[People Getting Stretched to Limit. Credit Card Balances Soar.]

I use a credit card exclusively and have for a number of years. As a result I have not paid for a hotel room, flight, or rental car in about 5 years. I have a card with travel focused points/benefits and use those to take (basically) free vacations. I even got them to foot the bill for my TSA Precheck and Global Entry ID. I say basically free because my points don't cover food, fuel, souvenirs, and tickets/entry fees. I spent 16 days on the road last spring traveling 7200 miles. Cost me about $2000 in food, fuel, gifts, and national park entry fees. The $2000 got me a few points towards the next vacation . I have never carried a balance past 30 days on that card and have paid no interest to the CC company. I do pay a small annual fee for that card but many years I manage to get that either waived or offset by some promotion/benefit. 

It has also had the bonus of being a shield against identity theft. I once had my ATM card hacked back when I still used one. It was a nightmare to get charges reversed with my bank. It was costly because I had a number of overdrafts or returned auto payments that occurred before the hack was discovered. I have had my CC number hacked or stolen a few times since then and every time the CC company caught it before I did. They locked the card number, contacted me about the potential theft, and reversed the charges within hours of the first fraudulent charge. I did not loose a penny on any of those occurrences because the CC company was so diligent about fraud. One of those occurrences was hours before a flight for a trip with my wife. The CC company overnighted new cards to the hotel we were staying at so we would not have an interruption or inconvenience on our vacation. 

0.00% interest, or even a promo rate like 1.9~2.9%, on a new car can be a screamin' deal. As long as the 30k or 40k you would have spent on the car is sitting in the bank earning 5%~6% or more in interest. I had a hell of a time paying cash for my last new car. The dealer did not want to play ball at all on a cash deal. He was happy to offer all sorts of incentives on financing though thanks to all the backend money they get on those that pay lots of interest on a crazy 72 month loan. 

Property Tax Assessments are a buzz word the media can use in a headline to scare you. My property tax assessment went up some crazy percentage a little while back but the actual increase to my property tax burden went up less than $100 annually. Less than inflation honestly. 

 

Honestly one of the biggest issues I see is a complete and utter lack of saving/investing. That is not just the young folks that are struggling to get ahead, or just get on their feet, but the middle age folks rapidly approaching retirement age.

I started my first IRA at age 18. I did that mostly for a tax break at the time because I was making too much money with few deductions available to me. I kept that trend going for many years and only failed to save a few very lean years where under/un employment issues occurred in the family. Even with over 3 decades of IRA, 401K, cash, and general investment savings under my belt I fear I will not have enough saved to live comfortably in retirement. I know I am in significantly better shape than probably 90% of my peers though. I have friends and coworkers that feel like they can't afford to participate in their company 401k plans because they need every penny from their paycheck to cover the house, cars, and credit card bills. 

Credit can be a tool. It is not in and of itself "evil". Using it as a crutch is a choice, a poor one. 
Now predatory lending practices are a different matter entirely.  That topic could support it's own multipage thread. 

[What makes fish bite?]

What makes fish bite? 
If you can truly answer that question you will be one of the most popular people on the planet. 

I agree with Alleycat though, the cicadas are driving lots of critters wild right now. The snakes are really out in force right now since several species love to gorge on them. 

[Knowledgeable Harley guys?]

I am not a Harley fan at all so hack and spray away!

There is a reason those original parts sell for such good money though. People want to restore wrecked or previously hacked up versions of the bike back to "original" Seldom do modified bikes bring original bike money.

[Hiking boots?]

On 5/19/2024 at 8:21 AM, Tom B said:

Low tennis shoes dont support your ankle, if you are actually doing some real hiking you want boots high enough to support and protect your ankle while walking up and down steep, rocky trails. I'd hate to twist my ankle and have to walk several miles (or farther) back to the car.

You also want to wear the boots around your house a few times to break them in.

My every day shoe is a Hi-tec Altitude boot, I wear those hiking also.

Current trends and many serious hikers including thru hikers on the AT and PCT are going exactly the opposite direction. Over the ankle and heavy hiking boots are not favored by many hikers. Lots of really good options in low light weight shoes that look more like cross trainers than traditional hikers. They utilize similar base and sole construction to old school boots but the uppers are more tennis shoe like. Much lighter, less fatigue when putting on the miles or long trail days. 
I still have a pair of Keen hiking "boots" but have gone to low top hikers almost exclusively. Wore out a set of Merrells and am currently on a set of Keen Headout's. 

[Another Comm/Dem Gun Ban]

Joaquin Castro and Veronica Escobar out of Texas and Maxwell Frost out of Florida. Texas and Florida should do better. 

The majority of the 50 cals in the Cartels possession came from US State and Dept. of Commerce approved purchases by Mexican or Central American military and law enforcement agencies. The straw purchases trafficked across the border do happen but they only one small portion of the guns that make it into the hands of the cartels and gangs. 

[Y'alls into eating bugs?!?!?]

Had them flash fried and drizzled with hot honey. Crunchy, most of the flavor was from the hot honey though. Not much added flavor from the cicada. 
Had them battered and fried as well. Same result as above. Most of the flavor was in the batter, oil, and the provided dipping sauce not the cicada.

4/10, would eat it again if I had to. 

There is not much I have not or will not try food wise. I have consumed plenty of wild game meat, including, alligator and snake. I have had horse meat, dog, and likely cat. I have had more cured, pickled, dried, and canned seafood than I would care to recall including Hákarl . On the bug side I have had crickets, ants, grasshoppers, meal worm, and a couple of agave worms that were at the bottom of a bottle of some clear liquid .

[Totin' Teachers Bill Heads for a Vote]

15 minutes ago, MacGyver said:

I know a bunch of teachers - most of whom would jump in front of a bullet without a single hesitation to protect their kids.  I don’t know a single one who wants to carry in their classroom.

Plenty of them are pro-gun and carry elsewhere in their lives.  They express a host of reservations - everything from that’s not the job they signed up for - to risks associated breaking up fights - to their name being made public and suddenly being all over social media and PTA text threads.

I don’t know of any that have really thought about it and come to the conclusion that it’s worth it.

Every last one of them said some version of, “they don’t trust us with books or curriculum - they’re not going to trust us with guns.”

Yup, that is nearly the exact feedback I got from my teaching family and friends. High risk, low reward. Like you said most would throw their own body between an attacker and a child but none see being armed as the right answer to stopping an active shooter or protecting kids in classrooms.  

[Totin' Teachers Bill Heads for a Vote]

Two teachers in the family, two more close friends or neighbors that are teachers. 3 of the 4 hold TN carry permits and do carry when not at work or on school grounds. None of the 4 have any desire to carry in school.

2 of the 4 specifically said they would not carry even if this bill did not have the restrictions or stipulations about gaining permission. Neither had any desire to take on that responsibility and quite frankly that risk. One specifically said they had no desire to get sued by a parent if things went sideways in their school at some point.

The one without an existing permit is not anti gun but has never owned one and has zero interest in learning to shoot much less obtaining a permit. She is married to someone who does own, carry, shoot and hunt but she has no interest in knowing anything more about firearms. 

My conversation with the two family members indicated that they had yet to hear a fellow teacher express any interest in obtaining the required permissions. General consensus of the educators in their circle of peers thought it was a pretty stupid idea and useless bill. 

[A Close Up Look at the New XM 7]

1 minute ago, NoBanStan said:

That was just my experience while being in a line of people waiting to do the same. Overall i just thought they felt bulky, like the chassis felt overly bloated.

Oh it certainly looks a bit blocky/chunky, I agree. I guess you don't want delicate but it could probably be slimmed down some and remain durable. 

[A Close Up Look at the New XM 7]

1 hour ago, NoBanStan said:

I got to fondle this new Sig lineup at the NRA con last year. They're impressive looking but I will say that all of them felt very bulky and heavy.

Just over 11 lbs (5.1kg) with suppressor and 1 loaded mag. 8.4lbs for the base rifle. Not crazy by any stretch. Maybe a pound over what I would have envisioned considering the 13" barrel.

[Sleep center in TN. Murfreesboro Worth the $$ ????]

20 minutes ago, NoBanStan said:

I was referring to the test lab where they hook you up with all the medical equipment. Everyone struggles with that. Once you get the CPAP/APAP home, it takes a couple of days/weeks to acclimate, but then the benefits become obvious.

Ahh, gotcha. Yeah the sleep study is a pain. Not just from the new hoses and leads but in my case they woke me up at least twice to change or add something. I started out with only the monitors, once they got readings in that state they put the CPAP on me and went again. Then they switched the CPAP setup in the wee hours of the morning again. 

[Sleep center in TN. Murfreesboro Worth the $$ ????]

2 hours ago, NoBanStan said:

So the trick is that nobody sleeps well with the hoses. They also know this.

I got lucky because I was tested during the pandemic, so they just made me use the at home test.

My wife sleeps like a log with a CPAP now. She adapted quickly. It actually annoys me more than her these days since I tend to extend an arm out from my pillow and get my hand/arm tangled up in her air tube. 
She lost weight and generally improved her overall health.
She has more energy, wakes up early and rested these days.
It also improved her sinus and asthma issues. Breathing filtered humidified air ~7 hours a night has greatly cut back on her breathing issues. She nearly died 30 years ago from pneumonia and suffered permanent lung damage as a result. The CPAP while not reversing any of that has lessened symptoms and side effects to a low annoyance, low maintenance level. 

[Retirement destination?]

We are thinking of leaving the country for retirement, definitely leaving TN. I do love TN, I have been here 40 years and my wife was born here but once work and family ties/obligations are done we will be looking for a significant change. 

[Fix It Sticks - Anyone have any experience with them.]

I have the MRAD/MK 22 deployment tool kit with the Fix-it-Sticks. Love it and use it on pretty much every firearm I own from scope mounting to chassis/action screws. No issues and I have checked their products against the calibrated torque meter at work we use for all calibration of torque wrenches and limiters in the shop. They have all been very close to nominal. 

Just be aware that heat from heavy use or just extreme ambient heat can affect the torque limit. Don't try and torque 100 bolts in a row in short order and don't store them in your car in the heat of summer right before use. They are viscous fluid / friction based devices.

[Capitol Armory]

"The eForms system is back online as of 4:00 pm on Friday, March 1, 2024."

Per the email I received on Friday about 5 pm CST. 

[Farm land loss in TN]

The land around me that is being developed, at an alarmingly fast rate, has not been farmed for at least a decade, if ever. 
Most of that land was either owned by a farmer who has been gone for at least a decade or two and the land was left in Family Land Trust but not actively farmed or was owned by a large land trust for the purpose of speculation/wealth. 
The only farms that still exist in a ~40 mile radius of me are 30~100 acre hobby farms with less than 100 head of livestock, a few hay fields, or a few 10~20 acre fields of row crop.  
At least here in my area of Mid TN the ground is too rocky or the hills to extreme to row crop for food production, efficiently or economically at least. 

The ~30 acre field behind me had soybeans 7 or 8 years ago. That was the last time it was planted. The last planting was left unharvested and the field was returned to weed/brush growth. The cost of the diesel to harvest the beans was greater than the yield from the field would have paid. I think he has partially bush hogged it twice in the last 7 years. Not a huge loss in my opinion, soybeans are horrible and the more fields of those we loose the better off we are. 
Along those lines our, now sold, family farm was up in Robertson County and in the middle of lots of small to medium sized  tobacoo farms. With already low and further decreasing demand for tobacco products much of that land is being repurposed. Some of it went to corn or hay, some of it went to developers, some of it went to livestock but there is a lot of it that is just not actively farmed for any purpose anymore. 

I don't think the blame is solely on home development even though it hurts to see pretty woods and fields turned into subdivisions. 

[Hillbilly prepping]

Back when I had a decent salsa garden (tomatoes, tomatillos, onions, garlic, multiple peppers) I made upwards of 100 pints of salsa every year. Some went to family but we tended to go through at least a jar a week in our house alone. 
Since I had the water bath canning setup I threw cucumbers into the mix and made ~20 or so jars of pickles annually.
I ended up getting pretty good with jams and jellies as well. Friends and family always wanted my jars of pepper jelly and Blackberry jam for Christmas every year instead of gift cards or a bottle of wine.

I never got setup to pressure can so I never did try low acid veggies or meats. 

Now I do not have a garden and the new house is not conducive to starting one. No fences and hordes of deer, rabbit, armadillo, opossum, and skunks make it nearly impossible to keep plants alive that are not right up against the house. 

If they ever develop the land behind me and I have to put up a fence I might try again. I adopted the square foot gardening raised bed method for my last garden and had some great success with it. Efficient and easy maintenance as well. 

[Fishing license]

A world record Walleye came out of Old Hickory Lake in 1960. In the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's it was a regular practice of northern anglers to come down to Tennessee to walleye fish in the winter to get some "warm weather" fishing in while their home lakes were frozen over. It was nothing for them to pull dozens of walleye out a day. 
Now there are few if any walleye left in Tennessee. There is a small population in the Caney but it is not significant by any stretch. 
Licenses and limits are in place for just those sorts of conservation issues. 
Snag fishing for paddlefish is another prime example, without a limited season and limits there would be no native populations left. 
Most anglers now target crappie, bass, or catfish not because they are a preferred species but but because they have breeding rates that allowed them to proliferate through extreme overfishing. There is simply not that much else left to target. Even if you are a trout fisherman in Tennessee you are not fishing natural/native populations but rather controlled hatchery spawned populations. Hatcheries paid for by the a portion of your fishing license as others have mentioned. 

[Things the next generation simply won't understand]

On 2/3/2024 at 8:03 PM, monkeylizard said:

Paper ticket stubs from concerts and sports to show you were there.

Or the thought of going to a retail location to stand in line to buy those paper tickets including going hours early if it was a high demand show. 

To explain it to the young folk. "Apple just launched the latest iPhone and each apple store only gets 100 each of them." 

[Things the next generation simply won't understand]

On 2/3/2024 at 9:09 AM, Erich said:

Oh god, trying to stay awake through another showing of the slides when any relatives came to visit. 
My pops had thousands taken from the window of a C130 over Vietnam, Japan, Guam, and most of the south pacific islands. 

[Things the next generation simply won't understand]

1 hour ago, FUJIMO said:

I'll see your pedals and raise you a three on the  

Still had three pedals no matter where the gear lever was located. 

Learned to drive in a 65 Chevy C10. Straight 6, 3 on the tree. 

[Obtaining an FFL 01 and 06]

Ammo manufacturing can come with some big issues. Requirements on how much powder you can store, where you store it, how much you can have in a single location, Distance requirements from your storage location to nearby structures and roadways.

If you are getting into more commercial level volumes there are a bunch of other things to consider like static discharge prevention. Things that are not a huge concern for a home reloader become a much bigger concern when you start dealing with pallets of powder kegs and primers. 

[Things the next generation simply won't understand]

2 hours ago, DHF said:

3 Pedals is so rare now. Last time I took my wife's car to a place we needed to valet park I had to do it myself. The no one on the valet staff knew how to drive a manual. 

 

58 minutes ago, Erich said:

Some may have this with remote acreage, but the idea of not just turning on the faucet would be foreign too many 

Or a well in general even with an electric pump. My grandparents place still had 2 active wells, one with the above hand pump and one with an electric pump out in a small pump house. 

[Things the next generation simply won't understand]

Music Videos on MTV

3 channels and no remote control on a console TV

Cable Box with a rotary knob/dial 
(and flipping that rotary dial back and forth quickly to try to catch a glimpse of a channel you did not have!) 

Gas below $1.00 per gallon 
 

[Things the next generation simply won't understand]