Appreciation post: Went with the automatic coop door after 3 months of waking up at 5am

I was stuck between a simple manual latch door and a solar automatic one for my backyard coop. Finally dropped $80 on the auto door from a local farm supply in Walla Walla. Best decision I made this year, my girls are safer from predators and I get to sleep in. Has anyone else made the switch and had trouble with the sensor in heavy snow?

Found a 1975 cookbook called "Cooking with Odd Leftovers" at a thrift store in Boise last week

I grabbed it as a joke to show my friends, but then I actually tried the recipe for canned tuna and crushed pineapple casserole. It was surprisingly good, and now I'm rethinking all the weird old cookbooks I've been passing up. Has anyone else found a hidden gem in a book that looked like a total disaster?

Switched from a stock plate to a custom cut brass one and the sound is night and day

My 65% build used a basic steel plate for about 8 months and it always felt a bit hollow and pingy. I got a hand-cut brass plate from a local shop in Austin last month and the board now has a deep, solid thock with zero metallic ring. Is brass just the best material for plates or am I missing something better?

Stopped by the library in Bellingham and saw a vintage IBM Model M on the front desk

The librarian said it's been there since 1992 and they just keep fixing the keycaps. Anyone know a good source for replacement buckling springs?

Showerthought: I used to baby every new toolpath with a single block and feed hold, but after a crash on a 4140 part last year, I now run a full air cut with the spindle off first.

Has anyone else found a better way to verify a program before hitting cycle start on a complex job?

I thought learning Python meant memorizing every single library function

My friend in Chicago said to just google the syntax when I need it, and after six months of coding, I finally get it. I wasted so much time trying to learn everything at once instead of just building a simple project. How did you guys get over that 'need to know everything' feeling when you started?

Honestly, I just realized my 2015 Duramax started idling smoother after I switched to a different fuel filter brand last month.

Rant: My whole basil plant got wrecked by a surprise storm last night

I was so proud of it, had it in a big pot by the railing. The wind just blew it right over and snapped the main stem. I managed to salvage a few good cuttings and stuck them in water to try and root them. Has anyone else had luck regrowing herbs from broken stems like that?

Just lost a full day's pay on a bad pressure gauge

I was setting up for a big steam job in Toledo last week and trusted a gauge that was reading 15 psi low. Had to shut the whole system down and redo the calibration, which ate up eight hours. The gauge looked fine, but the internals were shot from moisture. What's your go-to brand for gauges that can take a beating?

I finally started leaving my blown pieces in the kiln overnight. No more cracks.