Ahhh … pull tabs! Retirement planning for people that are bad at math.

How come nobody ever posts a picture of the huge pile of losers when they just lost $400??

It doesn’t have to be fancy. I’ve been going at it about 10 years and went as follows:
1. 10 qt pot over turkey fryer on propane – That ended the year I used three 20 lb LP tanks to make one gallon of syrup (NOT cost effective)
2. 16×22 pan on concrete block temp stove using wood
3. Barrel stove using same pan
4. Home-built RO system added last year. Greatly reduced boiling time, but still using old pan.

Ultimately, it’s about surface area and good heat. I actually really liked the CMU block idea (stable) but it was such a pain to put up and take down each year and the blocks crumble from the heat. The photo is from a few years ago. The round pan is pre-heat. There is a squirrel cage fan adding air to the bottom in the front.

You will probably spend more than you make in the value of the syrup. But, I enjoy getting out in the yard and utilizing the resources on my property. The pan is one of the most expensive parts unless you get bay with restaurant pans. The RO I built was under $300 and will hopefully last many years. Good luck!

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Any interest in trading for a Benelli Ethos in 20 ga? Similar situation … hardly used, but I’m looking for something different. It certainly meets your weight reduction goal … the Ethos in 20 is like a feather.

I’ll throw out another author I would recommend – Nelson de Mille writes some really good books with a variety of topics, but fit the spy novel theme. “Nightfall” has been my favorite so far.

Like I said earlier, I’m in the market for something like this. I don’t know what you guys are entering on KBB, but I’m getting numbers $3 – $4k less than what you’re showing?? The LTZ only has a few other options that aren’t part of package (bedliner & running boards) and I’ve accounted for that and the low mileage. It’s not a Crew Cab… it’s a Double Cab.

I think the market is the best indicator of sales price. If it was a good deal, it would have sold already.

I’m in the market for something just like this truck and I think that is an unrealistic expectation on the price. Not many people can pay cash for a vehicle at that price and interest rates aren’t helping her make a sale. I will pay cash for the the right vehicle, but I’m not going to travel two hours unless it’s a really good deal. There’s a lot more buyers in the TC than in St. Charles.

Precast is from Stoneworks. Ideally, need someone that can dig footings, lay concrete block for footings and stem wall, and attach precast.

Marine General in Duluth had a 10AH lithium Marcum Brute for $69.99 a few weeks ago. I got Cabela’s to price match and saved another 5% because I’m a Club Member. It was the last one on their shelf that day. Score!

Definitely worth it for run time and weight. I wanted a backup to get through a long weekend on the ice for my LX6.

Apologies to anyone actually honest in that trade, but there are a bunch of crooks in that business! I was having furnace issues on a REALLY cold Holiday weekend a few years ago and I was pretty sick at the time. I knew I was already on the hook for a Holiday emergency service call ($100), but the technician showed up quickly, confirmed the problem, and was pleasant to talk to. It turned out to be a simple fix … flame sensor … and I thought it would be pretty cheap to replace. I asked him if he had the part in his truck and what the price would be. He had to confirm if he had the part, but said it would be $180-200 to replace!! I think my jaw dropped on the floor, and while he went to look in his truck, I called a fried that works for the biggest gas service company in town. I asked him how much a flame sensor should cost and he said $20-30 max. When the tech came back downstairs I politely asked how a tiny bent piece of metal with one spade connection could be $200 and he got sheepish and said “Well, that’s what they tell us we have to charge. But, if you take a picture of this package and look on Amazon you might find one a lot cheaper”. He took some paper to lightly brush the old sensor to get it back functional. I took the picture and found a new sensor for $8.12 delivered!!! I understand that everyone needs to make money along the way, but when I’m already paying for the service call, and they still try to make 25x markup on a simple part that could be sanded lightly to work again, I was mad.

Only three females left for this litter! Located in NW Metro and ready to go home in about three weeks. Perfect Father’s Day present to yourself!

That is great info. Thanks! Would you ever consider putting some dielectric grease on the connectors? The connectors are probably wearing down a bit as I normally don’t leave the unit on at night or on the road so it’s been attached/detached a lot.

The wind was definitely a factor given we were staying at Trapper’s Landing on the south end. Saturday from 2:30 – 8:30 pm, using mostly jig/minnow, we caught 32 fish total with a mix of perch, hammer handle northern, and walleye. We kept four over 15″ and had two over 23″ that were CPR’d. We had our best luck in 8-9′ of water in the narrows. We fished Big & Little Stoney with no luck and trolled some with no luck. Sunday was mostly a bust with the wind heavier and more out of the north making for some tough conditions. We caught one more keeper and a 24″ eye near the resort, but water temps were ten degrees cooler in that area than in the narrows.

#17 at Fox Hollow Golf Course! I designed those golf holes and that waterfall! It was meant to be aesthetic, but I guess we’re also helping control the carp population. I’ve played Fox Hollow for 20 years and there’s always been a pretty good carp run in that creek that connects the Crow River to Foster Lake. Some years the water is so high the waterfalls are not even visible, but in lower water conditions the ponds are separate water bodies. They were still there last night, but not as many as the video.

What’s the best website to view current satellite photos?

I have 1200 209 primers I would sell, but I see the 209A are slightly different. I have a bunch of powder and 12 ga wads as well if you’re looking for shotshell reloading.

I have designed hundreds of walls. There are a lot of nice options for retaining wall blocks, but you should consider a number of things before making a final selection. Four feet tall isn’t that high, but are they straight? Curved? A surcharge (parking) near the garage wall will add some settling potential.

If the walls are straight, I would suggest you look at a larger format CMU block (RECON Wall System is just one option that I like a lot). They are 20″ tall, but don’t require geo-grid and can be stained/painted to better match your house.

Don’t do boulders unless you really like the look. Especially where settling might occur.

Ultimately, it’s all about proper base prep and compaction. Some draintile and drainage rock behind should definitely be used unless you’re in really sandy soils.

Do a search on the FB Dayton and/or Rogers pages for Karla Schmid. She only does taping/texturing, but she is amazing and very responsive. We also live in Dayton and she finished our whole basement after I hung the sheetrock.

Actually, the odds of winning are always the same, but your chances of splitting it are higher the more people play.

My favorite saying for the lottery is: “The Powerball is retirement planning for people that are bad at math.”

But, I won’t say I’ve never bought a ticket … it’s rare, but I still get sucked in once in a while when the numbers get crazy big. I can’t be bothered with only a few million…

My brother and I are struggling to haul a really big buck out of the woods, exhausted, but getting close to the field edge, in pitch darkness. A hunting buddy we didn’t know was waiting for us decided it would be funny to pretend he’s a bear by jumping out of the darkness, running at us, and growling loudly! He SAID he could see our guns hung over our shoulders and was confident he wouldn’t get shot. He did get a cold snow shower after being tackled to the ground and pummeled! Thanks, Lyle!

I was doing some internet reading about fitting. Pattern is slightly high at 25 yards which for pheasants appears preferable. Haven’t looked at LOP yet. From what I read 2″ between thumb and nose (at mount) is ideal?

Just got back yesterday. Fished Thursday afternoon through Saturday night mostly on the east end from Seven Sisters to the Main Bay. Caught lots of walleye and had great weather. Size was mostly under 16″ with a few larger fish coming on Jiggin Raps. Depth was 16′ at the shallowest (on a windy shore), but also caught many out of 26-28’+ on deep breaks. We only used minnows, but others caught some on crawlers. We fished jigs and minnows first two days and switched to bottom bouncers and spinners in a slightly heavier wind on Saturday. Love the lake!

I was in Mitchell SD earlier this summer and stopped by the Cabela’s along the freeway. They had hundreds of boxes of pheasant loads in every gauge waiting for the masses to arrive in October. The Rogers store had virtually none about the same time. They were $25-30 a box, however.

Fishing on Devil’s Lake casting in a shallow bay for anything that would bite. My brother is fishing with a clown colored Shad Rap, gets a strike, and loses his lure. Literally within seconds, I get a strike on my clown colored Fat Rap and land a nice pike with his lure in its mouth. I tried to claim finders-keepers (“We don’t know that your lure!!”), but he insisted I give it back.

I appreciate the offer to meet halfway, but this weekend is fully consumed by our litter of twelve golden retriever puppies going to their forever homes. We have appointments scheduled all weekend.

Let me look at the schedule for next week and I’ll PM you.

I would be interested in the MEC system and any shot you have. I reloaded as a kid … I only know that system … and now my son is burning through shells in the HS trap league. I’m in Dayton, MN.

We fished on Saturday and caught lots of fish, but kept none. Only two slot fish (19″ & 21″) early in the day, otherwise it was 13″ and under all day. I won’t keep anything under 14″ unless I absolutely need to eat that day. I wish more people would throw the 12-14″ fish back, but you see a LOT of them in the gut buckets.

Nodak Lodge has a nice protected harbor on the south side. $12 to launch. There’s a public access on the SW corner that I’ve used in the past, but have heard of some crime problems there too. $12 is cheap insurance to me.

L x W x D gives you cubic feet. Divide by 27 to give you cubic yards. So… .5 X .5 X 35 X 2 = 17.5 cubic feet. Divided by 27 gives you less than 2/3 of a yard.

Need more information. What side of the lake are you on? Big difference between east end/Big Bay and the west side. I would think shallower this time of year with a jig and minnow should work. Pike Bay is good in the spring, but you’ll have lots of competition.

Only two females left out of a 12 pup litter. All the males went quickly. The picture is all seven females in a puppy pile.

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