Good morning! Are you up yet? What's your plans for today?

[Blowpipe Sam]

Mornin y’all.  Up with the pups this a.m.  Getting ready for work. In the box today.  Y’all have a good one!

[avator]

Last couple pieces of wood are on and Betty Lou has gone into paint mode. I'll plan our next move.

After further thought, I think we'll just wait for the paint to dry and finish setting up that nook (move the desk and hand some gun racks and shelving) before we move on. There are other things that need to find homes so we have room to move on.

[Matchstickshooter]

Another day of hayrides, and apple and pumpkin pickers, if I'm lucky I will report back in 10 .5 hours

I made it LOL, not a good pumpkin probably left on the farm 

I've never been able to understand why some people are so fascinated by an orange colored, roundish squash.

 Here ya go,   check out the "AIR Cannons" that can send  your a pumkin 4000 feet!

  https://www.punkinchunkin.com/the-competition/members-machines/
  I want to go squirrel hunting with these!

https://www.popsci.com/gadgets/article/2010-01/air-cannon-sends-pumpkins-3700-feet/

[Insanity]

This was not what I planned on doing today... Let go at 65mph kept it mostly in my lane and onto the shoulder.


No where did I leave that pair of fresh boxers?

[Back_Roads]

 Dang Matt, I have had rears and cheaters blow, never a front. 

[avator]

Matt, Dude, you're on a streak of bad luck, hey?

[Insanity]

At least this is my work truck.

[Back_Roads]

 I had a close call once, there was an oncoming HD pickup and trailer, that had its load of support beams shift and were 4ft in my lane in the early am darkness, I saw cars ahead swerving and braking, I thought deer??? but soon was swerving and still getting a slight ding in the front rim, and took out both rear outers on the drive axles.

[avator]

I was hauling bags of rock dust to a mine on a single axle flat bed. I rounded a left hand curve to find an oncoming passenger car 4' in my lane on a tight 2 lane with a ditch. He cut his wheel hard but my rear tandem caught his rear quarter and ran right over his trunk lid and crushed it almost flat. I didn't get so much as a flat tire. I did lose several bags of rock dust.

[maraudinglizard]

Matt, good job of keeping it upright and to the shoulder. That is one thing cdl drivers are taught with front wheel blow outs, maintain control and gradual slow down to a safe stop. You slam on the brakes you are doomed. Seat springs and underwear should be the only casualty in a situation like that. Have a safe day after you collect your wits.

[Insanity]

Thanks Kris, I never did CDL school all OJT from Army and at my current place. But it was stressed to not panick brake. I was more shocked and confused why I was looking at the underside of my hood lol.

[maraudinglizard]

Thanks Kris, I never did CDL school all OJT from Army and at my current place. But it was stressed to not panick brake. I was more shocked and confused why I was looking at the underside of my hood lol.

I never had formal CDL training, most of mine was in house and annual road tests from the CDL examiners that trained us on the job. Now you have to go through the driver training school no matter who you work for. The road test is done with manual transmission truck, so a lot of folks are having to learn to drive a stick with split shift. 8 to 12 gears, yeah buddy.

[Bicycleman]

In the 70s, a person only had to have a regular drivers license to apply for a 'chauffeur's license'.  So I went to the Drivers License place and got what was later referred to as a 'CDL'.  The company had an old MACK that had two shift sticks.  One of the sticks was for shifting the Reverse and the five forward speeds.  The other shift stick was used to select one of the three speeds.  Back then, I knew the name of that setup - but my memory buck filled up with other stuff and overflowed. 

[Rabbit\Squirrel Killer]

 Good morning all, Good Job Matt! Having had a couple of front tire blowouts on small vehicles, I am sure you "manhandled" it well, as well as not panicking.

 I was awake off and on from 2:00 AM until I gave up ang got up at 6:30. I am drinking my coffee and still need to come up with a plan on what to do today. We have Bible Study tonight but, I need to do something before and there is a lot to choose from including mowing the rest of the property which I probably won't do today. I need a haircut maybe I'll get that done? With the trip to town and the wait for my barber, that should take about an hour and a half or so?

 

[buellm2]

I got my CDL the really easy way.    In about 1980 I was working a weekend 1500-2300 shift at the local police dept.   I had to drop off some paperwork at the fire dept.    There were more cars than usual in the lot.   So I'm hanging around talking to my neighbors (mostly volunteer fire dept.)  and find out that a guy from the state DMV is giving road tests to new fireman so they can have a CDL.   The state guy asks me if I want to take the test too.   So I think to myself "why not, ain't never been in a fire truck before".   So I climb in and quickly figure out how to adjust the seat and head down the driveway.   DMV guy tells me to take a right at the end of the driveway.    We drive less than 1/4 mile down the road and I'll never forget what he says next, " you seem like you know what you're doin' sport, lets go back".   So I had to brake pretty hard and make a U turn at the only gas station in town, almost taking out the pumps.     Back at the fire station he hands me the written portion of the test and tells me to mail it directly to him after I fill it out. 

[buellm2]

whoops

[Jshooter71]

Good morning GTA! Happy Wednesday, it’s Hump-Day! I’m at work, on a freezer that isn’t freezing.

[Blowpipe Sam]

Matt, Dude, you're on a streak of bad luck, hey?

I'd say he was dang lucky!  Were you hauling anything when it went?

Mawnin y'all.  My work schedule is a giant Romeo Foxtrot right now.  I'm acting as the fire brigade and filling in for people who had to deploy for a hurricane strike team.  I worked four days this week.  Today I'm off.  Then I go back Thursday for one day and get Friday and Saturday off.  Unless someone calls in sick.

The yard is looking good.  The weeds are high enough to hide most of  the old car parts and the busted appliances.  So the memsahib doesn't need to mow.  There's a half dozen minor repairs that need doing around the shack and a couple of major projects waiting.  I could wash the truck iffen I felt up to it.

But the air is cool!  The sun is shining and I live in paradise.  Life is too short to clean house!  Flash, Belle, and Flytrap all say I can work on the other stuff later.  Yeah later.

Off to the woods with gun and dog!

I got my CDL in 92.  The company I worked for paid for my training and even paid my union dues!  I worked as a production assistant in the movie business in Hollywood.  My job was to reposition trucks, motor homes, and trailers on movie sets when called for.  On a union shoot you must have a Teamster on set to move vehicles.  No one else is allowed to do it.  $365 per day plus two catered meals and all the craft service I could eat.

[Madd Hatter]

Good morning GTA! Happy Wednesday, it’s Hump-Day! I’m at work, on a freezer that isn’t freezing.

Tell em wait a month or 2 and it will be freezing and won't take any electricity.😂🤣

I did go through CDL training and got my CDL with all of the endorsements but right on the day I received my CDL I got 2 interviews at an aerospace company doing what at that time I had been doing for the last 20 years. After I interviewed I was offered both jobs so I never used my CDL. I let it lapse when I renewed my license. I still regret not at least driving for a year. So Matt, were you able to get the stains out of your shorts? 😁 Go job by the way for not wrecking your truck.👏👏👏

[Insanity]

Thanks guys. I tossed my soiled britches in the ditch and I had 21000 or so pounds of boom sauce on board with the caps and boosters also.