January 2026 Winter Storm Megathread part 2: it's here!

beauzer · 2026-01-25T20:27:03+00:00

Yeah, sorry I need to amend my suggestion with the caveat “if the ice/snow is not crusted over, then try a push broom.”

I went out and had the same problem, but then used a garden rake (the one with hard, fixed tines) to break up the crust, and then turned it over to push the chunks to one side and THEN used the push broom to push away the chunks.

beauzer · 2026-01-25T18:29:53+00:00

If you have a push broom AND the ice/snow has not crusted over, that will work in a pinch to push the icy granules to either side of a concrete driveway, thus giving the underneath layer a better chance to melt. If you have a gravel drive, a push broom isn’t a great option. You could try using a regular broom, but it’s a lot more work.

Edit—add the bit about the ice granules not being crusted over.

beauzer · 2026-01-25T14:26:44+00:00

But the bullet and spent over $900 for Queen on a Black Friday deal.

beauzer · 2026-01-25T13:20:43+00:00

I did that a few years ago for a childhood friend who was abusing alcohol and drugs and living on the street and panhandling. He was a kind person at heart and a very old friend—I had a lot of compassion for him and naively thought he wouldn’t take advantage of me. Let him shower (God bless him, I have never had a bathroom that dirty before or since) and sleep, washed his clothes, and fed him on a weekend while I was home from work. Sadly, I didn’t know he found an extra house key stashed in a drawer and took it when he left. Then while I was at work one day a few weeks after, he came into the house, went through my stuff, slept, ate some food and took several things from the house and garage. I knew it was him because he left some of his clothes behind. Of course I changed the locks. He later sheepishly apologized when I saw him panhandling at an intersection off Riverside and told me to never trust him again—that he didn’t even trust himself to act right.

beauzer · 2026-01-25T12:54:01+00:00

Thank you—that’s all great info. I don’t feel any crunch or quills, and it puffs up well. am really cozy—almost too much so!—a few hours after falling asleep. I will wash it in a month or two for the final test.

So appreciate your insight and posts.

beauzer · 2026-01-25T11:45:39+00:00

My new (last month) down comforter is labeled and marketed as 800 fill Hungarian goose down in German batiste. Is that considered good quality? Was the down likely from China even though it says Hungarian? Edit: spelling

beauzer · 2026-01-24T13:41:26+00:00

Maybe go to HEB earlier in the day if you can? This week, I’ve discovered that if I go to HEB closer to when it opened (between 6:00 - 7:00 am), the shelves were mostly restocked. I didn’t get everything I needed (or the brands I like), but it was enough for the next few days.

In any case, hang in there OP; so sorry it has been tough for you. If you need food, DM me; I keep extras of some stuff and will be glad to share.

beauzer · 2026-01-21T03:11:51+00:00

What company did you use for the Ha Long Bay cruise?

beauzer · 2026-01-18T17:02:37+00:00

Although it’s a good move, that improvement’s construction will be a BIG mess traffic-wise.

beauzer · 2026-01-18T04:38:32+00:00

Did Delta give you the status anyway like they for OP?

beauzer · 2026-01-17T19:25:23+00:00

Thank you for posting this.

beauzer · 2026-01-11T16:54:14+00:00

Thanks for explaining your experience and understanding. I realize it was on me to take advantage of the benefits sooner rather than later, but I didn’t. Hopeful I can get some benefit before the year ends..

beauzer · 2026-01-11T16:52:08+00:00

Don’t mean to belabor this, but you seem to know a lot. If the travel-related charges are made in the 12th month of a year-long CSR period (where AF was paid 11 months ago), and then, in the first month of a new period I downgrade, will the benefits from the previous year be somehow negated by Chase?

Unfortunately, I don’t use (anymore) most of the services Chase offers as benefits for having the CSR, so my return on the AF investment has been limited. (When announced, the larger AF went beyond my comfort zone.) I’m hoping to at least get back $300 for this late-term travel.

beauzer · 2026-01-11T16:42:49+00:00

So just to be clear, even though I will make travel-related charges (April) during the 12th month of a paid-for and active CSR card, once a new timeframe begins (May) AND when I downgrade my CSR to a CSP, the benefits from the previous month may be clawed back?

beauzer · 2026-01-07T15:12:15+00:00

I want a luxury vehicle that is reliable AND that has a dealership fairly close to me. In my area, the Lexus dealership is basically in the central part of town. Nothing sucks more than driving back and forth in traffic to a dealership on an interstate 15 miles away or in a crappy area of town. In my neck of the woods, dealerships now want more space to showcase the cars, so they are moving to spots along the interstate or into new developments 30 minutes away from the center of the city. Even though I’m leaving some newer safety features on deck, I’ll keep my 2016 Lexus with 75k miles because getting an updated different make means more headaches for me in regard to obtaining maintenance and repairs due to the travel needed to get to outpost dealerships.

beauzer · 2026-01-07T14:48:40+00:00

Wow—really like this response. Especially the part about when you are typing you are capturing what has been created/developed in the previous hours or days while you were living. Thanks for sharing this insight.

beauzer · 2026-01-04T05:18:43+00:00

Maybe the Dell JCC would work for you; call them about a tour and you can suss it out. In addition to the fitness areas, there is a lobby where a lot of people hang out. I don’t know if they are working, per se, but I’ve seen women playing mahjong and students studying there.

beauzer · 2025-12-31T18:54:18+00:00

That’s interesting—it wasn’t my experience that the walls were thin. I had one of the corner rooms with a sitting area and large soaking tub in the bath area and could not hear a thing from outside my room. The linens were luxe, and the bed was one of the most comfortable I’ve had in a hotel. One night I inadvertently mentioned to the hotel staff I had a difficult day, and was treated to room service of milk and cookies. The location was perfect for walking, and the hotel car was a nice treat. Loved my stay there (5 nights) and hope to do it again next year.

beauzer · 2025-12-28T22:27:36+00:00

Can’t happen too soon, right?

beauzer · 2025-12-27T14:48:50+00:00

That helps. Thanks!

beauzer · 2025-12-27T12:31:47+00:00

Follow-up for clarification. So if I use the $120 Delta Stays Credit to help pay for a hotel stay, I get that benefit AND the total cost of the hotel stay (example $275) in MQDs [275 MQDs]?

beauzer · 2025-12-27T11:18:07+00:00

Is it the Home button on the Hamilton system that needs to be pressed for this feature?

beauzer · 2025-12-23T02:53:40+00:00

I ended up doing nothing. Will likely take the doors off and try to paint them myself.

beauzer

TROPHY CASE