Getting ready to fight coronavirus

a place to discuss anything of interest to owners of M151 jeeps

Moderators: rickf, raymond, Mr. Recovery

Post Reply
User avatar
rickf
General
General
Posts: 19740
Joined: November 26th, 2007, 1:28 pm
Location: Pemberton, NJ.

Re: Getting ready to fight coronavirus

Unread post by rickf » March 18th, 2020, 1:48 pm

Hambone wrote:
March 18th, 2020, 12:10 pm
Don't know how much longer I will be on here, I think my computer has caught it, it's old. :lol:
So are you!
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone

User avatar
rickf
General
General
Posts: 19740
Joined: November 26th, 2007, 1:28 pm
Location: Pemberton, NJ.

Re: Getting ready to fight coronavirus

Unread post by rickf » March 18th, 2020, 1:55 pm

We have the curfews but not the ration cards, I figure that will be by the end of the week. Followed by martial law. I filled the car with gas and I am headed out to fill the truck with diesel and my two diesel cans and two gas cans. Once that is all done I have more than enough work around here to keep me busy and away from anybody and everybody.

And Hambone, I am much older than you, see above for that plan.
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone

User avatar
raymond
Major General
Major General
Posts: 3425
Joined: November 26th, 2007, 8:29 pm
Location: God's country, Clarksville Mo.

Re: Getting ready to fight coronavirus

Unread post by raymond » March 18th, 2020, 7:21 pm

I live in the country so social distancing and self quarantine sound a lot like my everyday routine.

Also have a bunch of canned chicken, dehydrated meals, canned vegetables, canned soup, canned fruit, pasta, rice, egg noodles, and meat and frozen food in the freezer etc. to last a while if need be.

Also have a couple cases of rum and several cases of soda to make it more enjoyable :D
Raymond


"On the day when crime puts on the apparel of innocence, through a curious reversal peculiar to our age, it is innocence that is called on to justify itself." Albert Camus

User avatar
rickf
General
General
Posts: 19740
Joined: November 26th, 2007, 1:28 pm
Location: Pemberton, NJ.

Re: Getting ready to fight coronavirus

Unread post by rickf » March 18th, 2020, 7:43 pm

AND a heated swimming pool to make that much MORE enjoyable!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :mrgreen:
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone

Hambone
Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Posts: 2495
Joined: October 1st, 2010, 12:19 am
Location: El Dorado, Arkansas

Re: Getting ready to fight coronavirus

Unread post by Hambone » March 18th, 2020, 8:20 pm

rickf wrote:
March 18th, 2020, 1:55 pm
We have the curfews but not the ration cards, I figure that will be by the end of the week. Followed by martial law. I filled the car with gas and I am headed out to fill the truck with diesel and my two diesel cans and two gas cans. Once that is all done I have more than enough work around here to keep me busy and away from anybody and everybody.

And Hambone, I am much older than you, see above for that plan.
Only a year in dog years, plus, I'm high mileage. :lol:

User avatar
raymond
Major General
Major General
Posts: 3425
Joined: November 26th, 2007, 8:29 pm
Location: God's country, Clarksville Mo.

Re: Getting ready to fight coronavirus

Unread post by raymond » March 18th, 2020, 8:42 pm

rickf wrote:
March 18th, 2020, 7:43 pm
AND a heated swimming pool to make that much MORE enjoyable!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :mrgreen:

And a pistol range and my neighbor has a 100 yard rifle range.
Raymond


"On the day when crime puts on the apparel of innocence, through a curious reversal peculiar to our age, it is innocence that is called on to justify itself." Albert Camus

User avatar
m3a1
Lt. General
Lt. General
Posts: 4029
Joined: August 7th, 2014, 6:36 pm

Re: Getting ready to fight coronavirus

Unread post by m3a1 » March 18th, 2020, 9:40 pm

Wanted to work on the Doom Buggy today but got thoroughly sidetracked. I emptied all the garage shelves of food and paper goods and moved all of it, out of sight and under lock and key. Far better (and easier) to remove temptation than to have to confront some knucklehead who has "accidentally " found his way into my garage. Tomorrow, weather permitting, I will build a strap steel banded lock set for the freezer in my garage. Nobody gonna be gettin in there! In moving all the canned and dry goods, I found I was a little thin in some areas. That has been resolved.

Getting my wife fed off to work was really rather nice. We did the drive-up window routine at a local restaurant to support our local businesses and had a nice lunch on our own front porch and we enjoyed the day while we ate. Marvelous. A very pretty day out, today. Frankly, I'm kind of liking all this....so far. Not ALL fun and games, to be sure but I cannot help but think many of us are going to be reconnecting with what is really important in our lives.

The word on the street is that Nurse Practitioners (my wife among them) may soon be practicing on their own and at the top of their certifications in response to the pandemic. If that happens, we are going to have a lot of extra help (290,000 NPs!!) when this thing really gets rolling. Keep your fingers crossed, folks. Meanwhile, other people are working on spooling up a sort of doc-in-the-box internet response to the threat which is not a new idea but it has great potential. 8500 cases here in the U.S. at this point and it appears the government red tape is yielding to the needs of the people for once.

Cheers,
and, God bless you!

TJ

User avatar
rickf
General
General
Posts: 19740
Joined: November 26th, 2007, 1:28 pm
Location: Pemberton, NJ.

Re: Getting ready to fight coronavirus

Unread post by rickf » March 19th, 2020, 8:01 am

I see a NP here in town and she is much smarter than any of the doctors I have seen there in the past except for one. I have found the NP's tend to listen more and have had a LOT more experience in how to actually handle a person than a Doctor has.
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone

mike_v
Sergeant
Sergeant
Posts: 90
Joined: January 20th, 2020, 2:16 am
Location: Culleoka, TN

Re: Getting ready to fight coronavirus

Unread post by mike_v » March 20th, 2020, 1:26 am

Here in TN, positive results are accelerating in Nashville (Davidson County) and this is on top of the misery of recovering from the tornadoes two weeks ago...

Wife and I went to Sam's Club tonight and there were ZERO toilet paper and paper towels to be had. Most canned goods were cleaned out, no bulk beans and rice, limit of 1 package of meat by type, and a limit of 6 containers of sanitary wipes (I picked up a case of 24 and a friendly customer said they would not sell me that much - I looked for a sign, but missed it). We were low on paper goods, getting a bit low on dog food and needed trash bags plus other items. I did spend $78 for a case of Rotella 15W40 for my diesel Suburban and MUTT.

This morning, I called an Interstate battery seller who last year was selling mid-range batteries for $75 and no core required. Today, he told me he got out of it and could not recommend another dealer. I hang up, jump on the internet and start looking for batteries for my CUCVs. Sam's and Walmart had what I needed (Advance Auto here wanted around $150 for a high 700 CA battery - no thank you). So at Sam's I nearly cleaned them out of their Duracell Group 65 series battery. $105 each with 1085 cranking amps (CA) and three year replacement warranty. As I didn't bring cores in with me, I was charged $18 extra per battery. Walked out with 10x batteries which means 5x "mission ready" CUCVs now...

Tomorrow, I have a delivery of 300 gals of red-dye ("off-road") diesel to top off my diesel fuel supply. At $1.95 a gal now, it is time to take advantage of low fuel prices.

I am scrambling to buy all the material to finish the inside of our new house. Got a load of drywall and blown in insulation from Lowes coming this Monday and they waived the $65 delivery fee since I called in my order instead of doing it on-line. Picked up electrical material to wire both houses to receive backup power from my MEP003A 10kw generator. I will have to "manually manage" my loads of course, but I need power for my deep well water pump among other things.

So, hope to have "all my airplanes lined up on the runway" so to speak this weekend and if this country shuts down for awhile, at least I can still work on our new house.

This "chinese" virus has me pretty concerned and my wife is now working from home....

"Buckle up" everyone and get prepared while you can...
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
1974 M151A2 w/ ROPS, heater, radios and M416 trailer

1986 M925 w/w 5 ton

2x M1008 CUCVs
3x M1009 CUCVs + 1x CUCV II
1x M1010 + 1x M1031 CUCV

1990 M101A2 .75 ton trailer (Kasel)
1992 M101A3 .75 ton trailer (Kasel)
1992 M149A2 "Water Buffalo" (Aero)
1995 M105A3 1.5 ton trailer (Pribbs)
2005 M1082 LMTV 2.5 ton trailer (Stewart & Stevenson)

User avatar
rickf
General
General
Posts: 19740
Joined: November 26th, 2007, 1:28 pm
Location: Pemberton, NJ.

Re: Getting ready to fight coronavirus

Unread post by rickf » March 20th, 2020, 9:27 am

THAT will have made the wallet a bit lighter for the month!!!!
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone

mike_v
Sergeant
Sergeant
Posts: 90
Joined: January 20th, 2020, 2:16 am
Location: Culleoka, TN

Re: Getting ready to fight coronavirus

Unread post by mike_v » March 20th, 2020, 11:33 am

rickf wrote:
March 20th, 2020, 9:27 am
THAT will have made the wallet a bit lighter for the month!!!!
Yes, my credit card was "melting" after the $2300 swipes ($1300 for the batteries)... :shock:

"Borrowed" from my new house fund to cover it - I'll be selling stuff later to repay it... 8)
1974 M151A2 w/ ROPS, heater, radios and M416 trailer

1986 M925 w/w 5 ton

2x M1008 CUCVs
3x M1009 CUCVs + 1x CUCV II
1x M1010 + 1x M1031 CUCV

1990 M101A2 .75 ton trailer (Kasel)
1992 M101A3 .75 ton trailer (Kasel)
1992 M149A2 "Water Buffalo" (Aero)
1995 M105A3 1.5 ton trailer (Pribbs)
2005 M1082 LMTV 2.5 ton trailer (Stewart & Stevenson)

User avatar
m3a1
Lt. General
Lt. General
Posts: 4029
Joined: August 7th, 2014, 6:36 pm

Re: Getting ready to fight coronavirus

Unread post by m3a1 » March 20th, 2020, 12:32 pm

Putting out a BIG public THANK YOU to a certain G838 member for helping out yesterday. One of our other members (who is a notorious lurker) was coming home from the shop where he had a new engine put in his A1.

You may recall my earlier mention of his predicament where the engine puked out a great deal of oil at a most inopportune moment. The middle chapter in that story was, it was a result of the bearings disintegrating in the lower half and the debris going straight to the oil pump and the oil pressure relief valve. (You have been warned) So, he had the engine replaced.

Anyway, he got his little MUTT back yesterday, the very same day our community reported its first Covid 19 infection. He was going to drive over and surprise me and show it off and he got close...but no cigar! I got his call and drove over to him; a mere 8 blocks away. We did a quick roadside size-up and concluded a very pretty, freshly rebuilt carb was the clear culprit. Towing it back to my house was a snap as there was no traffic to speak of...one of the benefits of most people staying home.

Now, I'm not a carb guy. I could be a carb guy but I just don't spend enough time doing 'em to develop any meaningful experience. But I know a carb guy! So we contacted this certain someone, who I will not identify because he'd end up getting a phone call a minute and I'm not going to set him up for that. In the middle of a pandemic, he very graciously gave us some of his time, suggestions and yes, even instruction and by golly, we got that little truck running again in short order. Sounded just like a little sewing machine. So, thank you again! You know who you are and you made a couple guys at the other end of the country very happy! In these days of uncertainty, it's nice (and important) to have these little victories and friends to help make them happen.

Cheers,
TJ

User avatar
m3a1
Lt. General
Lt. General
Posts: 4029
Joined: August 7th, 2014, 6:36 pm

Re: Getting ready to fight coronavirus

Unread post by m3a1 » March 20th, 2020, 2:56 pm

Not much to do here today owing to the rain so I thought I might just type a bit, get a few thoughts out of my frontal lobe to make way for others (and bore others mightily.)

My wife, who is a health care professional, will soon be deeply mired in the response to Covid-19. As a retired cop in a major metropolitan city, I was once a serious mover and a shaker in emergency response, having spent some time training all over the United States in a variety of disciplines and as a member of our regional emergency response team and I'm not talking about a few fat guys talking around a folding table at a rural fire station but BIG stuff. So, I know a little about a lot of things. But my day in the sun has passed and now it is time for others, like my wife, to take up the flag and carry it as best as they can. So, what can I do, to still do my part and support my wife's and my community's efforts? That question has been on my mind.

My parents were raised during the depression years. Our family friends joked that the Smiths only went to the dump for pick-ups. (No, I'm not joking about that). Truth is, our family friends did some of that themselves. It wasn't that out parents weren't able to provide for us. In their formative years they faced not only the depression, but also, WWII when the popular phrase, Use it up, then throw it out. Make it do, or do without was heard by every citizen. So it was not uncommon to find my mother smoothing out once-used aluminum foil, washing it and laying it out to dry so that it could be re-used. By the time little Timmy Smith was born, there was no shortage of aluminum foil. In all actuality, there was no shortage of anything when I was growing up, nor were there any shortages of anything on the horizon.

But the depression taught our parents (as children) to live with and make the best of their circumstances and a world at war taught our parents (as young adults) more hard lessons in conservation and how to do without. In my younger years, almost everything was hand-me-downs; clothes, bicycles, even meals were often constructed of left-overs. My mother even took the previous year's Christmas cards, carefully drew a circle (using a soup can) around the best part of the picture on the front and cut it out with pinking shears, repurposing them as gift tags. Even gift tags were hand-me-downs! That just how things were done. The house I grew up in was completely shuttered during the depression and reoccupied several years afterwards. I played with someone else's turn-of-the-century toys, and lived with someone else's turn-of-the-century furnishings. Sometimes I really have to wonder what era I actually grew up in! So, I am certain that my upbringing will serve me well in the days to come, no matter how they come.

There are some very real differences in our present circumstances and those that our parents faced. To use the business of recycling aluminum foil as a case study in conservation (and by extension, preparation), we should consider the fact that using dish soap to wash aluminum foil is an effort with diminishing returns because, if you run out of soap, you cannot sanitize your hands with aluminum foil!! The lesson then becomes - How we do things is just as important as what things we do. There is also the matter of when to do things and doing that well means you must be aware of what is going on around you. How, What, When are the big three.

So how can I do my part? I think the most important thing I can do is be a good parent. My son is watching all this unfold with some unease. But he's a pretty cool cat and he has been reaching out to others in his age group in a virtual way for a long time now so in some ways, he's better at this hunkering down business than I am. As a father, I try to set a good example. I remain calm. It is my job to be the patient and attentive watchdog for our family. Thirty years of cop work and four years of standing a post in Afghanistan spent watching and waiting for the Taliban to come, helps with that. 18 months of restricted movement at home is nothing when you've lived it for four years in a war zone where everyone hates you and would be happy to end your life.

It seems like I have been a watchdog for a very long time. Seems like a I have this constant subroutine going that looks to the matter of keeping home and hearth safe, like upping my game trying to make sure a teenage boy brushes his teeth, uses mouthwash and washes himself regularly. Health matters a lot when the hospital, or the dentist is the last place you want to visit. That means I have to take my daily medicines on time and on target. Gotta stay reasonably healthy so that I can take care of others.

Another thing I am responsible for is making sure my family has what they need when they need it. So again, carefully weighing the matters of how and what to do (and when to do it) becomes a pretty big deal. My wife needs clean clothing to go to work in. She needs a clean home to come home to. She needs good, uninterrupted rest. She needs something good to eat before going to work. At work, there is always food but now, there is no time to eat it. And she needs to know that things are being taken care of at home so that she can focus on the care she is giving others. I can do these things.

Yet another thing I am responsible for is... me. Like they say on the airliner. Put your own mask on before assisting others. And as we used to say in the emergency response business, when faced with a crisis, first, take your own pulse. In effect, slow things down. Slow them WAY down. A good attitude is a powerful medicine. Taking control of a situation makes having a good attitude a lot easier. So, I set a good example by continuing to do the things that I enjoy and doing the things that make me smile. Not only is a good attitude powerful medicine, it's as catching as Covid-19.

My suggestion to anyone is - use this time we have been given to improve your situation..even if only a little bit. Clean out that closet, work on that military vehicle, get caught up on your sleep, weed that garden, enjoy your front porch, smoke a fine cigar, eat a little less (and maybe shed a few pounds) and if you can, eat a little healthier, play with the dog or take him for a nice walk in a different direction (he will adore you for thinking of him too). Use this time to get ahead. It's a freebie.

Cheers,
TJ
Last edited by m3a1 on March 21st, 2020, 1:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
rickf
General
General
Posts: 19740
Joined: November 26th, 2007, 1:28 pm
Location: Pemberton, NJ.

Re: Getting ready to fight coronavirus

Unread post by rickf » March 20th, 2020, 7:26 pm

:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
1964 M151A1
1984 M1008
1967 M416
04/1952 M100
12/1952 M100- Departed
AN/TSQ-114A Trailblazer- Gone

mike_v
Sergeant
Sergeant
Posts: 90
Joined: January 20th, 2020, 2:16 am
Location: Culleoka, TN

Re: Getting ready to fight coronavirus

Unread post by mike_v » March 21st, 2020, 4:12 am

Great write-up TJ...!!!

I too "recycle" meaning when I dry my hands with a paper towel, I put it off to the side, collect a stack of them and take them to my shop where they are handy to mop up oil spills and served a double duty life before being thrown out... :D

Our landfill is a mile from us. Many times, I will snag a chair, metal, or something I can re-purpose... Throughout my military career, I would always look in dumpsters and retrieve "treasures" that others threw out. At the wash racks at Ft. McCoy, I collected a ton of TA-50 and wet weather items other soldiers threw away when washing out deuces, 5 tons and tracked vehicles... Also would fish out unopened MREs and walk a firing point with a garbage bag collecting items others were not going to eat and toss out.

Like you, I grew up with without a lot of money. I hustled in the 60s-70s cutting grass, working in a restaurant ($1.00 an hour cash), working in tobacco and hay fields. Even though gas was 25.9 cents a gallon, having a 1960 Buick Invicta with a 401 V-8 ("445 Wildcat") 4 barrel only yielded 10-12 mpg... :shock:

My Dad was a roofer in Chicago, we lived in KY and my Ma was a stay home wife. I wanted all the things boys wanted, go-carts, mini-bikes, Tonka toys, and motorcycles. Hambone restored a Honda - I wanted that exact model, but my Dad could not afford it (before I started working). He would bring home roofing kettle Briggs and Stratton 5 hp engines covered in tar and I would get them running again (I planned on using it on a home-made go-cart - built the frame and was not able to source the rest of the parts to finish it...sniff, sniff, :( ). That was the start of my mechanic career. He did bring home a Sachs moped, I fixed it up and rode it to high school... 8).

So, like your parents, my Dad was raised in the "Depression Era" and learned how to recycle, re-purpose and make do with what he had. He was also good at "stretching the dollar". Although, not "flush" with cash since I retired nearly two years ago, I live within my means and get complimented "Mike sure is good with money" from those who know me to include the wife. That starts with knowing the value of a dollar to begin with... :mrgreen:

We are in critical times right now and you gave a lot of important topics for all of us to reflect upon. Unfortunately, many if not a majority of "today's" Americans have not been "tested" nor have the "meddle" that our turn of the century parents and grandparents had... :(

Be safe, best to you, your wife, family and the rest of the board members here.
1974 M151A2 w/ ROPS, heater, radios and M416 trailer

1986 M925 w/w 5 ton

2x M1008 CUCVs
3x M1009 CUCVs + 1x CUCV II
1x M1010 + 1x M1031 CUCV

1990 M101A2 .75 ton trailer (Kasel)
1992 M101A3 .75 ton trailer (Kasel)
1992 M149A2 "Water Buffalo" (Aero)
1995 M105A3 1.5 ton trailer (Pribbs)
2005 M1082 LMTV 2.5 ton trailer (Stewart & Stevenson)

Post Reply