Good morning

[CaddmannQ]

That has to be THE most elaborate bicycle tail light I have EVER seen. Very well done, sir! When do we get to see it lit?

I just bought the guts for it today. LED lamp with lithium ion battery + solar charger.

I’m also building a headlight. Neither one of these things need to be done before the end of the contest on January 15 so it might be a little while before I actually get them all finished.

 

[CaddmannQ]

I just paid $36 at HD for two 8' LED replacements for florescent bulbs. I don't even think there were floros available on the shelf. Last pair of floros I bought was $16 a couple years ago. The LEDs took me 3 trips, first pair were 6500 kelvin or whatever the rating was and the light was extremely garish and just TOO bright for the office. So I returned those and got the "cool white" pair which were 4500k (I think). Got the box open and one of the tubes was broken. It was after the store closed so had to wait until the next time I went by the store. Keep in mind that I had to put these in my sedan with the seat down for each trip. Third trip was the charm and the lights look good and certainly equivalent to the floros in perceived light.

I remember when the floro snowcones (Edison socket) came out and were pitched as the great "green" replacement for incandescent bulbs. Supposed to last for decades--NOT! Gov'ts fed, state and local giving rebates to consumers to purchase them. No mention of the mercury and all the other goodies that are in them. But they definitely don't last that long. I've had at least a half-dozen arbitrarily and sometimes spectacularly burn out with a flash and a bang and consequent release of acrid toxic smoke! In the floro's defense, they HAVE been providing decent service as shop lights in clamp fixtures once they warm up. But, like an incan, they will pop if hit with grinding debris...

The floros were quickly supplanted by LEDs which have a better track record but some are not worth the premium. "Bargain" packs or tubs of bulbs have not been that much of a bargain when the bulbs barely last a half-year. I still have a number of incans as backups or for specialty fixtures like a fan or fridge.

I only have one shop lamp with Fluorescent tubes remaining. It’s been hanging outdoors in the boat yard for years and It has my last two remaining fluorescent tubes. This house used to be loaded with 4 foot tubes, with 8 in the garage and 8 in the kitchen. They are all history.

Otherwise, Every lamp I own has been converted over to LEDs.

Even the VW has some LEDs, In the tail lights and marker lights, but the other old cars are strictly incandescent lamps. Same for the motorcycle. It is 18 years old and all the lamps are incandescent. The only exception might be the little bulbs for the neutral lamp and bright head lights.

I never had good luck with those coil fluorescents. For one thing, half the lamps in my house go in ceiling fans, and they could not withstand the inverted placement nor the vibration. A lot of the LEDs don’t like inverted placements or closed fixtures, where they die from their own heat, and I have had that problem in a couple of ceiling fixtures that are not ventilated.

I’m really happy with the LED “can” lights that I put in my garage ceiling. I’m thinking they’ve been up for about seven or eight years now. I bought a contractors pack at Lowe’s and I got a good discount on them too.

BIG EDIT:
I had to go look up my old pictures on the old Plymouth and Dodge forum.

I put those can lights up in the ceiling March 2015. So they are over seven years old now and work perfectly.


Some of you guys might remember when I converted my engine hoist to a panel lift, with some scrap tubing, a ladder, and parts of a folding table.

The tiny Styrofoam shims were used to tighten the panel up the last half inch before I put the screws in. Here you can see how the folding table leg assembly was the key to construction of this whole machine. Everything goes up and down parallel to the ground like a forklift.

In the last picture you can see I also hung LED lights from the ceiling fans.

 

[CaddmannQ]

I think this thing ran over six hours before it shut off but I had gone to bed by then so I really don’t know. It could’ve gone eight or more.

 

[CaddmannQ]

This is the LED garden stake after I cut the stake off.


I shortened up the snout on the back of the lamp, as this solar charging package is essentially it’s own battery compartment.

It’s all just a friction fit right now but it needs a thumb screw or some kind of retainer.

That brought the LED up to the reflector so it looks pretty bright now. I will trim off some more of the black plastic and that will make it even brighter.

 

[CaddmannQ]

Good morning Mossberg Owners.

My wife’s family is coming over for an early Christmas this year, so no more bicycle fixing for me today. They won’t be showing up till 5:30 so I don’t think there’s going to be any bicycle riding for them.

Anyhow I have to finish wrapping Christmas presents and get myself together. You guys have a good one.

 

[meanstreak]

Good morning all. 12 degrees at 7am, down to 9 now and going to drop more . We even have about an inch of snow to go along with the cold and wind , NW 25 mph, but it is not going to last very long.

Ya'll have a great day and stay warm.

 

[John A.]

-3*F for us this morning.

The brunt of the storm hit us a 1AM. Almost on the dot.

Started off a light rain, within 10 minutes, super strong winds popping the house. 5 minutes after the wind started blowing dropped 17 degrees and the snow started to fall and the rain water on the lens of my security cameras started to freeze. You could literally watch it freeze. I lost one of my metal keep out signs from my gate it was blowing so hard that it tore the metal sign. It may be in the yard somewhere now, but underneath of the ice and snow, I won't be able to look for it for a while.

left the water dripping so my pipes don't freeze. Hopefully. Wife told me when she started the shower, there seemed to be some air in the lines, and I told her that wouldn't be air but would be ice, so we'll turn more faucets to a drip in the house today. Last thing I need is to hire a backhoe and have to replace a bunch of 70 year old galvanized pipes through my yard. That would require an entire new build plumbing change.

The basement where most of the water lines has never dropped below freezing the entire time I've lived here. The majority of the basement is underground so it stays a bit warmer, plus there's about a foot of reinforced concrete wall around the house under there too.

Nope. Don't want none of that water pipe freezing stuff right now. Or ever.

 

[Bobster]

I feel for all you people with the chills. The "cold" season has officially begun here in FL (it IS winter now, afterall...). It is starting to get cold at this moment with temps expected to drop into the 20s and 30s. Both my kid's Jettas don't have heat: my dot's needs a heater core and my son's the cable came off the heater box that controls the temperature door so it is stuck on "cold". Repairing both issues is a bunch of work I (or they) do not have time for so I did the next best thing and bought them these a Christmas or two ago...

 

[Ernst]

We've been taking about the increase in food prices and associated reduction in package sizes.

Here's a link to the USDA Summary of Increases for food prices. Remember these are the government's numbers which don't necessarily reflect what you're actually seeing in the stores. But still an interesting read.

USDA ERS - Summary Findings

ERS research and reporting of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for food contributes to an understanding of which food categories experience substantial price changes, how consumers spend their incomes on food, and how and why prices change.

www.ers.usda.gov

 

[John A.]

Yeah, their inflation numbers are very low. Especially compared to what the dollar is actually paying for these days.

Much smaller servings in the same bag.

As the Shaq/Papa Johns commercial I saw the other day

"Shrinkflation is just another word for robbery"

 

[Ernst]

Here is just a sampling of the Congressioal “Omnibus” spending bill ear marks;

1. $1.2 million for “LGBTQIA+ Pride Centers” and another $1.2 million for “support services for DACA recipients” (aka helping illegal aliens with taxpayer funds) at San Diego Community College.
2. $800,000 would be given to In Our Own Voices, Inc., a group that focuses on the economic survival and growth of the LGBTQ community, to go towards “transitional housing and services for LGBT and gender non-conforming” individuals
3. $477,000 for the Equity Institute in Rhode Island to indoctrinate teachers with “antiracism virtual labs.”
4. $1 million for Zora’s House in Ohio, a “coworking and community space” for “women and gender-expansive people of color.”
5. $3 million for the American LGBTQ+ Museum in New York City.
6. $3.6 million for a Michelle Obama Trail in Georgia, a 3.8 mile long trail that opened in 2018 and was “inspired by Obama’s ‘Let’s Move’ health initiative.”
7. $3.5 million For the legislative branch would be set aside for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to go towards salaries and expenses.
8. $750,000 for “LGBT and Gender Non-Conforming housing” in Albany, New York.
9. $2 million for the “Great Blacks in Wax” museum in Baltimore.
10. $856,000 for an “LGBT Center” in New York for a group working towards creating a “welcoming environment” for the LGBT community, for “facilities and equipment.”
11. $750,000 for the “TransLatin@ Coalition” to provide “workforce development programs and supportive services for Transgender and Gender nonconforming and Intersex (TGI) immigrant women in Los Angeles.”
12. $2 million for “MLK Labor” in Washington, an affiliate of the AFL-CIO that expelled Seattle police officers from union ranks to create an online hiring platform.
13. $956,000 for “The Equity Incubator at the Universities at Shady Grove” in Maryland for creating an “antiracist education system,”.
14. $500,000 for The Equity Institute based in Rhode Island, an organization working towards professional development of teachers.
15. $791,200 for “equitable energy resilience and EV infrastructure” in Sonoma, California.

 

[Rodburner]

At least everybody got their chance to stuff stockings of the folks back home. And interestingly it’s continued use or abuse was overwhelming approved for the upcoming congress. What that tells me is that regular people are tired of sending people to DC to represent them that never get anything to show for it. When the countless little projects needed around the country are routinely lost in the shuffle when tied to these gigantic bills, sometimes it seems earmarks are a bone to the people back home. And it’s not a one way street,for sure..

 

[CaddmannQ]

I feel for all you people with the chills. The "cold" season has officially begun here in FL (it IS winter now, afterall...). It is starting to get cold at this moment with temps expected to drop into the 20s and 30s. Both my kid's Jettas don't have heat: my dot's needs a heater core and my son's the cable came off the heater box that controls the temperature door so it is stuck on "cold". Repairing both issues is a bunch of work I (or they) do not have time for so I did the next best thing and bought them these a Christmas or two ago...

View attachment 28602

I have one of these from 1966. It was in my fathers Scout and it still out there in my collection of his old stuff. It does not have lights, and plugs into the house, to pre-warm the car before you even get in it.
Basically a steel box with an electric heating element and a fan.

 

[CaddmannQ]

At least everybody got their chance to stuff stockings of the folks back home. And interestingly it’s continued use or abuse was overwhelming approved for the upcoming congress. What that tells me is that regular people are tired of sending people to DC to represent them that never get anything to show for it. When the countless little projects needed around the country are routinely lost in the shuffle when tied to these gigantic bills, sometimes it seems earmarks are a bone to the people back home. And it’s not a one way street,for sure..View attachment 28606

Well I’m glad to see that those top numbers are not coming to California. There’s so much money here it’s Ridiculous, and the inequity grows every day.

Wealthy people in California are complaining that they pay to support poor people in red states. They’re not paying enough to support the poor people in California right now. And what they are paying is all being misappropriated, because you know it’s Democrats handing out money to Democrats.

 

[CaddmannQ]

Good morning Mossberg Owners.

So yesterday was Christmas for us again, and everybody on my side of the family came over. But I have a feeling there will be more Christmas going on today. I managed to party down pretty good so it’s amazing I don’t feel worse this morning.


Just tea this morning please. Oooof !

This was the first year that the grandkids really kicked in and made a whole bunch of food, and so I didn’t have to do too much except cook a big rib roast and help with all the minor stuff. My oldest granddaughter brought a 10 pound ham that she prepared. The other 4 adult granddaughters brought casseroles and vegetables, deviled eggs, deserts, and party food of every description.

They are all working and making some money, and it is a wonderful thing to see them all becoming adults about the same time. There were 17 of us this year. We have lost my mom and dad, one son in law, and my brother-in-law, but we have picked up a new son-in-law and a couple fiancé’s from the grandchildren.

We didn’t have any fights and there was no illness in the family and everyone had a great time this year.

The weather here has been chilly but dry with lows in the high 30s and high 50s during the day.

I feel for you guys getting blasted in the snowbelt. We’re scheduled to have some light rains this week but nothing more dramatic than that.

I hope all you Mossbergers have a wonderful Christmas!

 

[Rodburner]

Lol

 

[CaddmannQ]

 

[meanstreak]

Another Christmas in the books. I had another good year. I lost some weight (30 lbs) , getting more exercise than I have in years, and eating better. Now if I could get more sleep life would be even better. So, here we are at the end of another year. I'm glad I have this forum to share some of my thoughts, opinions, and experiences with a group of excellent people.

You all have a great evening, what is left of it.

 

[CaddmannQ]

It was a wonderful Christmas here, featuring nothing to dismay.

The weather was even lovely, 55F, and I got out to ride my bicycle for 6 miles. I worked on the new bicycle a little bit, but mostly I loafed around watching television, and eating leftovers.

Bless you all, and thank you for making this a wonderful place.

 

[CaddmannQ]

Good morning Mossberg Owners.

Well it’s raining here again, thank the Lord!

It looks like we will have rain throughout this week, and this is a good deal for us.

Yesterday I tore my washing machine apart and found out that the suspension was dropping so much with a full load that it had been drilling a hole into my floor tile with the pulley nut.

I cleaned up the pulleys and changed the belt. Then I jacked it up off the floor another inch & I told my wife not to overload the laundry. It has been making awful noises like the transmission was going to fly apart, and now it runs perfectly so she’s happy.

I patched the hole in her vinyl floor tile with some epoxy putty, which nobody will ever see.

Otherwise I got to ride my bicycle, and clean aquariums, do laundry and lounge around a lot.

Today I expect to get out there and work on my bicycle a little bit & go to the bicycle shop.

I know you guys back East are still getting blasted with serious cold weather and lots of snow. You have my sincerest sympathies. They say that upstate New York is having a 50 year storm, and I remember being there in 1965 when we had some extremely heavy snow up in Gloversville. Dad was in Vietnam and we were having Christmas, staying at my grandfathers house.

I hope this Christmas brings you all some wonderful memories.