didn't feel so lucky when we were trying to keep chickens, though. Between the hawks and foxes, it was a free smorgasbord. 

[SylvanLakeWH 32,455]

29 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

As it is, our DPW’s instruction is to individually double bag them and keep them in a shaded place before putting them out in the regular rubbish pickup. I’ve made a nice dent in our saved bread bag cache. 

I have disposed of 33 groundhogs in the trash this year alone... trial and error with various methods always resulted in bad odor.
 

I now use a commercial contractor grade heavy black garbage bag with this product sprayed in the bag and on the carcass. I then role it like a burrito, fold ends, tape it, then repeat with a second bag and discard. I also spray it in the container. It is pricey. It works.

 

Squirrel you can probably get away with one bag...

 

[Blue Chips 853]

21 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

I was quite impressed. I'm well aware that movement of an injured joint as soon as possible after the injury is excellent for a speedy and thorough recovery.

 

Yep. My spouse had a hip replacement six weeks ago. It was an outpatient procedure, and they had her walking (with a walker) within a hour or so after she woke up. She's getting around quite normally now and is only still using a cane because the doc wanted her to use it for one more week.

 

[ebinmaine 80,599]

3 minutes ago, SylvanLakeWH said:

33 groundhogs

 

 

WOW WOW WOW!!

 

I don't think I've even seen half that total this year. Everywhere.

[Blue Chips 853]

I finally finished rebuilding the transmission for my Dodge M37. This is the early-series synchromesh type used in the M37, which was later replaced by the NP-420 in the M37B1.

 

It turned out to be a rather expensive project, as I replaced every gear, shaft, bearing, seal, shim, retaining ring, gasket, companion flange, spring, expansion plugs for the shift rails, etc., etc., with new or NOS parts. It’s now essentially a brand-new transmission.

 

I don’t want to have to rebuild this again, so I was careful to do everything by the book, and then some. That involved lots of fiddly, but important details, such as checking clearances in half a dozen places (all of which are now within new specs), cleaning every threaded hole with a chasing die, replacing bolts and lock washers, making a new (improved) shift lever alignment pin, using appropriate thread lockers and sealers on the through-bolts into the case, pre-lubing with Lubriplate assembly lube, doing proper safety wiring on the shifting forks, applying proper torque to fasteners, and many other details.

 

Here's the transmission all back together, just before it got its final coat of paint:

 

 

Here it is after the final paint, which covers the fasteners, as it would have with the original factory paint job for the military:

 

 

Now it's on to more engine rebuilding work.

 

[Ed Kennell 47,253]

2 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

 

 

As you know our land situation is a little different from yours.

 

We take whatever carcasses we have from whatever Adventures we cause and toss them out to certain places in the forest.

Same here.   When my Amish neighbor bought the farm adjacent to me, I harvester around 20 groundhogs / year for several years.   Groundhog holes and horse legs are not a good combo.  His 10yo son took over the groundhog control  after I gave him, a trap and instruction.  I dump them in the forest where the foxes, coyotes, hawks, and eagles have a feast.   I also pick up any road killed deer and dump them where the critters can safely feed.

[8ntruck 9,275]

More put away summer stuff.  Today, it winterized the plumbing system in the travel trailer.  It sure goes quicker since I added a 'T' and a couple valves to the intake side of the pump - shut the valve for the normal water intake, open the valve to a intake hose placed in a bottle of antifreeze and turn on the faucet until it runs pink.  Takes about 2 gallons.

[davem1111 2,343]

On 10/1/2026 at 4:49 PM, 8ntruck said:

More put away summer stuff.  Today, it winterized the plumbing system in the travel trailer.  It sure goes quicker since I added a 'T' and a couple valves to the intake side of the pump - shut the valve for the normal water intake, open the valve to a intake hose placed in a bottle of antifreeze and turn on the faucet until it runs pink.  Takes about 2 gallons.

 

Wow, that sounds like a great idea.  Since I just bought my trailer last fall, I'm still learning about this kind of preventive maintenance. Last winter I know I poured the pink stuff down the drains and toilet, but can't remember if I put any into the onboard fresh water storage tank. I think I just drained it and left the valves open.  It does have a bypass for the water heater so I switched that and drained it, but never knew for sure if I got anti-freeze into everywhere it needed to be.   I have 3 gallons ready to go. I think I'll check out the pump plumbing to see if I can do what you did. Sucking it in that way seems like a pretty safe way to be sure it's getting everywhere.

 

[Ed Kennell 47,253]

1 hour ago, davem1111 said:

but never knew for sure if I got anti-freeze into everywhere it needed to be.

I never used the antifreeze in any of my campers.    I connected a compressor to the water intake and used it to blow all the water from the system.    I opened all drains, sink and shower faucets, and blocked the toilet valve open.

Then after everything was drained, I closed everything and starting with the one farthest from the intake, opened the faucets and valves one at a time until I saw zero mist.

I did pour a cup of antifreeze in each drain trap.  Always blocked the toilet waste valve open so it never got stuck closed over the winter.

[953 nut 69,112]

10 hours ago, davem1111 said:

pink stuff down the drains and toilet, but can't remember if I put any into the onboard fresh water storage tank.

Do as Ed said, no pink stuff in the drinking water lines.