Old Ironmaker

Ok, of course I don't get the joke. David I love the way everyone here, you especially on this post is more than willing to help out a fellow OFCer. Not all forums out there will, in fact some are just downright combative.

My very 1st time using a spinning reel I borrowed my brothers Mitchel 300, left hand retrieve. I had to turn it upside down to reel it with my right, backwards. I cast right handed and reel right handed. Being ambidextrous can get confusing. I write left handed unless a big white/blackboard I then use my right hand .

The fish would be flash frozen before you take the hook out. If that is you Big Dave, you nuts mon, berry berry nuts. I was in Florida for a few days last month, it was 55F in Naples and people said they were freezing and all the wealthy ladies were wearing their furs.

My Father will be 92 this April God willing. He is the last of the old timers in our family that made the Prosciutto's. Getting that vein out and the perfect amount of salt is the key I learned otherwise the entire thing is a waste. My brother does the fresh and dried sausages just like he did. I'm better at eating than making. We have an Italian guy at the club that makes and sells the salami's, sausages and prosciutto etc.and sells them for cheap. 4 bucks a pound for fresh sausages, I can't make it for less than that. Zero shrinkage. I like mine hot with fennel.

A not bad Prosciutto is more a kilo than Lobster. The sin is I never ate all the home made stuff until I was in my mid 20's after I stopped playing ball. I always helped but refused to eat it. Too fattening, what a mamaluce. (mama lewk) Os there such a word Albert? I was called that on many an occasion. Gabrone is another word I was called. I can still hear my Father freaking on my brother because he would cut off a huge piece of something and eating it without pane. "What no bread Jimmy?"

I should read all the posts before I comment about drilling a hole in the living room floor. You will never get through the concrete in the basement. When we were fit as a fiddle and 30 to 40 years younger we chased the Perch where ever they were, Simcoe, Couch and Nipissing. Drilling 30 holes was normal, and I'm talking manual augers and axes. Then we evolved to chain saws. Fishing budgets were tight those days and gas augers weren't cheap. If there were hand held cordless drills then we would have made Swiss cheese out of a lake. Those lakes were usually where we went for Perch as #1 quarry and of course St. Williams on Erie after we moved to Lake Erie. We would use the huts as home base and the kitchen unless the fish were directly below, odds are they weren't, except a few pesky Pike that chased all the others away. I don't know if fishing was priority #1, we sure cooked up some great meals on the ice along with something to wash it down with. We usually had enough to feed our neighbours and did. Nothing more boring than staring down a hole for hours on end catching dinks. Don't limit yourself to a hut, fish move and so should you.

Don't drill a hole in the floor.. Looks like you have the ice bug. Beware it can get out of hand Huzz my friend.

After I hear about the Steve Irwin death I was a bit hesitant and I stomped more than waded quietly kicking up the sand in front of me. I didn't know that the way he died was suspect. I see his wife and 2 kids have a show now. I never enjoyed watching him. He always sounded like he was on something. No one has that much enthusiasm without some type of drugs in their system.

Thanks John I value your opinion. I can say 1 thing about Michelin. In the 90's they were the only customer we had that followed very closely the quality of their end product, wire, all the way back to our Blast Furnaces supplying the hot metal to the steel shop. When the Sr. Meltor at Steelmaking called me to say we had a few heats for Michelin , usually 1500 tons, I got me arse out of the office. Many a heat was diverted because it didn't meet Michelins metallurgical specs to the tee. And that was on the Sr. Meltor an I, big responsibility, big money.

Retail price $500.00, probably more. A small Salametti or Suprassate at Fortinos is 10 bucks or more!. And I mean small, a few hundred grams!!!!!!

It sure is worth the 2 months before the Supressate is ready. You are looking at about 500 bucks or more of Salumutti. Minimum $500.00 because I am guessing the weight. Nice looking Albert. I miss those days, not the work but the Family all working together, from going to the farm, killing the Pig all the way to the table. A nice size Genoa salami lasts us 3 months or more. We don't have a Cantina here and that's important. I've tried drying sausages in a fridge on racks but lost more than were good.

This was in the early 80's John. I am a bit of a nut when it comes to longish trips, Calendar Bay from Hamilton, 4 to 5 hours then. I would check everything twice from the torque on the wheels nuts to a new air filter before a longer than normal trip because I drove that car in the steel plant and the filters took a beating. I would always check fluids and tire pressures at every fueling stop. To this day I carry spare lug nuts as I once lost 2 of 4 in the snow at the side of the highway changing a tire. A law suit against Michelin would only get my lawyer wealthier. I ate the 500 deductible and if I'm correct the tire dealer gave me a new tire.

Tarpon is on my bucket list of fish not yet caught. It isn't exactly cheap to get one if chartered. I've gotten my 10lb Red, a similar size Snook and a 25lb Bat Ray on light (compared to what locals use) spinning gear. West of Charlotte Harbour in SW Florida is a hot spot. We had the condo in Pt. Charlotte. Up and down that west coast offers great pier fishing and wading from the beaches. Watch were you are walking we don't want a Steve Irwin death by stepping on a Ray. Ignorance is bliss, I never considered the hazards wading in shallow waters. I can't think of anything one can wear on the feet and legs that will stop a sting from a Ray, Kevlar maybe? What do you guys think?

I put on Cooper Discovery A/T 3's on my Silverado at 100K. They are 3 season but look more aggressive than that, they look like snows handle the ice and snow well. I tested them when I got them by driving through a 4' plus drift in 4 low, no problem getting through it. I was expecting some road noise due to the aggressive tread but they are amazingly just as quiet as the original Goodyear's. My B-I-L that is a car junkie that races a Pro Stock Modified saw and drove mine then bought them for his 3/4 ton Ram that he drives to races as far south as Texas in Winter. He told me they handle better than the snow rated Goodyear's he had. They are a fair price as well. I highly recommend them. I have the white raised letters facing out, they look great too. I have not had any luck with Michelin's. A bad accident when the front drivers side belt separated at 30,000 KM's doing 110 KMH. Destroyed the fender, when it was hitting it then wrapped around the drive shaft. Thankfully it went into the ditch rather than southbound traffic. Scary stuff boy's and girl's real scary. Lucky to be alive.

Smitty, I don't know what torrents is, need to google it. Not enough band with the xplornet we had there wasn't enough to support through the Laptop. Maybe now with the new modem. I have been to friends out here that had Netflix or something it was crap trying to watch, that circle was rotating endlessly. I'll ask my pals 17 year old whiz kid. If online TV is available here he will know. Thanks/Johnny D

That sounds fantastic, including the onions! I never thought I would see the day King Crab legs cost less than Sirloin steak. Saw theta yesterday at Fortino's in Hamilton. Speil, knowing you are a smart shopper I bet you get your Parm cheese at Silerno's factory retail store off Parkdale. One of those big bags last us 7 months. The price 7 months ago was 34 bucks, yesterday the same bag is now $45.00 !! And the nice lady at the cash had to point it out. Believe it or not it still is a great deal compared tp buying small bags at Fortino's. I also like the specialty dry pastas they have that you will never find anywhere else. Not exactly cheap but what are you going to do? Check out all the mini pastas, great for soups. I am probably preaching to the choir here. Rick is alive and well. He was in August at least. I find on forums people come and go and sometimes come back again. I hope he does, I love his tales of raising a family of a dozen or so kids, last count I think. By now it may be more. He is a baby makin' machine he is. He texted me but didn't see it for a month, call me a dinosaur but I refuse to text. Want to talk? Call me. To me it's like "Ya I want to communicate but your'e not important enough to move my lips."

As far as I know I was under the impression Simon is the Prime Minister of Antigua in exile. That's why he lives close to the Artic Circle. It's not every day you meet someone with that beautiful melodic Island accent in the middle of a frozen lake in the Arctic watershed. As far as fishing on the islands going back many years but I have fished on a few islands, Cuba and Jamaica and many times in southwest Florida when we had a place there. My best fishing was always at night. I stopped night fishing in Florida especially because of the robberies going on as I was usually solo. When I have to carry a 9MM to fish I'm not fishing. I was never concerned with my safety in Cuba, Negril yes.

We have everything they offer, except WFN! 4 movies a month kills the bill at $6.99 plus HST. What kills me is we want 1 channel and you get 6 more that we never watch. Bell Sat TV here, no cable, heck we don't have sidewalks and street lights. Our local In and Out store rents movies but they are all bad illegal copies that never work, usually die the last 10 minutes and I'm not driving a 70 minute return trip to return a movie, those are probably copies too. I was somewhere near here just outside Caledonia (you may guess where) where the guy was selling an old car. I walked into the trailer where they sell smokes and I see this lady with 2 DVD towers with about 10 slots in each copying DVD's and putting them into the movie DVD holders with all the graphics on them. She gave me a couple of movies to buy my silence I guess. I did the math, it evens out paying 7 bucks plus tax with fuel and time wasted. I must be worth 8 bucks an hour. OK 4. Come to think about it it's an hr to get the DVD and an hour to return it. They are probably counterfeit as well. Oh the joy of country living. 7 bucks is cheaper.

smitty it sounds like you may a bit younger than me. Does anyone born back in the 50's or 60's ever remember the school closing because it was cold out? I don't. The millennials here are going to mimic playing the violin here. From our house on Rosedale Ave. in Hamilton to Glendale HS is about 10 miles. If you didn't have the dime to take the bus you thumbed your way to school, begged Dad to drive you if he was coming off nights or you actually had to walk. I was 16 years and 1 day old when I bought my 1st car, a 60" VW Beetle. My buddy had his licence so he drove with me there and back. I became very popular with the older girls thumbing to school. When I got my licence a month later I didn't need my buddy, he took up a seat a grade 12 Cheerleader could have. Poor Paulie. Poor Paul is a millionaire CEO now. I'm proud of him. I also watch Life Below Zero. I like it better than the cattle Baron millionaires on the other one, can't remember the name. One of the older brothers Atz Lee or the other is the father of the recording star and actress Jewel. They own large herds of cattle and own several square miles of some of the most beautiful places on earth. They don't live off the grid because they haven't any money. It's a real life choice and I tip my hat to them because the work never ends. Not having a toilet with running water for over 25 years is just ridiculous, or being cheap. I always wondered why Chip Hailstone can't use a modern firearm, he can only use a single ball loader, can't remember the right name. I Googled why he can't use a modern gun and didn't like what I found. I will leave it to others to do the research. Convicted felons in the US can't have a modern firearm. Sue Aitken is a modern day Amazon Warrior Woman. She's my hero. A terrible shot but a Wonder Woman. I didn't get her at first but has become one of my favorites. She missed one season as she was in a large law suit with the shows producers. That is an interesting read as well. One thing I never get is why the big push at the end of the summer to get ready for winter? To bag big game in season I understand, but to fix all the leaks in the cabin, work on the snow machine, clear your trap line trail of brush and chop firewood etc? What did you do all summer? About 10 years ago my brother Father-in-law went to the Yukon prospecting for gold, did it for 10 years alone. He left one May 30 some odd years ago and they never saw him again. No clues. no body no nothing. Apparently it happens often. That is some serious environment up there. Looks like another all nighter with this broken body of mine, sorry all. It doesn't hurt as much when I type.

Please ch312, please don't tell me there is fake news, and videos out there. The next thing you know someone is going to tell me Reality TV is fake, as well as rasslin".

Excellent post. We live close to the Grand River in southern Ontario and our area is abundantly rich in native history. There is a plaque along the river that notes the area as the wintering place for a group of explorers and settlers. Walk down to the riverside and you will be amazed how calm the wind is in that exact spot. I don't think they picked that spot by random, someone showed them where to hunker down to survive that winter. To this day there are abundant game and fish there.

I don't know anyone that has a home larger than 3000 ftsq that is happy with their heat pump. Maybe lesser size but not from what close friends with McMansions have told me. But these are very big homes. Like a 1400 ftsq family room, come on man!

Yep, how long is a rope? 90,000 BTU or 70,000 BTU, 1.5 ton AC or more. I installed a new furnace 2 years ago and A/C this past summer. I didn't go with the name brands and saved big, the warranties were about the same, both lower end Lennox's. Our place is small though, a bit over 1100 ftsq. Yes size matters as well as a heat loss calculation. There are free heat loss calculators on line. If you know how to calculate square and cubic feet, know what if any insulation you have and R value of the windows and doors you can do that yourself. I used to charge a local HVAC guy 200 bucks to do that for an average size dwelling when he was busy and I wasn't. Took me an hour or so to do, maybe. And get more than 2 quotes, For the exact A/C one guy who was just starting, 5 yrs, was $1000.00 more and a big dealer out here was the best price and I was surprised no one could touch that price. As for size matters Rizzo paid about double of what we paid, sounds right, twice as big because size matters.

I get my snow blower going when I call the GUY to come and clear the snow with his tractor and 40 inch blower on it. 25 bucks, takes him 5 to 10 minutes, maybe, takes me 45 minutes to an hour with the machine to do what he does better. I always did the old Gal next doors as well, she's 85. Now I'm not feeling guilty if he does mine, I can't do hers as I don't have a blower any longer, she pays him now as well. I calculated a very long time ago I was well ahead hiring him on a pay and play basis and sell my machine. I have not yet gone through the money I got from selling my machine to some poor citiot. The GUY hasn't been here once in the last 2 years, 3 times 3 years ago. Not once this year, yet. I watch him from the window with a hot coffee and shot of Zoom Zoom in it. His tip is a coffee with Zoom Zoom. For you guys in cities and towns where it is a by law you clear the snow I recommend you contact a local landscaper. You may be surprised how economical it is compared to buying, running and maintaining a blower. For those under 55 get out there and shovel. If you know someone elderly there are local churches and service clubs that will come out and clear snow for them. Our private club in the Hammertown does this for the elderly.