Spaulding Smails

Evidently, after 25+ years of crafting my fajita cooking skills, I now suck. I had something really strange happen Sunday evening. Picked up a big inside skirt steak from the meat counter at HEB. Probably a pound and a half. Had them run it through the tenderizer. Used a tried and true lime marinade. The meat sat for maybe 2.5 hours in a Ziploc in the fridge in the marinade. Fired up the charcoal grill around 6 PM. Added a few small chunks of well seasoned Oak. Coals were perfect by 7:00. Threw the beef fajitas on there along with a few chicken breasts and a link of sausage. I went to go flip the beef, and it fell apart. Not in the form of a desirable tenderness. As in disintegration. Every time I tried to pick it up with the tongs, it would get worse. I slid some foil under it to keep it from falling through the grates. As it cooked, it fell apart more and more. As a last ditch effort, I heated up a skillet and threw it in there thinking it would be like a machacado. The end result was a big pile of mush. I tried a bite and immediately threw it in the trash. Not even the slightest semblance of appetizing texture. Literal mush. It wasn't until this morning that I remembered this thread. I really wish I would've taken pictures of this science experiment gone awry. So, what gives? I'm dumbfounded. Was the lime juice too acidic? Bad cut of meat? Or, for the tin foil hat conspiracists, did the acidity + heat compromise the integrity of the food-grade glue that was holding together the Soylent Green product that was sold to me as a beef skirt steak and I've now developed a technique to expose a massive scheme by big beef to alter our food supply?

Thank you @Herbie Hancock and @Kennythetiger. Exactly the kind of input I was hoping for. Saved both comments for reference early next spring. Any harm in knocking it down this fall with a bush hog, or am I just compounding the problem by doing that?

I was gifted a Citori Feather Lightning 12 ga as my college graduation gift 23 years ago. Absolutely love that gun for field shooting. Great for dove and quail. Barrel is a bit short for shooting clays, but it holds its own. Looks like they're slightly over $3K now. https://www.browning.com/products/firearms/shotguns/citori/citori-feather-lightning.html?srsltid=AfmBOop4LodFkqH_5Z6-48agFIToyjzx_9B8Vrf5hWlLN3ok5kV2bSxu If you're not big into shooting clays, don't mess with the adjustable stocks. Most of the CX and hunter edition Citoris are great guns and under that $3K mark. At the other end of the spectrum, I bought a Stevens 555 20 ga for my wife about a decade ago. Super lightweight gun and really fun to shoot. You're not going to turn heads with it, but it's a solid gun. Under $1,000. https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/stevens-model-555-silver-over-under-shotgun

Anyone have any input / experience on turning shit weeds into lush, green goodness? Looking for some advice on how to get more native grasses and/or grazeable pasture on my property. Backstory: Bought seven acres west of Dripping Springs and built a house a few years ago. Front third of the property is Coastal with a big Oak mott near the road. Back third was SOLID Cedar with a smattering of big Oaks here and there. It was so thick, you couldn't even walk through it without a chainsaw. Got all the Cedar cleared and stumps removed, and there's some decent soil there. Obviously some rocky areas, but it's surprisingly good dirt. I put down a bunch of Rye last winter, then hydroseeded a few areas adjacent to the house that did well this summer with all the rain. But, the remainder of the areas that I cleared are covered with every type of weed, thistle, stickerburr and nettle imaginable. We're planning on bringing in some sort of livestock in the next two years or so. Not super urgent since we already have an ag exemption with bees. And, with such a small tract, it would just be a few goats or sheep or possibly 1-2 longhorns as pasture candy. Not a farming / ranching operation by any stretch. And, supplemental feeding is anticipated. So, here's my quandary... What's the best way to eradicate the undesirable plants and encourage native grasses or let the Coastal proliferate? Do I bush hog it and try to keep the weeds low? Spot treat where I can with herbicide? Continue to overseed? Bring in goats first to eat everything under the sun?

Got paired up with Chris Klein of American Pie fame about a decade ago at Grey Rock. I immediately recognized him. He was just getting into golf and got paired up with our threesome. Super nice guy. Didn't talk a word about Hollywood or the movies during the entire round and we didn't ask. We traded cell numbers afterwards. I ended up playing with him a few more times that winter but schedules rarely jived.

I posted up thread, and not to sound like an alarmist, but this sounds EXACTLY like my son. Quick summary: He was a late bloomer (also a lefty), and really didn't start pitching until he was 12. First year pitching, he didn't pitch much. 2-3 innings max. Never more than 60 pitches. He was VERY effective with lots of movement, but kind of wild. To be expected. He went occasionally to a pitching coach who was a young kid who played D-1 ball. No real pedigree with lessons. That spring, he started to complain of elbow pain. So, we shut him down. Went to the ortho, and he had tennis elbow. Did PT, got better, took the summer off and came back the next year. Over the next few years, he pitched more and more, but was never a work horse. Never threw more than 100 pitches. Always the 4th or 5th guy in select ball and on the HS team. Worked with a few pitching coaches, but never really found a good one. Always had crazy movement and good but not great velo. Would complain occasionally of elbow discomfort, and I always pressed him about it, but he said it was no big deal. This last spring (his sophomore year), he was shut down in late April and had Tommy John surgery in June. The reason I say all this is because I'm constantly second-guessing how we got to that point. I think it was somewhat genetics, but probably mostly bad mechanics. Not egregiously bad, but just bad enough to put lots of strain on the elbow for a kid that maybe didn't have the strongest ligaments to begin with. If I had it to do over again, I would have had him on the bands constantly, doing better arm care in general, and really find a good coach that can work on mechanics. Even if it's something minor, get the mechanics dialed in. Hoping everything's OK with your boy.

Dallas Keuchel's 2015 season. With significantly more strikeouts. At least in 1986. Great article about Scott's development of his splitter. https://www.espn.com/page2/s/1986/011011neyer.html

That thing is HUGE! Where did you catch it? I caught this 10.75" Bluegill in Onion Creek a few years back. Hit a 5" Senko. I couldn't believe it. State record is 12.5". I thought the same thing. Probably closest I'd ever get to a state record.

Booked a fitting with these guys in two weeks. They're brand agnostic, so no telling what I'll end up with. https://www.bartoncreekfittingstudio.com/

Too funny. You are absolutely right. My mom and I got into a spat about this years ago. I stand corrected. But, it's still real to me, dammit!

Lake Medina was 94' low as of yesterday (2.2% of capacity), and up about 3' since yesterday. It's a much smaller lake (250K acre feet capacity) with a much, much smaller watershed. I've heard stories that the surveyors in the early 20th century overestimated the watershed by almost 200%, thinking that portions north of the lake flowed to the Medina when they actually flowed to the Guadalupe. Looks like the Medina River peaked at about 3,000 cf/s yesterday and has already receded to 200 cf/s. They'll get a little bump from this, but I'm guessing it'll be no more than 10' total unless more rain falls this week. My aunt and uncle have lived there for almost 30 years, and my parents lived there until about 10 years ago. As the oldest reservoir in Texas, it certainly wasn't built for recreation, but it's one of the prettiest lakes in Texas when it has water. Lots of animosity amongst those that live on the lake towards the inefficient management of water by the Medina Irrigation Company and SAWS. My folks sold when the lake was almost full, thank goodness. For perspective, they lived on a cove about a mile from the dam. That cove was about 30' deep when full. The lowest I ever saw it was maybe 40' from full when they lived there. I can't even fathom 94' feet low.

Half thinking of doing that. Have never done a fitting, so going to give it a try, but bringing the head and may just go with a new shaft. Stay tuned...

Yeah. Most of them are hole saw style, even for small diameters like what you're doing. It may be worth a trip to a tile supply store to get a good bit or two. Some of the cheap ones you find on Amazon and Home Depot / Lowes get dull very quickly.

Damn! I hadn't thought about MASK in ages. Loved the cartoon too. That theme song still hits hard. https://youtu.be/o2Z1yLO9C-Q?si=UbsNy1pLCK7q1PDQ

I've got some experience there. It can be done, but i's gonna be tough. We've had luck with these for heavy applications, but have only used them in drywall. I don't see why they wouldn't work through tile. How thick are the tiles? https://www.wingits.com/products/master-anchor-super-duty-fastener-with-offset-faceplate/ You'll need to use a diamond-tipped drill bit and go very slow with a pilot hole. And, don't over-tighten the anchor. Get it just snug enough where the bracket won't move, but if you tighten it too much, you can crack the porcelain. Use a good floating shelf bracket like the one below and try to do an anchor ever 6" OC, and you should be fine. https://www.ultrashelf.com/collections/floating-shelf-brackets

I knew two brothers in middle school. Their dad loved the outdoors and so did they. Wade Mann and Bo Mann Solid, normal names. Until you threw in their middle names. Wade Fisher Mann Bo Hunter Mann

Last few rounds, I really felt like I'd lost my driver. I had been really focused on shortening my backswing and finishing through the ball. I was hitting fairways pretty consistently with decent distance for me (250-270). The last several rounds, I'd noticed probably 10-20 yds less distance on damn near every drive and my shot dispersion was all over the place. Well, this time, it was probably the arrow and not the Indian. Last Thursday evening, about mid-way through the round, I teed off. Decent drive. Nice little draw. Good trajectory. The ball went 180 yds. I was perplexed. Two holes later, pulled out the driver again. The club head felt like it twisted when it made contact and the ball shot left. Not a push or a slice. Just shot dead left OB. I hit the ground of the tee box in frustration (more than a tap but much less than a slam), and the shaft busted. Head went bouncing up in the air. We were all in disbelief. Best I can figure, the shaft had some damage to it the last several rounds and finally broke. Anyone have that happen before? Now, the real question is which new driver (and maybe a 3W) do I put in the bag? Got a fitting set up for early next week.

Username checks out.

I had issues with this two years ago. Ended up getting a cortisone shot which helped immensely. The doc had me use these as well. Made a huge difference. Haven't had any issues sense. I still keep one in the console of my truck and try to use it a few times a week while driving.

Exactly what @SquishMitten said. Wrong place. Wrong time. Wrong point of impact. Heck, just this past winter, my wife backed into my truck (same truck) with her Expedition. Hit the steel Ranch Hand bumper right in the corner. Barely a scratch to my bumper. $4,500 worth of damage to her bumper and lift gate and. That was going <10 mph. But, it affected several different pieces of body paneling and creased them enough where they had to be replaced. Shit's expensive. And my wife sucks at driving.

F350. It wasn't a love-tap. It was 80 mph smack-dab in the middle of the bumper / grille without even thinking about slowing down.

We were up in Telluride the day they closed the mountain for Covid in 2020. Stayed a day in town after it closed, then did a cannonball run back to Central Texas that Monday. My employees were freaking out, and I needed to hop on a few calls and write some emails, so I switched and let my wife drive when we got to Albuquerque. I'm in the passenger seat when we're about 30 miles north of Roswell on 285. Flat. Wide-open. Not a tree in sight. No other cars on the road. I glance up from my computer and see a lone tom turkey in the median coming into our lane about a quarter mile ahead. Surely my wife sees it. I wait a few seconds, then start hollering her name. Evidently, she was in a daze. She smoked that 20-lb butterball doing 80. Literally had a good 15 seconds to slow down, change lanes, something. Nope. He started to try to fly right before she hit him. Toasted the bumper, the grille and banged up the radiator. Had to limp home adding coolant every 100 miles or so. About $5K worth of damage, but it least it gave me a reason to upgrade to a brush guard bumper. Glad we weren't in a sedan, but damn those turkeys can do some damage. She still hasn't lived that one down.

I got a few from my days in sales and national accounts... When I first started in the equipment business in the mid 90s, we had a several locations around Houston. Pre caller ID, so lots of light-hearted prank calls between branches, especially when someone new was doing inside sales. We had this cocky dude at my branch that everyone fucked with. His name was Rod, and he called himself "Tripod Rod". The calls were relentless. One day, a female called Rod and said, "I need a vibrator. I need the biggest one you have. The longest shaft and the biggest head." He replied, "I bet you do, sweetheart! Why don't you tell me where you are, and I'll come give it to you myself!" Well..... this one wasn't a prank call. It was the purchasing agent for a big concrete contractor that was our largest customer in Houston. They had a big stem wall they were pouring at a job around the corner, and she needed a large concrete vibrator. Oops. We almost lost the account because of the incident. He had to personally write an apology letter to her, and our President had to get involved to smooth things over. Needless to say the prank calls came to an abrupt halt after that. When I was in sales management, I hired a new sales rep in Houston. Good dude. Family guy. We had our reps work for about 6 months before sending them to a two week training in Denver. They'd work Monday - Saturday, then an off day Sunday to enjoy the town, then another week of training before flying home. I get a call the Monday after the off day from the trainer in Denver. Dude was a no-show the training. Nobody could find him. Phone was going straight to VM. Evidently, he and another rep went and found a couple of hookers Saturday night. He woke up in extreme guilt Sunday morning, and decided to hop on a plane back to Houston to confess to his wife. He knew he was canned, so he dropped off his truck and computer at the local branch Sunday night. Lost his job and his wife thanks to that decision. When I was in national accounts, we had a huge annual customer event in New Orleans. Our biggest customers from all over the country came in for a convention plus some activities, etc. I took some folks out to a nice dinner at K-Pauls, had a few drinks, and was back at the Royal Sonesta by midnight. The next morning, I got up early to go for a run. I'm walking into the lobby about 6 AM, and I see one of our key account managers stumbling into the lobby wearing a silver sequin dress. Which wasn't the same slacks and dress shirt HE was wearing the night before (NTTAWWT). He was beyond incoherent. I got him up to his room and called his boss. We had to take him to the hospital for alcohol poisoning. He had no clue how or why he ended up in a dress. Still a mystery to this day. Got acquired about a year before I left my company. We had the first big national kickoff meeting in San Antonio. First day is normal business stuff. CEO spoke. COO spoke. Senior VP of Sales spoke. The usual high level stuff. That night, we had a cocktail hour. VP of National Accounts gets absolutely shitfaced. Takes his cronies out to the titter. Evidently, they rolled in around 4 AM. The next morning, we have breakfast, and then our national accounts breakout meeting. VP of National Accounts is first to speak. Doesn't miss a beat. I'm sitting towards the back on the aisle. When he walks by after speaking, he puts his hand on my shoulder, leans in, still with vodka on his breath and says in my ear, "anybody can do it sober" and walks out of the room. This kind of stuff is so fun when you're in sales. Not so much when you're in management / operations and have to deal with the repercussions.

Definitely the land plane for that application. if the majority of the material is in the right spot, they're much easier to fine grade with. What size is your tractor? Agree with @davidg that a dealer is most likely going to have good input and potentially more options.