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CleverNickname

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Posts posted by CleverNickname

  1. I should have checked this board and thread sooner. I studied in Finland and traveled quite a bit. Too bad you can't take the train to St Petersburg - the Hermitage is one of the world's treasures. 

    Finland: we used to have reindeer stew every Wednesday. Lol. Olavinlinna is my fab European castle. Smack dav in the river. Finns and Swedes are big vacation cabin people. Sauna and cut a hole in the ice. Old winter war fortifications in Savonlinna. Watching Northern Games ski jump in Lahti. Ice hotel/bar in Rovaniemi + northern lights. 

    Ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki is a good way save a night if time is tight. Tallinn in amazing - old walled Hamseatic League town is gorgeous. Helsinki to Tallinn ferry is a trip: working class Finns getting FUCKED on all you can drink beer at buffet, duty free Saku, and trashy euro disco.

    I loved Visby as a trip out of Stockholm. Another old Hanseatic League town. I think they have a hydrofoil ferry. 

    Estonia: had good times at the Maximatti (literally "black market"), basically a good old Texas/Mexican flea market). 

  2. One side (in part) down to 5 ft below first set of shoring. Aboyt 9 ft total. Now the ladder is on a ledge and I need to switch sides. I still have to widen things. That may be a trip by itself. Probably time to start gathering and cutting the timber for the next set.

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    Lately I've been moving the spoils to ruts in my internal ranch roads. One good gully washer will probably wash the fine stuff away, but maybe it'll help.

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    • Hook 'Em 1
  3. Second batch of 10 silver buffalos came today. So far I'm liking this putting $100 aside each month. Got a nice full tube thus far that I wouldn't have purchased otherwise.

    I've got some sterling silverware. Trying to decide if I should just try to trade it for the equivalent weight in bullion (~82 oz per old assay). Kind of a hassle to put in a safe. Probably hasn't been used since Easter '85. at least coins are easy to store. I know survivalist types are convinced the sterling has useful health properties, but I can't imagine breaking out the good stuff in an emergency. Gotta clean that stuff all particular and such. 

    • Drool 1
  4. On 4/3/2023 at 10:07 PM, Wulaw Horn said:

    12 year old female. Brutal. 

    13 year old girl. We have android phones AND she wasn't able to sit at her preferred lunch table 3x this week. Pray for us.

    • Haha 2
  5. Pully system! Worked pretty well. I could hook up a bucket, climb the ladder, and haul it up. Probably only got another 6" deep, but kiddo didn't want me to dig all day. Fair.20230415_132640.thumb.jpg.bbeea42cddcd6e91eac51df5d9059342.jpg

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    • Like 1
  6. 1 hour ago, Steel Shank said:

    Are the county websites no longer providing the actual taxes each entity is assessing? Hays Co. not providing that info, as far as I can tell? Trying to help out the folks.

    Entities don't set the tax rate until they know the tax base (when appraisals are done). Which is why everyone went insane at the 40% market value jumps last year, only to quietly shrug at the actual change in taxes. Except for those dudes about to reply to me....

  7. 6 hours ago, MonkeyDoughnut said:

    So how do you know when you're done?

    I don't know. The deeper I get, the more complicated it gets logistically. The neighbors well is 40' last I heard, so at some point there I will find a hard cap. But I'm hoping to get like 20' or 24'. For now I am just motivated to do one 4' section at a time. And then when i get as deep as feels right, I'll go lateral (if I can figure out a good way to shore up).

    BTW -  anyone Surly in Austin have kitty litter buckets? I find they are a good size with sturdy handles. Mine are starting to wear out. And free is good. PM and I'll pick them up, if I can.

    • Hook 'Em 1
  8. After Mass, hauled ass to move to mass. The plywood rested in top of the bolts, to I was afraid critters could slither in. Made a little 1x2 frame around, and screwed and glued it down. 

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    Not sure how much rain it got, but the hole was very dry. Sides and pond liner seem to be working out.

    Shallow side now about 3 ft deep. Nearly level with the other side although it has a little trench so the 8 ft ladder fits in the hole such that I can just plop the plywood on top.

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    Cut a little shelf about 36.5". Makes it handy to move stuff. Hole now pretty much too deep to life bucket over my head and push to the side. This is basically how I leave things before closing it up.

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  9. On 3/30/2023 at 9:14 AM, conVINCEd said:

    What is our target depth here?

    Not sure. But the book recommends overburden depth 2 to 2.5x the height of any horizontal tunnel. So if I wanted a tunnel 6'4" I should go down 22 ft. But probably any side tunnel would be more like 4.5' tall (knee height basically). So right now my thought is 16' of wood walls, then dig to 20 or 22, and then build up concrete from the bottom up. I could then take out lowest set in 4' segments as I raise inside wall in lifts. But really, that's all a future me problem. Next goal is down about 9' total (need space as i bolt in threaded rod) and get second set of 4' in. Then the next 4' and so on. I've already purchased the next 4 5/8 rods, nuts, and washers. Need to cut and drill the 4x6, but I have time yet. It's getting deep enough I need to find a metal bucket to use a winch with. Carrying 5 gallon buckets of dirt up the ladder is starting to suck.

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  10. 10 hours ago, Dbeasy said:

    As someone who partially FIRED at 45 and fully at 56, one of the weirdest elements of it is the mental aspect.

    People who FIRE are goal oriented, so once you get there you always have two competing thoughts: the desired to continue to increase wealth and/or continue saving, competing with the realization that with health problems etc. you could lose the chance to enjoy the time off. You find yourself in this perpetual state of conflict over those two competing thoughts. 

    Counterpoint: At work, we do biweekly reports but sometimes also monthly reports, so often I do a second roundup a mere 24 hours after the previous one.

  11. 6 hours ago, Biff Tannen said:

    So I'm a month out from the PCT.  I put in my two weeks at work.  This is fucking happening.  I'm kinda freaking out.  Kinda loving it.  I don't quite know how to react.  Posting on this degenerate website seems like a decent idea.  I fucking love and hate a lot of things in this world.  I hope to learn and love a lot more in the coming months.  @tomahawk dunk knows more than anyone about how this trail will change me.  I just want to see better.  Sorry, I'm drunk and I hope we destroy Miami and then UConn.  Knibb High Football Rules!!!

     

    Concerns about Sierra snow?

  12. Wife and I can take TRS and ERS at age 52 - in 8.5 years. Should have enough roth/403b/457 to make it until SS kicks in. Really just need enough to act as inflation adjustment to the defined benefit. Probably wouldn't need to touch it for a couple years. Saving a good chunk means ~60% pension covers as much or more than we spend now. 

    Kids will be in college, so I'm not so sure about the timing, but trying to fund 529s to cover at least 120k each. Would love to be able to pass on 100% of whatever inheritance I may get onto the kids or load up 529 for potential grandkids. 

    I'd like to go part time, so I could dig my hole Sunday afternoon til maybe Tuesday or Wednesday, and then be in Austin (low maintenance townhouse or condo?), have some hole money, and be available for dinner with friends and such. 

    • Hook 'Em 1
  13. The boy accompanied me for a rare hole overnighter. First two shots are after first 7 buckets Friday evening (prior to fite pit poking). Then worked a little more this morning. Home by noon.20230318_081304.thumb.jpg.1fd13febe196e3026674d07de2b9437e.jpg

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    it's now about 7'4" on the one side, maybe 5 ft from where I am sitting. Hoping to dig another few inches on the deep side and then knock out the shelf on the one side. Then I'll need the ladder to get out.

     

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    • Hook 'Em 4
  14. 4 hours ago, NoName said:

    craziest and hardest rain i have ever driven through was just outside of Sanderson. obviously in the middle of nowhere. road was decent but went from dry to water standing on road in no time. crazy wind...had to pull off on the side of the road in the MIDDLE of nowhere. scared the hell out of me. 0/10 do not recommend.

    Bad rains happen there. From our own ToT: https://m.facebook.com/TracesofTexas/posts/1770249726340482

    • Hook 'Em 2
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