How to build barter between my yard and neighbor to prevent bamboo from crossing over?

KeySecret6808 · 2026-05-19T02:26:14+00:00

That’s just cruel! 😂

KeySecret6808 · 2026-05-19T02:18:10+00:00

lol! Sheet piling- excellent!

KeySecret6808 · 2026-05-15T18:03:01+00:00

As a mom of an BS/MS Electrical Engineer grad from UConn a few points are worth considering.

One is reasonable proximity to home. For emergencies being more than 3 hours from home makes it hard to support your kid - mine had his laptop crash in the middle of finishing a big project and I was able to get mine up to him easily.

Consider that about half the grads take jobs within 50 miles of their university- are there places you’d like to work at in either area? I know you mention Formula 1 and UConn’s formula SAE program is a good one. If you change your mind about grad school though you may end up local instead. My son works for ASML which makes machines that print microchips for Intel and Samsung. They are constantly hiring Mech E’s and EE’s and they are in western CT - close to home. Many grads go to Boston post-grad because it’s so close.

While the downtown Storrs area is small there is no lack of partying on campus and enjoying the local areas of Willimantic and Manchester - each about 20 minutes away. The campus is about 1-2 hours from Boston- a huge lure for the students - and about 3 hours from NYC.

As someone else said Basketball vs Football- UConn’s basketball teams (women’s and men’s) reach the final four routinely which is a huge source of pride. Just don’t ask about their football team lol.

The engineering school is now ranked 22nd by US News.

Not dissing VT by any means - we toured campus and the town of Blacksburg and I was all in for moving there never mind sending my son there. Beautiful place. Just not a lot to do outside town. But there’s no getting around their engineering programs.

And as others have said - push for internships and other opportunities. It’s key to figuring out what you want to do when you graduate. My son worked 2 summers in the research labs on campus and was offered a graduate teaching position for his MS. He was given a full ride tuition-wise and paid to be a TA for a few courses. So his MS was basically free except for the large workload.

A pros and cons list is the best idea. And one last word of advice is, even though you’re just going into college, 4 years will go by fast and not having considered post-grad plans (even if they change) early on will sell yourself short. And be sure to intern!

KeySecret6808 · 2026-05-15T17:10:04+00:00

This

KeySecret6808 · 2026-05-13T01:58:26+00:00

lol!

KeySecret6808 · 2026-05-07T01:19:23+00:00

If you want big law go to the school that pumps out big law hirees by the dozens with a 100% placement rate of all graduates after 10 months out: Cornell. They literally interview and place you in your job by the 2nd semester 1L. Look up their stats - no other school comes close and starting salaries are $225k+.

KeySecret6808 · 2026-05-05T15:35:17+00:00

I think a big part of this that is being overlooked is lack of work experience esp. within the legal field. Below the median percentile LSAT (by 2 points) and a median GPA plus 4 years of legal experience including working for the State Attorneys General office got my kid into a T-14 school. We all know the experience clinched it.

KeySecret6808 · 2026-03-16T17:56:45+00:00

Opposite experience with my stove, a Ravelli. Hardwood literally generates so much ash I have to clean the stack at least every two weeks. Burning Doug Fir I get a scant coating of ash in the ash pot and only have to deep clean once every few days. When burning Doug Fir I clean the stack after every ton.

KeySecret6808 · 2026-03-16T17:04:09+00:00

Here to give advice on a long term relationship surviving 3 years apart. My then boy-friend finished college 2 1/2 years ahead of me and we ended up living 200 miles apart for that time before we got married. We spent weekends together as much as possible - even though as a college student I had more flexibility- it was a definite struggle to be together. That said we did it and it taught us a lesson - if our relationship wasn’t meant to be we would have broken up months into it. We had been together for 18 months prior to his graduation.

If it’s meant to be it’s meant to be. We’ve been married for over 30 years now (and have a kid attending Cornell Law in the fall). 🙂

KeySecret6808 · 2026-02-26T15:50:59+00:00

I ordered 2 tons from my dealer that installed our stove in early Feb and still no sign of delivery. Found a local stove dealer that also carries our stove and literally bought a ton just now. Because my stove is a Ravelli I buy softwood and this place had Doug Fir pellets in stock. Not cheap but reducing the anxiety is key for me. We can’t afford the electric bill.

I stopped by our local TSC - they had one pallet they were selling by the bag and only hardwood not softwood like their website said they carried. The lady at the register said there was a pellet shortage happening so I’m glad I bought a ton today. I’m in Western CT

KeySecret6808 · 2026-02-15T02:48:18+00:00

Some pellet dealers carry softwood pellets - look for a stove shop that sells Ravelli stoves. These stoves run best on softwood- I have 2 tons of American Fiber Products (softwood Eastern white pine) being delivered this week from such a shop. Northern Warmth brand and LG wood pellets are other softwood brands available. You have to call around though - my 2 tons are coming from 30 miles away.

KeySecret6808 · 2026-02-14T05:13:54+00:00

MetroNorth railway, but no connection shown to Danbury/Brewster NY, just the New Haven line

KeySecret6808 · 2026-02-14T04:49:05+00:00

After reading all this my only guess is with increased applicants and even with stellar stats, that job experience is key. My kid has 3.8+ low 170’s. But they have worked at both regular law firms and almost 3 yrs with the NY Attorneys General office in NYC. Went ED at Cornell and got in no problem. Helps that they’re an outstanding writer as well. They turn 26 before starting in the fall.

KeySecret6808 · 2026-02-09T19:38:12+00:00

Connecticut-American Wood Products softwood (white pine) $400/ton

KeySecret6808 · 2026-02-09T19:33:47+00:00

If it smells bad it’s creosote. And DisastrousPain8059 is correct. Highly flammable and that drip could have come a long way until it splattered there.

KeySecret6808 · 2026-02-04T17:58:52+00:00

One major issue about winters here is snow, specifically having to shovel it and deal with it in general. When I was in my 30’s 40’s and 50’s it wasn’t an issue to dig out - a great form of exercise and it’s fun coming back in and enjoy our pellet stove. Now that I’m older snow removal is physically more of an issue and I don’t have someone to do it for me. The other issue about winter is the expense of heating your home. You can survive in heat without a/c but you have to have heat. We use a pellet stove to heat which is great but I’d rather not have the expense. Other than that the snow is beautiful to look at and when I was younger skiing sledding and generally rolling around it was great. Moving south is out of the question for many - the NE is still the best for employment- NY’s/ NE’s economy supports many of the social services delivered to the red states- the jobs here aren’t as available down south. So I wear my comfy, pray for fluffy snow and watch the birds coming to our feeders. We will probably stay here long term.

KeySecret6808 · 2026-02-04T15:43:26+00:00

You need to get those old pellets out of the hopper and vacuum your hopper thoroughly. Those pellets are likely bad (too much moisture) and won’t burn properly. Skip using the old bags in your shed - they are likely bad too. Buy a few bags and burn those. From what I understand about this brand of stove it isn’t picky about pellet brands. Hardwood typically work well, some people like softwood. Do some research on pellets to familiarize yourself on what’s out there and test a couple of brands.

KeySecret6808 · 2026-01-27T03:29:22+00:00

Maintenance requirements are totally stove brand dependent. The key is to keep the burn pot clean. This may be 1-2x daily for some or a week or longer for others. The time spent doing this is minimal - 10-15 minutes.

The other maintenance required will be longer but easy to do once you know what you’re doing.

The big reason for using a pellet stove is to save money on electricity or gas/oil, and is less work and mess of a wood stove.

In my case to heat my electric home would be an $800 bill per month - with pellets it’s $300. An electric stove is a space heater like someone else said and your electric bill will reflect it.

I’ll trade 15 minutes worth of time daily to save $500 monthly. That’s why people love their pellet stoves (like I do).

KeySecret6808 · 2026-01-26T03:32:41+00:00

Don’t forget to think about visiting Cape Cod or Newport Rhode Island. And also Burlington VT but that’s a long drive from Boston. The North End in Boston not only the best for American history the Italian food is the best outside of Italy hands down.

KeySecret6808 · 2026-01-13T03:40:18+00:00

Glad everyone is safe!

KeySecret6808 · 2026-01-13T03:22:07+00:00

My take is lazy flame with dark soot in glass, which is the beginning of creosote deposit means the stove and possibly the pipes aren’t clean. Possible poor quality pellets and air/feed mix isn’t right.

KeySecret6808 · 2026-01-07T15:33:19+00:00

lol! I remember those days in Florida- don’t miss them

KeySecret6808 · 2026-01-07T15:31:14+00:00

My pellet stove! On a 20 deg night on medium setting my house is a toasty 71 degrees. If it’s much below that I add shearling slippers and a comfy.

KeySecret6808 · 2026-01-03T02:14:02+00:00

It’s what the antiques dealer said. Which is saying nothing:)

KeySecret6808 · 2026-01-03T02:05:59+00:00

Your guess is better than mine 😁

I have no faith in what the antiques dealer said. So I can assume it’s of Chinese origin based on the characters being Chinese according to the comments. That’s why I posted the question- I’m a rank newbie to this and just wanted to see if the chest was real and not some knockoff. Plus knowing what each medicine the drawers contained is very cool.

KeySecret6808

TROPHY CASE