In the garden, and RAIN!!!!
POSTED BY: SIGNYM
UPDATED: Thursday, December 25, 2025 04:27
VIEWED: 1005090
PAGE 91 of 1154
It's been COOOOOLD around me the last few days for the season because of this wacky weather.
I've decided to treat myself this winter. I'm not going to be a human popsicle. My usual rule is "No Heat Until November... No Matter What".
I turned it up to 65, which is 3 degrees higher than I ever turn it. I think I'll keep it that high all winter unless I start getting monthly bills over $200 because of how inefficient the system is.
Maybe this spring I'll finally get the new furnace and A/C installed. We'll have to see how my car and teeth situation is by then.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
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Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Congrats on the mammogram, BRENDA, and happy belated birthday! It seems like lately every time I get a mammogram they find "something" which leads to more and more testing.
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
"The messy American environment, where most people don't agree, is perfect for people like me. I CAN DO AS I PLEASE." - SECOND
America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876
Thanks Sig. I've already been there with the more testing. I've had two biopsies done and I've got two medical clips in me because of the biopsies. So far I have been lucky.
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Quote:I know that it doesn't get as cold here as there, but sometimes we let the house fall to 62F. In that case, we've found a few well=placed heating pads really help, like one tucked in under the bedcovers (preferably around the feet) turned on about ten minutes before bed time, and one on the sofa.
It's been COOOOOLD around me the last few days for the season because of this wacky weather.
I've decided to treat myself this winter. I'm not going to be a human popsicle. My usual rule is "No Heat Until November... No Matter What".
I turned it up to 65, which is 3 degrees higher than I ever turn it. I think I'll keep it that high all winter unless I start getting monthly bills over $200 because of how inefficient the system is.
Maybe this spring I'll finally get the new furnace and A/C installed. We'll have to see how my car and teeth situation is by then.- SIX
Thanks again for the info about spiders!
Quote:I guess there's hope for me yet! I had one area that had TWO biopsies (an X-ray guided needle biopsy and then a much more extensive excisional one, plus those clips) but so far that's the only area that needed a biopsy even tho they've called me back for 3D mammo and ultrasound for the other breast.
Thanks Sig. I've already been there with the more testing. I've had two biopsies done and I've got two medical clips in me because of the biopsies. So far I have been lucky.- BRENDA
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
"The messy American environment, where most people don't agree, is perfect for people like me. I CAN DO AS I PLEASE." - SECOND
America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876
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Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:Quote:I guess there's hope for me yet! I had one area that had TWO biopsies (an X-ray guided needle biopsy and then a much more extensive excisional one, plus those clips) but so far that's the only area that needed a biopsy even tho they've called me back for 3D mammo and ultrasound for the other breast.
Thanks Sig. I've already been there with the more testing. I've had two biopsies done and I've got two medical clips in me because of the biopsies. So far I have been lucky.- BRENDA
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
"The messy American environment, where most people don't agree, is perfect for people like me. I CAN DO AS I PLEASE." - SECOND
America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876
Both the biopsies I've had done have been the needle ones and both on the left breast. I have calcifications in both but the left was looking worse, so that is where they did them. The first one was simple but the second one the freezing didn't take on the surface so I felt the needle going in. Nothing else though.
As for the place, I am starting to freeze my azz off.
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Quote:That is a very poor map. That red line is about 400-500 miles south of the WI/UP border, where Brown Recluse is our poisonous spider. Canada is far closer to that line. I'm not sure how much farther north Brenda is.
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Silverfish are gross. Ew.
Should be no worries of Brown Recluse spiders up by Brenda.
I seriously doubt that any other spiders up there would be harmful to humans.
Wolf Spiders can bite, but I think you'd really have to go out of your way to get a bite by one. I can step right by one, or even put my fingers right by it and it will barely move away from me, and it never lunges to attack. Unlike a brown recluse that might take up residence in a pair of shoes, or a pile of clothes on the floor, the wolf spiders like to be out in the open to stalk their prey. Even if you do get bit by a Wolf Spider, you'll just get an irritating bump that will go away on its own.
Interestingly, the Brown Recluse is not nearly as dangerous as the urban legends say they are either. Only 10% of people would react with some form of necrosis after the bite around the region, and only 1% of people could have a systematic shutdown from the bite. More importantly though, the fangs of the Brown Recluse are so small that it couldn't even puncture your skin if it were just crawling on top of you. It needs the force of being up against your skin with tight clothing or inside your shoe to generate the force necessary to bite you.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
Brenda, what is your latitude?
Nobody has tried hedgeballs?
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Quote:
Originally posted by JEWELSTAITEFAN:Quote:That is a very poor map. That red line is about 400-500 miles south of the WI/UP border, where Brown Recluse is our poisonous spider. Canada is far closer to that line. I'm not sure how much farther north Brenda is.
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Silverfish are gross. Ew.
Should be no worries of Brown Recluse spiders up by Brenda.
I seriously doubt that any other spiders up there would be harmful to humans.
Wolf Spiders can bite, but I think you'd really have to go out of your way to get a bite by one. I can step right by one, or even put my fingers right by it and it will barely move away from me, and it never lunges to attack. Unlike a brown recluse that might take up residence in a pair of shoes, or a pile of clothes on the floor, the wolf spiders like to be out in the open to stalk their prey. Even if you do get bit by a Wolf Spider, you'll just get an irritating bump that will go away on its own.
Interestingly, the Brown Recluse is not nearly as dangerous as the urban legends say they are either. Only 10% of people would react with some form of necrosis after the bite around the region, and only 1% of people could have a systematic shutdown from the bite. More importantly though, the fangs of the Brown Recluse are so small that it couldn't even puncture your skin if it were just crawling on top of you. It needs the force of being up against your skin with tight clothing or inside your shoe to generate the force necessary to bite you.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
Brenda, what is your latitude?
Nobody has tried hedgeballs?
Are you sure it's a brown recluse? A lot of people mistake a lot of different spiders for brown recluses.
I've actually never seen one in my life, and I did live just south of Milwaukee for five years. Not saying that they aren't there, just that I've never seen one.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
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Quote:
Originally posted by JEWELSTAITEFAN:Quote:That is a very poor map. That red line is about 400-500 miles south of the WI/UP border, where Brown Recluse is our poisonous spider. Canada is far closer to that line. I'm not sure how much farther north Brenda is.
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
Silverfish are gross. Ew.
Should be no worries of Brown Recluse spiders up by Brenda.
I seriously doubt that any other spiders up there would be harmful to humans.
Wolf Spiders can bite, but I think you'd really have to go out of your way to get a bite by one. I can step right by one, or even put my fingers right by it and it will barely move away from me, and it never lunges to attack. Unlike a brown recluse that might take up residence in a pair of shoes, or a pile of clothes on the floor, the wolf spiders like to be out in the open to stalk their prey. Even if you do get bit by a Wolf Spider, you'll just get an irritating bump that will go away on its own.
Interestingly, the Brown Recluse is not nearly as dangerous as the urban legends say they are either. Only 10% of people would react with some form of necrosis after the bite around the region, and only 1% of people could have a systematic shutdown from the bite. More importantly though, the fangs of the Brown Recluse are so small that it couldn't even puncture your skin if it were just crawling on top of you. It needs the force of being up against your skin with tight clothing or inside your shoe to generate the force necessary to bite you.
Do Right, Be Right. :)
Brenda, what is your latitude?
Nobody has tried hedgeballs?
Not sure about latitude but I am well north of the border. Find a map of British Columbia with cities on it. Look for Vancouver and the surrounding area and that is where I am.
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Been having some really bad rough starts with my car when it is humid still. Thought the winter would end that, but the other day it was around 90% humidity in the morning when I was scraping ice off my car and had some real problems.
Not sure if "misfire" is the right word for it, but the engine rocks violently when the problem happens and the whole car moves. Not really sure what the problem is since this actually happened once before I ever touched the timing belt to get to the oil, but after I had changed spark plugs. I wasn't able to change all 4 since the parts place only had 3 in stock, so I took what looked to be the best one and cleaned it with gasoline at the time before putting it back in.
This could be a timing issue, a spark plug or wire or distributor issue, an airflow issue, etc....
Transmission has been "buggy" as well. Particularly getting to the top gear (4th or 5th... not sure). This might not actually be a problem with the transmission system from what I've read because of the misfire problem.
So... what I did today.
1. Checked tranny fluid. It's red and it's full. Good news.
2. Replaced air filter. First time in 10 years that I've owned the car that I did this. Whoops. I've only put on about 25k miles since I've owned it, but that filter was VERY dirty.
3. Bought cheap NGK spark plugs and put them in. This time I did spring for both the anti-sieze lube so they don't get stuck in there as well as the dielectric tune-up grease to supposedly maintain a proper spark.
I did some light test driving on the city and highway. No problems firing up and the transmission in the first few gears seems pretty smooth. I still have to let off of the gas a bit around 45MPH to get it to go into the high gear, but at least it doesn't "jerk" on me when it switches over now.
I really can't do any more meaningful testing at the moment. It's only about 35% humidity now. I'm going to leave it out side of my garage the next few nights and try in the early morning. I never have problems starting it when it's been in the garage. It only happens when it's out in the parking lot overnight and I'm trying to start it in the morning.
I forgot to pick up seafoam with my order. I'm going to have to get that too.
Any other suggestions here, guys and gals?
Do Right, Be Right. :)
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No, sorry SIX, no advice on the car. I'm pretty good at dxing my onw car, but I have to drive/ listen to it myself to figure out what the problem is.
I'll think about some simple diagnostics you might run. Like, for example- the tailpipe. Is it coated with black carbon? Does it smell like gasoline?
Hmm... ok, some other thoughts on the topic. Except for the "misfires", does the car run smoothly, or does it run rough?
Here are my thoughts ...
If it's a case of being rich, which causes backfire, then you'll see it in a carbon=coated tailpipe, and if its REALLY rich you'll smell gasoline.
Quote:[ Dirty like black? Or dirty like leaves and sand and stuff? IF you have a carburetor then backfires also blow out thru the carburetor and up thru the air filter, and you'll get carbon on your air filter as well.
Whoops. I've only put on about 25k miles since I've owned it, but that filter was VERY dirty.
If the valves are coated with carbon, which takes up space in the engine and reduced the cylinder volume, creating higher compression ratios and causing backfires, you will see that in general "running rough". In addition, sometimes the car will continue to "diesel" even after your turn it off.
If it's a timing belt problem or the distributor timing if off, I would imagine that the problem would happen all the time ... well, maybe not ALL the time, the timing might be OK enough to run at higher speeds (if the timing is too advanced) or at lower speeds (if too retarded) but you would definitely feel it at more than just startup.
If it's really random, then it could be an electrical problem. Have you tried cleaning off the spark plug wires?? Or replaced the wires?? You wouldn't think it would make a difference, but it does!
Quote:I had to look up what those were! No, never tried them. But don't have to because I generally like spiders a lot better than mosquitoes.
Nobody has tried hedgeballs?
*****
Fall is the time for gardening in So. California! Except for the few plants that are actively blooming and growing, now is the time to weed, prune, cut down, and plant! So I've been filling up my yardwaste bins with spent cosmos and bermuda grass (also use weedkiller on THAT sucker!!), weeds, old tomato and bean vines, hollyleaf cherry (pruning), penstemon spectabilis (cut down). I have a California lilac that I have to dig up ... it grew to 10' and bloomed spectacularly and then died all at once ... and a "heavenly bamboo" that I want to take out. Am also going to take out a CA gooseberry ... it's just not very garden-worthy.
SO, since my front yard looks like a sandpit when the CA poppies and cosmos stop blooming, (I'm sure my neighbors aren't too happy about that!) I've decided to fill in with CA buckwheat (parvifolium or fasciculitum, whichever I can get), more beach aster, more CA fuchsia, purple-three-awn bunch grass, more succulents, and a hedge of Catalina Island Cherry. I already have an Island Oak which is doing quite well, and some mahonia (shinyleafed oregon grape) bushes which look quite handsome.
For the first time, I feel enthusiastic about my garden design instead of doubtful. I think it will look spectacular!! Once it looks decent I'll post it online somewhere.
-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake
"The messy American environment, where most people don't agree, is perfect for people like me. I CAN DO AS I PLEASE." - SECOND
America is an oligarchy http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?tid=57876
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Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
No, sorry SIX, no advice on the car. I'm pretty good at dxing my onw car, but I have to drive/ listen to it myself to figure out what the problem is.
I'll think about some simple diagnostics you might run. Like, for example- the tailpipe. Is it coated with black carbon? Does it smell like gasoline?
Hard to tell. My exhaust system is just about defunct. It's pretty rusted out and the car is loud. There's actually a hole toward the front of the car where the bulk of the noise comes out. There was a lot of black soot around the back of the car all over the place, but then again, I haven't washed that car in ages, so who knows how long that was building up.
Quote:
Hmm... ok, some other thoughts on the topic. Except for the "misfires", does the car run smoothly, or does it run rough?
Rough. The steering wheel would shake in your hand it ran so rough.
Quote:
Here are my thoughts ...
If it's a case of being rich, which causes backfire, then you'll see it in a carbon=coated tailpipe, and if its REALLY rich you'll smell gasoline.
This could be the case. Never smelled gas, but the tailpipe is dirty.
Quote:Quote:[ Dirty like black? Or dirty like leaves and sand and stuff? IF you have a carburetor then backfires also blow out thru the carburetor and up thru the air filter, and you'll get carbon on your air filter as well.
Whoops. I've only put on about 25k miles since I've owned it, but that filter was VERY dirty.
It wasn't black. Just very, very gray and a lot of leaves and crap.
Quote:
If the valves are coated with carbon, which takes up space in the engine and reduced the cylinder volume, creating higher compression ratios and causing backfires, you will see that in general "running rough". In addition, sometimes the car will continue to "diesel" even after your turn it off.
What is "diesel" in that context?
Quote:
If it's a timing belt problem or the distributor timing if off, I would imagine that the problem would happen all the time ... well, maybe not ALL the time, the timing might be OK enough to run at higher speeds (if the timing is too advanced) or at lower speeds (if too retarded) but you would definitely feel it at more than just startup.
I do feel it at more than just startup. Sometimes I can start the car with little problems, but before I get on the expressway if I'm stopped at a light the car can misfire really bad and stall out. This only seems to happen on extremely humid nights, and only when the car has been outside of my garage all night.
Quote:
If it's really random, then it could be an electrical problem. Have you tried cleaning off the spark plug wires?? Or replaced the wires?? You wouldn't think it would make a difference, but it does!
There is a long time electrical problem with the car. I've never tried to "fix" anything electric except for changing the plugs themselves.
UPDATE:
Did some research on seafoam and watched some youtube videos and I was sold. Not just the standard stuff, but the air intake variety and the transmission stuff as well. I bought it all.
Put 16oz in the gas tank. Easiest thing I did.
Oil was a bit trickier because I put too much oil in when I changed it. Had to bleed about a half quart out before I put 3.5oz in there.
Sprayed the entire aresol can for the air intake as per instructions. Used a couple of bricks to put the RPM's about 1000 above idle during this process. Ended up with a check engine light during this process, but disconnected the battery, put it back on and restarted it. Light hasn't come back on after about 20 miles of test driving.
Put half the can (about 8oz) of the transmission seafoam into my transmission.
So far so good. Even though it's not humid and I can't really test anything, there is already a very notici
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