Pellet heads!! What's up today?

I remember the ant and the grasshopper cartoon. Always wondered why the ants didn’t eat him.

 

It's officially spring! We already have some poppage and growth in the garden on account of how mild the weather has been. Stay safe and happy spring, hope you all have a great Friday and first spring weekend of the year!

 

a little something to read about;


Feeling confused as to why Coronavirus is a bigger deal than Seasonal flu? Here it is in a nutshell. I hope this helps. Feel free to share this to others who don’t understand...

It has to do with RNA sequencing.... I.e. genetics.

Seasonal flu is an “all human virus”. The DNA/RNA chains that make up the virus are recognized by the human immune system. This means that your body has some immunity to it before it comes around each year... you get immunity two ways...through exposure to a virus, or by getting a flu shot.

Novel viruses can come from animals.... the WHO tracks novel viruses in animals, (sometimes for years watching for mutations). Usually these viruses only transfer from animal to animal (pigs in the case of H1N1) (birds in the case of the Spanish flu). But once, one of these animal viruses mutates, and starts to transfer from animals to humans... then it’s a problem, Why? Because we have no natural or acquired immunity.. the RNA sequencing of the genes inside the virus isn’t human, and the human immune system doesn’t recognize it so, we can’t fight it off.

Now.... sometimes, the mutation only allows transfer from animal to human, for years it’s only transmission is from an infected animal to a human before it finally mutates so that it can now transfer human to human... once that happens..we have a new contagion phase. And depending on the fashion of this new mutation, thats what decides how contagious, or how deadly it’s gonna be..

H1N1 was deadly....but it did not mutate in a way that was as deadly as the Spanish flu. It’s RNA was slower to mutate and it attacked its host differently, too.

Fast forward.

Now, here comes this Coronavirus... it existed in animals only, for nobody knows how long...but one day, at an animal market, in Wuhan China, in December 2019, it mutated and made the jump from animal to people. At first, only animals could give it to a person... But here is the scary part.... in just TWO WEEKS it mutated again and gained the ability to jump from human to human. Scientists call this quick ability, “slippery”

This Coronavirus, not being in any form a “human” virus (whereas we would all have some natural or acquired immunity). Took off like a rocket. And this was because, Humans have no known immunity...doctors have no known medicines for it.

And it just so happens that this particular mutated animal virus, changed itself in such a way the way that it causes great damage to human lungs..

That’s why Coronavirus is different from seasonal flu, or H1N1 or any other type of influenza.... this one is slippery AF. And it’s a lung eater...And, it’s already mutated AGAIN, so that we now have two strains to deal with, strain s, and strain L....which makes it twice as hard to develop a vaccine.

We really have no tools in our shed, with this. History has shown that fast and immediate closings of public places has helped in the past pandemics. Philadelphia and Baltimore were reluctant to close events in 1918 and they were the hardest hit in the US during the Spanish Flu.

Factoid: Henry VIII stayed in his room and allowed no one near him, till the Sweating Sickness that plagued his time had passed...(honestly...I understand him so much better now). Just like us, he had no tools in his shed, except social isolation...

And let me end by saying....right now it’s hitting older folks harder... but this genome is so slippery...if it mutates again (and it will). Who is to say, what it will do next.

Be smart folks... acting like you’re unafraid is so not sexy right now.

#flattenthecurve. Stay home folks... and share this to those that just are not catching on.

 

At first I read "poopage"

 

All I gotta do is look at Italy's predicament, and I have all the info I need. Americans are not somehow superior in being able to resist the virus and we have less doctors and hospitals per capita than Italy. We do not want to break any of the records that Italy has set so far!

 

actually no.....I cannot work from home......I am one of "those" guys, saying....."must be nice...."

 

But, even though I am somewhat biased ( ), you see alot of that here as well.......the barometer of pellet pricing and availability is the dreaded "big box" down the street.

 

So after working from home for a week, my company, CTM Group, at 5pm yesterday decided they couldn't keep paying everyone so they shut down the office & warehouse and furloughed 99% of the employees. They will keep paying my health insurance, I can get unemployment and IF they reopen I can have my old job back at the same pay & benefits.

CTM Group though is a major vending/amusement company. 75% of our profit comes from souvenir penny presses, souvenir medallion machines, prize machines , game room arcades and Mini Melt ice cream vending in Disneyland, Disneyworld, Universal theme parks, Six Flags parks, Dave & Busters, Get Air trampoline parks and most federal & state museums & parks. Once they closed last week our revenue almost stopped. Then we have kiddie ride platforms, prize & Mini Melts machines in over 300 shopping malls. Simon Malls is our biggest client so when they shut down we had zero revenue.

Lori & I are fine, we have plenty of money in a bunch of bank accounts. I'll see what the outlook is in a couple weeks and if CTM is closed I will probably just retire.With her SS disability, my SS and me getting a part time job (I'd go nuts staying home all the time) we'd be fine and not even have to touch our savings or 401Ks. CTM last year was bought by an investment capital company, Z Capital. They may not weather a prolonged country lockdown so CTM may end up not existing or be reorganized.

As my Dad used to say "life happens, you adjust, adapt and keep moving forward the best you can".

sam

 

It appears you've a good attitude, and maybe in a place where circumstances force your retirement. I think what you are seeing will become more common in the coming weeks and months, as some companies dont have a "war chest" of reserves to weather a prolonged siege. No doubt this will affect the economy for some time to come, and it will be a bit of an eyeopener for many without the wisdom you have acquired over the years. Ive seen many people (some very close to me, in fact), who it never dawned upon them that so many people simply cannot "work from home". These shutdowns definitely put certain things in the forefront that never have been considered in recent memory......generations in fact.
What about the people who continue to put their lives on the line for the rest of us? We all realize the medical profession is doing so, and my thanks to them! But what about others? The person who delivers groceries to people through PeaPod, etc? The truck driver getting things from point A to point B, who was basically ignored previously? The grocery store clerk who is now working LONG hours in an attempt to keep the stores shelves stocked in food and sundries so the "work at home" crowd can continue to work at home? I havent listed many other folks, but, if you cant "work at home", thanks!

 

One of my sons is a police officer...
They cannot shutdown either..
And sadly have to deal with people that are not always
the most hygienically friendly..
(for lack of a better word)

Dan

 

Cleaned both pellet stoves (not the exhausts though). Moved 1 snow blower to the shed and swept that area in preparation to receive the bike back from storage. They are supposed to deliver it on Tuesday. We'll see. Snow several days next week - Tuesday being one of them. The garage will be crowded a bit with the snow blower, bike and car, but I can make it work for a couple of weeks since I'm not going anywhere but the dump and grocery store anyway.

Brought the mowers into the garage to give them a look over. Both got hard to start at the end of last season. I removed the air filters, which were completely filled up with crap, cleaned them and reinstalled. Tried to remove the spark plug form the smaller mower - don't think they did that when I had it serviced 2 years ago. It is so rusted in that I couldn't get it out so left it. The larger mower has more sharp doopdads hanging in front of the spark plug so after a couple of attempts just to get the wire off (not much room). I said screw it, I'll let someone else deal with it later.

The good news is that even though its 44*, they both started with about 3 pulls. Each of them got a couple minutes run time mowing over leaves I had raked out of the flower beds last night. Seems that just giving them air to breathe helped them start better - I know, big surprise . I gotta find a more local place to get them tuned up and blades sharpened or replaced than the last place I went to.

 

Well first off thank you Ivanhoe for sharing this as up to this point I'll be honest my thoughts were exactly that of many and this virus was or is just something similar to influenza
as far as its impact on the human body,infection rate, and how serious it is in general . What frustrates me the most is the wide delta between doomsday sickness and just another Covid virus analogy, meaning what is factual about this virus and its effects on the Human body both young and old .

If in fact what is written above is factual it changes my entire way of life because I am still working although Monday I will be working from home for the first day of two weeks mandated, while 3 Superintendents will work onsite for the next two weeks. At the end of two weeks us 3 Superintendents will return to the job site and work there for two weeks while the 3 other Supers will work from home. Not sure I agree with this strategy but if I want to keep working which I absolutely need to financially this is what I have to do.

How is it my job site is still open when all of Boston and Cambridge is shut down ? Well our client has a tremendous amount of money and clout but they manufacture medicine that saves human lives. I am building a manufacturing plant that will produce medicine that will save human lives so we will be given special permission (official letters should we be stopped by law enforcement if a lock down should occur) that will allow us to go to work each and every day.

The concern is if all of the field staff is onsite all may be infected thus leaving no one to run the site which kind of makes sense but I have to ask myself what about the 125 workers that are there every day working in close proximity at times as it is the only way to perform their work safely ? Unfortunately I believe our client knows with so many people out of work they can replace the workers without any trouble. Actually I know this to be true as they are complaining that the workers are spending to much time standing around looking at their phones and one of them actually said " I am sure there are 125 unemployed workers that would jump at the chance to go back to work" kind of Flucked up if you ask me.

So my primary concern is that I interact with this many workers that at the end of the day drive off to different towns in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, New York, Connecticut and come back the following day to work among each other. There are probably more states that I just am not thinking about as well.
With that concern is that my wife has had Chronic Asthma most of her life and if she were to get the Virus it would be disastrous at best and most likely or possibly death.
This is why I really need to know if what is written above is indeed factual along with any other information regarding this Virus .

I hope all are well and wish you all the best sincerely .

 

You're in a challenging spot my friend! You got to do what you have to do, do it the safest way to avoid spreading it around your surroundings and at home. You just have to adapt. My last workplace(pulp & paper steam plant operator) is still running and I'm grateful to be retired at this moment. I also have a asthmatic wife to look out for.
Stay safe and be safe for others,
Ivanhoe

 

I just scored a box of Soylent Green at the old recycling plant. No more long grocery lines for me.

 

Hope your feeling better B !! Sounds like you might be.

Regarding finding someone local, keep an eye out for someone that has a small sign outside their house-they generally work out of their garage, basement, shed or something. There a few like that around here where they work on small engines. Word of mouth is good too-if you have a General Store, that's a good place to ask for someone like this.

 

All the best to all my good friends here at the forum.

I am so sorry for all the hardship this entire virus fiasco is causing.

My spouse and I both get our SS benefits and we rent out our small apartment downstairs to a lovely lady who is more like a daughter now after 5 years than a tenant.

She is a great tenant though...and we love her to pieces.
The other day her Jeep stopped charging and the thing barely made it home before the battery went dead.

I wrenched on that mess and figured out that it was a combination of dirty battery cables and a broken wire that killed things.

Then this morning I get a text "My pellet stove is not lighting"

I grab tools and a fresh igniter for the Quad 1000 that is in the apartment....
Cleaned the huge pile of pellets out of the pot and then yanked out the igniter....

Sure enough....igniter DEAD...

Swapped in the new one and kicked things in the butt....WE HAD FIRE IN THE HOLE.....

It's been several years since we had an igniter failure.....

I ordered a couple new ones..

We have a 1000 upstairs in the living room and rarely use it since we have the Whitfields...


Always a good parts supply if need be....

So we are staying healthy so far.

I had some nasty flu or ??? back in Feb that lasted 3 weeks or so.

NEVER been that sick before with any flu....
It may have been the Kung Flu, but I recovered from what ever it was.

Still not 100% but hanging in there.....

Bless all of you folks

BE SAFE AND STAY HEALTHY....

 

Tomorrow I have to go in town for a groceries for my daughter who just came back from Cuba tonight. She's quarantining herself for 2 weeks, so someone has to pick it up for her. Disinfect everything touched is gonna be tricky and avoid close approaches from people, it's gonna be a challenging hike in the grocery store (perfect time to use a noisy fart bag and wear a WW1 gasmask)
Stay safe everyone and don't bring home some unwanted crud

 

Thanks G - I feel pretty good, just have had a residual cough.

This town doesn't have a general store, but I saw a new small engine place had opened at the edge of town when I went to Concord on Friday. I'll have to do a drive by to get a phone number so I can call them.

 

When I wrote this they were predicted up to 4" of snow. Now my area is expected to get 6-12". Guess I'll move the snowblower from the shed to the tent garage (better access). That way I can run it out of gass for storage, then just have the smaller one ready for later use if needed.

Hmm, wonder if they will chance running the bike van in the snow? I don't want to reschedule as the dealership is uncertain how long they will be open during these times and are encouraging all winter storage customers to get their bikes out now.

EDIT: They have moved the storm to Monday instead of Tuesday - this could work out well for me.