Running Bear's August 2024 Coffee Shop

[KriegslokBR52]

Stopped over in Bryce Canyon National Park, but it was just after sunset:

A mural in Tropic:

After backtracking few miles i decided to stop for the night east of Bryce Canyon near a water fall trail:

On the way out of Zion NP, found this yard full of classic cars. They are for sale in case anyone is interested:

 

[troyphoto]

Well, howdy there internet subjects and those who put pants on today. Or maybe a kilt. Heck, wear whatever you want. Mel hasn't kicked anyone out yet.

It's Troy again.

Run to costco accomplished. They still have a decent price on choice packer briskets 4.19 a pound if memory serves. I went for the smallest one I could easily pry out of the pile. This will be main course for family reunion on Sunday of this weekend. Hoping that weather is good enough that I can smoke it on Saturday. Right now, weatherbug says Saturday is clear.

Which will be good, because I also want to smoke a pork shoulder for pulled pork. Gonna be a busy day on the Kamado Joe. May start the grill about 5 am when I normally get up, on Saturday. Smoke the brisket, then the pork. If I had a Big Joe with the 32"cooking surface, I'd give it a go. But I don't have the room even with a smaller brisket on my 18" cooking diameter.

Still need to get the Pork Shoulder. Costco had them, in 2-packs. And I'm running out of freezer space now due to various leftovers. Plus, wife will want to prepare stuff on Friday and Saturday, so I know not to take over fridge space for anything.

I'm doing some cleaning and rearranging of the basement. Finally figured out that a couple of those rolling sets of plastic drawers for craft supplies can go under the layout right now. I only get into them on a regular basis for AA batteries for the cat toy. That means I got to move a set of 3 ft wide wire shelves near the painting table. More horizontal surfaces to fill up! But in a logical place now.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

All those Hoodies lookin up at ya from down in Bryce Canyon will kinda give ya the creeps.

 

[Patrick]

Afternoon all,

Got off early as I have to work on Saturday. Server updates...

Starting to work on homage spaghetti sauce. Too many tomatoes. Hope I can get it to thicken up a bit.

BBL

 

[D&J RailRoad]

Ugh!!!!
Had to mow the grass at the church cemetery this afternoon. Hot, sweaty and the grass clipping blowing, all stuck to my arms, neck, face, etc.

 

[santafewillie]

Starting to work on homage spaghetti sauce. Too many tomatoes. Hope I can get it to thicken up a bit.

Are you using a recipe or just winging it? I pretty much wing it with each batch depending on the Tomato varieties. I'll start with 50-60 Tomatoes and chunk them up and put them on a flat baking pan; usually takes more than one batch. Then I "fire-roast" them for about 15 minutes under the broiler. While that's happening, I dice up some onions and cook them on low in a little olive oil in a deep soup pot, just to the translucent stage just before they start to brown, although a few do brown. I'll add some minced garlic at the end for 1 minute. Sometimes I'll dice up some Bell Peppers in with the onions, usually starting them a little ahead. If I'm adding Mushrooms, I do them in a separate skillet to add later. Once the Tomatoes are done, they might have a little black, I drain them in a colander, saving the juice for freezing in an ice cube tray for adding to vegetable stock in the future. While draining, I mash them with an old fashioned potato masher. Then I pulse them in the blender to my desired consistency. I blend skins and all, and then add them to the soup pot on very low heat. If I'm using Mushrooms, I add them at this time. I'll spoon off whatever juice that I can. I almost always add a small can of Tomato paste to thicken it up some. I let my wife add the salt and/or sugar since she thinks that I under-salt stuff. I also add oregano or Italian seasoning and at the very end I add a handful of chopped Basil. Then it's either into sterilized jars for the pressure-canner or freezer bags depending on your preference. The juice that you save can be used for drinking if you don't make vegetable stock, or just adding it to the compost pile since there are nutrients in it. If preferred, the jars can be water-bathed instead of pressure-caned, but I lost the lid to my water bath pot several years ago, when we lent it to someone.
I realize that this is a little labor intensive and isn't as easy as depending on Hunt's or Del Monte, but I find it rather satisfying to do. Plus you don't have all of the added chemicals, preservatives and other stuff that they add. You could also just make Tomato sauce to be made into spaghetti sauce at a later date, without adding anything after the blender stage.
Good luck. While it seems daunting, after a few batches, it's really easy.

 

[Boris]

Good evening from the muggy Jersey Shore. 75° right now, today's high both at the Reservoir, and the front porch was 99° The reservoir reports 0.41" of measurable rain today. The weather station is roughly 4 miles from me per GPS. My rain gauge recorded a trace shortly after dinner.

I did get out today, we went shopping for curtains for one of the boys rooms, to replace the set that didn't survive the wash cycle. She also bought four tops on sale, at closeout prices... After lunch, I attempted to do some work in the garage. Even with the doors open and a fan on, I lasted maybe 40" in the heat. I finished after dinner,took me maybe a half hour. Need to go on a beer run. Oldest plus family is coming next week, for a week.

No time for the train room again, maybe tomorrow?

 

[PNKFLOYD]

A couple weeks ago, I found a bottle of MOXIE soda and promised I would report back as to the taste.
After cooling in the frig for a couple days, I popped the top and poured the soda over ice in a glass.
The taste was pleasant with a flavor mix of root beer and ginger ale. Refreshing, but I probably will not purchase again.

 

[traiNscale]

@Bill Tidler Jr. we have some Amstutz around here. they had a big oldoil factory some towns from my home, my dad worked there as truck driver

so good morning all. Vacation day two!
iam in my trainroom trying out some things for a concrete wall. so i need your help. which of the 3 would you think would work best? i will weather the gray of course but as a base, what would you take?

i also got a delivery today. 4more switch motors and some turnouts, but i made a mistake, i ordered code75 (idiot) i need code83! damn. well i will bring them back to the shop next week when i pickup my big boy!

wish you all a great day.
cheers jay!

btw yesterday it was almost quiet. just here and there some fireworks but not that much. my cat reacted almost nothing to the bangs outside.

 

[Bill Tidler Jr.]

Good morning! It's 68° in Tipton.

 

[Bill Tidler Jr.]

@Bill Tidler Jr. we have some Amstutz around here. they had a big oldoil factory some towns from my home, my dad worked there as truck driver

It's probably been 40 years ago but an uncle and aunt of mine visited a village in Switzerland that my family (don't know the name) came from. My aunt's maiden name was Amstutz and her married name was Bixel which is, also, German. The states of Ohio and Indiana in the US had a large amount of German and Swiss-German immigrants in the late 1800s and early 1900s. What is somewhat humorous is that in the US, the Amish regard all non-Amish as "English"!

 

[troyphoto]

Well, howdy there internet subjects and those with medications (and/or "Medications" )

It's Troy again.

got up at 4a with tinnitus driving me nuts. Only to find my wife awake and sitting in her chair. Her meds are all messed up.

Her problem is her thyroid. She had it removed about 35 years ago. So she exists on Synthroid, a synthetic hormone replica. And she's kind of able to stay in the "normal range" for her TSH and whatever the other one is. But she needs to be on the low end of that range

Well, new doc she has had the last four years got tired of her being at the extreme end, and lowered her dose. Check it again in 3 mos.

Well, wife has been wonky, bad sleep, always tired. Eating like a bird and still gaining weight, because the lower dose has her body slowing down.

And, then my wife forgot to call and get her BP meds renewed. By the time she connected with the nurse there, she had to make an appointment - not go in, just schedule one. Then the doc would call in a script for her BP.

Wife had her TSH run yesterday. High end of normal is 4.5 (If I remember what she said). Her's is now a 5.6 - def in the HIGH range. She's awaiting a notification from the doc that a new script for a higher dose of synthroid is enroute. Fortunately, wife has some of her old dosage left and can bump up with that, until the new in-between dosage arrives.

As for me, I'm dealing with spinal stenosis again. Arthritic bumps on the lumbar spine, and aging disks. Sciatica is twinging, on the right side this time. It's normally on the left.

Yesterday I moved the shelving unit, and am slowly populating it with stuff that makes sense to put there.

For the family reunion this weekend, weatherbug is still showing Saturday as Foggy but lacking rain. I'll take it for needing to run the smoker all day.

 

[kbkchooch]

Good morning gang!

73° under cloudy skies this morning the high is expected to be 92° with a chance of evening thunderstorms. It got up to 101° in the shop yesterday, I was surprised to see some of the techs still working while other sat around and panted like dogs. Thankfully, my office is air-conditioned, but I still need to be out in the shop periodically.
BBL

 

[CambriaArea51]

Good morning... Coffee Flo please.

The yearly trip to the Vet for the dog. Sienna is 14, eats and sleeps mostly. Gets spunky for about 10 minutes twice a day, other than that we keep her comfortable. She's just a little old lady and we keep her in her routine. Teddy the male orange cat we rescued (someone dumped and he was hanging around the house) keeps an eye on her. He gets nervous if she takes too long doing her business outside.

 

[Old 97]

Good morning all.
Nothing to report.
Just a plate of something Flo, with coffee.
Please.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

Ugh!!! Back pain is paralyzing.
After cutting grass at the cemetery yesterday, the weed eating part is what really hurts.
Did the morning 2 miles, but still difficult to walk. Each step feels like a hammer on my spine.
I have an appointment for physical therapy to start next Thursday. Just gotta gut it out for another week.

 

[TLOC]

@Bill Tidler Jr. we have some Amstutz around here. they had a big oldoil factory some towns from my home, my dad worked there as truck driver

so good morning all. Vacation day two!
iam in my trainroom trying out some things for a concrete wall. so i need your help. which of the 3 would you think would work best? i will weather the gray of course but as a base, what would you take?

View attachment 195373

i also got a delivery today. 4more switch motors and some turnouts, but i made a mistake, i ordered code75 (idiot) i need code83! damn. well i will bring them back to the shop next week when i pickup my big boy!

wish you all a great day.
cheers jay!

btw yesterday it was almost quiet. just here and there some fireworks but not that much. my cat reacted almost nothing to the bangs outside.

We’ve all been idiots before!

Far left one on the concrete wall

 

[TLOC]

Good morning to all those pill popping machines that the doctors keep practicing on.

TROY, I know exactly how your wife feels! They took my cancerous thyroid out and for the 1st 2 years afterwards my endocrinologist played with my Levithyroxin dosages until he got it right. I was tested every month though, now 2x a year. When I retired, 2 years after we switched health care systems and the new and still current Endocrinologist thought I was too much on the low side. 2 years of messed up dosages until she felt comfortable with what I take and I had some pep. That pep is waning so I know a dosage correction is coming in October.

JAY, enjoy the time off

Another humid day coming. I know the weather app says we got .55” of rain yesterday but I never saw it

The golf was good and for the 3rd event in a row I made a bit more than the expenditures for the week. That is a good feeling and that gives me a bigger train budget! Of the 7 events I’ve played this year 4 have returned more than I spent. The next event I play will be in October. 16 events were scheduled and when the year is done I will have played in 10.

I’m not sure what is happening today. I was asked yesterday morning to watch the grandson and 2 friends swim in the grandson’s pool this afternoon. The SIL has an online meeting and while I said yes, nothing is confirmed yet. I know the SIL was trying to change the time of the meeting.

Another batch of ScaleTrain operator tank cars arrived yesterday. There are now 38 cars here with 2 more packages arriving today per the USPS app that tracks our incoming mail. Those 2 boxes are from modelers so I’m not real sure what’s arriving. Today might become a research day as I need to find some different weathering on at least 12 of these cars. Since 2 modelers sent 12 cars I don’t want to repeat finishes to the same modeler. I also received a ST 9-40c NS diesel to weather. That will be the 5th model of this type I will be weathering. The last 2 I did though I also switched out the ESU decoder and speakers to Tsunami2 decoder and the speaker to Scale Sound System speakers.

While I’ve not watch any of the Olympics on TV I have been reading about some of it. It just makes me realize how much I do not miss watching. If the writers are to believed the NBC network coverages is the worse we have ever seen!

Enjoy your day

 

[migalyto]

iam in my trainroom trying out some things for a concrete wall. so i need your help. which of the 3 would you think would work best? i will weather the gray of course but as a base, what would you take?

The one on the left is a close match.

 

[kbkchooch]

The last 2 I did though I also switched out the ESU decoder and speakers to Tsunami2 decoder and the speaker to Scale Sound System speakers.

Tom, Why would anyone want to swap out ESU decoder for a Tsunami? I prefer them, especially because of the programability (yes, I have a LokProgrammer)