Wed. April 22, 2020 – never really got the point of ‘hump day’…

By on April 22nd, 2020 in ebola, gardening, WuFlu

Warm?  Sunny?  Humid?  or rain.  No one knows.

Yesterday was another gorgeous day, although it did get a bit hot by the late afternoon.

I finished cleaning up the worst of the leftover rat shite and the shelves will be ready for use today.  I also cleaned up an area under my workbench, which was storing cr@p that doesn’t need to be in the garage, and had been walked on by the rats.  I’ll be able to organize that area now too.  Bulk medical will go there in sealed bins.  And maybe my gub support infrastructure and my non-prepping hobby messy stuff can go there.

I’ve still got some food on the garage shelves that I need to get out, then when everything is mostly in one place, I can see what to put back into that area, and what to leave nearer the kitchen.

I added more dirt to the potato towers.  Surveyed the new plantings, and I’ll have to replant some and cover with wire mesh.  Otherwise, the squirrels find the seeds to be a tasty treat.  It’s been long enough that if the radishes in the window boxes were going to sprout they would have, so I’ll reseed those as well.  I’ll give the beets and turnips a bit more time, since I can’t really replace them with anything at this late date.  I might have to do a bit more tree trimming to get enough sun where it needs to hit, I’ve been watching the beds throughout the day and some aren’t quite getting enough sun.

I spent part of the afternoon changing out a camera that just wouldn’t stay in a high rez stream.  I’ve got more of that style and make, so I got one out and replaced it.   I then took the bad one and decided to take out the IR filter so it would give good pics at night, when I have IR floods on.  I wanted to test on the bad one before doing it to the backyard cam.  Unlike most cams, the IR filter was glued to the CCD chip.  Alcohol didn’t break the bond, nor did acetone, but naptha eventually did.   I threw the cam into place just to see the result.  I am now getting good image in the back yard, which is dark under visible light.  Unfortunately, they’ve tuned the color to compensate for the IR filter, and without it, daylight looks strange.  I don’t think there will be enough adjustment to make it look good.  If not, I’ll find another cam to put there that looks good in the day and night.  Sometimes, trying to go cheap, with existing stuff, just doesn’t make sense.

I hated not seeing the back yard at night.  My monitor is mounted on an arm, and lives just above my PC’s center screen.  If I hear something or glance up, I can see all around the house.  Once you get used to that ability, you REALLY miss it if it’s not there.

Dinner was chicken mole’ from a(n old) can with additional can of costco chicken added, served as enchiladas with cheese.  Refried beans from a can (2018), and a corn salad, and brown rice rounded out the meal.   The enchiladas were really tasty, and a nice change of pace for Taco Tuesday.

I think we’ve got a long road ahead of us, and things are going to get a lot worse before they get better.  Spicy time is coming.  Get prepped.

Stay in, stay safe.

 

nick

57 Comments and discussion on "Wed. April 22, 2020 – never really got the point of ‘hump day’…"

  1. Ray Thompson says:

    More work on the house floor today. Replaced a small piece that had water damage from an old leak by the fireplace. The piece fell apart into crumbs for the most part once I started pulling it up. Fixed some of the major squeaks with 2″ construction screws driven in at an angle. A couple of minor squeaks will be impossible to fully eliminate without ripping up huge sections of the floor.

    Replaced all the A/C vents on the edge of the floor. While doing that also taped the ducts to the interior of the vents so that airflow is through only the vents. Also took the opportunity to snake a vacuum hose as far as possible into the duct work to suck up any dust or items that had fallen into the ducts.

    Baseboards go down in the bedroom today. The rest will wait until after the carpet is installed. May even delay the bedroom until after the carpet is installed.

    Full vacuum today with a shop vacuum to make certain the areas being installed tomorrow are free from dust and any small debris. Two large areas and the hallway are installed tomorrow. Other rooms are stacked with furniture that will require movement from the uncarpeted areas to the newly carpeted areas. A friend is coming over to help. Then on Friday those rooms (the uncarpeted ones) will receive their carpet.

    Saturday we can start putting the house back together and getting items back where they belong. That will be a tedious process.

    I also have to remove the nails from the old baseboards and cut the boards into 1′ lengths. Chainsaw will do nicely for that process. I will use the wood to burn when we take the trailer camping.

  2. ITGuy1998 says:

    The part I dislike most about remodeling is the clutter. Having our big dresser in the family room while we redid the master bedroom after water damage was the worst part.

  3. nick flandrey says:

    My master bath remodel started with partial demo before my 2nd daughter was born. Her 9th birthday is next week. Bathroom is still not done. Time flies. I’m SOOO glad I didn’t pull any fixtures back then. Of course work was going to continue this spring in the cooler temps (plumbing is in the attic). But china had other plans.

    n

  4. Ray Thompson says:

    The part I dislike most about remodeling is the clutter.

    I hate it all. The mess, the relocation of stuff so you don’t know where it is, the clutter, stepping around stuff, the cleanup, the unknowns that show up, multiple trips to Home Depot, putting everything back in place. Fortunately the wife does all the painting. Not that she likes it, she doesn’t trust me from past experience.

    We are sleeping downstairs in a smaller bed, different mattress. I don’t sleep well in strange places and to me it is a strange place. Get up in the night to pee and you have to think where the toilet is located. Then arguing with the wife and dog about getting my space back.

    Saturday we will start putting stuff back, maybe. May just rest for a day. Hopefully by the end of next week everything will be back where it belongs.

  5. Ray Thompson says:

    My master bath remodel started with partial demo before my 2nd daughter was born. Her 9th birthday is next week. Bathroom is still not done.

    Sounds like my brother-in-law. I have never, ever been in any of his three houses where something was not torn up and in various states of demolition, construction or just not finished. I have known him 45 years. So Mr. Nick, you are a rookie in the “remodel never done” competition.

  6. ~jim says:

    @Brad
    It sounds as though you’ve tried your level best to behave as a grown up but your neighbors are simply turds. I had that happen with my infantile sister over a piece of property and it caused me heartache until I decided that enough was enough and simply dismissed it by saying “talk to my lawyer”. I’ll admit there was a gleeful frisson of ‘gotcha’ uttering that phrase… :-p

    @Nick
    I have no cherished family recipe for fritters but they’re definitely worth a shot because you can’t really screw them up. It’s all about _Ratios_, which as a side note is a damned fine overview of cooking methodology. A couple tricks worth noting:
    1. Egg whites are warm when you whip them (and cream is ice cold, btw). Don’t forget a pinch cream of tartar! Alton Brown has an explanation of why this works, and it really does!
    2. Mash about one-third of the drained corn and reserve the liquid for the batter.
    3. Folding the whites in the batter goes much faster and more effectively just using your hand.

    Bacon grease and your cast iron are your friend! I’ve never done deep fat frying but I think you have and it might be fun to try that.

  7. RickH says:

    Is it time to buy more pork products before prices go up – or there are supply issues?

    Tyson Foods, one of the biggest meat producers in the U.S., is suspending work at its pork processing plant in Waterloo, Iowa. Officials in Black Hawk County, where the plant is located, say at least 150 people with close connections to the plant have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to Iowa Public Radio.

    The Waterloo plant, which employs 2,800 people, is just the latest U.S. meatpacking plant to shut down or reduce production. Other closed plants include a Smithfield Foods pork processing facility in Sioux Falls, S.D., which has been linked to over 900 infections, and a JBS beef plant in Greeley, Colo. Other plants are open but operating at a slower pace because many workers are absent.

    Although ….

    However, another Tyson plant in Iowa resumed “limited operations” this week after suspending work two weeks ago. Tyson Foods says it is supplying workers at the Columbus Junction site with face masks to wear on the job, installing dividers between workspaces and providing more break-room space. And the company says employees at its Waterloo plant can return later this week to be tested for the coronavirus.

    …and…

    According to Steve Meyer, a pork industry economist with Kerns & Associates, about 25 percent of U.S. pork production is now either idled or working slowly.

    from: https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/22/840927026/another-pork-plant-shuts-down-amid-coronavirus-outbreak

  8. SteveF says:

    What I’ve seen in the butcher shop, the supermarket, and Sam’s Club is that prices are up considerably, with beef, pork, and cow’s milk being most notable compared to a month ago.

  9. Greg Norton says:

    Is it time to buy more pork products before prices go up – or there are supply issues?

    NPR so take it for what its worth, but something has been going on with pork since before Christmas.

    I assume Smithfield production all goes to China since they own the company.

  10. ITGuy1998 says:

    Hopefully the price stays stable until the first of next month. My 7cu ft chest freezer will be delivered on May 1.

  11. ~jim says:

    Here in Seattle fish prices are WAY down. Fresh sockeye salmon fillets $12.99/lb. Commensurate prices on cod and other stuff.

    Good for a laugh if you need one:

    https://babylonbee.com/

  12. lynn says:

    “7 beard trimmers for when your scraggly quarantine beard has got to go”
    https://www.chron.com/shopping/slideshow/top-selling-beard-and-mens-hair-trimmers-201706/photo-19323712.php

    I worked on the inverted mullet again today with my beard trimmer. The wife says it looks ok. I doubt her word.

  13. Greg Norton says:

    Case closed. Boondoggle. Abovitz is down. Musk is next.

    The mafia protecting the Ponzi did a remarkable job of protecting the scam, having Abovitz strategically playing the antisemitism card where necessary, but nothing positive for Florida taxpayers has ever come out of the Motorola plant in Sunrise/Plantation.

    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-22/magic-leap-is-said-to-cut-half-of-jobs-in-major-restructuring

  14. lynn says:

    @lynn, he just worked the math backwards. Here’s our known condition, which CFR makes sense to match that known condition? And he gets ~3%. Then he cross checks it against the assumptions in the Stanford study and finds the numbers don’t match reality.

    Read it again, he skips a bit just before talking about the stanford study but he makes sense.

    Yes, but he is making an assumption that only 4% of the USA has been exposed and caught the virus. I think that 15+% of the country has been exposed and caught the virus. The two studies in California suggest that 15% is a better number (the son says that the studies are from testing women coming in to deliver babies). Aesop is certainly way way way more qualified than me to make the case though. And he has a new essay today defending his position.
    http://raconteurreport.blogspot.com/2020/04/dear-kenny.html

    We should find this out in a year or three as Abbott Labs is ramping up to 20 million antibody test kits a month in June which will apparently max out their big Bioreactor. And they are building a new Bioreactor that they should have online in 18 months (this thing is larger than a house). Trump has demanded XXXXXXXX asked them to build several of the Bioreactors but, not many people know how to build them apparently. And apparently the large Bioreactor in China is contaminated which means flush and restart the algae hydroponics from scratch.

    Anyway, Aesop makes a good case for his 4% exposure of the general populace which is scaring the crap out of me. That means we have a long way to go with this nightmare. And at some point, we have to come out of our caves and face the monster.

  15. lynn says:

    BC: trap door spider
    https://www.gocomics.com/bc/2020/04/22

    Only use a latrine that you built ? Most outhouses that I have used have wasps in the top and spiders in the bottom.

  16. Chad says:

    Tyson Foods, one of the biggest meat producers in the U.S., is suspending work at its pork processing plant in Waterloo, Iowa. Officials in Black Hawk County, where the plant is located, say at least 150 people with close connections to the plant have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to Iowa Public Radio.

    Why close the plant at this point? The “cats out of the bag.” Everyone at the plant has obviously been heavily exposed already. Might as well leave it open at this point. If they wanted to close it they should have done so 2 or 3 weeks ago.

  17. lynn says:

    Then arguing with the wife and dog about getting my space back.

    Our dog weighs only 25 lbs. But somehow she manages to take up 1/3rd of our queen size bed. That is why I put her in the her crate in our bathroom before I turn out the lights.

  18. William Quick says:

    And at some point, we have to come out of our caves and face the monster.

    I think we’ll mostly be out by the end of the month, in reality if not officially.

    A friend who lives in NE Cali (mountain country) says that as of this last few days the streets of his town look pretty much back to normal, with some small businesses open, and lots of traffic. No matter what Gabbin Nuisance thinks is happening with his imperial decrees.

    One group of (people, businessmen, owners) are not going to sit on the sidelines as their competition across the street, next town over, next state over, go wide and start eating their lunch.

    Here’s the worrisome part: Once the lockdown is lifted, it will never be reimposed, not in the real world, because the muh liberties crowd have permanently won that battle. So we’d best hope we have gotten it right.

  19. Nick Flandrey says:

    I think Aesop is probably closer to right than not.

    We’ll continue to lose plants and industries as people infect their coworkers, after all, if EVERYONE was still at work, we’d be seeing what we see in meat packing in EVERY industry. That was why we sent everyone home anyway, to keep it from all happening at once. Tyson took plants off line and are now bringing them back on, while losing a different one. Everywhere people kept working, there are cases.

    WRT Aesop’s numbers, specifically for NYFC. You can take it a step further.

    He ran with the known dead number and backed it up to see what the infected population would be if the CFR was flu, 0.1 or the predicted # for Covid, ~2>4. Taking that further, if o.1% gives you 85% of the population today, when would 0.1% give you 100% of the population? On that day, if the CFR was 0.1% you would see new deaths drop to zero as the entire population would have had it, have it, or died. Given the rate of new deaths, you should be able to converge those lines and prove or disprove the hypothesis that “it’s only the flu” with a CFR of 0.1%. Since it doesn’t seem likely that ~85% of NYS has already been infected, I think we will soon see that, in NYS at least, the CFR is much higher than 0.1%

    Or to put it another way, how many deaths in NYS would equal a CFR of the flu, 0.1%? When we get to that number, and people are still dying, then it will conclusively prove that in NYS at least, CFR is worse than the flu. 12Mx 0.001 = 12000 which means if everyone in the NYC metro area (12M iirc) got it, and the CFR was .1%, we would expect 12K deaths. We’ve already had 20K in NY State. Depending on how many are in the NYFC metro area, we’re probably already at .1% with no end in sight.

    That is all if I didn’t drop a decimal somewhere in there.

    n

  20. Nick Flandrey says:

    WRT prices of pork, they are up a bit from the incredible lows we’ve had recently. That may be because I’m only looking at costco pricing today, and delivered pricing at that, but I can’t imagine anyone will be blowing out pork tenderloin at $1/pound in a 10 pound pack, or $1/pound pork shoulder any time soon. That’s what I was paying at my local grocery a month ago.

    Spiral slice ham at costco was $2/pound. Don’t know what it is today.

    n

  21. Nick Flandrey says:

    My instacart experience hasn’t been awesome. Firstly, they dumped the deliver on my porch at 720am and never bothered to knock or ring the bell. Wife didn’t see them, and I didn’t get up until just before 9. They did send texts but I didn’t see them. So the cold food sat out for that time.

    They substituted some stuff when the large bulk pack wasn’t available, for smaller pack and organic (more cost per pound), and subbed tortillas for naan bread. That’s not really a substitute.

    The bulk pack of pork ribs was vac sealed but the package was damaged. No more vac. I’ve got a claim in for that, we’ll see what happens.

    To be fair, I did check the “leave it if I’m not there” box, because I didn’t know they would deliver before the store was even open, and because I thought they’d at least TRY to see if I was home. So that’s partly on me. I’ve got video of the delivery though, and chicka didn’t even try to let me know she was here.

    So far, NOT awesome.

    n

  22. paul says:

    She was scared of cooties from your doorbell button? Still, no excuse for not ringing the doorbell.

  23. lynn says:

    Put on your tinfoil hat. /rant on/

    When are you folks going to realize that “testing” is not going to solve the problem?

    All the tests are totally unreliable. Only the companies that have conjured them from the mud and the politicians and politicos “believe” them. As I mentioned a day or two ago the only 100% accurate test is on a dead body. The WuHuFlu was created to be “untestable” and to be constantly changing so as to avoid any sort of “cure”.

    Isolation and facemasks are pure placebos.

    It’s way past time to let Darwin have his day and release this ogre.

    In my little corner of the Peoples Republic of Jay Inslee, small businesses are starting to revolt and open. The companies that provide lawn maintenance and other home services are among the first. Hospitals want to get back to business as usual, treating those who really need it and making big bucks off those that don’t need it.

    There is nothing that justifies the cessation of our Constitutional Rights. And if you don’t think we have lost our rights then please leave.

    Take off your tinfoil hat. /rant off/

    Common sense and critical thinking. Get back to it.

    One of the commenters on knuckledragging claimed that there is 31 different varieties of SARS-COV-2 out in the wild. They also claimed that the same variant is in Wuhan and Italy. I find that an amazing claim. I am not giving the specific URL because there is a four letter word in there that I am not willing to repeat:
    http://ogdaa.blogspot.com/

    Our Attorney General in Texas just stated that religious services cannot be regulated by the State or the Counties. Next will be assemblies (baseball, football, protests, etc).
    https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/governor-abbott-and-attorney-general-paxton-provide-updated-joint-guidance-houses-worship

    “All emergency orders must comply with the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, Article I of the Texas Constitution, and the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which protect the rights of Texans to freely exercise their religion. Consistent with those protections, Executive Order GA-16 defines essential services to include “religious services conducted in churches, congregations, and houses of worship.” Orders given by state or local governments, therefore, may not prohibit people from providing or obtaining those religious services. And importantly, under GA-16, local government may not close houses of worship.”

    I do not know if I am crazy enough to go to church with my brethren though. Probably not right now. And my church is not meeting at the present anyway. And no hugging, handshaking, fist bumping, elbow swinging, heel touching, etc, etc, etc !

  24. lynn says:

    “Undercover Cops Arrest Two Texas Women Offering Cosmetic Services From Home After Getting Tipped Off by a Snitch”
    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/04/undercover-cops-arrest-two-texas-women-offering-cosmetic-services-home-getting-tipped-off-snitch/

    You are kidding me, right ? And those are jail smocks, these ladies are in jail.

    It is obvious the cops are bored out of their minds.

    Hat tip to:
    http://ogdaa.blogspot.com/2020/04/undercover-cops-arrest-two-texas-women.html

  25. paul says:

    About that new chest freezer. If you are like me, it’s a flat surface and stuff will land there.
    I put a towel on my little freezer to keep the paint from scratching. Not a good idea, the lid is now full of frost. Really a PITA trying to dig around in the freezer and trying to hold the lid up at the same time.

    What you need is this: https://www.amazon.com/San-Jamar-UL5103-Ultraliner-Length/dp/B001N3WQXW?tag=ttgnet-20

    I have some from work, almost 40 years ago. It looks like this. We got new shelves and the old liner didn’t fit. I’ve used it ever since on the shelves with cups and glasses.

    Or look for “bar shelf liner glasses”. But it might be easier to visit a restaurant supply .

  26. Chad says:

    They substituted some stuff when the large bulk pack wasn’t available, for smaller pack and organic (more cost per pound), and subbed tortillas for naan bread. That’s not really a substitute.

    I’ve had to dig around and find the “allow substitutions” setting on every online grocery ordering app/site I’ve used over the last 8 or so years and turn it off. Get me EXACTLY what I asked for or don’t get it.

    I’ve also had problems with the grocers (third parties are better about this) giving you whatever is about to expire. Loaves of bread and gallons of milk with “best by” dates of tomorrow. The grocery stores encourage the employees to use FIFO when fulfilling online orders. Third party services want good tips, so they’ll look for that gallon of milk in the back with an expiration date two weeks out.

    Odd thing we can’t find here at all of the local grocery stores and it’s especially annoying as they’re my daughter’s favorite: Cheddar & Sour Cream Lays. You can find the Ruffles and you can find other flavors of Lays, but the Cheddar & Sour Cream Lays are MIA. But for the pandemic I might assume they were discontinued. However, with all the supply chain craziness right now I’m not sure what’s up. I need to time it so I’m at the grocery store when the Frito-Lay guy is stocking the shelves so I can pick his brain.

    About that new chest freezer. If you are like me, it’s a flat surface and stuff will land there.

    I’ve always preferred uprights for that reason. Any horizontal surface turns into a shelf no matter how much bitching and complaining you do. Next thing you know you’re trying to lift a freezer lid with 200 pounds of stuff on it far enough to squeeze your arm inside so you can blindly feel around for what you want.

    …After Getting Tipped Off by a Snitch

    One of the most disappointing realities of the current pandemic is the tattling. Whatever happened to “snitches get stitches?” That’s some real petty shit to turn in a neighbor for servicing people one at a time at their own house for beauty services.

  27. paul says:

    Next thing you know you’re trying to lift a freezer lid with 200 pounds of stuff on it far enough to squeeze your arm inside so you can blindly feel around for what you want.

    It’s good to know I’m normal. Er, well, maybe sorta.

  28. lynn says:

    “A.F. Branco Cartoon – Just Another Day”
    https://comicallyincorrect.com/a-f-branco-cartoon-just-another-day/

    “War-Time President Trump isn’t only at war with the coronavirus, he also battles the MS Media and anti-American zealots in our own government. Political cartoon by A.F. Branco ©2020.”

    True dat.

  29. lynn says:

    It’s good to know I’m normal. Er, well, maybe sorta.

    I’m still working on the abbynormal thang.

  30. Greg Norton says:

    You are kidding me, right ? And those are jail smocks, these ladies are in jail.

    It is obvious the cops are bored out of their minds.

    Firefox had kittens when I tried to click through. Something about The Gateway Pundit being unsafe. What part of Texas? Austin?

    A lot of people’s life ambition is to be that Hitler Youth with the whistle in “The Sound of Music”. That’s a real danger of the already questionably legal orders.

    The Judge issuing the “shelter in place” for Williamson County broke his own order again recently, ordering the local stores open to ostensibly shop for mask supplies. I have no doubt that his wife picked up a few things which weren’t available at JoAnn curbside.

    https://www.fox7austin.com/news/williamson-county-judge-denies-using-covid-19-outbreak-to-go-shopping-on-county-dime

    A local lawyer is all over the Judge and doesn’t miss a thing.

  31. Mark W says:

    “All emergency orders must comply with the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, Article I of the Texas Constitution, and the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which protect the rights of Texans to freely exercise their religion. Consistent with those protections, Executive Order GA-16 defines essential services to include “religious services conducted in churches, congregations, and houses of worship.”

    Seems to me like that was obvious. You would think the cops would remember about the constitution occasionally. I suppose that the ones who do remember are not the ones arresting people for sitting in their cars in a parking lot.

  32. SteveF says:

    I’ll tolerate the chest freezer being used as a shelf when we’re entertaining and need that extra couple square feet of space in the kitchen. Not otherwise. By now my wife and mother-in-law have learned that anything left on the freezer will be placed on their usual seats at the kitchen table, on the floor, or in the garbage, as I see fit.

  33. SteveF says:

    If church groups are allowed to meet but others are not, how is that not privileging religious institutions above others? It’s not favoring one particular religion, but it’s still an obvious 1A violation.

  34. paul says:

    I’ve had to dig around and find the “allow substitutions” setting on every online grocery ordering app/site I’ve used over the last 8 or so years and turn it off. Get me EXACTLY what I asked for or don’t get it.

    I’ve used the HEB on-line ordering once. Just to try it and well, it’s all slick and stuff but for the time I spent waiting in the parking lot I could have wandered the store and shopped my self. All I saved was time at the check stand….. and that usually goes real fast because I line up the UPCs with every thing on one side of the belt and don’t simply dump everything randomly on the belt.

    Well, yeah, I had that job and I was good, too. I would have eight folks in line, the floor manager would try to send people to another checker but they wouldn’t budge. I’ve have my line of eight done, bagged, and gone while the next checker over was finally starting a second customer. I have some clue.

    As for substitutions, HEB had it as an option for each item. Ok, I’m ordering store brand tuna, yeah, sub in Chicken of the Sea. Same for boxes of Au Gratin potatoes. Pasta? Same. I’m good if you give the fancy brand at store brand price.
    Rice? Nope! No subs, I want Riceland brand.

  35. lynn says:

    Firefox had kittens when I tried to click through. Something about The Gateway Pundit being unsafe. What part of Texas? Austin?

    Laredo.
    https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Laredo-pair-allegedly-violated-coronavirus-15213098.php

  36. lynn says:

    If church groups are allowed to meet but others are not, how is that not privileging religious institutions above others? It’s not favoring one particular religion, but it’s still an obvious 1A violation.

    “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
    https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/United_States_of_America_1992

    All of these stay at home orders for healthy people are violating the first amendment. SCOTUS has held that the Bill of Rights applies to the States and the local authorities also.

    “Barr: Some governors’ action ‘infringes on a fundamental right’ during coronavirus”
    https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/493870-barr-some-governors-action-infringes-on-a-fundamental-right-during

  37. Ray Thompson says:

    Next thing you know you’re trying to lift a freezer lid with 200 pounds of stuff on it

    Rookie. My wife could beat that number by many pounds. All her stuff, important stuff, stuff she has not touched in 18 years, but we have to keep.

    anything left on the freezer will be placed on their usual seats

    I tried that once. It did not turn out well. Should have realized that relocating that pin cushion was not a wise choice. My wife grew up in that kind of environment. Stuff stacked everywhere. Move 20 items to find one. But never put an item in the same place twice. MIL and BIL are the same way. Must be some kind genetic anomaly. Fortunately the kid got my gene. His wife should thank me.

  38. ech says:

    You can find the Ruffles and you can find other flavors of Lays, but the Cheddar & Sour Cream Lays are MIA. But for the pandemic I might assume they were discontinued. However, with all the supply chain craziness right now I’m not sure what’s up.

    Due to increased demand they may not be making them, or the local grocers say to only bring more of the best sellers. HEB told the chip companies to only bring a few types of chips to stores after Harvey. They told their in-house baking operation to make only white bread, wheat bread, and white buns.

    Coke has announced that they are only making their best selling drinks. So Berry Fresca and the like won’t be available.

  39. Greg Norton says:

    All of these stay at home orders for healthy people are violating the first amendment. SCOTUS has held that the Bill of Rights applies to the States and the local authorities also.

    The Mask Nazis are getting really annoying around here. If the city/county doesn’t have an order about masks, some businesses are taking it upon themselves to post a fake one.

    Austin has a really high A**hat Quotient that leaks into the surrounding communities.

  40. ech says:

    The states have police power. They are also allowed to make laws that apply equally to all if they don’t place an undue burden on religious institutions.. They also can provide services to religious organizations that they also provide to all others (i.e. fire protection, policing, etc.). As long has the group meeting prohibitions are applied equally, they are probably going to be legal. They have in the past.

    Any religious group that starts services up again and causes a cluster is going to end up in court.

  41. MrAtoz says:

    What really bothers me are gooberners, mayors and judges making law unilaterally. They are using “PANDEMIC” “CRISIS” “EMERGENCY” to do what they think is right as “kings.” I read the Houston Police Officers Union told a Harris County judge ordering mandatory wearing of face masks to pack sand.

  42. lynn says:

    You can find the Ruffles and you can find other flavors of Lays, but the Cheddar & Sour Cream Lays are MIA. But for the pandemic I might assume they were discontinued. However, with all the supply chain craziness right now I’m not sure what’s up.

    Due to increased demand they may not be making them, or the local grocers say to only bring more of the best sellers. HEB told the chip companies to only bring a few types of chips to stores after Harvey. They told their in-house baking operation to make only white bread, wheat bread, and white buns.

    We have Cheddar and Sour Cream Ruffles at our HEB, saw them Tuesday. And we have the Chili Cheese Fritos which I caught the wife eating one day recently.

    We have a Frito-Lay plant right outside of town on the west side of Rosenberg. They have many product lines and are adding more. One of my employee’s sister works there and has been worried about her job as they are automating the plant in a big way. But they decided to upsize the plant even more.
    https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/sugarland/news/article/Frito-Lay-s-Rosenberg-facility-set-for-128-14921898.php

    I caught some fresh sourdough bread at HEB last week but none this week. Real hit and miss.

  43. lynn says:

    All of these stay at home orders for healthy people are violating the first amendment. SCOTUS has held that the Bill of Rights applies to the States and the local authorities also.

    The Mask Nazis are getting really annoying around here. If the city/county doesn’t have an order about masks, some businesses are taking it upon themselves to post a fake one.

    Austin has a really high A**hat Quotient that leaks into the surrounding communities.

    Yup, Harris County (the main county for Houston) just ordered face masks when outside. The Judge is a real control freak.
    https://www.chron.com/coronavirus/article/Harris-County-Lina-Hidalgo-mask-order-reactions-15218917.php?cmpid=trend

    “In an April 22 letter addressed to the community, the Houston Police Officers’ Union called the order “draconian” and said it is seeking counsel from the Texas Attorney General’s Office on the legality of imposing a fine for not wearing a mask in public.”

    “”It is clear the so-called leader of Harris County lacks any critical thinking skills,” Joe Gamaldi, Houston Police Officers’ Union Lodge 110 President wrote in the letter. “But let me assure the public, our officers do!””

  44. lynn says:

    Any religious group that starts services up again and causes a cluster is going to end up in court.

    So if a religious group starts up and a gunman walks in and kills several of them, is the religious group going to end up in court ?

    Life is a risk.

  45. SteveF says:

    For Lynn: https://stiltonsplace.blogspot.com/2020/04/crude-joke.html

    So if a religious group starts up and a gunman walks in and kills several of them, is the religious group going to end up in court ?

    If the shooter wasn’t wearing a mask, he’d probably be the one held liable. It’s simply unconscionable for him to risk possible exposure of germs to the people he’s shooting.

  46. SteveF says:

    With petroleum products being in a glut, tar should be essentially free, right? Does anyone know a cheap source of feathers? Asking for a friend.

  47. Greg Norton says:

    Yup, Harris County (the main county for Houston) just ordered face masks when outside. The Judge is a real control freak.

    Everyone running around looking like they’re ready to rob the 4:15 stage coach out of Dodge doesn’t mean cr*p. Kabuki.

  48. Greg Norton says:

    I knew I remembered the legendary quote from the Yuc’s original owner’s widow correctly.

    “I’d like to dig him up just so I could shoot him.”

    https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/mike-bianchi-commentary/os-sp-rob-gronkowski-tampa-bay-bucs-0423-20200422-tpcfnwdmcbhdvcc7fb3jjla32a-story.html

    Jimbo should be thankful that the Jameis Winston era ended with a whimper in Tampa.

  49. Nick Flandrey says:

    The “lawmakers” have given themselves sweeping emergency powers. As I’ve said before, once they declared the “emergency” they opened up a whole box full of legal authority. It may not be constitutional, but it’s legal until struck down.

    They basically believe they have the authority to do anything because they’ve given themselves that authority.000000000000

    And that ‘judge’ in Harris is the same one who seized the masks from my auction buddy, after he sold them to FEMA, without any allegation of price gouging or any other wrongdoing. She’s a diversity bean, elected on the last straight party ticket vote. With NO Emgmt experience at all.

    n

  50. lynn says:

    And that ‘judge’ in Harris is the same one who seized the masks from my auction buddy, after he sold them to FEMA, without any allegation of price gouging or any other wrongdoing. She’s a diversity bean, elected on the last straight party ticket vote. With NO Emgmt experience at all.

    What do you expect ? She is a dumbocrat. Dumbocrats are even worse than repuglicans.

    I figure that her dumbocrat buddy over here in Fort Bend County will order masks tomorrow. He has been following her so closely that he keeps on running into her backside when she slows down. They both got elected on the Bozo Robert Francis vote.

  51. Mark W says:

    The San Antonio mayor has issued an order that facemasks must be worn outside if you can’t keep social distancing. Don’t need one for walking but need one in Target. I don’t go out. Easy. Seems reasonable under the circumstances, if not constitutionally.

    KSAT has repeatedly reported that as “must wear a mask”. They used to be a relatively honest news station. The other SA stations are much worse.

  52. Nick Flandrey says:

    I did a bit of repair today. Really needed another fan in the garage, so I had to fix one. Turned out, it had a break in the supply cord, right at the stress relief clamp. Fixed that and oiled it. Now it runs like a champ again.

    STILL haven’t heard from instacart about my bad ribs. Not super responsive.

    Spent the last couple of hours migrating my security cam NVR to the latest iSpy platform which takes the whole thing in a different direction. It runs as a service under win10, and you access the server thru a web browser, chrome by their preference. Took a while to set up, as the camera list and properties didn’t migrate. Was supposed to, but didn’t. Maybe that was part of my issue with iSpy. MS update rebooted, and borked some config file.

    In any case, I’ve got it up and running. I get better frame rates and higher resolution. Doubles the CPU load, but I’m ok with that. It also makes it easier to access remotely or from other computers on my internal network, at least in theory.

    There is one tradeoff, I can’t easily resize the channels as they’re displayed. They all have to fit in their box in the grid.

    I haven’t nuked the old version yet, we’ll see how the new version runs.

    n

  53. lynn says:

    The San Antonio mayor has issued an order that facemasks must be worn outside if you can’t keep social distancing. Don’t need one for walking but need one in Target. I don’t go out. Easy. Seems reasonable under the circumstances, if not constitutionally.

    AG Barr agrees with you. He says that House Arrest is unconstitutional but requiring social distancing and PPE is not.
    https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/493870-barr-some-governors-action-infringes-on-a-fundamental-right-during

  54. Mark W says:

    I started reading the comments on that article. TDS in full force.

  55. Greg Norton says:

    Rob Gronkowski is 30. Old for a wide receiver. His breakaway is probably gone. Wait, he played tight end. Still old.

    It will put butts in seats, and the Yucs will effectively get two extra coaches for those positions. The team needs a good draft, however. A quality tackle and two young guys to learn from the future Hall of Famers. Plus they can’t neglect the defense.

    The GM has a very warm seat this year.

  56. Nick Flandrey says:

    One of the suppliers I’ve used in the past sends out and enewletter and it has jokes in it. This month there were a couple of good ones.

    My husband and I decided we don’t want children.
    We will be telling them tonight at dinner

    I used to spin that toilet paper like I was on Wheel of Fortune. Now I turn it like I’m cracking a safe.

    This morning I saw a neighbor talking to her dog. It was obvious she thought her dog understood her. I came into my house, told my cat. We laughed a lot.

    Homeschooling is going well… two students suspended for fighting and one teacher fired for drinking on the job.

    I don’t think anyone expected that when we changed the clocks, we’d go from Standard Time to the Twilight Zone.

    My body has absorbed so much soap and disinfectant lately that when I pee it cleans the toilet.

    Day 5 of Homeschooling: One of these little monsters called in a bomb threat.

    Day 6 of Homeschooling: My child just said “I hope I don’t have the same teacher next year”… I’m offended.

    It’s like being 16 again. Gas is cheap and I’m grounded

    n

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