Let's visit on the Porch II (Billings, Red Lodge: pilgrim, containers, lease)

[MaBonnema]

Woke up all black n blue and sore as all get out. One huge tata and one normal tata. Feeling a little off kilter today. (pun intended) Dont know how long the swelling and bruising is supposed to last.
They told me when they released me that I could shower on wednesday.... ohhhh boy cant wait to stand under the hot shower.
I guess I'll get the other biopsy results when I go back on April 7th. Unless its important and they want me to come in sooner.
They actually gave me a shot of morphine for my back pain before surgery!!! Never had that before. Worked like a charm. I told the nurse no one has ever listened to me about my back pain or offered me anything stronger than Ibuprofen. Usually they just say for me to lose the weight and my back pain will go away. She said.. "you are joking?" and I said Nope. She says well I can tell from your stats you are in pain.. we'll fix that. And she did.
I wasnt all dopey either. Of course it wasnt long after that when they took me to the operating room.
Hoping that they will note that in my records!!! Never know.. it may do some good.
Anyway I felt good enough to cook dinner today. But other than that I have just been taking it easy.
What have ya'll been up to?

[ElkHunter]

Most of us have been up to no good, and others, well, they'll lie about what they've been up to.

My cold, not the flu, is breaking up. Everything is shook loose and running. Oh what a fun day this has been.

[Threerun]

Been traveling for a few weeks and sick for the same. Not fun traveling for work with a sinus infection and upper chest cough. Hope to shake it soon.. Yuck.

Of course, not nearly as bad as surgically bruised up ta-ta's. Hope you feel better.

[Reziac]

Want I should take y'all out behind the barn and beat you black-and-blue, and get it all over with once and for all??

I frequently offered this to a friend in Los Angeles, tho he never took me up on it. He'd managed to run his bicycle into two cars and a bus, with predictable results. In his defense, when he hit the bus there was 8 inches of water on the street. Tho if he had any sense he'd have been riding a boat instead.

[ElkHunter]

Originally Posted by ElkHunter

Most of us have been up to no good, and others, well, they'll lie about what they've been up to.

My cold, not the flu, is breaking up. Everything is shook loose and running. Oh what a fun day this has been.

Ok, so I lied. Today was another miserable day. It starts breaking up in the morning, get to feeling pretty good and then about mid afternoon, it hits again. I don't think it's ever going to go away.

Anybody notice the weather forecast? You can blame me. I took my blade of the 4 wheeler on Thursday, today, we get a Winter Storm Watch with 7+ inches predicted Sunday night. Guess you know what I am doing tomorrow.

[MTSilvertip]

There was snow on the ground here this morning..........

Like my old pappy always said, "in Montana we get 11 1/2 months of winter and 2 weeks of poor sledding"

[Reziac]

Tried to blizzard pretty good around Bozeman yesterday, and I see Lolo got about 6 inches last night. That 9-foot snow marker on the pass may not be seen again until August at this rate.

[ElkHunter]

Well, at my place this morning, we got about an inch. North of me, in the smaller hills of Montana, (I90 at state line) they were all white this morning (not sure how much they got) but everything was gone by about 9. The sun came out and it wasn't real bad. Thermometer said it was in the 40's, but there was a slight breeze and boy did it cut right through a person. I go outside in a long sleeve shirt in the teens and twentys, but I had on a long sleeve shirt, heavy hoodie, and still caught a chill going out today. Of course, I'm not sure if it was weather, so much as being sick.

Tomorrow is the only nice day for the rest of the week, so I figured I'd head into town on my 4 wheeler. I've been chancing it with my truck. The last 5 trips to town I've driven with no brakes. Rear slave squirts on the road, so there is ONE application of breaks pending on each trip, not TWO. Been doing ok though, as I usually don't use brakes anyhow. hahaha I've had people ask me how on earth I can make brake pads last so long, I just tell them, "It's easy, I don't use em." My truck has 321,000 miles on it. I've pulled a trailer about 60% of those miles, from coast to coast, first a 35 ft bumper pull RV, and then a 37 ft 5th wheel. My truck is currently on the second set of brake pads. First factory, then these. The last time I pulled a hub (2 months ago) I still had just under 3/8 inch of pad on the rear drum style and the front disk brakes still look like new. Gears, ya gotta use gears. Guess I learned it early. One of the first jobs out of highschool, I put almost 600,000 miles on a Cabover Pete, pulling from Sioux City Iowa to Seattle, back and forth. Drove for Wagoneers out of Laurel. 4x4 Browning gave me 16 gears and I figured I had more gears than I did brakes, so that's what I used. Besides, growing up on the farm, none of the tractors had brakes.

Wednesday, I had an appointment in town with the Dr. Went to the Dr, then to WalMart, then to Shipton's, then to Little Ceaser's Pizza, then to the parts store and picked up a new slave cylinder for the rear. I tried getting a rebuilt kit, cheap SOB that I am, and they no longer carry rebuild kits for most slave cylinders. I thought that was strange until I ended up getting a new slave cylinder for $11.90. At that price, I can understand why they don't sell any rebuild kits anymore. That's for a 1 Ton Ford, Heavy Duty chassis. It was kind of funny. I picked up a large bottle of brake fluid, and a can of brake cleaner and they cost more than the slave cylinder.

I tell you, it is becoming a throw away society for most things. You burn up a starter, find a place that rebuilds starters, or alternators, or generators. I have a friend in Rapid City that makes a really sweet living and the only thing they do is rebuild starters, alternators, generators and such. You pull in to his shop and he tests and determines your alternator is bad, he will try and talk you into rewinding it, instead of selling you a new one. He did the alternator in my truck. To replace the Alternator was $390. To rebuild it, as in new magnets, bushings, diodes, and rewinding the coils, he charged me $80 and did it in just under an hour. But he's the only place I have seen in years that still does that sort of thing. Just last week, in Sheridan, a new place opened up. They opened up an old filling station, 2 stalls, right on main. Big sign says, "Mechanic on duty". He's got cars lined up. When is the last time you saw a filling station type place to do minor things like, belts, hoses, replace a battery, or starter, you know, light mechanics? Just don't find that sort of place either.

Ok, I rambled on long enough, it's your turn.

[MaBonnema]

Dang... poor folks... I sure wish ya'll would get some warm weather and start thawing out. Almost makes me feel guilty for enjoying the 70* weather...... notice I said "almost" .
As beautiful as Montana is.. I sure dont miss the cold and ice and snow. Brrrrrrrr

Still got the bruising. Guess that going to take a month or more to go away. It has turned almost black. My friend came over today to see how I was doing and she asked.. so how are the boobies?? I said. Let me show you.. raised my shirt... and she almost hit the floor.

Poor gal was freaking out. Kept saying OMG! what did they do to you!!!??? I couldnt help but laugh at her. I think my laughing caused me to hurt worse than the surgery did. To top that off about that time I see a flash rush by me and I go looking.. it was Casper kitty (my white cat) he had ran in like something was after him and was hiding between my bed side table and the closet all wide eyed and scared to death. Afraid to move. I see this huge thorny vine all tangled in his big fluffy tail... He was shaking and hissing. I burst out laughing all over again.
Finally managed to control my laughter long enough to calm my neighbor and the cat. Went to work untangling the thorny vine from that cats tail and had to give him some TLC. He stayed in my room cowering in the corner for about 2 hrs.
Rained here all day and finally stopped about 6pm. Supposed to rain a little more tomorrow but temps are supposed to be in the upper 60's to lower 70's.
Other than that.. not much else going on. Oh.. except that ya'll missed out on a huge pot of homemade turkey and dumplings. :P They were yummy and the perfect thing to go with this rainy weather.

[Reziac]

There's a guy in Three Forks, "Three Forks Auto", who does minor or major, whatever you bring him, $45/hour and is pretty fair about it. He told me it would be about $300 to replace the power steering pump with a rebuilt vs $700 to rebuild it in the shop. My thought on that is it depends if the rebuilt is as durable as what Ford put in it to start with, and... I've been trained to be leery of rebuilts (see below). Tho so long as I can pour juice in the top faster'n it drips out the bottom, I probably won't bother. Nursed the pump in the old truck along for about 15 years that way, haha. And the rebuilt-in-the-shop pump leaks too, tho just enough to notice.

I only bought a rebuilt master cylinder ONCE. Never again! Damn thing only lasted about a year. I was used to 'em lasting long enough that I forgot when I got the previous one.

Hey Elk, that truck of yours a stick? I only do automatics, I don't have enough arms and legs for a stick (my sister says I have the same number as everyone else, but I seem to be short at least one arm and one leg to do it right). But I'm used to brakes lasting a long, long time too. I coast my speed down first when I can, and I gear down on a grade rather than ride the brakes. I only need to touch the brakes a couple times coming down that 8% grade (with the sharp turn at the bottom) into the Pizzy Pines Pit, and all I do is switch off overdrive so it's in 3rd, or put it in 2nd with a trailer. I've had people back off from behind me, probably half-sure I was a runaway cuz they'd never see any brake lights til the very bottom. I'm constantly amazed how many people don't realise you can manually downshift an automatic.

But as to worn-out brakes... ya know that squeak they're supposed to do when they're tired? the old truck never makes a peep. First clue the pads are shot is when shards and springs come flying outta the wheel well. Now I inspect 'em more often.

Okay, that's my pointless rambling. Who's next??