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Post by Chuckie on Nov 12, 2018 20:35:00 GMT -5
Dwayner, you take care of yourself. Chuckie will never be able to get the Imperial done without you. You've become the Chambers knight in shining armor to us. No truer words were EVER spoken, pooka!!! Although but a year younger than ME, he has the enthusiasm of a TEENAGER when it comes to these stoves!!! And the knowledge of a man TWICE his age, not to mention his mechanical ability. He reminds me a LOT of me Da--but with PATIENCE!!! LOL
Monkey appreciates him and his ability, but stated tonight, "you know, I MISS Dwayner, but I'm kinda glad he's GONE for awhile, and we have things back to normal." She has the patience of Job herself, but methinks I T-R-Y them a bit sometimes. She can't kibitz TOO much though, as the stove is eventually gonna be for her bro, and reside at her Mam's old place. I just think she LIKES having HER bathroom back, and can parade around the house in her skivvies again--not that dwayner would've COMPLAINED I suspect!!! CHEERS! Chuckie
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Post by dwayner2 on Nov 14, 2018 16:42:03 GMT -5
I'm feeling a little more human today after my battle with the KC Flu I contracted. It's a good thing I came down with it the day I left or else I'd have had to stay ANOTHER 3 days just recovering. Monkey laughed the night before I left on how most women complain about being Football Widows every weekend, she calls herself a Wayne Widow because she doesn't get to hang with Chuckie that much when I'm around. That skivvies story reminds me when I had 3 roommates in college and one was dating a girl we other three couldn't stand having around....and she was ALWAYS around. She told me "If you guys want to walk around in your whitey tightys when I'm here I don't care". Ha! Well it bothers us is what I told her. No mater how close your family and friends are, getting thrown together on a road trip or vacation for more than 7-10 days is always be trying, and I was there for 2 weeks! Still, I was treated like a King and immensely appreciated all you guys did making me feel at home. Next visit will be a short one I'm sure, so close to finishing the "Beast".
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Post by Chuckie on Nov 14, 2018 22:32:36 GMT -5
I'm feeling a little more human today after my battle with the KC Flu I contracted. It's a good thing I came down with it the day I left or else I'd have had to stay ANOTHER 3 days just recovering. Monkey laughed the night before I left on how most women complain about being Football Widows every weekend, she calls herself a Wayne Widow because she doesn't get to hang with Chuckie that much when I'm around. That skivvies story reminds me when I had 3 roommates in college and one was dating a girl we other three couldn't stand having around....and she was ALWAYS around. She told me "If you guys want to walk around in your whitey tightys when I'm here I don't care". Ha! Well it bothers us is what I told her. No mater how close your family and friends are, getting thrown together on a road trip or vacation for more than 7-10 days is always be trying, and I was there for 2 weeks! Still, I was treated like a King and immensely appreciated all you guys did making me feel at home. Next visit will be a short one I'm sure, so close to finishing the "Beast". Monkey & I are just DELIGHTED to hear you're FINALLY healing UP!!! And you were treated "like a King" because of all the damned hard WORK you did to TRY & get that cursed stove D-O-N-E!!!! The divil might've had the upper hand on this last go round, but I'm working on a few things I CAN handle whilst your away, so we'll see how things go whenever you return--although I don't think Monkey's in any kind of HURRY for more Chambers widowhood anytime soon!! LOL Get better man! CHEERS! Chuckie (& Monkey)
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Post by Chuckie on Jul 21, 2019 20:59:48 GMT -5
Himself has re-arrived from his "frigid visit" to the 'frozen' north, to arrive back to OUR seasonal Kansas temps!! Ain't HE the lucky boy--NOT?!! LOL
We have an old retired butcher who frequents the Eagles and is V-E-R-Y proud of his ability to "pick out steaks"!! He gave me T-W-O filet mignons Friday night out there, and we cooked those tonight for dwayner, along with garlic cheese bread and thermowell baked spuds & corn-on-the-cob. He SHOULD be content again so we can use him for slave labor once more!!
He said he had a GREAT TIME up there w/jennyp & hub, and they too tried to fatten him up!!! He'll be as big as ME before long, iffen he don't mind his P&Q's!!!
CHEERS! Chuckie
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Post by Chuckie on Jul 28, 2019 10:19:45 GMT -5
Well, he's off and running, on his way to Arkansas to save yet ANOTHER Chambers Damsel-in-distress, via Fort Scott, KS:
BUT he looks more like an OKIE on the way to CALIFORNIA in the '30's than a Texan--can you say "Grapes of Wrath"?!! I'm SHOCKED he didn't have to tie the rocking chair he got to the TOP of his truck!!
I THINK he had a "good time"--as in, he LOVES to WORK, and there's PUH-LENTY of THAT to be had around here!!! And the Imperial is all but FINISHED!! Kinda "anticlimactic" after S-E-V-E-N years labour!!! And I guarantee, it would NOT be where it is today w/o dwayner!!!!!!!!!!!!! And that's NOT blowing smoke, just FACT!! Thanks man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He took some pix on HIS phone, and will send them to me later to post.
Says he'll be back in the Fall, so I better butter up Monkey before then!! Safe trails WHEREVER they may wind you my friend, Godspeed!! CHEERS! Chuckie & Monkey
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Post by nana on Jul 28, 2019 17:04:52 GMT -5
Finished? When is the grand installation going to be?? Holy smokes, that did take some doing!
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Post by Chuckie on Jul 28, 2019 22:16:12 GMT -5
Finished? When is the grand installation going to be?? Holy smokes, that did take some doing! Monkey's youngest bro bought her Mom's old home place--where the Chambers saga STARTED for US--or ME anyway!!! Guess it's "fitting" it's going there, although I WORKED on the tear-down part @ my Mom's place, and she SOOOOOOOOOOO wanted to see it done, but--alas!--not to be! She used to have "the girls"--a coupla (widowed) sisters her age who would come down and play farkle, trains, etc. THEY are both still with us, and when TOTALLY done, I'll have them out to see it @ her bro's remodeled place. Said bro (Paul) and his wife Judy live up in Elmhurst, and are NOT moving until their youngest son graduates in a coupla years and said remodel is done. Trouble IS, they can't find any contractors willing to D-O the remodel--guess too busy on NEW construction, and don't wanna JACK w/it!! They seem to BOTH be excited @ the moment, but times (and remodel thoughts) change, so it'll have a home down to me nephews place at my old home place that he bought when Mom died 3 years ago. should they decide AGAINST it. Stay tuned, and THANKS for all y'all's interest, patience, etc, while I was ranting and raving and watching DWAYNER working his magic these past 3 or 4 years he's been involved!!!!! Again, would NOT be here w/o himself!!!! CHEERS! Chuckie
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Post by Chuckie on Oct 31, 2019 11:29:23 GMT -5
Finished? When is the grand installation going to be?? Holy smokes, that did take some doing! Himself is off to "greener"---or @ least W-A-R-M-E-R pastures!!!! Down to mid 20's last night, Tex wasn't TOO pleased!!! And as you can see, I don't think even Mother NATURE was ready for the snow---leaves still on the trees, and the burning bush is still ablaze!!Fair winds and a "warm path" all the way to your door!! We didn't turn a TAP on Chambers this time, but he busted @$$ out in the barn, and got a LOT done---i.e. new ceiling, light fixtures, wired outlets, etc. He said something along the lines of why the HELL didn't we do this BEFORE we started on the Imperial?!! LOL CHEERS! Chuckie & Monkey
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Post by karitx on Oct 31, 2019 14:58:19 GMT -5
I don't want to scare Dwayner too much, but we don't live too far north of him and our predicted low for tonight is 30F. Eek! We went from the mid-90s a couple of weeks ago straight into winter. What happened to fall?
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Post by pooka on Nov 1, 2019 1:26:47 GMT -5
Here in southwestern Indiana, we've not had that big of a swing, but it's been cooler the last few weeks. We had good weather for the West Side Nut Clubs Fall Festival the first week of October till the last night when it rained. It's been light jacket weather since. We've had a few nights in the high 30s, but just for a night or two. Tonight, they're predicted out first frost with a low of 27 degrees. Monday we're suppose to get up to 58.
I don't mind the cold too much as long as it's not bitterly cold in the low 20s or teens. I have an ample supply of cold weather clothing & footwear for just about anything. I don't believe in being cold. Usually if we get any snow, it's gone a few days later, because our temps rarely stay bellow freezing for very long.
As long as we don't get a repeat of the blizzards of winters 77 or 78. Those were the two worst I've seen in my lifetime. The second storm hit the night before my fathers funeral. Needless to say, you can't have a funeral during a blizzard. Especially when the road into the cemetery goes down hill going in. If I remember correctly, It was bad in some other parts of the country those years too. We learned a new term back then. It was called a polar vortex that causes the jet stream to pull polar air down right on us. I think they called it a polar express in the news. Here's a video about those two winters.This documentary was produced by the Feel the History Program at F.J. Reitz High School in Evansville, Indiana about the winters of 1977 & 1978 in Evansville Indiana.
Two Winters to Remember - 1977 & 1978
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Post by nana on Nov 1, 2019 7:22:16 GMT -5
We had a beautiful fall up here in upstate NY. Lots of color, a few light frosts around Columbus day really helped to get that going, and mild temperatures, 50-60 most days and 30-40 at night. This past week and a half have been quite rainy, which is the second year in a row that the rains came just when all the leaves needed to be raked, which stinks double this year because I use dried leaves as bedding in the chicken coop and barely got enough last year. I can't bag them up unless they're good and dry. And now I'm laid up with my knee and have to depend on the kindness of strangers (well, friends and family) to have the time to come do it IF we have a long enough stretch of dry sunny weather.
Yesterday for Halloween was spitting rain but weirdly warm, so the kids got their trick-or-treating in, so that was good. When we went to bed it was 70 degrees!! During the night some powerful winds swept through and torrential rain, and now it's back in the 40's. Still better than what you're going through Chuckie, so I'll take it! Although you're lucky you didn't get more snow than you did with all the leaves still on the trees like that. One year we had a freak October snowstorm that dumped about a foot of wet, heavy snow and the trees just couldn't take it and branches were falling everywhere, and power outages, and there were I guess you could call them avalanches where a tree at the top of a mountain would fall over from the weight and hit the one below, and so on and the whole slope would fall like dominoes.
Climate change. We all better get used to weird weather, I suppose. It's happening all around us and we are the proverbial frog in the pot of water slowly coming to a boil.
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Post by dwayner2 on Nov 2, 2019 9:32:30 GMT -5
With all the running and driving around this past week I havenāt had time to sit and check out the forums, so hereās my update....
The trip up to Chuckie & Monkeyās this time was great as always and as usual, Chuckieās cooking was above par. Got a lot of little projects done, or at least started, and I got to watch the ākidsā for 3-4 days. Fin was great as always, Mave was just annoying (as always) but Jasper is the one I had to keep an eye on. Since the weather turned colder I tried leaving the kids in the house at night with the TV on to make them feel at home. Welllllll, one hour alone they did fine but 2 hours....not so good. š¤Ø. Jasper decided to investigate what was inside the couch under the seat cushions.....straw and cotton everywhere! š” Iāll know better next time.
This was the first trip in several that we never touched the Imperial and it was kinda nice. Less stress and more time to visit plus get those honey-doās done. I patched several cracks in the floor of the shop with mortar so the only time we had hands on the big giant was to move it against the wall and cover it. I donāt know what it is but 30Ā° weather and snow in Kansas doesnāt seem as cold as TX, I thought it was great as long as the wind wasnāt blowing. I stayed in Ft Smith, AR a day later having my truck repaired and it felt 3 times colder....maybe the humidity???
So, as always, great friends and great times. I even cut loose 2 nights before I left having āseveralā beers at Ten Pennys and then Monkey and I shared a bottle of wine while I cooked up some Gumbo. One batch was vegetarian, one with meat, little spicy but no Okra and then a spicy batch with okra. After all that alcohol I imbibed itās a wonder it turned out OK.
Heading to Tulsa today to chat with someone about...you guessed it, a Chambers stove. After that I head to TX and rest up for yet another road trip in May. Iām beginning to think I should sell my house and by a travel trailer. ā¹ļø
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Post by mach12 on Nov 2, 2019 13:05:11 GMT -5
Iām beginning to think I should sell my house and by a travel trailer. ā¹ļø Let me know and I'll set up a pad with full hookups that you can use as long as you want (or can stand us)!
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Post by dwayner2 on Nov 2, 2019 14:33:07 GMT -5
šš
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Post by Chuckie on Mar 22, 2020 21:00:23 GMT -5
Been so busy w/"life" and all the COVID stuff, forgot to MENTION dwayner left quietly for Texas on Friday morn--or NOT so quietly when Monkey saw THIS photo!!! LOL, he arrived home safely @ 11:30 Friday night he said, and has since been trying to get things put away and get back to "routine"---as routine as things GET in this crazy world today!!
Until NEXT TIME, dwayner---whenever THAT may be!!
CHEERS! Chuckie
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Post by Chuckie on Oct 4, 2020 20:35:41 GMT -5
He's B-A-A-A-A-C-K!!! Long day today--him organizing his 'caravan' of a truck. Then went to the country to Monkey's Mom's old place to disconnect the Model B I did for her a few years ago. IF me nephew Brian does NOT want it, then Dwayner will give it a new home "somewhere". I DID feed him well, so he can't bitch there!! Was V-E-R-Y chill for the Texas boy this morning, so I decided to make stew and that Dilly Casserole Bread. Himself said he had FOUR pieces of the latter, and methinks THREE bowls of stew passed through his gullet!! The 7 quart pot was nearly FULL when it came out the thermowell, if that gives any indication!! LOL I've a funeral to work in the morn, then we're off to bigger adventures with Jeff @ IPE tomorrow... CHEERS! Chuckie
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Post by dwayner2 on Oct 6, 2020 21:44:19 GMT -5
Yes, the stew and bread was dee-lish! Next day we had Sour Grout with new potatoes and chunks of pork roast. Today he added grilled sausage....yum yum! I decided this trip to try and keep as much of my stuff in the truck (tools) so I wouldnāt get so frazzled loading everything back up later when I leave. But first I dropped off a bunch of free stove parts with Jeff at IPE and he in return gave me a set of new C drip pans....cool! He also had a top for an A and a B stove that he said I dropped off last year, heck... I donāt even remember doing that. š Next week Iām heading up to the Ames area for 2-3 days to deliver Mach12ās gift to his Cousin. Itās a restored 90C that will later be getting a new chrome top and shelf as well as blue panels. Mach12 and I are planning to leave WA in July or so to come make the transition to her stove. Hopefully we can all swing South 4 hours to hang with Chuckie and Monkey for a while....Iām craving some Perfection Salad again. š¬ Today Chuckie and I finally installed his new storm door off the porch and it works great. He picked it up last Oct I think, but we never got it installed. Tomorrow Chuckie and Monkey are running cars all morning so Iām on my own. Next project is fix the gas lamp next to the BBQ grill. Wish me luck! BEFORE..... AFTER.... Tomorrowās project....
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Post by dwayner2 on Oct 7, 2020 12:27:11 GMT -5
Dishes are done Man!
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Post by nana on Oct 7, 2020 16:35:19 GMT -5
Nice work! No wonder Chuckie wants to keep you chained up in the basement!
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Post by dwayner2 on Oct 9, 2020 9:01:40 GMT -5
I guess I should feel flattered? Or turn and run like Hell? š³
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Post by Chuckie on Oct 9, 2020 14:30:04 GMT -5
Dishes are done Man! Well, yet ANOTHER "5 minute job" turned into an all-dayer!!! You see the picture above? Well have a gander @ this one: Notice how the black 'tailpiece collar' from the original post is GONE? Well, we hooked it up to gas, NADA. Dwayner thought the interior valve (which I never knew EXISTED!!) was turned off. I said if it WAS, then our resident ghost Mrs. Peppard did it! Well, he couldn't get it to turn nor could he get it to unscrew from the TOP, so he had to take it BACK off the gas line, go in the shop, and cut the bottom pipe off to access it. He went ahead and greased the valve while it was apart. Then discovered STILL no gas!! S-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o, had to get the top piece to come off, and it fought tooth & nail to STAY!!! After many blasts with PB, dwayner got it. It is three unlike metals together---aluminum, iron & brass--so it all kinda "bonded" together. Got the orifice out, IT was plugged solid. So used a hatpin to get it opened up. STILL no gas or air would go through!! Found out the riser piece that goes up to where the mantels are, IT was plugged full w/mud dabber nests, as I had failed to put the glass back in when the lamp failed. Then I had managed over the inoperable years to LOSE one of the mantle holders, and had to order one, which they are sending Priority Mail from IL, so SHOULD be here Monday. I did have ONE mantle holder, and the folks @ Gronis Hardware discovered the threads were the same as 1/2" bolt, so they sold me a coupla short bolts which we tefloned the $HIT outta, so we could test it ( you can see the bolts w/the yellow NG teflon tape on them above). NO LEAKS, Praise God!!! Went ahead and hooked up the one mantle and left the bolt in the other side. Burnt off the mantel, come dark we lit it up, and " LET THERE BE LIGHT!!" And meself needs to do a MUCH better job on cleaning the glass panels, MEA CULPA!! Even w/just the ONE mantle, it is bright enough to see to cook with on the adjoining NG grill...
CHEERS! Chuckie
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Post by dwayner2 on Oct 9, 2020 22:36:11 GMT -5
I should have known better than to put the support bracket on and think it was done. Ā I think Chuckie and I ended up pulling out 9 hand tools and 2 power tools to get the job done right....never a quick fix when I start tinkering with something. Ā But, Chuckie brought me my favorite treat when Iām up here in Leavenworth..... half of a cherry tomato (with S&P) served in a piece of cheddar cheese on a saltine cracker. Ā If youāve never tried it you should, they are āThe Bombā. Ā Chuckie says the secret lies in the Kansas grown tomatoes. Ā True or not, they are great.
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Post by pooka on Oct 10, 2020 5:06:07 GMT -5
Our next door neighbor growing up had one of those gas lamps in their front yard next to the driveway where the walkway to the front door was. It had a small what we locally call Bedford stone planter around it. Bedford stone is thin strips of cut limestone that was popular in the 50s to build modern ranch homes as an option rather than brick. There are huge limestone quarries up around Bedford, Indiana where the movie "Breaking Away" was set & filmed. The stone there is considered some of the best quality limestone in the world. The Empire State building as well as many buildings in Washington, DC are made from the stuff.
Anyway, I remember when they shut it off back in the 70s because of the oil & gas embargo of the time. It was all about conserving energy for a while. That lamp never got lit again. That was also when people stopped putting up those big old outdoor Christmas lights. We had to conserve energy till the Saudis open the oil tap up again. It took years after the embargo till people started putting up light on their houses for the holidays. By then, all the light were those mini lights. Those big light were a thing of yesterday.
It's good to see one of those old gas light up & running again. Much like our stoves, when they are disused for a long time, it takes some effort to whip them back into working shape. Especially something kept outside. Bugs have a way of crawling into small openings to nest or die. Plus old gas valves need a pinch of grease now & again to work smoothly. We'll call your efforts differed maintenance. You're now caught up on it.
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Post by nana on Oct 10, 2020 7:51:59 GMT -5
I bought a few strings of big LED Christmas lights a few years ago. Not as big as the old ones, which I used to love, but way bigger than those mini lights. They do not have the warmth and depth of color the old ones had, though. I often think of how thereās always balance in the universe, even with something so seemingly minor as holiday lights. We can save energy, which is better for the environment and our pocketbooks, but we give up some of the esthetics. Oh well. When we cleaned out my dadās house we found his old light strings in the basement. They were in such bad shape they looked like they would short circuit without even being plugged in, but even so I hated getting rid of them!
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Post by karitx on Oct 11, 2020 14:34:50 GMT -5
I bought a few strings of big LED Christmas lights a few years ago. Not as big as the old ones, which I used to love, but way bigger than those mini lights. They do not have the warmth and depth of color the old ones had, though. I often think of how thereās always balance in the universe, even with something so seemingly minor as holiday lights. We can save energy, which is better for the environment and our pocketbooks, but we give up some of the esthetics. Oh well. When we cleaned out my dadās house we found his old light strings in the basement. They were in such bad shape they looked like they would short circuit without even being plugged in, but even so I hated getting rid of them! I have used those old ones to decorate wreaths before. I'm too afraid they will shock me or short out to plug them in, but I think they are so charming compared to the new ones.
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Post by karitx on Oct 11, 2020 14:40:12 GMT -5
The old gas lamp looks great now! I'm surprised dwayner ever makes it home now that so many people know how handy he is!
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Post by dwayner2 on Oct 11, 2020 15:56:55 GMT -5
Shhhhhhhh. š¤«. Donāt let the word get out karitx. š¤Ŗ
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Post by Chuckie on Oct 23, 2020 9:24:42 GMT -5
Well, he survived "L" town, and is heading South for warmer weather. It was 85 yesterday, 82 @ half six when we went in the restaurant to eat. An hour or so LATER, it was FORTY-EIGHT!! Went down to 36 last night.
At any rate, I THINK he was gonna meet Robere in Southern Missouri near I-44/49, then on to Arkansas to work on a stove and overnight b4 heading on to TX.
Happy trails Gypsy man, see you next year, Good Lord willing and the COVID dies!!
CHEERS!! Chuckie and Monkey
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Post by dwayner2 on Oct 24, 2020 21:42:00 GMT -5
Itās been the busiest āstoveā trip to Leavenworth for sure, and we never worked on Chuckieās Chamber stoves. But, he told me he had an old cast iron camp stove in his basement so I pulled it up out of the darkness and we got it lookān nice and workān good. It was a great trip as usual and the food in Leavenworth canāt be beat...because Chuckie is the one cooking! I did fry up some Cauliflower patties but they came out pretty greasy, and smelt up the back porch with grease. He said I no longer have permission to cook in or near the house, I have to use the little camp stove in the shop. š. Hey, I always tell people, I know how to restore a Chambers, not how to cook on one. š¬ Sitting in Palestine TX right now resting up before the last 2 hours of driving before I get home. I should make it by midnight. Until next time....Dwayner signing off. PS- Did Monkey find the surprise I left in her bathroom yet? š
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Post by Chuckie on Apr 11, 2021 22:01:25 GMT -5
He's B-A-A-C-K.... Off to IPE tomorrow, then maybe uncover the Imperial and "test drive" the thermostats. Stay tuned!!
CHEERS! Chuckie
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