Thank you Hewey!
Thank you Emil! Our son and daughter took us out for dinner for our 60th. We usually have a special meal at home rather than a restaurant. This year we shared one of the two steaks our son and his wife gifted us.
Thank you Joel! Both our families have pretty long histories of long marriages. Our son has been married for 33 years and our daughter for 28. I suspect some couples have role models who have divorced. Sadly or happily we have no clue how to start the process.
Thank you Pat! I bet you'll succeed. Our wives let us buy Corvettes so how does it get any better.
@Squankum, years ago I bought the Harbor Freight squirrel cage blower and then bought the heater attachment. Seemed like a great idea but when you plug in the heater (they put the outlet right there on the fan) the circuit breaker in the fan trips in about five minutes. I don't remember how much I paid but it was well within my mad money comfort zone.
www.harborfreight.com
@Wiz02, I don't know what your laundry mishap was but I know mine. I was trying to be helpful and ran a load of laundry for Liane. How was I to know a red T-shirt would turn all the whites pink? I am allowed to load the washing machine with my garaggios so long as I don't press the power or start buttons. In my defense, Liane has never driven the '87 Corvette.
Scott, Huck Finn would be proud of you.
@Squankum, as soon as they left I got out my Milwaukee M12 right-angle die grinder and put a Roloc de-burring pad on it. Five seconds to polish the hose connection face and the non-existent corrosion was bright brass.
Thank you Rian! Google found that Bulgarian expression for me. I like it. Ironically, as we age Liane and I are less and less tolerant of sodium. We have a box of coarse Kosher salt, a nearly empty box of fine Publix salt and an unopened box of fine Morton salt. I can't remember the last time I added salt to the shakers and 99% of the salt I use for cooking comes out of the two salt cellars. The small one was gifted to me this Christmas because our son thought we'd enjoy some Portuguese salt in our diet. At least I'm ready for the next big snow in Boca Raton. I was caught short when it snowed here in 1977.
Thank you Aaron!
According to Tesnogrydo plqmpalo: "Mean is two people living together long time with many event."
Cody, be very careful. I suggest we keep that information to ourselves (and the Garage Journal). When you get to your 60th, the gift better not be a spice rack or anything that plugs in. If you don't remember it's the diamond anniversary, there's a chance that nice backlite (rear window) on the Camaro will have a reminder scratched into it. I assume most of our wives have at least one diamond from the engagement or for the peace offering to make up for the really bad thing we did.Happy anniversary Bob! I’m surprised you didn’t know that any year over 60 is stainless steel present for anniversary and you missed out on getting new braided stainless steel hoses for the washer. This would of sealed the anniversary gift approval!
I don’t know what the gift is supposed to be, but I’m sure it’s close to spice racks and washing machine.
I'm only 1/3 of the way there, but in all fairness, I did start over...
Bob,
@Squankum, it's rare that I need to heat the garage. On a 50°F night the garage drops to 79°F. One year we had an unusually long cold spell and I heated the garage by taking the Cadillac around the block and parking it back in the garage. I did buy a tiny heater for the shed. It gets used more often in the master bath.
Thank you Steve! If we stop counting, you have a better chance.Bob,
Many congratulations on the 62 year’s anniversary, that’s some good going, heartfelt wishes for many more. We’re still 50 behind you
and catching up no time soon.
I prefer the traditional list of gifts, the real expense doesn’t kick in till later
Best wishes to you both
Steve
Thank you Randy! Anything past 7 is an accomplishment.
Scott, I commend you for taking the plunge the second time and for finding someone to take it with you. It takes a spouse a long time to train us.
Thank you Shorty! We do our best to conserve water.
Thank you Leonard! If our son didn't send us a card and gift, we probably wouldn't remember either.
Hah, I knew that you had cleaned out the HfH before I made an infrequent stop there! I'm not often in Boca Raton, but I try to make enough time to catch the open hours at the one by you. Gotta do some things and will be back visiting your Honeymooner's-like story of life in Boca Raton.
I know you have been married a long time but who is trying to electric who here?@Squankum, it's rare that I need to heat the garage. On a 50°F night the garage drops to 79°F. One year we had an unusually long cold spell and I heated the garage by taking the Cadillac around the block and parking it back in the garage. I did buy a tiny heater for the shed. It gets used more often in the master bath.
@Squankum, I paid for the marriage license but Liane had to sign for me when I got my driver's license (she was 18 and I was 17 so she was the "adult" who needed to co-sign).
Joel, thank you. When my son and I were re-siding the shed, I got out the Wen track saw and he was blown away. He and his son do high-end home renovations and he somehow had never seen or used one. It's a game changer for me.
Philip, I rarely go to the Boca Raton ReStore. They seem to have high end stuff coming out of huge homes that would look out of place in our shack so I prefer the Delray Beach ReStore. It's bigger and has peasant level stuff that is a better match for us..
Cody,like you and your wife, we opted for travel before jewelry. Went on our first cruise for our 15th anniversary and took more than a dozen cruises over the years. Some small and some pretty big (2-week Mediterranian and 2-week Scandinavian/Russia cruises). We preferred cruises (unpack once) but did take bus tours in Greece and Spain. Living on the other side of the world let us vacation in Fiji and New Zealand as well as Australia. Having travel memories is priceless.
Derek, I suspect your mother in law grew up in the '60s. A $5 gift in 1963 is the equivalent of a $50 gift today. A McDonald's burger back then was 15¢ and fries were 12¢. I vividly recall sitting in my rusted-out '56 Chevy with the heat blasting on a snowy night, eating my order of three burgers and two fries and a Coke and having enough left over to buy a pack of cigarettes (according to the ads, they were good for you back then).
John, it doesn't work as well as expected when it's tossed in a shower. Thanks for reminding me to replace those GFCI outlets with old fashioned ones.
I had that same issue with a hand-truck. Always flat when I wanted it. Then, one day I was filling up the tires and one just exploded - rotted out over the years, I guess. Did the same fix - solid tires from Harbor Freight. Should have done it years before.Bob, I have a garden cart that came with pneumatic tires. I was constantly filling them with air prior to use. That got really old so I bought a new set of solid rubber tires mounted on wheels from Harbor Freight. Sooooooo happy I did that. And since my lovely wife uses the cart as well, she appreciated not having to fill the tires with air. Not that she ever actually filled them with air. It was more like, "Oh Honey!"
Dan, I have four garden carts. The two two-wheel carts have solid(ish) tires with plastic hubs. I'm on the second set of those on both carts. The plastic gets brittle and the spokes stop functioning as spokes. I also learned that a shovel can break the tub with very little force. A leftover scrap of 1/8" aluminum plate and a couple of pop rivets and it lives on.Bob, I have a garden cart that came with pneumatic tires. I was constantly filling them with air prior to use. That got really old so I bought a new set of solid rubber tires mounted on wheels from Harbor Freight. Sooooooo happy I did that. And since my lovely wife uses the cart as well, she appreciated not having to fill the tires with air. Not that she ever actually filled them with air. It was more like, "Oh Honey!"
Roger, it's gonna happen. I loaned my hand truck to my neighbor and the tube went flat when the valve stem cracked. Without asking he bought two new Slime innertubes and installed them. They've been holding air for the past 8 years.
Roger, you're a fancy guy. I repaired and replaced my car tires using the jack and tire iron that came with cars back in the day. The bumper jack base had a curved side that fit nicely under the edge of the rim and a couple of pumps always broke the bead loose. My '47 Ford had tubes so I was real careful with the tire iron (I had two) so as not to put additional holes in the tube. No worries with the tubeless ones. I also found a square shank screwdriver lying in the road one day and it became the perfect second iron when out on the road (I always carried a flat spare with me).
Philip, apologies for the slow responses. I've been distracted the last few days. Three doctor visits this week along with a War and Peace questionnaire for the Outpatient Surgical Center around the corner from us.
Bob,Dragging a wagon load of yard debris out of the back yard last week I noticed it was really hard to pull. The tires were low so I filled them to 32 psi and it was a night and day difference. Next day I dragged the wagon to another spot in the yard and in addition to being hard to pull it was bouncing up and down. One of the tires was flat.
The spendthrift side of my brain searched for Gorilla Cart and found a new one for $109. The cheapskate side of my brain searched for Gorilla Cart Tires and found 4 tires for $40 but two innertubes for $12 really caught my eye. The old tires are worn and crackeed but hey, I'm not driving this cart on the street.
Somehow I failed to notice these are not split rims. I have to get one side of the tire off the rim and pull the tube out. I made a lot of unkind remarks to the cheapskate side of my brain but managed to pull the tube out.
This innertube is made of the finkiest rubber I've ever touched. My fingers were coated with the stuff and it took forever to clean it off. I did have a moment of clarity putting the new tube in. If you don't have a way to hold the valve in place it will disappear inside the tire and you'll play hell retrieving it.
I also know the tube will not untwist the first time you fill it so I filled and released pressure twice before re-installing the Shraeder valve and pressurizing it for good. I have a special screwdriver for small tire repair that is rounded and polished with no sharp corners as well as a custom ground one for those slotted fasteners with something sticking out the middle.
The cart is back together and I have a new innertube in stock that should prevent the other three tires from going flat.
I was looking for my ECHO straight shaft attachment for hedge trimming using my two-piece weed whacker in the garage, but for the life of me, I couldn't find it. I must've looked 5 times, trying to find it squirreled-away somewhere, hiding behind some 2x4's or in w/the shovels, pickaxes/maddocks, and loppers. But nooo, nowhere to be found, in a two-car garage. Is it early-stage Alzheimer's? Even a silent prayer to St. Anthony didn't help.@Bob Heine said The cart is back together and I have a new innertube in stock that should prevent the other three tires from going flat.
If you misplace that inner tube you realize all bets are off on any future flats. Sorry just thought I’d let you know.
Bob, agreed to being able to add water to the battery. There's a youtube video showing where the vent caps are (under the label). Since then, I've being checking my levels every spring and fall and I'm surprised how much water in needed for a "maintenance free" battery.I decided to take the Corvette to one of the doctor visits and prescription pickup this week and it made a brief attempt to start and then everything went black. No clicks, no nothing. The car is always connected to a Battery Tender so I wasn't expecting the problem. I installed this DieHard Gold battery in July 2021 so I immediately ruled that out and thought it had to be some impossible to diagnose failure.
Then I remembered leaving the ignition turned on for several days after testing something. The tender couldn't keep up so the battery went completely flat. I hooked up my big jump box to shock the battery back to life but I suspect that heated the battery up and exposed the lead plates and now it has shorted out.
Later that day I tried to start the car again and the dash lit up but as soon as I turned the key it made the 'clicks of death' and the dash went black. I hooked up my trusty(?) battery tester and it indicated 12.78 volts but less than 10 CCA (Cold Cranking Amps).
Ground effects panel has to come off as does the side panel on the engine compartment to get the battery out. Managed to do that today. I paid Advance Auto $195 for that Die Hard Gold battery in July 2021 but the sales receipt shows it as a Silver, which has a two year replacement warranty. It's touted as a maintenance free battery but I think it should be called unmaintainable. I liked being able to add distilled water to my batteries.
I've had Die Hard batteries in my car since battery manufacturers stopped offering 'lifetime' batteries. I think I was on free battery #4 when I got rid of my '68 GTO.
I checked on new battery prices and discovered most Type 75 batteries start north of $200. I decided to shop by price and discovered the cheap batteries were not available. Home Depot had ONE that I would have to drive 64 miles to pick it up. Based on past experience I am 99.97% sure they won't actually have the battery in the store. Gave Amazon a try and they have an Odyssey ODP-AGM7586 Performance Series AGM Battery for $350. Google didn't find any Type 75 batteries the first day I looked but yesterday an Everstart 'Value' battery from Walmart showed up for $70 and free one-day delivery. With tax, disposal and overlord fees it was $89 and showed up tonight at 6:45.
Before completely giving up on the old DieHard, I hooked up my trusty old battery charger (purchased in 1966) and the ammeter didn't move.
With both batteries on the workbench I hooked up the new one to my Noco Genius 2D smart charger to be sure it is fully charged before it goes in the car.
Hooked up the tester to the old DieHard Gold battery and no surprise, it tells me to replace.
Then I hooked up the tester to the brand new EverStart Value battery and it tells me to replace.
I feel 8% of a 700 CCA battery is really bad and hopefully 79% of a 550 CCA battery is just an indication it needs to be charged. I'll check again in the morning. I won't be happy if the new 'Value' battery dies in three years in a 70-85° F garage but I will be half as upset as I am with the DieHard.
Emil, I do have help for misplaced stuff. I go to the Amazon, Home Depot, Lowe's and Walmart sites and check my orders before searching for my item. I'm embarrassed how many times things pop up as already ordered and delivered.@Bob Heine said The cart is back together and I have a new innertube in stock that should prevent the other three tires from going flat.
If you misplace that inner tube you realize all bets are off on any future flats. Sorry just thought I’d let you know.
Philip, at least you have a loft visible from the ground. My stashes in the house and garage attics are well hidden. Even when I suspect the item is hiding in the garage attic, I have to move the Corvette out of the garage to access the staircase. Maybe we should create spreadsheets or at least take photos of those locations' content.
Bret, I was going for an Interstate battery from Costco. They wouldn't let me order one over the internet so I called the local Costco Tire and Auto department. The guy who answered the phone looked up the battery for my '87 Corvette and told me it took a Type 24 battery. When I mentioned the Interstate web site called for a Type 75 he insisted it took a 24. I checked the advertised dimensions and it looks close:
@red, as soon as I read your post I went out to the garage and tried to peel the label off the DieHard battery. Dammit, it's just a label but I can see the shadow of the caps in the one-piece cover. I tried to pop it off but it's securely glued down. To my delight, the EverStart Value battery has covers that pop off and I was able to check the acid level. Sure enough it was down. Not down to the plates but I got some distilled water and an eyedropper and filled them to the bottom of the plastic gauge in the holes. It didn't take 8 ounces but it did take at least 4.
Dennis, we're doing fine. Spent some time in the gardens today and I'll be installing my new battery in the Corvette, messing with the sprinkler system and re-wiring the pool pump timer. That might not happen if my get-up-and-go becomes my sit-down-and-rest.
Marc, I don't think I'm real hard on batteries but the South Florida heat is not their friend. It appears a Group 75 battery is not a popular size so I hemmed and hawed about buying a $300+ AGM battery and decided it was worth a gamble to save $200. Especially with the ability to check and top off the Walmart one.
Shorty, on the trips, Mom was usually in her mom jeans but Dad pulled a fast one on us and called a pit stop on a weekend outing. Back in the '50s everone wore a suit just about everywhere. My brother **** preferred the casual look when camping but Dad and I were dressed more appropriately.
It didn't sell thankfully and went onto win the Classic American Car of the Year award in November. Stuart, congratulations on the 4 and condolences on the 30.Correct Bob! In a moment of madness I listed the '65 L79 coupe last year with an unrealistic asking price
I'm at 34 years, 4 of which were happy arf arf.
Congrats to you both
Stuart
