Douglas Alpenstock

Hmm! Who will be the steady pendulum, the regulating Moon to Paul's raging, volcanic Earth?

John C Daley wrote:Crime pays but Botany doesn't
This is an interesting video ...

Oh, wow, absolutely freaking awesome! A Chicago mob vibe with Latin tree names. Guerilla gardening with prison tats. I have to watch all of these.

Thanks for this John C, you made my day.

Battery bank setups are expensive. If you have reliable grid power and smart metering for the peak vs. off-peak hours, would it make more sense to organize your high-use appliances with timers so they run when the magic juice is cheap?

This could be challenging in one regard. I think that the metal lids used for glass canning jars have an inside coating that appears to be plastic. Thoughts?

Re block heaters, I have had good luck hooking up a timer that kicks in for 15 minutes per hour. Just enough warmth for a happy start, but not wasting energy/money on a tea kettle that doesn't make tea.

Something not mentioned is synthetic or semi-synthetic engine oil. Both my vehicles and tractor run a semi-synthetic. This eases starting and ensures instant lubrication. Of course they are less grumpy when they get a bit of a warm-up from a block heater.

Thing is, synthetic oil doesn't congeal into "solid grease" at cold temperatures. I know guys who have vehicles sitting out at -40 C/F on remote sites for 12 hours; they run full synthetic and their vehicles fire up just fine.

Mart Hale wrote:Looks like this is another option for heating the oil in oil pan..

https://www.amazon.com/1190X-Magnetic-Machinery-Vehicles-Surface-Thermostat/dp/B0DQ6Y18PR?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.LkeJPjOcGgxVtkjDTeOBn8p4jWbS4_wBZq5Q6TZ45WtXSEn1wdvCOMu_sjXNakOirdegmsYs_CW2sDhGVcYTCEI19jFCsqX9lbppZFe0Mh98VZeLZEE6GUlHbZlUM9O14hp1XyrrSesthK11zx9n8u5Wt2hQqM-Ta_c7wyltIzkT4vIitGOsW-Nst2YF4DCu2MIgemw2K7zrazIoW9vZVCD_ncdQ8iS-vpEuvdoFgpg.-01jLZSbviBeCwe1wesltdZ03aUnc-UtvDrbbJc06Qc&dib_tag=se&keywords=magnetic%2Bblock%2Bheater&qid=1770186733&sr=8-14&th=1

I have one of these (200w) kicking around but rarely use it. The challenge is to find a perfectly flat surface on the engine block to ensure efficient heat transfer. Otherwise it costs me money and doesn't do much.

Tea, Earl Grey, hot?

Mart Hale wrote:Hi,
Can I borrow 20 dollars?

OOOH, that is brilliant and devious! But it will depend on the look in your eye and your body language -- an opening to banter and conversation.

Except: Don't do this if you are looking to date this person. Worst opening line ever haha!