Running Bear's January 2020 Coffee Shop

[santafewillie]

Good Morning All. 36° and cloudy, still quite windy. Some light rain to the east that won't come backwards to reach here, rain never comes from the east in these parts. It's not expected to get above 48° today so it looks like an indoor day mostly. Wind should finally abate around sunset.
Ash Wednesday is today for those that need a reminder. First day of Lent. Easter will be here soon.

How about some ham and grits for me this morning Francine. And a couple of slices of buttered whole wheat toast to go with it.

Many thanks for all of the likes and comments regarding the flatcar photos yesterday; Jerome, Joe, Guy, Dave, Chad, Sherrel, Bill, Mikey, Patrick, Phil, Curt, Greg, Ken, Ray, Garry, Justin, Johnny. They (comments) always inspire me to do more.

Made some visible progress in the train shed yesterday. After painting the chain link fencing Monday, I started installing it yesterday. I got it fastened to 10 of 22 fence posts so far.

Posts will be trimmed later.
Here are a few additional flatcar loads. 26 of my 38 flats have loads, five others have TOFC loads.
This is a Roundhouse 60' flat with a Cat that I don't remember the manufacturer. It's on my list of items to redo in the future after seeing the one that Ray did a few months back.

Here's an Atlas 68" short bulkhead flat with parts of several different Chooch loads. Lots of background clutter here Sherrel!

Finally today, another Roundhouse 60' bulkhead with concrete highway overpass girders that were leftovers from a Rix kit.

Johnny - Interesting looking article from Popular Science. I sporadically read them in the 60's, but never saw a model RR related article.
Sherrel - Sorry about the background clutter in yesterday's pictures, but is a railroad that we're talking about!
Regarding the I-beams, I made them from Evergreen styrene 3/16" I-beams. I painted them DRGW Dark Boxcar Red paint from Polly Scale. The numbers were applied with a toothpick and are Apple Barrel Ivory paint. I don't remember whether I used scale ties or cut up pieces of wooden matchsticks for the timbers.

I received an E-Mail yesterday from Louis, in response to one that I sent to him last week. All is well with him and Angela. He's still doing some work with Amazon as a third party seller, but he didn't get into any further details.

Everybody have a great day.

 

[santafewillie]

Good Morning All. 28° and clear, with no wind this morning. It will return later today but from the south which will warm things up around here. Pleasant weather in store for the next ten days with highs in the mid to upper 70's this weekend. Grocery/beer trek later this morning as usual for Thursday.

Sausage, egg and cheese biscuits over here this morning Flo.

Thanks for the likes and comments regarding yesterday's post; Johnny, Chet, Guy, Jerome, Patrick, Sherrel, Bill, Chad, Karl, Ken, Joe, Curt, Garry, Phil, Mikey, Justin, Jim.

Meanwhile out in the train shed, progress was rather slow. Almost completed fastening the chain link fence to the posts, added a bit of ground cover and attempted to get the paint job on the trailer looking the way that I want. Nothing significant enough to warrant progress pictures yet.
I have a few more flatcar loads to show today.
Here is another Walther's 54' GSC flat with parts from two Chooch loads.

Following that is an Athearn 50' with a lumber load from Jaeger Models.

Last but not least is another of those Roundhouse 60' flats with some more parts from several Chooch sets.

I like to mix and match the various Chooch products. I have a few more flats around the layout, but I will have to find them and determine whether I have already posted them.

Johnny - Some of the flatcar loads that I have posted still need some additional detailing like tie-downs and deck timbers. Some of my cars could also use some additional weathering of the decks. Some day!

Today is National Chili Day, appropriate for February 27. Here's a little trivia. Competition chili cook-off rules in Texas forbid beans in chili.
Everybody have a great day.

 

[santafewillie]

Good Morning All. 37° and absolutely clear skies. Continued wonderful weather again today and for the next ten days, temperatures in the upper 60's and mid 70's. Today is going to be a gardening day for me. I have broccoli and spinach plants to set out, a bit later than usual due to the recent rainy weeks. It's also time to put a new chain on the chain saw so I can spend a few days getting next winter's firewood supply in order. I guess that I'll also watch the stock market sink; I got out two days ago after losing about 6K.
All of these car pictures lately bring back memories of my youth when all cars didn't look the same.

Lots of sunny side-up eggs this morning Flo. No bacon today, it's Lent.

Thanks for the continuing comments and likes regarding the flatcar loads; Jerome, Garry, Bill, Johnny, Jim, Phil, Patrick, Chet, Guy, Curt, Joe, Ken, Justin. I'll pause today as I need to regroup.

Between the grocery/beer trek and outdoor activities yesterday, train shed time was limited. I made further progress on the rural lot scene, here is what things looked like yesterday.

Today will be (hopefully) devoted to cross-fencing and construction of a small scratchbuilt goat shelter.

I'm using leftover scraps from a couple of laser-cut kits. Goats don't like HO scale rain!

Johnny -

Willie - Do you run your flatcar loads without tiedowns? Don't they fall off??

No derailments. No fallen loads! Seriously, I use Scenic Accents Glue to hold many on.
Chet - Thanks. Nice die cast cars there.
Curt - I also don't like beans in my chili.
Sherrel - Finally. That tree is better as firewood than as a nuisance. Of course now the seeds that it dropped last year will sprout and you'll have more.
Joe - What an adventure! Good luck with your MIL.

Willie: I'm impressed with your open top loads. When I can I'll have to page back and steal some ideas.

That's OK with me. That's why I post them.

Today is National Tartar Sauce Day, goes well with fish on Friday for Lent. I make mine with mayo, chopped onion, dill relish, capers, a dash of red-wine vinegar, fresh ground pepper and a pinch of ground powdered mustard. Yummy!

Everybody have an awesome day and enjoy the extra day tomorrow!

 

[santafewillie]

Good Morning All. 43° and partly cloudy. Leap day today. An extra day to do stuff. It's possible that winter is over here and spring has arrived. Except for Tuesday and Wednesday, the highs are going to be above 68° for the next ten days, and Wednesday will still be above 60°. Not quite Sherrel or Phil's weather, but I'll take it. Some minor lower back aches this morning from overdoing it yesterday in the yard and garden. Had to take an ibuprofen for it. I'll be good to go in another hour.

How about a couple of over easy eggs and a pile of sausage patties this morning Flo. Throw in a toasted whole wheat English Muffin for good measure.

Thanks to all for the likes and comments on yesterday's progress pictures; Jerome, Karl, Johnny, Mikey, Jim, Joe, Guy, Patrick, Phil, Sherrel, Chad, Garry, Ken, Curt.

Made some progress in the train shed yesterday, but not as much as I wanted to. Well today is leap day, an extra day to go out there. I did get some bushes along the fence rows and assembled the goat shed. Forgot to take any pictures. In the meantime, flatcars aren't the only cars that I add loads to. Here is a pair of gondolas.

The one in front is an Atlas 53' kit with another of those Chooch loads of coiled steel cable. The back one is either a 40' Tyco or maybe a Lifelike toy car that I added body mount Kadee couplers and metal wheels to. Actually after Googling it, it is a Tyco. I am not sure where the load came from. Partially seen to the right is another flatcar with a load of rusty machinery.
I'll do better with tomorrow's pictures I hope.

Mikey -

The tile floor is sure rough on old knees!

ALL floors are rough on the old knees!

I guess the trailer has a rabbit ears antenna on their TV?

I dunno yet. I do have both outdoor antennas or satellite dishes that I could add. Haven't gotten that far along with the detailing yet.
Johnny - With so many other things going on, the tie-downs haven't taken priority yet. Sometimes it's a matter of not being able to locate what I need and the car gets put on the layout and forgotten!
Jim - I guess that the dishwasher got the rest of the burrito!
Sherrel - Thankfully the wood burning heater that I have doesn't require splitting unless the log is over 12". The unsplit wood lasts longer, not as much reloading and I can't see the dainty orange flames anyway. No more than I have to do, I still use the wedge and sledge.
Beady - Just be sure not to fall overboard. Enjoy the cruise.

Enjoy the day today and have a great weekend. I'll be firing up the grill tonight for baby back ribs.

 

[santafewillie]

Good Morning All. 43° and partly cloudy. Leap day today. An extra day to do stuff. It's possible that winter is over here and spring has arrived. Except for Tuesday and Wednesday, the highs are going to be above 68° for the next ten days, and Wednesday will still be above 60°. Not quite Sherrel or Phil's weather, but I'll take it. Some minor lower back aches this morning from overdoing it yesterday in the yard and garden. Had to take an ibuprofen for it. I'll be good to go in another hour.

How about a couple of over easy eggs and a pile of sausage patties this morning Flo. Throw in a toasted whole wheat English Muffin for good measure.

Thanks to all for the likes and comments on yesterday's progress pictures; Jerome, Karl, Johnny, Mikey, Jim, Joe, Guy, Patrick, Phil, Sherrel, Chad, Garry, Ken, Curt.

Made some progress in the train shed yesterday, but not as much as I wanted to. Well today is leap day, an extra day to go out there. I did get some bushes along the fence rows and assembled the goat shed. Forgot to take any pictures. In the meantime, flatcars aren't the only cars that I add loads to. Here is a pair of gondolas.

The one in front is an Atlas 53' kit with another of those Chooch loads of coiled steel cable. The back one is either a 40' Tyco or maybe a Lifelike toy car that I added body mount Kadee couplers and metal wheels to. Actually after Googling it, it is a Tyco. I am not sure where the load came from. Partially seen to the right is another flatcar with a load of rusty machinery.
I'll do better with tomorrow's pictures I hope.

Mikey -

The tile floor is sure rough on old knees!

ALL floors are rough on the old knees!

I guess the trailer has a rabbit ears antenna on their TV?

I dunno yet. I do have both outdoor antennas or satellite dishes that I could add. Haven't gotten that far along with the detailing yet.
Johnny - With so many other things going on, the tie-downs haven't taken priority yet. Sometimes it's a matter of not being able to locate what I need and the car gets put on the layout and forgotten!
Jim - I guess that the dishwasher got the rest of the burrito!
Sherrel - Thankfully the wood burning heater that I have doesn't require splitting unless the log is over 12". The unsplit wood lasts longer, not as much reloading and I can't see the dainty orange flames anyway. No more than I have to do, I still use the wedge and sledge.
Beady - Just be sure not to fall overboard. Enjoy the cruise.

Enjoy the day today and have a great weekend. I'll be firing up the grill tonight for baby back ribs.

 

[santafewillie]

Where's the March Coffee Shop?

 

[santafewillie]

Had to do some searching, but I finally found the new place. Coffee's on and hot.
Running Bear's March 2020 Coffee Shop

 

[santafewillie]

Good Morning All. Clear and 42° out there. 74° and clear inside. Most likely the ground is too soft for mowing today even though it needs it. Really don't want to leave tractor tracks all over the place; maybe by Sunday. Couldn't find any hand sanitizer at any of the stores that I visited yesterday, thankfully we don't really need it yet. I also didn't see anyone wearing masks or gloves at any of the five businesses that I went to. Not concerned about me, but my wife has to deal with the public every day. Interestingly, when I went to the doctor's office Monday, none of them were wearing masks either.

That sausage gravy and biscuits that Karl has sure looks good, go ahead and bring me a platter as well, Flo.

Thanks for the many likes and comments regarding yesterday's posts/pictures; Jerome, Patrick, Mikey, Sherrel, Karl, Bill, Johnny, Ken, Justin, Phil, Tom, Joe.

Finally made it out to the train shed late yesterday afternoon. I selected an unfinished spot on the layout to enhance the scenery. You may remember the casket manufacturer that I made as a backdrop industry last summer.

I managed to paint the parking area and ballast the spur and the switching lead in the foreground. I also added some "Bob Ross" trees to the backdrop. Someday I will figure out clouds, but until then it's clear skies all over the layout.

Today I start some ground foam, bushes and saplings. Any suggestions for the area between the two tracks?
To keep busy while glue was setting up, over on the workbench I added a sidewalk to a Smalltown structure that has been waiting for the public works department to get it together.

Like DPM structures, these kits don't have sidewalks included. I have several more of these to do when I need something to fill in my time. Later today, I'll add .040" styrene strips as a foundation under the remainder of the building and paint everything concrete.

Ken - Sorry to read about the uncertainty in regards to your wife's employer's health. Be optimistic. In your area, there's got to be another doctor that is willing/able to become a partner. If otherwise, even at 60 years old, doctors are in heavy demand. At least around here they are. Especially at urgent care centers, although I have absolutely no idea how well they pay in relation to the rest of the industry.
Mikey - That MSE boxcar is an Athearn Blue Box car.
Karl -

Willie, Your MSE car, are they graffiti wheels on the side , or boobs,,,Sherrel wanted to know but was afraid to ask.

They might just be owl eyes!

Everybody have an awesome day.

 

[santafewillie]

Beady .. I had an Aunt who finally went at 103. She was probably the most religious person that I have known - firmly believed in an afterlife - and she was afraid of dying! I never could understand that!

Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.

 

[santafewillie]

No, not those. I can see it's got you all cornered. #4313 as a clue
View attachment 45578

It's the number of steps.

 

[santafewillie]

Now they're saying we should wear masks even if we're not sick.

Here's some for you Beady.

 

[santafewillie]

Good Morning Everyone. 63° and cloudy in the neighborhood, with just enough light sprinkles to get things wet again today. Temperature will drop the rest of the day when the wind shifts from the north. Then a couple of cooler days until we hit the 80's again Tuesday. On again, off again light rain until then.
Ground warmed up enough for me to plant the green beans in the garden yesterday. Meanwhile the grocery/beer trek went well yesterday. I got everything that was on my list, barely in one case. First stop in the store when I got there was the eggs and I got the limit of two-18 packs immediately. When I passed by again about fifteen minutes later the shelves were empty, 12 packs, brown eggs, organic free range ones and the 18 packs, all gone! Just for grins, I looked at the empty TP aisle but that wasn't on the list. Canned goods were sparse, but there seemed to be some of everything, again they weren't on my list, except enchilada sauce. No crowds, about 25% of the employees were wearing masks and they had the plexiglass guards in place. But they had no checkers! I can use the self-checkout, in fact I normally bag my own even when I have a checker. But there was no wiggle room, no where to put the bagged stuff while I emptied the cart. A bit of juggling was necessary. I am good for another two weeks now. Of course my wife called me from home just as I was about done with the shopping part, and asked for something at the complete other end of the store, so I had to double back with a full cart (and the inevitable bad wheel) to get it. Home Depot was another story. Lots of people. I had to go for just one item, I broke my shovel Tuesday and needed another one right away. Like Kroger, half of the self-checkout registers were closed to promote social distancing.

Just a handful of bacon and some French Toast this morning Flo, I need to watch my figure.

Thanks for the likes and comments yesterday regarding the non-progress photos; Patrick, Jerome, Sherrel, Karl, Garry, Phil, James, Greg, Guy, Curt, Justin, Tom, Chet, Hughie, Mikey, Ken, Mike. And a thanks to those who liked the face masks..

Only had a little time in the train shed yesterday, I eyeballed that patch on the roof of the building. It doesn't look as bad to the human eye as it does on camera, so I am leaving it alone for now. Thanks to all for the suggestions though. Regarding the porch height, here's what I came up with.

I simply put a .080" foundation under it and painted it concrete. Next time I will cut two .040" sheets of styrene instead of the .080" because I only have a single-edge razor blade. It took a while to cut it with repeated light cuts. That brings up two more issues that I need to resolve. There's no back railing so I will have to fabricate one; there's extra stripwood in the kit to enable me to do that. Secondly, the porch will interfere with the stairway supports if I put it on the side of the structure. I had already considered trimming the rafters on the back side (as Joe suggested) so it would fit there, so I will look at that further. Meanwhile today I will start adding the diagonal bracing to the porch legs and doing other enhancements to the railings.
If you remember the original pictures that I posted, you may remember that there is a ramp from the double doors on what is now the right side of the building. I just don't think that it looks right to me. Maybe it's just a New England thing, but I am going for a proper loading dock instead.

I have plenty of stripwood available to make the supports. What do you think?

Karl -

I am now jealous of retired people, sleeping til 8 and not knowing what day of the week it is

While my body still wakes up at between 4 and 4:30, I do lose track of the days easily. I have to check in with Bill Gates in the bottom right corner of the computer screen to be sure!
Curt - Is that just your modeling area, or is it the train room as well? Looks too clean and organized right now.
Beady - Good to read that the extraction went well.
George - I don't understand closing golf courses where they are closing them. It seems to be really easy to maintain social distancing there. Maybe just close the clubhouse and deliver the drinks. My SIL's country club has a special bar cart that will deliver when you call on your cell phone! It's pretty fancy.
Hughie - You're just a bit ahead of me with the mowing. I didn't start this year until February. Regardless, it still beats shoveling snow.
Karl - Very nice work on the covered hopper.
Alan - Nice job on the flatcar.
Bill - Lots of luck with that puzzle. It sure looks like a good one to me.

Everybody have a great day.

 

[santafewillie]

I’ve seen videos of wimmin making COVID masks from OTSBHs.

Haven't seen OTSBH in 40 years or more. You're too young to be using that acronym.

 

[santafewillie]

Would the Rapido 36" code 110 metal wheels be a good choice to run on my code 100 Peco track?

Guy - 36" wheels would not be appropriate for the era of those freight car. Use 33". For the most part 36" wheels were only used for passenger equipment at the time. Eventually after 1980 or so they began to be used on higher capacity freight cars, 100 ton and above, beginning with covered hoppers and tankers. It actually had more to do with the size of the wheel bearing for cars of that capacity.

 

[santafewillie]

How young do you think I am?

50! I thought that only us old farts used that phrase!

 

[santafewillie]

Good Morning Guys. 39° and cloudy. Got a lot cooler than the forecasters had predicted. While the wind from the north should gradually die down today, it most likely won't go above 50° until tomorrow. 80° by Tuesday, quite the roller coaster. Had to start a fire in the wood burning stove around noon yesterday; I was hoping that I was done for the season.
The self-imposed quarantine is still ongoing with the exception of the grocery store visit Thursday. My wife is getting itchy and will most likely go back to work Sunday and do some tax returns that have been languishing in her desk drawer for three weeks. Her clients won't let anyone else do them, nor is anyone else in her office qualified to do them. Management is making some accommodations for her since they need the $$$. Without her lucrative returns, their business is off almost 40%. At this point there have been NO Covid-19 cases reported for our county residents. Two persons tested positive about ten days ago at a nursing home east of Gainesville TX, both employees, but they don't live in our county so the state health department doesn't count them in our county. Unless mandated by corporate policy, most businesses (restaurants and bars excepted) have not shut down here. A few miles south in a different county they have shut down most businesses. Denton TX is a ghost town since they closed down the two colleges (UNT & TWU) and sent 40,000 students home.

Eggs over easy and sausage patties for me this morning Flo. And a toasted English Muffin to follow it down with.

Thanks for all of the likes and comments yesterday regarding the building progress pictures; Patrick, Guy Tom, Mike, Karl, Phil, James, Garry, Chet, Mikey, Sherrel, Johnny, Chad, Curt, Bob, Hughie, BBob, Joe. I'll keep them coming.

A somewhat busy day in the train shed yesterday. Did some trimming of rafters above and support legs below and I got that covered stairwell attached to the building.

I also added the diagonal bracing to the porch supports and scratchbuilt the missing back railing.

I still have some enhancing to do to the railing as well as painting the rough areas.
While all of that occupied the workbench, I made the roadway along the spur that will be used to get to the elevator. Here it is with the Bar Mills structure in place.

Today I will start on the handrail for the stairs to the porch and the loading dock to the right. I also have a few detail parts to add to the structure that went into the paint shop yesterday afternoon.
Note the unfinished scenic divider to the left. Now that I know its exact placement, I can cut the final section to fit. It was salvaged from my previous layout.
Stay tuned. Next week I will resume my quarterly layout cleaning project with the next section. Y'all seemed to like the tour in January for the first section, so I will attempt to resume where I left off. For those that are new to the Coffee Shop, I have my layout divided into eight roughly equal sections. At the beginning of each yearly quarter, I start a different section. I visually inspect all surfaces and clean and vacuum everything. I remove structures and vehicles and clean/repair/upgrade them over on the workbench before re-placing them on the layout. It's a two year cycle since the layout is too large for me to want to do the entire thing all at once. As in January. I will take pictures as I go along, both finished and unfinished areas. I had requests in the past for a layout tour and this works for me. It takes a week to ten days since I am stopping to take and post pictures along the way.

Guy - Thanks for the compliment. Regarding the garden, it is my other main hobby. Been doing it for nearly 50 years. Yes it is early, but it is actually a few days later this year than normal. The season ends in late-June due to the heat, and resumes in mid-September if I plant a fall garden. I'm usually still picking some produce in late November. All that grows here from late-June until mid-September are sweet potatoes, okra and peanuts. I can pick the okra during that time, but the other two are usually harvested in late October. Anything grown during the summer requires weekly irrigation.
I can see why no one uses that pedestrian bridge. Way too many stairs for me!
Greg - Those signals/turnouts sure have been keeping you busy lately. Good Luck.
Bob - Glad to read that you and your family are all right after the storm. Too bad about having to purchase another generator though.
Joe - Stay safe up there. Never thought about that ramp being for wagons. I'm going for a loading dock, just thinking about the size.
Haven't had to use that Telehealth thingie yet. As impersonal as it sounds, it might beat the heck out of sitting in a waiting room full of sick people, which I hate even with no pandemic.
Sherrel - Bricked footings was a thought, but ultimately the concrete pad was easier despite being tedious.
I have a buddy who always purchases his TP in 100 roll packs at Sam's Club. When his wife was making the list in early February, she mistook the package in their storeroom for paper towels, so they got another 100 roll pack. They now have over 200 rolls!
Ken - That sucks that you don't have the test results yet. I continue to wish you and your wife well.
Tom - I use Firefox and I don't have any issue with logging in. It may be just a browser setting. Terry will figure it out.

Everybody have a great day and an awesome weekend. It is the weekend isn't it? A misnomer at best, only Saturday is the weekend; according to the calendar, Sunday is the week beginning.

 

[santafewillie]

Good Morning All. Cloudy and 44° in this part of the world. Never saw the sun yesterday; only .02" at best in the rain gauge, akin to a heavy dew! Mostly cloudy for the next week, but the winds will start to come from the south around noon today and gradually warm things up. Supposed to get into the mid-80's by Tuesday

How about a couple of breakfast burritos this morning Francine. Sausage, egg, hash-browns and cheese with a bowl full of hot salsa on the side.

Thanks for the kind comments and likes regarding my project progress yesterday; Phil, Guy, Tom, Bob, Greg, Sherrel, Joe, Ken, Curt, Karl, Justin, Jerome, Johnny, Garry, Paul.

Didn't get everything accomplished in the train shed yesterday that I set out to do. I was able to get a few details added to the structure, but the rest of the railings gave me a hard time.

That little short section came apart while I was installing it and I had to do it over. Minimal glue points. I was able to build and complete the loading dock pictured above. I need to add some bracing next.
Meanwhile over in the scene itself, I added the incoming drive, propane tank and some ground foam to the end of the road. Still more detailing to be done there.

Contemplating on how I am going to get that gravel road to look more like it's going around the back of the elevator. I'll be partly masking it with some small trees.

Beady - We have had great luck repelling ants with Peppermint oil. Mix some with water and spray around baseboards and doors. The oil itself is toxic to cats, so keep kitty isolated in another room for a few hours until the mixture dries. It seems to be good for a few weeks in our home. Outside, pour boiling water on the mounds. Both beat the heck out of poisons which can harm everyone.
Bob - The stay at home orders in Texas are left to the discretion of individual counties. Social distancing seems to be working very well in less populated counties like ours, nonetheless we're also putting the odds in our favor. I haven't been to Dallas or Ft Worth lately, so I cannot observe social distancing in the population centers.
Chad - My pastor warned me about those foreign language films years ago!
Hughie -Very nice layout photos.
Ken - Great news regarding your wife's test.
Ray -

there are (or were) ex Sante Fe locos in BNSF's roster that must always remain in that blue and yellow scheme as part of either their lease or purchase.

The only ATSF locos that this applies to are the GP60's. GP60M's and GP60B's are not part of that lease agreement, nor are any other models. Those diesels pictured are all GP39-2's. If a RR chose to keep them in that scheme it's because it's the best one around.

Today is Palm Sunday, only one more week until Easter Sunday. Trivia - What happens to all of those palm fronds that are distributed in Catholic churches today? Most people return them later and they are burned and the ashes are then used on Ash Wednesday the following year.

Everyone have a great day.

 

[santafewillie]

GREG - You really know how to get my goat -- $2.86 cheapest here at Sam's Club.

Then you also don't want to know that with my Kroger gas discount of $0.50/gal, I got it for $0.49 last week. Many places are at $0.99/gal right now, but I expect it to go up soon. If I had more points, they would have to pay me to pump!

 

[santafewillie]

Good Morning All. 59° and cloudy skies; should reach 75° later today, 85° tomorrow.

Thanks for the likes yesterday regarding the progress; Tom, Bob, Joe, Karl, Sherrel, Phil, Jerome, Chet, Paul, James, Chad, Curt, Ken, George, Patrick.

Out in the train shed, for the most part, the structure is now complete except the stair railing.

Here it is in its incomplete setting. Parking area will be added today. Still looking in the sign stash for the appropriate signage.

I'll weather it and give it a shot of dull coat in the next few days.

Tom -

My wife makes crosses out of them.

One of my neighbors when I was growing up, wove some very intricate crosses out of the palm fronds. The church would display them in the vestibule on Easter. She tried to teach me, but I didn't learn.
Terry - Nice backyard. Very pastoral. I remember you posting about the cellar a few years ago, maybe it was originally a dungeon.

Allegedly the owners have reconsidered their decision to not pay us,

Must have something to do with the government "forgivable loan" program.
Curt -

then finished up the truck coal dump

Pictures?
Joe - That's a lot of cases of Covid-19 in your township. I understand your family's precautionary attitude. We're extremely blessed here that there is very little in our area. To the south in Denton, there are 50 cases at the State School, a living center for youngsters with extreme mental issues, which skews the statistics somewhat. There are 266 cases in the whole county with 67 recoveries. Most of those cases are in the southern portion of the county, neighboring Dallas County. Our county (Cooke) is still reporting 0 cases thankfully.
https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2020/04/02/coronavirus-in-texas-a-look-at-3-counties-still-in-the-clear/

Time to go now. Everybody have a great day.

 

[santafewillie]

Good Morning All. Mostly cloudy and 67°, with some low fog. We anticipate a high today of 87°, a bit higher than originally forecast, tomorrow we expect 91°, Thursday 63°. Don't pack the jeans away for the summer yet Willie!
Weather yesterday was perfect. I spent about an hour shredding accumulated tree prunings to use as compost and mulch. The pile is still rather large. All but one of the eight tree saplings that I dug up and transplanted last month are doing well. I just don't understand why that squirrel doesn't bury its acorns where I need them! The weedeater also got a good workout. Wildflowers are in bloom all along the easement road up to my neighbors' homes. I should remember to take another picture of the wheat field across the road just to irritate you northerners.
Garden is still coming along nicely. The tomato plants that I set out a week ago have doubled in size; should pick more spinach in a day or so, with lettuce by the weekend. I should also pick radishes (an quick easy crop) early next week. I do regret not planting green peas this year as the weather has been perfect, but with my wife on that low-carb Keto diet, I would be eating them alone.

Scrambled eggs, hash-browns, bacon and French toast for me over here this morning Flo.

Thanks again for all of the likes and comments regarding my progress pictures yesterday; Patrick, Chet, Guy, Sherrel, Jerome, Karl, Greg, Garry, Bob, Mikey, Paul, Joe, Phil, Curt, Tom, Ken.

Limited action in the train shed yesterday. I did get the driveway/parking area and some ground foam done around the site of the new structure, but the picture didn't happen. Or I just forgot to take one! I did take the first look at the next project, layout cleaning of the next section. Here's where I am to begin.

This is where I left off in January after the first section. This is my deepest reach in part of the layout. I can however reach everything without crushing trees in front. All structures are removable. Most of the section that I am about to start is only partially complete.
Next to that to the left is the beginning of a business district.

Excuse the temporary cable to the overhead (under top level) lighting.

I'll get into more detail as I start the cleaning process.

Guy - No the goose-neck lights are just static. Yes the Woodland Scenics products are quite pricey but Greg likes them so they must have some merit. And even though I have lights installed in many structures, I don't run trains with the overhead lights turned out, so they cannot be seen anyway!
Greg - Sorry to read about your BIL's condition. Thoughts and prayers for him and his family.
Karl - Thanks. Re-engineering Bar Mills kits is just a fact of life, sometimes of my own doing, sometimes because of their haste in marketing them. It's usually nothing that I can't handle.
You're coming along nicely on that boxcar.
Mikey - I have been considering stairs on the far side of the loading dock, but just haven't made up my mind. They will fit and I have some of the Walther's stairs that I could cut and fit. Right now access is by door only.
Joe -

Low numbers are good, but just be cautious. The plague just sneaks upon ya.

Exactly why we are being very cautious. Being where we live, there's not much social interaction unless we choose to leave to participate. We are only going to the grocery store and pharmacy, plus once a week I go to pick up some great Italian food at the local "Ristorante". They are only letting one customer into the place at a time to pay and pick up. If they are busy, you pay, go back out and they bring it to your car. Wife did go into the office Sunday to prepare tax returns that were dropped off, and the only other employee was over 25' away. Her office is taking some steps to mitigate customer contact as much as possible, so she might return more often. She is going in on Easter Sunday when the office is closed to do more drop-off returns.
That's horrible info regarding the EMS responders.

Ah yes! April 7 is National Beer Day. Have a couple if you indulge and drink responsibly.
Everybody have a great day. Got to remember to hit "Post Reply" when I am actually done instead of hours later!