You’re right Jim. Winter is like prison to me. Getting really itchy by now.
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found these in my yard today
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I had a bicycle sprout in mine. 10 days ago you could not be see it. Now you can see the handel bars and the seat is showing.
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JO I would say you did pretty good during your prison “break”. You got an entire truck converter from petro to wood. That to me seems like a hell of a good winter. Spring WILL come, and we will get to enjoy some more rides with you in your new toy. TomC ( I hope!)
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Thanks for a good laugh JO Aand Wayne 
anyone noticed how similar the background is?
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The background made me do a double take at the two photos.
Well it’s a cold one here in NH this morning -2F that would be about -19 C for the rest of the world. It is only 3 am now it will get colder before the dawn. This is not typical March weather here we should be looking at lows about 20F or -6 C. I am just glad I woke up to refill the wood stove I haven’t had to do that in the middle of the night for a week or 2. It would have been cold in here if I hadn’t. This old farmhouse doesn’t have insulation and has the original windows from 1901 so the wind blows through it and the two wood stoves eat alot of wood.
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Spring must be close !
The barn swallows nest and raise there young here in the summer and then fly to central or south America for the winter . Last spring I marked on the calendar the day they arrived here . ( The morning of March 19 ).
Yep I noticed this morning the birds just arrived for this year. They must have a good calendar 
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I think this is something that people say to make themselves feel better about having to live int he snow. haha. Those of us who live with snakes don’t actually think much of them unless we step on one, which is really rare cause snakes will stay away from people at all cost if given a choice. Except fof course the moccasins:blush:
I’m recovering slowly. Every day seems a little better…not enough better, but I’ll take what I can get.
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Is this for 2018? I’m going to spill my guts. Not for sympathy; just as information and in the future you may know where I am coming from
I had to have all my upper teeth pulled out and waiting for a false set-- the good news is I’ve lost 2 lb. gumming my food. My grand daughter totaled my/her car. One of those illegal beaners hit her. She works so I went out to find her a car she had said she wanted. That is a whole story in itself.
Friday as I think you know, I burned down my shop. I have to itemize everything in the shop so I basically have not time to be on here keeping up. I have to say, think about taking a rider out on your tools to have them insured for such a situation. I am afraid I am in for a battle to get my money. You may not think about the tools you have acquire, but wait till you add the value of replacments. 30 years ago I was a Snap on dealer so all my tools are Snap on (truth) and the tool chest/cabinet/side compartment will cost over $10,000 to replace and mine were what is considered “small” now. I have already been warned that the insurance will depreciate my tools unless I replace them and send them a receipt for the purchase of new ones. The old ones served me will, but I am 80 year old and am not able to do the work I use to so a lot of them I will not replace. It is a pia!! Sorry for complaining but one more thing.
Both of my chunckers were in the fire so are out of order and I had 25 grain bags (50lb each) full of processed wood ready for winter driving. Now my truck sets ready to try my latest rebuild and no fuel.
Now charcoal is a different story. I had 3- 55 gal drums of charcoal- one processed and sized. They have been refired and should be some great stuff. Also, started taking the shop apart and threw away about 50 gal of charcoal that broke of when demolition. That was from raking the ground when we got done. I have many board feet of lumber that was stored and got chard but didn’t burn totally. With the snow still on the ground the law would allow me to burn it in a pile. ( that is how I made my original charcoal from old barn boards) This would process nice as there are no nails in it.
There you have my whole sad story. Thanks for listening. TomC
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After your fire I went thru my shop with my video camera and did a video inventory of all my tools and stuff whether I considered it valuable or not. I did this ten years ago too and I am embarrassed to admit how much more “stuff” I accumulated. (all with a future purpose of course). I have to admit though that it is nice to go to my “store” and find the things I need without needing to travel to a real store to buy stuff.
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Tom
You are having way too many challenges
The problem with having nice stuff is the “replacement” value the insurance wants to pay.
After thieves cleaned out my tools about 20 years ago I had to go the Harbor Freight route.
I am not sure how a PROTO socket or wrench wears out?
My son is a Ford mechanic and he has told me his tools are in the $30,000 range.
I can only imagine how they will value a wood gasified vehicle.
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Yes Billy I spent many years in FL. I have met my share of moccasins. Had black snakes strick as high as the rear tires on the backhoe. Shot and ate many rattelers in the RV resort I worked at. Had some kind of green snake wrap it self around my neck and shoulders in the middle of a pond in NY. Here there’s at least 8 months I don’t have to worry about them, although I have seen the largest snake I have ever seen in nature here in WI I’ll last summer. It was a Pine snake all of 8’ and 4" diameter. Glad it was already dead.
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Mike, my gasifier truck was the only thing I saved. The doors were frozen shut and when I saw that I couldn’t get control of the fire I decided to save what I could get out . First I had to get that frozen door, that I was using the heat to thaw out, open. I just drove the truck through the door ( on petro:).
When I got back to the shop it was all over. TomC
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Tom, I’m so sorry for your loss, and hear you loud and clear when you talk of the loss of tools, and the need for special insurance. I would be in the same boat.
A couple of things - years ago I read an article in a farm paper about retempering burnt tools. I forget the details, but it was basically some trial and error, finally leading to oil quenching after heating to cherry red. For large volumes of tools, a refractory lined heat treating oven would be optimal, could probably be fired with charcoal and a blower, a covered mini forge idea. Finding the balance of hardness and toughness is the key, but there’s nothing to lose at this point, could save big bucks.
On fire, I hate that our customary building style and the fiberglass insulation will burn so easily. So much loss.
I would like to suggest considering straw bale for reconstruction. Far better insulation, cheaper for materials as wire reinforced stucco is the interior and exterior finish plus no insulation batts, and no poly, acoustic seal, or the time to install all the above, superior sound barrier, green, and best of all, the only building system other than concrete that will withstand a 2 hour flame test. Literally the wood pile could burn down against the wall, and you might still save the property.
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Thank you Garry for your concern. I had a steel Quonset building and the basic curve portion is still standing and will just require some metal clean up to prevent rust… The end walls are gone as those I made out of wood framing and steel covered. I appreciate your thoughts. TomC
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the truck I have here is a 88 full of scrap and still under snow I think it is too old to have the speed module sorry tom.
Rough weather down here Monday night . Below is a video of nearby hail storm . The weather service measured one hail ball to be over 5 inches in diameter . I believe ice that size would knock a squirrel out of a tree.
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Dang that is something we just don’t see up here or at least not very often. You better stay inside I don’t think it would be healthy to be hit with ice like that!!
I will stick with the snow this storm is going south of me which is all the better I have things to do and don’t need another snow day…
I hope you have your cows inside in that stuff…
That south edge of that storm missed us by 1/2 mile. Up the road, within sight of the house, you could watch the hail and wind. Our place stayed dry.
I’m still down sick. Cough has let up, nd fever has passed, struggling to have any energy. I worked for about 8 minutes yesterday. Nothing today.
Mr. Tom. Sorry about the shop. How’d it start?
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We’ve been getting big hail here in rare summer storms the last 10 years or so, potato / baseball size, never seen before then.
As said, I fear what hail like that would do to livestock, or people never mind it can punch holes through roofs.
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