Cactus Jack Calder

Hot Cups: 1. Do yo use a dishwasher to clean your coffee cups? 2. If not do you soak them in a dish tub? 3 Look at the bottom of the Pfaltzgraff cups, does the glaze not cover the entire bottom (this is the most usual way ceramic cups are made)? It is likely that moisture has wicked into the ceramic core of the cup. Microwave ovens heat items by vibrating the water molecules to create friction on a molecular level. Think rubbing two sticks together to start a fire (good luck with that ). The moisture in the ceramic core may have finally dried out, allowing the heat of the coffee in the cup to radiate through the ceramic. The radioing of heat through the ceramic is a much slower process. Therefore on burning fingers. Right hand vs Left hand sensitivity: It is possible that you right hand, being your dominant hand, has built up a tougher layer of skin. Not exactly a callus but similar in nature. I know I can drink some hot fluids that would make my jerk my hand back without damaging or causing pain to my tongue. The sensitivity of various parts of our body seems to be adjust to how they are used. CJ

Yul, We have had one of those for two years. We really like it. Three in the house and each likes coffee a little different. With this one we have our choice. One thing I especially like is the easy cleaning of the needles. The Keurig we had before this got clogged up to where I couldn’t clear it out. A side note. I’m sure many know this, but for anyone with a K cup type machine. DO NOT LEAVE THE USED CUP IN THE MACHINE. As the machine cools it will suck up the grounds into the top needle and the water channel above the needle. Once the grounds are dried in the upper channel it is a b...ch to get them out. I found our last Keurig was impossible to disassemble enough to reach all the piping. Finally trashed it.

Prayers are going now.

It is if you go out in your skivies!

Does anyone remember Art Linkletter (Host of the TV show People are Funny)? He wrote a couple of books about his experiences. In those days most TV shows were “filmed in front of a live audience “. In fact People are Funny had an orchestra. He wrote that in one Thanksgiving Day show they brought on a turkey. No one on the staff knew that turkeys were able to fly. The bird became agitated and took of from the stage. The terrified bird “circled the stage and made a bombing run over the orchestra.” Our family would watch the show on a regular basis, too bad I missed that one. I’m sure that sequence was cut from the reruns. CJ

Allie, We had a rough collie that was a year older than me. Once I was crawling he figured I was his pup. Once I was walking, Mom would give us each a cookie. His was Milk-Bone and mine was chocolate chip. We, my pal Bruce and I, would go off to another room and trade. Milk-Bones aren’t bad, not my favorite nowadays, but certainly palatable. CJ

I use my wife’s grandfather’s 110 year old Savage Model 99 in 38-55, with a buck horn rear sight. It is marked “High Pressure Steel” and shoots smokeless powder. With a 255 grain bullet it is a good brush gun. Not one of those sniper type cartridges. It has a 5” - 6” arc if sighted in at 100 yards. Interesting story: When Pappy past the rifle on to me I took it out on a woodchuck hunt to sight it in. My hunting buddy saw an old granddaddy of a chuck the farmer had been trying to get rid of, in a cut over corn field, at about 200 yards. My buddy says, ‘Why don’t I try the shot with the .38.’ ‘He’ll back me up with his .243 with a 12 power scope’. ‘If I miss he’ll pop him’. Who knows what the drop is at that distance. So I lined up the shot and then picked a spot about 2’ higher up the hill to aim at. Blam, that chuck went down and never twitched. We are both flabbergasted, and when we went out to retrieve him we saw that I had hit about 1’ in front of the chuck. There was a flat rock with a blaze of lead across it. The ricochet did the job. I like the idea of the fiber optic front sight, wish I had thought of that.

Magnolia? I’ve never seen one that young but the leaf shape is similar. We have one next door on the property line. When the old leaves fall they are like dried leather and don’t decompose. Also, a b’’’ch to rake up and you know who gets to do that. You do better with one of those pointy stick things and the shoulder bag they give to Parks and Rec people to pick up trash. Try stabbing 40,000 leaves each year. It's fun! Believe me! I wouldn’t lie to you! I promise!

I was once told by my Math Professor in college, that Zero was invented by Arab Mathematicians. Prior to that there was no mathematical concept for ‘nothing or the lack of anything’.

Another utility man here. During my time (33+yrs) the Co always installed a shutoff valve at the street mainline tap point for each service. It was in the ROW for the street, usually not in the paved area. As to what was done in the far distant past? IDK! Fire Departments always called the utility for a structure fire. Most times a Trouble-man was in the area and would respond ASAP. Also many of the Fire Departments knew where street shut offs were located and could operate the valves.

Millennial's Ancestors

Joe, Thank you for finding and posting this. My Father was a Test Engineer at the Paterson, NJ plant during WWII. I grew up in Fair Lawn, NJ. I looked for him in the film (no go there), but my brother and I are still proud of his contribution to the war effort. Dad had a 27 year career as a Design Engineer at Wright Aeronautical. Since the the advent of jet engines Dad used to tell me about many of the specially designed parts of aircraft engines, how they were designed and worked. I am an Electrical Engineer, though I do understand much of the Mechanical Engineering principles he knew intimately. I always enjoyed the discussions and explications of his “arcane art”. I once asked Dad why he persisted in telling me all these things as I was not likely to build aircraft engines. His response was, “Because I am afraid it will be lost”. In later years Dad had a second career with Teledyne(sp?) designing and building small aircraft engines. I think he got to pass on some of his specialized knowledge there. Sorry for the rambling post, I miss him. CJ Calder

Hardpan, just a word of caution. E6000 will eat some plastics. Styrene is one that it will eat. If your plaques are plastic test the glue first. Good Luck! CJ

Marshal, I was hit by another driver who crossed the center line. To get the car repaired in a reasonable time frame I had to use my insurance, however, my Insurance Co sued for recover as the other driver was at fault. I finally got back my deductible minus legal fees for the Insurance Co Lawyer, (0.50/1.00). I believe the dealership should be sued by your Insurance Co. They have deep enough pockets to prevail over the dealership's corporate lawyers. If you sued personally you might spend more than you could recover. Of course you could claim emotional distress, etc. at the damage done to your "baby", where the Ins Co has no emotion only $$. CJ