Running Bear's December 2024 Coffee Shop
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Bill Tidler Jr.
Retired NS Signal Construction Gang Signalman
John from Indiana
Well-Known Member
Howdy all from NW Indiana. It's 19 now and feels like 10. It's a little early; but I've been up for an hour now. A little belly ache...I helped Joan make sugar cookies and I had six last night watching the end of Streets of Laredo (Larry McMurtry). He is one of my favorite writers. I've also read over 100 of Louis Lamour's books, all of Clavell's work. I tried James Joyce's Ulysses; but I couldn't make it through the first chapter. 1984 and Animal Farm are also a favorite...read Atlas Shrugged and it did nothing for me. I've probably read over 500 books in my time and found great enjoyment doing so...even read Samuel Clemens and they were fun (too bad some are banned now).
Going to add some ground color along the back drop of the layout so I can restore my layout to a reasonable state.
Bundle up, it's cold out there
Going to add some ground color along the back drop of the layout so I can restore my layout to a reasonable state.
Bundle up, it's cold out there
troyphoto
Snarky Old Fart (in training)
Interesting little fact on Mark Twain's Huck Finn...
Remember when everyone was caterwauling about changing Roald Dhal's books? they'd point back at book like Huck Finn. Don't change them! Keep them in context!
Seems there is a version of Huck Finn used by late Elementary and Middle Schools, that has been highly edited to shift out the language we'd find offensive in today's world. Instead of [N-word] Jim, it's "Slave Jim" and such.
BUT, there is an introductory essay written to the students explaining what was changed, and why. It's a teaching aid, so the teachers can teach the history of the time it was written, without sending the children home full of [N-words] usage. The books end with an encouragement to find the original version when they're ready for the language.
NorthBrit
Well-Known Member
Good afternoon all. A coffee please, Flo.
1st of December eh! It seems only eleven months ago it was the beginning of the year and now Santa is around the corner.
Dawn has hurt her back somehow, so resting in bed. Meanwhile i play teaboy.
1st of December means opening the Advent Calendars. Our daughter has bought e one that has 24 teas in it. I love the taste of different teas. Dawn has an expensive looking chocolate one. We both share a calendar that has 24 different candles.
in the train room this afternoon
1st of December eh! It seems only eleven months ago it was the beginning of the year and now Santa is around the corner.
Dawn has hurt her back somehow, so resting in bed. Meanwhile i play teaboy.
1st of December means opening the Advent Calendars. Our daughter has bought e one that has 24 teas in it. I love the taste of different teas. Dawn has an expensive looking chocolate one. We both share a calendar that has 24 different candles.
in the train room this afternoon
santafewillie
Same Ol' Buzzard
Good Morning All. Clear and 35°. Same old weather, but it's not in the teens and covered in snow like many of you are seeing.
Prior to our trek to the BIG city of Dallas for our smaller family Thanksgiving dinner, I spent the day in the kitchen yesterday. Cutting up Onions, Celery and Green Onions for my wife to make Cornbread Dressing. Then helping her make homemade Cranberry sauce. After lunch, I made the Green Bean casserole. I not only use the mushroom soup and fried onions per the recipe, I add Onions and Mushrooms as well. The 78 mile trip each way went as well as could be expected. The trip home at 10:00 was interesting. I had to be extra alert due to the number of fellow motorists who had trouble driving in a straight line, in a specific lane. Lots of other different "pokey" drivers going 55 mph in a 75 mph zone. A member of the Highway Patrol once told me that most of the "pokey" ones were folks who generally didn't have licenses or insurance and didn't want to risk being stopped. Or they were inebriated but still thinking.
Hoping to see the inside of the train shed later today, but as is usual for Sunday's, it will be a short time. The warped cardstock floor/walls got an extra day of being weighted flat, I hope they are flat.
Here are a few images from a fun Bar Mills kit called Earl's Oil, that I painted and assembled a few years ago..
Todd - Hate to admit it, but I don't have a snake either. I use a 100' piece of 5/8" garden hose though.
Patrick - Good to read that the Medicare meeting went well. I do know a couple who winged it themselves and ended up being screwed for a couple of years before being able to shift coverage's and premiums.
Hughie - I hate days when there are issues on the layout that didn't exist yesterday. I feel your pain. Especially agonizing is when you can't pinpoint the issue easily.
Louis - Where are you with our candle and wreath?
Singer/entertainer Bette Midler is 79 today.
Everyone here have a great Sunday, the First Sunday of Advent.
Prior to our trek to the BIG city of Dallas for our smaller family Thanksgiving dinner, I spent the day in the kitchen yesterday. Cutting up Onions, Celery and Green Onions for my wife to make Cornbread Dressing. Then helping her make homemade Cranberry sauce. After lunch, I made the Green Bean casserole. I not only use the mushroom soup and fried onions per the recipe, I add Onions and Mushrooms as well. The 78 mile trip each way went as well as could be expected. The trip home at 10:00 was interesting. I had to be extra alert due to the number of fellow motorists who had trouble driving in a straight line, in a specific lane. Lots of other different "pokey" drivers going 55 mph in a 75 mph zone. A member of the Highway Patrol once told me that most of the "pokey" ones were folks who generally didn't have licenses or insurance and didn't want to risk being stopped. Or they were inebriated but still thinking.
Hoping to see the inside of the train shed later today, but as is usual for Sunday's, it will be a short time. The warped cardstock floor/walls got an extra day of being weighted flat, I hope they are flat.
Here are a few images from a fun Bar Mills kit called Earl's Oil, that I painted and assembled a few years ago..
Todd - Hate to admit it, but I don't have a snake either. I use a 100' piece of 5/8" garden hose though.
Patrick - Good to read that the Medicare meeting went well. I do know a couple who winged it themselves and ended up being screwed for a couple of years before being able to shift coverage's and premiums.
Hughie - I hate days when there are issues on the layout that didn't exist yesterday. I feel your pain. Especially agonizing is when you can't pinpoint the issue easily.
Louis - Where are you with our candle and wreath?
Singer/entertainer Bette Midler is 79 today.
Everyone here have a great Sunday, the First Sunday of Advent.
troyphoto
Snarky Old Fart (in training)
In the case of Huck Finn, having an editor shift the [N-word] to "Slave" was done because the book is taught in middle grades (6,7,8) here in the US. It's a very important part of our history. The book has some very important themes to explore. Twain (aka Sam Clemens) was "woke" for his time exploring those themes.
And, I remember my own neurodiverse (low end of the autism spectrum) self at that time. My filters were wonky at best. I can see some very very valid concerns about young male student (and probably young female as well) not being able to filter the terms appropriately as often as they're used in the book (219 times according to one source).
Since the book is one of the most challenged in school and public libraries, having an edition without the word, but with an explanation of WHY it was altered for a younger audience, gives teachers and parents a scaffolding with which to present the work as a commentary on the historical period, for the younger audience, whose brains are still developing.
The "scaffolding" of information given prior to, and during the study of the book seems to be the key in using the book, when it would otherwise be banned.
migalyto
Well-Known Member
Good morning all!
Welcome to December already. Time to start thinking of New Years resolutions.
Doesn't seem possible!
Currently another cold Northern Illinois morning. Its 13 degrees going up to only 28 degrees later.
Good thing is the sun is out and there is no wind, and the "S" word is also not in the forecast.
Have a safe day everyone!
Welcome to December already. Time to start thinking of New Years resolutions.
Doesn't seem possible!
Currently another cold Northern Illinois morning. Its 13 degrees going up to only 28 degrees later.
Good thing is the sun is out and there is no wind, and the "S" word is also not in the forecast.
Have a safe day everyone!
TLOC
Well-Known Member
Good morning from So. Central Wisconsin where the weather app tells me it fell to single digits at 5am this morning when it was +8f. It is now 11 but feels like 10 with the wind chill. Looking out the windows it is very bright and clear. The high today should be 26 but the wind chill, now referred to as the “real feel” will be 17 as the winds will pick up.
I had a super enjoyable time at an operating session yesterday in Onalska, Wi., a suburb of LaCrosse on the Mississippi River. I think I heard he’s like 3 blocks from the River but I’m unsure as I didn’t see any River! 2 hours 45 minutes in solid traffic on I90/94 but when we got to the split, I90 West was relatively light for 2pm. The ride home at 8:30pm was just over 2 hours and 10 minutes as there was almost no traffic on the interstates! While I sit in the back seat, I am not a backseat driver and I don’t look at the drivers side of the dashboard!
A fully signaled layout with dispatcher that is now 5 years old and it runs flawlessly. Scenery is coming along in 2025. Below I am making a pre-session walk through to check out another amazing layout that makes me act like a kid in the candy store. A few minutes later, the owner of the layout gave me the superindent’s tour.
It’s a ore hauling railroad the GN Mesbai Division with 600 ore cars on the layout and around 400 of them were moved in trains of 32
My first train for the session
I moved 4 ore trains as I picked the Ore pool as a way to learn my way around a 560’ mainline on a full double deck point to point railroad. One of the traditions of RiverRail.org 1 of the operating groups I belong to is at break time a meal is served. This was the 19th annual Anti-turkey session they have run so the main course was a great pulled pork for the 15 operators plus the owner
I and my 2 partners in crime, aka as the friends, chauffeurs and co-pilot had a great time amongst a really nice group of people. It was fun!
Enjoy your day
I had a super enjoyable time at an operating session yesterday in Onalska, Wi., a suburb of LaCrosse on the Mississippi River. I think I heard he’s like 3 blocks from the River but I’m unsure as I didn’t see any River! 2 hours 45 minutes in solid traffic on I90/94 but when we got to the split, I90 West was relatively light for 2pm. The ride home at 8:30pm was just over 2 hours and 10 minutes as there was almost no traffic on the interstates! While I sit in the back seat, I am not a backseat driver and I don’t look at the drivers side of the dashboard!
A fully signaled layout with dispatcher that is now 5 years old and it runs flawlessly. Scenery is coming along in 2025. Below I am making a pre-session walk through to check out another amazing layout that makes me act like a kid in the candy store. A few minutes later, the owner of the layout gave me the superindent’s tour.
It’s a ore hauling railroad the GN Mesbai Division with 600 ore cars on the layout and around 400 of them were moved in trains of 32
My first train for the session
I and my 2 partners in crime, aka as the friends, chauffeurs and co-pilot had a great time amongst a really nice group of people. It was fun!
Enjoy your day
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ctclibby
Well-Known Member
Good Morning All!
29F @ 86% overcast. Guessers have not changed the forecast. We will see.
Turkey Day went off without a hitch. Deep Fried Turkey was wonderful. Our setting with the new ( to use ) tableware:
That's Angela snacking before the storm. Surprised that she didn't have olives on her fingers. Didn't notice no silverware for the pix. Oh well! No food as I did not have the chance for a pix before everybody started chowing down.
Snake(s), yup, have 2 of them, short one and long one. Like Willie, I used a garden hose at first. Then ran into crud that would not budge with it. So, 1st snake that twists when you are fishing. Then ( of course ) needed it again some time later and it was in the 'somewhere' place. You guessed it, went an bought the short one.
Should be back to what we call normal sometime around noon when Jordan and Chan leave for home.
Maybe some time in the Train Cave after that; still have to clean up the kitchen and run the dishwasher - couple times probably. Life is tough!
Later
29F @ 86% overcast. Guessers have not changed the forecast. We will see.
Turkey Day went off without a hitch. Deep Fried Turkey was wonderful. Our setting with the new ( to use ) tableware:
Snake(s), yup, have 2 of them, short one and long one. Like Willie, I used a garden hose at first. Then ran into crud that would not budge with it. So, 1st snake that twists when you are fishing. Then ( of course ) needed it again some time later and it was in the 'somewhere' place. You guessed it, went an bought the short one.
Should be back to what we call normal sometime around noon when Jordan and Chan leave for home.
Maybe some time in the Train Cave after that; still have to clean up the kitchen and run the dishwasher - couple times probably. Life is tough!
Later
Bruette
Well-Known Member
I slept late, 1:30am.
We just got back from an Amazon block and a quick stop at the grocery store. I made a cup of coffee, ate my plate of leftovers from Thanksgiving and headed here. Better late than never!
NorthBrit
Well-Known Member
Troy.
Here in the U.K. people want to destroy our past. Statues of people that have graced our land for a long time. They even want a statue of Winston Churchill to be taken down. ?????
Some people even want church bell to stop their chime as they are too loud? I ask you. Ridiculous. One Town Council has bowed to their wishes.
I could go on about some wanting to do away with Christmas, but I am getting near political.
End of rant.
Train room is calling.
Here in the U.K. people want to destroy our past. Statues of people that have graced our land for a long time. They even want a statue of Winston Churchill to be taken down. ?????
Some people even want church bell to stop their chime as they are too loud? I ask you. Ridiculous. One Town Council has bowed to their wishes.
I could go on about some wanting to do away with Christmas, but I am getting near political.
End of rant.
Train room is calling.
Bruette
Well-Known Member
He was the perfect man for his time, thank God for Winston Churchill.
I don't know what to say to that. "Ridiculous" you said it best.
migalyto
Well-Known Member
what an awesome layout, cant imagine the cash, and time tied up in that!
Looks like a ball to operate on!
migalyto
Well-Known Member
Its not only the UK. Here in the US its happening too!
Really sad and infuriating at the same time!
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