February Banter 2020

[Sparky]

19 hours ago, Bob Chill said:

It's hard to go wrong anywhere in NE or north. Very rugged and beautiful basically everywhere. NH has no state income tax and that's very important as we are trying retire early. MD is awful with both income and property taxes. No chance we're staying here unless they drop income tax. We all know the chance of that is 0%. If we both end up north we can hook up, ride sleds and weenie out. Lol

Don't know how much this would help you but the governor recently said he is introducing legislation to raise the pension exclusion in MD to $50000 (currently 30000 for 65 and older) and add partial income tax relief (I believe he said 50% deduction?) on amounts above that up to $100000.  So there is that.   I would like to see that come to fruition I just hope the folks  in Annapolis want to give the older folks in MD a break as much as they want to throw money into schools around here.  As an aside, Pennsylvania is a pretty good state for retirees from what I know about it.  They have no state income tax on pensions, 401k annuities and such, and social security benefits whatsoever.  You still pay state income on any ordinary wages you might earn plus things like dividends and interest.  Anyhow I have given some thought to moving over the border.

[aldie 22]

[RevWarReenactor]

2 hours ago, losetoa6 said:

The Mid/ long range thread has turned into Mosquito talk,  tracking sunny and 60s , Sun angle, viruses, March snow sucks etc . 

 

Its winter lol

Its February 9th 

Its over. It never began. Most people are in spring mode because that is what is coming. No one cares about tracking bad patterns and rainstorms in winter. This is 97-98 all over.

And march snow does suck. Maybe not on some 1000 ft hill e (which is where I assume you are). But try living on I-95 and then report back to me on your success with March snows.

I

 

 

[CAPE]

45 minutes ago, RevWarReenactor said:

Its over. It never began. Most people are in spring mode because that is what is coming. No one cares about tracking bad patterns and rainstorms in winter. This is 97-98 all over.

And march snow does suck. Maybe not on some 1000 ft hill e (which is where I assume you are). But try living on I-95 and then report back to me on your success with March snows.

 

I live south of you, at 60 ft elevation. This was taken the morning of March 6, 2015. The temp was around zero. The high that day was in the 20s.

Definitely didn't suck.

[RDM]

Sad how the Med/Long Range dialogue has gone down the tubes.  Even with nothing on the horizons, many check periodically with hope.  When you see a substantial number of unread threads the temptation to muster a glimmer of hope is dashed when you realize the preponderance of posts is more stuff about dandelions, pest control and similar unrelated hoopla that should be here in banter.  Sure is disappointing.  Would rather there be nothing in the Med/LR than to have to weed through that "stuff" only to realize it should be here.  Please folks, if there's nothing to track then let the thread lie and die in peace.  

[CAPE]

2 minutes ago, RDM said:

Sad how the Med/Long Range dialogue has gone down the tubes.  Even with nothing on the horizons, many check periodically with hope.  When you see a substantial number of unread threads the temptation to muster a glimmer of hope is dashed when you realize the preponderance of posts is more stuff about dandelions, pest control and similar unrelated hoopla that should be here in banter.  Sure is disappointing.  Would rather there be nothing in the Med/LR than to have to weed through that "stuff" only to realize it should be here.  Please folks, if there's nothing to track then let the thread lie and die in peace.  

What a bunch of whiny hyperbole this is. There is plenty of on topic, good analysis in that thread today. A bit of off topic stuff when there is literally nothing happening for the upcoming week, at minimum, really should not cause anyone discomfort or inconvenience. In other words, get over it. 

[nj2va]

4 hours ago, Chris78 said:

Well the caps decided to play there worst game of the year last night. Lol

Oh well. Still enjoying DC and a weekend getaway with out  kids haha.

What a turd last night.  Glad you’re still enjoying the weekend.  It’s a beautiful day today!  

[showmethesnow]

1 hour ago, Sparky said:

Don't know how much this would help you but the governor recently said he is introducing legislation to raise the pension exclusion in MD to $50000 (currently 30000 for 65 and older) and add partial income tax relief (I believe he said 50% deduction?) on amounts above that up to $100000.  So there is that.   I would like to see that come to fruition I just hope the folks  in Annapolis want to give the older folks in MD a break as much as they want to throw money into schools around here.  As an aside, Pennsylvania is a pretty good state for retirees from what I know about it.  They have no state income tax on pensions, 401k annuities and such, and social security benefits whatsoever.  You still pay state income on any ordinary wages you might earn plus things like dividends and interest.  Anyhow I have given some thought to moving over the border.

Be careful with PA. There is a very real chance they will be going after that money (low hanging fruit) sometime in the near future. Their debts are piling up (biggie is the Teachers Pension) and their fiscal responsibility is going in the tank as we see spending ramping up. There is only so long they can reshuffle money and kick the can down the road before the bills will be due. Wife and I were seriously considering moving to Somerset in two years to stay in PA for the tax benefits on pensions but have recently started to reconsider for those very reasons stated above. They also hammer you pretty hard on Real Estate and school taxes as well and would not be surprised to see them jump up even more as the State searches for money.

[Sparky]

28 minutes ago, showmethesnow said:

Be careful with PA. There is a very real chance they will be going after that money (low hanging fruit) sometime in the near future. Their debts are piling up (biggie is the Teachers Pension) and their fiscal responsibility is going in the tank as we see spending ramping up. There is only so long they can reshuffle money and kick the can down the road before the bills will be due. Wife and I were seriously considering moving to Somerset in two years to stay in PA for the tax benefits on pensions but have recently started to reconsider for those very reasons stated above. They also hammer you pretty hard on Real Estate and school taxes as well and would not be surprised to see them jump up even more as the State searches for money.

Thanks for the heads up I really appreciate it ........ decisions decisions decisions....ha ha.      If you can  explain what a school tax is and how it would effect a retiree.

[showmethesnow]

11 minutes ago, C.A.P.E. said:

What a bunch of whiny hyperbole this is. There is plenty of on topic, good analysis in that thread today. A bit of off topic stuff when there is literally nothing happening for the upcoming week, at minimum, really should not cause anyone discomfort or inconvenience. In other words, get over it. 

Kinda have to agree with him. It has been rough sledding at times in there the last month are so where it was nigh on unreadable. You might not realize it when you are part of the conversation but for those of us that quite often can only jump on periodical it is very noticeable. I have also been part of the problem as well with some banter posts so I will take part of the blame. ***But in my defense after reading through the thread I quite often lost track of the fact it was the disco thread and not the banter thread. ***  

Now after dealing with this issue for the last several years I am pretty much done complaining. If this is what people want then let them have it. It's not really what I want so more then likely my absences from the thread will become more frequent and lengthier. I am sure most wouldn't miss me. 

 

[RDM]

Don't feel it's an exaggeration, but that's a subjective thing.  Yes, there is some decent analysis and that is always good to see and learn from.  A substantial amount is off topic too and it adds up.  Not calling out the mods here at all, they more than enough to do and shouldn't be bothered.  Likewise, realize we're not in storm mode (unfortunately), but stand by the opinion much of it is/was banter.  Just prefer it to be here where it belongs so we we see there's a lot of unread msgs in the MR/LR it means something...  

[RevWarReenactor]

1 hour ago, C.A.P.E. said:

I live south of you, at 60 ft elevation. This was taken the morning of March 6, 2015. The temp was around zero. The high that day was in the 20s.

Definitely didn't suck.

Thats a cool pic! When a 1 in 50 year storm like that comes along, I would agree, its nice. But even then, its not Jan or Feb snow, winter is over. I think it was in like the 60's a few days later and the snow evaporates.

99% of March snow is called "if only" snow, as in "if only this happened during the winter".

[RDM]

15 minutes ago, showmethesnow said:

Kinda have to agree with him. It has been rough sledding at times in there the last month are so where it was nigh on unreadable. You might not realize it when you are part of the conversation but for those of us that quite often can only jump on periodical it is very noticeable. I have also been part of the problem as well with some banter posts so I will take part of the blame. ***But in my defense after reading through the thread I quite often lost track of the fact it was the disco thread and not the banter thread. ***  

Now after dealing with this issue for the last several years I am pretty much done complaining. If this is what people want then let them have it. It's not really what I want so more then likely my absences from the thread will become more frequent and lengthier. I am sure most wouldn't miss me. 

 

Your part in bold says what I was thinking better.  That's exactly how it felt a few times recently in the MR/LR.  Had to double check which thread I was in several times thinking maybe I'd clicked on the the wrong one with hopes the "real" MR/LR would have more meat to it and "hope".  Certainly not pointing fingers at anyone as we're all tired of chasing unicorns.  Your comments are invariably worth reading as part of the core contributors of this forum.  We are all better off from the mentoring and analysis your posts provide.  Keep em coming whenever you can!

I'm still learning and have been for 20 years + dating back to Eastern.  Since I know my analysis is not up to par I may err on the overly conservative in not cluttering up the MR/LR.  When I have a banter-like comment to a comment in the LR I move it here, be it worthwhile reading or not.  

[Ralph Wiggum]

https://www.foxnews.com/world/storm-ciara-hurricane-force-winds-uk-europe-travel-impacts

[showmethesnow]

17 minutes ago, Sparky said:

Thanks for the heads up I really appreciate it ........ decisions decisions decisions....ha ha.      If you can  explain what a school tax is and how it would effect a retiree.

LOL. Yeah, threw me when I first moved up here as well. The best way I can explain it is a technically a property tax that specifically goes towards the State schools vs. your typical Real Estate taxes that you also receive. Takes a pretty big bite out of you. And yes, you continue paying even after you retire. No freebies there. What helps offset these taxes though are the fact that property values are much cheaper then what you see down through MD/VA and especially around DC.

[Bob Chill]

2 hours ago, Sparky said:

Don't know how much this would help you but the governor recently said he is introducing legislation to raise the pension exclusion in MD to $50000 (currently 30000 for 65 and older) and add partial income tax relief (I believe he said 50% deduction?) on amounts above that up to $100000.  So there is that.   I would like to see that come to fruition I just hope the folks  in Annapolis want to give the older folks in MD a break as much as they want to throw money into schools around here.  As an aside, Pennsylvania is a pretty good state for retirees from what I know about it.  They have no state income tax on pensions, 401k annuities and such, and social security benefits whatsoever.  You still pay state income on any ordinary wages you might earn plus things like dividends and interest.  Anyhow I have given some thought to moving over the border.

I've been tracking progress with MD looking to adjust policy to retain retired residents. Nice to see steps in the right direction. It's not just that though. We want to get out of MD for a lot of other personal reasons. The natural beauty of NE is as close as you can get to out west without moving there is the #1 reason. 

NH is a semi easy decision. Prop taxes are high but about the same as we pay now. We'll get a nice home upgrade though because we're going rural with off the grid amenities. Won't have to trade off because of location like we do now. All of my relatives live in CT so it will be nice to be closer. Or at least no longer having to drive 95 through NJ and NY. I'm so sick of that drive man... so sick...

[CAPE]

19 minutes ago, RDM said:

Don't feel it's an exaggeration, but that's a subjective thing.  Yes, there is some decent analysis and that is always good to see and learn from.  A substantial amount is off topic too and it adds up.  Not calling out the mods here at all, they more than enough to do and shouldn't be bothered.  Likewise, realize we're not in storm mode (unfortunately), but stand by the opinion much of it is/was banter.  Just prefer it to be here where it belongs so we we see there's a lot of unread msgs in the MR/LR it means something...  

I guess It just doesn't bother me when the on-topic discussion briefly flows to something that is technically off topic, but not completely unrelated, as it did today. It wasn't like someone just randomly started talking about sports or exotic cars and hijacked the thread. I guess we should just let the mods determine what the threshold is. Given the way things are looking for the next couple weeks for cold/snow chances, imo the briefly OT discussion today did not detract at all.

[RDM]

4 minutes ago, C.A.P.E. said:

I guess It just doesn't bother me when the on-topic discussion briefly flows to something that is technically off topic, but not completely unrelated, as it did today. It wasn't like someone just randomly started talking about sports or exotic cars and hijacked the thread. I guess we should just let the mods determine what the threshold is. Given the way things are looking for the next couple weeks for cold/snow chances, imo the briefly OT discussion today did not detract at all.

Rgr - see your point and don't disagree.  My comments were more in general over the past several weeks, as more eloquently captured by Showme.  As for the mods, I'm a bit loath to ask the mods to police what we should be able to mind ourselves.  It's just subjective on where the line lies between reasonable side-bars and too much.  Wouldn't mind diving into any of the off-topic subjects listed - love exotic cars and having lived in Germany for 6+ years had some interesting experiences there on the Autobahn.  Like the time I was behind 30+ Ferraris southbound on A5 by Mannheim in my little Honda Civic with my 100+ year old high wheel bike strapped to the roof...  but I digress.  

[Scarlet Pimpernel]

1 hour ago, showmethesnow said:

 ***But in my defense after reading through the thread I quite often lost track of the fact it was the disco thread and not the banter thread. ***  

Now after dealing with this issue for the last several years I am pretty much done complaining. If this is what people want then let them have it. It's not really what I want so more then likely my absences from the thread will become more frequent and lengthier. I am sure most wouldn't miss me. 

 

LOL!!  This is so true, I've actually had to check myself after wading through some of the comments, to be sure which thread I was actually in!

I really enjoy your posts, @showmethesnow, whether things look great or bleak.  You bring a boat-load of knowledge and information in your lengthy discussions along with the maps that you post to show/prove your points.  Sure, sometimes it seems a bit too optimistic or like blowing sunshine up our asses when things are crap.  But it's still nice to see and to read, because you base your thoughts on actual reasoning and not just making stuff up.  And it beats the hell out of "this winter sucks!" post after post.

 

1 hour ago, RDM said:

Don't feel it's an exaggeration, but that's a subjective thing.  Yes, there is some decent analysis and that is always good to see and learn from.  A substantial amount is off topic too and it adds up.  Not calling out the mods here at all, they more than enough to do and shouldn't be bothered.  Likewise, realize we're not in storm mode (unfortunately), but stand by the opinion much of it is/was banter.  Just prefer it to be here where it belongs so we we see there's a lot of unread msgs in the MR/LR it means something...  

Agree with what you're saying here RDM, and in your other related post.  I know there's a certain amount of leeway and back-and-forth in the main discussion threads, but it's gotten way out there this year, and to some extent even last year I think.  Unless there's a storm mode (if we actually *had* an event this year warranting that, haha!), it's kind of a free-for-all in there.  I know the mods do what they can to keep it generally in the ballpark, but we cannot expect them to constantly go clean up everything when there's not much going on.

[H2O]

We were told to “lighten up” and take sticks out of places so the main thread is what it is now. 

[Bob Chill]

Just now, H2O said:

We were told to “lighten up” and take sticks out of places so the main thread is what it is now. 

If there was ever a time to just green light freeforall it's now. 10 consecutive days of rain and/or no snow is all but guaranteed. 

I did get a nice mt bike ride in today so a little lemonade in a lemon winter

[Scarlet Pimpernel]

1 hour ago, RevWarReenactor said:

Thats a cool pic! When a 1 in 50 year storm like that comes along, I would agree, its nice. But even then, its not Jan or Feb snow, winter is over. I think it was in like the 60's a few days later and the snow evaporates.

99% of March snow is called "if only" snow, as in "if only this happened during the winter".

That is a cool pic he posted, for sure.  And I remember that event in March 2015...wouldn't consider that a 1 in 50 year storm by any means, as we've had a number of similar ones of late.  Where I'm at on the northwest side of DC, we got 6.5" snow from that in about a 6-7 hour period, during daylight hours.  It was very cold the next day, didn't crack freezing (and on the day of the storm, temperatures fell through most of the day after starting in the 30s with some light rain).  Sure it warmed up a couple of days after, though not sure it was in the 60s that soon after.  And sure, it didn't stick around for a long time, but man what a few days that was!  There was even a light icing event in broad daylight (!!!) a couple of days before that March 2015 storm.  Point is, you don't have to have a March 1993 type event to "make it worthwhile".  But I understand, what one thinks about March snows vs. those in mid-winter, is subjective.  My point is, they're far from rare, and we've gotten several good ones in the past several years.

[Scarlet Pimpernel]

1 minute ago, Bob Chill said:

If there was ever a time to just green light freeforall it's now. 10 consecutive days of rain and/or no snow is all but guaranteed. 

I did get a nice mt bike ride in today so a little lemonade in a lemon winter

Nice!!  I wanted to go out for a ride today, myself, but unfortunately was busy.  But you're right, a great day for a bike ride!  And beats the hell out of 45/rain.

[JakkelWx]

It's actually quite nice outside. Just came down with the flu over the past 6 hours or so, but somehow no vomiting. Just excessive burping and a fever, with a cough that you can't get rid of no matter how many times to try to clear your throat.

Gatorade helps.

[RDM]

17 minutes ago, H2O said:

We were told to “lighten up” and take sticks out of places so the main thread is what it is now. 

Darn - No rest for the weary with what you and the other mods deal with.  Damned if you do and same if you don't.  Once the cat is out of the bag it's hard to get it back in there...   

[Bob Chill]

18 minutes ago, Always in Zugzwang said:

Nice!!  I wanted to go out for a ride today, myself, but unfortunately was busy.  But you're right, a great day for a bike ride!  And beats the hell out of 45/rain.

It was awesome and kind of annoying. Warm enough to sweat good on the long climbs on the trails but coming down the other side was cold AF. Sweat, shade, 47 degrees and 15mph breeze = uncomfortable. Still had lots of fun but got a couple ice cream headaches 

[Scarlet Pimpernel]

5 minutes ago, Bob Chill said:

It was awesome and kind of annoying. Warm enough to sweat good on the long climbs on the trails but coming down the other side was cold AF. Sweat, shade, 47 degrees and 15mph breeze = uncomfortable. Still had lots of fun but got a couple ice cream headaches 

That does sound awesome!  I agree, the warm/cold aspect when it's like this can be a bit annoying.  I usually don't much care to get out on the bike if it's like in the 40s and cloudy, especially if it's breezy.  Today would have been OK for sure.  You may already have such a thing, but I invested in one of those thin hats that also covers your ears, which is designed to fit under a regular bike helmet.  And some nice, grippy gloves that work well when changing gears (regular winter gloves suck for that purpose!).  I've used both a couple of times this year.  The ones I got are meant for moderately cool weather, not really cold.  I've seen bikers out in the morning when it's frosty and downright cold out, and I could never do that myself but hell, more power to them!!  I know they make more hard-core gear that covers your whole face and some really warm gloves that still allow for good handling with the gears, but that's a bit beyond what I personally would make use of (obviously the die-hard cyclist who rides nearly year-round, it would be required!!).

[Scarlet Pimpernel]

16 minutes ago, RDM said:

Darn - No rest for the weary with what you and the other mods deal with.  Damned if you do and same if you don't.  Once the cat is out of the bag it's hard to get it back in there...   

Reminds me of an old "Far Side" cartoon, where this guy is in hell looking at two doors:  one says "damned if you do", the other says "damned if you don't".  The devil is prodding him saying something like "C'mon, c'mon, it's one or the other!!"

[George BM]

Wallops Island launch in less than two minutes 5:39pm.

 

ETA: Scrubbed. 

[RDM]

1 hour ago, Always in Zugzwang said:

Reminds me of an old "Far Side" cartoon, where this guy is in hell looking at two doors:  one says "damned if you do", the other says "damned if you don't".  The devil is prodding him saying something like "C'mon, c'mon, it's one or the other!!"

Haha - Think I know which cartoon you are talking about.  I'm a big fan of Far Side.  Was the end of an era when Gary Larson retired.  The oddities of how he looked at real world events was a big part of my collegiate and early professional careers.  As for the devil's prodding...   just leaving well enough alone and not opening either door was never a consideration.  The "guy" just HAD to open one of them.  Just like "Let's Make a Deal" and Monty Hall.