bigbuck

I cut meat since I was 13 all the way through university. I can tell you this, the most flavourful juicy steak is a nice thick 1.5-2 inch Rib Steak (gotta have the bone for the extra flavour it imparts to the meat). Only some Garlic Salt and a bit of black pepper cooked over Sugar Maple. Meat is different now then it was in the early 90's and earlier. Back then, we used to dry age it for a minimum of 21 days before breaking up the hinds and fronts. Now it comes precut in boxes and is wet aged. Don't let anyone and I mean anyone tell you that wet aging is better. The old school steakhouses used to dry age their own meat in their coolers until mould was growing on the fat. Once cut and trimmed, those steaks didn't need a knife, a fork would suffice. With boxed beef these days, butchers are increasingly becoming a rare breed. My old neighbour who owns Upper Cut Meats in the St Lawrence market laments that he can't find a good boner (yeah yeah, don't laugh, that is the guy who makes the money for the butcher shops, he trims the steaks and bones and makes hamburger). All the big chain stores sell boxed beef or pre cut pre packaged beef. At most, they just need someone to slice it and package it. Ask these guys to break up a hind and they'll look at you kinda funny. Back in the days of Knob Hill Farms, we kept the chain stores honest on their pricing, anyone price out steaks lately??? They are more than double what they used to be and you know what, the farmers are getting the same money for the cows if not less, go figure. The money is all going to the packers and retailers. We are getting hosed. As for the poster above who buys the reduced steaks that are grey on the verge of going green, you've got the right idea. BUT don't cook a green steak, that's gone bad or is pretty close, don't take the chance on that. Grey and dark are more preferable than bright red. The problems these days with E Coli are serious and are only going to get worse with the corn fed beef we have now, cows aren't supposed to be fed corn, they are supposed to eat grass. Feed them what they are supposed to eat and then they don't need antibiotics, grass diets reduce E Coli by over 95%. Only problem, grass diets result in more inconsistent and slightly tougher meat something which we as a society don't like. We want our steaks and all our food for that matter to look perfect.

Happy BDay TJ!! May you have a full stringer.

Barefoot, I'd run it for around a half hour or so at LOW RPM, don't rev it up too much with a can of Seafoam in the crankcase. Do it the next time you do an oil change, any crud should be flushed out of your engine. Another thing you should do is take it out for a good highway run (a couple of hours or so), that should break up any junk too. Modern motor oil is designed with lots of anti sludge and plenty of detergent additives to keep your engine clean. Really, you don't need to do Seafoam your engine. Do your next couple of oil changes earlier than your regular service interval (5000kms) and you'll have cleaned it out.

I picked up a can yesterday and ran 3/4 of it through the power brake vacuum line, I blew an obscene amount of smoke for about 5 minutes, went and put a new catalytic convertor (throwing a code for it) on and passed my emissions test with flying colours on the second try at my local Canadian Tire (the first try they put it on after the car sat for 2 hours and not warmed up so it failed, the whole rigamorole of $140 for a 'diagnostic', the actual mechanic that did that could not find anything wrong and once I told him it was tested cold he redid the test himself and lo and behold it passed and was barely registering any pollutants, no $140 for the diagnostic and no $17.50 for the retest).

$11.99 at PartSource. I picked up a can and ran it through my 4.0 Aurora.

BillM, you'll probably get 750k outta her if not more. It's that kind of longetivity and fuel economy that I'm looking for if what I'm working on now pans out. I'm going to be driving over 60 000kms/year and that's only for work. The thought of spending that kind of money on gasoline at these prices makes me shudder even with an Accord or Camry. I took out the new Jetta and it drives just like my old '91 did, but even tighter and smoother with more room.

Don't bash on how the guy talks, I've seen Italo at a couple of the fishing shows and he is always very helpful and humble, some of the others have too much of an ego. He paid the price for his transgressions, move on with it guys. Stoty, good for you guys, it gets your name out there for the cost of gas.

Uni knot, double uni knot, Palomar and Trilene are the only ones I use and I don't have problems with them. The other ones demand a lot of practice and I would not try to tie them in low light conditions.

There should not be any sludge formation in your engines as long as you change the oil regularly. As for putting the Seafoam in the crankcase, it will work but I would not run an engine for a very long time with it in there, it thins out the oil and affects it's viscosity. As for cleaning out gunk in carbs, the stuff is great. I wouldn't use it as a stabilizer, stick to Stabil Marine formula for your boat, that is what it's made for, it's not a 'jack of all trades' item. I've read posts on marine websites about problems with Seafoam when used as a stabilizer, it's not the greatest product for that.

BillM, why add it to the diesel?? I'm kicking around the idea of getting a Jetta TDI in the new year at some point so I'm educating myself on the idiosyncracies of running a diesel car. As for a gas car, I don't think it would be a good idea,as Bernie said, the new engines they are building are more reliable and efficient than anything of the past. With regular maintenance (changing the engine oil regularly being the most important) there isn't too much reason why an engine would not go well over 300 000kms and even approaching 500 000.

I was flipping channels last night and at 11, lo and behold, Holmes Inspection was tackling a house with multiple water leaks in the roof and a cold room over the garage. Insulation problems and having a vent blowing warm air into the space between the garage ceiling and the floor of the room without a cold air return were the issue. Check up in the attic to see if there is sufficient insulation and you'll have to rip out the drywall in the garage and have it spray foamed properly. Get a space heater to keep the room warm. Do what you have to do, a bit more on the hydro bill beats having a sick child. You should still be able to pursue Tarion since you did complain about the issue but did not have it resolved. I'd speak to a lawyer if I were you. A nasty letter from a lawyer can sometimes work miracles. Good luck Bud!!

That sucks!!! You'd think that Rapala would have some sort of a parts network and warranty shops!!. Don't think I'd be buying a Rapala reel anytime soon if no one comes up with a decent solution. Try contacting Aaron Shirley on the board here, he's a Rapala pro staffer and might be able to help you. The reels look nice and feel good, it's too bad if they can't be fixed if they break.

Erie is a bit better for shopping then anything close to the river ie. Niagara Falls and Buffalo. You get to shop at actual outlet malls and not 'tourist malls'. I have a couple of colleagues that go down that way and swear by it. Much better deals. Besides, it's a little getaway. Have fun!!

I hate to say this but is your garage drywalled?? If so, you may need to remove it to inspect the ducting and insulation. I don't know if you watch Holmes on Holmes but this is an issue that he has run into time and time again. The room should be as warm as the rest of the house. Are you still covered under the Tarion new home warranty??

You are looking at about 8% or so to finance a used boat. You would probably do better with a secured line of credit if you own your house. If not, an unsecured line of credit might be an option if you qualify for the amount you want to spend.

You keep on trucking Wayne!!! Your daughter is battling this like a champ. You better plan some sort of special family event for next summer once this is finished with. Take your wife and Jen on a nice trip or do something REAL NICE for them. I'm praying for you guys.

My old next door neighbour in Scarbourough had one of those, it was a bear to start but it worked. It died a horrendous death in '89 during a heavy snowfall, I was clearing an elderly neighbours driveway when the engine blew, the piston blew a hole through the side of the block and was nowhere to be found.

Either a Stihl or a Husqvarna. They are both great chainsaws, go with either an 18" or a 20". Get plenty of quotes and see if you can get someone to come from out of the immediate area to quote as well. Good luck!!

BillyBob, I mentioned my Toro 521. I just gassed it up, pumped up the tires, pulled the starter cord a couple of times slowly to get things moving, primed and choked her and she started on the first pull. These things are made to be ran hard and with a bit of basic maintenance, will last years and years.

I'd go with checking tension on the belts. You may as well get new drive belts for it and change the oil while you are at it. Pay attention to the controls, if they have much play in them, adjust them as well. I've got a 5hp Toro 2stage 4 stroke 21 incher that I inherited from my dad 4 years ago, it is 20 years old and still starts on the first pull. The only problems with it were about 15 years ago the carb gummed up, the slides needed to be replaced and 2 years ago one of the shear pins broke, other than that, I change the oil every couple of years, pump up the tires and I'm good to go.

Eat lots of garlic and chicken soup (laced with some cayenne pepper to keep the mucous flowing), gargle with warm salt water, hot tea with honey and like Bing Crosby used to say 'Have a hot toddie for your body' Oh yeah, try to get as much sleep as possible.

Oh the joy of having a PM from Alberta. You have to think who finances Mr Harper's campaign. So, that said, we won't be getting any sort of a break on fuel any time soon. BTW, I am Conservative in my political views, I'm just calling it like I see it in my little world.

We will see what is going to happen if Rogers buys the Leafs. The Teachers aren't able to milk any more profits out of the team so they are losing interest. So for 1.3 billion samoleeans we may have a winning team in the next couple of years. I think this year may be another foregone conclusion. I however, remain faithful and hopeful that one day we may relive the glory days of the early '90s with Dougie Gilmour and Wendy Clark et al. where we actually had a chance at the cup.

Well, that's the end of an era of the little guy taking on the government on tv. Cronzy was outspoken and he unllike most other people who complain from their couch had the testees to actually take on the government with dumb policy decisions. He'd go fishing and keep a few for the pan, what is wrong with that???? He didn't break any rules. Have all of you had a nice 'Sweet 16' from a northern lake fried on an open fire on a beach?? It's a great experience and he pandered not to our friends south of the border BUT TO US!! So, hop in your car next summer, go up north, stay at a lodge for a few days for your holiday and catch some tasty 'eyes (that's what I want to do)!!! Good luck and good health to you Big Guy, I will miss your show.

Looks like you guys had a great time even though you had high winds on Sat and Sun. Catching fish can sometimes be secondary to the great fellowship.