Well today….What did YOU do?

3A south Frogs were nice. Gerald was in 3A north. He got some of the biggest he has seen in years. Had 4 that made a pound.

So far.......it's 8:00am now......filed a burn permit application after doing a smoke screening and reviewing the prescription in light of current weather, filled 4-wheelers and the 500 gallon haul behind tank with water, loaded tools & torches and checked on the bear traps over in Hampton. Had a few minutes after that to read the news and answer a couple of work related emails......now this.

"Fire at 11:00."

Today......another long one.......put out duff around a dozen or so LARGE slash pines in the unit Louann and I burned yesterday, picked up one of the bear traps we've been working ( A fail.), cleaned up some of the burn equipment, communicate with the lady who runs land managemnt for the SJRWMD in this area about what we and they will be torching after the front passes ( Wednesday and Thursday should be darn good burn days..... ).......rummaged through the trash of a neighbor who is moving out ( Yes.....got some good stuff....rags for the barn and the like....)........

Basically....worked.......

Took a pass on an opportunity to work for a very large fishing bait conglomerate in South Carolina. Not sure if it was the right decision, but it is difficult to jump from a safe ship these days not knowing how good the other ship really is.

Life will continue on..

That's easy, hide your money, sneak out and go fishing--- very early. Maybe the problems will be gone when you get back, if not, a least the fishing was good.

Camera lens is probably fogged up.

   Getting ready to head outside for the Mardi Gras parade in Biloxi 

Just my wife’s when she was changing clothes. Biloxi ain’t New Orleans. Actually, I like it that way.

Mostly, and at the crux of it, I got ready for tomorrow.

Replumed the pull behind tank so that a old guy does not always have to fight the 2" hose on it. Getting old sux!

Fixed the tractor exhaust, sort of..... Oh.....and it took 4 stops to find the 2 pipe clamps needed. Can not imagine how it is that 3 of 4 auto parts stores in Palatka could be out of 2 1/2 inch exhaust clamps. And now it's 4 of them as I got the last two at the 4th place. And.....if the guy knew what was talking about, 2 1/2 is the most used size so one would think it was the size they'd keep more of. Go figure.

Redisked two lines around a unit we're going to burn in the morning......if the Florida Forest Service approves our plan.

Finished up the burn plan....loaded what we need into the truck, fueled & watered up the 4-wheelers....basically a lot of small but necessary stuff.

If tomorrow goes as planned we'll have some UF interns on the fire line......and we'll.......well.....let's wait till tomorrow to report in that.....

Welded up a oil cooler for one of the airboats. Then took the taxes down to key largo to get done.

Not sure about today yet.......but yesterday......went at another section, this one 9 year old long leaf right up against SR 100. Due to its location, and the fact that about 5 years ago we shut down SR 100 for 8 hours on Christmas Eve when the wind did not develop as forecast, we are VERY careful when lighting off anything anywhere near a road.

Had 3 UF inters and their coordinator from ACT participate. Actually the send time in a couple of weeks that we've been with UF interns, the other over on Little Orange Creek........a experience which reminds one that there are plenty of sound, reasonable, rational, energetic, inquisitive and non-lazy young people in our society. That's a positive.

On the burn......we scorched the bejesus out of a bunch of trees due to our moving the fire fast so as to be able to get it out and mopped up well before dark so as to protect SR 100. The scorching is bad......the sleeping well last night knowing that if something went bad on SR 100 it was not because of us....that was VERY GOOD.......

I went to remove a hose off an outside faucet and the hose was stronger than the copper pipe holding the faucet. Broke off inside the concrete block. Had to chip out some of the concrete block around it to get to the pipe, clean it, could not sweat a new fitting due to small space, so went with a sharkbite with a pipe thread end, and then a PVC Tee to add a new faucet and allow me to run some PVC out to the vegetable garden instead of using the hose to water it. Tomorrow I will gig a trench, bury the pipe, and make it easier to water the garden. also have to patch the hole in the concrete block wall. Thinking of filling it with great foam and use concrete patch on the outside.  Next week I have to clean out the weeds, buy some garden soil, and get ready to plant for spring.

This weekend it is supposed to rain, so will work on the Jeep a little.

This one was built in 1963.