Yesterday I received an automated email from PB wishing me Happy Birthday, so I visited the forum. I haven't logged in for months, and when I did so there were pm's waiting on me, a couple had been up for awhile. I apologize for that. As there were some common inquiries among them, and I'm inherently lazy, I will touch on a few questions of interest.

First, the Livingston family is doing well. Still healthy, still plugging along every day. The job goes well, another year and a half to go before I make journeyman. Our oldest starts college in the fall. Wow. Time goes quickly.

We did make maple syrup this year, our biggest production to date. It was a real winter, which lead into a real maple spring. The sap flowed incredibly well, and we had several 14 hour boiling sessions. That got pretty old, and made it hard to get up a few mornings when faced with the prospect of another long shift at the evaporator. My beautiful wife suggested that something else getting old might account for that hesitation, but as that is of course, a ridiculous notion, I just smiled politely and dismissed it straight away. She can be so silly sometimes.

The HBG are still present, albeit not in the numbers they once were. I never got my two pounders, but came damn close. After having spent a decade playing with these fish, I'm ready to begin a new phase of experimentation with them. I think I have accumulated enough info and experience to get a decent percentage, population wise, into that two pound range. I intend to begin work in the next two weeks, hopefully.

I did make it through the winter with absolutely no aeration. And as I stated, it was a real winter, complete with ice and snow cover for extended periods. No visible morts, no apparent damage at all. I have no plans to fire it back up this warm weather season either.

Yes, I would absolutely purchase the LS tractor again. It's been over a year since we got it, and it has accumulated 50.5 hours as of yesterday. The tier 4 diesel has gone through regen one time...as I thought, there have been no issues. There;s a HUGE difference between commercial, and homeowner use. Be honest about your intended usage, and buy accordingly and without fear.

Finally, I'm sorry but I have no plans to return to posting on the forum. Nothing has changed for me in that regard, and both sides are happy with the outcome. I just don't see the need to open old wounds. I will however, try and log in more frequently to check for pm's.

Peace.

"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"

If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1)
And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1)
Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT?
PB answer: It depends.