Whatever...........soap opera?

[Bawanna]

I felt the same way about Dobermans, always leary of them, never really wanted one. Kind of that way with Rottweilers too but I'd love to have one of those. Neighbors had one and he was just a great dog. He was very protective of the kids. But again they are known to snap too, guess it can happen with any breed.
I've actually experienced more issues with the little ankle biters than any of the large breeds.

We get all kinds of dog at work, folks bring them in. I like to play with them, big and small. Usually more friendly than people in my book.

[yqtszhj]

I've actually experienced more issues with the little ankle biters than any of the large breeds.
.

The only dog I’ve ever been bitten by was a little dog and it came out of its yard into mine just to sneak up and bite me. Then it bit my mom a couple of weeks later. Animal control then told the owners the dog had to go because there were 2 unprovoked biting incidents.

Had a German Shepherd from age 2 to 14 and she was a sweet dog. She loved and was very protective of kids. But if a strange adult came to the fence she gave a big not welcome signal. Never bit anyone.

[markman]

While I don’t advocate dogs roaming around attacking & biting people and other dogs, some people deserve to be bit (thugs, criminals etc.).

[berettabone]

Many issues arise when one dog is on a leash, and another is not. A leashed dog does not have full control during situations and will many times feel anxious and become protective. When a person is walking their dog, and ends up surrounded by many dogs, not on leashes, your dog will feel threatened, when in most cases, if not leashed, it would meet and greet like dogs do. BUT, in my experience, when you have your dog leashed and a pack of aggressive dogs surrounds you, things can escalate real quick, and not because of something you've done. The other dogs sense weakness when your dog is on leash. Keeping calm does wonders as far as your own dog during a situation like this, but it's very hard to stay calm while being surrounded by aggressive dogs. I've been in the situation too many times for my liking. It's much easier for me to just keep walking, and the first one that even comes in to sniff gets one to the head. I won't let them get close enough to *** or bite or latch on. Been there, had that...................................when you're surrounded, you kind of get an idea of how Custer must have felt. Do you know what kind of shirt Custer wore?????????? Arrow:p

[I_Like_Turtles]

A guy put on Facebook how he was upset that the dog catcher had taken and was holding two of his dogs. I assumed the dogs had been on the man's property when taken. No, those were running loose. I immediately chastised the man for allowing his animals to run loose. "Well when I was growing up everyone did that."

I pointed out how that's now illegal and he should be fined and charged upkeep for not being a responsible dog owner. He wasn't very happy with the one person on his very popular FB page correcting his self-entitled behavior.

And that's the problem. Far too many people do not love their animals and thus, are not responsible with them. That puts others at risk.

[Bawanna]

I recall even back when I was 5 or 6 a dog catcher tried to take my little terrier out of our front yard. Don't know why. I ran out the door he was carrying the dog towards his truck. He turned as I was running towards him. Kicked him in the shin (couldn't reach his nuts) as hard as I could. He dropped the dog but I caught it and ran into the house.
He didn't even come to the door, just got in his truck and left.
Don't mess with 6 year olds dogs I guess.

[BirdsThaWord]

I recall even back when I was 5 or 6 a dog catcher tried to take my little terrier out of our front yard. Don't know why. I ran out the door he was carrying the dog towards his truck. He turned as I was running towards him. Kicked him in the shin (couldn't reach his nuts) as hard as I could. He dropped the dog but I caught it and ran into the house.
He didn't even come to the door, just got in his truck and left.
Don't mess with 6 year olds dogs I guess.
Excellent! ;););)

[dao]

Our dogs live in the house with us. We're out in the country and our yard is not fully fenced. The only time our dogs are outside is when we're out there with them. It's a lot of work but they're worth it.

Colonel you proved it's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the fight in the six year old kid that matters!

[Bawanna]

Often wondered if that dog catcher remembers me. Course he's probably crossed the river by now.

[berettabone]

The idiot neighbor spent half of last summer building a kennel and larger space for their dogs. Lot of good it does when you leave gates open.............................................. .....it's tough when the IQ of the dogs is higher than that of the owner. It's why I call him Lurch, and the home owner Debbie Does Stupid.

[yqtszhj]

..................................it's tough when the IQ of the dogs is higher than that of the owner. It's why I call him Lurch, and the home owner Debbie Does Stupid.

Can I borrow that line? I think your neighbors and my next door neighbors are the same people.

[berettabone]

Well, heading up nort this week. They are delivering my new Cub Cadet lawn tractor. I'll have to uncrate it and assemble it. No biggie...........the store guy said that consists of putting the front cowl on, putting the seat on and putting the steering wheel on. Most places charge an arm and a leg for assembly and most people don't realize what they are paying extra for.........................The wifey and I have been sprucing up the house and getting ready to put it on the market. Homes sell pretty fast around here, even with the pandemic so we're hopeful. The wifey knows that I hate painting so she's been doing a bit of touch up. We're not spending a bunch of money, and selling as is, but I did put in a new bathroom vanity, sink and faucet. Re-caulked the bath tub and did a bit of painting in the basement. We're getting estimates for new carpeting up nort before we move everything up there. We won't have as much room this time around so we're paring down. It's hard sometimes to let go of stuff that we can't take along, but we'll have some type of sale and donate some other things. Personally, I can't wait to get the heck out of the city and up to the peace and quiet and a Covid count that is around 100 instead of thousands. My new neighbor originally from Winona, Mn is doing the same thing right now. Selling her other home and enjoying our area. More and more people are heading for the country around here. They tire of the city and all of the bulls#!t. The best thing is that I can walk out on my back deck and shoot whatever firearm I please. The last time we were up, we had a couple of fawns come out on the front yard after eyeing us up from the woods for a while. We thought for sure that coming out to about 20 ft. from us and the dog meant that the mama must have been killed. The wifey was happy when mama finally showed up. We don't know if they wandered of or mama left them for a reason but the reunion was touching. A lot of face washing and reacquainting from the mother. Lots of wild hazelnuts and tons of raspberries right now for them to munch. The wifey made some homemade raspberry and black current jelly. Delicious for breakfast toast or on top of ice-cream if that's your thing. Should be nice after a few days of 73 dew points and 93 degree weather........................................... ....................

[Armybrat]

I wouldn’t mind some of that mild 93 degree weather...

[berettabone]

Well, just got back from up nort. Bought myself a Cub Cadet for mowing and they dropped it off at the end of my driveway last Thursday. I knew it would be in a stick crate, so I figured that I would just drag it up to the garage with my other mower. Not happening.................just sat there and spun the tires, so I just assembled it right there. Had to put on part of the cowl, the dash, the steering wheel, the seat, hook up the battery, level the scalp wheels, and level the deck front to back and side to side. The worst part of the whole process was getting the mower off of the crate underneath. Otherwise, pretty straight forward.......................................The wifey had the place measured for new carpeting. Oh my how things have changed. We got the estimate...OUCH..................I'm not sure why but the carpet business is booming here and in the city, and installers are working 2 months behind. Also lots of big jobs we were told.................................We got the first veggies of the year from our garden plot at a friends farm. A half dozen Purple Cherokee tomatoes, a couple dozen Black Cherry Tomatoes, and 4 green peppers. Delicious. Our tomato plants are doing very well with the hot weather. Also got some white, yellow, and red potatoes, and some Elephant garlic and 4 different types of onions from my friend. I've always loved fresh vegetables and having some type of garden. Now were back to doing the finishing touches on our home in the city, and talking to a realtor today about selling. Should be interesting. Nice and cool today. More mowing............................................ ..................................

[Bawanna]

I know all about getting stuff out of the crate. My biggest nemesis at Tractor is the big barbecues. They come with wheels on but dropped down into a skid. Getting it off the skid after emptying the 100 pounds of parts and pieces is the hardest part of the whole deal.
Mowers as you mention are about the same and even using a fork lift can be challenging.
If they put half as much effort into building the stuff as they did packaging it, they'd have a pretty good quality product.

[dustnchips]

Bretta. When you move up here leave your friends behind and don't invite them to visit. They might decide they like it up here and turn this into another Milwaukee. Congratulations on becoming sane and moving. out of the city mess.

[berettabone]

I know all about getting stuff out of the crate. My biggest nemesis at Tractor is the big barbecues. They come with wheels on but dropped down into a skid. Getting it off the skid after emptying the 100 pounds of parts and pieces is the hardest part of the whole deal.
Mowers as you mention are about the same and even using a fork lift can be challenging.
If they put half as much effort into building the stuff as they did packaging it, they'd have a pretty good quality product. I had to take a small handsaw and cut the boards under the lawnmower that ran front to back. I could then get the crate piece out from under the deck. Then I had to use the pry bar underneath the front tire to lift it enough to get the crate piece out from under the tire. I could then drive off of the piece under the back tires. It was definitely the worst part of the whole assembly for sure. I could probably assemble one a lot quicker now.:)

[berettabone]

Bretta. When you move up here leave your friends behind and don't invite them to visit. They might decide they like it up here and turn this into another Milwaukee. Congratulations on becoming sane and moving. out of the city mess. I don't have too many friends but I guarantee that the ones I do have don't have an ounce of Milwaukee in them. The city that I'm in now is close behind. That's why it's time to " exit stage left ".

[berettabone]

Well, my home in the city went up for sale at approx. 1:00 AM last night and by 9:00 AM this morning, we have 2 showing requests already. What Covid????????? I didn't even have a chance to have my coffee and get some britches on and the tire kickers are out already. I guess if anybody has a hankering to sell, now is a great time. May be moving earlier than planned. The wife is jacked, I wish I could share her enthusiasm, but moving sucks what ever way you look at it. I will miss the place, hard not to after 20 years, but I definitely won't miss the city, or the area, or the population. The wife says the same thing. Wish we could just move the house. Oh well, a new chapter. I guess being able to walk out your back door and take some shots off of the deck make it all worthwhile. Heading west today to get out of the house for showings and to check on our veggies in the garden plot. Should be something ready for picking again. The peppers we've had have been good so far. The Purple Cherokee tomatoes are delicious and the Black Cherries are starting to pop. Real sweet and make great sauces. The San Marzano's should be ready soon. Also, the raspberries and blackberries up nort are probably about ready again for a second round of jelly making. The next time we go up, I'll get to try out the new mower for the first time.......................it's the little things............................

[wyntrout]

I hope that your house sells quickly and y'all get your move done before Winter.

We've been in our house for 23 years this Friday. It was a year old then and now it needs some work on the inside. Even with all of the "free time" I just don't feel like doing some of the stuff. I had the roof replaced about 8 years ago and the house Rhino-Shielded then, too, so the outside is okay except for the stuff that grows on the roof and darkens it.

I did break down and get some new yard tools... trimmer and blower. I went with the Ryobi 18-volt battery-powered stuff. I usually get a 4-stroke gas trimmer, but after trying to buy one at Lowe's and not being able to complete the sale because it was being recalled, I decided to go all battery-powered. I already had 6-7 Lithium-Ion batteries and all of the add-on tools, I had just bought a 2-pack of the batteries with a charger and case plus a free tool, so now I have 10-11 of the 4-amp Li batteries. I already had the 6-battery intelligent charger and am using 3 of the singles with one and its battery put aside for the future. I have one on the wall in the garage, but it's slower. I put the three small chargers on my computer room(old breakfast nook) next to the garage door so I can reach them without traipsing through the house while covered with grass debris.

I used those to do the yard on Saturday and found that it's a good thing to have so many of those batteries. I used 4-5 with the trimmer and another 2 or so with the blower, but I'm satisfied with the tools. I had to step down from the .095" to the .080" thick, but twisted line. It has a crank to put on the head and makes winding the line easy. It's dual-line 15" cutting swath.

I sure envy you moving to the country and away from the city. We aren't jammed up against other houses and have some view and the neighborhood isn't bad, but out house isn't very defensible and I can't shoot a gun in my yard! I would sure like that. Good luck!

[DavidR]

Yes, good luck with your move. The real estate market is surprisingly hot so it’s a good time to sell.

[Armybrat]

My older brother (age 78) was persuaded by his wife to sell his house in Austin and move to a town about 20 miles north.
One week after putting it on the market and 5 of his downsizing neighbors getting into a bidding war, he accepted a contract for $21,000 above his asking price.
Luckily the new house they have been building is now finished, and they closed yesterday. They are moving in today. Bro is going to enjoy his one acre lot more than the 1/6 he had in Austin.

[berettabone]

It's becoming a PIMA already. Had 3 showings on Monday, 5 yesterday, and already have 3 scheduled for today. I hate this s#!t, but I'll have to suck it up. People snooping through your home looking at stuff that's none of their business and has no bearing on the home itself. Yeah, we're kind of hoping for a bidding war. With the virus going on, the appointments are for 15 min. or a half hour only with masks. The very first offer we received was sent back by our realtor because of 7 mistakes she found. The tire kickers are out in force, and anyone can be a realtor I guess. I would think that writing an offer would be one of the first things you would learn. Your bro had a nice house. A bit more than a shack. If that's downsizing then I'm living in a tent.:)

[Bawanna]

My older brother (age 78) was persuaded by his wife to sell his house in Austin and move to a town about 20 miles north.
One week after putting it on the market and 5 of his downsizing neighbors getting into a bidding war, he accepted a contract for $21,000 above his asking price.
Luckily the new house they have been building is now finished, and they closed yesterday. They are moving in today. Bro is going to enjoy his one acre lot more than the 1/6 he had in Austin.

That looks like a heck of a nice place. Like the flat. I could handle that.

[Armybrat]

It is wheelchair accessible- even has a ramp molded into the garage floor “step” to get into the house that way, and a big roll in shower in the master bath.

[dustnchips]

Needs more trees. I have 2.3 acres and less than one of it is yard, driveway, and house. The rest is trees with brushy undergrowth.

[Bawanna]

It is wheelchair accessible- even has a ramp molded into the garage floor “step” to get into the house that way, and a big roll in shower in the master bath.

I'll take it, where about is it so I can give the movers the address. Maybe we'd be neighbors? I already got the hat so I should be good to go.

[Armybrat]

Needs more trees. I have 2.3 acres and less than one of it is yard, driveway, and house. The rest is trees with brushy undergrowth.

That’s what the back half acre is like. Whitetail deer all over the place.

[AJBert]

beretta, if you find yourself with too much of that blackberry preserves, feel free to send me...oh, about a 55 gallon drum of the stuff. Truly the best concoction to put on biscuits in the morning by far!

Before we moved up here to God's country, we lived outside of Gulfport, MS for about 11 years. Nice house with two acres. After living in major cities on the east and left coasts, Gulfport was like heaven. I took a lot of joy mowing the yard for about the first seven years, the next few not so much. Spent more time keeping that old mower running than I did cutting the grass. We sold the place in 2011 when most of the country was smack dab in the middle of the housing crisis. We ended up making over 50 grand on the place when most folks were underwater on their houses.

You will have to get used to being in a laid back state of mind. Took me a few years to get there but life is much better living in what most folks consider the boonies. If we ever move again I will need to win the lottery. I'm looking at getting a minimum of 2000 thousand acres next time!

[Bawanna]

2000 sounds about right. I'd like a little space myself.

My daughter just got 160 acres in Dillon Montana, we'll go over and take a look at the area. It'll be a few years before they consider a move, right now it's empty land, no water or power or dwellings of any kind.

I might even consider renting a place if I can find one with enough room to shoot off my back porch with say a 1000 yard range.

[Ken L]

Dillon used to be part of my sales territory. Finding a place with a 500 yard range off the back porch shouldn't be too difficult, but you will need to be choosy to find one with 1000. Because ranchers, you know.

Beautiful country though. Once I was in a traffic jam heading out of Dillon. Had to wait for about a half hour with 3 other vehicles as they drove a herd of cattle along the road to the new pasture.

[Bawanna]

Dillon used to be part of my sales territory. Finding a place with a 500 yard range off the back porch shouldn't be too difficult, but you will need to be choosy to find one with 1000. Because ranchers, you know.

Beautiful country though. Once I was in a traffic jam heading out of Dillon. Had to wait for about a half hour with 3 other vehicles as they drove a herd of cattle along the road to the new pasture.

Truth be told I'd be tickled with even a 100 yard range, probably can't see 500 anyhow these days. I do like cattle traffic jams far more than cars or road construction.

[Armybrat]

Here’s a place for sale out in West Texas that might give you enough room to shoot... 420,000 acres:

[berettabone]

beretta, if you find yourself with too much of that blackberry preserves, feel free to send me...oh, about a 55 gallon drum of the stuff. Truly the best concoction to put on biscuits in the morning by far!

Before we moved up here to God's country, we lived outside of Gulfport, MS for about 11 years. Nice house with two acres. After living in major cities on the east and left coasts, Gulfport was like heaven. I took a lot of joy mowing the yard for about the first seven years, the next few not so much. Spent more time keeping that old mower running than I did cutting the grass. We sold the place in 2011 when most of the country was smack dab in the middle of the housing crisis. We ended up making over 50 grand on the place when most folks were underwater on their houses.

You will have to get used to being in a laid back state of mind. Took me a few years to get there but life is much better living in what most folks consider the boonies. If we ever move again I will need to win the lottery. I'm looking at getting a minimum of 2000 thousand acres next time! Yeah, getting used to that laid back state of mind will take me about 3 minutes. I've had lots of practice being there.................................

[Armybrat]

Must be nice to sit out on the porch and not hear any sounds of the city.

[Bawanna]

Here’s a place for sale out in West Texas that might give you enough room to shoot... 420,000 acres:

That's me right there, put a house smack dab in the middle of it. Have to hire my own border patrol though and damn that's a lot of fence to ride.

[Armybrat]

Well yeah, the upkeep might be a tad bit annoying. Then again, an 80 acre plot like my nephew’s weekend place near San Saba just down the road from Tommy Lee Jones’ spread would be pretty manageable.
He likes to shoot off his porch too.

[Armybrat]

Gotta be careful though he has a handful of these critters roaming around his place.

[Bawanna]

Like to mount him on the hood of my van. Would fit in nicely if I move down there.

[Armybrat]

Her.... moo cow.

But it is nice to have family property to go to once in awhile since I’m the poor relation who can’t afford a weekend place like that. My wife will never want to sell our suburban house to move out there anyway. She hates the idea of being on a septic system again... and outhouses are out of the question.

[AJBert]

Spent a couple of days in San Saba last year and that is a really nice little town! Call themselves the pecan capital of the world, I believe? Really nice place.

[berettabone]

Things are happening fast.........................3 showings Monday, 5 Tuesday, 5 Wednesday, 5 yesterday and had 2 for today. Got 2 offers yesterday, both good. The offer for more was kind of hinky and looked like the realtor got his experience from realtors are us. We accepted the second offer and are awaiting a signing.......................fingers crossed.

[Armybrat]

Awesome! Hope it all goes smoothly & quickly.... your country manor life beckons!

[berettabone]

Well, things got signed and so far. it's a go. Now it's downsizing time and it's tough finding a place for things you can't keep anymore. The local landfill has already received some donations. The housing industry is popping right now. A friend of ours just sold her home and bought another in 3 days. She had a construction guy come over to do some work and he bought her place. I think that many people including millennials have finally figured out that at the cost of rent these days, it's definitely cheaper to own.

[dao]

Needs more trees. I have 2.3 acres and less than one of it is yard, driveway, and house. The rest is trees with brushy undergrowth.

Same here, 4.5 acres, with only one to mow and the rest trees and bushy undergrowth. I do have to keep pruning it back though, once or sometimes twice a year to keep it from encroaching. Fortunately for us we're in the county so we can burn brush piles in the winter. I burn once or twice a year too. The trees and brush give us a nice buffer along with the private forest land that borders us on two sides.

[berettabone]

Sounds familiar..................I've got 3 acres, and mow about 3/4 of an acre and the rest is forest. I used to have 80 acres of forest behind me, but it was sold a while back. It's now a soybean field. I was concerned about it but it's organic, so I'm a bit less concerned. I can't see it from the house................... I have a pie property..................It starts out at about 80 ft. wide and ends up being 150 yds. wide. Woods on both sides, back and front of house. I love the secluded feel but in turn, you always have to deal with dead trees. It's a part of the life, but well worth it. Usually on my road, if a vehicle is on it, odds are that they live around there. There aren't a lot of neighbors, but a few keep an overall eye on the area. The deer and turkey population has seemed to increase some since they started growing behind me. I don't hunt, but it's a deer and turkey hunters dream spot. Right off the back deck. A bit of patience and maybe a coyote or bear. The last time I was there, a doe was washing her fawns faces in my front yard. I had 17 turkeys in the back yard one afternoon. I COULD be eating very well. Along with the razzberries, blackberries, Jerusalem artichokes, wild hazelnuts, crabapples, and roaming meat, you could eat fairly well. I take the exciting route and go to the local Festival supermarket, and fend off the other animals.:)

[dao]

We've had coyotes, elk, deer, owls, and raccoon on the property that we know of. Lots of bunnies to keep the coyotes fed. No cougar yet but my son has seen one a couple of tracts over chasing deer. Not sure about bear. This last spring we thought we had a bear roaming around judging by the piles it left, but it turned out to be raccoon. Critter cam told the story. Similar scat piles.
It's nice sitting out and not being able to hear anything but wildlife, and trains about a mile away. Far cry from my last house in Everett which was in a development and our lot was a total of 3900sqft. We love it here.

[berettabone]

The wifey had a rummage sale on Sat.............I gave her my opinion on that, but she had one anyway. It was 93 degrees with 75% humidity. She busted her butt and lets just say that she made enough for 15 boxes of .380 cal.:) It was mostly my stuff that made the cash, but that's ok. We had Purple Heart come today and pick up some clothes, dishes, lamps and other stuff. We've got a junk man coming to get some old furniture. So far, moving sucks and it's a lot of work. I don't ever want to do it again. If everything goes as planned, we have 30 days to get things moved and cleaned up. The way the world is going, I can't wait to get out of Dodge. Away from the city, rude a$$ people, and traffic. My wifey is a pretty tolerant person, but even she said that people are becoming more rude than usual, and the ME generation is taking hold. We're escaping the madness( at least some of it) just in time. We just had another LE shooting in Kenosha. The video went viral and now there burning things up again..................the madness.

[Ken L]

Saw the "peaceful protests" in Kenosha the last couple of nights and was hoping you and the wife are ok. I swear people are looking for a reason to riot. I'm not sure that they realize that they are not helping their cause.

[Bawanna]

They don't get it, they are mentally deficient. It's high time to play cowboy and protestors be it BLM's or Antifa or just punks wanting to tear stuff up. The brick to the officers head knocking him out would have been it for me. Wish I was there.
Don't carry nearly enough ammo for that situation but if I'm ever near something like that I'll make sure to adjust for that.

Fellow officers huddling around the victim officer, they should have been shooting. Anyone with a smile on their face is a fair target.

[jeepster09]

I think my Ruger 9mm Carbine with the 33 round Glock mags and green dot are the perfect repellant. I'm ready!

[Bawanna]

Make sure you got plenty of them 33 rounds magazines, there's lot of them and you don't want to let any get away.

[berettabone]

Saw the "peaceful protests" in Kenosha the last couple of nights and was hoping you and the wife are ok. I swear people are looking for a reason to riot. I'm not sure that they realize that they are not helping their cause.
We are fine. Fortunately, we don't live near that area, but we are near one of the largest cities in the state. My wifey's best friend is a nurse in Kenosha, and she just purchased a home near Kenosha. From what I have noticed over the years, the "trouble" is moving north and west in my state. New territories, new victims, new addicts, new opportunities to pray on people who have never witnessed any crime in their towns. A liberal Governor. Liberal mayors. New rules for LE on how to conduct yourself when you have repeatedly told someone to cooperate, rightfully so, and they start reaching here, and being hinky there, and not listening.to commands. The LE officers want to go home at night. They deal with all of the people that everyone else refuses to deal with. I would be happy to contribute more taxes to build more prisons, top notch prisons with minimal contact between officers and inmates. Statistics show that the areas near prisons are safe. You certainly don't hear about escapes too often, if ever. Lock em up. If that doesn't work, lock em up again. Keep them. No early release. No good time. Keep them permanently if need be. A safer world it would be. Go out looting and starting fires and battling with LE, and if caught, it's an automatic 10 years. No get out of jail card, no pass go. In these days of video all over the place, you'll really be taking a chance participating in any of this baloney.

[jeepster09]

6 should be okay temporarily. I am waiting for the Magpul 50's drums to go sale. :=]

https://magpul.com/firearm-accessories/pmags/pmag-d-50-gl9-pcc.html#

[berettabone]

Well, just got back from up nort. Hauled a couple of car loads of stuff to the house. Got to mow the lawn for the first time with my new Cub Cadet. Mighty smooth. It cuts my mow time in half. All good................We think we may have had a weird weather event. We found an old spice box that had fallen on top of the stove from a shelf up above. There was also some small debris and dust on the stove and in the cupboard above. The vent pipe for the fan that sits above the stove runs through the middle of the cupboard. We think that some type of downdraft or wind must have shot down the vent pipe on the roof ands blew through the pipe and possibly the vent enclosure. I've never seen anything like it myself...................................Replaced all of the window blinds in the house with cordless ones. I hope I don't have to do that again................................Now we have to find a phone and internet provider and there just aren't too many choices out of town. I may be forced to have a flip phone because a land line is pretty much out of the picture for now....................We're waiting for an appraisal on the house, then it's another haul trip up. Next big event is when the carpet guys show up with the new carpeting. It's going fast, I'll be living there permanently in 17 days. It will definitely be worth it, but right now, I just wish the work was over..............................................

[Ken L]

Progress is good!

Are any of the neighbors up nort permanent residents? Or will you be the pioneers in that regard?

[berettabone]

Eight of the neighbors in the area are permanent including myself. Nine are not. One of the permanent neighbors just put their place up for sale.

[dustnchips]

He wants to move out to the country.

[Bawanna]

Eight of the neighbors in the area are permanent including myself. Nine are not. One of the permanent neighbors just put their place up for sale.

Well I'd come back and we could be neighbors but I'm working on trying to be Greg's neighbor. Guess I could be one of them snow chickens or seagulls or whatever they is called. You know follow the warm. I ain't never been east of the big muddy before so that would be an experience. I'd like to visit some of the civil war sites back east there before I cross the river, not sure it will happen but something to ponder.

[dustnchips]

You'll have to cross the river before you "cross the river" if you want to see them.

[berettabone]

The neighbor that just put up his house for sale just can't take care of the property anymore. He's a vet and a hard worker and he just worked his knees and hips to where they don't cooperate any more. He had some kind of replacement in December. He and his wife were the first people that we met up there. Friendly, but private which is ok. I haven't spoken with them in a while. He has family in Chicago and they go there frequently. With the covid thing, I don't know when the last time was that they saw their grandchildren. That may also play in to the move. They are originally from Chicago. I sure hope that they're not being forced to move back to that open wound in the earth. You couldn't get me to go there with all the guns in the world and some dancing girls............................................. ..........

[dustnchips]

Most people that have lived in the country for a few years have compelling reasons to leave such as health or grandkids. There are places to live within easy reach of Chicago that have a very good quality of life. Still not my thing, but your neighbor that is leaving could still find a good place to live

[berettabone]

Sorry, IMHO, right behind Commiefornia, and Pukeyork, is Illinois.................land of the Fibs, and home of the people who travel to Wisconsin to get away from that over taxed, liberal hell hole.

[dustnchips]

Over taxed liberal hell hole for sure, but there are safe small towns. Until the riots downtown Chicago was safe. All of the violence in Chicago happens in two areas, not the whole of the town. Probably 70% is safe. Of course not as safe as a town of 1000 people, but you can walk around downtown at night without problems, sans riots.

[berettabone]

Saying that you can walk around at night in downtown Chicago without issues is like saying you can walk around downtown Milwaukee at night without issues. Have I done it????? Yes, in fact, I've been in some of the worst neighborhoods known to man in Milwaukee. I would never make it a habit to increase my time spent in downtown areas. Feeing lucky??? Not I. Bad things are happening all of the time in the downtown area of Chicago and Milwaukee. You hear about it all of the time. Sometimes it's passed over in the news for things happening in the northern areas. My wife worked downtown for over 20 years and believe me, your head better be on a swivel. No parking ramps. Try to park on the street so there will be help/witnesses etc. Definitely be carrying a firearm. About 6 months ago, the owner of the business where my wife was teaching left the studio for home. He got in his vehicle and was looking at his phone and decided to look in the rear view mirror. 2 people are running up on his vehicle and one looks to be armed. One on each side. Luckily for him, he had started the vehicle when he first got in, and he happened to look up at the right time. He slammed it in gear and took off, just seconds from who knows what. I told him that he had used up one of his get out of jail cards on that one. The worst part is that he STILL doesn't carry a firearm. Not his thing...................................I won't even walk around my neighborhood at night, and I'm not in Milwaukee or Chicago. 2 days ago, the police flew down my street the wrong way, saturating the neighborhood and were talking to a mailman asking if he had seen 2 guys running. They had just robbed something or someone in the area. Probably the gas station up the street. 2 years back, we had an Illinois landlord renting a property across the street to two addicts. People used to rob the gas station up the street, then run away instead of drive and they would hole up in the house across the street. They would wait till all the LE were gone, and then just walk away. Pay the addicts in heroin. The police could just never get someone there that fast. The robbers would just disappear in to the night. It's not all peaches and cream, even in the suburbs. That's why the wifey and I are getting the h#ll out of the city. Stuff like this is happening every day, and unfortunately, you have to become accustomed to not going in to certain areas. Also unfortunately, these areas are increasing in numbers........................................... ......

[340pd]

^^ Well said^^
At this particular point in time I highly doubt that there are many is any large diverse cities that are safe to walk the streets alone at night, for that matter I even throw my LCP II in the back pocket of my jeans while morning walking through my suburban neighborhood at 7 AM.

I live in a near suburb of Minneapolis and work with cops that tell me they refuse to go into downtown Minneapolis. They tell me it is not worth the chance they may have to draw their firearm and the aftermath that would ensue.

We are as close to being the "wild west" as any time in my long lifetime and although I am currently legal to carry and respect the rule of law, there is no way I will ever stop carrying permit or not, even if I have to go diving into the lake where I lost them.

[Bawanna]

Since January I've been hanging the Cbob on my hip (or a similar substitute) on my hip every morning regardless. I seldom leave the property. I wear it around the house, working in the shop, mowing the lawn regardless.
In the evening in the past I'd take a shower and put on sweat pants for convenience, these days I put on regular pants again with a belt and strap the Cbob back on again till pillow time.

If I go to town I hang a couple extra mags on the off side. We have zero issues in our area, community still loves the police. No protest but the bad spots are only a half hour away, really bad spots only a few hours away. Not gonna get caught with my pants down and besides I just love guns and don't feel dressed without it.

Plus if my guys in town need some help they know they can call me and I'll be there, rules be damned.

[berettabone]

Well, Tuesday night will be my last night in the house in the city............20 years.........the longest me or the wifey lived in one place in our lives. I'll miss the house, but nothing else. I'm sure when I walk out in to my back yard up nort, and unload a 10 round mag of .40 in to a dead tree, I'll feel much better. It's nice to be able to do that now. Heading up on Wednesday to stupidvise the new carpet going in. Doing the whole house except for the kitchen and bathrooms. That money would have purchased many a gun, but a happy wifey that puts up with me is well worth the investment. It shouldn't be too much of an adjustment for us since we've been going there for quite some time. Moving sucks, it still sucks, and we're getting closer to the finish. Hopefully, the carpeting will go smoothly, and the movers won't be hung over. We had the satellite tv guy come and hook up another tv. It's nice because now we can move the tv anywhere wireless as long as you have a small box plugged in somewhere. I'm not much in to the new technology. No wires, no holes, I can get used to it. I'm also going to be forced to get a cell phone. Land lines are pretty much out of the question in those parts. I put up a good fight staying away from the devil phone for as long as I could. I get a pretty good deal when I hook up phone and internet together. Not too many choices there for those services either. I prefer cable because it's not affected by weather, but no such animal in the area yet.........................In 20 years we've cleaned the house out 3 times now. Mostly furniture and old tv's. Even staying on top of things, you still accumulate too much stuff. It always brings back memories as your getting rid of things. The look on the wifey's face as she relives some memory as I point towards a trash can............:)

[dustnchips]

Don't fear the technology. I phones can't rule your life unless you let them.

[Armybrat]

Don't fear the technology. I phones can't rule your life unless you let them.
True, but they sure can affect my vocabulary sometimes..... and not for the better.

[dustnchips]

Expressive language.

[Armybrat]

Expressive language.

With a decidedly blue hue.

[berettabone]

Well, I guess the worst is over. We are now offically moved to our new place up nort. Some carnage but it's over. Movers are animals........................................... .The new carpeting went in without a hitch and looks real good. We've been so busy, we're trying to take it down a notch. Spent yesterday arranging and moving stuff in the pole building. We managed to spend a few hours on the deck, just taking in the reality of it all. Beautiful day, low 70's,a nice breeze, and no bugs. Had 17 turkey's come through yesterday afternnoon. I told the wife that she will have to keep a bit better watch up here. Thursday night when a train sounded it's horn off in the distance, a pack of coyotes started howling and they were only about 75 yds. from the house. It's the closest they've ever been. The guy behind us is growing corn this year and I'm sure that critters frquent this area more than in the past. Well, back to the garage to move things out of the way to get at other things. We still have too much stuff. I will never move again.................they'll have to peel my hands off of the door. Work can be enjoyable, but moving just plain sucks. The wifey is enjoying her decorating opportunities. She needs some of that after basically losing her career over this virus crap.............................................. ...............................Later

[Tilos]

Wait 'til your neighbor cuts down that corn, the field will turn into a night time rodant buffet for those coyotes, and they will be howling with pleasure.
That's something that happens where I live and I spend hours on the back porch listening to it.
:D

[berettabone]

Well, the land owner behind me cut down the corn the other night between 10:00 PM and 5:00 AM. I've noticed that someone put up a game cam down the way a bit. I think that the coyotes have dispersed and gone somewhere quieter and less populated with humans. The one night they were right behind my pole garage, about 40 ft. from the house and constantly howling at the train horns in the distance. Now, it's been quiet lately which makes me believe that they are not close anymore. The land owner had pushed a bunch of dirt in to berms. I think that's where the coyotes were living. Perfect spot, berms and cornfield. Smorgasbord. Hunting is underway, so they'll head for the hills so to speak............................................. ....................The owners of the last empty property in the area, which is between my closest neighbor and myself, have been there lately, putzing around and cutting small trees. I noticed that they've marked trees to come down with orange ribbons, and have marked the property with no trespassing signage. They brought in a small shed, and I've heard that they are planning to put in a double wide and a garage. All of this and still no one has dropped two dead oaks that could fall on anything they do. As usual, this should be interesting...............................

[berettabone]

What the hE!!?????????? I cooked up a delicious NY Strip on the grill. Potatoes from a friends garden. Green beans cooked low and slow to death. The sun was out, it was a nice day. Had a nice meal, a bit of tv, a couple of shots of Limoncello. I look outside, and there's 4 inches of snow. Already. Really? WTF.........Not a good sign as far as winter goes................................I don't really mind some cold, it's refreshing. We usually don't have any measureable snow until a bit before Xmas. Better check that snow blower again..................................