Oh man, I used to be the type who figured decks are just built to last forever. But after seeing a post like this and @angela587's comment about poking around with a screwdriver, I went out and checked my own deck posts. Found one that was spongy at the base and had to replace it before it became a real problem. Bob really saved you a nasty fall, that's a good neighbor to have.

Nah, usually means somethings loose or needs oil.

Oh man, that's actually hilarious and kinda smart in a weird way. I read somewhere that real composting needs air and moisture and the right balance, otherwise it just rots. So basically you created a raccoon buffet with extra steps. Bet they were real happy about it though. My neighbor tried something similar with a pile of leaves and old vegetables, and the whole alley smelled like garbage for weeks. I guess as long as nobody caught you it worked out fine. Just hope you didn't get too attached to those raccoons.

Used to be one of those guys who swore by the old manual ones, said hydraulics were overkill. Then I spent a whole Saturday wrestling with some 4/0 terminals on a solar setup and bent the handle on my cheap crimper. Borrowed a friend's battery powered one the next day and finished what was left in fifteen minutes. Ended up buying my own that week. The difference in connection quality is real too, no more worrying if a terminal is slightly loose.

@henryp40 that POS system stuff is a nightmare but yeah totally worth it, had a restaurant client do the same and now I track every single coupon code.