Running Bear's December 2024 Coffee Shop

[TLOC]

Good morning from Wisconsin where my 6:30 alarm to wake me for 8am dental appointment just went off at 6:35. Now it’s snoozing! I just double checked and it was set for 6:30 not 6:35! I’ve been up an hour but did the alarm as a just in case.

The weather app says it’s snowing and 31f degrees. I’m not sure where the snow is but it is not in my yard. 35 degrees later. The sister leaves for Pasadena tomorrow. She will meet her daughter at O’Hara in Chicago and fly together to Pasadena. My wife’s childhood and still best friend is supposed to be here this afternoon. The 3 will be travel planning for January into February. Can you say Maui. My sister says this is her last trip here to Wisconsin and if Maui is the choice last trip there. Her Parkinson’s is getting worst and walking with a walker is getting tougher. She’s not giving up she is just becoming more realistic as to what she can do. I’m not going…

After the dentist and a McDonald’s stop for sausage burritos for the girls I will start the finishing touches on a couple diesel locomotives.

Enjoy your day

 

[Patrick]

Morning all,

39° and cloudy, hit a patch of drizzle on my way to the office this morning. High later of 40°. Looking at our first real hit of winter over the weekend. High Sunday of 26° and depending on which weather guesser you follow, we may get up to 6" of snow overnight Saturday and into Sunday. Thank goodness I had the foresight to buy the snow machine with the electric start.

We're going to see the wife's older brother tomorrow. His Parkinson's has advanced to the point that Hospice has him on morphine to help his breathing. Wife's parents both passed due to advance Parkinson's.

Over the weekend we got a scare with mom at the care home. She's responding well to Lasix (until she isn't). Didn't even know she was having issues related to congestive heart disease.

BBL

 

[santafewillie]

Good Morning All. Happy New Year's Eve. Clear and 44° here. Cold front arrived late yesterday and we'll only see upper-50's for a while. They're still predicting cooler weather starting next Monday with highs in the 40's and lows in the upper 20's. Cold for us, but not unusual. I will have to start a fire in the wood burning stove this morning.

Yesterday started off with the usual household duties and an extended "honey do" list. Then it was routine monthly outdoor maintenance like starting all gasoline powered equipment, checking pump motors and stuff like that. It was the last shorts and tee shirt day for the foreseeable future, until late February probably.

Looks like today will start with emptying the dishwasher, miscellaneous laundry catch-ups and get out of the way of the robot vacuum.
Party at home tonight, as we have done for at least the last 35 years. I haven't actually seen midnight since around 2002; unless it was a midnight bathroom break..

Well, it was inevitable, I haven't run trains in over a week, so that's all that I did out in the train shed yesterday. Probably ran nearly a dozen from north staging to south staging on each level. In between, I ran three local switching runs; all on the lower level. I'll get back to project work today, although I don't really have a definitive plan.

James - Good to see you again in the Shop.
Mike - I would recommend that you try lamb. Make sure that it is lamb though, and not mutton. I get legs at Sam's Club; lamb chops can be gotten at my Kroger or Aldi. Prep and cooking is very similar to pork.
Louis - In our house, both growing up and since marriage, lamb is prepared with Rosemary. Mint sauce could be added at the table if you wanted. I no longer use it...spoils the taste of the lamb and Rosemary. I have smoked it on the grill using Cherry wood. BTW I am in the faction that believes in grilling year-round.

No birthday's of note today, except my #3 brother who is 65 today. Dad liked him the best because he was a good tax deduction.
Everyone have a great Tuesday. Be safe tonight.

 

[KriegslokBR52]

Good morning shop dwellers!

We are having a heat wave here in the lower Adirondacks, it is crazy.... it has hit 50° F this morning... we were at 7° this past Saturday!

I will take the heat wave!

I hope everyone had a nice Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate. We are now less than 48 hours to the New Year. I think I am ready for that, start anew once again. I will say there were some good times and some not so good times this past year. Such is life I suppose. The constants that keep me happy and going in no particular order are my family, friends, my health, enjoying my hobbies and waking up the next day knowing it's a new day to live. My personal life is back to the single mingle again. Women my age seem to be quite difficult to navigate with all the baggage lol but I have dipped my toe in the pond of the younger crowd just to see if there is a sensible one lol I have been dating here and there various ladies but I had no interest in drama or large amounts of baggage nor am I interested in being a sugar daddy either. The quest continues.

On the train front, my relocation of my layout from upstairs to downstairs is underway, I will be doing a video/picture progress report soon. I have been recording already my progress. Pretty excited about it, my time has been juggled between that and life, work, and looking after my parents etc. My new job that I started in September has been going quite well. So far so good.

I am looking forward to the weekend in West Springfield, Massachusetts for the "Big E' Amherst Train Show. I will be there for the 2nd time on a 2 day stay. The last 14 years I have only done the 2 days stay once. So, I think this year will be good enough to hit it a 2nd day. One of my buddies will be going with me as well. I have 2 people on my list that I will be meeting and greeting there. Maybe we can grab a lunch or dinner and talk trains? We shall see. I have a few minor things on my list to get but as you all know I always seem to find more than what is on my list I am looking to get another throttle for my Digitrax system so when I have ops session my buddy will be able to run as well.

I want to take a moment and wish everyone a Happy New Year! I will be likely too busy to jump on here until after the celebration of the New Year. So, to all of you, best wishes and health to the New Year!

After my marriage fell appart, and dealing with "strong, independent, empowered females" nonsense, i came to several conclusions; women do not under any circumstances drop their baggage, they carry it ALL to the next relationship. So the more guys she allowed to rearange her insides, the more impossible she will be to deal with. Unfortunately nowadays most have more skeletons in their closets than your typical male, and some have an entire Arlington cemetery. Another thing i learned is; women are just like little children, never satisfied and always testing, it just never stops. It's the older generations who failed to raise proper women and younger generations are dealing with the fallout. I'll be quick to admit that many men are completely useless, lazy bums; my generation is bad, probably close to half don't want to work, younger generations, forget it.
I just stick to my own, go to work, take time for my interests...and on the side chat with females when opportunity comes. As for any relationships, there's not much to choose from these days.

 

[Bruette]

Mint sauce could be added at the table if you wanted. I no longer use it...spoils the taste of the lamb and Rosemary.

I don't want anything to detract from the flavor of lamb. Salt and a little black pepper are my preference.

I am in the faction that believes in grilling year-round.

I was right there with you until my health declined. Many times, I have shoveled a path to the grill, swept the snow off it and lit it up!

I love my Weber Kettle! I have a big smoker, a big four-burner propane grill and a small smoker. For me, nothing beats my old Weber Kettle.

The Weber I have now is at least twenty-five years old and very special to me. It was given to me by my old friend/mentor Harry. He was a hard ass foreman for one of my best customers, a roofing company. I came to work one morning, and Harry asked me "WTF is wrong with you, somebody shoot your dog" I said, "no, my Weber Kettle fell apart." The next time I saw Harry he had brought his Weber to work and gave it to me. He said "I never use it" I normally don't accept gifts, but this was Harry and a Weber Kettle!

Between marriages, when I was single, maybe 90% of the meat I ate was cooked on a Weber Kettle. I was renting a townhouse in a community of townhouses and apartments. Nothing attracted single ladies like my Dalmatian, but the smell of the Weber smoking was close. "Is that a Dalmatian?" "What are you cooking?" That was the start of a cheap date, and I didn't have to leave home.

 

[traiNscale]

hey folks!

i wish you all a great start for 2025!

i joined this forum, this year and it was a ride. thnx for all the chats and stories and everything! i hope they will continue in 2k25! And i will also find some time to focus back on my layout and all the other projects (so much about focus) haha.

wish you all a great day and Happy new year in advance!

cheers from switzerland
marco aka jay

 

[Bruette]

Happy New Years Eve!

 

[ctclibby]

Good Morning All!
33F @ 89% sorta clear. Guessers say 35F bout 1300, white tomorra, Thursday and Friday. We will see.

Last day of the year ... yawn! Like Willie we have not been out and celebrated for at least 20 years. Heck, if we make it past 2100 consider us lucky. Suspect that booms and bangs will happen from 2100 on, but probably won't wake me as I don't hear sh.t without my aids. Maria doesn't make it much past 2200 but she gets up later than I for the most part. Dogs might wake us as they do not do so good with them.

Baggage as Mac points out. When I met Maria in 2000, she was pretty clear of any so I was lucky. Previous ...um... relationships were a pain and I stopped looking. Something like 6 months later, Maria fell into my lap. Most of the previous FeeMales ( Yes, there is a Fee that costs ) were like children always wanting something or testing. I figured out how to get by the testing part choosing my answers very, very carefully. The wanting something part usually is not a big deal as I want stuff too. Most of the time our wants would align and we could move forward. As far as some of you looking for a relationship, stop it. When Males start that the other side knows it just by body language and that you have an agenda; you probably won't get far. Just be you and not worry about it.

Wanted some Dungeness Crab of which we usually have New Years Day, and I stock up for the year. Last year bought 20 of them at $4.50Lb; the last went away in Oct. At $14.00 a pound I will not play. We will probably make a CostCo run so I still may get some, price depending. This is one of the things I miss from Western Washington - go down to pier and get them off the boats @ $2.00 each: that was back then, no idea of now. Or do a day trip over to Port Angeles and fork them out of the water, dig some clams too.

Nother day of puttering - spent almost all day yesterday in the Train Cave, still more to do.

Happy New Year!

Later

 

[Boris]

NY Jets @ Buffalo
Aaron Rodgers is a miserable excuse for an NFL quarterback. The Bills offense is exceptionally good, and they have a real NFL quarterback who happens to be one of the best. The Jets defense is good, but without help from the offense it's only a matter of time.

Woody Johnson needs to get his head out if his (butt), and clean house. He needs to accept the reality that NYC rejected his team, and re-brand it the Jersey Jets, whether the League and the TV networks like it or not. His fan base is Jersey. His team plays in NJ. He needs players/coaches/general managers that want to be here and succeed here, not over aged vagabonds hunting a big paycheck. Johnson presided over the demise of is namesake company, and bought the team from Leon Hess...note the team colors are like Hess Oil colors....and Hess itself is defunct. Time to retrench. (Being rich doesn't make one smart).

 

[Colbert]

 

[Boris]

That Ives set is amazing. Bet it makes lots of noise

Horseman: Surprisingly not....not any louder than the K-Line on the inner loop. My son partially disassembled it, cleaned it, and lubed it, before testing it. He wasn't sure it would work. Initially he had the Lionel NW2 set running (ATSF), and that took some work to run...The wife and I have been together for 48 years, and I never remember seeing the Ives set. She remembers it from when she was a little girl, at her grandmother's house.

 

[Boris]

Happy New Year Y'all!

 

[migalyto]

Good morning all!

 

[NorthBrit]

Good (late) afternoon all. Afternoon tea please, Flo.
The wind has died down, but the rain is ongoing.

Females. I have always been around strong women.
My Aunt who looked after me when I was born was a lovely person, but Heaven help you if you stepped out of line. (I did once and never forgot.)
My grandmother was the same. She took no prisoners.
Dawn was worried the first time she took me to see her parents. Oh MiL was a tough one, but dare I say a 'pussycat' compared to the women my side of the family.
As for Dawn? I see the grandchildren try and 'get one over her'. At their peril.

The pork is cooked. Pork sandwiches this evening

The train room has been ignored since my time in hospital. I must remedy that. I have new rolling stock still in their boxes.

 

[chadbag]

It's cold this morning. My watch showed 19F. Coldest I've seen for a few weeks. Now 22F at 9:30am and supposed to be high of 36F. But In the next day or two supposed to have a high in the 46F range.

Looking at my watch, my son in Japan is already in 2025. Luckilu I have a whole day still to finish up some stuff that needs to be dated 2024.

 

[TLOC]

Good Morning All. Happy New Year's Eve. Clear and 44° here. Cold front arrived late yesterday and we'll only see upper-50's for a while. They're still predicting cooler weather starting next Monday with highs in the 40's and lows in the upper 20's. Cold for us, but not unusual. I will have to start a fire in the wood burning stove this morning.

Yesterday started off with the usual household duties and an extended "honey do" list. Then it was routine monthly outdoor maintenance like starting all gasoline powered equipment, checking pump motors and stuff like that. It was the last shorts and tee shirt day for the foreseeable future, until late February probably.

Looks like today will start with emptying the dishwasher, miscellaneous laundry catch-ups and get out of the way of the robot vacuum.
Party at home tonight, as we have done for at least the last 35 years. I haven't actually seen midnight since around 2002; unless it was a midnight bathroom break..

Well, it was inevitable, I haven't run trains in over a week, so that's all that I did out in the train shed yesterday. Probably ran nearly a dozen from north staging to south staging on each level. In between, I ran three local switching runs; all on the lower level. I'll get back to project work today, although I don't really have a definitive plan.

James - Good to see you again in the Shop.
Mike - I would recommend that you try lamb. Make sure that it is lamb though, and not mutton. I get legs at Sam's Club; lamb chops can be gotten at my Kroger or Aldi. Prep and cooking is very similar to pork.
Louis - In our house, both growing up and since marriage, lamb is prepared with Rosemary. Mint sauce could be added at the table if you wanted. I no longer use it...spoils the taste of the lamb and Rosemary. I have smoked it on the grill using Cherry wood. BTW I am in the faction that believes in grilling year-round.

No birthday's of note today, except my #3 brother who is 65 today. Dad liked him the best because he was a good tax deduction.
Everyone have a great Tuesday. Be safe tonight.

I also use the grills outside all year round. There is no substitute in my eyes for outdoor grilling. We can grill on the stove but it’s not the same
TomO

 

[troyphoto]

Well, howdy there internet peeps and those with grills, hot or cold.

It's Troy again.

MIL Update: she appears to be fighting some sort of respiratory crud (maybe). The nurse practitioner is throwing some OTC stuff at it, and increasing the lasix dosage for a week to decrease the swelling in her legs. She's kind of mobile, but still eating a few meals in her room. Breakfast with the girls in the dinning room, then room service. Which costs her $4 for delivery. And she's where my wife learned to be a tightwad. So spending $8/day to get food brought in means she's not wanting to move.

I've got 2 out of 3 of the vacation bookings cancelled. Waiting on a refund from the convention, but it's in process. Still have the plane tickets booked. We can transfer/change them to other flights other parts of the year, but cannot refund. Once we're past the holiday travel rush, I'll call in and see if we can convert them to a credit with American Air, and just let it sit on account for a few months. I'm still planning an author trip to Vegas. Wife will go along IF her mother is stabile (or passed). Until then she doesn't want to commit.

Today is Change the Book Prices day. A year ago, I tried raising the prices on ebooks from 3.99 to 4.99. I rolled it back after seeing my sales drop. But the going rate is $4.99 (currently £3.99, or $7.99Canadian). So that's 18 books to change, on five different platforms. And I lock in the closest 99 on each of 5 countries on the pricing dashboard....

Wanted to leave the prices alone, but my costs are going up too.

 

[kbkchooch]

Good morning gang!

49° and sunny at the palatial ranch estate , looking for a high temp of 54°. Better enjoy it while I can, the forecast calls for much cooler temps later the week!

David, glad to see you back. Stay away from those hospitals, they're full of sick people!!

Women, When the ex and I split up, initially I was a member of the He-Man Women Haters Club. I did however (being an optimist) considered dating which let to me downloading a dating app. I did meet a considerable amount of ladies . Some had lots of baggage, some had little. Some made me realise that I had some baggage too. We all do in one form or another. It accumulates on us as we go through life. Our likes, our dislikes, our highs and our lows, our victories and our defeats, all leave an imprint on us. How we handle it is what makes the difference between experiences and baggage. Long story short, that is what lead me to my Sharon. Yes we both had baggage, but re also realized that we could work together to put it all behind us and we did. I guess what I am trying to say here to the single guys is don't give up and be a crusty curmudgeon. Life's too short. And Yes, she does have a sister, and she's taken.

BBL

 

[kbkchooch]

I also use the grills outside all year round. There is no substitute in my eyes for outdoor grilling. We can grill on the stove but it’s not the same
TomO

I concur! Nothing like steaks on the grill, even if I do have to wear a parka to cook them!

 

[Bruette]

Females. I have always been around strong women.

Same here, they are the best!

The pork is cooked. Pork sandwiches this evening

I'm told I can't have poultry New Years Day, something about scratching the ground all year. Pork is preferred for good luck. Okay, sounds like some gypsy stuff to me, but okay.

I have a Pork Shoulder to roast for New Years Day. I will bake some fresh rolls to go with it. My wife wants lentils, something else about lentils and luck on New Years Day.

My wife's Hungarian tradition is to have hotdogs at midnight New Years Eve. I'm down with that, I love hotdogs! Midnight in Hungary is 6pm here, I can do that.