[dbs]

Just .. don't upset him while he is having his greens

[lesmore49]

Rob, re: Canadian flag and apologies. Couldn't copy it for some reason.

Bob#2.

Exactly right. I took my wife for her first covid vaccination. I sat in the SUV , reading....and waiting.

She texted me with a question for me to confirm where we were parked.

I wasn't sure and a young man, a fellow Canuck who worked for the parking authority walked by. I went up to him...appropriate social distance and asked him to confirm the floor and area we were parked.

He did , but in a quiet, soft voice, muffled by the mask.

I said could he repeat the answer as my hearing isn't too good. He replied, "Oh I'm so sorry about your hearing...I interjected..." I'm sorry about my hearing too.". He got a chuckle, I got a chuckle...

BTW my hearing ain't that bad, I just say that, out of kindness to the young who always seem to speak in low, hushed voices...as if they're passing on state secrets...of which as far as I know, we haven't had any of those since WW2.

Oh yeah, before I forget.....apologies to younger people who speak in low, hushed voices.

There. That ought to cover it !

[RoxnDox]

Need a little (poisonous) protein with your salad?

Snakes and lettuce: shoppers in Australia find venomous snake in Aldi fresh produce bag | New South Wales | The Guardian

Down Under, where even the salad is trying to kill you!

[StiffLegged]

That Douglas Adams chap had the right idea 'bout Oz, didn't he!

Tonight we had pasta with a favourite stir-fry: red peppers, broccoli, chopped onion, fresh cream and cracked black pepper and salt to taste. Which sounds commendably vegetablist, if lacking in interesting flavour, but don't worry – it also features significant quantities of BACON.




That's not a full portion or anything like it, a man has to attend to hunger before photography, and I was hungry!

[JimJohnson]

Over here, we're firm believers in separate summer and winter tyres. Having driven so called "all weather" tyres in icy conditions, I wouldn't trust them in the winter if I didn't have to (and they even had the mountain snowflake symbol!). The difference between those and properly designated winter tyres is night and day, especially if the winter tyres are studded.

The all weather tyres rubber compound is still too hard and not optimised for winter conditions, even though they met the symbol approval, so as to avoid wearing down in the summer. It's possible that's the specific model tyres we had however, and that there are different quality "all weather" ones out there.

(We're not let down though, as the "all weather" tyres were specifically bought for summer use, where we're both hauling loads and driving through mud.)

I generally agree that dedicated snow tires are superior, but it depends on both the car and the tire. On our older Subarus (full-time AWD that shifts torque automatically between all four wheels), I found that Continental True Contact tires are phenomenal in all road conditions - - and between our summer and winter residents we pretty much see it all. 250 inches / 635cm of annual snowfall is typical with both flat and fairly steep incline road surfaces, paved and unpaved. icy roads between locales, hot-dry and wet roads at the other end. Subaru put a decent handling tire on our 2020 Subaru Ascent "Falken ZIEX ZE001 A/S" however I believe they will have less useable miles before replacement.

Down in Texas, you won't find anything other than a warm weather tire unless you special order it - with funny looks from the tire shops. Many of the cowboys (sometimes literal occupation) think A/T (all terrain) tires on their pickup trucks are the same as all season tires. They were the first ones in the ditch during the horrendous sequential ice storms this past winter. Our Ascent handled the roads just fine (with appropriate driving technique), but if I am going to play bumper cars, I prefer to do it at a carnival ride. We stayed off the roads.

[robtcorl]

it also features significant quantities of BACON

Now we're getting back on track!

[lesmore49]

I generally agree that dedicated snow tires are superior, but it depends on both the car and the tire. On our older Subarus (full-time AWD that shifts torque automatically between all four wheels), I found that Continental True Contact tires are phenomenal in all road conditions - - and between our summer and winter residents we pretty much see it all. 250 inches / 635cm of annual snowfall is typical with both flat and fairly steep incline road surfaces, paved and unpaved. icy roads between locales, hot-dry and wet roads at the other end. Subaru put a decent handling tire on our 2020 Subaru Ascent "Falken ZIEX ZE001 A/S" however I believe they will have less useable miles before replacement.

I agree Jim, when you said 'I generally agree that dedicated snow tires are superior, but it depends on both the car and the tire. ' Yesterday in 2 feet of snow, up an incline on our parking lot, the truck and the SUV had markedly different traction experiences in the snow and the snow covered incline. Both are all season light truck tires, slightly different tires, one set of tires was traction limited (truck) in this and other situations, compared to the SUV. Both vehicles were about the same weight....and there was about 10,000 miles difference in use of tire, between the two vehicles.

I've had quite a bit of experience (many years of driving in difficult conditions, both driving commercial and as a regular guy) and I have found as you say, it depends on the car and the tire. There is a significant difference in overall performance between brands and levels....of one winter rated tire and another winter rated tire....or all season vs all season, all year vs all year....and in some cases...some of the new all year, winter rated tires are not too far off from a dedicated winter tire.

Technology is increasing so fast these days, it is a very competitive market for tire manufacturers and nowadays,. There is so much anecdotal reporting on sites where consumers can get tire performance reviews from other consumers....and from the companies that sell multi brands.

My favourite is Tire Rack's website.

[lesmore49]

Now we're getting back on track!

A question I've had for a number of years, and you're the BaconMeister IMHO, ...does bacon taste markedly different from one breed of hog ...say a Berkshire
opposed to another hog breed...like the Chester White ...or are any differences in taste, nullified by the food processing bacon goes through ?

Is the bacon taste that people from different countries markedly different ? I would think hogs are bred to satisfy different regional or national tastes.

Anyways, a question for some of those bacon aficionados to chew on, during their morning coffee or evening beer.

[Parallax]

For 40+ years I've run snow tires year round. The hassle and expense of changing over twice a year just isn't worth the minimal fuel savings of road tires a few* months of the year.

I've lived in South Dakota for 43 years now I've seen it snow in this state in every month of the year with the possible exception of August.

September - April: Snow is common and expected. It snowed yesterday, April 15th.
The worst blizzard I've experienced was in May.
I met Mrs P in June at the Medicine Mountain Boy Scout Camp (seriously). It snowed that weekend.
July 4th, 1979 Lead/Deadwood got a foot of snow.
August. No specific memory of snow.

[robtcorl]

A question I've had for a number of years, and you're the BaconMeister IMHO, ...does bacon taste markedly different from one breed of hog ...say a Berkshire
opposed to another hog breed...like the Chester White ...or are any differences in taste, nullified by the food processing bacon goes through ?

You're too flattering #2!
Back when friends and I field dressed our own hogs, purchased from a local farmer, they were American Yorkshire.
The commercial hog bellies I turn into bacon these days are probably the same, but no ay to know for sure.
I suspect you're correct in assuming the curing and smoking process give nearly identical results across the breeds.

[lesmore49]

For 40+ years I've run snow tires year round. The hassle and expense of changing over twice a year just isn't worth the minimal fuel savings of road tires a few* months of the year.

I've lived in South Dakota for 43 years now I've seen it snow in this state in every month of the year with the possible exception of August.

September - April: Snow is common and expected. It snowed yesterday, April 15th.
The worst blizzard I've experienced was in May.
I met Mrs P in June at the Medicine Mountain Boy Scout Camp (seriously). It snowed that weekend.
July 4th, 1979 Lead/Deadwood got a foot of snow.
August. No specific memory of snow.

That's what our neighbour does. He runs snow tires all year round.

Some will say the snow tires will run too hot in the summer and the tire will wear out quickly in the summer, because of the snow tire's soft compound.

I'm no tire expert, but my neighbour is a mechanic, who works at a large tractor factory and around here, when someone is having trouble with their vehicle, he is the go to guy for an educated opinion. Me included.

[lesmore49]

You're too flattering #2!
Back when friends and I field dressed our own hogs, purchased from a local farmer, they were American Yorkshire.
The commercial hog bellies I turn into bacon these days are probably the same, but no ay to know for sure.
I suspect you're correct in assuming the curing and smoking process give nearly identical results across the breeds.

Probably one of those mysteries in life, that will never be resolved.

One thing, back in the 1960's, I used to hear some old and wise people say. It went something like this.

"There are two things a man should never see, how a meatpacker makes sausage (hot dogs included) ...or how a politician makes his daily bread. "

BTW, I once worked in a sausage kitchen at a meat packer.

I was a student and this was my summer job, My job was to take the big stainless steel cart , push it out of the industrial cooler, and take it to the sausage processors who would pack the finished product into store packaging.

I would get a 22.5 lb. stainless steel shovel and shovel up the raw sausage meat into the hopper, which would then form the product. But although I was part of the sausage making 'Team', I have no idea what I was shoveling.

Kind of like now.

[Parallax]

Some will say the snow tires will run too hot in the summer and the tire will wear out quickly in the summer, because of the snow tire's soft compound.

I have no basis to refute that. It makes sense. As a matter of convenience, for me anyway, the monetary saving isn't worth the inconvenience. I run the tires that work best the majority of the time and replace them when they wear out,
This time though, it's going to be a big hit. I'm used to replacing them 4 at a time, not 6.

I have no idea what I was shoveling.

I think that's euphemistically called "mystery meat".

[robtcorl]

I run the tires that work best the majority of the time and replace them when they wear out,

Aren't both of your city limit signs on the same post?
Tires should last you a long time.

[JimJohnson]

My favourite is Tire Rack's website.

Me too. I narrow my list of possibilities with Tire Rack and then make my final decision based on other reviews that either support or reject what I saw in Tire Rack.

I have a great relationship with my tire dealer here in Michigan. I knowingly pay more than what I might pay elsewhere for my tires, but the honest and reasonable service I get between sales makes it worth more than the extra to me. If he has one fault, so does every tire dealer I've met. The will always try to sell you first what they have in stock, and what they stock is usually a mid-value tire with a decent profit margin. I don't ask his opinion on tire anymore, and he doesn't offer to give it. We know each other. "What tire do you want Jim?" and he stares at his monitor, bangs on his calculator and gives me a price. We both already know how much I could pay through other sources, so no dickering is required.

Did I mention lunch today was Kraft dinner with bacon bits dressed with a little yellow mustard?