Running Bear's July 2022 Coffee Shop


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Afternoon,

Kind of disappointed with my local Kroger affiliated store (Dillons). More the small town I live in. Kroger has 2 pounds of catfish or cod on sale. Local store doesn't have the cod because it doesn't sell, but they sell a ton of catfish. I think catfish is a greasy, fatty fish only decent for fish fry, which can't be used with the diet we're starting. So I went 12 miles one way to their marketplace to get some, along with green bananas, and salad mixed greens which the local store was out of.

Oh well, BLT's after church in a bit...got tomatoes at the local farmers market this morning.
 
Good evening. It's cloudy and 68.
I've been keeping to myself since I returned from my trip to FLA. While I was there, our son made me an offer he hopes I can't refuse. I'm not sure how I feel about the offer. He is concerned about me living by myself so far away from any family, and therein lies the offer.
He has a very large 5th wheel rv, and he offered it to me if I want to come back to Florida. I would have to pay lot rent and utilities on it. Those things would be roughly what I pay here for the 3 bedroom house. For an RV in a park. Granted, it is a very LARGE RV, but still, much smaller than the house. I was offered a job at two places I went while there, and from what I saw and was told, jobs aren't an issue. Pay should be more, plus Florida doesn't have state income tax or personal property tax on vehicles, which NC has both.
It is hotter and more humid than where I am now, and I was struggling in the heat and humidity here this past week. There is exponentially more traffic and people there, and the drivers are almost all distracted, poor drivers, or both. Fuel prices are roughly the same, within a nickle per gallon. I'm not sure about food, the few items I purchased were significantly more money than here. Florida does not have sales tax on most food, NC has sales tax, at varying rates, for everything.
Hurricanes are a thing in Florida, ice storms are a thing in NC.
I guess it comes down to whether I could live in the significantly smaller space, with neighbors much closer than they are here, and what they would get up to nights and weekends. I could probably get noise canceling headphones, as long as some yahoo doesn't accidentally set fire to the place.
Does anybody else see anything I'm missing? i did live in Florida for 25 years, so it isn't a completely foreign land to me.
 
bnsf971 said:
Good evening. It's cloudy and 68.
I've been keeping to myself since I returned from my trip to FLA. While I was there, our son made me an offer he hopes I can't refuse. I'm not sure how I feel about the offer. He is concerned about me living by myself so far away from any family, and therein lies the offer.
He has a very large 5th wheel rv, and he offered it to me if I want to come back to Florida. I would have to pay lot rent and utilities on it. Those things would be roughly what I pay here for the 3 bedroom house. For an RV in a park. Granted, it is a very LARGE RV, but still, much smaller than the house. I was offered a job at two places I went while there, and from what I saw and was told, jobs aren't an issue. Pay should be more, plus Florida doesn't have state income tax or personal property tax on vehicles, which NC has both.
It is hotter and more humid than where I am now, and I was struggling in the heat and humidity here this past week. There is exponentially more traffic and people there, and the drivers are almost all distracted, poor drivers, or both. Fuel prices are roughly the same, within a nickle per gallon. I'm not sure about food, the few items I purchased were significantly more money than here. Florida does not have sales tax on most food, NC has sales tax, at varying rates, for everything.
Hurricanes are a thing in Florida, ice storms are a thing in NC.
I guess it comes down to whether I could live in the significantly smaller space, with neighbors much closer than they are here, and what they would get up to nights and weekends. I could probably get noise canceling headphones, as long as some yahoo doesn't accidentally set fire to the place.
Does anybody else see anything I'm missing? i did live in Florida for 25 years, so it isn't a completely foreign land to me.
Click to expand...
Not to be nosy, but how old are you?
 
roofintrash said:
Not to be nosy, but how old are you?
Click to expand...
284128418_5223651654380129_4824062050629686320_n.jpg
 
I don't even like Florida to visit for a short time. An RV park there is basically the end of the road for the owners. They sold all they have, intending to travel America in their twilite years but ran out of money and interest. Cheapest place to live. Many hope to hit the jackpot with get rich quick schemes that never pan out. They become the pariah on other people for support.
When the fire department gets a call for RV park fire, their response is to stop the fire in adjacent RVs which still end up lost.
You don't want to go to Florida and live in an RV park.
 
Good late afternoon. Been home from Urgent Care for almost 3 hours. A decent 45 minute nap since getting home.

I got the oxygen plug put in my nose, an unbeliveable amount of blood work done, an EKG, then probed and looked at by 3 Specialists. The 3rd doctor walks in and says something to my skinny friend in Indian translated later as “who is this guy.” Turns out that my Endocrinologist in Hawaii on vacation with Terry called him and asked him to look at me. I was unaware until this afternoon my Endocrinologist is also head of the department. Anyhow I am home wearing a heart monitor and a Continous Glucose Monitor.

When I mentioned I had Covid to the 3rd doctor he perked up. Then he tells me, your a diabetic and a recent victim (his words) of Covid. We have had a lot of strange cases with that mixture in the last 3 months. We have no answers for you right now. So the monitors are both for 30 days and when I told him my insurance will not pay for the Continuous Glucose Monitor, he laughed and said they will now. I will now be part of a Covid follow up study. The Heart monitor and my complete Urgent Care visit minus the $100 deductible will also be covered by the study. I then signed a ton of paperwork.

I feel fine but nervous and very tired. My 2 chauffers and shadows are still here but are playing on the golf simulator. What a trio we must look like. Dark, 6’4” Indian and a 5’10” grizzled former NHL player and coach at the UW. Me as per the 3rd doctor, a run down medical mess. The third doctor is coming out at 7PM to join us for dinner out on the deck. I am not allowed to grill tonight but I was allowed to show them the steaks in the freezer. My daughter called from her vacation saying she could come home tonight instead of Monday. I explained about my 2 shadows and thanked her for the request but nope I will be fine.

EDIT. I started this tale before 5pm, it’s almost 6 now. I paused around 5:15 as the son just showed up. So now I have 3 shadows and he’s staying till Terry and Crew come home Thursday. I am happy he’s here. He was picked up at the local airport by the coach’s son who is now joining us for dinner. I was told by 2 of the 3 shadows my bar will see use tonight but not by me!

enjoy your day
 
PNKFLOYD said:
Sherrel- the lady sitting in the next chair is indicating that now is not the time for me to be cheap about the piece of furniture she wants to buy!
Click to expand...
That happened to me not so long ago. Now we have a $3500.00 couch I can't eat or sleep on. It's against the rules.
Suppose I'm lucky that I'm allowed to sit on it. And the passing of gas must be done in a covert nature.
 
Tom: Glad you felling better, and sounds like you have excellent shadows.

Karl: Nice new family member! Kids think I need another dog, but I don't miss cleaning up the yard every week. Also, your kids never got mumps (like my kids neither) due to having the MMR vaccine when they were small.

Rant: Why the heck is the Lawrence Welk show still a thing? 2 hours on PBS from a guy who's been dead 30 years. I thought his show sucked when I was a kid. Wouldn't have thought they were that many old people with money still alive. You can tell there's nothing on TV on a Saturday night.

As wholesome as he was he still let "One Toke Over the Line" get past him, calling it a modern spiritual. Google it... I hate this phone or I'd post the link.
 
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Good evening everyone!

Today was one of those days when things just went right.
I won a coule N scale train lots and picked up the contents around noon today.
Other than tend to the dogs, I spent my day taking inventory.

For $310.80 I got a bunch of Kato unitrack, most of it Double-Track. I lost count at 230 pieces. There are 102 45-degree pieces with 15" and 16.375" radii. There was also a set of plans for a helix with hand written notes.

Also got a complete MRC Prodigy Advance squared system that works perfectly, and a Kato SD80M with DCC & Sound that works perfectly.

Dozens of structures ...

I'll post pics when I can.

I'm stoked
 
Sirfoldalot said:
TROY - can you give me a link to those maps you posted? Is RED good, or bad?
Click to expand...

They're from Purple Air. They use the Purple Air home meters, as well as any local, state, or fed meters in the area. Some are questionable... probably placed in the garage, above a sewer grate, etc. But, when you see trends across several meters in nearby locations, that's a good indicator.

Red is bad. Green is good. Scale moves Green < Yellow < Orange < Red. The higher the number, the worse the particulate count. This was my go-to map for the area. Everyone in LA seems to have an Air Quality meter. Out here in the midwest, not so much. We go yellow to orange more often from pollen than pollution

Real-Time Air Quality Map | PurpleAir

Real time measurement of air quality on a public map. Useful to community scientists or air quality professionals alike, PurpleAir sensors are easy to install, requiring only a power outlet and WiFi.
map.purpleair.com map.purpleair.com
 
And.... wife and I just got back from the occasionally annual Troy and Rick birthday celebration.

That's uncle Rick to me. We've got a lot of duplicate names in our family.

My mother is Carole... my wife is Carol
Sister #1 is named after my father (Ronald > Ronda)
Sister #2 is named after my mother (Carole> Carla)
My mother's brother is Richard, his son is Rick,
My other aunt on that side is Miriam... so she married (2nd time around) a Rick
My daughter is now dating... not a Troy, but a Trae... she's sooooo close to the tradition of marrying a repeat name.
We like him, so we're letting her slide as "close enough" on the name thing

Anyway, uncle Rick turned 75 on the same day I turned older, but younger than him. So they hosted a birthday party for relatives and friends. Got to see a cousin just past the thumbs up from the breast cancer docs... all of the Ricks of various forms and even my mother (my sis brought her)

Three-hour drive to get there... three hours back. Only one semi-political conversation, so I consider that a win. And no one gave me a red hat, so I was happy. ;) 😜 and I had chocolate cake.
 
Terry: About Florida:

My Uncle Richard and his wife (who is a Karen, which is almost a Carole, but not quite), have become 90% Florida residents. They've got a true mobile home (a small one), not just a big RV. But they are loving it. Only spend about two months a summer up in Indiana.

Their grandkids are grown, and great-grandkids area around... but the grandkids look to Rich and Karen as free babysitting, so they hit Florida for all but about two months a year. Grandkids need to learn to be responsible parents, not freeloaders...

They like their community, even if it is low rent. They lived on the "rural" edge of a small city in Indiana, and quickly adapted to close neighbors. Their Indiana home of the last 20+ years is on an acre, along a county road, so they had elbow room, even if not as large as Willie's Texan SkinnyDipping Armadillo Ranch.

I wouldn't say no to moving there, right off the bat. You know what Florida is like weather and tax-wise. The question is, which of your kids do you want to be closest to geographically? Son, daughter, neither? Doesn't matter? (You do have two, right?) If they're in different parts of the country, you can only have one close or neither.

Also, what happens 5 years from now if you stay in your current rental? Owner dies or sells, are you going to have a plan on where to move? Owning your own is one thing, renting, even with long-term intent, is something that is always subject to change on a whim.

Good luck in the decision.
 
Patrick said:
Rant: Why the heck is the Lawrence Welk show still a thing? 2 hours on PBS from a guy who's been dead 30 years. I thought his show sucked when I was a kid. Wouldn't have thought they were that many old people with money still alive. You can tell there's nothing on TV on a Saturday night.
Click to expand...
Patrick: Why is any of this old stuff still on PBS? Because it's cheap. They can't afford new programing, most of the contributions go for Administration...

In Metro NYC, PBS includes 1 TV station owned and operated by the City. WNET, #13 (License to Newark, NJ), plus a kids channel and a Japanese language channel. Then there is WLIW, on the Island, primary channel which replicates much of what WNET, one about food, crafts, and expatriots runnung through Mexico and Europe doing videos. One political subjects, and one for old re-run music and artsy stuff. O the Jersey side we have NJNet, with 3 channels that mainly replicate either WNET, or WHYY in Philadelphia, (licensed in Wilmington, DE). WNJT has four low wattage transmitters, six repeaters, three studios and I cannot receive it most nights on my over the air antenna. WNET, has studios in Newark and NYC, WLIW has a studio in NYC and several on the Island. Then there is a separate transmitter, which broadcasts Native American and First Nation (Canadian) programing plus some really far left wing political stuff, in both NY and PHL markets All of this costs money to operate. No wonder they are always begging for "Memberships".

Most PBS programing was interesting 40 years ago, but since it's still on, it's no longer interesting. Anything good, comes with appeals for money.

Terry: Gotta go along with Troy. I'm not fond of motor homes, so that's a turnoff. A Mobile home, especially with a little ground is something to consider. Another idea, is age restricted rentals - not assisted living - But apartments in the true sense, but restricted to older people. Any of these options is also plausible in NC. Previously, you have mentioned that your Landlord is in his 90s, and his family is considering selling, so your current location is shaky at best. That is something else to consider, along with affordability. Good luck with your decision.

Tom O': Wow, glad you're home and wired for sound. It's better than being hospitalized. Take care...

Karl: She is a lovely addition to your family.

I placed a building shell and some road bed down where the engine terminal is going. I already know that I have to reconsider the overhead traveling crane in the back of the EH. Still have to fit in the sand tower, and fuel pad, water access and lube oil tank.
Stoney Crik take 1.jpg
 
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