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CarForumPoster posted:I once watched a deer walk into our lake in my neighbors back yard. I say neighbor, the house had been empty for renovations for months. Well I say oh cool a deer going for a swim never seem that before…aight better head to work….
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Oct 11, 2023 06:41
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Scarodactyl posted:I feel like this is something that happens when deer get Chronic Wasting Disease. I have a neurologist friend who is genuinely scared of prions so I will be sure to never tell him this story. We’d be one of the earliest reports in this state, wish I had known about this when I saw it I would called the state to test the deer. It’s likely long since decayed though. E: that said I don’t recall the deer being emaciated, though it was a small deer CarForumPoster fucked around with this message at 12:05 on Oct 11, 2023 |
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Oct 11, 2023 10:57
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Deer might be decent swimmers but they are above all else dumb as poo poo. I would not be at all surprised if one managed to drown itself by swimming out into a pond then not being able to get back out before getting exhausted.
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Oct 11, 2023 11:12
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runawayturtles posted:Hmm, interesting, hadn't seen this before. Probably would be far more effective than the tape that was there, but we have basically an entire wall of floor to ceiling windows in our bedroom and living room, so it would need a whole lot of plastic to cover it all. Yeah that stuff is pretty key for drafty houses in colder climates. Normally pretty easy to install over regular windows, but I dunno how to do it on a gigantic window. I'm sure they have large format versions of it somewhere? Looks like 3M has bigger versions, not sure if it'll work for you or not: https://www.acehardware.com/departm...-attribute%3A3m Scroll down and you'll see a 6'8" x 9' version in there meant for patio doors. I mean, the correct answer is that the windows are drafty because either the weather stripping needs to be re-done, or the whole window needs to be replaced. But windows are expensive, and that film is not.
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Oct 11, 2023 13:15
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Shifty Pony posted:Deer might be decent swimmers but they are above all else dumb as poo poo. I would not be at all surprised if one managed to drown itself by swimming out into a pond then not being able to get back out before getting exhausted. tbf to deer people do this all the time
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Oct 11, 2023 13:50
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DaveSauce posted:Yeah that stuff is pretty key for drafty houses in colder climates. Normally pretty easy to install over regular windows, but I dunno how to do it on a gigantic window. I'm sure they have large format versions of it somewhere? They sell larger sizes, but you can also overlap the pieces and tape them together (with the tape that comes with it) to cover a window that's too big for one piece.
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Oct 11, 2023 15:09
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DaveSauce posted:Yeah that stuff is pretty key for drafty houses in colder climates. Normally pretty easy to install over regular windows, but I dunno how to do it on a gigantic window. I'm sure they have large format versions of it somewhere? Thanks, I'll figure something out with this. The windows are original and definitely pretty bad, the frames look like aluminum and feel freezing so that's surely a big part of the problem.
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Oct 11, 2023 17:27
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I think I have a faulty water valve but need confirmation. I am in the process of getting a new fridge, which shares its water line with the cold water faucet in my bathroom. The valve for that line under the bathroom sink was shut off and I was able to unhook the fridge tube, but I noticed the tube leaking water out very slowly. I made sure the cold water faucet in the bathroom was opened and I let all the water drain out, but I also noticed here too water was still coming out very slowly (doesn't happen when the faucet is turned off). OK so this tells me there's a consistent problem with water slowly leaking from two things that share the same valve, maybe the valve is not good. I did make sure to tighten it closed as much as possible. Next step was for me to turn off the water main because I do want to see all the water stop completely. This was fine, with the main off and the cold AND hot faucets opened up, I was able to drain out all the water and the fridge tube no longer has any slow leaks. Turning on the water main though immediately we see the slow leak again (ruling out maybe my pipes weren't fully empty initially). This all being said, the bathroom valve seems to be the culprit here right? I should mention when the water line is installed in the fridge, there are no leaks anywhere.
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Oct 12, 2023 14:25
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HOA political/budget issue is a homeowners problem IMO, so I’m gonna post it here. If you don’t like HOAs, trust me, I get it, but I’d love some specific info and experiences with HOA if possible! Invite for the annual meeting went out last month, specifying 10/10 for the zoom meeting. Board members were up for election, and I had planned to bring up the issue of the budget which does not conform with the reserve requirement as set out by a previous reserve study. (One done before covid and inflation, no less) We had email conversations about it in the summer when our budget could no longer afford the new garbage collection contract at 2 days a week and had to go down to one pickup a week. So on 10/10 I log on for the meeting and it never happened. I email our management company rep and was told that somehow the meeting occurred the previous night, 10/9. The 3 incumbents were the only members, and that’s apparently enough for quorum. Budget with minimal savings was apparently approved. However, the rep then said the meeting will be rescheduled and the previous one will be nullified. It’s a small community (~30 homes) and generally a lot of folks know each other and our kids play together, which makes the silence about this very strange. The board members are older and don’t have kids at home though, so they don’t hang out with the younger parents, but they do have the email list and have said nothing about why they held a shadow meeting. My plan is to now actually run for board member and force the issue, because it feels too shady to let go unchecked. Any thoughts would be appreciated on how run for the board, and also proposing the likely unpopular but very necessary fee increase which hasn’t been raised since 2014.
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Oct 12, 2023 15:12
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The actual rules are going to depend on state/locality/HOA bylaws, but it sounds like probably what happened is: you asked about it, the management company asked the board what happened, they said "Oh yeah, we were hanging out so we just voted ourselves back in, easy peasy no need for a full meeting", the management company told them that was a bad look and/or illegal, and so now they're going to do it again. Given the last bit, it's going to be very hard to make a formal issue of it since generally with this stuff, if there's no actual harm, it's hard to get a judge or whoever to care about it. Past that, it's just politics. Some suggestions: - It sounds like you're really annoyed about this (probably rightfully so), but remember that for most people they could not give less of a poo poo about the HOA unless it affects them personally. - Definitely talk with folks in the neighborhood you're friendly with before the meeting and take their temperature on things. It's good to know if you're likely to get votes (and whether they're likely to attend a follow-up meeting at all). Even better would be if you have a full slate so it's not just you vs. the entire current board. Be wary of making it personal with existing board members even if you feel like they're in the wrong unless they've been doing stuff to piss off the other neighbors too. - Guessing "hey, I want to raise our HOA fees" isn't a winner if the previous board has been in place since 2014 on the "no more fees" platform. Guessing better framings might include "look at these services that we don't have", "we don't have enough money to pay for our day-to-day services, if there's a big storm do you really want to have a big surprise assessment in addition to dealing with your own poo poo", or "hey, if anybody wants to sell their place, it's going to be harder if we don't have a reasonable reserve fund"? Formality-wise, definitely look at the by-laws and check if you need to do something to declare candidacy ahead of the meeting.
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Oct 12, 2023 16:51
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Launch a coup, op
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Oct 12, 2023 16:54
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I wish we had the "no new fees" board! We've got the "need to have the tiny area of common space watered and mowed an insane amount" board and "can't negotiate a garbage contract to save our lives" board. I'm not up for politicking to get votes before the meeting though. Or trying to deal with vocal assholes like me.
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Oct 12, 2023 18:09
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Take over the board and dissolve the HOA from within.
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Oct 12, 2023 18:11
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I replaced my back door in 2020 and that included a Larson storm door. I asked for a conventional door but they installed one with a roll up screen. I went to roll up the screen for the first time since summer and it's just binding up. gently caress this door. How are these fixed/replaced?
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Oct 12, 2023 18:20
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HOA reserve fund for someone over 65 probably seems like Somebody Else's Problem they will be dead or have sold their house by then
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Oct 12, 2023 18:35
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Hadlock posted:HOA reserve fund for someone over 65 probably seems like Somebody Else's Problem they will be dead or have sold their house by then It's easy, just tell them that buyers these days ask for HOA financials, and if those don't look good then it will result in a Lower Property Value (TM). j/k don't do that, it'll give them a heart attack if they think something might lower their property value.
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Oct 12, 2023 18:54
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I had a Home Energy Squad visit yesterday, they replaced all old lightbulbs, put in a new thermostat, redid the weather stripping on my doors, checked the insulation, and showed me a bunch of ways to make my house more energy efficient all for free. 10/10 would recommend for anyone in the twin cities, MN area.
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Oct 12, 2023 19:08
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Baddog posted:Google, what do I do with a dead deer in my yard? Typically any kind of turning is limited to smaller corpses (poultry, etc.), but sometimes you get lucky I guess. This is what happens when you aren't trained by the preeminent corpse composting school located at the University of Maine. I still list my certificate on my resume but no one ever asks about it. https://www.maine.gov/dacf/php/nutrient_management/documents/BMP-CarcassComposting-2011Complete.pdf
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Oct 12, 2023 19:14
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Tremors posted:Take over the board and dissolve the HOA from within. I know you're joking(ish) but a lot of HOA in my area were requirements for the zoning variance that allowed the farm field to be turned into high density hoes on postage stamps. In that zoning variance/approval there is typically a mechanism for the municipality to do the things the board should be doing if they are not (i.e. managing storm water basins, road plowing/repair, signage) and a way to bill the residents for the work. This is what happens when you dissolve the HOA and it gets on the radar of the municipality, who will also typically be able to force the formation of a new HOA at the expense of the homeowners - likely run entirely by a professional organization and at great expense. It's basically like putting your HOA into court ordered receivership. So, for the millionth time: do not buy a property with an HOA title encumbrance.
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Oct 12, 2023 19:38
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Might be worth it for the high density hoes if they are of a high enough caliber.
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Oct 12, 2023 20:40
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Front door weather stripping is like $30 and the pay back period is usually one cold month in February, A+ Not to mention significantly less wear and tear on your HVAC system needing to cycle on and off through the course of the winter
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Oct 12, 2023 21:13
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My next door neighbors work weird shifts, and the end result is that they do their household chores and laundry between the hours of 12AM-3AM. The vacuuming and stuff isn't too big a deal, but their clothes washer is on the other side of the wall from my daughter's closet. While I've been able to convince her that there is not a "boom boom monster" in her closet, she is still scared to sleep in her room because of the sounds. I slept in there a few times and it's remarkably loud. I've asked them to pay attention to balancing their washer (which sounds like it's slamming around to me), and they've said they would but I've not seen any improvement. I can say with certainty that I'm not going to get anywhere asking them to do their household chores during the day. Even if I wanted to ask them to do the stuff on their days off (which honestly isn't mine to ask anyway), they also have three teenagers and a college student living at home with them. There's probably a laundry mountain a mile tall in that house every day. Any suggestions on sound-proofing I could do to a preschooler's bedroom to make a loud, bouncy-sounding washing machine next door not wreck her sleep? It's a pretty monetized search term unfortunately, so the usual internet searches have been remarkably fruitless. 
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Oct 12, 2023 21:36
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Rabidbunnylover posted:Past that, it's just politics. Some suggestions: This is great stuff, thank you. Definitely filing a candidate form and talking with some other owners to get the temperature of things Motronic posted:I know you're joking(ish) but a lot of HOA in my area were requirements for the zoning variance that allowed the farm field to be turned into high density hoes on postage stamps. In that zoning variance/approval there is typically a mechanism for the municipality to do the things the board should be doing if they are not (i.e. managing storm water basins, road plowing/repair, signage) and a way to bill the residents for the work. This is what happens when you dissolve the HOA and it gets on the radar of the municipality, who will also typically be able to force the formation of a new HOA at the expense of the homeowners - likely run entirely by a professional organization and at great expense. It's basically like putting your HOA into court ordered receivership. There's practically HOAs everywhere in NoVA, so that was definitely unavoidable. It's mostly been fine, but holding the shadow meeting irks me in a way that at least pushes me to do something productive about the situation. It'll also be good practice for the PTA meetings in a few years time...
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Oct 12, 2023 22:22
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I'm trying to figure out if I'm going to need to be proactive about flooding. Especially since I am moving my office back into my basement next spring. So my neighborhood has had several houses with basement floods in the last few years. My house has never had a flooding, seepage, backflow or anything. Supposedly the previous owners had some kind of waterproofing work done, but I don't have documentation of that and it would have been 5 years ago at the absolute most recent. The grade slopes away from my house in the back. It also does in the front, but much more slightly. We're level with all the other houses from what I can tell, and houses before, after, and even directly across from mine on the street have had basement floods. A lot of neighbors have replaced their sewer connections like this month after the flooding. I'm almost paranoid it will be some dumb thing where sewer backflows were hitting those houses, now they've upgraded so it will just shift to others. I don't know the exact nature of the other floods in my neighborhood, but others in town have complained of backflows so that is a possibility. I have no floor drains and no sump pit or pump, but I do have a toiler, shower, and two sinks down there. I guess the shower is effectively a floor drain, but considering it's an an enclosed space I doubt that does any good. I also don't have a backwater valve that I know of, so I suspect I don't have one unless it was somehow covered up by the previous owners with landscaping or concrete. Though I'm not 100% sure what to look for there. Is it even worth worrying about this if I have no problems yet? What should I be thinking about here? I'm also considering moving for unrelated reasons, mainly just hating being in my basement office wise, but this housing market combined with interest rates SUCKS.
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Oct 12, 2023 22:34
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wilderthanmild posted:I'm trying to figure out if I'm going to need to be proactive about flooding. Especially since I am moving my office back into my basement next spring. I would talk to your neighbors who have had flooding to figure out why it happened. Only then can you really develop any sort of prevention game plan. What region do you live at? Is winter going to be a lot of rain and water or snow and ice? Diverting rainwater away from your home is a good practice no matter what. I accomplished that this year temporarily for very cheaply with solid corrugated pipe that I added to the downspouts to direct that water a minimum 10' from the foundation. If your downspouts don't already direct water at least 5' from your house that is a simple preventative measure you can take, if that's what's likely to flood.
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Oct 12, 2023 23:29
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Nybble posted:There's practically HOAs everywhere in NoVA, so that was definitely unavoidable. Not living there is the option that makes "everyplace here has HOAs" avoidable. It's not impossible, I've literally made that decision and done that. I know that's not what you're asking for, but I'm not gonna let this kind of "oh well, nothing to be done about it" come unanswered when it comes to privatizing municipal services with petty tyrants and little recourse being able to rule over the largest purchase most people will ever make in their lives. If you decide this is worthwhile your best bet is to get on the board. But you better be drat sure what you want is what the majority of people want before you say it out loud. Because I'm gonna bet you're wrong. Most people just want to pay less. Which is why municipalities and taxes are a thing, to save the general populous from their own self interest and short sightedness.
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Oct 12, 2023 23:36
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Honestly I would buy them a really nice washer dryer combo or as close as you can get for $1200. Expensive but it's a positive gesture and if your kid is noise sensitive it's an excellent investment for your household peace
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Oct 12, 2023 23:43
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Oh no. I have to do the worst thing and talk to my neighbors. I don't personally know any of the ones with basement flooding, but someone added me to the neighborhood facebook group so I can probably just ask there.StormDrain posted:What region do you live at? Is winter going to be a lot of rain and water or snow and ice? Diverting rainwater away from your home is a good practice no matter what. I accomplished that this year temporarily for very cheaply with solid corrugated pipe that I added to the downspouts to direct that water a minimum 10' from the foundation. If your downspouts don't already direct water at least 5' from your house that is a simple preventative measure you can take, if that's what's likely to flood. Cleveland area. Typically very rainy in like late spring and late summer. Decent amounts of snow/ice in the winter. 2 downspouts right now, one dumps onto the driveway and slopes towards the street from there. I salt that area in the winter and make some effort to keep it clear so there isn't like a dam of ice or snow during melts. The other one dumps on the yard on the opposite side, the landscaping there slopes away from the house. I could probably extend that bit further with a pipe, not sure if I have a full 5' of room to worth with there before I hit my neighbors property though. Maybe like a turn towards my back or front yards, but I'd have to make sure it hits somewhere that slopes away and doesn't pool.
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Oct 12, 2023 23:50
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Had my first weird interaction with the neighbors today. The guy that lives next to us is 80 or 90 and his kids come over and do his landscaping. My yard runs right against his driveway so when I mowing I usually turn around in his driveway to go over the next swath of grass. Whenever there’s been mulched grass left behind on the driveway, I run over it with a leaf blower and I also edge that part of the driveway. His driveway continues another 200’ up a hill to his house so it’s a small portion of the driveway and I haven’t gotten into the boundary lines to see if it’s his or my yard. I’m guessing the lawn mower must have left some rubber tire marks due to me turning the mower around on their driveway, so today I found a note in my mailbox: quote:
She left her number so I texted her and apologized. Just a weird thing to reach out to someone for, but what do I know. Also, update on the shed. No permit fee required for under 200 square foot sheds, but there is a permit. They sent me a GIS image and told me to mark where I’ll put it so that’s good. It just has to be more than 10’ away from my boundary line on any side. I’m still looking into a boundary survey to see what it will cost.  If that image is right, it looks like my property actually spans two towns? There’s a boundary line with the towns name scrubbed off, which is not where my address is, but the town adjacent to it. nwin fucked around with this message at 02:35 on Oct 13, 2023 |
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Oct 13, 2023 02:29
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Mailing address and town boundaries, at least where I live, don't always mean the same thing. Addresses are a postal decision. Case in point, my address is "in" the adjacent town, but they don't actually consider me within their boundaries. So I don't get their trash service and I have to use the county for permits and the like. But also I've never seen a parcel here actually cross town boundaries, whether it's on the border between two municipalities or if it's the border between a town and unincorporated county land. The boundaries here follow parcel lines so that each individual parcel is only part of one town or the other. It leads to some jagged boundaries where towns meet but no confusion about who has jurisdiction.
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Oct 13, 2023 03:11
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DaveSauce posted:It's easy, just tell them that buyers these days ask for HOA financials, and if those don't look good then it will result in a Lower Property Value (TM). I mean that also gets them off the HOA board right so win/win? My neighborhood was built in 1987 with an HOA but was dissolved sometime in the 90s-00s which is the only reason I bought. I’d prefer to yell at some city supervisor than bob next door.
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Oct 13, 2023 03:25
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That might be some kind of ... right of way? That runs under your neighbor's house? Oil or gas pipeline maybe? CIA wire tap most likely. Best leave sleeping dogs lie  My guess is that your 90 year old neighbor had a freak out about you driving on their driveway
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Oct 13, 2023 03:34
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wilderthanmild posted:Oh no. I have to do the worst thing and talk to my neighbors. I don't personally know any of the ones with basement flooding, but someone added me to the neighborhood facebook group so I can probably just ask there. Talked to neighbors Apparently the floods this year that were so bad for people was mainly caused by our storm sewer backing up enough that it was actually coming back in through peoples discharge lines from their sump pumps. Seems like not a thing I have to immediately worry about since I don't have a sump pump and don't seem to have other water infiltration in 5 years of living here. Probably still going to look at that side yard downspout a bit since I think it's only dumping like 2' away and I could probably fix that without too much effort.
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Oct 13, 2023 04:00
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wilderthanmild posted:Oh no. I have to do the worst thing and talk to my neighbors. I don't personally know any of the ones with basement flooding, but someone added me to the neighborhood facebook group so I can probably just ask there. I have a basement with water issues in Cleveland. The soil composition is basically clay towards the area I have seepage. I could dig a 10ft well.
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Oct 13, 2023 22:40
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Submarine Sandpaper posted:I have a basement with water issues in Cleveland. The soil composition is basically clay towards the area I have seepage. I could dig a 10ft well. Eel pit Eel pit Eel pit https://youtu.be/G4hiokLpmuQ?si=uH2Ung20Dx7Qt_Fl
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Oct 13, 2023 23:56
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Eel pit is one of those rare Internet phenomenons that feels like some weird liminal space poo poo you'd accidentally stumble upon in the pre-iphone, pre-Reddit Internet
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Oct 14, 2023 00:27
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Oh wow, eel pit dude is getting popular outside of aquarist circles? I would absolutely love to have one.
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Oct 14, 2023 04:59
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Baddog posted:I'm guessing there wasn't much more drama involved, but what'd you end up doing with that deer? FIL came over and took it away. Wife has some deer trauma so she didn't ask for details. Edit: it cost me three cases of Miller Light.
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Oct 14, 2023 17:37
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PerniciousKnid posted:FIL came over and took it away. Wife has some deer trauma so she didn't ask for details. drat no wonder the deer died
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Oct 14, 2023 17:40
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Anybody have tool recommendations for trimming tree branches that are brushing the house?
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Oct 14, 2023 17:52
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