ReeferMac

Thanks for sharing Links2k, I'm glad you elaborated to your original comment. I do agree with your stance in principle. As with many professions (teachers come to mind?), if you can't do the job right, time to find another one! Does the same argument apply to district attorneys? Say you agree with BLM protesters, does that give one the right to selectively enforce the law as written on the books? You can get off of a looting, rioting, or assault charges in some jurisdictions, but not others, based on the political inclinations of the mayor and DA. Is it not the jury's job to determine guilt or innocence (for which they don't even get a paycheck)? The apathy that we are talking about is directly caused by the above. Why bother putting yourself in harms way for a paycheck, when the person who's paycheck is based on their ability to prosecute said arrestee, willfully and deliberately (*for political reasons*) refuses to do their job? Lack of evidence? Sure, don't prosecute. Improper procedures? Sure, don't prosecute. No Miranda rights? Damn well better not prosecute.... Agree with protesters political bent? Nope, sorry, his ass still belongs in jail. Just my 2 cents. I don't speak for others, but think many feel the same way. It is what's at the root of much that is dividing our nation today, and I thank you for engaging in rational discourse about an emotional topic! This kind of peaceful debate is a cornnerstone of modern intellectual societies. This is how we move forward on touchy subjects, by being polite and articulating our opinions and feelings. - K

Friend of mine is a shrink in Chiraq,p has a client or 2 on the force. One recently promotedl: tells all his patrolman, go find a nice place to park, turn the radio way down. Not to single out one city, but you are going to see more and more apathy from the people who choose the profession. I'd even wager it will continue to devolve until the only cops left are the crooked ones. Self-fullfilling profecy to defund the police. Connection between cause and affect completely ignored. I give it about 3 years until some places are literally like Zimbabwae.

It's a great facility, I really liked going there to shoot. Just haven't had the $$$ for ammo the last few years, so it seemed silly to spend $160 on a club membership I'd use once a year? If you shoot once a month (which I should...) it's worth it, IMO. I usually spent more time talking to other folks on the bench/after shooting. It would get busy during certain times of year, but if you can go on a miscellaneous weekday morning/afternoon, you're just as likely to have the whole range to yourself. Pistol and skeet ranges were fun, they had rifle benches out to 200 yds, but heaven help you before deer season! Ironically enough, one time I was there, we had to stop shooting for a few minutes because a group of them wanted to run through the middle of the range! I've got some acreage now, and started clearing a lane and building a backstop at one corner of the property... 10 yds is cleared and in use, I'm almost out to 75, just needs some clean-up... too hot to chainsaw now, if you don't have to. Looks like I'm not too far from you! - Kevin

I was able to join w/o a sponsor. Need one your 2nd year. Its a great club, nice people, excellent facility. I dropped my membership last year, else I'd sponsor you.... just fill out an application and mail it in with a check. -K

Ya know, now that I think about it... There's another chat board I'm on, Worldwidebeekeeping.com, and I also do not receive eMails from their site. Even on conversations I'm following/subscribed to. Dunno if that matters? Or does it point more to the ISP bouncing everything (oddly, I get emails from employer and job hunting sites all the time, just chat boards I don't get?) Thanks again.

Thank you Sir! Errrr... looks like I posted the 'help' message on April 28th, so... well, it was a little before that, but no worries. This is a cause I like to support. FWIW, I'm not receiving eMails at my host (kmcdona1 (at Symbol) comcast.net) updating about replies, etc., rather I saw the notification icons in top-right corner. I would still come by and browse as a guest w/o logging in, but wasn't able to participate... that being said, I'm OK if I don't get emails, I'll just check back in on conversations I'm interested in. Thanks again!

Hey man, what happened? All of a sudden I can browse again, and I got a "welcome to TGO" notification? Thanks. - K

Bad experience building, mostly due to the builder, and his incompetent Son! Would rather buy pre-constructed and renovate... alas, location, location, location! Contract should have milestones with penalty for the builder: Foundation poured by XX-NOV, or -$10k Dunno what the builder will agree to, but you get the idea. Our build took 6 months longer than promised, always blamed it on the weather or some external factor (which I will admit WAS a problem part of time - can't run a dozer if it's soaking wet rain for 3 weeks). That being said, when the crew shows up at 930, smokes until 1030, hangs 2 pieces of siding and breaks for lunch, don't tell me it's the weather's fault. Watched 2 guys working on the siding on separate sides of the house. One would climb up the ladder, take a measure, climb down, cut 1 piece, climb up the ladder and hang it. Rinse, repeat. Other guy was on other side of house doing same thing. Dunno, maybe 1 guy on ladder measuring and hanging, 1 guy on ground cutting and running. Call me crazy, I worked in printing for 20 years. See/touch/feel all materials. Builder helped us reach a price by getting cheap kitchen cabinets. We knew they were cheap based on the price for the whole kitchen. That being said, had I SEEN how cheap they were, I would have paid 10k more for better stuff. Now it will cost me 30k to retro in 5 years. Don't over-think the little stuff. You'll repaint and replace flooring, so just get something and get it done. Big fan of the tile we used ( go to Crossville Tile in Crossville and buy from the scratch-n-dent pallets, we saved a TON on material that way). Lots more advice, but kinda scattered in my head. Was a challenging experience, liked just buying a house better, then making it mine. - K

Thanks for sharing!

I'm unable to access the board, keeps telling me my eMail is no-good: Your current email address is no longer accepting email, please enter your new email address to continue.

Of course, he doesn't want to sit half his crew. That's where the other guy is saving the money. You can see it yourself, I'm sure: Medium Tractor fits on a 5th wheel trailer he can haul w/ an F150/250, etc. Saws and such go in the bed of pickup, him and 1 other guy to help w/ the ropes. Stump Grinder is it's own trailer, or comes on one. MAYBE you can share the bobcat trailer, if it's a big one. Chipper is it's own trailer, and weighs 1,000's of lbs. and generates TON's of woodchips you have to haul off. You just brought 2 commercial sized trucks to the job, and spent more on diesel fuel than the 2-man crew has invested in the whole job.

Due to the entrenched structural nature of our political machine, it'll never happen, but were it, you'd have even less functional "coalition" governments like you see in Europe (Green Party f'cked that place up, hmmm....). Personally I'd rather see "None of the above" as an option. I don't hire the 'least offensive' candidate for my company based on a date on the calendar : I keep looking until I find the right candidate to fill the role. Why is politics any different?

Sir, I respectfully disagree. What Trump is saying by removing all funding (and pulling back (out!) from UN, and other globalist organizations) is a continuation of his vision of America First, and a multi-polar political environment where we aren't the worlds Sugar Daddy. Outfits like the WHO, UN, etc., are so incredibly corrupted and politicized they have become inneffective (case in point: WHO response to China's handling of epidemic virus). They're broken, irretrievably (IMHO). I'm not debating whether they are effective or not, as I feel you suggest (pour in more money so the organization leans our way). They need to be scrapped, torn down, possibly prosecuted, and replaced wholesale. I agree with Trumps response, we're all on the same playground everyone shares called "The World", and the game being played isn't run fairly. I'd take my ball and go home, too. Y'all can have your own game of whatever-the-hell-you-wanna-call-it, I'm going to go over here and see if these guys want to play basketball. Just my take on the matter.

Thanks fellas, I'll check them out. But why the flat nose? I have heard people say cleaner hole in paper, easier to see.... really? Why the big empty hole at the back? Surely we're not filling that cavity with powder? The boat-tail design in rifle bullets is to improve aerodynamics, seen the videos, test results, etc. Shrug, just curious if I was ignorant about something (besides marketing-think). Thanks again.

Some of them are known and/or obvious to me (hollow point), other's not so much? What's the point to all the _____ they're doing to bullets these days? I mean besides moving more product. Specifically to my Sunday problem, I'm shopping for more reloading bullets at Berry's bullets (berrysmfg.com). I have a few boxes of their 124 gr round-nose 9mm plated target bullet, have used it for a few years, works just fine for me (I carry w/ 124 gr gold dot, so want to practice with similar). But I noticed now they've got flat-nosed, and several with a large empty cavity at the back of the bullet (vs. the typical boat-tail style I see and am familiar with its purpose in rifle rounds). They also carry a 'target hollow point'...huh? Thick plate vs. thin plate? Whycome? I always bought the round-nosed practice rounds because they were supposed to feed better. Liked it better when I only had 2 choices, LOL! I was just going to order another couple boxes of the usual, but curious about the purpose or purported benefit to the added features I'm seeing in the marketplace. Product description doesn't list a reason for the feature. Thanks. - K

For those that have not been to one of @Highwalker's classes, I can't recommend them enough. A true gentleman and gracious host, a wealth of information, and a great day hike in a beautiful part of this wonderful state of Tennessee. The valley there is just gorgeous in the Spring and Summertime, and edibles class is a fun family outing, too. I brought my kids to one and it was a lot of fun for them.

If you trust your neighbor, that's the best endorsement right there. He's hired the contractor, twice. Doesn't mean something can't go wrong, $hit happens? Hauling into the woods is a lot easier than chipping, and greatly impacts his cost: he can bring the tractor with a trailer and pickup, climb the tree and drop it safely in the yard with ropes by himself? 2-man crew, no equipment. MUCH cheaper than a couple white guys, 5 mexicans, 2 large commercial trucks, bobcat, stump grinder, chipper... You're looking at $300 in Diesel just to show up with a crew like that. OK, $200 w/ today's fuel prices, but you get the idea? Even a big pine (~40-foot?), can be on the ground in 3-4 cuts. Put a rope on the back of the tractor to pull, could drop it in one if you have the space, cut it in a couple pieces, drag each off into the woods. Done and over in 30-minutes per tree, you can rake the sawdust. Good payday, frankly... If your neighbor is satisfied, if you can observe the person working and are satisfied with what you see... get a couple copies of their business card. Sounds like you may have found a good one!

36" Exmark Walk-behind, no Sulky, wore out 2 pair of sneakers per season! Blood pressure was never better, tho! It was the yard-gates that kept me small, I only had a small trailer, didn't want to bring 2 mowers, so if the 36 didn't fit, I didn't cut it (and there were a few smaller gates I had to pass on the jobs). Now my fat a$$ rides a 42 Husq around the property... what I wouldn't give for my old ExMark! I started my hardscaping at my own home. Neighbor liked the work, asked if I could do one for him. His buddy liked the work, asked if I could... Kudo's for your attitude @hlb14, that's the one thing you can't teach someone. You'll be just fine. Word of mouth is the best, stay away from Craigslist... nothing but fruitloops on the internet dontchaknow!

Sniff.... God Bless Tennessee... You don't know how good you've got it down here!

Great advice Patton! I did some landscaping on the side for a few years back when I lived in NY and was having trouble with regular employment. Was a great way to kick a few extra bucks into the budget, but everything Patton said is true. I found the hardscaping was more my 'thing', for a variety of reasons (many Patton brought up). I did mow for a few regular customers, its good cashflow, but anyone even a little flaky, or had a pay issue, goodbye. I found it better to be the one firing the customer, than the other way around - got burned exactly once on a $250 clean-up job on a million dollar house for a 2-year client who moved (can you PLEASE fix up the yard for the realtor, we'll mail you a check...) Things are even more difficult down here due to the labor situation. Si Habla Espanol? You may be able to get a decent crew together and kick some grass, but it's a commodity service and you'll always be hustling. Your profit per-cut is very low usually, costs are fixed, and high (fuel ($100/day?), mower/truck/trailer payments, insurance, payroll), so you have to move and cut a lot of grass. Up early out all day kinda hustle... Instead of asking what you can make, figure out what it's going to COST, then work backwards. If you can't make $$$ at the going rate for your area, it might not be the best field to break into. I had to go across town to the "nice" neighborhoods to make money mowing - people on my side of town wouldn't pay those prices (had to budget extra fuel and time to drive across town pulling the trailer). I might have been able to make the same $$$ on my side of town, but would have had to cut more lawns. Driving's easy. Maybe you can get $50/hr in Bell Buckle vs $40/hr in Murfeesboro - but how much fuel does that cost you? LOTS of moving parts as @Danger Rane said. Installation projects take infinitely more talent and skill (not knocking cutters, there are good and bad ones!), but move at a different pace, and have much greater profit potential. You can also take a pretty big hit if you're not careful. My sweet-spot was the small patio, walkway, retaining wall... SMALL, 6x6' patio, 15-20 foot 3-stack retaining wall, 30-foot 'garden paver path'. Quick in and out jobs I could do in 2-4 days (with maybe 1 helper for the excavation work). I was able to get (not bill, get) ~$20/hr for my time, markup on supplies and consumables (rock, sand, gravel, etc.), and often added in a couple bucks to purchase a new tool (replace worn out shovel, wheelbarrow, got a really nice laser-level one time...) I didn't win every job I estimated, but probably 90%. I had to turn work down from time to time - but granted, this was side-work, not my bread and butter. At the end of a job, I usually made a few hundred bucks. Good side money for 2-3 days work? In the South I notice irrigation projects are big. Here in East TN it's hilly, so I could go back to doing block and walls in a heartbeat, be busy all week long... Pesticide application was mentioned as well: look towards the skilled-end of the trade. Better $$$, easier work. If you can get to a Rainbird class, learn their products, maybe get signed up as a contractor, it may be a better way to get into the field. Consider working for someone else for a season to learn the ropes - Landscaping is a skilled trade, cutting the lawn isn't. Your salesmanship will play a part as well, not gonna lie - At the time I was a clean-cut middle-aged suburbanite white guy doing this on the side (fatter and older now!) I looked A LOT better coming up the driveway to mostof my clients than the professional's who did it for a living... You bet that impacted what prices I could charge. Get yourself some decent shorts/clean jeans and a polo shirt to keep (folded neatly) in your truck when you go out and do estimates. Put a shot (1!!!) of cologne on a few blocks away. No dip, don't smoke on their property. Don't walk up to your potential clients McMansion covered in the day's dirt (even if it's just a trailer in a field). Speak clearly and articulate, be polite, get some biz-cards printed up. You might be able to get $45 for that $40-dollar-job because of your demeanor and appearance! As with any business endeavor, the market will have high and low ends. The money is usually at the high end... But one of my best accounts was a retired guy in a simple ranch - always paid on time, tipped when he saw you had worked hard. $30-dollar lawn. The richies were the one's that stiffed me. Go figure...

I'll second a lot of the comments about hiring a professional. You're fortunate this isn't an emergent situation! I worked on a tree crew for a short spell.. tough way to make a buck. The experience and skills with rope and rigging are truly impressive when you see a skilled individual ply their trade. Did one job at an apartment complex using a crane to remove several large pine tree's - was no where to drop them! As mentioned, lots of folks are capable of putting the wood on the ground without breaking anything. The problem is when that DOESN'T happen. I had a close call at a friends one time, tree was knocked, leaning the right way, and I started the final cut... then the wind came, and blew it back towards his neighbor's house. Fortunately we were roped, pulled it back over, but it was close. If your friend thinks he's getting a score taking the wood to a pulp mill, he doesn't know what he's talking about, and I wouldn't let him near my house. Literally, couple hundred bucks for a tractor-trailer, barely pays for the diesel. When I worked on the crew, everything but the 'lumber' (oak, cherry, hickory, etc.) was ground up and made into mulch. Whole pine tree's went in one shot when we used the big chipper. Yep, 40' tall pines.... BBBBBRRRRRRRRrrrrrippppp! Gone.

I like seeing all the politicians and such dutifully running around in their face masks... with their nose fully exposed.

Thsnks for sharing Robtattoo, errr, @Handsome Rob, sorry . Interesting theory on that feeder on a timer.... my neighbor has a fersl hog problem on his rural property, but hasn't found a consistent time to hunt them - they seem to come and go randomly. I'd bet he would be interested in trying that. How long did it take to get the trained? Thanks.

Welcome neighbor! Some great advice here. Another source for info is your local fishing store - try to find one that sells live bait. Its easy to walk in with a friendly smile and ask whats hitting, where, and on what. A good store owner will know from his customers/buddies whats hot at the moment (changes daily!). I don't know Knox county spots, but Ft. Loudon/Lake area I hear a lot about. You can fish from shre below the dam, I frequently see that area busy. Could rent a charter service for half a day on one of the lakes for a (kids) birthday (party)... ask the Captain for advice as well. Good luck! Crappie are hitting in Watts Bar, I can tell you that. :LOL:

Thanks for sharing!