USMB Coffee Shop IV

[Ringel05]

Yahoo! First day of Spring! It's been warmer here, but expected to drop back to single digit temps the next couple of days. Roads are a mixed bag, icy here, running water there.
The goats were romping around like it's Springtime, though. I'm still watching for my first kids and there was a newborn kitten in my milk room this afternoon. Mom moved it ASAP after I made my appearance. I watched her run off two toms, too!

It is a weird day so far here. It keeps flurrying but then it will suddenly stop and the sun will come out, then it will get dark and flurry again. The sun is out now, but I can see some more dark spots heading my way! Yesterday was nice, but I'm still waiting for some nice steady 60 degree weather!

You can have some of the upper 80s, 90 degree days we're having.

I am not looking forward to those kinds of temps but we won't start getting them most likely until well into May.

It's supposed to cool back down again. Supposedly this is the second mildest winter down here on record. The Mulberry tree which shed it's leaves in January is almost fully leafed out again. All the HVAC companies are booked solid early summerizing the heating systems and turning on the swamps.

 

[saveliberty]

View attachment 117866

Down please or I'm gonna pee!

 

[Pogo]

Wow, the Coffee Shop has really been jumping today. I had to go back a half dozen or more pages to find last night's vigil list to post tonight. I don't mind that at all though.

Good night darlinks. I really do love you guys.

And we continue to pray and/or send good vibes and/or positive thoughts and/or keep vigil for:

Harper (Save's granddaughter),
Pogo’s friend Pat and special comfort for Pogo,
Freedombecki,
Noomi!!!
Nosmo's mom,
Ernie's stop smoking project,
Rod, GW's partner,
The Ringels in difficult transition,
Boedicca's Dad,
Foxfyre's friend Dana and Aunt Betty,
Etherion and his grandma,
Kat's sister,
Gallant Warrior's chilly goats,
The Ringel's Gizmo and wellness for Ringel,
Special prayers and/or positive thoughts for Sherry's mom and her life saving medical treatment.
GW's daughter, her friend Sachendra, and Sachendra's husband Bob and son Gary in what is probably Sachendra's last days.
Mrs. Saveliberty with her knee surgery.
Hombre's sore toes,
The Gracies just because,
Special prayers and/or positive thoughts for Mr. Peach and Peach143 in the coming days and wellness for them both.
Ernie!!!
All of us and those we care about who are looking for work,

And the light is left on for Alan, Noomi, Freedombecki, Oddball, 007, Sixfoot, SFC Ollie, and all others we hope will find their way back.

Yesterday was the vernal equinox and today was our first full day of spring.
​

I thought that was supposed to be the 20th

Even with that date I noticed last Saturday (18th) my weather almanac said the time of day sunrise to sunset was 12 hours and 4 minutes, so that's already past equinox. I dunno.

We had 80 degrees and beauteous sunshine yesterday. I was running the exhaust fan to bring in the warmer air and warm the house. Gardening outside listening to a baseball game.

The vernal equinox arrived at 4:29 MDT on March 20. So that was the official beginning of spring. But because the equinox did not arrive at midnight but later in the morning, we technically didn't have a full day of spring until yesterday.

But I'm still confuserated that March 18 was already more than 12 hours of daylight, if the equinox wasn't until the 20th.

 

[Pogo]

Yahoo! First day of Spring! It's been warmer here, but expected to drop back to single digit temps the next couple of days. Roads are a mixed bag, icy here, running water there.
The goats were romping around like it's Springtime, though. I'm still watching for my first kids and there was a newborn kitten in my milk room this afternoon. Mom moved it ASAP after I made my appearance. I watched her run off two toms, too!

It is a weird day so far here. It keeps flurrying but then it will suddenly stop and the sun will come out, then it will get dark and flurry again. The sun is out now, but I can see some more dark spots heading my way! Yesterday was nice, but I'm still waiting for some nice steady 60 degree weather!

You can have some of the upper 80s, 90 degree days we're having.

I am not looking forward to those kinds of temps but we won't start getting them most likely until well into May.

It's supposed to cool back down again. Supposedly this is the second mildest winter down here on record. The Mulberry tree which shed it's leaves in January is almost fully leafed out again. All the HVAC companies are booked solid early summerizing the heating systems and turning on the swamps.

Wait, whoa.

"Turning on the swamps"? There's a switch for that?
Wait'll I tell Louisiana. I'll be famous.

 

[saveliberty]

But I'm still confuserated that March 18 was already more than 12 hours of daylight, if the equinox wasn't until the 20th.

It is based on the equator and not the northern hemisphere for equal day and night.

 

[Hossfly]

The last 50 or 60 posts have mainly been about different concoctions that we have tried sometime in our lives... Some of them I would try and more than likely enjoy... I would try all of them... Having an open mind re: food has always been a thing with me... Very few things I have tried in my life, I refuse to try again... I have eaten liver everyway it can be fixed and every byproduct of the organ... Just can't stomach liver, but I have tried it... Can not think of anything else I do not like and believe me I have eaten everything from fish eyes to calf brains... Beef Tongue is a great meal... Expand your horizons CS's and try some new delicacies...

Naw, we're too old to worry about trying new delicacies though I'll taste anything reported to be edible once. But Hombre and I both enjoy such a wide variety of culinary delights that we don't have time for all that we would like to enjoy.

He shares your dislike for liver though. Just can't eat it. So I have to get my liver and onions fix when we're out and about. I don't make it at home.

My Mom used to get her liver fix away from home, too. My dad could not even stand the smell of liver cooking. I've only had liver once that I liked. I do eat braunschweiger, trimmed with raw onion and mustard on dark bread. Mostly, I'll cook up organ meats for the cats.

My mother was a depression era mother who could make a 5 star gourmet meal out of a soda cracker, bouillon cube, and a couple of wilted carrots. She would come see us when I was really under the gun at work and near exhaustion and I would swear there was nothing at all in the house to fix for dinner. She would rummage in the cabinets and fridge for a bit and the next thing we knew, there would be a good hot meal on the table.

She made wonderful meals, but her crowning achievement in my book was liver and onions that were so full of flavor and literally melted in your mouth. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Unfortunately she died before I could stand at her elbow to see just how she did it. I have tried and tried to duplicate her recipe and it just isn't the same.

Same here about cooking. I could search the house and not find anything to eat and my mother would come up with a feast! As for liver and onions, there is nothing as delicious as a plate full. Well, maybe corned beef and cabbage is in the same class. During WWII it was always "Liver on Tuesdays and fish on Friday."

 

[Foxfyre]

The last 50 or 60 posts have mainly been about different concoctions that we have tried sometime in our lives... Some of them I would try and more than likely enjoy... I would try all of them... Having an open mind re: food has always been a thing with me... Very few things I have tried in my life, I refuse to try again... I have eaten liver everyway it can be fixed and every byproduct of the organ... Just can't stomach liver, but I have tried it... Can not think of anything else I do not like and believe me I have eaten everything from fish eyes to calf brains... Beef Tongue is a great meal... Expand your horizons CS's and try some new delicacies...

Naw, we're too old to worry about trying new delicacies though I'll taste anything reported to be edible once. But Hombre and I both enjoy such a wide variety of culinary delights that we don't have time for all that we would like to enjoy.

He shares your dislike for liver though. Just can't eat it. So I have to get my liver and onions fix when we're out and about. I don't make it at home.

My Mom used to get her liver fix away from home, too. My dad could not even stand the smell of liver cooking. I've only had liver once that I liked. I do eat braunschweiger, trimmed with raw onion and mustard on dark bread. Mostly, I'll cook up organ meats for the cats.

My mother was a depression era mother who could make a 5 star gourmet meal out of a soda cracker, bouillon cube, and a couple of wilted carrots. She would come see us when I was really under the gun at work and near exhaustion and I would swear there was nothing at all in the house to fix for dinner. She would rummage in the cabinets and fridge for a bit and the next thing we knew, there would be a good hot meal on the table.

She made wonderful meals, but her crowning achievement in my book was liver and onions that were so full of flavor and literally melted in your mouth. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Unfortunately she died before I could stand at her elbow to see just how she did it. I have tried and tried to duplicate her recipe and it just isn't the same.

Same here about cooking. I could search the house and not find anything to eat and my mother would come up with a feast! As for liver and onions, there is nothing as delicious as a plate full. Well, maybe corned beef and cabbage is in the same class. During WWII it was always "Liver on Tuesdays and fish on Friday."

Oh and after my mom made something really good out of what I assumed wasn't there, she would reorganized my kitchen cabinets.

 

[Hossfly]

Yahoo! First day of Spring! It's been warmer here, but expected to drop back to single digit temps the next couple of days. Roads are a mixed bag, icy here, running water there.
The goats were romping around like it's Springtime, though. I'm still watching for my first kids and there was a newborn kitten in my milk room this afternoon. Mom moved it ASAP after I made my appearance. I watched her run off two toms, too!

It is a weird day so far here. It keeps flurrying but then it will suddenly stop and the sun will come out, then it will get dark and flurry again. The sun is out now, but I can see some more dark spots heading my way! Yesterday was nice, but I'm still waiting for some nice steady 60 degree weather!

You can have some of the upper 80s, 90 degree days we're having.

I am not looking forward to those kinds of temps but we won't start getting them most likely until well into May.

It's supposed to cool back down again. Supposedly this is the second mildest winter down here on record. The Mulberry tree which shed it's leaves in January is almost fully leafed out again. All the HVAC companies are booked solid early summerizing the heating systems and turning on the swamps.

Wait, whoa.

"Turning on the swamps"? There's a switch for that?
Wait'll I tell Louisiana. I'll be famous.

Swamp coolers don't work well in Louisiana. South Texas, yes.

 

[Foxfyre]

Yahoo! First day of Spring! It's been warmer here, but expected to drop back to single digit temps the next couple of days. Roads are a mixed bag, icy here, running water there.
The goats were romping around like it's Springtime, though. I'm still watching for my first kids and there was a newborn kitten in my milk room this afternoon. Mom moved it ASAP after I made my appearance. I watched her run off two toms, too!

It is a weird day so far here. It keeps flurrying but then it will suddenly stop and the sun will come out, then it will get dark and flurry again. The sun is out now, but I can see some more dark spots heading my way! Yesterday was nice, but I'm still waiting for some nice steady 60 degree weather!

You can have some of the upper 80s, 90 degree days we're having.

I am not looking forward to those kinds of temps but we won't start getting them most likely until well into May.

It's supposed to cool back down again. Supposedly this is the second mildest winter down here on record. The Mulberry tree which shed it's leaves in January is almost fully leafed out again. All the HVAC companies are booked solid early summerizing the heating systems and turning on the swamps.

We're scheduled for the last weekend in April to do that as it has been every year. Last year we had to call and postpone though when we had a cold blast the week we were supposed to change from heating system to swamp cooler. We are bound to have at least one more cold snap before summer.

 

[Pogo]

But I'm still confuserated that March 18 was already more than 12 hours of daylight, if the equinox wasn't until the 20th.

It is based on the equator and not the northern hemisphere for equal day and night.

Of course. That's it, innit. Silly me.

Everybody should get their own Equinoxes depending on l'attitude.

 

[Pogo]

ah, "swamp coolers", that's what he meant? I recall that term now from long ago in here.

But I've only ever heard of it in this thread. Never seen one IRL.

 

[Foxfyre]

It is a weird day so far here. It keeps flurrying but then it will suddenly stop and the sun will come out, then it will get dark and flurry again. The sun is out now, but I can see some more dark spots heading my way! Yesterday was nice, but I'm still waiting for some nice steady 60 degree weather!

You can have some of the upper 80s, 90 degree days we're having.

I am not looking forward to those kinds of temps but we won't start getting them most likely until well into May.

It's supposed to cool back down again. Supposedly this is the second mildest winter down here on record. The Mulberry tree which shed it's leaves in January is almost fully leafed out again. All the HVAC companies are booked solid early summerizing the heating systems and turning on the swamps.

Wait, whoa.

"Turning on the swamps"? There's a switch for that?
Wait'll I tell Louisiana. I'll be famous.

Swamp coolers don't work well in Louisiana. South Texas, yes.

Very true. I would assume they wouldn't work well in the east coast states either or in most of the mid west. They're usually pretty efficient throughout New Mexico and West Texas, but by the time you get as far east as Dallas or OKC or central Kansas, most of the time the humidity is too high for a swamp cooler to be effective. Even here, there are days that are humid enough to make the swamp cooler ineffective.

 

[Foxfyre]

ah, "swamp coolers", that's what he meant? I recall that term now from long ago in here.

But I've only ever heard of it in this thread. Never seen one IRL.

Dreadful things they are, but they are effective in dry climates, and our bill to cool our house is about 10% of what it would cost with the refrigerated air most people have or that we had in Kansas.

 

[Pogo]

You can have some of the upper 80s, 90 degree days we're having.

I am not looking forward to those kinds of temps but we won't start getting them most likely until well into May.

It's supposed to cool back down again. Supposedly this is the second mildest winter down here on record. The Mulberry tree which shed it's leaves in January is almost fully leafed out again. All the HVAC companies are booked solid early summerizing the heating systems and turning on the swamps.

Wait, whoa.

"Turning on the swamps"? There's a switch for that?
Wait'll I tell Louisiana. I'll be famous.

Swamp coolers don't work well in Louisiana. South Texas, yes.

Very true. I would assume they wouldn't work well in the east coast states either or in most of the mid west. They're usually pretty efficient throughout New Mexico and West Texas, but by the time you get as far east as Dallas or OKC or central Kansas, most of the time the humidity is too high for a swamp cooler to be effective. Even here, there are days that are humid enough to make the swamp cooler ineffective.

So I take it this thing does the opposite of what my dehumidifier does?

 

[Foxfyre]

I am not looking forward to those kinds of temps but we won't start getting them most likely until well into May.

It's supposed to cool back down again. Supposedly this is the second mildest winter down here on record. The Mulberry tree which shed it's leaves in January is almost fully leafed out again. All the HVAC companies are booked solid early summerizing the heating systems and turning on the swamps.

Wait, whoa.

"Turning on the swamps"? There's a switch for that?
Wait'll I tell Louisiana. I'll be famous.

Swamp coolers don't work well in Louisiana. South Texas, yes.

Very true. I would assume they wouldn't work well in the east coast states either or in most of the mid west. They're usually pretty efficient throughout New Mexico and West Texas, but by the time you get as far east as Dallas or OKC or central Kansas, most of the time the humidity is too high for a swamp cooler to be effective. Even here, there are days that are humid enough to make the swamp cooler ineffective.

So I take it this thing does the opposite of what my dehumidifier does?

Kinda. The motor pulls air through water soaked pads and then pushes the cooled and humidified air into the house. And since low humidity is pretty destructive on furniture and other wood in the house, this is actually good for our stuff, cuts down on static electricity, and does not make it uncomfortable for the people unless the natural humidity is unusually high.

We have a Master Cool unit that is so powerful that we have to leave a window or two open to expel air being pumped into the house.

I never felt my best with refrigerated air for some reason, but thrive with our swamp cooler. Maybe because we are constantly getting fresh air from outside with the swamp while the refrigerated system recirculates the air inside the house.

Of course that is a problem if we're getting smoke from a forest or other wild fire as all the smoke isn't cleaned by the pads and it is pumped into the house with the fresh air, but that is a really rare problem.

 

[saveliberty]

Of course. That's it, innit. Silly me.

Everybody should get their own Equinoxes depending on l'attitude.

Equinox equality surprisingly is not a thing.

 

[Pogo]

It's supposed to cool back down again. Supposedly this is the second mildest winter down here on record. The Mulberry tree which shed it's leaves in January is almost fully leafed out again. All the HVAC companies are booked solid early summerizing the heating systems and turning on the swamps.

Wait, whoa.

"Turning on the swamps"? There's a switch for that?
Wait'll I tell Louisiana. I'll be famous.

Swamp coolers don't work well in Louisiana. South Texas, yes.

Very true. I would assume they wouldn't work well in the east coast states either or in most of the mid west. They're usually pretty efficient throughout New Mexico and West Texas, but by the time you get as far east as Dallas or OKC or central Kansas, most of the time the humidity is too high for a swamp cooler to be effective. Even here, there are days that are humid enough to make the swamp cooler ineffective.

So I take it this thing does the opposite of what my dehumidifier does?

Kinda. The motor pulls air through water soaked pads and then pushes the cooled and humidified air into the house. And since low humidity is pretty destructive on furniture and other wood in the house, this is actually good for our stuff, cuts down on static electricity, and does not make it uncomfortable for the people unless the natural humidity is unusually high.

We have a Master Cool unit that is so powerful that we have to leave a window or two open to expel air being pumped into the house.

I never felt my best with refrigerated air for some reason, but thrive with our swamp cooler. Maybe because we are constantly getting fresh air from outside with the swamp while the refrigerated system recirculates the air inside the house.

Of course that is a problem if we're getting smoke from a forest or other wild fire as all the smoke isn't cleaned by the pads and it is pumped into the house with the fresh air, but that is a really rare problem.

Obviously I haven't spent much time in arid climates. I have been to Colorado, AridZona, Utah etc and noticed there was always a humidifier in the hotel room, but those visits seem to have been in the cooler months.

 

[Pogo]

Of course. That's it, innit. Silly me.

Everybody should get their own Equinoxes depending on l'attitude.

Equinox equality surprisingly is not a thing.

Perhaps we should protest in the streets for it.

 

[saveliberty]

Of course. That's it, innit. Silly me.

Everybody should get their own Equinoxes depending on l'attitude.

Equinox equality surprisingly is not a thing.

Perhaps we should protest in the streets for it.

Good luck pulling a permit from Foxfyre.

 

[Foxfyre]

Wait, whoa.

"Turning on the swamps"? There's a switch for that?
Wait'll I tell Louisiana. I'll be famous.

Swamp coolers don't work well in Louisiana. South Texas, yes.

Very true. I would assume they wouldn't work well in the east coast states either or in most of the mid west. They're usually pretty efficient throughout New Mexico and West Texas, but by the time you get as far east as Dallas or OKC or central Kansas, most of the time the humidity is too high for a swamp cooler to be effective. Even here, there are days that are humid enough to make the swamp cooler ineffective.

So I take it this thing does the opposite of what my dehumidifier does?

Kinda. The motor pulls air through water soaked pads and then pushes the cooled and humidified air into the house. And since low humidity is pretty destructive on furniture and other wood in the house, this is actually good for our stuff, cuts down on static electricity, and does not make it uncomfortable for the people unless the natural humidity is unusually high.

We have a Master Cool unit that is so powerful that we have to leave a window or two open to expel air being pumped into the house.

I never felt my best with refrigerated air for some reason, but thrive with our swamp cooler. Maybe because we are constantly getting fresh air from outside with the swamp while the refrigerated system recirculates the air inside the house.

Of course that is a problem if we're getting smoke from a forest or other wild fire as all the smoke isn't cleaned by the pads and it is pumped into the house with the fresh air, but that is a really rare problem.

Obviously I haven't spent much time in arid climates. I have been to Colorado, AridZona, Utah etc and noticed there was always a humidifier in the hotel room, but those visits seem to have been in the cooler months.

Yes, the air can become uncomfortably dry in low humidity days even in the winter months, and the heater will exacerbate that.