What are you doing today?

[BrianF]

Had pretty great day of social isolation. Started crappy but it all worked out. Weather was above 0C so things were melting and the sun was out. But that bloody skunk was back. They are out early this year and this one was not really nocturnal. Sprayed the dog before noon and then proceeded to stink the whole yard up. The little bastard has been dodging my live trap the last few days but his luck would be changing.

After my lunch hour nap, my wife and kids joined me for a snowmobile ride out in the country. Was having a blast when what do we find? That little bastard was out and about at 3:30pm, just out for a jaunt in the middle of a wide open field. So we turned back home to gear up. The kids and I returned with my 17 HMR. A few shots later and he was tits up, hoping he has no friends but I will be waiting.

 

[Mooseman]

Today, me and the Mrs went to visit my mom's spouse. Since she passed away last month, he's been living alone and this social isolation is not helping. He was running low on TP and kleenex so brought him some as well as some home cooked food. We then went for a walk around the neighbourhood while maintaining our distance, which was weird. We were able to talk about stuff and my mom, which I think did us some good. They had been together for 35 years and he is having a hard time with it. Life goes on.

 

[Sparky]

I'm working from home again this morning. I will likely make a visit to the shop at work to get some stuff done there sometime this week.

 

[Blckshdw]

Decided to take advantage of working from home, and threw in a large load of laundry, which is usually the case after a day of yard work. Tossed everything in the dryer, and when I hit the start button, got a strange pop that I never heard before, and then nothing but the display stayed on like normal. Tried to reset a few times, and ended up getting an error code.

Preliminary Googling said there's a burnt connection on the control board, that can be fixed with some new solder, and the option of adding jumper wires to ease the load of current on some of the traces. Work was slow this morning, so dove in and started taking things apart... Sure enough, the same solder joint I saw online, had indeed exploded.





I've got some video conference calls coming up, in addition to regular work, so this will be a bit of a slow process. Guess I won't be bored today eh? Got an email from management, they are extending work from home for another week, so that puts us through 4/10 at this point.

 

[cornchip]

Working from work again. Had a guy who had pain in his back for what ever reason, and was told October would be the first opportunity to get a MRI. His wife screamed murder to somebody who would listen and got an immediate MRI on March 14th (Hamilton Juravinski hoptital where a doctor worked for a day before a Covid diagnosis and spread). I told him it might not be a great idea and he went anyway. Well, you can guess the rest. He called in sick with a fever and headache. My boss is freaked out and called public health to get the ball rolling on a Covid test. Make wise choices and stay in for the sake of others.

Edit....he qualified for a test and went this afternoon. Other news to add, Ontario is closing all non essential companies effective midnight Tuesday. Phewww!

 

[Matt]

We got in from Florida at midnight last night. Went and did the groceries today as Ohio goes stay at home tonight. Costco was awash with bog roll so I got a 30 pack along with some lamb, cheese sticks, Gatorade and a couple of other things. Got the rest of the groceries done, truck filled from 1/4 tank for $23.50 ($1.59 a gallon). Everything is put away including golf clubs, clothes and suitcases. Chanin has been told to stay at home for 2 weeks because we travelled, I, on the other hand, am expected back at work on Monday when my vacation ends...we both work for local government.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Man, you sure are prolific to the point you're not even sure how many kids you have!

We got 4. Mother in Law has 3 fosters that had been staying with us as my wife's grandma had cancer take her down(RIP) and my mother-in-law was her in home nurse, plus a kid or two from the wife's daycare as people had to go into work. Made for lots of food usage. freezer took a hit, but had just gotten a 1/4 beef.

Today is another day of telework. Have not been to office since the 10th and likely be awhile til i go back.

 

[Mounce]

Worked like usual, business is way down as expected and corporate is sure to pass the loss of revenue to the employees' pay. Being cut 10 hours this week after being cut 7 or 8 last week, g'bye overtime. However we are considered an essential business so we won't be shut down till someone at our location gets it. Will be nice only working 4 days this week, though.

 

[BrianF]

Still working over here. Was planning to get some work done outside and some sledding but the usual Saskatchewan weather is here. One day sunny, warm and melting, the next is strong wind, bloody cold windchills and now a winter storm warning. Then the next day will be warm and sunny....

 

[cornchip]

Worked like usual, business is way down as expected and corporate is sure to pass the loss of revenue to the employees' pay. Being cut 10 hours this week after being cut 7 or 8 last week, g'bye overtime. However we are considered an essential business so we won't be shut down till someone at our location gets it. Will be nice only working 4 days this week, though.

Sounds like the same situation I'm in. Good idea working fewer days. Some companies are stepping up (not much) to add compensation in the way of vacation or higher wages. We are having a meeting today, so I will bring it up.

 

[djthumper]

Still working here, out in the boondocks. Helping those that get to telework. Tomorrow we have to pack up a location so things can be broken down and stored for a while. It was suppose to be done last week but we were told it wasn't a priority, now it is.

 

[TollKeeper]

Working here full time, and all of my employees. In fact I just hired 3 guys last week, and still need more.

Another company thats essential to the sustainability of America! We are a ethanol for gas carrier, and a hot oil for asphalt carrier.

Owner had to call the dealership to put hold on the 5 new trucks this month. Cant plate or title them with the DMV closed.

 

[Eric04]

Working full time. No changes at all in the factory save for random crews going around and wiping doorknobs and the like. Basically it appears as though Michigan is putting the meat to small businesses and the hospitality industry while allowing large employers to continue on as "critical industries". Anyway, being laid off does suck so there's that.

 

[Mooseman]

Yep, my youngest son just got laid off by his heavy equipment shop. Although they have been deemed as essential, there's just no work coming in. My middle son was also laid off on Sunday from the airport as there are no more flights. Both can apply to EI so there's that but my middle son has a young family and it will hurt. He probably won't be able to pay his rent but evictions are suspended. Told him to still give a little to the landlord to show good faith if he wants to stay there.

My eldest son works in security so he's safe.

 

[northcreek]

Went to Lowes with my wife after our morning walk to get some supplies for a home project. Funny how some people won't acknowledge your presence and others can't do enough to help if needed. I guess we all handle stress in different ways....

 

[Matt]

Running out to the lumber yard this morning to get the boards for the book shelves, then hunkering down at home and putting a corned beef in the slow cooker.

 

[BrianF]

My wife and I are getting some great home made cooking and baking done. It's nice to not be in a rush and eating out all the time. Some friends popped by and we went on a sled ride out to a nearby valley. Put on 14km and had a blast. Snow was decent in a few areas. My old sleds ran like a top. Maybe burnt 10 litres between them, which isnt bad.

Also we had suspected another skunk in the area as the the dog was smelling again. Well as my friends came by they spotted another bastard near our yard site. I went out with the rifle and spotted him. Well I should have tied the dog as he sure as shit didnt listen. He went at the skunk and got sprayed bad. Dumb ass. I capped the bastard skunk and will have to dispose of his body soon. My dog is mad because he is tied up for the next day or more. Middle of the day and skunks are out. Hopefully not a sign of rabies....

 

[northcreek]

Also we had suspected another skunk in the area as the the dog was smelling again. Well as my friends came by they spotted another bastard near our yard site. I went out with the rifle and spotted him. Well I should have tied the dog as he sure as shit didnt listen. He went at the skunk and got sprayed bad. Dumb ass. I capped the bastard skunk and will have to dispose of his body soon. My dog is mad because he is tied up for the next day or more. Middle of the day and skunks are out. Hopefully not a sign of rabies....

I hear you, one year my dog was skunked 3 times...they just don't seem to get it. Funny he's afraid of bubble wrap but, a shot of piss in the face...not so much...

 

[Blckshdw]

Also we had suspected another skunk in the area

I've had a lot of random animals wander through my property, thankfully I haven't run into one of these. (yet) Not sure how high of a population there is in my area.

On my lunch break, made a run to the hardware store to pick up a few cans of ant hill powder that I like. With the drought we've been in, the little bit of grass I have is thin and brown, and ant mounds have sprung up all over my back yard. Got those dusted after work, will have to keep an eye out for new ones springing up and hit those quickly.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Last day of bereavement leave from work so planning to try and finish with truck stuff and let kids enjoy the nice day it supposed to be. Then grill out this evening and have a popcorn and movie night according to my 6 yr old..

 

[Sparky]

Work from home again but only part day. Need some shop time.

Got informed that pay increases have been suspended until further notice due to the economic impact of the virus. Makes sense, but I was anticipating a pay bump in May. Oh well.

 

[Mooseman]

Yesterday installed a hot water recirc pump in the house as I was tired of always having to wait for hot water at the bathroom. It helped but the run is so long that the water is just tepid instead of hot out of the tap. Apparently I'll need another valve at another branch on that line to increase the circulation. Instructions also recommend to insulate the lines but they are mostly covered or behind walls.

And when I opened up the water lines, it dislodged some crud and blocked up the kitchen faucet and dishwasher water inlet. The faucet was easy to fix but the DW, I have to replace the inlet hose as the one that's on there now is an anti-flood type that's all plugged up. I'll get a regular one today.

 

[Matt]

I managed to get a tee time for 11:12 this morning, so I'll be playing golf and practice my social distancing, which isn't hard the way I play!

 

[BrianF]

Since the weather is nice today we put more miles on the sleds. My almost 10 year old just up and decided she was ready to drive. She put on a solid 3 miles and did great! We came across and old abandoned farm site so we stopped to look things over.

Later my 11 year old and I put on another 4 miles down an old road allowance that leads right up to the valley. Was a great ride as the snow was still decent and deep. The valley is melting and has that dead spring look.

 

[Boricua SS]

I have been laid off since Tuesday the 24th. Today I tackled cleaning out the garage and letting the pup play outside. Got to fire up the beaSSt and she's sounding so healthy. I have some home projects to tackle but i cant go to Lowes/Home Depots... well i could but that defeats the purpose of a "lockdown" so those will have to wait.

 

[Mooseman]

So stopped watching the news and went into the garage to check the motor I picked up as a spare for my sled that has a blown head gasket. It has a starter so I can do a compression test. Not good. 105, 190, 109 PSI. Leakdown test revealed that one was leaking past the intake valves and the other has bad rings. Oh well, I picked it up for $200 from a part out of a burnt sled. He said it was running when the valve cover gasket blew, spewed oil on the exhaust and caught fire. Motor itself wasn't touched. So it'll be good for parts. We've already harvested the TPS for my son's sled, which is a $200 part by itself.

So now looking at doing a head job on the sled. Just hope I don't have to pull the whole motor. Just hope that Yamaha's part supply lines are OK. Or I might trade it in for a new sled. Very tempting. And with this economic climate, I might be able to get a good deal.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Been teleworking all day so now celebrating Whiskey Day with a nice drink while the kids use an old mattress as a trampoline in the basement.

 

[northcreek]

Well the rain today has put a stop to my replacement of a window and siding on a section of my house.
So today I'm patrolling for leaks and hoping that the sheathing will be enough to keep the rain out, on top of that I have to listen to my wife saying " I told you to wait".....

 

[m.mcmillen]

pulled the engine out of a Heep.

 

[Blckshdw]

Although I've been making an effort not to, been browsing the internet and shopping for stuff. One of the bulbs on my POS kitchen ceiling light burnt out. Went to remove the bulb to see what type it took, for replacement, and since the globe is loose (all of them to varying degrees really) decided to remove it and see if there was a way I could mod them to tighten them up.




Turns out, there's a spacer, and then a threaded lock ring that screws onto the base, and together, those hold the globes up and in place on the mount. Since both of them were in place, but still loose, I was a little confused why... With the bulb removed, I tried to put the globe, spacer and lock ring back on, but things weren't cooperating. Ended up dropping the lock ring, and it shattered on the floor. Didn't realize it was plastic.



So now looking at the flush mount LED assemblies again. Feeling much more well informed compared to the last time. Considering building a little test bench, so I can see how whichever setup I buy, I can test it out of the box and see that it meets my needs, before going through the hassle of drilling holes and getting it mounted on the ceiling. I have pretty much everything I need, other than a spare dimmer switch, which is cheap enough.

It's also time to recommit to an exercise routine. Working at home the last 7 days has enabled a really bad habit of mine... SNACKING!! Whenever work slows down and I have any free time, I end up heading to the kitchen and grabbing something. Anything. As a result, I've put on 10 pounds, just that quick. Can't have that! So tonight I'm dragging the exercise bike out of the spare room, and will park it in front of the TV. Need to get back to getting my 60 minutes in, few times per week.

 

[northcreek]

It's also time to recommit to an exercise routine. Working at home the last 7 days has enabled a really bad habit of mine... SNACKING!! Whenever work slows down and I have any free time, I end up heading to the kitchen and grabbing something. Anything. As a result, I've put on 10 pounds, just that quick. Can't have that! So tonight I'm dragging the exercise bike out of the spare room, and will park it in front of the TV. Need to get back to getting my 60 minutes in, few times per week.

Now you need to rig up the bike with an alternator to power the TV....no bike, no TV...

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Up early to watch season 3 of Ozark

 

[Mooseman]

After watching my morning dose of news, I should go and cleanup the garage since the weather sucks right now and can't do anything outside.

And on behalf of @trailblazer075 , he's been taking advantage of their lockdown to do some maintenance and detailing on his '02.

 

[Mounce]

Pulled the injection pump off of the tractor, finally getting back around to tinkering with it. Wasn't fun but not so bad once I got brave enough to dive in. Already got it all scattered out on the healing bench, will order parts today or tomorrow I figure.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Working from the house

 

[Sparky]

Last weekend I bought a brand new Honda. Never had a brand new Honda before...



I think the engine can't be much smaller than the one in the 13 Civic. It sounds similar anyway!

I cut the grass in the front yard with it yesterday. Even set to mulching mode in some thick tufts it didn't care or bog at all. So much better than the tire old broken mower I had prior. Self propelled is nice, but man the higher speed setting is practically a fast jog. I still need to cut the back yard.

I parked the Civic and the Silverado in the yard after cutting it so that the roofing supplies, dumpster, etc can go in the driveway. Supplies are being delivered later today and the roof goes on tomorrow and Friday. Woohoo. Good thing, I found another broken shingle chunk in my yard

 

[Matt]

At work, where we are 3 people. They split our department into 2 teams and we'll be working 2 weeks on/2 weeks off until all the shit blows over. We get paid for the 2 weeks off too, so I can start doing stuff around the house and get paid while I do it.

 

[Boricua SS]

Still battling the unemployment crap. Site is a disaster at best and either freezes, crashes, or just kicks you out all together. I understand and realize that they were not prepared for damn near the whole state to file unemployment, but it's been weeks now, and according to reports from their spokespeople, they have increased capacities, added more man power, and opened up availability to contact them and accommodate the wave of claims... ALL to no avail! I stayed up until 2am the other night and was able to at least start my application/claim, but that's as far as i have gotten so far.

Today I think I'll tackle painting my basement walls. Weather is starting to finally break and get a dry spell so i can at least keep myself busy with yard work for the first time this season here in the next few days. I could tinker with the vehicles, but really not in the mood for them. I'm just ready to go back to work but i have to prepare to be off for at least another month.

 

[djthumper]

Still at work out in the boondocks

 

[Blckshdw]

Since my shift is pushed back a little later than my usual, I decided to run to the store to get a couple of small items I was nearly out of. Unexpectedly, the paper products aisle was almost completely stocked! Considering I was down to just under 3 rolls of TP under the sink, scooped up a 12 pack. That will hold me for a while, but glad to see people are slowing down (hopefully stopping) with all the panic shopping finally.