August 28, 2015 - Msg 102455: Good morning, porch! Goodness, all sorts of useful information flying around today. PH, I can go farther back than that, and from personal experience. In 1960, when Dale returned from a year in Korea, he was stationed at Blytheville AFB, in Arkansas. It's right on the Missouri border, and we lived in Caruthersville, MO, about 30 miles from the base. No base housing was available, and no rentals either, so we had to go that far out. Anyway, we shared a duplex with another Air Force couple, and became good friends. Barbara and I used to put our year-old babies in their strollers and walk the alleys in our neighborhood, picking up soda bottles. We even picked them out of the trash if they were easy to access, and not too dirty! We could take them to the little mom-and-pop grocery store that was practically next door, and redeem them for 3 cents each. On a good day, we'd collect at least $2. With that, we could have a good evening. $1 would get us into the local drive-in movie ($1/carload in those days). We'd put the kids in the back deck of Max and Barbara's station wagon, and they'd soon be asleep. With the rest of the money, we'd buy a can of tuna, a loaf of bread and a six-pack of Pepsi. We ate a lot of beans and rice in those days, so one of us always had leftover rice. You can mix the rice into tuna salad, and stretch it a loooong way! It's good, too. I still put rice in my tuna. Anyway, we'd make up a stack of sandwiches, chill the Pepsi and empty our ice trays into a bucket to keep the sodas cold, and away we'd go. It was usually an all-night movie, and the snack bar gave away free coffee and donuts to anyone who stayed until dawn. We were as poor as Job's turkey in those days, but we had a lot of fun, and didn't feel like we were missing a thing. We had each other, our baby, good friends, and could have a fun evening and plenty to eat, on two bucks. Not a bad life.

We were self-reliant, creative, and not afraid of work. I wonder about the kids today. I'm afraid many of them don't have that inner resource. They've not had to acquire it. We did. We had no choice. Nobody was paving our road for us. My dad made the $500 down payment on my beautiful new 1957 Ford Fairlane convertible, then handed me the payment coupon book. It was up to me from then on. It was my 17th birthday, and I had graduated high school the previous May. I had a job with Civil Service at the local Army base, and I could afford the payments. I can't believe now that the Army had hired me before I was even 17, but they did. Good job, too. I was a GS-2, working in the communications center. A few months later, I got a high-security clearance, and went to GS-3. Wow, how did I go from bottle deposits to this? I guess I do tend to ramble.

Anyway, bottles were three cents in 1960. --Romeena

August 28, 2015 - Msg 102456: See what happens when you ramble? You get to sweep the porch! --Romeena
August 28, 2015 - Msg 102457: Great memories Romeena. We would collect bottles off the side of the road when riding our horses. Could usually find quite a few that had not broken. Then we took them to a tiny little "country store", and I do mean tiny. The feller who owned it worked it, and he would start belly aching the minute we walked in with our stash. Would trade them in on a candy bar or a bottle of pop. And you answered the question correctly as for the redemption value in Mayberry. Opie had 74 cents to spend, but the nylons were 80 cents. He told the saleslady he would be right back, he had to go home and drink two bottles of pop (to come up with 6 cents) I guess by 1971 the price had gone up PH. This was still mid 60's. :)

"WELL IF IT ISN'T DADDY LONG LEGS!"

Asa
August 28, 2015 - Msg 102458: "Stockings! Aint that kinda, you know, Personal!" :)
August 28, 2015 - Msg 102459: Asa, we had a lot of Taco pumps, mostly used for our hot water boilers, but we used B&G for the domestic pumps. Boy when those couplers would go bad the noise they would make!

Asa, I remember those days too we would collect them along the side of the road walking TO the store, we were always good for a few that people would throw out. We did not drink much soda growing up but it was a treat when Dad would bring home a wooden case of pop when he would fill the machines at the service station. All 5 of us were allocated our share, when you drank yours you were done! We each had our own color of bottle stoppers so we could make em last a little longer...... No one would drink any of each other's.... ;) Right?
( my sister would back wash into hers so no one bothered hers)... yuk

My brother and I were lucky, by working AT the station we would spend out tips on pop and candy out of the machines.

Watching American Resterations I would remember seeing the old machines like we had. I wish I would have have had the old peanut machine, a nickel would get ya a whole Handful of peanuts....

G-F...
August 28, 2015 - Msg 102460: restorations that is Miss Crump sorry...lol
August 28, 2015 - Msg 102461:
Hey GF--here ya go...you can add one to your man-cave! :)
http://tinyurl.com/povbt8h
Take care buddy,
MDC
August 28, 2015 - Msg 102462: P.S. I used to like the ones where you would open the long door on the left and pull out an ice-cold Coke in a bottle. :)
MDC
August 28, 2015 - Msg 102463: Pop bottle redemptions......my faulty memory tells me they were 2 cents when I was a real young'n. I'm 54 now, so maybe they were 3 cents and I just misremember. I recall them going to 5 cents and a bit later all the way up to 10. We had a police rep come to our school, one of those public relations things, and he told a story about a kid our age who stole pop bottles. We laughed, but he said the guy was making a fortune. He mentioned how the kid was thriled when the price doubled, since his stock doubled in value.

I know most stores weren't all that thrilled to see you show up with a lot of them. Quite a few made you spend all of it in the store, which never bothered me. I just wanted pop and candy so that was fine.

I remember when I was 12 staying at a friend's house overnight. We found a stash of pop bottles in their barn that filled up a toy wagon. We walked that thing about a quarter mile down the road to a little store and walked out with a couple of bottles of Barq's Root Beer and a handful of candy bars each. Even as late as 1982, you could still find a few glass bottles. I worked a job at a local high school as a janitor, and was shocked how many pop bottles I found around the premises. The FFA shop building was a real gold mine.

Billy Ray the Pop Bottle Redeeming Postman
August 29, 2015 - Msg 102464: Thanks MDC, those sure bring back memories, I too liked the ones with the long narrow door. Those ones kept the drinks sooo cold!... We had Coke & Pepsi ones. I guess it depended who gave Dad the best deal. I don't remember if you had to buy them or rented to own or just rented and split the profits. I suppose there were a lot of options. We always kept our machines inside so we did not have to deal with vandalism.

One Coke machine Dad must have purchased it, because he later brought it home and put it in our garage. I liked to sit on top of it when it was cold out and keep warm from the heat off the compressor.... Thanks for the memory blast! I needed one today!.... I've been thinking of finding a old peanut machine for the Mayberry room when I'm "Wheelerizing".... I've seen some at antique shops, but it has to be the acorn brand like we had or it wouldn't be the same.. I think I mentioned I bought a old Drive-In movie speaker and I rewired it so I can play my music from it..... The Good Old Days sure we're good...Amen?

G-F.....
August 29, 2015 - Msg 102465: GF--OK, here ya go again, acorn and all! :)
http://tinyurl.com/pdwrh3s

August 29, 2015 - Msg 102466: that was from me, MDC
August 29, 2015 - Msg 102467: Seems like the thing got a workout on tags to, what with Barney gigglin' it, and and the bum workin' his magic on it for Opie! ha
ROMEna--that was a neat story about the bottle collecting in the alleys. brought back some memories for sure. In 8th grade we toured the local CocaCola bottling plant. It was fascinating to watch the bottles being steam cleaned, then conveyored all over the place, filled. and boxed in those wooden carriers. One guy shouted at us that he was a Union Bottler! ha At the end we all ate our sack lunches and a free 6 oz Coke in their cafeteria. We also fieldtripped (how's that for a verb) to the bread bakery one time. That was also cool. The aroma was amazing!
Well, ya all sleep tight,
Prayers,
MDC

August 29, 2015 - Msg 102468: I remember those wooden pop crates, G-F. I also remember the bottle refund, but mostly because I never liked doing that. I guess because back then I could never see why someone would give me money for bringing them an empty bottle(or bottles) of pop. Just didn't make "cents" to me.

Two more episodes.
I had just two more episodes left of the first season of Gomer Pyle and I would have been through that season. But no, the minute I comment on one of the episodes, the next day I find out that the person who put the episodes up had their Youtube account suspended, and therefore their whole channel is gone. And I can't find those two episodes anywhere else on Youtube.
So anyway, I had to start watching the 5th season(and last one that I need to watch to finish the whole series) and forgo those two episodes for now.
I don't think I am going to comment on anyone's channel who puts up classic shows anymore. I swear that has happened before, where I make a comment and then find that the account is suspended right after I do. I think commenting sets off an alert for the copyright robots who roam the halls of Youtube, looking for people who upload tv shows.

G-F, did the drive-in movie speaker come with mosquitoes? That was one reason I wasn't all that fond of drive-ins. With the cable there you could not close the window all the way, and you don't want to be sitting in a car on a summer night in Wisconsin with the windows open. You just don't.

-Sterling Holobyte
August 29, 2015 - Msg 102469: RO--any news on our project? mdc
August 29, 2015 - Msg 102470: Thanks MDC, the first one looks just like the one I remember! It was painted like "Pure Oil Co." Blue....
I have seen some machines at the flea market, maybe someday I may find a good one and restore it, there are a lot of repair parts on line and even repop graphics. I have thinking about it, you may have put fuel on that fire.
Mrs G-F says: " Thanks A lot!".... Haha
She doesn't come into my "Man-Cave" very often, she must have seen the TAGS episode about the subject when Barney & Thelma Lou discuss the subject...lol

I was wondering the same thing Romeena about your bird bath project... Since I do stained glass I'd like to see the completed project.

G-F...
August 29, 2015 - Msg 102471: For GF. "10 minutes till show time!" Are you sure you have enough refreshments? Come visit our snack bar and get some delicious hot buttery pop corn and enjoy an ice cold soda pop from our large assortment of drinks.
"9 minutes till show time!" Have you tried our delicious new.....

Asa
August 29, 2015 - Msg 102472: Oh, my goodness, you boys are bringing back memories! Raising some interesting topics, too.

MDC, to answer your question - not yet. Waiting to hear back from "the man."

Who knew there was such a market for old peanut and gumball machines, Coke machines and such? I guess I did know it, but I didn't realize you could actually buy the key/lock assemblies, and all the little bits of mechanism that made them work. Dale and I actually owned an old Coke machine at one time. It was in the office when he replaced a previous manager in the company he worked for, it belonged to that manager, who sold it to Dale for $25. When Dale was promoted and transferred to Dallas, we sold the machine to the person who replaced him! I wish we had kept it. It was about five feet tall, and had the circular drum inside, that rotated each time it was activated, and presented a single bottle of Coke when you opened the little door. I was Dale's office manager, and had the key to the machine in my desk drawer. Every couple of days, I'd unlock the big door and open it, exposing the drum, and would load the chambers in it with bottles of Coke, so there were always cold ones available. Darn, I wish I had that machine!

Sterling, do you happen to have Netflix? I haven't searched it for Gomer Pyle, but there are 100 episodes of TAGS on it.

G-F, I may have some questions for you about the birdbath project. You do stained glass - do you also do anything with mosaics?

Well, better run. The Time-Warner man is due any minute, to install a new modem for my computer. Supposedly much higher speed than I have now, at no additional cost. I could probably have installed the thing myself - they sent it to me - but since my landline phone also works through the computer, I figured I'd let "the man" do it. Too much there that I could mess up. Blessings, friends. --Romeena
August 29, 2015 - Msg 102473: Who was it, on what TAGS ep, who said "mechanicism" when he meant "mechanism"? I can just hear it being said, but can't remember who it was. Oh, wait! Was it Malcolm Meriwether? --Romeena
August 29, 2015 - Msg 102474: Good one Asa, I did go to the flea mkt. yesterday and today, but no peanut machines. They both are about 45 mins. away in opposit directions, both are pretty big ones and my hip is crying today... Where's the Tylenol?....

Romeena, I have done some mosaics, the key is getting the proper adhesive & grouting. What you are doing sounds pretty easy, but be sure the grouting are rated for water applications such as shower floors ect. Sounds like a neat ides for a birdbath...are you planning to cut any of the pieces? If so I'll give you some advice via e-mail if you want. I have a glass cutter & grinder that makes my work much easier. I did some stepping stones for someone using old local pottery set in concrete, they turned out pretty neat!

I have not done much stained glass projects lately, maybe I'll get back into it in the Winter. I want to do one for my basement (Mayberry Room) window of Andy & Opie walking to the fishing hole..... If I have the time to swing it..lol

G-F...
August 29, 2015 - Msg 102475: Asa, this is what I remember at the Drive-in.... http://youtu.be/vWFX4ylV_ko
G-F....again
August 29, 2015 - Msg 102476: Yep, Romeena, I do have Netflix. I think that was the first place I checked when I started watching Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C episodes. I should probably check that again though, as they get different shows all the time. Thanks for the suggestion.

-Sterling Holobyte
August 30, 2015 - Msg 102477: GF--that was interesting. The first one was for an inside theater, but the 2nd one that popped up was for a drive-in doing an 8 minute countdown. I can still picture our family tho, because we always had to bring popcorn from HOME instead of getting that hot, buttery kind from the snack bar. And back in those days the popcorn popper looked like "it had done a lot of flyin'," if ya know what I mean! ha But it still tasted better than the stuff we always brought from home.
Also, around the 2 minute mark, there is an ad saying "We'll see you in church this Sunday." Wow, maybe we need to bring ads like that back!
And on that note, ya all have a good Sabbath tomorrow!
MDC
August 30, 2015 - Msg 102478: I know what you mean MDC we were the same way, we always brought our own popcorn too. Mom would pop a bunch and she'd put it in a paper grocery bag, and we'd each fill our lunch bags out of it. We had the same popper too it looked like it came over on the Mayflower and been thru many battles too. I think my Sister kept it after Mom passed, but it sure coulid pop a mess of good popcorn with each batch.

I like the video too because as you said it showed both indoor and outdoor plugs, especially the "countdown" that Asa was referring too....lol

If you followed some other videos on that link, they showed old abandoned theaters, some out your way. Yep, TRUELY better times back then... Kinda sad, as with a lot of things that had gone the wayside...

G-F.....
August 30, 2015 - Msg 102479: Good Sabbath morning porch dwellers.

Very nice link PH. Great memories. I remember us loading up the station wagon with all kinds of goodies. We had a 58 chevy wagon. My sis and I would lay out our sleeping bags in the back because we would never make it through two movies. It seems like there were always two movies shown, or am I mistaken? The one we went to also had a small kids playground right under the screen. Had some swings and teeter totters and what not. Gosh those were some great times.

Hard the believe we are almost into September. Before long we will be talking Christmas. I actually saw an ad for some type of laser light thing for Christmas decorating. Looked kind of interesting.

Yep GF. Those couplers on the Bell and Gosset pumps are unique to say the least. But I think they are a better pump than the Tacos. The Tacos seem to have a lot of seal issues, don't you agree? But I have a few dozen to take care of.

Last night I watched "Man in the middle". Very funny how Barney drags Andy into his argument with Thel. Then I watched the episode with Roger Hanover. What a creep he was. Showed his true colors when he tried to get 400 bucks out of Andy or else Andy just might have him a new Uncle. Old Andy played him out though.

Well I think I am staying away from preaching today. Had to do some weed mowing at work last week and ended up getting my allergies kicked in. Have a nasty old cough, so I figure I'll stay home and keep it to myself.

Well maybe I'll see if I can pick up a sermon on the tv. Maybe one of them fancy New York preachers talking about slowing down, taking it easy, what's your hurry.

Asa
August 30, 2015 - Msg 102480: Yea Asa, those seals!!... Just so you guys know what Asa & I are talking about, here is a video to show a " Perfect World" installation http://youtu.be/UvrR5ZAkf10 and they are ALWAYS this easy... Right Asa?...lol, Lol, LOL 😜
But I do have to admit their zone valves are ok though....

G-F......
August 30, 2015 - Msg 102481: Another easy B&G repair. http://youtu.be/G6zVMSNVCz0 And you wonder why it's so fun to repair..haha
August 30, 2015 - Msg 102482: So gang..... The next time you are in a multi story building and turn on the heat or water..... Thank a HVAC guy!
August 30, 2015 - Msg 102483: Good afternoon, friends. I didn't make it to preaching today either - had a very mild spell of dizziness yesterday, still functional, but woke up feeling a little dizzy this morning, so decided not to push it. Sometimes those very mild spells can suddenly advance into room-spinning vertigo, and it's not a good idea to be driving if that happens. Fortunately, that only happens once every year or two, but I've learned to pay attention to the warning signs. I figured God would understand if I missed church today, as opposed to hurting somebody in a wreck.

However, I've got two home health visits to make this afternoon. The dizziness is gone, so I guess I'll go ahead and make those visits. One is about a half mile from my house, the other about three miles, on quiet residential streets. I won't be getting on any busy roads.

G-F, I don't have to be in a big building to be grateful for HVAC guys. When it's 104° outside, and I walk into my 76° house, I'm pretty thankful for the man who installed my a/c.

Well, guess I'll go rustle up some lunch. I've got leftovers from last night's supper, guess that'll do. I like leftovers. Blessings, friends. --Romeena
August 30, 2015 - Msg 102484:
possum under a rock, today, I completed a long distance road trip driving through the state of Michigan. During a rest stop, I stopped at Arby's expecting to order a couple of their famous turkey sandwiches. I was shocked by the sign I saw at the drive-in speaker indicating that they were out of turkey due to a "temporary shortage". I asked them about this and they told me they have been out of turkey for a week now and don't know when they will get any. Looks like your turkey shortage warning is starting to take affect.

To whomever posted Msg 102482 regarding thanking skilled trade people, that reminded me of a recent experience I had with a supposedly skilled plumber. On my last day in the states, I received a text from our basement tenant because she could not turn off the hot water that was pouring into her bathtub. Before I could respond, she was able to find the correct valve in the laundry room to turn off the water. After I returned to Canada the next day, since I was tired from the long drive, I telephoned a licensed plumber. When he arrived, he was surprised to see our older two separate handle system (one for hot and one for cold). He quoted me a price of $700 to replace a single valve. He also warned me that if one valve went bad, the other might soon go bad. And for $1700, he will replace both valves. I was shocked at those high prices. As a result, I declined his services. Unfortunately, I still had to pay him a $280 service charge (just for visiting while doing nothing). After he left, I removed the tub surround, chopped a large hold in the drywall to examine the old hardware, and was able to fix the problem myself. The cost? About $50 for parts. Why did I go to college when I could have become a plumber?

from Poor Horatio
August 30, 2015 - Msg 102485:
I should make it clear that it cost me only about $50 to repair the broken hot water valve and replace the part for the good cold water valve to prevent if from failing in the near future. That is a significant savings compared to the $1700 he asked for.

from Poor Horatio
August 30, 2015 - Msg 102486: I'm guessing Mayberry must never had any plumbing problems with the exception of the Taylor's noisy kitchen faucet.....
Good on you PH for your DIY project..🛁.. Asa asks how are you on fixing circulating pumps....

G-F....
August 30, 2015 - Msg 102487: This must be "miss church" day because so many have missed it today, including me. The culprit in my case is a little just-turned-4 year old boy who likes to hold "it" and doesn't want to go number 2. So much so that he has been trying to hold it, and failing somewhat, all night last night, so since I hardly got a wink of sleep last night, I slept til about 11am this morning. A half-hour past the service start time.
I know I mentioned this problem that Noah has before, but I don't really know when so I can't look it up in the archives for any solutions that may have been given.
So do any of the nurse-moms(or dads, too) have any solutions for a kid who holds it in so much that sooner or later he just goes in little "spurts", all day and all night?
He had a little fever about a day ago, and I thought that was getting better but it returned today(that is a little better tonight), and what concerns me is something I read tonight from someone who had a similar problem with their child, and it turned out their child got the fever because he was blocked up and the toxins were getting into the bloodstream and making him sick.
Noah did have a bigger piece out, but I don't think it was the whole thing, because he is still "running". And he still tries to hold it in.
I finally gave him some Miralax tonight hoping that will soften up the stool and make it so he can't hold it in.(Don't you just love this kind of discussion? I apologize if you are eating.) I don't really remember the dosage the Dr. told me to give him. I think it was a couple tsp's and I read online that that is about right, though I gave him a lower dosage just to be safe.
Poor little guy had a terrible day, and on his birthday yet. He didn't even want to eat any of his cake. I hope he can sleep tonight.

-Sterling Holobyte
August 31, 2015 - Msg 102488: Yep, PH, it's true- turkeys are going to be hard to come by according to my "sources",so get 'em while you can!

Sterling,something like that happened to me on Youtube,only I didn't comment on anyone's videos.Someone had an entire season of "My Three Sons" on their channel,and like you,I was watching the episodes in order, only I never made any comments-I was just enjoying the shows. I'd watched maybe 6 or 7 and then one day YouTube claimed the person's account was suspended. Yet, I noticed other videos of different shows still on YT under that same channel name. Maybe it was a copyright issue,not sure?? No problem though-a little bit of looking around YT & I found the rest of the episodes elsewhere. Still,it's a pain.And isn't it strange how there will be like one or two "mystery episodes" that you can't find anywhere on YT?? I'm still trying to find the one where Chip & Polly eloped. Nowhere to be found,unless PH can dig it up for me! Anyway, I hope you can find those two episodes somewhere.

Well, I'd better go hit the ol' ironing board.Hope you are feeling better, Ro. Goodnight, Mayberry!

************
possum u.a.r.
August 31, 2015 - Msg 102489: Good morning, porch! I'm fine, Possum, thank you. The dizziness went away and never blossomed into a full attack of vertigo.

Sterling, first of all, be aware that the problem you're having with Noah is not unusual. It's just one manifestation of the phase that many kids go through, trying to establish "control" over their lives. Some kids do this by refusing to eat, or eating only one food (usually french fries), or refusing to go to bed at night. When I was about five, I announced to my family that I was not going to bed, I was going to stay up all night. My parents (wise people) just said "Fine, but you have to turn off the radio (we didn't have TV yet) and you can't have the lights on, because everyone else will be trying to sleep." They got up and went to bed, and left me sitting alone in the living room, in the dark! Well, that surely wasn't any fun! Scary, too. In about five minutes, I called for them to turn on a light so I could find my way to bed!

All of that, to make this point. It's about control. I presume you've seen his pedi about this, and ruled out any physical problems. If you haven't, please do so. If he has a really large impaction, he may be unable to pass it, and will need help. It's better if that help comes from the doctor, not you. If this really is a control thing with Noah, and it almost certainly is, the less the issue is between you and him, the better. He's holding onto something that's "his", and if you physically disimpact him, or use enemas or suppositories, he's going to feel attacked and robbed. I know, it sounds ridiculous to us, but not to a 4-yr old.

Once the current impaction is solved, the best approach is an indirect one, something that causes his body to perform as it should, even to overriding his attempts to prevent it. There's a product that once was marketed as "Fletcher's Castoria", but is now called "Fletcher's Laxative for Children" and is widely available. Just Google it. It's a very mild laxative, tastes like root beer, can be mixed into a bit of soda or something and he'll never know it. It can be a bedtime treat, in a little bit of Coke. It will keep the "works working" until the issue resolves itself, which it will, as he gets a little older.

PH, that plumbing thing is ridiculous! It didn't cost my insur@nce company that much when a pipe broke beneath the slab foundation of my house. They had to jackhammer out a 30-inch diameter hole through the concrete slab, down through two feet of mud, work basically standing on their heads, splice the pipe, fill the hole in, pour concrete and repair the slab, and I think it was about $1200. I'll bet you don't call that plumber again! Well, better run. I may have another home health call to make today, not sure. Just need to check in with the office. Blessings, friends! --Romeena
August 31, 2015 - Msg 102490:
G-F, although I don't recall ever seeing a circulating pump before, maybe if I take one apart or learn from the internet how they work, I might be able to fix it. This is why I rely on the internet (especially YouTube) so much to educate me about how to do things I don't know about. That has saved me thousands of dollars. However, I still know my limitations and will hire professionals for potentially dangerous work such as roofing.

possum under a rock, I also had no luck trying to find the My Three Sons episode involving Chip's elopement. What I did learn is that their are two episodes named The Elopement. The season one episode deals with Mike and Jean's teenage elopement project for school, and the season eleven episode deals with Chip and Polly's real elopement. I did find Mike's elopement episode on YouTube, but I could not find Chip's elopement. It is possible it might get uploaded in the future so keep checking.

Romeena, the plumber I called was from a plumbing service that sends out a plumber from my area. After listening to me describe the problem, he opened up his binder to search through his pricing list. When he found the description closest to my problem, he showed me the price that was posted. And after I informed him that I was refusing his services, he asked me if I would consider a discount. I told him unless the discount was at least 50%, I was not interested. Apparently the discount he was about to offer was less because he never told me what it was before leaving.
With the project completed, I learned there were two possible solutions to fix this problem. One was the plumber's version and one was my version. However, the plumber's version would have cost me 34 times more than my version. I feel sorry for other customers who put their trust in tradesmen who recommend more costly repairs when a less costly repair would be sufficient. Thanks to the internet, I've become more of a DIY (Do It Yourselfer) and saved thousands of dollars.
My dad was also a DIY. But he did not have the internet to learn from. Instead, he relied on magazines like such as Mechanix Illustrated.

from Poor Horatio
August 31, 2015 - Msg 102491: PH, I'm more of "The Handyman" magazine kinda guy, I like seeing all the "projects" that can be built.... I have a mess of them boxed away somewhere....

G-F.....
August 31, 2015 - Msg 102492:
G-F, I tried a subscription to "The Handyman" many years ago and also saved them for a while. But since they dealt more with building new projects rather than repairing existing projects, I didn't renew my subscription and threw out my collection.

from Poor Horatio
August 31, 2015 - Msg 102493: Thanks for trying, PH. I knew if that episode was out there,you'd be the one to locate it. Maybe someone will post it someday like you said.

possum again
August 31, 2015 - Msg 102494: PH--around these parts they must tell you on the phone whether or not there will be a "service charge" just for coming out, but I have never heard of one being over $200, nor would I approve of that or even stepping on my property for that amt!
For AC, heating, and plumbing it runs about $60 to diagnose and report.
ALL- I also use YouTube a lot now. A shop wanted $200 to fix my dashboard knobs and buttons that had worn off paint leaving white spots. I looked on -line, bought some decals for $10 bucks, put them on myself, and all looks good as new.
STERling, I have no ideas at all in that dept!
Sounds like RO's advice is pretty hard set. (pun intended) ha
Possum--wow, Chip really grew up from big a glasses kid to eloping! I dont even remember that happening.
GF--Have you ever seen the little "Wordless Workshop" cartoons? I like those.
BOO, where are u ?
Prayers for all,
MDC


August 31, 2015 - Msg 102495: POSSUM--I found this on the web, but I think you have to pay, but it also says 30 day free trial.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1462270/
MDC
August 31, 2015 - Msg 102496: Good evening all.

Glad your dizziness wasn't to bad Ro. I must have a little head cold also, because yesterday I noticed mine was back. Mine is limited to changing head positions. I hate it, because sometimes it hangs around for months. I never had this problem until I slipped at poolside in 2006 and cracked my head hard. Oh well, that's life, thru and thru.

PH, I enjoy youtube for the same thing. I have been able to learn quite a bit on everything from cooking to car repairs. But I will throw this thought out to you, that I'm sure you already know. There is a lot od bad information on there also. I was watching someone explain an electrical repair and what he was saying to do was in complete error. Although what he was doing worked, it was done with no thought of the electrical codes, and in this instance could have been very dangerous. Whenever I am researching something on their that I am uncertain about, I try to find as many videos on that subject as I can, and then follow what the majority are saying. Too often "Joe Blow" wants to show you how to do something his way, maybe not the right way. But like I said, I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir.

Yea GF, That Taco removal was smooth wasn't it? LOL How many times have you tired shutting off those "isolation valves" (that haven't been touched in 20 years) only to find they are frozen open or are not giving you a positive shut-off? Then you end up having to drain the entire system. Arghhhh!

Sterling, Yes, I agree with Ro, make sure it is not a medical condition that is causing the issue. I think sometimes kids at one time maybe had a painful passing, and it puts fear into them. I don't know, could be a lot of things. Good luck.

Boy I remember sitting on the "throne" as a kid and reading my Dads "Popular Mechanics" magazines he always had a stash of. Good reading during those "down" times. Who would have thought you could learn how to build a canoe in your basement while taking care of one of life's necessities? :)

Yea Boo, where are you?

Asa
August 31, 2015 - Msg 102497: Yep Asa, those valves always came up at almost quitting time on a Friday....10-4?

MDC, I never seen the wordless workshops, if I did I don't remember them. I'll look them up...

G-F...
August 31, 2015 - Msg 102498: Droppin' in again to say Hi! Just been havin' a heck of time Glenn Fording all over myself! It's just been rush, rush, rush. My best to all of you! And if you have a sip of sweet tea, take a sip for me!

John Masters
August 31, 2015 - Msg 102499: Hmm.. I might look into that 30 day free trial thing,MDC. It's Amazon Prime and I've never had a problem with anything Amazon- related. Just don't want to get caught up in some ongoing thing I'll have to pay for. I'll check it out-thanks for finding that episode! If I decide not to take the free trial,I'll just continue looking for" The Elopement" on YT. Perhaps someone will post it eventually-no strings attached!

"Hey!" to John Masters! What's yer hurry?!

*****************
possum under a rock
August 31, 2015 - Msg 102500: Fletcher's Castoria! I remember the discussion about that the last time I brought up Noah's problem, thanks Romeena. I don't have any of that, but we do have some Miralax, and the doctor we saw today told us to give him half a capful once a day. I forgot, does the Castoria soften up the stool or is it primarily a laxative. Because the Dr. said that we definitely have to get his stools softened.
He has been doing much better today, at least his fever is down and he actually ate some food today. Dr. said to keep Noah on the Miralax at least for a week or two to keep things easier to pass. I just hope he is not "running" 24 hours a day like he is now, or I will be even more exhausted than I am right now.

Thanks for the luck, Asa.

On top of this, I had to run Kai to the office supply store 45 minutes away to pick up some school supplies, as Kai's school starts tomorrow. She hasn't really been nervous about it until just today. She wouldn't even eat supper, poor kid.
I guess when you are used to going to a smaller Christian school, or even homeschooling like last year, starting as a freshman in public school has got to get your nerves riled.
Although I don't know who is more nervous, her for going or me for having her go there. I still don't like the thought of it.
I reminded her of a passage in the Bible that helped me when I was worried - Psalm 27. It really hit the spot for me and I hope it does the same for her and her worries.

I have to agree with you all about Youtube being great for learning how to do lots of stuff. I had a leak in my shower that seemed like it was coming from behind the wall. It was dripping down into the basement and it was even spilling out near the back door. Looked up the symptoms on Youtube and found out it was just the pipe that you hook the shower head on, and it is generally a small pipe, attached close to the opening where the pipe goes through to your shower stall. I had to do some cleaning out of the threads inside the other pipe that smaller one goes into, just like it said you might have to do on the video, but it was about a $10 dollar job, for the little pipe I had to replace. Worked like a charm. If I would have called a plumber, I can't even guess the amount of money they would have charged me to do that simple job. Youtube, and well, even the entire internet, can be a great money-saver.
Knowledge sure has increased, hasn't it? Just type in what you want to know and boom, there it is.

-Sterling Holobyte
August 31, 2015 - Msg 102501: Hey, John Masters. Saw your namesake a little while back on an episode of Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C.. He was... get this... a hotel clerk. Real must really get around. Nice to see a familiar Mayberry face anyway.

-Sterling Holobyte
August 31, 2015 - Msg 102502: Hmmm, that's supposed to be "REALLY" must get around. And I probably could have added a "he" in there too.
This staying up with a sick kid really can wreak havoc on your grammar.

-SH
September 01, 2015 - Msg 102503:
MDC, I was well aware that there would be a $199 service charge and I agreed to it over the telephone. But with our 13% sales tax, the bill should have been around $225. Apparently, he added more to bring the bill up to $280. I should have asked for an itemized bill but I didn't because I was so upset at his quotes and just wanted to get him out of my house quickly. That was a mistake on my part.

Asa, I agree with you about not relying upon a single how-to video from YouTube. I generally prefer videos made by employees from commercial businesses in the trades. Here is an example of some bad advice I got from YouTube. I was learning about how to use a propane torch to solder copper pipes. Three different videos all agreed that you should use the hottest part of the flame to make contact with the pipe. They also demonstrated that there are two major parts to the flame; the dimmer and outer portion, and the inner portion that is shaped like a blue cone. However, one video said the hottest part of the flame is about one inch above the inner blue cone tip. A second video said it was right at the inner blue cone tip. And a third video said it was about one inch below the blue cone tip. I was so confused that I ended up using compression fittings because they did not require any soldering!

G-F and Asa, my homes are so old that I need to use a pipe wrench to turn some of valves. Another example is when I wanted to disconnect the supply water line going to the front yard sprinklers that had not been used in decades and were leaking. Not only did I have to use my largest pipe wrench, but I also had to include a six foot length of 1.5 inch steel pipe that I slid over the handle to give me a longer leverage arm. And I still had to use my full body weight to loosen and remove the piping. With the piping removed, the easy part was putting on the end cap.

from Poor Horatio
September 01, 2015 - Msg 102504: PH--Just be careful adding an extension. I did that once and the extension slipped off the wrench, and well.. :(
Also, about 6 years ago, I hired a plumber (a friend from church) to change all of my valves to ball valves. Very handy especially at the toilet shut offs. 1/4 turn and its OFF for those "oops" times! So now my main shut off, sprinkler shut off, and under sinks and toilet shut offs are all ball valves. Best investment ever IMHO.
ASA--have you ever tried dramamine for those dizzy times? If it is from a cold, wouldnt it be an inner ear thing?
Possum, I hope the Amazon deal doesnt turn out to be like one of those old Columbia Record Club ads in magazines. Sure, you got 12 albums for 12 cents, but then you had to buy like an album a week for a l-o-n-g time!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xpwPyL1jb0 ha!
STERLING--isnt it amazing!!! If you have any kind of smartphone, you now basically have the entire recorded history of mankind in the palm of your hand. You just type in google "who ruled the world in 689 BC?" and up it comes; all the way to "Why are the 50 yard line markers painted gold this year in the NFL?" Yes indeed, the words of Daniel are here regarding the great increase of knowledge! It is truly mind-boggling to think about. It is all right there "in" that 3 inch X 6 inch "box" in your hand!! I wonder how many people have stopped and thought about that?
God bless,
MDC
September 01, 2015 - Msg 102505: Good one MDC, just be sure to look for the "secret" box! dont tell anybody, Shooo, it's our secret! ..... Just be sure to "Pay the Man" when the bill comes or you'll get black balled liked Opie and his friends did for not selling enough Miracle Salve!...
I think it was our first experience with "If it walks like a Duck" warning...haha

G-F....