Running Bear's April 2020 Coffee Shop


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Going by the accent of the woman making the video, sounds more American to me. (I like the "oooh!" at the end) I don't believe there are any snakes here in Oz that are as sociable as those. Our most common one here in Queensland is the Eastern brown, that can stand right up on it's tail and launch itself at you. The other I saw once on a roadway was the Red belly, black snake.
Brown snake in mid strike
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I had the volume off on the first one and did not realize there was sound...

I keep telling my kids I want to go to Australia (have wanted to since I was a kid). They keep telling me they won't go as everything there can kill you.
 
I'll make a short story out of a long one....four years ago I was clinically dead and the medical staff and doctors wanted to declare me dead. My wife said "No" keep the CPR going. My heart just stopped, but I had electrical impulses. After 23 days in the Critical ICU and 30 days in critical rehab, I went home for three months of various in and out of home physical therapy and during this time I needed to learn how to do common things like get out of chair, get off a commode and walk.

Last summer, I contracted Lyme's Disease with recovery lasting 28 days which then was followed by a gall stone that blocked my small intestine. I had surgery on Wednesday and was due to go home on the following Saturday. Complications developed and I was placed in the critical care ICU with a single RN assigned to care for me for 21 days. At first the doctors wanted to remove my life support, but my Mrs. insisted they left me alone. When I left the hospital I was taken to a Re-Hab center.

When I left the hospital I couldn't stand, walk or sit up in bed. At the Re-Hab center I over heard some say I would be there for 30 - 60- days. I Bull S..T! No way would I stay in a Re-Hab Center again for an extended period.

Later on my first day in the Re-Hab, I told the Physical Therapist that was examining me I said, "I'm leaving here in a week. She replied impossible you can't even walk. I had a few words for her and asked for a walker. I got out of bed, grabbed the walker and walked 35 feet and returned to my bed unassisted. She was amazing after seeing me when I arrived several hours ago at the Re-Hab.

Well the next Thursday as I planned...I was released to go home. The lasting problem I have after all of this is bad kidneys and weaker legs which show some signs of improvement. I was on dialysis for several days in the hospital, but now improved.

The MD's are concerned that the Corona Virus would likely kill me if I contracted it.

Greg

Greg , You sir, are a prime example of hard headedness and being too stubborn to give up! Good for you! When I had my stroke several years ago, they told me it would take 6 month to a year to learn to walk if ever I walked again. 2 weeks later I went home with a walker, did PT 3 times a week and played Wii Tennis, and Wii bowling with my son when I wasn't at PT. 89 days after the stroke, I went back to work under my own power. Hard headedness in action. , Still 8 years from retirement and still going strong.
Now all that being said, I avoid the virus. We may be hard headed and stubborn, but we wont play catch with loaded guns, right?
 
Tomorrow forecast here......DAGGUM SNOW!!!!!
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Good evening. Number of cases in town shot up to 274 today, vs. 242 yesterday. Spent most of the day inside, however, I drove over to the post office to mail a couple of Easter cards to the grandchildren. When I returned the wife an I took a walk through part of the neighborhood. it was a measured ½ mile. After a long span of inactivity, it hurt a bit on the way back. No problem keeping social distancing. Starting tomorrow, wearing a mask is mandatory in NJ.

MA&N 2456 @ Remsen, NY 4-8-2020.jpg

This scenic photo was taken today in Remsen, NY. How 'bout them Alcos, eh? New York State is very picturesque, expensive, but picturesque.
That's a great photo too, Unfortunately my source did not credit the photographer.
 
I had the volume off on the first one and did not realize there was sound...

I keep telling my kids I want to go to Australia (have wanted to since I was a kid). They keep telling me they won't go as everything there can kill you.
The animals only do it 'cause they're more scared of you. That's apart from the Crocodiles that is, they don't care either way.
 
For the media coverage of The Plague: If it bleeds, it leads. There's no viewership of "good news" stories, so no advertising dollars, and no ratings, which correlate to advertising rates. Since there's no money to be made from telling anybody anything good, you're not going to see any news outlets covering it.
There is a lot of truth in what you say.

If I watched the national news more I would have already dug my own grave.

However as Beady said, the local news does show some light at the end of the tunnel. I've all but given up on cable news and now watch the PBS news hour almost exclusively for national news. That is when I bother to watch the news at all.
 
Louis ! ..... We missed you ! ........... We need to see Lionel trains !
I've missed all of you guys as well! That's what brought me back, I wanted to wish you all well in this time of crisis.

As for Lionel Trains I have 2 ovals of track set up on a 7' x 9' area rug on the floor in corner of my family room O72 and O36. My goal is to setup my Legacy system and test all of my Legacy and Vision Line locomotives.

At this stage of my life I work so slowly that my to do list keeps getting in my way, but so far I have these on the tracks. I have everything ready to connect and run the Lionel 990 Legacy command station.

These are Lionel photos, but as I test each locomotive I will take photos of them to add to my inventory.
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Yes, and that's why we try and keep this place politics and drama free. I'm being extra lenient with the COVID stuff, as it affects us all and it is having a direct impact on your life and your hobby. So I'm good with the conversations.

But please steer clear of the politics end of things. I don't like any of them to be honest, and don't trust them either. But if we get in deep, some people will get annoyed and steer clear of the place.

So treat it like a good bar. Current events are OK, but not religion and no politics.
I have not seen this level of anxiety in my view of society since 911 and I think this is even worse.

No need to worry about politics from me. I'll stay in my lane or should I say my track? And ignore any backhanded comments.

I will say we should all stick to what we know best, let the experts guide us through this crisis. When the clown becomes the ring master chaos and irrationality reigns.
 
I installed my new chandelier, but it hangs to low. Where it is now it will be right in my line of sight. That is when we finally have another big family dinner.

I 'm going to take it back down and shorten the chain. I don't like how it mounts so while it's down I will buy or fabricate a new bracket to better mount it. I don't like the one that came with it, it does not work well with my 1950's junction box. It's safe, solid and looks good, but it bothers me. There goes another delay in playing with my trains.

It's good to see so many comments posted since yesterday.

For now I'm going to stay positive, avoid the news and enjoy my life.

If you know somebody shut it due to the virus, give them a call. Social distancing is easy over the phone.

Have a great day Everybody!

God Bless us All!

Speaking of God, there is an old Russian saying "If your ship is sinking, pray, but be ready to swim to shore"
 
Morning all,

Time for coffee this morning. Back at the office for another day.

Yesterday the weather guessers said it would be cooler than Tuesday....it was 90* where I was at instead of 81*, but partly cloudy and 62* today. The wife has the money set aside for the next 4 months of bills, regardless of what happens with her job and not taking into account any money we get from the stimulus. While we should qualify for the max amount, I don't direct deposit my tax returns. I don't want the IRS to pull it back without notice. That said, We're doing ok. We did get a take out for the first time in 3 weeks last night. Wife said there seems to be more money in the account since we don't get take out so much. Plenty of food between the freezer and pantry that we can eat (it's usually just the time to make it).

That said no trains last night...but I had a nice time with the wife. She really hasn't been out of the house in about 3 weeks. She is at a higher risk for the virus than I am.
 
Good Morning Everyone. 62° and mostly clear with a bit of haze over the full moon. It managed to get up to 92° yesterday, cool front came through last night, although not as ferociously as predicted, and the high today will only be 75°. Highs beginning Monday in the 50's for a few days. Terrible nights sleep last night for some reason. Slept great for four hours and then was awake for the next two and a half. Finally went back to sleep for about two more hours. I'll be napping about 9:00.
The great water blackout from yesterday didn't last long. Turns out that the power company hit the water line while they were installing an underground conduit to my newest neighbors "front pump". He has a "back pump" near where he is going to build a house that is being served by an overhead line. The community water coop had the broken line fixed in just under two hours and the water was back on by 9:15. They didn't have to dig a hole since the power company had already done that! o_O Meanwhile the power company added another pole at my corner, using their hydrostatic drill. Too much buried stuff there for them to use the mechanical drill. I guess that they will remove the old pole that's next to it when they go live with the power to the new line. They also strung up a bunch of wire on the poles leading down the road..
I plan on resuming mowing today since it is cooler now. It should go a lot quicker since everything got mowed last week, and things aren't so wild and uneven. I did use the weedeater around the house and train shed yesterday.

How about a couple of those breakfast burritos again this morning Flo, sausage, cheese, egg and potatoes. Lots of hot salsa to wash the cholesterol down with.

Thanks for the likes and comments on the "finished" structure yesterday; Phil, Patrick, Sherrel, Jerome, Karl, Garry, Guy, Chad, Curt, James, Joe, Tom, Chet, Mikey, Ken, Johnny. While it's finished for now, there will be some improvements to the detailing and to the site itself. Stay tuned.

I got started on the first 12' of layout clean up yesterday out in the train shed. First up was this Walther's structure that I acquired at an estate sale several years ago. I plopped it into place without actually rehabbing it and it has sat there since. I always knew that I was going to have to do some work on it, since all off the other structures that I got (for a great price) needed a lot of work to bring them up to my standards. I think that this is George Robert's Printing.

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Note that the upper left window has fallen out. This particular modeler did a lousy gluing job on all of the structures that I got.
Here's that accumulated insect mortuary left behind.
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After removal, the structure made it over to the workbench where I noted several other issues. Firstly another window was not properly in place.
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That will be easy enough to fix as will the missing unit found inside the building.
Part of the stairway railing is missing.
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There are several more surprises that I will document tomorrow.

Patrick - Nice looking control panel. Similar to the one I had in the old train room. Current use of ground throws and walkaround throttle has eliminated most of the need for one now, except for the electrical blocks. I keep them all on all of the time unless I am parking a train on a block.
Joe - The stoves came with the kit, as it is sold as a stove manufacturer. I just decided to use them as part of the wares for the antiques shop. Coke machine is something that I made with cardstock and some underlying braces. Years ago I downloaded some soda machine pictures to use for this. I resized them to be a bit undersized from the real thing and I have used them in a couple of other places already.
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I also have Dr Pepper but cannot locate that strip right now.
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George, James. Tom, and to some extent Joe - I sure can understand your desires to leave the Northeast because of the taxes, fuel prices, poor government etc. It's too bad as Upper New York State has some of the nicest summertime scenery that I have ever seen. My cousin lives in Chatham NY near Albany, on 75 acres that's been in our family for over 150 years and it's really beautiful. The wintertime snow would be an issue for me.

Today is what we used to call Holy Thursday, also known as Maundy Thursday. It commemorates the day of the Last Supper.

Everybody have a great day.
 
Good Morning Everyone.
Just thought I'd drop in for a coffee before I climb up on the roof to break the ice blocks from the eave of my neighbors house. He's 82, and can't do it himself; plus, he wishes to stay inside where it is safe from virus bugs.

Willie - I slept about as good as you last night, and feel like I'm in a sinister mood because of it. I'm glad you are working on another building right away. I very much look forward to you're posts as they always contain good discussion and lots of photos. Well done, to you!
Boris - I do a lot of walking, as well. Feels like I've walked a million miles through this life, but, I enjoy it. Gives a man time to notice stuff.
The photos you post are wonderful. Please keep that up, as posts with photos are so much more enjoyable to read.
Toot - That group of snakes emerging from the hole are harmless Garter snakes. They ball up in groups deep in a hole below frost line in the winter, for hibernation. We have those snakes here in our very cold climate. The photographer was fortunate to capture those emerging. We don't have to worry about snakes here in Alberta, but, we do have to be cautious with the bears. I took this photo last September while the wife and I were berry picking:
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As far as modelling goes, I am really taking a long time on the flat cars. Just can't seem to really get into it, and I'm giving ample dry time on the JB Weld adhesive. Here's the photos before primer:
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Anyway, I gotta break ice, as the old saying goes.
Everyone Have a Great Day
Guy
 
Good morning, Looks and feels like it's fixin to rain...again... It's been damn near a month of self quarantine......

Not for nothing, my wife has made sufficient masks, so that we never have to wear them twice without sanitizing them ...spray with disinfectant, then wash in hot water. Not quite a N95, but reusable, and perfect for casual contact during our bi-weekly trip to the food market and pharmacy. Got to keep this in perspective, someone who is forced to be up close and personal with Covid - 19 positive patients need to frequently change out face masks that are disposable. Someone using one for personal protection from someone not covering their cough or sneeze, just needs to use due diligence and sanitize it after use.

I know know why I never finished wiring my layout...I'm not as agile as before. But I'm running wire under the modules, and it takes me longer to ger into position and extricate myself than it does to drill the holes and run the buss wire / cable.

Willie:
Nice work. Good idea for the soda machines. I do see them advertised, so I was curious. Those fellows on the loading dock look "powerful tired"

Louis: Good to see your input !

Patrick:
Nice work on the control panel. might be forced to "borrow" from your idea, as my original idea isn't working out as I planned.

Everyone, have a great day, and stay well!

Conrail Coal Train for Morgantown at Prince 4-7-1994.jpg

Big Blue booking down the Popes Creek, with a Morgantown Coal train. This was the Coal that used to come off the WM at Fulton, just South of the B&P tunnel, in Baltimore, but was subsequently delivered to Conrail, by the B&O at Benning in DC. Photo Location is Upper Marlboro, MD, in PG County. 4-7-1994
 
Good morning America! We had a little bit of excitement last night, weather wise. It was mostly from expectation though. We had severe storm warnings and a tornado watch for most of the night and after what we went through about a week ago, we weren't taking any chances! We had everything ready to go at a moments notice if necessary and we battened down the hatches before we went to bed. Had weather apps ready on our phones and went to bed. Well, I did anyway. I fell asleep listening to my wife give weather updates every minute or so. I put on my best display of calm and woke up this morning to cloudy skies which have turned sunny right now. Now I will admit, I do have to go out to the shed and get the trash can out and back in place. Sure beats looking for it somewhere down the road! Right now the temp is 57 and they're calling for a high of 63. Big change from the high 70's or low 80's.

Great modeling from everyone and fantastic pictures too!

Greg-You are one tough person. I see you took Winston Churchill to heart............"Never, ever, ever give up"!

Toot-Love stories and pictures of the more dangerous wildlife in Oz!

Beady-Thanks for continuing to make me laugh! I hope others appreciate it as much as I do.

Louis-Good to see you back here!

Boris-Great pictures, keep posting them, please! I worked at Nine Mile Point nuke plant back in March of 2004 and was there about 38 days. The sun NEVER showed itself even once the entire time. The pictures on the walls in restaurants showed some pretty summer scenery, but getting through the long winters would be hard.

Willie-Really nice work on your buildings. Good idea about the cleaning program for your layout.

My battery is running low, so I will put this up before I run. Its a half hour movie with a lot of Milwaukee, Great Northern, Burlington, North Western and some Southern and Florida East Coast thrown in as well. A glimpse of a by gone era! https://archive.org/details/86544RailwaySectionsEscapeToLifeMDRexferMosVwr

Stay safe and six feet away!
 
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