santafewillie
Same Ol' Buzzard
Good Morning All. Foggy and 53°. This fog started yesterday morning and hasn't gone away yet. the rain that was predicted looked like it was headed this way two hours ago, but slid by north of the Red River into Oklahoma.Supposed to warm up into the 70's today, after a high of 58° yesterday. Still pretty much a mixed weather pattern until next Wednesday when it is supposed to get cold again. It will be the kind of weather pattern that almost requires an overnight fire in the heater, but because both my wife and I are kinda miserly, I will skip making one until Tuesday night. No fire for 11 days in December saves me a lot of wood. Temperature at night in the house has only been dropping to ~70°, and the SE facing windows in the living room coupled with cooking in the morning, heats the place up nicely.
Speaking of the wood burning stove, the chimney sweep made it by yesterday morning and did what appears to be a fine job. I won't know for sure until I start the next fire and check out the draft. Filled a five-gallon pail with creosote and then some. The overflow he vacuumed up. That's about the same amount that I used to get when I did it myself, once a year. He used a new to me method. I always just used an 8" wire brush from above and reamed it up and down, collecting the creosote in the pail. He used a rotating wire brush on a semi-flexible metal shaft and did the whole thing from the bottom up, and didn't have to get on the wet roof. I also appreciated the 10% cost reduction that they made because he was a day late.
Other stuff - Wife bought a new Christmas Tree from Amazon that arrived yesterday. We're replacing the older one that she got at a garage sale in the early 90's, after my friend moved from the property where I used to cut my own. I haven't opened the box yet, it's only 6' as opposed to the old 7.5' one. Safer to decorate when I don't have to use a stepstool. Of course I have two stepstools out in the train shed that I use a lot when working on the upper level, but it's not like leaning over an unstable tree.
It's Thursday once again, time for the weekly grocery/beer trek. If my wife goes, it could be a quick trip. If she stays home, I can shop for her Christmas present and go to Home Depot for that sheathing that I need to complete the backdrop in the train shed.
Thanks for the comments and reactions yesterday regarding my progress. It's slow, it's sure and I don't try to rush ballasting because it sucks to do it over.
Out in the train shed yesterday, I continued ballasting. I did more of the main line and took the time to do two switches at the north end of the complex.
I took a bunch of pictures so I can post my ballasting technique later. It may be helpful to anyone who hasn't done it yet.
Patrick - I took photos yesterday as I added more ballast. I'll post them later after I get done with the grocery trek.
Steve J - Many folks who I know who had Covid, got over the initial effects within two weeks, but the residual effects lasted more than two months in many cases.
Ken (D&J) - Thankfully our church is small enough, ~350 parishioners total, that there is generally no nefarious activity there. Everyone knows everyone! And if there is someone in need, they generally don't have to ask because everyone already knows.
That was a quick fix on the layout.
Guy - The tank car issue is very minor. It isn't/wasn't any mistake, but it wasn't noticed. I'll turn all of the tankers the same way. Since they will never leave the layout, and I don't intend to turn them, (no wye of reverse loop), they will always line up.
Tom O - The grocery store shortages that I am seeing are very minor, nothing really runs out, but some favored brands do and one is left to decide which other one will be satisfactory. Of course I go early after the overnight re-stockers have done their jobs; it may be different later in the day.
I fully agree with your advice of "don't watch the installers". It can be very unnerving.
Don't go out of your way with my package, I can wait. Your comfort and recovery is primary
Hughie - My nemesis is the wet fallen leaves that stick to my shoes no matter how hard I wipe them on the mat, if I remember!
Today would have been the late Greg Allman's 74th birthday. It would also have been Jim Morrison's 79th.
Everybody have a great day.
Speaking of the wood burning stove, the chimney sweep made it by yesterday morning and did what appears to be a fine job. I won't know for sure until I start the next fire and check out the draft. Filled a five-gallon pail with creosote and then some. The overflow he vacuumed up. That's about the same amount that I used to get when I did it myself, once a year. He used a new to me method. I always just used an 8" wire brush from above and reamed it up and down, collecting the creosote in the pail. He used a rotating wire brush on a semi-flexible metal shaft and did the whole thing from the bottom up, and didn't have to get on the wet roof. I also appreciated the 10% cost reduction that they made because he was a day late.
Other stuff - Wife bought a new Christmas Tree from Amazon that arrived yesterday. We're replacing the older one that she got at a garage sale in the early 90's, after my friend moved from the property where I used to cut my own. I haven't opened the box yet, it's only 6' as opposed to the old 7.5' one. Safer to decorate when I don't have to use a stepstool. Of course I have two stepstools out in the train shed that I use a lot when working on the upper level, but it's not like leaning over an unstable tree.
It's Thursday once again, time for the weekly grocery/beer trek. If my wife goes, it could be a quick trip. If she stays home, I can shop for her Christmas present and go to Home Depot for that sheathing that I need to complete the backdrop in the train shed.
Thanks for the comments and reactions yesterday regarding my progress. It's slow, it's sure and I don't try to rush ballasting because it sucks to do it over.
Out in the train shed yesterday, I continued ballasting. I did more of the main line and took the time to do two switches at the north end of the complex.
I took a bunch of pictures so I can post my ballasting technique later. It may be helpful to anyone who hasn't done it yet.
Patrick - I took photos yesterday as I added more ballast. I'll post them later after I get done with the grocery trek.
Steve J - Many folks who I know who had Covid, got over the initial effects within two weeks, but the residual effects lasted more than two months in many cases.
Ken (D&J) - Thankfully our church is small enough, ~350 parishioners total, that there is generally no nefarious activity there. Everyone knows everyone! And if there is someone in need, they generally don't have to ask because everyone already knows.
That was a quick fix on the layout.
Guy - The tank car issue is very minor. It isn't/wasn't any mistake, but it wasn't noticed. I'll turn all of the tankers the same way. Since they will never leave the layout, and I don't intend to turn them, (no wye of reverse loop), they will always line up.
Tom O - The grocery store shortages that I am seeing are very minor, nothing really runs out, but some favored brands do and one is left to decide which other one will be satisfactory. Of course I go early after the overnight re-stockers have done their jobs; it may be different later in the day.
I fully agree with your advice of "don't watch the installers". It can be very unnerving.
Don't go out of your way with my package, I can wait. Your comfort and recovery is primary
Hughie - My nemesis is the wet fallen leaves that stick to my shoes no matter how hard I wipe them on the mat, if I remember!
Today would have been the late Greg Allman's 74th birthday. It would also have been Jim Morrison's 79th.
Everybody have a great day.
