Running Bear's February 2019 Coffee Shop

[santafewillie]

Good Morning All. 53° and very foggy. Visibility is less than a quarter mile and I cannot see the headlights on the cars passing on the road 250' away. A week of warmer weather coming up, with temperatures in the upper 70's Monday and Tuesday; mid 60's to lower 70's the rest of the time.
OK, Sherrel! This years gardening almanac begins today. Suffering from what I refer to as "onion thighs" this morning, the result of two days of bending/stooping over to plant onions. It's been an annual affliction since 1977 or so. I do have 200+ of them planted right now, all of them are the Texas A&M versions of the copyrighted (patented?) Vidalia yellow onion, locally known as "Texas 1015". Today, I will plant some radish seeds between the rows; makes use of currently unused space that the onions won't need for another 75 days. Radishes will be harvested in about 40 days depending on the weather.
It's good to note that it's beginning to warm up a bit for those affected by the Polar Vortex. I hope that everyone survived and that your cars all still start and no alcohol was frozen. Good to note also that our President fixed global warming in only two years!

Thanks for the comments regarding the latest round of photos, Garry, Curt, Tom, David and anyone else whom I inadvertently missed.

I did venture out to the train shed yesterday. Started the ground cover in the new town with a gravel parking lot for "Jack's". Did some work across the road out in back of "Tony's"; sidewalk between buildings, refrigeration unit w/piping for the slaughterhouse and some other minor details.
Here's another business located in this town, Hale's Feed & Grain. This is one of those Bar Mills "beginner" kits, with added signage and details by Willie

That's a Walther's "Prairie Star Grain Elevator" in the background on the other side of the tracks.

Joe - I hope the best for you and the sleep issues. I had some a few months ago, and I switched the timing of a new med the doctor prescribed and the problem went away.
Beady - It was good to read that Ollie is back home.
Phil -

Always kept my VODKA in the freezer for an instant martini when I got home from work.

My brother does the same with his gin, he likes dry martini's.
Johnny -

Napped, watched a movie on tv, practiced guitar, and did some scenickating on the layout. Nice relaxing day doing whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, however I wanted!! Is that a definition of retirement?!

Sorta! I learned some new things as well, like eight hours sleep is a real thing, you can take a shower anytime you want and neglected projects really come back to haunt you! Spent less time in the train shed than I thought that I would though.
Terry -

I don’t know if anybody who is not a Vietnam veteran is aware, but the jungle juice produced there was not pure alcohol with flavoring. It had some pretty hard-core ingredients.

Jet fuel???
Garry - I always liked your milk truck.
Curt - Ditto here on explaining the "burning rails" to my wife.
Louis - Late start this morning, but I see that you're making up for lost time. LOL Who needs Google Maps when we have Louis???

I have to mention that February is National Enrolled Agents month for my wife's benefit. They are the tax prep experts employed by H&R Block and other tax preparing agencies who are certified by the IRS. Most tax preparers are not EA's though. Ask ahead of time if your return might be complex.
Everybody have a great Friday.

 

[kbkchooch]

Karl, I did not know the MARC F7 was a dummy, what the reason for it?

Its a cab control car, basically for small commuter trains. One loco would power the train and control the train in one direction. On the return trip the 1st loco would power the train and 7100 would control the train.

Sorry to hear on the pups misadventure, hope he feels better soon and the fence gets fixed.

 

[Bruette]

Thanks Karl, on both accounts. The train is very cool, I had no idea.

Tucker is already nearly back to normal. He ate, he is drinking water and back to following my every step. If I could move and stop quickly, he would run into me, but I do everything slowly these days.

I already paid my neighbor a visit, but he did not open his door. At least he has the dogs inside.

 

[Bruette]

Louis - Late start this morning, but I see that you're making up for lost time. LOL Who needs Google Maps when we have Louis???

I have to mention that February is National Enrolled Agents month for my wife's benefit. They are the tax prep experts employed by H&R Block and other tax preparing agencies who are certified by the IRS. Most tax preparers are not EA's though. Ask ahead of time if your return might be complex.
Everybody have a great Friday.

Willie, I did not get out of bed until 4:30am this morning because I was up and down last night. When I got up I held Tucker until he wanted to get down. My wife said Tucker did not show any sign of pain until he saw me when I picked him up from the vet. He cried to me off and on all night. I had to lay on my bad (worst of the two) shoulder all night holding him. Normally I switch back and forth. My other beagle, Sophie kept waking us up checking on Tucker. She was very upset and did not sleep all night, that I know of.

You are right, you don't need google maps if you are willing to take a random trip through my mind with me. Come to think of it that is probably why my train stuff has almost no era, theme, rhyme or reason.

I commend your wife, she must be a very special, talented and intelligent lady! My sister had her own accounting business. I would help her a few hours a day here and there during tax season. I could never do that job for more than a day at a time. After a few hours my mind would become numb and I would make stupid, careless mistakes. It takes great diligence and dedication to do such a tedious job like that day after day.

 

[Bruette]

Now both of my beagles are asleep, I think I'll go take a nap too!

Have a great day Everybody!

 

[Flip]

Good morning all. 58* at 9:30 , should get up to 71* later.

Phil

 

[bnsf971]

Saw this in my front yard this morning. Less than two seconds after I snapped the pic, the oncoming car you can see the headlights of spooked them, and they ran across the road in front of the car. No deer were struck or injured.

 

[Greg@mnrr]

Good Morning Everyone......a balmy Zero this morning and a forecasted 43 degrees on Monday, go figure.

Trains later today and work on some projects. I finished weathering the two gons and have a brunch of junk in one like gravel, tree trunks and oil drums. Typical for an old con that became a trash container.

Kept test running my new 70 Ton Bachmann switcher trying to find the source of some noise. Lube the locomotive and that helped a lot. Today I'll have it pull a train close its limits and then if it doesn't work I'll take it apart and look for any wires rubbing on the drive.

Need to touch up a spot on the mine structure were some glue shows. A easy fix.

Can't believe its February already and winter is over half over, but we have had snow in April and a huge storm last April that it snowed for three days at the cabin and dropped approximately 20 inches of snow. I remembered that along with the bottles of liquor in one of the sheds, I have a bottle of Jagermister in the freezer of the refrigerator in the cabin. The bottle is in the refergator's freezer door rack so if it broke after freezing, the liquor should stay in the door held in check by plastic lip on the bottom of the freezer door. I hope!

The cabin even not being heated will stay slightly warmer than the outside temperatures. It's amazing how much latent heat is stored in the concrete slab and in the ground below the slab. The snow covering should insulate the septic tank and keep it from freezing like last year.

Planning on taking the Mrs. out to dinner tomorrow night to a nice restaurant the country. The building I remember as being a bar on one side and a small grocery store on the other in the 60's. One exterior door served each business. Now its been remodeled in a fine dining restaurant.

That's all for now.

Greg

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I reminder of summers past. Running low on train related photographs.

 

[montanan]

Good morning. A new month and the coffee shop has been spruced up. 30 degrees with an expected high in the mid to upper 40's this afternoon.

Glad to see that Greg and Mark has survived the cold. Warmer days ahead.

Terry - Too many deer out here. I don't think there is a day that I've gone to town without seeing one that had been hit by a car. Years back I hit three deer withing 5 weeks,. The guy at the body shop said he moved to target to the rear bumper. Must have worked as I have had no more deer encounters. In the fall we have deer come into the yard looking for apples that have fallen from out apple tree. Had a nice buck this year.

Louis - Sorry to hear about Tucker. At least he's on the mend. Loved your photos as usual. Look forward to them every morning.

Here are a few interesting photos. While running trains the other day, I started thinking (no, I didn't hurt myself) about the markets I had in the towns on the layout. Small, just like what I remember when I was a kid.





Look at the markets/grocery store we have today. The dry cereal isle is larger than some of the old markets. Back then meals were created from scratch, no prepared meals in the stores. Frozen food were just starting to hit the market in the 50's. Think of the refrigerators back then. Not much of a freezer. Room for a couple of ice cube trays and not much more. We did have what was a rarity back then, a small chest freezer. My uncle butchered game for hunters and we would have him butcher one of our steers and he custom wrapped it for us. These little markets had just about everything we needed.

Gotta get going soon to see the orthopedic surgeon to see if something can be done for my right shoulder.

Here's a rail photo for today.

Later

 

[Sirfoldalot]

I'll join Mark this morning in the breakfast department! That's the way I like to start my day. Every morning I run a small white potato (about 1.5 inches) with my "chopper" to make fresh fried potatoes to mix with my sunny up eggs.
Wally World has been putting out fresh made sausage patties - comes 10 to a package again about 1.5 inches in diameter and it's berry, berry good!

Well, Yesterday afternoon right after I said that it was really dark outside ... a bright flash followed by a tremoundous clap of thunder followed by a torrent of rain came down. My scientific bucket had 1.5 inches in it this morning!
My yard sprinklers have not been on since Thanksgiving and there is supposed to be more rain on the way for Saturday and Sunday. HA,HA, Maybe ... along with global warming the Trumpster has broken the drought out here?

LOUIS - I am so very sorry to hear of Tucker's trials! Someone must have acted pretty darn quick to break up the tussel ... that is so frighting. It brought back my vision of my son's two dogs knocking down and attacking my older girl, Foxie.
They had all played together for two days, but they got excited, one growl, and they went balastic.

JOE - Sorry that you are having sleeping issues .. I had that a while back, but I cannot remember what I did for it.

Good news on the home front ... my dizziness seems to have subsided. Doctors could not tell me what brought it on, but did explain what was causing it and some excerises to "help" it - maybe? At least $300+ of tests showed that it was nothing more serious. I have been mostly normal lately, no comments Karl, but Doctors said from time to time it may occur again.
Seems as if we all have tiny calcium crystals inside our ear canals which can become loose and "float around" inside the canal which causes a person to become dizzy. I asked the Dr (cute lady about 45) who put those crystals there and she said that it was a design flaw - that I would have to ask the man upstairs - don't know where they come from, or why they are there.

OK - time for breakfast - later guys.

 

[Sirfoldalot]

In the latter days .... May 1967

 

[Sirfoldalot]

NOW .. THIS IS A GAS STATION!

 

[PRR Modeler]

Afternoon All,

I was planning on an extended workbench day but alas life intervened. We got a call from daughters school that she became dizzy and couldn't stand. She was out sick the last two days and she ended up being very dehydrated, hadn't been eating and was still sick. After a bag of fluids and some meds at the ER she was released. We got her home along with her car. We found out several teachers were out sick today also.

I got in about a hour putting in roof trim and prepping a small shack that goes on the big flat roof.

Beady- I'm glad to hear that your kitty made it home.

Louis- Very sorry to hear about Tucker, but glad he is doing OK now. It could of been much worse. Happy belated birthday to your wife.

Willie- Nice little freight depot.

Chet- I liked the store photos. I hope your shoulder is nothing serious.

Sherrel- I'm glad your dizziness is gone and was not serious.

I hope everyone has a good night.

 

[Sirfoldalot]

Beady -- I get caught up in so much that I can't keep up it seems. Glad that Olie is back at home with you!

Curt - Hope the daughter recovers... Were you able to impress the need to stay hydrated - especially when sick?
How about a Shark Attack to improve your disposition?
OPPS: That's not a Shark ... is it? - It's that other locomotive!

 

[PRR Modeler]

Beady -- I get caught up in so much that I can't keep up it seems. Glad that Olie is back at home with you!

Curt - Hope the daughter recovers... Were you able to impress the need to stay hydrated - especially when sick?
How about a Shark Attack to improve your disposition?
OPPS: That's not a Shark ... is it? - It's that other locomotive!
View attachment 33981

Sherrel- It's FM C Liner.

 

[kbkchooch]

Sherrel- It's FM C Liner.

I thought it was AHM

 

[Sirfoldalot]

 

[migalyto]

This has been sitting at the post office 3 blocks from my house since Wednesday. We haven’t had mail delivery due to the extreme cold. It was on the porch when I got home from work this afternoon. It looks, and sounds excellent. Looking forward to adding a few more to the fleet.

 

[tootnkumin]

Seems as if we all have tiny calcium crystals inside our ear canals which can become loose and "float around" inside the canal which causes a person to become dizzy.

Just so's you know it ain't unusual, I've had the same. Treatment prescribed, was to sit on the edge of the bed, turn your head slightly to one side, then fall sideways against the mattress, hitting the back corner of your head against it. Repeat the other way. I did it once, felt so nauseous and dizzy, didn't dare do it again, but it did clear shortly after.

 

[tootnkumin]

This has been sitting at the post office 3 blocks from my house since Wednesday. We haven’t had mail delivery due to the extreme cold. It was on the porch when I got home from work this afternoon. It looks, and sounds excellent. Looking forward to adding a few more to the fleet.

View attachment 33983

Very nice, they are. Highly detailed. Just be careful of the chain on the side of the front truck, it is cut to allow for the swing in the truck, could be easily caught. Seems you also plumped for the factory decoder, a wise choice with these, I think.