The Daily Yardman Thread

Manatees

Bert-Man,

I forgot to address an important question that you asked. NO! Floridians are not allowed to "harvest" manatees. Not even Native American Floridians... Just the mention of such an unthinkable act would put those who work tirelessly to 'Save the Manatees" into a tail-spin...

My friend and I were just discussing how perhaps next year at the "Manatee Festival" (a.k.a. Crystal River World Fair) we would like to set up a booth with a large BBQ grill and offer BBQ Manatee, steaks, ribs, burgers, and bits! We figured we'd just use pork and call it Manatee, but we thought even though some folks would find it humorous as all get-out, the manatee police would most likely not and we'd end up in the hoosegow, sleeping, as you mentioned, on wood.

This time of year the river is full of manatees heading upstream towards the springs to warm up, or out to the Gulf to feed on the plant life that makes up their diet. (Worse than Ron's oats and sardines.) If operating a boat one must be VERY careful not to hit a manatee, many of whom do show the scars of encounters with propellers. A boat operator would be far better off to run over a diver displaying a diver-down flag, than a manatee, for should you hit one, you'd be locked up immediately, with no chance of parole and only bread and water to eat.. They take running over manatees very seriously.. Divers and swimmers, - not so much...

Roger

Re: MTD Yardman Transaxle Rebuild

Roger B said:

Ron,

I do appreciate your effort at making interesting posts, but I am concerned that your somewhat odd diet (If you'll forgive my opinion) of steel cut oats and sardines might actually work against our objective, by triggering the gag reflex in some of our more weak stomached readers and cause them to go elsewhere for their daily hit of humorous reading...

You seem a most interesting sort of fellow (other than what you enjoy for meals, that is) certainly you could come up with something of wider interest to the populace in general if you really tried.. (Not to degrade your dietary restrictions) . . . . . But--Say!! Is that it?.... Do you have some rare disease that necessitates you only eat steel cut oats and sardines? That would be interesting! I once met a man who claimed to live on nothing but Skittles and vinegar!! Certainly no more odd than oats and sardines.

Roger

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Rog, I can understand your revulsion at the sardine menu...after all, you, more so than anyone else on this forum,
can relate to the sardine............having cruised about in the ocean packed tightly in a can with other men......

I saw a cartoon once, ala Far Side, which depicted 2 fish observing a passing submarine. One fish said to
the other "Look at that-humans in a can."
I have not been able to locate that cartoon on the web, otherwise I would post in your honor......

As for the oats, they are a tasty breakfast dish that many have never tried..............their loss.

Re: An urgent request for more substantive comments!

Roger B said:

Bert-Man,

I thought that Dugongs and Manatees (and sea cows for that matter) were all one and the same critter, but a little research indicates I was wrong. Even though both animals belong to the same order, 'Sirenian', they have different tail configurations. The myth that sailors thought sea cows were mermaids, is no doubt the reason their order was named "Sirenian" as in Siren of the seas, but even with my extensive experience of spending long times at sea - (although I never cruised for a year without seeing land) - I have a hard time seeing a manatee as a beautiful mermaid, or even a butt-ugly mermaid, for that matter. Then again, maybe after 8 or 9 months at sea.... maybe if you squint your eyes just right... maybe..... Besides, humans don't see well underwater, I guess it could happen..

If I had to pay my fine in AUD, it would have been a little over $200 USD, but still $650 AUD is a very stiff fine - $520 USD!! Ouch! I take it speeding is not something you fellas do very often, at least not in the populated areas... How about those truck trains out in the middle of no where? Do they abide by any speed limits?

Roger

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Well we have no real driver training down here and a drivers license is sort of a right of passage.
The roads are very poor, badly designed and not particularly well maintained.
Although to be fair, the USA has something like 200 yards of sealed road for every taxpayer.
Down here is is 20 miles of sealed road so naturally funding will be short.

We don't shoot each other on a daily basis like you lot do so the newspapers need some thing to rabbit on about, and the road toll is an ideal subject.
Just like the EPA up there, a lot of shinny bums making it look like they are doing something to justify their pay cheques.
The current catchphrase is "Towards Zero" as if that would ever happen.
As for speeding fines, it is all about fiscal imbalance.
The States handed over income tax to the Commonwealth during WW I but the Feds never gave it back.
So the Feds get all the money then make the States beg to get some back.
While the States have all the big bills, transport, health & education.
However traffic fines are a State matter so the States see all drivers as fair game.
We have ariel speed patrols, roadside cameras, radar & red light cameras on about 1/3 of all intersections, mobile radar, fixed camera radar and for trucks only ( at present ) average speed cameras.
Big trucks have GPS monitoring with real time tracking so go any more than 5 kph ( 3 mph) over the limit and the ticket comes in the mail.( or 15 minutes past a manditory rest break )
We also have a link up between states and a points system, so get 3 speeding tickets any where in the country and you get 3 month disqualification.
Drivers licenses go through photo recognition which would do the FBI proud so the old ruse of having a license in every State is long gone.
We also have number plate recognition photography where every police car has a camera which take continious photos of the number plates of the vehicles , on both sides of the road, works out the license number, runs a check to verify if the vehicle is currently registered and the owner licensed ( a lot arn't due to the afore mentioned 3 tickets ).
The numbers are also run against the garaging address and if any one at the same address is disqualified, the the vehicle is automatically pulled over.
The system also checks for outstanding warrants, unpaid child support, criminal record , unpaid parking fines & fire arms register.
Again, for the registered owner and all others at the same address .
The system is automatic so the computer lights up the car and the officer has to go pull the offending vehicle over, or get the commanding officer to shut it down for that car.
Once pulled over you can also be checked for booze, weed, ice, morphine & opioids, and as of next month cocaine ( that should be interesting ).
Currently there are 3000 people appealing weed charges as the test is way too sensitaive showing a + for people like bartenders in a bar where some one had been puffing on a joint.

Hitler would be proud.

Re: MTD Yardman Transaxle Rebuild

Ronno6 said:

Rog, I can understand your revulsion at the sardine menu...after all, you, more so than anyone else on this forum,
can relate to the sardine............having cruised about in the ocean packed tightly in a can with other men......

I saw a cartoon once, ala Far Side, which depicted 2 fish observing a passing submarine. One fish said to
the other "Look at that-humans in a can."
I have not been able to locate that cartoon on the web, otherwise I would post in your honor......

As for the oats, they are a tasty breakfast dish that many have never tried..............their loss.

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So what is the big fuss about STEEL CUT oats over plain rolled oats ?

Re: MTD Yardman Transaxle Rebuild

bertsmobile1 said:

So what is the big fuss about STEEL CUT oats over plain rolled oats ?

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The steel cut oats are simply the whole de-husked oat grain chopped into 2 to 3 chunks by steel knives.
They retain a higher percentage of the bran layer, and are thus a healthier food.
They are chunkier in texture which I really like.
But, they take longer to prepare.
That is why I do several servings at a pop.

TALK ABOUT PATIENCE !!

Now THIS is PATIENCE, or ........... too much time on your hands !

https://biggeekdad.com/2018/01/coolest-paper-airplane-ever/

Re: MTD Yardman Transaxle Rebuild

good afternoon folks, just want to share a little fire safety tip while I'm here today, just got back from a 3 alarm for Dingsman township, to those that dont know...dingsmans is over the bridge into the next state for us. Takes us 30 minutes will the pedal mashed to the floor board, a dangerous task when you have a 1000 gallons of water on board....two make a long story short, the three story home is completely gone, family got out safe, everything they own waos gone, and why? you may ask..........because of laziness! They cleaned out their woodstove before going to bed last night and left the ash can on the back porch because it was 5° out and they didnt want to get dressed and carry the can out to the driveway...........4:30 the call comes in for deck fire with possible entrapment, 5:00am and we get the call for mutual aid, by the time we got there the family was safe and the three story home was completely engulfed, by 11:00am we had it knocked down and doing surround and drown.
They lost their cars as well becaus of being parked so close to the house.

Sorry if I come across as arrogant or rude, just very tired of these type of calls, fires that should never have happened in the first place.

Re: MTD Yardman Transaxle Rebuild

NEVER CLEAN OUT THE WOOD STOVE AND LEAVE THE ASH CAN IN OR NEAR THE HOUSE.........TAKE IT OUTSIDE TO A PAVED AREA, AND IF POSSIBLE POUR WATER INTO THE CAN!

Re: MTD Yardman Transaxle Rebuild

willys55 said:

NEVER CLEAN OUT THE WOOD STOVE AND LEAVE THE ASH CAN IN OR NEAR THE HOUSE.........TAKE IT OUTSIDE TO A PAVED AREA, AND IF POSSIBLE POUR WATER INTO THE CAN!

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Great directive,Doc.
We are fueled by electricity and LP here, so, no ash cans to empty or douse.
(Except for the burn barrel.........)

Re: MTD Yardman Transaxle Rebuild

Worst part Doc is they don't learn.
The insurance company will chime in and replace everything then it will be back to the normal brain dead operation.
I have actually seen people putting ash into a cardboard box and a person I ride with has a badly burned chest & face from running out of his house with a box of embers in his arms.

Although I really can not talk.
I was riding behind some one with throw over saddlebags .
One had dropped down & was sitting on the exhaust .
It burst into flames and deposited burning stuff all along the road which had a verge of long dry grass.
Realizing the potential for a massive bush fire, muggens here lept off his bike and proceeded to stomp out the burning grass.
Now if it had not been raining when we left then I would not have been wearing waxed cotton riding pants.
By then the rain was long gone & it was 30+ degrees.
So just as my quick thinking had put out most of the burning grass, the pillion on the 2nd bike to stop quick thinking put me out with her leather jacket.
Down side was the pants fell apart so I was in my undies 300 miles from home & ended up with bad sunburn by the time I got back.