Catching up.

**Hawg** · 03-14-2026, 05:31 AM

Heavy house hunting here and have one to look at today. Hopefully this one will pan out to put an offer on.
I'll try to work on the front end rebuild in between house ventures.

**NRATC53** · 03-14-2026, 05:53 AM

Having a horse Ranch, my days are rarely my own- A lot of fencing, new posts and barbed wire. Just came back from picking up 1600 lbs of fertilizer; between that and the diesel we use around here, DHS is probably nervous, with no reason

**Hawg** · 03-14-2026, 05:57 AM

Originally posted by Hawg

Heavy house hunting here and have one to look at today. Hopefully this one will pan out to put an offer on.
I'll try to work on the front end rebuild in between house ventures.

Yes trying to stay in mid Mi.

**Texas PO** · 03-14-2026, 06:25 AM

Originally posted by Hawg

Heavy house hunting here and have one to look at today. Hopefully this one will pan out to put an offer on.
I'll try to work on the front end rebuild in between house ventures.

I have done a lot of house hunting in my day. Before I bought the last house I owned in Houston I must have looked at 50 homes, all of them had things I didn't like. The thing to remember is unless your building no house will be exactly what your looking for. What are prices looking like up your way? Is the market more affordable?

**Texas PO** · 03-14-2026, 06:35 AM

Spring has sprung here. Been doing a little planting. Think I mentioned before we went offline the last time I got the generators all situated and set up the way I want. Sprayed the house and out buildings for wasps and hornets. Just been living the life of a retired country gentlemen. 😎

**Hawg** · 03-14-2026, 06:52 AM

Originally posted by Texas PO

I have done a lot of house hunting in my day. Before I bought the last house I owned in Houston I must have looked at 50 homes, all of them had things I didn't like. The thing to remember is unless your building no house will be exactly what your looking for. What are prices looking like up your way? Is the market more affordable?

Still pretty ridiculous here prices too high for junk.

**Broncosfan** · 03-14-2026, 10:45 AM

Getting back to the basics here. We'll I will try to hit the highlights and catchup more later. Its busy here now. We had a large fish by my standards this year. Lost over 3 dozen large bluegill. I figure it was stress from lower water and a very populated pond. Still can't tell how many bluegill are in there as there not eating a lot. The bass are very nice lost 1 I think. I will try to post pictures as we're rocking the sides and the dam this year. Moving most by hand so its going to take some real physical labor to get it done. All fruit trees are sprayed excepted ones close to the pond. Pepper plants are up looking good. Starting tomatoes soon. Power has been out almost 24 hrs do to some really high winds. Running the generator. My setup in the building with an exhaust fan is working well. I still plan to pipe the exhaust out soon. So thats the scope for now. I will check back in soon. Glad OTP is back! We have so much to talk about!

**T-Man 1066** · 03-14-2026, 03:44 PM

Today I went to see a customer. Retired guy, had his own cabinet shop for years, now retired. Still makes projects for people. Cabinets, furniture, etc. For a home-based shop, this was extremely impressive, by far the nicest most well equipped wood shop I have been in. I have been in ALOT of home machine shops, very few wood shops. It was definitely a treat!
Oh yea, I'm making a extended custom spindle for a wood shaper for him..

**NRATC53** · 03-14-2026, 04:11 PM

Well, I DID pick up four pre-64 Winchester Model 70s. One in .270 Win and 3 in .264 Win Mag. Had to take the lot. The .270 will go with my USMC Model 70 in .30-'06, and I'll definitely keep at least 1 .264 for sure. Down the road? who knows?

**SparkyPrep** · 03-14-2026, 04:21 PM

I have been doing absolutely nothing since the site went down except working. 7 days a week, 13 hours a day, living in a hotel room. But, that is over for now, so I just wanted to say I MISSED YOU GUYS!

**Inor** · 03-14-2026, 06:53 PM

The last month seems like I have been going in a dozen different directions, all at the same time.

I ran into some challenges with my computer business about 6 months ago that has slowed business way down. I'm not entirely broke-up about that as I was ready to start winding it down anyway. But the recession has hit tech pretty hard already and folks are REALLY slow to pay my invoices. One client is going to have to go away because of it. Waiting 90+ days to get invoices paid is ridiculous. I think I may have landed a new client yesterday, so we'll see what they have to say for themselves...

My stock trading efforts have been going pretty well so far. That is basically what we are living on. And even after taking out enough to cover all our living expenses every month, the account continues to grow, so that is about all I can ask for.

Spring has really exploded here the last 2-3 weeks and we have been running around trying get everything up and going for a new growing season. This morning we moved the meat chickens out of my workshop and into the meat-chicken-run outside. Now I have more room in my shop to "do stuff". A neighbor asked me to build them some new kitchen cabinets and I just started on that this week as well.

Beyond that, I'm just lovin' life.

**T-Man 1066** · 03-14-2026, 07:03 PM

Originally posted by Inor

The last month seems like I have been going in a dozen different directions, all at the same time.

I ran into some challenges with my computer business about 6 months ago that has slowed business way down. I'm not entirely broke-up about that as I was ready to start winding it down anyway. But the recession has hit tech pretty hard already and folks are REALLY slow to pay my invoices. One client is going to have to go away because of it. Waiting 90+ days to get invoices paid is ridiculous. I think I may have landed a new client yesterday, so we'll see what they have to say for themselves...

My stock trading efforts have been going pretty well so far. That is basically what we are living on. And even after taking out enough to cover all our living expenses every month, the account continues to grow, so that is about all I can ask for.

Spring has really exploded here the last 2-3 weeks and we have been running around trying get everything up and going for a new growing season. This morning we moved the meat chickens out of my workshop and into the meat-chicken-run outside. Now I have more room in my shop to "do stuff". A neighbor asked me to build them some new kitchen cabinets and I just started on that this week as well.

Beyond that, I'm just lovin' life.

As a 1 man machine shop I absolutely loathe the concept of NET60, NET90 bullshit. I have customers that are 2.1 B$/yr, and they ask me to do NET60. Hell no, go find another toilet-bowl-sucker, I'm not your guy!!!

**StratBastard** · 03-14-2026, 08:37 PM

I have been working/scheming on my estate planning for about a year now. Trying to get it all transferred automatically with no probate or will. I think this last week I finally got it all hammered out.

Good thing too... my little brother (who is three years younger than me) passed away about a month ago. I wish you guys could have traded comments with him, you would have really liked him. SMART GUY. A degree in Physics, Worked for Hughes Aerospace and Northrup. Likely one of the world's foremast experts on military satellite optics. Designed them, built them, launched them at Cape Kennedy.

His passing has made me doubly aware of the necessity of my own exit strategy.

My nice mobile out in the country a bit, I put my friend's name on the title with "right of survivorship". I croak, it becomes hers instantly with all contents. I worried as she was getting older (60 now) and barely affording rent that she would age and have no place to live she could afford. Now she has one. And no probate. Cost $50 and a mere application to the state agency handling this. Mobiles, unlike homes, have no deed but merely a title like a vehicle. Easy peazy. And my daughter won't have to deal with it at all.

My Schwab account, about a half mil, I simply added my daughter as the "POD" (pay on death). I croak, she merely shows up with ID and a death certificate. All monies transferred to her instantly. No probate. Same with my bank accounts.

She lives in Texas, but will be in town in a coupla months, at which point I will transfer the bulk of my silver in the safe to her to take home. It makes sense to me to give it to her now... so she won't have to make the trip when I take the dirtnap. It was always for her anyway. I told her she would have to drive... it weighs about as much as her husband.

Then the safe will only contain items for my friend Celina, and my 2 goddaughters. About 500 ounces of silver, some gold Eagles, and buncha cash. I plan to add to it as I continue breathing in this veil of tears. Celina will likely be the one to find my flyblown corpse LOL, so she will make the call to the coroner... and then my daughter. My daughter will give Celina the safe combo upon being notified. Everyone gets what I intended for them, and no probate.

My life insurance of course is paid outright, no probate or taxes.

My last thing to do is prepay a local spot to cremate, with Celina and my daughter as authorized facilitators.

Hope this isn't too morbid, but some of us have done none of this and we need to.

I'm back 5 minutes and already depressed everyone.

Any holes in my evil plan, let me know.

**White Shadow** · 03-15-2026, 12:23 AM

I'm sitting smack in the path of that huge snow storm about to chew up NE Wisconsin. Current predictions are that we will easily make the top 5 list for single storm snow dumps by the time it ends Monday evening with a pretty solid chance we set a new record. I have everyone home and everything buttoned up so no problems predicted here.

Catching up.

Catching up.

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment