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Jesus watching the most hateful people claiming to be his followers

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The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

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You are here: Home / Nature & Respite / Birdwatching / NOT a respite thread…

NOT a respite thread…

by Betty Cracker|  December 10, 20212:05 pm| 171 Comments

This post is in: Birdwatching, Open Threads

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But not NOT a respite thread either — I just wanted to share these amazing pink visitors who landed across the river from us!

The Anhinga in its grave clerical garb seemingly looks at the pink-plumaged visitors disapprovingly, then exits stage right as another pastel bird joins the group. pic.twitter.com/F8h5lKH1Wd

— Betty Cracker ? (@bettycrackerfl) December 10, 2021

Still shots of the Roseate Spoonbills:

NOT a respite thread...

NOT a respite thread... 1

I was so pleased they landed on that snag so I could get a shot of them. I see them flying by pretty frequently (usually seen as a pink streak in my peripheral vision), and once in three years one of them landed in our little lagoon. But typically they’re just passing through.

Open thread!

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Previous Post: « A Tale of Two Cities
Next Post: Friday Night Open Thread »

Reader Interactions

171Comments

  1. 1.

    Baud

    December 10, 2021 at 2:10 pm

    Majestic.

  2. 2.

    Old School

    December 10, 2021 at 2:11 pm

    What wonderful photos! You have a nicer view than I do.

  3. 3.

    NotMax

    December 10, 2021 at 2:14 pm

    Big birds (non-Sesame Street edition).

    ;)

  4. 4.

    cope

    December 10, 2021 at 2:15 pm

    Our favorite bird, thanks for the action shots. All my spoonbill photos are from too far away or poorly timed. These are great.

  5. 5.

    zhena gogolia

    December 10, 2021 at 2:15 pm

    I’ve been in love with the roseate spoonbill since I was 5 years old and had it in my book of bird stickers. You are so fortunate!

    Maybe worth DeathSantis to see this.

  6. 6.

    Brachiator

    December 10, 2021 at 2:17 pm

    Great photos!

  7. 7.

    JoyceH

    December 10, 2021 at 2:19 pm

    Do they eat shrimp? I read somewhere that flamingos start out white, but turn pink because they eat shrimp. Wonder if the same holds true for these guys?

  8. 8.

    Betty Cracker

    December 10, 2021 at 2:20 pm

    @zhena gogolia: They’re among my favorites too. I used to work on the 10th floor of an office building in Tampa that overlooked a mangrove swamp. There were scads of spoonbills! I hated that job, but the view was amazing!

  9. 9.

    Betty Cracker

    December 10, 2021 at 2:22 pm

    @JoyceH: Yes. The spoonbills pictured above are pretty far upriver from the Gulf of Mexico, so they won’t get shrimp here but there are other crustaceans and fish for them to snack on.

  10. 10.

    NotMax

    December 10, 2021 at 2:23 pm

    @JoyceH

    Why hasn’t science come up with genetically modified coloration for shrimp so we can enjoy a rainbow of flamingos?

    :)

  11. 11.

    SiubhanDuinne

    December 10, 2021 at 2:24 pm

    I love the still shot of the two spoonbills spooning. With their bills.

  12. 12.

    trollhattan

    December 10, 2021 at 2:25 pm

    Imaging the anhinga in a Cartman voice, “Respect mah autoritah and git off mah log. It’s mah log, now git off mah log. [pause] Maaah, spoonbills are being assholes again!”

  13. 13.

    Matt (one of the good ones)

    December 10, 2021 at 2:29 pm

  14. 14.

    Spanish Moss

    December 10, 2021 at 2:32 pm

    Great video! I love spoonbills, they are my second favorite bird. My husband and I visit the Viera wetlands a lot in the winter and I am always on the lookout for them. My favorite sighting was a parent spoonbill feeding its chicks on top of one of the observation platforms. The chicks weren’t well behaved at all and kept shoving each other out of the way.

  15. 15.

    Old School

    December 10, 2021 at 2:32 pm

    @NotMax:

    Big Birds (Sesame Street edition)

  16. 16.

    scav

    December 10, 2021 at 2:33 pm

    That anhinga doing a cormorant thing and hanging itself out to dry. Doesn’t work. Does make me want to carry a pink spoon around and wave it at those who shall not be named.  Confuse the hell out of them.

  17. 17.

    NotMax

    December 10, 2021 at 2:35 pm

    @Betty Cracker

    Flamingos with a tude.

    ;)

  18. 18.

    Mike in NC

    December 10, 2021 at 2:38 pm

    I’m used to seeing solo anhinga around the water hazards on the golf course. Yesterday I saw about 20 of them in a tight cluster, along with about 30 white egrets surrounding them. Must have been a Christmas party.

  19. 19.

    Major Major Major Major

    December 10, 2021 at 2:40 pm

    So pretty!

    Not too many birbs around up here, this time of year.

  20. 20.

    WaterGirl

    December 10, 2021 at 2:43 pm

    It’s like high school where the “Greasers” dressed all in black and the popular kids and the nerds all dressed in their own garb, too, and not many people crossed those lines.

    Beautiful birds, videos and photos, Betty!

  21. 21.

    oatler

    December 10, 2021 at 2:44 pm

    Are those like Florida snakebirds?

  22. 22.

    BeautifulPlumage

    December 10, 2021 at 2:51 pm

    Looks like you have your Valentine’s Day card picture. Great shots & video. Thanks for sharing!

  23. 23.

    jimmiraybob

    December 10, 2021 at 2:53 pm

    How timely!

    I just became aware of the “Birds Aren’t Real” movement and I am awokened like never before!

    Those are pink deep state drones!  You are under surveillance! Everyone is under surveillance!

    For the TRUTH go to their FB page.  The storm is nye!

     

    ……I’m sorry, I forgot to check to see if this was an open thread.

  24. 24.

    Ramalama

    December 10, 2021 at 2:53 pm

    PINK. Those are some gorgeous birds.

    2 woodpeckers took on our tallest pine this morning, one larger than the fat-ass squirrels in the yard. Everything’s gone wild since our Malamute died (black squirrels were his favorite afternoon snack).

    Hey that black bird on the branch, just frozen, staring at the pinkos…was that the same kind of bird or a different brand entirely?

  25. 25.

    Kalakal

    December 10, 2021 at 2:54 pm

    Lovely film. There’s a lot of anhingas around here, not so many spoonbills. I think anhingas may be my favourites, I love watching them paddle around with the cormorants while the pelicans demonstrate crash landings

  26. 26.

    stinger

    December 10, 2021 at 2:56 pm

    What a lovely shade of pink! Thanks for this post!

  27. 27.

    TaMara (HFG)

    December 10, 2021 at 2:57 pm

    Another piece of my childhood is gone. Although, a friend and colleague of Michael’s had to break the news to me just recently, that when I was watching the Monkees, it was in reruns…they’d long since been a canceled tv show by then.

    The Monkees’ Michael Nesmith has died at age 78. Read our “My Life in 15 Songs” feature where he and his bandmates broke down their most enduring tunes https://t.co/r08v3D33pf
    — Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) December 10, 2021

  28. 28.

    Kalakal

    December 10, 2021 at 2:59 pm

    @oatler: Yeah, common name for anhinga, people often confuse them with cormorants

  29. 29.

    Betty Cracker

    December 10, 2021 at 3:01 pm

    @oatler: Yep, lots of people call Anhingas snakebirds.

    @Ramalama: The black bird is an Anhinga — completely different type. If reincarnation was a thing I had to come back as a bird, I’d consider Anhingas — they get to swim underwater AND fly, which is pretty cool.

    ETA: Link to YouTube with Anhinga and Cormorant swimming in a spring.

  30. 30.

    leeleeFL

    December 10, 2021 at 3:02 pm

    @TaMara (HFG): He was my Fave Monkee!  i am sad!

  31. 31.

    JoyceH

    December 10, 2021 at 3:02 pm

    @TaMara (HFG): From someone on Twitter – “Hey, hey, I’m the Monkee.” M. Dolenz.

    Reading the obits, I’d forgotten that Nesmith’s mother invented Liquid Paper. Made her a fortune. Who here is old enough to have used Liquid Paper? (Raises hand.)

  32. 32.

    Betty Cracker

    December 10, 2021 at 3:06 pm

    @JoyceH: Me too — used it by the gallon. I can still smell it.

  33. 33.

    Kelly

    December 10, 2021 at 3:08 pm

    @Betty Cracker:

    If reincarnation was a thing I had to come back as a bird, I’d consider Anhingas — they get to swim underwater AND fly, which is pretty cool.

    That’s the way I feel about mergansers. Fly, swim, live on sushi, what’s not to like.  I once watched a mother merganser successfully face down a bald eagle three times her size. She did not raise her babies to be eagle food.

  34. 34.

    sdhays

    December 10, 2021 at 3:10 pm

    From behind and all spread out, that anhinga looks like the inspiration for some dragon concepts.

  35. 35.

    SpaceUnit

    December 10, 2021 at 3:12 pm

    @jimmiraybob:

    Yeah, I stumbled across this yesterday somewhere on the intertubes.  Too funny.

  36. 36.

    Kelly

    December 10, 2021 at 3:17 pm

    In other bird news our flock of beautiful quail seems to have doubled in the aftermath of last year’s massive wildfires in Oregon. Geese also seem to have prospered.

  37. 37.

    jonas

    December 10, 2021 at 3:21 pm

    Since folks are talking about the passing of Mike Nesmith of the Monkees, I came across this interesting tidbit in his LA Times obit a few moments ago:

    Nesmith was the only child of Bette Nesmith, the inventor of Liquid Paper, a typewriter correction product; she sold the company to Gillette in 1979 for $48 million, a fortune her son would inherit after her death in 1980.

    Who knew?

  38. 38.

    Sure Lurkalot

    December 10, 2021 at 3:24 pm

    Amazing photographs. What a treat that they hung out for a while so you could ooh, ahh and share.

  39. 39.

    Betty Cracker

    December 10, 2021 at 3:31 pm

    @Kelly: We get Hooded Mergansers here but not Commons. Here’s one I saw on a golf course pond a while back:NOT a respite thread... 2

  40. 40.

    sab

    December 10, 2021 at 3:37 pm

    @Betty Cracker: He looks like he saw something really horrifying.

  41. 41.

    Feathers

    December 10, 2021 at 3:39 pm

    @TaMara (HFG): I never really got into the Monkees, a bit too young when they were popular. Loved his Elephant Parts from 1981, though. A hilarious mix of videos, skits, fake advertisements. Won the first Grammy for music videos. Bits and pieces seem to be on YouTube. A taste of the rabbit hole:

    Art By The Pound

    This one is scarily prophetic, humor in the Reagan era, not so funny now: Neighborhood Nuclear Superiority

    Can I go for a third link? The man parodied his own country folkish ballad Joanne, reimagining as being about a Japanese movie monster: Rodanne

  42. 42.

    TaMara (HFG)

    December 10, 2021 at 3:43 pm

    @Betty Cracker: LOL, he’s lovely, but also looks a little surprised…about everything.

  43. 43.

    germy

    December 10, 2021 at 3:43 pm

    A travelling lady with her birds in Newcastle 1930 pic.twitter.com/xYuJ9q0akX

    — Historygirl (@janeyellene) December 10, 2021

  44. 44.

    germy

    December 10, 2021 at 3:45 pm

    Something perhaps too obvious to state is that most of America’s cultural and social problems are as bad as they are because the average American is really, really poorly socialized— Osric the Flop (@chris_ryates) December 10, 2021

    At age 18, in the Florida suburbs, I had never ridden a bus or a train or walked through a downtown or sat in a library or cafe, because we had none of those things, never met my neighbors, or walked down my own street (no sidewalk), was only ever driven around in my mom’s car— Osric the Flop (@chris_ryates) December 10, 2021

    (Caveat: there was a cafe if you include the Starbucks entirely enclosed within a Target, which I in fact frequented)— Osric the Flop (@chris_ryates) December 10, 2021

    I guess the point here is that my only relations to anyone outside of school and my household were as a customer or employee, I was completely deranged, and my hometown also produced the Pulse Nightclub shooter, Tyler Hadley (google him) and serial killer Gerard Schaefer, so…— Osric the Flop (@chris_ryates) December 10, 2021

  45. 45.

    chmatl

    December 10, 2021 at 3:48 pm

    These photos and videos really take me back. I went to grad school at FSU way back in the mid 80s. The rivers, creeks and springs in the panhandle – and the birds and other critters who make their homes there – are what I miss most when I look back on those days. I wouldn’t want to live there now because it’s so built up and congested. I’m just glad I was able to experience the natural world when things were a lot more quiet than they are now.

  46. 46.

    raven

    December 10, 2021 at 4:00 pm

    @chmatl: My cousin went there when Burt Reynolds was the qb!

  47. 47.

    Alison Rose

    December 10, 2021 at 4:05 pm

    I love that in the first still photo, they totally look like they’re talking shit about everyone.

  48. 48.

    Kelly

    December 10, 2021 at 4:07 pm

    @Betty Cracker: I’ve watched baby common mergansers the size of ping pong balls swim casually thru rapids with waves a couple feet high. They are born ready to go.

  49. 49.

    susanna

    December 10, 2021 at 4:08 pm

    Lovely winged wonders, they’re lovely and you’re very lucky to live among the varied bird species.

  50. 50.

    Dan B

    December 10, 2021 at 4:11 pm

    Great pictures of iconic birds!  It reminds me of why it makes a big difference to live in a place that has rare but memorable events.  Seattle has scenery that is often obscured by weather but if you live here then eight days per month when Mount Rainier and Mount Baker, 60 air miles and 90 air Mike’s respectively, are visible it feels like they’re regularly in view.  Of course in winter it’s maybe a couple times a month, sigh.

  51. 51.

    OzarkHillbilly

    December 10, 2021 at 4:23 pm

    I’m jealous. Never even seen a spoonbill much less count them among my neighbors.

  52. 52.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    December 10, 2021 at 4:26 pm

    @NotMax: Frankenmingoes?

  53. 53.

    chmatl

    December 10, 2021 at 4:31 pm

    @raven: I have a hazy recollection that he was the QB at one point. I wasn’t really a college football fan, nor even an FSU fan, until many years later. My husband attended both UF (undergrad) and FSU (law school), and he’s the one who got me interested in football in the great state of Florida. There was a time when the national championship was unquestionably going to go to one of the big Florida schools – third one was University of Miami. You probably remember those days too.

  54. 54.

    Gin & Tonic

    December 10, 2021 at 4:39 pm

    kyiv city hall goes all rainbow tonight for the first time in history of ukraine – the first for a city hall in eastern europe, too.

    thanks for making history @KyivPride @Amnesty_UA
    ?????️‍? pic.twitter.com/IG8CP3GWh9
    — maksym.eristavi ?️‍? (@MaximEristavi) December 10, 2021

  55. 55.

    Patricia Kayden

    December 10, 2021 at 4:40 pm

    JUST IN: President Biden has ordered an immediate end to federal support for coal plants and other carbon-intensive projects overseas. This is a major US policy shift that will fight climate change and accelerate renewable energy worldwide. (per @bpolitics)— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) December 10, 2021

  56. 56.

    SpaceUnit

    December 10, 2021 at 4:46 pm

    I’ve noticed that the birds in my neck of the woods are less inclined to migrate these days, presumably because the winters have become much milder.  There were always a few ducks and geese and crows etc that would hang around, but now I’m seeing birds like robins all year long.

    And of course there’s not much for them to do here in the winter except hang out in the trees smoking cigarettes and getting into trouble, starting fights with the squirrels.  You hate to see it.

  57. 57.

    cain

    December 10, 2021 at 4:51 pm

    @SpaceUnit: And of course there’s not much for them to do here in the winter except hang out in the trees smoking cigarettes and getting into trouble, starting fights with the squirrels. You hate to see it.

    It used to be such a nice neighborhood.

  58. 58.

    trollhattan

    December 10, 2021 at 4:52 pm

    @Patricia Kayden: First I’ve known we’ve been supporting coal plant construction overseas. Boggled.

  59. 59.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    December 10, 2021 at 4:53 pm

    We’re putting a lot of $$$ into the house right now, making up for years of ignoring issues.

    One of the things I’ve been wanting to do for years is replace the siding. The roofer is trying to sell us on a product that I think is called fiber cement, or cement fiber. It’s wood fiber embedded in a cement, resulting in something that feels like tile. Specifically, it’s this product.

    Does anybody have experience with this? I asked the guy if there are any houses I can look at with this kind of siding, and he said only the ones they’ve installed in Delaware (next state over). Which does not reassure me.

    Additional data: We have an old house, built 1890. And what’s on it now certainly isn’t historic, it’s shingle. This Old House says they’ve put this kind of siding on old houses.​

  60. 60.

    trollhattan

    December 10, 2021 at 4:54 pm

    @SpaceUnit: ​At some point the Canada geese got as far as our fair city and said “fuck it, eh?” and decided to stay. They’re always around and ICE has nary a word to say about that.

  61. 61.

    skerry

    December 10, 2021 at 4:55 pm

    @Patricia Kayden: Super. Now do domestic plants and projects.

  62. 62.

    sab

    December 10, 2021 at 4:55 pm

    @SpaceUnit: Forgot what your neck of the woods is even though you told us recently.

    When I was in my twenties in NE Ohio we used to cross coubtry ski for at least three months in the winter. Now we only have an occasional snowstorm, unless you live very close to the Lake.

  63. 63.

    Ken

    December 10, 2021 at 4:57 pm

    @SpaceUnit: I’ve not noticed robins, but then I’m not setting out live worms.  All I get are little brown birds which I’ve tentatively identified as sparrows.

    I have noticed that after I scatter the “wild bird mix”, the sparrows quickly show up and pick out the millet, and some break open the sunflower seeds. Then they fly off.  Later they come back and if I’ve not put out more mix, they grudgingly eat the milo.

  64. 64.

    trollhattan

    December 10, 2021 at 5:00 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: Don’t know that product specifically, not hard to believe it lasts longer than comp shingles, though.

    We have terra cotta tile on much of our roof and while it can last an actual century, the roofing felt eventually gives up the ghost and the tile has to be pulled and reinstalled, no small task (most tile is not watertight). And when one does that, not all the tile survives and new like-old tile has to go on, too, which is tricky.

    My takeaway is if you go for it, set aside the leftover tiles for damage repair and that day down the road when the roof needs re-felting. Whoever makes it will be out of business or at least have discontinued the color by then.

    There will be leftover tile from the job and it generally goes into the dumpster.

    Or, if you’re moving in five years, no worries!

  65. 65.

    sab

    December 10, 2021 at 5:00 pm

    @trollhattan: My seasonal tax season office has Canada geese on the roof. They like the HOAs ponds next door. Takeoff from the roof is dramatic…thump.., thump, ..thump,.. thump thump thump of large duckish feet overhead.

    They don’t attack us the way wild turkeys at another office used to do.

  66. 66.

    Lyrebird

    December 10, 2021 at 5:03 pm

    Thanks for sharing these with us! A little beauty and wonder goes a long way.

  67. 67.

    trollhattan

    December 10, 2021 at 5:07 pm

    @sab: Have been hissed at, pecked, and even a wing graze my face while bicycling (that one was accidental on the part of the goose). We have turkeys too, but they haven’t taken residence on our block. Yet. There are plenty stories of the toms picking enemies though, and they’ll chase your ass down.

  68. 68.

    trollhattan

    December 10, 2021 at 5:09 pm

    Okay, got a good laugh from this particular 1/6 defense.

    December 10, 2021 at 4:21 pm EST By Taegan Goddard

    An alleged member of the ultra-right Three Percenter militia movement said he was manipulated into participating in the Capitol riot by Yale secret society “Skull and Bones” and other groups he said were covertly acting for the government, Bloomberg reports.

  69. 69.

    SpaceUnit

    December 10, 2021 at 5:14 pm

    @sab:

    Denver area.

    There is a general perception that we’re up to our eyebrows in snow all winter long but nothing could be further from the truth, especially over the last ten or fifteen years or so.  We can get some snow but it never sticks around.  In the middle of January we’re as likely to be walking around outside in shorts as we are to be shoveling snow.

  70. 70.

    sab

    December 10, 2021 at 5:16 pm

    @trollhattan: My boss has a german shepherd silhouette thing they put out to keep the geese away from the driveway.

    I got one to keep raptors away from our squirrel feeders. It works pretty well against mean big birds, but it attracts all kinds of outraged big dogs on their morning walks, barking with spine hair on end.

    And my husband tripped over it getting the morning paper, until I put two lawn chairs on either side.

  71. 71.

    sab

    December 10, 2021 at 5:17 pm

    @SpaceUnit: I alwsys thought Denver was very cold but rather dry since out west in Colorado.

  72. 72.

    mrmoshpotato

    December 10, 2021 at 5:18 pm

    @trollhattan:

    An alleged member of the ultra-right Three Percenter militia movement said he was manipulated into participating in the Capitol riot by Yale secret society “Skull and Bones” and other groups he said were covertly acting for the government, Bloomberg reports. 

    Boo fucking hoo, and fuck you too, you Dump-humping, fascist shitstain!

  73. 73.

    Van Buren

    December 10, 2021 at 5:20 pm

    Hey Water Girl! Received calendar today!

  74. 74.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    December 10, 2021 at 5:20 pm

    @trollhattan: Dude, you’re not supposed to tell people about the “secret society”, then it’s not secret any more. Didn’t you get the whole lecture about “will disavow any knowledge of your mission”?

  75. 75.

    JoyceCB

    December 10, 2021 at 5:22 pm

    Location, location, location… on our one and only trip to Florida, in 1999 I believe, one of our target birds was the Roseate Spoonbill.  We were over the moon to finally see a couple at the Ding Darling reserve.  (Fort Meyers area).  So many wonderful new birds on that trip.  Thanks, Betty C.

  76. 76.

    mrmoshpotato

    December 10, 2021 at 5:23 pm

    Aussies SMASH!

  77. 77.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    December 10, 2021 at 5:25 pm

    Speaking of birds, I highly recommend the movie “The Starling”. It’s a pretty moving film, the death of an infant is at the center of it. And as an interesting choice, the director cast comic actors in all the key parts: Melissa McCarthy (who I will watch in anything. Well, almost anything), Kevin Kline, Chris O’Dowd, Loretta Devine. They are all very effective.

    The starling who is the title character is a very territorial bird who has decided Melissa McCarthy’s front yard is his, and throughout the movie he is dive bombing her to the point of drawing blood. Is there any truth to this characterization of starling behavior? Seems a little far-fetched.

  78. 78.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    December 10, 2021 at 5:26 pm

    @trollhattan: “I am guiliable dimwit, easily persuaded into illegal violent acts” is a curious defense.

  79. 79.

    Miss Bianca

    December 10, 2021 at 5:26 pm

    Oh, man, ever since I was a little kid I’ve wanted to see some spoonbills in the flesh! Guess this will have to do me for a while longer!

  80. 80.

    sab

    December 10, 2021 at 5:29 pm

    @JoyceCB: Right before we moved from Florida a clapper rail moved into our yard. I loved that bird. Big, shorebird, long beak that “clapped” loudly whenever it had an issue about anything. They don’t have birds like that in Ohio

    We do have Canada geese (mostly not Canadian), wild turkeys and buzzards (turkey vultures.) Also pileated woodpeckers, but they are very shy.

  81. 81.

    SpaceUnit

    December 10, 2021 at 5:31 pm

    @sab:

    It can get cold at times, but generally it’s much warmer than most people imagine.  Summers are brutal and long.  I often find myself thinking of a move to somewhere cooler.

    We’ve only today gotten our first little dusting of snow.

  82. 82.

    Kalakal

    December 10, 2021 at 5:32 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: Hardieboard?

    Yes, we put some on our house here in Pinellas County, Fl. Didn’t do the whole house but there were a few sections of the siding that were in a really bad way ( the house was most definately a fixer upper. Seems to be doing ok so far, it’s been through a hurricane and a few storms. It seems to be not uncommon down here. The selling point is low maintainence vs wood ( this is Gulf Coast Florida). i think we’ve had it about 4 years now.

  83. 83.

    Kalakal

    December 10, 2021 at 5:36 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: Maybe not as far fetched as you think

    https://theconversation.com/never-cross-a-crow-it-will-remember-your-face-2121

  84. 84.

    Martin

    December 10, 2021 at 5:37 pm

    @Patricia Kayden: Nice. Now do the same for domestic!

  85. 85.

    JMG

    December 10, 2021 at 5:38 pm

    Geese used to use our local golf course as a stopping point on their spring and late summer migrations. (Local rule: free drop if ball is in goose poop). Plenty of grass to eat. Now, they stick around later and later in each cycle. Course manager finally bought a lifelike coyote statue he moves around the course to encourage them to leave.

  86. 86.

    germy

    December 10, 2021 at 5:38 pm

    Can't undersell how insidiously dumb it feels to watch the coup powerpoint. You click through and some little animated arrows swoosh around like it's your 3rd grade presentation on giraffes, but it's Trump officials arguing to declare a state of emergency and invalidate votes.

    — Kelly Weill (@KELLYWEILL) December 10, 2021

  87. 87.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    December 10, 2021 at 5:41 pm

    @JMG: I was just thinking it was a flaw in the otherwise very realistic Caddy Shack that the villain was a gopher and not a Canadianite goose, but I guess not even Hollywood could make a cute goose puppet.

  88. 88.

    Scout211

    December 10, 2021 at 5:42 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    We have cement board siding on our house.  We had it built in 2008. I am not sure if it is now required in California (I wouldn’t be surprised) but it is highly recommended because it is more fire safe. We are very happy with it. The type we have is made to look like wood (fake grain) so from a few feet away and you can’t tell the difference.  Definitely recommend.

  89. 89.

    Martin

    December 10, 2021 at 5:44 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: Yeah, sorta. My grandfather had a similar kind of siding on his house. But it’s not wood fiber, it’s asbestos.

    Fiber cement siding is quite old, and the new versions use wood and silica fiber (fiberglass, effectively). It’s durable, low maintenance, paints well, bug resistant. Can be a bit expensive, but it’ll last forever. Very popular in new construction. You’ve probably seen it and not realized what it was – it can look a LOT like conventional vinyl or wood siding.

  90. 90.

    James E Powell

    December 10, 2021 at 5:45 pm

    Two items from the LA Times that are right next to each other on the website:

    LAUSD poised to back down from student COVID vaccination deadline

    Officials want to avoid having to bar more than 30,000 students from campus who are now too late to meet the Jan. 10 inoculation deadline.

    And

    L.A. County may be at the start of a winter COVID-19 surge, health official says

    Tell me, what is a teacher to think?

  91. 91.

    Martin

    December 10, 2021 at 5:45 pm

    @germy: I mean, the bullet to declare all electronic votes invalid. That’s more than half the votes cast in the US.

  92. 92.

    Yutsano

    December 10, 2021 at 5:50 pm

    @germy: This makes Death by PowerPoint even funnier now.

  93. 93.

    VeniceRiley

    December 10, 2021 at 5:54 pm

    3 weeks. 2 houses 4 hotels 2 harbors 4 old navy one macys countless restaurants 1 wedding, loads of family and friends. 4 states. Feeling confident my triple vaxxed new wife will test negative today for PCR fit-to-fly. Same day results available thank god. Flight tomorrow, Then PCR again on landing, but a lovely extra day or two off to wait for results.

    Then the submission for a spouse visa and we’re done!

  94. 94.

    Ken

    December 10, 2021 at 5:55 pm

    @James E Powell: Perhaps extend the idea for hospitals to schools — tents outside, for the unvaccinated students?

    Having vaccination clinics at the schools is another thought.

  95. 95.

    Yutsano

    December 10, 2021 at 5:56 pm

    @VeniceRiley: ​Aww! MAZEL TOV YA CRAZY KIDS! :D

  96. 96.

    VeniceRiley

    December 10, 2021 at 5:56 pm

    @James E Powell: Ugh. So dumb! And we have plenty. My relatives inland are having a hard time getting appointments for their school age children.

  97. 97.

    VeniceRiley

    December 10, 2021 at 5:58 pm

     

    @Yutsano: Thank you! My sister’s boyfriend put my wife to work making matzoh balls! We had Hanukkah and then Christmas.

  98. 98.

    Jay

    December 10, 2021 at 6:01 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    Hardieplank is a great product and has been around for about 20 years.

  99. 99.

    Danielx

    December 10, 2021 at 6:06 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    been replacing T111 siding on house a wall at a time. It’s good stuff- if they strip off the old siding first you can get your classified as a masonry structure for insurance purposes, which saves bucks. Fireproof, tales paint like a charm, won’t rot. What’s not to like?

    eta: if you haves asbestos shingles, just have installers go over it, do not try to remove – huge pain in the ass, mitigation specialists required, etc etc.

  100. 100.

    Craig

    December 10, 2021 at 6:06 pm

    That first still is beautiful.

  101. 101.

    Citizen Alan

    December 10, 2021 at 6:10 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: The Gopher was the “villain” of Caddyshack only in the sense that the Road Runner was the villain of the RR/Coyote cartoons.

  102. 102.

    debbie

    December 10, 2021 at 6:12 pm

    Well, now I understand why the name is roseate spoonbill (no kidding).

  103. 103.

    J R in WV

    December 10, 2021 at 6:16 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: ​

    The roofer is trying to sell us on a product that I think is called fiber cement, or cement fiber. It’s wood fiber embedded in a cement, resulting in something that feels like tile. Specifically, it’s this product.

    Believe it or not,, they are still allowed to sell building products with asbestos in them. Now, I believe some of the asbestos panic is just that — there are dozens of different asbestos minerals, some of which are more dangerous than others.

    But all of them require special licenses to remediate them, and you can’t dispose of them without a license, nor in a regular construction debris landfill… It has to be a specially licensed landfill for hazmat debris.

    So I would be paranoid about siding with unknown or mystery fiber in it.

  104. 104.

    pluky

    December 10, 2021 at 6:18 pm

    @Spanish Moss: Sibling rivalry in avian nests is serious business. It’s often fight or starve.

  105. 105.

    J R in WV

    December 10, 2021 at 6:21 pm

    @trollhattan:

    An alleged member of the ultra-right Three Percenter militia movement said he was manipulated into participating in the Capitol riot by Yale secret society “Skull and Bones” and other groups he said were covertly acting for the government…

    They have already forgotten that last January 6th, the government was owned and operated by TFG, Donald Trump. So perhaps the 3%ers were hoodwinked by the federal government, being operated by TFG Trump…?!?

    Who knows? The Shadow Do ~!~!~

  106. 106.

    Martin

    December 10, 2021 at 6:22 pm

    @J R in WV: I had multiple work projects that had to deal with asbestos, and I can tell you, the stuff is FANTASTIC until you need to get rid of it, then just take whatever remodel budget you’re working off of and double it. Maybe triple.

  107. 107.

    prostratedragon

    December 10, 2021 at 6:24 pm

    And another five year old who piped “Spoonbills” on seeing the photos @

  108. 108.

    Spanky

    December 10, 2021 at 6:24 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: Hardiplank had asbestos as late as 1987, but now uses wood fiber in its place, according to the intertubes.

  109. 109.

    debbie

    December 10, 2021 at 6:30 pm

    @VeniceRiley:

    Congratulations! I’m exhausted just reading all that activity.

  110. 110.

    Rob

    December 10, 2021 at 6:31 pm

    And this is why there were so many spoonbills in the northeast this past summer. Anhinga aggression drove them up here.

    eta: Excellent photos and video, Betty!

  111. 111.

    sab

    December 10, 2021 at 6:32 pm

    I just tried to respond to a comment. i had to club my pitbull almost into insensitivity just because she was a dog and wanted to play.

    Sweet dog. I absolutely hate our timeline,

    Can fix it with the dog, but in normal life neither she nor I should have to make these choices. We are all on the same side.

  112. 112.

    Jay

    December 10, 2021 at 6:36 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    yes, nesting birds can be extremely territorial, I have been attacked by hummingbirds, robins, starlings, wrens, junco’s.

  113. 113.

    Anyway

    December 10, 2021 at 6:38 pm

    @VeniceRiley:

    Congratulations! We need details – what kind of ceremony? what kind of dress(es)?

  114. 114.

    JPL

    December 10, 2021 at 6:38 pm

    @Martin: Yup     Send out the hazmat suits.

  115. 115.

    EmbraceYourInnerCrone

    December 10, 2021 at 6:41 pm

    @trollhattan: oh my. You owe me a new keyboard! I just spit taked my hard cider all over mine,,,

  116. 116.

    satby

    December 10, 2021 at 6:42 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: Hardieboard is great. They used it on some restorations of houses in the historic district where I lived in Chicago. Can’t really tell it’s not wood from the sidewalk.

  117. 117.

    debbie

    December 10, 2021 at 6:50 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    I know squat about siding, but I know This Old House likes and uses fiber cement siding.

  118. 118.

    Taken4Granite

    December 10, 2021 at 6:52 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: I replaced the original siding on my house with Hardie siding in 2007. The main advantage for me is that it completely eliminated the problems I had with squirrels taking up residence in my attic.

    It’s not entirely maintenance-free. You need to get the house painted every decade or so; the stuff can flake off if the paint wears off.

  119. 119.

    Danielx

    December 10, 2021 at 6:53 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    can also get HardiePanel vertical siding, 4×8 sheets like plywood. Hardie is not the only manufacturer these days, there are other varieties.

  120. 120.

    UncleEbeneezer

    December 10, 2021 at 6:54 pm

    BREAKING: DC fed judge (and Trump appointee) Dabney Friedrich issues ruling upholding prosecutors’ use of obstruction statute to cover obstruction of Congress’ Electoral College tabulation session on Jan. 6. Doc: https://bit.ly/3pMgT35 #CapitolRiot

    Reuters: U.S. HOUSE PANEL PROBING JAN. 6 CAPITOL RIOT ISSUES SIX MORE SUBPOENAS, INCLUDING TOP TRUMP WHITE HOUSE AIDES

  121. 121.

    Gvg

    December 10, 2021 at 6:56 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: if you can afford it, it is highly recommended in Florida. It is rot resistant and also impervious to termites which is a big deal here. Our climate has no snow and I don’t know how it does elsewhere. It is cement so there is no insulation value in itself, you have to insulate between studs. They also put in house wrap before the cement board which results in less air leakage and does help energy efficiency.

    I want to replace my vinyl over old t-111 with cement board but will have to save for it.

    it was invented in Australia and has been here at least 40 years. In the early years some products had poor quality and had to be replaced but the last at least 30 years it has had a good reputation.

  122. 122.

    Matt McIrvin

    December 10, 2021 at 6:56 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: To me the key thing about starlings is that there’s never just one–they travel in colossal flocks.

  123. 123.

    Ruckus

    December 10, 2021 at 7:03 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    I’ve seen fencing that looks like the same material. If it is it seems to hold up pretty well.

  124. 124.

    Jay

    December 10, 2021 at 7:05 pm

    @Taken4Granite:

    if you or the installer primes the back side of the Hardiplank or Hardiboard, and you have factory paint on the Plank/board, Hardi used to double the factory colour warrantee to 20 years.

    Hardiplank and Hardiboard are porous, any moisture on the back side of the plank “sweats” through the plank, eventually causing the paint to fail.

    The “best” installations here, the West Raincoast, use a rainscreen over the sheathing, strapping for an air gap of a half inch, insect screens top and bottom, then back primed or fully painted HardiPlank, with all cuts and joints sealed with primer.

    Some installers here will give a 30 year warranty on colour and water penetration, if you go full belts and braces.

  125. 125.

    Dan B

    December 10, 2021 at 7:05 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: Hardieplank and Hardieboard are excellent products.  Installation details matter.  You may want to know what your contractor does to prevent issues for instance a Tyvek or similar moisture barrier before the Hardie material is installed.  It’s used in many different types of construction here in Seattle.  My large 20×10 tool shed is covered in Hardieboard.  It holds paint for decades.  I used it for fences and they have lasted 25+ years with no sign of wear.

  126. 126.

    Redshift

    December 10, 2021 at 7:05 pm

    I was lucky enough to see spoonbills the last time I was in Florida for a rocket launch (and visit to a wildlife sanctuary.) Someday I need to put together my mediocre bird photos and less mediocre rocket photos for On The Road…

  127. 127.

    debbie

    December 10, 2021 at 7:07 pm

    @UncleEbeneezer:

    Nice. I like that they were trying to say that the certification wasn’t an official proceeding.

  128. 128.

    Redshift

    December 10, 2021 at 7:08 pm

    @Matt McIrvin: And grackles! If I’m outdoors at the right time of day in my neighborhood, I get to experience an event I call gracklepalooza, either in a nearby yard or in the trees.

  129. 129.

    Yutsano

    December 10, 2021 at 7:08 pm

    @UncleEbeneezer: TICK TOCK MOTHERFUCKERS!!!

  130. 130.

    Dan B

    December 10, 2021 at 7:09 pm

    @sab: Mind boggling.  We kept a yardstick by the front door to measure snow depth.  One year it snowed three inches on Juune 3rd.  And we had drifts up to 15 feet in exposed areas.

  131. 131.

    sab

    December 10, 2021 at 7:09 pm

    We sold my parents 1920 vintage house to the neighbors. It was gorgeous. Golden oak paneling. Fireplace importanted feom Europe. Paneling everywhrpere. If they didn’t want it everything inthe house could have been recycled. Instead sent to the dump.

  132. 132.

    Jay

    December 10, 2021 at 7:13 pm

    @Ruckus:

    Hardiplank is solid in the vertical, super floppy in the horizontal.

    in fencing, what you are probably seeing is cast, coloured, fibre reinforced 2×6 “planks, slotted into cast 4×4 or 6×6 posts.

  133. 133.

    NotMax

    December 10, 2021 at 7:16 pm

    @sab

    we used to cross coubtry ski for at least three months in the winter.

    Uphill. Both ways!

    :)

  134. 134.

    Jay

    December 10, 2021 at 7:17 pm

    @Matt McIrvin:

    @Redshift:

    at work, we have “Crow O’Clock”. There is a major roost about 2 klicks away, so at sunrise, and sunset we get tens of thousands flying past, headed out or back.

  135. 135.

    2liberal

    December 10, 2021 at 7:19 pm

    Protesters filled the meeting room of the Spalding County Board of Elections in October, upset that the board had disallowed early voting on Sundays for the Nov. 2 municipal election. A year ago, Sunday voting had been instrumental in boosting turnout of Black voters.
    But this was an entirely different five-member board than had overseen the last election. The Democratic majority of three Black women was gone. So was the Black elections supervisor.

    https://www.reuters.com/world/us/georgia-republicans-purge-black-democrats-county-election-boards-2021-12-09/

  136. 136.

    Jay

    December 10, 2021 at 7:20 pm

    @Dan B:

    how did you use it for fences?

    Basket weave or short lapped planks?

  137. 137.

    Dan B

    December 10, 2021 at 7:21 pm

    @Dan B: 15 foot drifts in winter, not on June 3rd.

  138. 138.

    Dan B

    December 10, 2021 at 7:24 pm

    @Jay: We used the sheets.  Wood posts PTW and wood to hold the sheets in place.  Painted both sides but didn’t do it on my tool shed because of one foot or bigger overhangs.  I believe I did the first Hardie fence 30 years ago.  It still looks like new.

  139. 139.

    prostratedragon

    December 10, 2021 at 7:25 pm

    @Jay:  Gulls at Riis beach were similar. People could have the place until about 5pm, then for sure gulls would gather on the rail of the boardwalk and stare out at us impatiently. No one every said, “The gulls are here, let’s go,” but pretty much everyone went.

  140. 140.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    December 10, 2021 at 7:33 pm

    Thanks everyone for the advice on the Hardi products. It sounds like it is a good product and a good investment. I wasn’t aware it had to be repainted, I’m going to ask him about that.

  141. 141.

    Jay

    December 10, 2021 at 7:36 pm

    @prostratedragon:

    First “real job”. Tire factory and retreader. Garbage tires and casings went to the dump, filled with water. Trent drove the truck, ( 15 ton no synchromesh 4 speed, so first, clutch in, clutch out, clutch in, 2nd, clutch out,………..

    As the Newbie, my job was throwing the tires off the back, while getting filthy and soaking wet,

    Then, while sitting in the cab, as an “initiation”, Trent would throw out an M80, and the “newbie” would get whitewashed with seagull rain,

    @Dan B:

    ah, Hardiepanel.

  142. 142.

    Faithful Lurker

    December 10, 2021 at 7:39 pm

    @Dan B: We live on the Olympic Peninsula and the wooden posts have been the problem with fences, even treated posts. Do you have a picture of how you put the fence together?

  143. 143.

    prostratedragon

    December 10, 2021 at 7:41 pm

    @Jay:  Makes a person think about the organization of society.

  144. 144.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    December 10, 2021 at 7:41 pm

    @mrmoshpotato: ​
     Just clicked through on that. I can’t stop watching.

    My wife is wondering what I’m laughing about. I’ll share it with her, but I guarantee she’ll get bored within 5 seconds and still wonder what I’m laughing about.

  145. 145.

    Jay

    December 10, 2021 at 7:43 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    if they prime the back and seal the joints, you will need to repaint the factory coating at 20-30 years time.

    did the full deal on the Kamloops house, (belt and suspenders ) it’s going on 25 years and it still looks new. ( +120 summers, -40 winters, tons of wind, rain, hail, forest fires.

  146. 146.

    Kelly

    December 10, 2021 at 7:50 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: Our house is sided with Hardieplank. It’s good stuff. Hire a good installer. Amature installation left us with a few issues.

    1) Joints between planks should be backed with a flap of flashing or Tyvek type material. Ours were caulked. The caulking needs redone every time you paint. Re-Caulking is a bigger job than painting.

    2) We have really narrow strips (1/2″ or so) under a couple windows. Really narrow strips are brittle and we’ve had to fix them. I think this could have been avoided by fudging the the exposure of the clapboards so the strip was wider or gone.

  147. 147.

    Spanky

    December 10, 2021 at 7:50 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: Just remember you’re asking a roofer about siding. Do your own internet research before you talk to him.

  148. 148.

    Jay

    December 10, 2021 at 7:50 pm

    @Faithful Lurker:

    a) yellow cedar, hard to find these days but lasts twice as long as red cedar or PT treated softwood.

    b)6 inches of pea-gravel at the bottom of the post hole to keep the water away from the endgrain.

    c)seal the endgrain and the depth of the post, ( the area below ground) with epoxy or tar, or,

    Plan B, concrete footing, epoxied post bracket, sealed endgrain on the post,

    Plan C, concrete posts and “planks”,

  149. 149.

    Spanky

    December 10, 2021 at 7:54 pm

    @Jay: And D: Never that vinyl shit.

  150. 150.

    frosty

    December 10, 2021 at 7:55 pm

    I’m a little jealous. In many years of snowbirding I’ve only seen one Roseate Spoonbill, flying over me while driving between Everglades and Big Cypress. I’ll get another chance this February, so maybe this year!

    Beautiful pix, BC.

  151. 151.

    NotMax

    December 10, 2021 at 7:59 pm

    Speaking of flamingos….

    ;)

  152. 152.

    Sure Lurkalot

    December 10, 2021 at 8:01 pm

    @VeniceRiley: Live long and prosper you lovebirds.

  153. 153.

    frosty

    December 10, 2021 at 8:04 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: I think fiber cement siding is what my brother put on his house north of NYC. It’s supposed to be good stuff.

    We just resided our house with vinyl “shakes” after 18 years of living with the aluminum the previous owner put up. Roofing company did it, they looked at the roof and said it was good, so that’s an expense I can put off for awhile.

  154. 154.

    Scout211

    December 10, 2021 at 8:10 pm

    @Kelly:

    Our cement board planks were caulked as well before the house was originally painted.

    We had our house repainted a year ago (the siding was 13 years old at that point). We got two painting contractors give us an estimate. The first contractor told us that the new standard was to NOT caulk the cement board siding.  So he gave us an estimate with no caulking.  The second contractor included caulking in her estimate and her bid was $5,000 less. So we went with the second bid and she and her crew did a great job.

    The first guy claimed that caulking the butted ends can cause the planks to crack and that the manufacturers now don’t recommend caulking.  (I don’t know if this is true or not). Since ours were caulked with the original installation, we went with the additional caulking.

  155. 155.

    Kalakal

    December 10, 2021 at 8:13 pm

    @frosty: I think I’ve seen spoonbills every time I’ve been to the Ding Darling Reserve on Sanibel. If you’re ever in that vicinity you could try there. It’s well worth a visit

  156. 156.

    Jay

    December 10, 2021 at 8:15 pm

    @prostratedragon:

    didn’t mind the hazing. I think more about the modern organization of work. My brother’s best friend’s Dad was the factory, ( a co-op) Manager, but I had to cycle through all the different jobs, from low to medium, for a year, until I got to do the job I was supposed to do, which was manage the shifts and inventory in the warehouse. So by the time I started in the warehouse, I knew everything about making/retreading a tire and suspension parts, in a hands on manner.

    The highest paid guy on the factory floor, just below Mgmt, was the “grinder”. He would shave down “casings” to the point they could be retreaded, from econo cars to industrial, covered in rubber dust all day, but because of experience, he could tell if it was a “good casing” or utter garbage and dangerous, with in a few seconds.

    When I worked for an industrial computer MFG, all new hire engineers had to spend 6 months on the floor, because the people who put them together, knew as much or more, about designing and building an industrial computer.

    These days, I see people with no practical experience getting MGMT roles, and really have no “clue” of what the workers they are supposedly managing, actually do.

  157. 157.

    Kelly

    December 10, 2021 at 8:15 pm

    @Scout211: We re-painted and re-caulked ourselves. The caulking was a pain.

  158. 158.

    Jay

    December 10, 2021 at 8:17 pm

    @Spanky:

    seconded.

  159. 159.

    Another Scott

    December 10, 2021 at 8:17 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: Piling on – we have Hardiplank siding installed on our NoVA home as well.  We used it to replace some horrible vinyl that was covering up some horrible masonite-type stuff that swelled when it got wet (just what you want with painted siding…).

    The Hardiplank was installed about 20 years ago.  Still looks great.  Ours was painted with Sherwin-Williams Duration paint that has held up amazingly well (even though it was applied when it was about 35F outside at the time).

    As others say, get a good installer.  It’s hard stuff and you don’t want some yoyo with a nail gun shooting nails into your home because they don’t know what they’re doing.  (Our installers used actual hammers and not nail guns.)

    Good luck!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  160. 160.

    Jay

    December 10, 2021 at 8:23 pm

    @Scout211:

    there is very little expansion/contraction with fibre cement siding, so the worst that happens with a caulked butt joint is in the summer, you get a bit of a bulge, in winter, if it gets really cold, a tiny trough.

    Because the concrete is porous, if unsealed or not caulked, moisture gets in, cooks out and the paint doesn’t last as long. Flakes.

  161. 161.

    frosty

    December 10, 2021 at 8:24 pm

    @Kalakal: I was at Ding Darling a few years ago. No Spoonbills. When someone told me I had to be there at dawn to see them I figured I wasn’t ever going to see one.

    Late riser, here.

  162. 162.

    Jay

    December 10, 2021 at 8:28 pm

    @Another Scott:

    these days, there are special sawblades for cutting, brackets for  hanging, special 14 gauge brads and guns for nailing. We even sell stainless.

    but yeah, you want an experienced installer with all the right tools, belt and suspenders.

  163. 163.

    Jay

    December 10, 2021 at 8:45 pm

    @Jay:

    gotta avoid buttcrack or as we at work call it, more PC, bicycle rack, at all costs.

  164. 164.

    Dan B

    December 10, 2021 at 8:57 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: I installed a fence for a client probably 30 years ago.  It was painted both sides and looks like new.  Priming the back side is very valuable.

  165. 165.

    Dan B

    December 10, 2021 at 9:04 pm

    @Faithful Lurker: i have pictures but on my computer which I don’t have set up.  Another reason to set it up.  What I’ve found with Pressure Treated is ut twists because it’s green.  Better distributors like Dunn Lumber provide better quality that is less prone to twisting.  The other option is to purchase 20% extra and store it for 3 or more months.  I’ve also done two 2×6 sandwiched and screwed to each other.  Pricey but better than taking the fence apart.  We also treated the base of the posts even if they were on post anchors since the treatment doesn’t get all the way to the center. And be sure to cover the top of the posts to keep water out.

  166. 166.

    Jay

    December 10, 2021 at 9:09 pm

    @Dan B:

    yurp, cap it.

  167. 167.

    J R in WV

    December 10, 2021 at 9:40 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    One of the things I’ve been wanting to do for years is replace the siding. The roofer is trying to sell us on a product that I think is called fiber cement, or cement fiber. It’s wood fiber embedded in a cement, resulting in something that feels like tile. Specifically, it’s this product.

    I visited the web site you linked to, and after lost of attractive photos of a wide variety of attractive siding products, at the very bottom of the page, on the bottom right of the page, there is a very inconspicuous link that says “asbestos compensation” — so I would think twice before I dealt with this manufacturer…

  168. 168.

    Faithful Lurker

    December 10, 2021 at 10:35 pm

    @Jay: Thanks.

    I’ll make a note of those suggestions and when we need to replace our fence, it’ll come in handy.

  169. 169.

    Faithful Lurker

    December 10, 2021 at 10:36 pm

    @Dan B: Thanks. Very useful and we’ll keep those suggestions in mind.

  170. 170.

    Jay

    December 11, 2021 at 1:38 am

    @J R in WV:

    Hardie dumped the asbestos fibres in the 80’s, switched to long pulp wood fibres. That got their products allowed back  into Canada. Prior to asbestos regulation, you could find asbestos in everything from floor tiles to roof shingles.

  171. 171.

    Ramalama

    December 11, 2021 at 7:46 am

    @Taken4Granite: OMG this is my house right now. Occupied by critters in the belfry. I am taking a yuge screenshot of all the posts in this open thread to try and convince the missus that vinyl siding from the 70s gots to go. Thank you, conscientious home owners.

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