Thanksgiving

Making my own normal turkey-for-leftovers (and soup stock!)...invited the old folks over and mother actually took me up on the offer. I warned them they'd have to eat at the couch, but Ed figures that is where they usually eat at home anyways.

21-1/2# bird (o_O ... I didn't pay attention when buying), stuffed with a couple oranges. Salt and herb rub applied the night before.

Veggies were carrots, parsnips, rutabaga, butternut squash. Put them in when the turkey had 2 hours left, turkey was done first so I took it out and then turned the veggies up to 425 for another 30 minutes.

Mashed potatoes in the crock pot with chicken stock (which I'll reuse when I crockpot the carcass)


And wild rice I'll use in the soup as well.





Baggies over pot holders were used when I was moving the bird back and forth.

10 November 2020 -- maybe the last top open day of the year! Then Heartbreak.

Another mid-70s day, worked till noon.

Saw that the gate on Flat Rock Road (Locke Road?) was open while out with the Fusion yesterday evening hydrating on Gatorades. I think they open it up for hunters a few weeks a year, but wanted to take advantage of it.









Yep, I can definitely make it through. I'm on Locke Road, halfway from Hell Hollow to Spaulding. Not familiar with what's beyond, how easy it would be to turn around, and without another Jeep in case of trouble. I also checked yesterday and the Spaulding road gate is closed. :/ Guess I'll call discretion the better part of valor.


Poked down Flat Rock. I know from earlier this summer it was barricaded with concrete blocks (that looked fairly recent). Same deal, I can make it through but I don't know how easy it will be to find a turn around and there isn't that much further to go anyway.





No surprise here. Down in Pachaug, the logging access I went down earlier this year is barricaded now.


And then...heartbreak. I've resisted crying a few times today on this -- Old Voluntown Road / Basset Mill Road (and adjacent Shetucket Turnpike) has been gated. This was the road I first remember catching the off-road bug, going through here in the Scout with mom and dad.




I did come in from the Rhode Island side (which is still a unmaintained town road) to confirm the state had barricaded it as well.

Fuckers.


I remember seeing a pic of Boy Scouts lined up to use the common showers when I was in Cub Scouts and it tripped my anxiety so bad it's why I never continued in Scouting. As much as that was an issue, now it's so far the other way here is a new pavilion at Yawgoog of nothing but individual unisex bathrooms.

(And as someone who has cleaned public restrooms as a summer job, I'd rather eat lunch on the typical men's room floor than ever step foot in women's room ever again thus why I prefer separate sex bathrooms. The cleanliness is that dramatically different in my experience.)




Nice! Lee Road barway was open again after the timber harvest, and finally Lawrence Road which has been closed a couple years for a large logging operation is also open!

October - November Picture Dump

Well that was the most expensive $5 oil filter for the tractor ever...Gearwrench set on sale on the counter at NAPA for $50 off $109.


Finally broke down and bought a three (four?) year old workstation-class PC off Amazon. I knew they were made high quality but my first reaction opening the case was "holy shit, this IS a server!"

Xeon processor, 32GB ram, bought an nVME card and nVME drive to boot from, added wireless/bluetooth adapter.

Still using the old PC for the POCSAG decoding.






This is where I worked pre-Covid ... in winter with snow banks in the back, sometimes I had to park by the road.






Chili with Pineapple! That came out really well!








Oh that bread came out pretty darn nice!


What the hell, it's Halloween!

But it was nice sleeping with the window open nested under a bunch of blankets and pillows :D











Believe it or not...I have made progress cleaning inside. Law of flat surfaces have been in full effect, since if it is a nice day I've generally wanted to work in the garage or go Jeeping.


Um, what did I order? I vaguely remember ordering...


Hey, I have good taste!








Tractor clutch is stuck. I didn't realize, when it was parked for a couple months over the summer till I could get the fuel filter (and missing O-ring) replaced that there is a latch you're supposed to engage to keep the clutch faces from touching. Never had let it sit that much before.