The good news thread

[qslim]

This is the best thread on the forum, @Westtown Willy needs an award.

I was kicked out of work for the last two weeks because some idiot mechanic came to work with covid, so everyone he spent time with was sent home to quarantine, including myself.

I've spent the last few days riding bikes with my kids to school and back, listening to their day along the way & teaching them how to cross streets and look for traffic. It was a ton of fun watching my little creations learn how to get across town on their own, hopefully by next year they'll be able to do it on their own. A little terrifying, but mostly good.

 

[Squatch]

This is the best thread on the forum, @Westtown Willy needs an award.

I was kicked out of work for the last two weeks because some idiot mechanic came to work with covid, so everyone he spent time with was sent home to quarantine, including myself.

I've spent the last few days riding bikes with my kids to school and back, listening to their day along the way & teaching them how to cross streets and look for traffic. It was a ton of fun watching my little creations learn how to get across town on their own, hopefully by next year they'll be able to do it on their own. A little terrifying, but mostly good.

Wouldn't it be awesome if this thread were as active as some of the less positive ones? I agree with you... @Westtown Willy deserves accolades for this little jewel.

 

[Lucas Brown]

I finally own a wrangler, my friend gave me a huge discount for this jeep. This one is good news for me.

 

[LarryTJ]

The great news. My severely disabled handicap adult daughter who lives in an assisted living home contracted COVID-19 and was asymptomatic.

 

[Rick Flair]

I’d like to be a positive story.


So I will.


My family is alive. Healthy. We love each other. We have great friends and neighbors. I made a few here too.


I reconnected with old friends that makes me smile.



I love tacos.

 

[Westtown Willy]

Life is moving fast. My daughter (23) went to settlement a few weeks ago on her first house, she & her fiancé bought a house in South Park Pennsylvania, yea it’s a real place, right outside of Pittsburgh. They’re getting married next month. My son (24) goes to settlement on his first house in a little less than two weeks, it’s crazy, these kids are making me old.

Anyway, my daughter has been a coffee junky since she was little, started pestering me for sips at around 4 years old. Her & I have been drinking coffee together ever since, to call it a ritual may be an understatement. I bought a Rancilio Silvia (espresso machine) with sidekick Rocky (grinder) back around 2001 when she was 5 so she has grown up drinking some of the best coffee that can be made at home. She’s been eyeballing the machine & dropping those “when you die I’m taking that machine” hints for years.

I decided that her very own Silvia & Rocky would be a good house warming gift, they were delivered to me last week & I drove out to the Burgh on Friday to see the new house & spend the weekend. Hers is an updated version, much nicer than mine, & it’s in black which is the theme of her kitchen.

We had quite a weekend of fun dialing it in for perfect espresso shots & coffee drinks, plus hit a killer micro brewery & did some cooking too, just an all around fantastic weekend:

First, from outside of Philly to outside of Pittsburgh, 250 miles of this:

moments after my arrival

the Rocky, I have a doser on mine but got her the doserless, much cleaner design

she is a fanatic, there was a Nespresso pod type machine on this coffee bar and a cheap espresso machine also, underneath in the cabinet is a cold brew machine & on the countertop is an auto drip machine, plus she has a latte maker, altogether FIVE coffee machines , but when Ms. Silvia showed up she sucked all the air out of the room, everything she has are appliances, this thing is a machine, Silvia herself weighs in at 30lbs, brass boiler, all steel, 100% serviceable, together with Rocky it had a 50lb shipping weight:

first espresso shots after dialing in the correct grind setting:

the first Cafe Americano

later on we went to Spoonwood Brewing Company, freakin fantastic beer and food

oops, out of order, breakfast the following morning, my daughter's homemade white chocolate craisin biscotti & some cinnamon rolls made by a friend:

back to Spoonwood, fantastic outdoor area & it was sunny & 75, just perfect for some beers & grub:

I got a pumpkin porter, delicious

the following night we stayed in, some appetizers

and a few homemade pies, we were testing out her new pizza peel & stone, also made a Sicilian but the pan was considerably smaller than mine so it ended up way thick, still tasty though:

and a white pie

and here is my tired old girl, nearly 20 years of faithful service & going strong, I have no complaints, not sure I've ever had a machine of any kind that has lasted this long:

of course I captured all the essential moments on video:

 

[2001slvrstntj]

Awesome, you are a blessed man and living right from the sound of it. I am very familiar with that trip across the PA turnpike, went to college out in Beaver Falls PA..real close to the Ohio line.

What a great weekend, does not get much better than that.

 

[Westtown Willy]

Awesome, you are a blessed man and living right from the sound of it. I am very familiar with that trip across the PA turnpike, went to college out in Beaver Falls PA..real close to the Ohio line.

What a great weekend, does not get much better than that.

thanks, believe me I know it too! I'm an IUP grad, one year at the branch campus in Kittanning & three at the main campus, then my daughter followed in my footsteps & went to IUP as well so altogether I've made that schlep more times than I can count. I had some friends from Beaver Falls way back when.

It really was a great weekend, she's about my best friend on the planet so it's always great to see her in person rather than face-time... already looking forward to seeing her again for the big show, they're getting married back here in Lancaster so that'll be a great weekend.

 

[Cheesy]

My youngest kid, aka, Owen and Eli’s mom, earned her Tae Kwan Do Deputy Black Belt yesterday. Eli earned his last month. Both of them will be taking their Black Belt classes together.

I plan on taking TKD classes after I retire next year. If my 85 year old Dad can off road ATVs and snowmobile, I better start doing something to keep up.

As “The Chonicles of Owen. And Eli” disappeared, Owen is still parking Monster trucks on my carpeting and had a growth spurt. Luckily, he has taken a break in nut punching me.

 

[Cheesy]

Retirement is exactly 365 days from today.

 

[lowranger]

Retirement is exactly 365 days from today.

Good for you!

 

[LarryTJ]

Life is moving fast. My daughter (23) went to settlement a few weeks ago on her first house, she & her fiancé bought a house in South Park Pennsylvania, yea it’s a real place, right outside of Pittsburgh. They’re getting married next month. My son (24) goes to settlement on his first house in a little less than two weeks, it’s crazy, these kids are making me old.

Anyway, my daughter has been a coffee junky since she was little, started pestering me for sips at around 4 years old. Her & I have been drinking coffee together ever since, to call it a ritual may be an understatement. I bought a Rancilio Silvia (espresso machine) with sidekick Rocky (grinder) back around 2001 when she was 5 so she has grown up drinking some of the best coffee that can be made at home. She’s been eyeballing the machine & dropping those “when you die I’m taking that machine” hints for years.

I decided that her very own Silvia & Rocky would be a good house warming gift, they were delivered to me last week & I drove out to the Burgh on Friday to see the new house & spend the weekend. Hers is an updated version, much nicer than mine, & it’s in black which is the theme of her kitchen.

We had quite a weekend of fun dialing it in for perfect espresso shots & coffee drinks, plus hit a killer micro brewery & did some cooking too, just an all around fantastic weekend:

First, from outside of Philly to outside of Pittsburgh, 250 miles of this:

View attachment 195560

moments after my arrival

View attachment 195561

the Rocky, I have a doser on mine but got her the doserless, much cleaner design

View attachment 195562

she is a fanatic, there was a Nespresso pod type machine on this coffee bar and a cheap espresso machine also, underneath in the cabinet is a cold brew machine & on the countertop is an auto drip machine, plus she has a latte maker, altogether FIVE coffee machines , but when Ms. Silvia showed up she sucked all the air out of the room, everything she has are appliances, this thing is a machine, Silvia herself weighs in at 30lbs, brass boiler, all steel, 100% serviceable, together with Rocky it had a 50lb shipping weight:

View attachment 195563

first espresso shots after dialing in the correct grind setting:

View attachment 195564

the first Cafe Americano

View attachment 195565

later on we went to Spoonwood Brewing Company, freakin fantastic beer and food

View attachment 195566

oops, out of order, breakfast the following morning, my daughter's homemade white chocolate craisin biscotti & some cinnamon rolls made by a friend:

View attachment 195567

back to Spoonwood, fantastic outdoor area & it was sunny & 75, just perfect for some beers & grub:

View attachment 195568

I got a pumpkin porter, delicious

View attachment 195569

the following night we stayed in, some appetizers

View attachment 195570

and a few homemade pies, we were testing out her new pizza peel & stone, also made a Sicilian but the pan was considerably smaller than mine so it ended up way thick, still tasty though:


View attachment 195571

and a white pie

View attachment 195572

and here is my tired old girl, nearly 20 years of faithful service & going strong, I have no complaints, not sure I've ever had a machine of any kind that has lasted this long:

View attachment 195573

of course I captured all the essential moments on video:

Those Pizza pie's make me hungry and very nice espresso machine. I'm lazy and let this one do all the work

(De'Longhi Dinamica).​

 

[Squatch]

Those Pizza pie's make me hungry and very nice espresso machine. I'm lazy and let this one do all the work

(De'Longhi Dinamica).​

View attachment 200363

Love the coffee mugs and rack.

 

[NDSpeed]

Good news for me

the Army has accepted my retirement. In 7 months I’ll be on my own time again.

time to start planning for a four month vacation.

 

[Head Lice]

Well . . . . . . good news is that Donald Trump will be your President for another term!

 

[NDSpeed]

Well . . . . . . good news is that Donald Trump will be your President for another term!

Oh. I hope so.

mother good news. My son blew up the motor in his Subaru.

now he gets to do an engine swap and learn why it is important to take care of your vehicles. He rolled up to the house one day. I put 3.8q of oil into it.

learning the hard way I guess.

 

[LarryTJ]

Oh. I hope so.

mother good news. My son blew up the motor in his Subaru.

now he gets to do an engine swap and learn why it is important to take care of your vehicles. He rolled up to the house one day. I put 3.8q of oil into it.

learning the hard way I guess.

My son didn't change the oil in his Dodge Dakota for 30K miles, good thing he didn't smoke the motor, looked like black Navy Coffee when we changed the oil .

 

[Westtown Willy]

Retirement is exactly 365 days from today.

that's awesome, congratulations!

Following my trip out to Pittsburgh last month to see my daughter's new house I spent part of last night & this morning prepping the food for my son's move-in day to his first house, he placed his typical order of homemade pizzas & bbq sandwiches. Got a head start last night by hot-smoking the meat which was about 5 pounds of boneless chicken thighs & 5 pounds of part sweet & part hot Italian sausage, his favorite combination

The outdoor kitchatorium all fired up, beer poured & charcoal lit:

first up was the chicken, hot smoked with pecan for about 40 minutes:

then the sausage, this is about half of it:

all done & sliced up with my semi-homemade bbq sauce on, then into the fridge overnight to develop the smoke:

early this morning got the rest of the toppings going, two of the pies were hot wing with bacon & blue cheese

made the dough around 6am which gave it about 5 hours to rise before I had to bake the pies:

also made one pepperoni:

one of the hot wing pies:

everything all box up & ready to go:

my son's new crib, man cave all set up:

30 seconds after putting the food out

one last thing, his neighborhood borders the cemetery where an old friend resides, took Kimberly there for her first ever visit, we stayed a while & listened to some music

we hung around until around 1pm then took a ride out to spend the rest of the day at the winery, seen at the end of the below post, so all in all it was wall to wall good news today:

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/tj-sniffs-out-a-pennsylvania-vineyard.40489/#post-716572

 

[Wildman]

I want the outdoor kitchatorium..... Great story and awesome food.

 

[Moab]

My wife needs a heart transplant. But the good news is she got on the transplant list.

My son started his junior year at UCLA. And has a charming new gf we love.

Got a new soft top for my jeep at a great price from another forum member. And a lightly used or fab tire carrier.

I finally had some manure and seed laid down. And have grass in our front yard now.

Now i just need to find some AT tires.

Life is good.