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March Banter 2021


George BM
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7 minutes ago, MillvilleWx said:

It's pretty remarkable when dust creates those conditions. I would think Iraq sees 20-30 days like that a year with plenty others that aren't AS bad

I was there in 2008 and it was apparently one of the worst years in memory for dust. Even the Iraqis were surprised. We had weeks and weeks of dust with visibility pulsing between 1-5mi. Craziest days were when the morning inversion kept the lowest 1mi or so clear, and there was a distinct dust “overcast” aloft. Then the inversion would break and the dust would slowly settle to the surface. Took us a few times to figure that one out. 

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9 hours ago, losetoa6 said:

Damn...pretty bad mountain  fire ongoing not too  far from here in SC Pa . Canderson in The central Pa forum said they're evacuating people . Looks like The Dillsburg area .

Pictures from last evening are spooky...looks like something right out of wildfire central in the western states:
Massive forest fire rages on mountain near Dillsburg (ydr.com)

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12 hours ago, MillvilleWx said:

It's pretty remarkable when dust creates those conditions. I would think Iraq sees 20-30 days like that a year with plenty others that aren't AS bad

It would get pretty bad any time the wind got above 25 knots there. Had some real doozies in the winter. Big ones in '03 and '04. The worst one I saw personally was actually caused by a series of haboobs over multiple days due to a stalled front in early May (a phenomenon known as the "desert front" where high-based convection would congregate over the Arabian peninsula around old elevated frontal boundaries and slopes around 850-700mb). Over 3 successive nights there were clusters of these haboobs over the deserts, generating massive cold pools and driving huge amounts of dust high into the atmosphere. It was dark for about 3 solid days in Bahrain, with the sun, if visible at all, as a faint orange-red disk. Dust got in everything that week, even indoors. I'll never forget that. It felt like living on another planet.

'

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19 hours ago, vastateofmind said:

I envy those who have homes with front porches. We have a two-level back patio behind our current cookie-cutter home, but nothing compares to a front porch. The big Victorian house I grew up in up in northern PA (built ~1900 maybe?) had a wraparound front/side porch...my parents had a hanging swing, a sofa-sized glider and a bunch of Adirondack chairs on it. Spent much of my youth out there playing on that porch...

I've always felt the same. We had a super small porch (and small house, to be fair) when I was growing up, but I loved sitting on it. I've also ALWAYS wanted a big Victorian wraparound porch like you describe.

We have a small deck and a patio out back, but we've been talking about a front porch for a long time. We live on a cul-de-sac with a bunch of other younger families, so it'll be great to sit on the porch while the kids play. It'll be a deep and fairly wide deck, so missus g is planning on some nice, big furniture out there. Also, the front of the house faces NNE, so we'll be out of the prevailing wind (so important in winter) and won't get roasted by the blazing late-afternoon sun in the summer. Pretty good deal all around.

I also want to add a place for a TV out there that will just be connected via a FireTV - probably something small enough to move out there whenever the mood strikes to watch something, then bring inside in the evening.

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1 minute ago, mattie g said:

I also want to add a place for a TV out there that will just be connected via a FireTV - probably something small enough to move out there whenever the mood strikes to watch something, then bring inside in the evening.

I bought a cheap 40 inch Hisense during black Friday a few years ago and keep it attached to a mount all summer.  I cover it when not in use with a weatherproof cover I found on Amazon and have had no issues with it at all.  I bring it in each fall before the first freeze and it has lasted.  You could also look to get a cheap Insignia with FIreTV installed as well.  

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4 minutes ago, toolsheds said:

I bought a cheap 40 inch Hisense during black Friday a few years ago and keep it attached to a mount all summer.  I cover it when not in use with a weatherproof cover I found on Amazon and have had no issues with it at all.  I bring it in each fall before the first freeze and it has lasted.  You could also look to get a cheap Insignia with FIreTV installed as well.  

Good idea on the weatherproof cover.

We're thankful that we live in a safe neighborhood, so it probably wouldn't be an issue, but the general idea is to keep from drawing any unwanted attention since a TV may well be visible to passersby since it'll be out in the front of the house. We're probably being paranoid about that, but I'll do whatever I can to reduce "targets of opportunity." If it turns out that it wouldn't be visible, then I wouldn't mind leaving it out there, taking your advice on the weatherproof cover!

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1 hour ago, mattie g said:

I've always felt the same. We had a super small porch (and small house, to be fair) when I was growing up, but I loved sitting on it. I've also ALWAYS wanted a big Victorian wraparound porch like you describe.

We have a small deck and a patio out back, but we've been talking about a front porch for a long time. We live on a cul-de-sac with a bunch of other younger families, so it'll be great to sit on the porch while the kids play. It'll be a deep and fairly wide deck, so missus g is planning on some nice, big furniture out there. Also, the front of the house faces NNE, so we'll be out of the prevailing wind (so important in winter) and won't get roasted by the blazing late-afternoon sun in the summer. Pretty good deal all around.

I also want to add a place for a TV out there that will just be connected via a FireTV - probably something small enough to move out there whenever the mood strikes to watch something, then bring inside in the evening.

Awww, man, this sounds like heaven! Good luck with all of this. And yeah, we enjoy watching the younger families/kids starting to enjoy the nicer weather again. We're on a cul de sac of "original owners" who've been here for 40-50 years. We couldn't figure out why they were all ecstatic when we moved in 20 years ago with a 6 and 4-year old...with our two having flown the nest in the last couple of years, we now "get" it.  :) A younger family with three kids in that same age range bought the house next door this time last year, and we've enjoyed hearing them play outside and enjoy their pool in the summertime. 

The "portable TV" solution is a great idea -- we were thinking, too, of moving one of our 32" monitors out on the back patio this summer and stabbing a Fire TV Stick or Chromecast in that bad boy, because why not??  :D 

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2 hours ago, mattie g said:

Good idea on the weatherproof cover.

We're thankful that we live in a safe neighborhood, so it probably wouldn't be an issue, but the general idea is to keep from drawing any unwanted attention since a TV may well be visible to passersby since it'll be out in the front of the house. We're probably being paranoid about that, but I'll do whatever I can to reduce "targets of opportunity." If it turns out that it wouldn't be visible, then I wouldn't mind leaving it out there, taking your advice on the weatherproof cover!

You can even put a mount up which will allow you to easily take the tv off each time you want to bring inside.  

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55 minutes ago, WinterWxLuvr said:

I wonder what the effect of fog on an outdoor tv is. I know people have them, but you’d this that really moist air like that would have some effect.

This is why I went with a cheap Hisense model.  Our TV has not had any issues in the 3-4 years we have had it outside in the spring/summer/fall months.  I think I spent $140 on the tv compared to outdoor televisions which ran in the $1000s  range. 

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2 hours ago, vastateofmind said:

Awww, man, this sounds like heaven! Good luck with all of this. And yeah, we enjoy watching the younger families/kids starting to enjoy the nicer weather again. We're on a cul de sac of "original owners" who've been here for 40-50 years. We couldn't figure out why they were all ecstatic when we moved in 20 years ago with a 6 and 4-year old...with our two having flown the nest in the last couple of years, we now "get" it.  :) A younger family with three kids in that same age range bought the house next door this time last year, and we've enjoyed hearing them play outside and enjoy their pool in the summertime. 

The "portable TV" solution is a great idea -- we were thinking, too, of moving one of our 32" monitors out on the back patio this summer and stabbing a Fire TV Stick or Chromecast in that bad boy, because why not??  :D 

Thanks!

Our cul-de-sac (13 homes) is the same. We moved in 11 years ago as a couple with no kids, and nestled among a bunch of homeowners who had been here since the early 70s. Most of those folks have moved on in one way or another, and we now have a bunch of young families here with a load of kids from ages 2 to 10. To be able to sit out there and keep an eye on things will be great, as will just going out there with a beer on a summer evening or a cup of coffee on a cool fall morning.

Using a FireTV (or another such system) is such an easy solution to watching a TV outdoors. When we mentioned the TV to our contractor, he said to just be sure to talk to the cable company to get things wired up before they started construction. We had a little laugh when he said that. :lol:

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1 hour ago, Mrs.J said:

Awe thanks! Chicken stir fry with Meifun noodles. Nice change from rice. 

As always, looks AMAZING. I'm not a tremendous mushroom fan, but I'll bet it tastes good with that mix. The snap peas look soooo mouthwatering. Never heard of the meifun noodles, but they look awesome, especially with the other veggie/protein mix here. Geez, Mrs. J, if you don't already have your own cooking blog, channel, etc. -- you really should.

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Warminista rant - 

Own it.  No reason to project onto cold lovers that we must be crazy or lying.   I want it to be cold as long as possible.  I want a marine layer and 53 degrees every day in May.  I prefer overcast, but if I have to see the sun, anything over 55-60 is gross and sweat inducing.   Own your status.  

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