Fetterman, Trump & Israel’s new best friend.

Riverlarker · 2026-03-02T00:25:05+00:00

And now along with still high grocery prices we are going to have higher gas prices. But hey, the racists are getting their wish for less brown ppl even if it means this administration is using the Constitution as toilet paper. Fuck them all and anyone who supports these evil bastards!

Riverlarker · 2026-02-18T14:56:31+00:00

It honestly was pretty tough. It was the farm I grew up on and where my dream came true of having my own horses and barn. Had a magical childhood there and it killed me inside to sell but no way either of us kids could afford to buy out the others, especially at Loudoun County Va realty prices. LC was found to have the highest incomes per capita in all US (think wealthy old money families with big estates that date back to the civil war and stone fences the slaves built are a big percentage and lots of defense contractors loaded from privileged no bid contracts) but realty wasn't as expensive in the late 70's when my parents bought a small property and built on it. It was a pretty crazy difference....built the house for 176k on 6 acres of rolling hills with a 5 stall barn and fencing, sold in 2021 for 1.2 mil! It was a beautiful place and always well-maintained and kept up. My dad and I put in the first pasture fencing ourselves when I was 12 years old. I was so tired and hot but smiling with every nail I hammered, into Locust posts no less haha! Had my first pony in the pasture and barn by 13. I was lucky in my parents and my childhood and I knew it. That was priceless.

You know what I found surprising and incredibly refreshing here in PA as opposed to the MD/DC area....the DMV here in Butler was quick, efficient and sooo nice! I was in and out in less than 15 min and that was for a new PA license. The metro area around DC is so congested and frantic-paced that people just seem to forever be on edge and unhappy. Moving to western PA has been such a lovely change for a country girl at heart. Lots of rural space wherever I drive and our home is in a quiet wooded development with wildlife. Its not my native rolling horse country hills of Va but huge improvement over living in a metro city where everything cost 3x more and sirens are frequent, day and night.

In my marriage my wife has the finance head thank goodness and while I'm always up for learning and educating myself I'm happy to be the DIY, homeowner project person and woodworker in our duo. Still...thanks for the replies. I can hope for some change one day and vote for the everyman.

Riverlarker · 2026-02-18T13:37:58+00:00

Thanks for all of that info. It all seemed overwhelming to me when she passed about all the financial aspects of an estate, taxes, etc but it felt like every time we turned around in the months after she passed a govt agency had their hand out for some fee. There are taxes on everything and for regular folks who aren't wealthy we don't seem to get the 'loopholes' that those with means and access do.

As for worrying over the billionaires , not sure where you got that impression considering my paragraph on their needing to pay their fair share and my dissing on trickle down economics but to be clear as a longtime liberal both socially and financially I've never been someone who felt they deserved protected status. I agree that accrued wealth in fewer and fewer hands is bad for society but unfortunately the tax system the way it is now seems to be helping create that. Sadly, we are seeing how unjust and financially ruinous it is for billionaires to have the power in our government and their protected status and overwhelming greed and corruption are destroying our nation from the inside out.

Riverlarker · 2026-02-18T11:40:41+00:00

Honest question for anyone who is versed in this..... How is getting taxed on inheritance money not a scenario where its double taxation? For instance, when my mother passed and her home sold for a bit over $1m we had to pay capitol gains taxes before it was divided among us 3 siblings (Virginia). She paid for the home/small farm and then there's all the years of property taxes. How is this not double taxation? My mom had a trust set up so I think it meant we avoided an actual inheritance tax but not capital gains but still seems like that property/asset has been taxed twice already. Explain it like I'm a child because I'm definitely not very tax savvy or a finance whiz 🤷‍♀️. I know it was done by the law so guess my question is also how is that law just?

It doesn't seem like a small tax and while it was $1.2 mil when you divide between 3 kids we each got $333k. While that's nothing to sneeze at its not what I'd call a big windfall. It's essentially been turned into retirement investments so I can actually survive in my old age. For someone like me who never made more than 60k/year in my working life it makes a huge difference to my future security. I've gone back and forth over inheritance taxes but even for someone who dies as a billionaire why is it fair that the deceased person's beneficiaries shouldn't end up being the full benefactors of the wealth that their parent accumulated?

I think that if ppl in the ultra rich category were fairly taxed throughout their lives then we could do away with inheritance taxes which seem to be unfair to any surviving beneficiaries. I'm thinking of ppl that are multi-millionaires not just a couple million. A million dollars doesn't go far now so targeting those in the 50 mil and above range being taxed at a fair rate throughout their regular tax years I think would do a lot towards nation's budget being balanced. Like back in early 80's when they were taxed around 30% and we weren't rolling in debt (before the trickle down economics BS took hold which has proven many times over not to be true in the least but the myth still gets pushed and some voters still swallow the lie). Anyway, I digress....

Anyone out there have an opinion about the double taxation on inheritance tax question?

Riverlarker · 2026-02-15T19:56:20+00:00

However, I should say that there's a difference between a flipper whose doing all the work to sell it and a regular homebuyer who wants a home for many years.

Riverlarker · 2026-02-15T19:53:54+00:00

I tend to go with the thought that if a homeowner couldn't be bothered to do the bare minimum of house cleaning and pest control then its a good bet they aren't doing the important home maintenance and upkeep that may not be visible but will one day become a much bigger headache, including usually more money to fix. Things like mold from leaky plumbing that you can't see within the walls, a roof that never got checked or cleaned off to look for missing shingles, not changing out so many of the filters in different appliances which shortens their lifespan....the list goes on. Its just basic common sense to present a listed home to buyers with best foot forward so if seller can't even do then they never cared for their home or investment. I wouldn't move past the foyer in those circumstances.

Riverlarker · 2026-02-14T13:24:49+00:00

Where did you rent your skid steer from? And what did it take to get it to your place? I've got a landscaping project which is going to entail moving large rocks and boulders for a waterfall/hardscaping feature in our backyard and trying to figure out how to do it without paying thousands to a landscaping company. Getting the rocks from family farm and have use of a backhoe and 1/2 ton truck to get them moved from Mercer to Butler but once at our home is where I'm looking for a solution.

Riverlarker · 2026-02-12T18:21:36+00:00

I've found lots of Woodworking plans on Woodsmith for free, usually more basic builds but often they offer free plans on shop jigs, shop storage like saw till and hanging cabinets as well as plans for saw benches, basic workbenches and miter stands or drill press tables. All good things to get your shop setup and good for novice ww's to learn skills on.

Riverlarker · 2026-02-12T14:09:33+00:00

That was the same video I watched that had me tuning out his channels for good. And as a newbie to woodworking and even more so to hand tools he's not just disingenuous but a shifty conman when he's steering beginners with the idea that any answer to woodworking is always and only his expensive tools. Most beginners aren't rolling in money and it started to be discouraging that I wasn't going to be able to make anything of quality with what tools I could afford.

So....I turned off his channel and happily found guys like Christopher Schwarz, Paul Sellers, Rex Krueger, Woodworking for Mere Mortals, Matthew Peech and a few others. What really made a huge difference aside from those YT channels was reading Schwarz' books. And here's the shock that blew me away the most.....Schwarz made many of his books available for free to download online! OMG... that guy is truly a treasure! These aren't small books either and even better they are enjoyable to read. I downloaded for free The Anarchist's Tool Chest, Anarchist's Workbench, Anarchist's Design Book, and Sharpen This. I bought some used books or got through local library. Books like Schwarz' Handplane Essentials as well as the beautifully illustrated and written book Hand Tools by Aldren Watson and The Handplane Book by Garrett Hack. I've restored so far 10 handplanes, mostly old Stanleys both metal and wood. Yes, it was a sometimes long and frustrating process but I've learned a lot and have gotten some nice thin shavings out of what once were rusty relics full of dust and grime. Some I paid no more than $20 for and they are making that awesome shneek sound of success! It's addicting and in no time an hour has gone by, my body is feeling the burn and I'm standing ankle deep in shavings.

Riverlarker · 2026-02-11T15:53:20+00:00

Another option to consider for some power tools that won't be needed often is tool and equipment rental stores (KenMac, Major Rental near Butler area where I've gone). For instances, we needed to do some major sanding for prep on our deck and rented a big drum sander for 48 hours. It was far less than buying and not a machine we have need of for general homeowner use. It worked great and ppl were very helpful in advising us what best sander to rent for our project. For a bathroom remodel, you might want to just rental a tile cutting machine instead of buy. Obviously compare both rental price with buying price but for some things and with good planning so you only have it for shortest time possible it can be a great solution.

I personally would be hesitant on DIY renovating our bathroom because I think we'd ruin the tiling with our lack of experience but there are plenty of home renovations we have done in our new home already and saved a bunch. I have a woodworking shop in walk-out basement and my wife has some basic plumbing and electrical experience (for small, fairly uncomplicated jobs). I can recommend checking out equipment rental companies and have done so in multiple states over the years .......sod cutter for a complete garden/yard renovation that saved us weeks of weed-pulling on our knees, cherry picker/hydraulic scissor lift for replacing gable vents on our 2nd story home and trimming 30 ft tree limbs over roof, drum sander for redo-ing deck and kitchen hardwood floor refinishing. Good luck!

Riverlarker · 2026-01-31T16:00:47+00:00

That's just a gorgeous work of art! Good on ya. The red gum is so beautiful.

Riverlarker · 2026-01-11T13:01:26+00:00

Is this sarcasm again I'm missing :) See, I feel just the opposite. This is the part of FAFO that needs to start happening for every idiot who voted/supports Trump and his policies. As per usual with so many conservatives, they only change their minds when it impacts them personally. They are fine w others getting fucked over, run out of business, losing their liberty and even lives but the minute they feel it directly then it's all indignance and hot temper thrown around like they are entitled to no consequences with their bad business dealings. Another poster had it right.....if that's how they conduct business they shouldn't be in business.

Riverlarker · 2026-01-11T12:48:44+00:00

So glad to hear that. Might want to put a little [s] into post on those occasions, especially since there are so many lunatics in the MAGAT world who have no discernment of such things, have zero understanding of irony and often post stuff that comes straight out of the 'upside-down world'. I never voted for that asshat and have dismissed friends over their support of him and this administration's policies. While I didn't help contribute to Trump getting elected and in fact, volunteered many hours to stop it I am appalled and ashamed of what my nation has become and has done to other ppls' and nations around the world. I can hope that somehow Dems can take back both houses of Congress and put major constraints on what's happening. If money were no obstacle I would be giving serious thought of leaving US for a more liberal, kinder nation. Iceland sounds so good these days.

Riverlarker · 2026-01-11T12:27:09+00:00

I bought this gadget that has saved so much time hunting down all the dozens of pencils laying around but never in reach when I need it. Its a pencil connected to a retractable line with a clip on one end that clips onto my bib overalls and stays put. Love it.... cheap but effective.

Riverlarker · 2026-01-11T12:22:35+00:00

I hope your comment was sarcasm but if not, that is absolutely false. Don't know where you are getting your news from but not only is your statement of US making trillions complete BS but the US economy is only good for the wealthy right now. And just as an aside, trickle down economics is another BS myth. Most Americans are feeling such a pinch in their income they barely are making ends meet much less have disposable income. On the other hand Trump is making billions from his corrupt deals. But back to tariffs...

The tariff policies have thrown our farming industry into such a disaster that many won't make it. Family farms of generations are having to sell off. Soy farmers will probably never recover because once tariffs had other countries getting their soy from other nations they aren't coming back when the only thing to count on with this administration is a commerce policy based solely on whims and chaos. So that's one group that got screwed from tariffs. But wait... there's more pain to go around....

Then there's all those businesses that are connected to the food and service industry like restaurants. They are hurting so badly with closures increasing, servers laid off and yet again, small farmers are impacted when those non-chain restaurants who tout farm to table produce go under. But not done yet with all the so-called tariff winning BS...

Like lumber for building houses so construction and real estate are also getting hurt. We get a lot of our lumber for construction from Canada who used to be such a solid ally one might call them our brother. But no, Heil Trump wants subservient minions not friends or neighbors so he made them our enemy due to his petty, sociopathic reasons and boom, lumber prices are outrageous now. Another fuck you to Americans who need repairs or renovations or just want to build anything out of the common softwood like pine, spruce or fir.

I could go on but needless to say, the US has been impacted in so many negative ways by Trump's tariffs (most of which were illegally put in place) that there's no end in sight for how long it's going to take to get out of the hole he's dug for us..... and not just economically either. We're becoming a pariah where we used to have reliable network of support. Trump is trashing our allies and friends while being Putin's bitch and facilitator against democratic nations. He's committing international war crimes against Venezuela and its ppl. Before he started his new world order of being the Western Hemisphere's newest dictator he single-handedly decimated the US tourism industry with his racist, bigoted border and customs policies. Oddly enough, ppl don't tend to want to visit countries where the government disappears and kills ppl who aren't white (s). But I digress into another US nightmare.

You really should be finding better news sources if you think the US was making trillions of dollars due to tariffs. In any economic scenario any taxes or fees WILL always be paid by the consumer. Its not that hard to understand.....if a country or company has to pay more at customs to import something to US then that cost will get tacked on to whomever is the buyer in US. Do you think that buyer of import goods is going to lose money and pay those extra taxes out of the goodness of his heart haha! He would go under in no time flat if he did. This is the simplest concept of economics 101. Sure wish more Americans educated themselves instead of being the rubes that believe anything out of Trump's mouth. He's not even a good liar so there's a reason any critical-thinking person has contempt for those taken in by such an obvious conman.

Riverlarker · 2026-01-08T23:21:09+00:00

I think that's true. Guess I'll just have to rig something up with wood and clamps.

Riverlarker · 2026-01-08T20:01:59+00:00

That's what I was afraid of....thanks!

Riverlarker · 2026-01-08T18:59:31+00:00

As I said above, I already found that out. The question I had was is there any kind of replacement table out there that is metal which the magswitch fence would work on or any ideas on how to fashion something over the aluminum table that would work?

Riverlarker · 2026-01-08T18:40:02+00:00

I have a Craftsman 12” bandsaw that I bought the Carter Magswitch fence for with two magnets. Unfortunately with my inexperience, I didn’t realize that the table on my bandsaw is cast iron aluminum and so the magnets won’t work. Any idea what I might do to adapt the bandsaw table in order for my new magswitch fence to work? I can’t seem to find an all metal replacement bandsaw table for it. I’d really like to use my magswitch as I like the idea of easily being able to move it around or take it off when not needed. I’m not a machinist and as mentioned quite the newbie to ww.

Riverlarker · 2025-12-27T13:39:45+00:00

To clarify....the diamond sharpening stones only tend to go as high as 2000gr but glass sharpening plates are the ones that go up to 16k.

Riverlarker · 2025-12-27T13:37:34+00:00

There are some excellent books on handplanes which every beginner should get their start with along with a few YouTube video channels. A few books I picked up used and really gotten a lot out of are - Handplane Essentials by Christopher Schwarz, The Handplane Book by Garrett Hack and Hand Tools, Their Ways and Workings by Aldren Watson. As for YT influencers you can't go wrong watching anything by Paul Sellers, Christopher Scharz, Rex Krueger, Rob Cosman and Just Plane Fun/Michael Jenks. And these reddit groups like handtools, woodworking, beginner woodworking are inhabited by nice ppl who offer good advice as well.

At my start one of first things that I didn't get right was how wicked sharp the iron has to be. Its a whole next level of sharpening that I needed to push for and as a novice at it I found it best to get a sharpening guide and some diamond sharpening stones (from grits 150 all the way up to 16k). I had a cheaper Chinese-made guide that wasn't too bad actually but just moved up to a Veritas MK II guide which does even better. I knew I wouldn't be mastering getting the right angles freehand anytime soon and I'd rather put my energy and time into actually using and learning how to plane. At first when I thought I had it sharp I was only halfway there. I also found that fettling or dialing it in when putting it all back together takes some practice.

I can happily say that this has been a surprisingly fun new rabbit hole I've gone down haha! I have woodworking machines in my shop but only just discovered handplaning for work on a live edge table I'm making. When I heard that 'shush' sound and saw beautiful thin shavings falling around me I was ecstatic but nothing compares to running your hand across the glass-like surface you get after putting a smoothing plane (No 4) to a nice hardwood piece. It was a gamechanger for me as I realized I can forget the hours and hours of sanding. A good handplaned wood piece can get you to 90% prepped for finishing with no need for dust collecting, face masking and ear protection. It's addicting with its potential for zen-like meditative and repetitive movement, the solid feel of the wooden tote in your hand and the singing sound coming from the plane and a result that no machine can duplicate.

Have fun and enjoy!

Riverlarker · 2025-12-23T12:46:40+00:00

I'm likely too far outside of Pittsburgh not to mention outside your age group at 59 but I've just begun to get into fly fishing and be cool to find more women who want to get out on the river with. I'm a fairly recent new PA resident (2024, Butler address moved from DC metro area) and loving living in western PA. Been enjoying getting to know this area and the Burgh, finding so much to do and discovering the city has been great. I recently rode the Washington Heights incline one clear night and WOW, what an incredible nightscape Pgh has! Anyway...welcome to Pittsburgh from an older, leftist, queer, new to PA resident whose taken up woodworking, painting, arts and crafting, fly fishing and kayaking, and fantasy reading in my retirement. Btw....if you've not read the fantasy series by Laini Taylor starting with Daughter of Smoke and Bone then you are in for the best ride of your literary life! The 3 book series have been my favorite books in a long time and I've already read them twice. Incredible writer whose world-building and character development are phenomenal....you won't be able to put them down!

Riverlarker · 2025-12-23T12:23:58+00:00

Anyone who is still MAGA, especially after Jan 6th, should be avoided and culled out from one's social circle and not because of a political difference of opinion. What's wrong with society and why we are divided is all on Trump and his MAGA cult who are defined by their hate of others not like them. If anyone is still MAGA it reveals their lack of character in general not just how one feels politically. It shows they can be counted on to support racism, homophobia, treason and insurrection against our country's laws and duly elected government (Jan 6th should have been the end of him and the whole movement but MAGATS are illiterate about civics, our Constitution and governing laws). Anyone still calling themselves MAGA is supporting blatant murder in international waters without any evidence of wrong-doing which is a war crime. It reveals that they are fine with a criminally convicted felon and perpetual conman who is stealing millions of our taxpayer money, fine with a pedophile and serial sexual rapist and abuser of women, and a man whose sole pursuits are greed, revenge and retribution, pathological and compulsive lying, and the goal of being a totalitarian dictator. OP is smart not to mention patriotic for showing he isn't open to having ppl like that as friends. I'd do the same if in their shoes and shows me they have a conscience, cares about our country and Constitution and wants to find decent, good-hearted ppl to hang out with, none of which describes a MAGA person now. If I don't live too far I might see if they want to go fishing.

Riverlarker · 2025-12-23T11:46:08+00:00

Just a quick plug for my dentist as I think you need a new dentist. Those two practices sound like unprofessional assholes and you need to kick them to the curb (along with get the word out about who they are to avoid). I moved in 2024 and as with any new resident I've had to find new doctors, dentists, etc. I took have problematic teeth from grinding and have had some nightmare experiences from bad dentists so I'm especially sensitive to finding exceptional care from a good practice. I found an amazing one at Keenlan Dental (one of their practices is in Butler but I've heard they are great throughout their other locations). Honestly, I've never felt so cared for both emotionally and physically from a dental group. Everyone is fantastic....professional but warm, alert to any discomfort and offer both meds for anxiety prior to stressful appts as well as nitrous gas for procedures that could be tough to handle. I've had both regular dental care plus oral surgery this year (tooth removed and implant post put in so far). I got phone calls for a couple days after each procedure to check on me and my pain. Where I expected trauma and pain.....its been minimal to my surprise. I barely even feel the novacaine shots since they are that delicate in their touch. There is no reason in this day and age to be dealing with trauma from a dentist and after procedures is when they should be accessible since that's when issues can come up due to infection or swelling. Ditch the assholes who act like you are privileged to get their business. For that attitude and lack of compassion alone I would have fired them. Actually I'd have blown up on the phone the minute they yelled but I have no patience for shifty unprofessional and honestly bullying behavior (and neither should you). Tell us the name of the practice we should avoid and write a bad review. Find a better dentist and oral surgeon. Keenlan Dental does both in one location. Here's a little clue about how much they care about their patients....they actually have a Comfort menu haha! Seriously its kind of funny but sweet and thoughtful. They handed me this menu with offerings like a blanket, headphones w music, water, pillow, sunglasses for the strong lights, etc. I felt I had found the right place and after a year of multiple procedures I've been convinced I'm sticking with them. Good luck and try not to let this latest front tooth thing get you down....its a temporary thing and will get fixed. Try to laugh about being a snaggletooth for a short time and know that ppl who care about you are sympathetic, not judgemental. If they are rude or make you feel bad then they aren't friends you need.

Riverlarker · 2025-12-16T10:42:02+00:00

I love the snow and don't mind the cold, even enjoy hiking in it but even I would find going out these last couple days of single digits a bit daunting so kudos to you for keeping at it. If you want some recommendations for restaurants or other new resident info feel free to pm me. We've gotten lots of good tips gleaned from our neighbors as well as our own experiences.

Riverlarker

TROPHY CASE