Good Morning All. Cloudy and 60°, with rain in the forecast again today. But I don't see that happening from my vantage. Mist and drizzle overnight that just barely registered in the rain gauge here, maybe that's what the NWS is counting! The overnight storms Monday have moved over East Texas and Louisiana. I still have some water in low spots and for a while yesterday my pond was overflowing the spillway.
An extra long co-visit with the primary care doctor and his nurse-practitioner yesterday, since it was also time for the annual wellness check-up and physical. EKG's, the stupid fall and depression questions for Medicare, blood draws; the whole works. Some of this stuff is required for my supplemental insurance coverage as well as Medicare. Gotta keep the people paying all of the bills happy. Together my wife and I got a full hour's visit. Bad news is that I gained 6 pounds, good news is that he didn't notice. I gotta take care of that on my own.
On today's agenda is a trip to Dallas to drop off my wife and pick up our other granddog. She, my #1 daughter, her husband and our granddaughter are heading to Fredericksburg TX for four days of winery tours and wildflower viewing. Duh! I have lots of wildflowers here in my wildflower meadow that I have been picking and bringing in to her. Of course since it just rained heavily, the granddog will need his paws cleaned every time that he goes out.
The downside is that the former H&R Blockhead didn't finish our taxes on time and is going to have to file an extension the day that she returns, 4-15.
Unfortunately she miscalculated back in December when we did an RMD from an IRA and we may now owe money, she thinks. More research is needed. If we indeed owe, the amount isn't very much, but she needs to ensure that this thing is done correctly. I'll pay it when we file the extension and if it is wrong, then we'll eventually get a refund. One thing that screwed the calculation was the interest that the IRS added to our late refund last year. So not only is our government spending money that it doesn't have, they're paying interest to taxpayers for sending their tax refunds late!
Didn't get home from the doctor trip until lunchtime, then a nap, then the delayed household chores and I didn't get out to the train shed until after 4:00. No real time to do anything except run a few trains, darn!
So how about some engine pictures of stuff that I don't often show. Here's a pair of GP60's in the blue/yellow warbonnet scheme.
Due to a clause in the lease of these units, they are still in this paint scheme today, although there is a large BNSF printed below the new engine number. Most have been retired now.
Now a pair of GP38-2's. These are the only EMD model that ATSF owned without dynamic brakes, as they were obtained in their takeover of the TP&W in 1983. There were 11 of them.
Another unusual diesel in the fleet was the 10-GP40X's. This was a testbed for the GP50 that EMD later introduced.
Patrick - Good luck with the body mending up. Try to remember that you aren't getting any younger.
David -
Good evening all. A glass of apple juice please, Flo. Cannot have anything stronger as the grandchildren are here.
Sometimes that calls for something stronger!
Everyone have a great day, I'll check in when I return.
. Especially when you consider what that engine costs! Might I suggest Pico warm white LEDs. Very tiny, quite bright. They are what I use for ditch lights.
