Running Bear's October 2024 Coffee Shop


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Good morning gang.

43° under sunny skies, looking for a high of 73° later.

Got the deck painted and sealed yesterday. We went to Home Depot last night and picked up three arborvitae to plant alongside the deck. I have to plant them today and trim to other evergreens. It’s also time to cut back the lilies and the cone flower plants. NASCAR from Las Vegas later. Busy Sunday.

BBL
 
Good Morning All. Partly cloudy and 58° here at home sweet home. Supposed to be a cool day here with the high around 80°, OK, cool for us at this time of year. Mid to upper 80's upcoming.

It was great to sleep in my own bed last night, as well as being in a place where the windows open. Today we will continue unpacking, already did a load of laundry; and generally unwinding. After lunch we'll take the rental car to the closest Enterprise place, it's not costing us anything but I just don't want it on the to do list any longer. I have some plumbing to do this morning, as some crud of some kind built up in the water supply while I had it turned off while we were gone. The flow meter in the tankless water heater is working intermittently and a couple of faucet strainers need a quick rinse also. Train shed and all occupants seem to have survived without me for over a week, and I look forward to a return.

Regarding our unfortunate auto mishap, The other guys insurance company offered me a check for $500 for the pain and swelling in my left hand. I have temporarily declined even though it is almost back to normal. The offer is still good for 90 days if I understood the lady correctly. Taking my wife to our primary care doctor on Monday to have her checked out. She has either bruised or cracked ribs. She thinks they're just bruised, but we want to be positive. His insurance company, USAA, has accepted all liability and they say that they want us to be fully satisfied. Still up in the air is the appraisal of the car. The fellow at the towing company believes that it will be totaled based on his experience, although he is not the one making that decision. As I posted last week, if they repair it, I have to go back to Alabama to retrieve it. We need to sort through all of the various E-Mails and text messages from all of the insurance companies, car rental places, police accident reports and the Uber records to see what we will finally make claims on through our insurance company. Both Progressive and USAA have been very helpful up to now. But neither has mentioned the third person whose car we were launched into. I think that we are lucky that no serious injuries have appeared.

Tom O - Re: Dallas traffic. Yes it has gotten really bad in the last couple of years. Several different things contribute to it. First is the distracted driving aspect, way too many people texting and driving at the same time. Second is the layout, there are 4 major Interstate highways through there, IH20, IH30, IH35E, and IH45. Three of them (IH30, IH35E and IH45) all come together in downtown at the "Mixmaster". It's a huge clusterf**k. Those have always been a problem. Then there are construction issues on IH635. While there are still the same number of lanes open, people still freak out. The latest contributor is the illegal immigrants who can't read English and have never driven on anything more than a single lane dirt road. Driving over 20 mph is just not an ability that they have mastered yet. There are ways to avoid most of the real problem spots if one is familiar with the area, but even then, a single car accident throws the whole thing into a mess. Timing and destination are also a considerations. When going south, I always use IH35W through Ft Worth and make good use of the express lanes. Although it pisses me off that they use surge pricing to gouge drivers on all of the express lanes in the area. Coming home yesterday, I used the George H Bush tollway around the north side. Although 10 miles longer, the tolls are fixed and it is quicker for the direction that I was traveling.
Yes the bars in Ft Worth around the Stockyards are crazy, but so are many, many others there. I could tell some stories from my younger days.
Ken - EV's may work for you in your part of the country, but they are "iffy" here in most of Texas outside of major cities. Even then, there are charging issues. My SIL sometimes experiences a 30 minute wait for a 20 minute charge. He and the one other owner also complain about tire wear since the vehicles are so heavy. I have read that the truck is a real problem there. YMMV I've offered to install a level 2 charger in his garage, but he hasn't sprung for the cost yet.
Patrick - Our local to us fried chicken place, it's called Chicken Express; is just the opposite. Order the 15 piece meal and you almost always get 17 whole pieces.
Mike - You're right about the youth of today figuring change. And that seems to include anyone under the age of 30. They get out their phones to do the figuring for them.
Louis -

Is that why they're using mules in Western North Carolina???;)
John - Prayers from me for your wife Joan and her upcoming medical plans. I'm sure that everything will work out for the best.

Everyone have a great Saturday.
I can guarantee your car is totalled, the basic unibody is smashed and that's a safety thing. If they try to "duck tape" that, i'd question their validity as appraisers. I've had a similar damage done to my vehicle years ago, but i was out of the car at the time: snowing and i pulled over to the side to help out a minivan out if the ditch. I heard a loud crash behind me and a girl lost controll of her vehicle and smashed into mine. I too was able to drive avay, but when the girls insurance appraisal person showed up to inspect my car, he declared it totalled- same issue; the unibody sustained damage.
 
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Regarding our unfortunate auto mishap, The other guys insurance company offered me a check for $500 for the pain and swelling in my left hand. I have temporarily declined even though it is almost back to normal. The offer is still good for 90 days if I understood the lady correctly. Taking my wife to our primary care doctor on Monday to have her checked out. She has either bruised or cracked ribs. She thinks they're just bruised, but we want to be positive. His insurance company, USAA, has accepted all liability and they say that they want us to be fully satisfied. Still up in the air is the appraisal of the car. The fellow at the towing company believes that it will be totaled based on his experience, although he is not the one making that decision. As I posted last week, if they repair it, I have to go back to Alabama to retrieve it. We need to sort through all of the various E-Mails and text messages from all of the insurance companies, car rental places, police accident reports and the Uber records to see what we will finally make claims on through our insurance company. Both Progressive and USAA have been very helpful up to now. But neither has mentioned the third person whose car we were launched into. I think that we are lucky that no serious injuries have appeared.
Willie: Do not sign anything without consulting with your Atty and insurance company 1st. Hopefully pain and swelling in your hand will go away, as the pain and healing of the cracked/bruised ribs. Medical stuff has a way of waiting before bad/more stuff starts to show up and if you have signed it away, you will pay the freight. Better off waiting than to have a measly $500 that might get you into the doc's office for one visit with tests. I will bet they up the ante sooner or later. They did not offer anything for your wife? Hmmmm. Your Atty should be able to get you some pain and suffering $$$ and have any future medical issues put aside, if it is needed. I don't think you are the type to go for 'that big law suit', but having reasonable compensation is totally justified.

Just saying.

Later
 
Good morning all!

Going to be a beautiful day in the north. Temps are supposed to hit 80 today and tomorrow before doing the plunge again mid week.

Yesterday, wife and I got all the laundry, grocery shopping, and running done. Kind of a divide and conquer thing. There's really no plans for today so to speak. I was thinking of spending part of it in the basement contemplating my next layout move. Do I stay working in the area I have base scenery in, or move to the coal mine area and start to figure that out. I do know a unit train will be running!

Have a great Sunday everyone!
 
Good Morning All. Clear and 51° here in North Central Texas. Still a bit cool, but up into the lower 90's by Tuesday. Still no rain in the forecast. Last rain here was that 1" overnight shower on Sept 22, prior to that was July 21. Can you say drought??? I think that Tom O has been hogging all of the rain up in Wisconsin.

Things didn't go exactly as planned yesterday. We didn't take the rental car back because the tankless water heater problem was more than a clogged flow meter. After a few choice words and some extra labor, an additional problem was discovered. I had a busted heating element inside one of the heating tubes. It had to be removed and replaced; fortunately I had a used spare. But the whole ordeal took longer than planned and I just didn't feel like messing with the rental afterward. I still haven't figured out why this one busted, as everything worked fine before we left. Just to be sure, I ordered 2 new ones, just $14@. Last new one that I ordered a few years ago, arrived less than 24 hours after placing the order with the river company. Now that I have a safety net in place, I'll probably never need one again.
Another load of laundry today and then putting the luggage away. Looking forward to a pretty normal day here. I won't resume yard chores until tomorrow. Leaves are falling, mostly from drought, not because of fall yet.

I only briefly visited the train shed yesterday. I ran a couple off trains from south staging to north staging just to wake up all of the townspeople. All seems to be running fine.
I haven't had time to sort through all of the rest of the pictures from the Traintastic museum yet, but I will get to it soon.


Troy -
Unless there is a change of ownership, it won't be Tesla. I admire what the company set out to do. I don't trust the erratic monkey calling the shots.
Aw, come on Troy. That's like saying you're moving to Canada if someone you don't like is elected President. Hmmh! How did that work out for all of those celebrities in 2016??? Heck! Even AOC owns a Tesla despite the fact that she despises Mr. Musk.
Terry -
it should be a congested trip trying to drive with all the confused Disney travelers.
They would be really confused if they're driving around Tampa looking for the Magic Kingdom!
John -
My niece owns the Cocky Rooster Bar in Comfort, Texas...only bar in town, so by default, it's the best bar in town. Stop by and tell her that her uncle in Indiana sent you
I'll have to remember that. We visit Fredericksburg occasionally and then pass through Comfort on the way to visit our son in San Antonio.
Karl -
That’s like asking me if I want to die by tank fire or by mortar fire. The result is the same.
I agree there, neither candidate is especially likeable. I just have to ask myself if I was better off 4 years ago.
Troy again - While I have absolutely no interest in those gaming figures at all, I have to admire those pictures that you posted yesterday. Did you paint them?

Chili - I am in the no-beans in my Chili side of things. Competitive Chili Cook-Off rules in Texas forbid the use of any solids other than meat. Onion and Garlic must be in the form of powder. I use the real veggies myself. Beans are OK if you like them, but that Hamburger Helper looking stuff pictured last month with the pasta is not real Chili!

Birthday's today include the late Tom Petty (74), the late great Mickey Mantle (93) and the currently alive Kamela Harris (60).

Everyone have a wonderful Sunday wherever you are.
 
As for electric cars, I'd love to get one, but it's not in the budget right now. Unless there is a change of ownership, it won't be Tesla. I admire what the company set out to do. I don't trust the erratic monkey calling the shots.
I love my internal combustion Chevy Equinox! If I needed another car, I would buy one just like it if they still make it.

I would consider an electric Equinox, or another electric vehicle from Chevy. I got nothing against Tesla, Chevy has been good to me for the last twenty+ years.

As for Musk, the guy is weird. I think he has been mixing some synthetic stuff into his pipe.
 
Good morning, Everybody!

It's hotdog Sunday! Nothing goes better when watching a ball game. Who am I kidding, nothing is better than hotdogs, any day! A ball game is just an excuse to ask my wife if we can have hotdogs.

Football and baseball today, life is good. Now if only I can stay awake.

Have an enjoyable day Everybody!
 
Good morning, Everybody!

It's hotdog Sunday! Nothing goes better when watching a ball game. Who am I kidding, nothing is better than hotdogs, any day! A ball game is just an excuse to ask my wife if we can have hotdogs.

Football and baseball today, life is good. Now if only I can stay awake.

Have an enjoyable day Everybody!
Sounds like you have the perfect Sunday planned!

Enjoy the rest and relaxation!
 
Here's a cool picture of an Alco S-3 owned by Ford Motor Co
 

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Good Morning All. Clear and 51° here in North Central Texas. Still a bit cool, but up into the lower 90's by Tuesday. Still no rain in the forecast. Last rain here was that 1" overnight shower on Sept 22, prior to that was July 21. Can you say drought??? I think that Tom O has been hogging all of the rain up in Wisconsin.

Things didn't go exactly as planned yesterday. We didn't take the rental car back because the tankless water heater problem was more than a clogged flow meter. After a few choice words and some extra labor, an additional problem was discovered. I had a busted heating element inside one of the heating tubes. It had to be removed and replaced; fortunately I had a used spare. But the whole ordeal took longer than planned and I just didn't feel like messing with the rental afterward. I still haven't figured out why this one busted, as everything worked fine before we left. Just to be sure, I ordered 2 new ones, just $14@. Last new one that I ordered a few years ago, arrived less than 24 hours after placing the order with the river company. Now that I have a safety net in place, I'll probably never need one again.
Another load of laundry today and then putting the luggage away. Looking forward to a pretty normal day here. I won't resume yard chores until tomorrow. Leaves are falling, mostly from drought, not because of fall yet.

I only briefly visited the train shed yesterday. I ran a couple off trains from south staging to north staging just to wake up all of the townspeople. All seems to be running fine.
I haven't had time to sort through all of the rest of the pictures from the Traintastic museum yet, but I will get to it soon.


Troy -

Aw, come on Troy. That's like saying you're moving to Canada if someone you don't like is elected President. Hmmh! How did that work out for all of those celebrities in 2016??? Heck! Even AOC owns a Tesla despite the fact that she despises Mr. Musk.
Terry -

They would be really confused if they're driving around Tampa looking for the Magic Kingdom!
John -

I'll have to remember that. We visit Fredericksburg occasionally and then pass through Comfort on the way to visit our son in San Antonio.
Karl -

I agree there, neither candidate is especially likeable. I just have to ask myself if I was better off 4 years ago.
Troy again - While I have absolutely no interest in those gaming figures at all, I have to admire those pictures that you posted yesterday. Did you paint them?

Chili - I am in the no-beans in my Chili side of things. Competitive Chili Cook-Off rules in Texas forbid the use of any solids other than meat. Onion and Garlic must be in the form of powder. I use the real veggies myself. Beans are OK if you like them, but that Hamburger Helper looking stuff pictured last month with the pasta is not real Chili!

Birthday's today include the late Tom Petty (74), the late great Mickey Mantle (93) and the currently alive Kamela Harris (60).

Everyone have a wonderful Sunday wherever you are.
Disney World is between where I live and where my stuff was.
 
Morning all,

Hallmark Movies once again. She likes them so I go into the other room. They're just not my cup of tea, but give me a Marvel, Star Wars, Star Trek...etc. (stupid movie) and I can stay and watch all day. Still waiting for Deadpool and Wolverine to come to Disney+.

Louis: You asked why we don't find a way to make coal gas like the Germans did in the 30's. It's more expensive. Natural gas needs no real processing and oil needs less processing to make gas than does coal. It's the cost that's killing coal right now. It's also the type of coal that is being used.
 
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