Running Bear’s June 2025 Coffee Shop

[santafewillie]

Regarding the lawn cutting. With approximately 90,000 sq ft of yard to mow, I'm just happy to get it mowed! Like Dave posted, "whatever grows there, mowed". Much of it is Bermuda grass that has spread from the original 300 sq ft that I planted 45 years ago, but there is still a fair amount of winter rye and crabgrass mixed in. I do alternate in the front yard, one week it's north/south and it's east/west the next; usually! And at certain times of the season, like right now, there are "hay rows" or "wind rows"; whichever terminology you like to use. I have never fertilized except with used beer around the trees and I only water a band around the house as a precaution against grassfires. Most of the neighbors around me have the same attitude except the fellow about a quarter mile south who weed-eats along 1000' of barbed wire fence next to the road. He also mows on a riding mower, the 12 acre pasture there that his Longhorns graze in! Hmmmh! Then he has to give them hay! He also mows the road frontage on both sides, even though someone else owns the opposite side.

 

[migalyto]

I heard the more colorful your salad is, the better it is for you... so I replaced my croutons with M&M’s!!

RFK Jr does not approve of this!

 

[shortwrench]

View attachment 223883

I have a similar situation. I put things in a safe place but forget where the safe place is.

 

[troyphoto]

Welp... wife got back from the visit with her mother, and her sister let her down. No cakes or treats.

Wife wants ice cream on her real birthday. Last night's ice cream was to celebrate her last day in her 50s, I guess.

So we're going out to Penn Station for subs, and then next door to an ice cream place we haven't tried yet.

 

[DeaconKC]

Wow, a full day today! My nephew was voted in as Pastor at our Church. Seems weird that the little boy that was our ringbearer at our wedding 41 years ago, is now our Pastor. Now they are getting the joy of selling their home in Mobile AL and finding one in Heber Springs AR.

 

[Kusojiji]

As a kid of the 70s and 80s, remember when it was a badge of honor to have a sunburn all summer.

From Hawaii. I used to burn first, peel off the first layer of skin and then brown the rest of the way. Now I look like a leopard...

 

[bnsf971]

So we're going out to Penn Station for subs,

Hopefully it was a local phenomenon, but the Penn Stations in NC seemed to dip the subs in a tub of oil before serving.

 

[Texas Hobo]

That is a great looking layout! I only recall seeing snips of it previously

Thank you. I need to take a new photo as there have been a few changes since that pic was taken.

 

[Kusojiji]

I can't wait to see them also!

 

[shortwrench]

I can't wait to see them also!

Me to.

 

[DeaconKC]

 

[troyphoto]

My Rocky Mountain Mocha with oreo bits and cookie dough in mocha ice cream. Wife got the turtle something ice cream. She said it was ok but should have gotten a real turtle sundae. However, because I got a small dish, she didn't want to seem like a pig, and only got a small dish. Silly girl.

As for subs, they squirt oil on the grill to cook the meat, but the bun was sans dunking in oil.

 

[chadbag]

As for subs, they squirt oil on the grill to cook the meat, but the bun was sans dunking in oil.

Actually vinegar and oil on a sub can be delicious

 

[westtexjohn]

And a great Sunday afternoon to all.........

Scrambled eggs with boudin, topped with shredded cheese for breakfast today. I have been frying up Hickory Smoked Spam instead of bacon these days for breakfast and slice it for sandwiches also. I tend to rotate breakfast food. Some days oatmeal, or cereal, or eggs and whatever or pancakes with eggs in between or just pancakes with maple syrup. I tend to like a variety in what I eat. I sometimes have leftover pizza.

I haven't decided on today's project. My paint for the Champion meat packers plant won't be here until Tuesday but I can start on the adjoining cattle pins. Or put some Accurail kits together. The Accurail kits are easy to put together and offer a level of detail I can live with. For me, when someone builds a layout , they should set a certain level of realism that suits the builder, not someone at a club or the rivet counter at the hobby shop. For me living in west Texas, there will most likely never be anyone who visits my layout who is a knowledgeable train person. Other than a handful of folks, I don't expect any visitors at all. That being said, I have many Proto 2000 kits and RTR items along with Intermountain, Athearn Genesis and other nicely detailed items mostly bought at train shows or "on sale". Not bragging here, just sharing my thoughts. You need to decide on whats "good enough" for you.

I started buying rye bread and Italian bread only, several months ago as white bread has really gotten bad. Mrs Bairds bread has been the staple white bread in my family since I was a kid but now tastes like it has plaster in it. Wonder bread was ok for several months but it too started tasting "different'. That being said, my grocery usually carries both the items I like but I have to get to the store the day after bread is delivered (usually on Tuesday) or they are out. I am not a big bread eater (I really like cornbread and biscuits) but on occasion, I like a sandwich. I now buy hamburger buns as a replacement for white bread as the texture is slightly different and doesn't have the plaster taste. I have made two trips to my nearest grocery store in the last seven days and both trips resulted in NO items I prefer. I had to drive 45 miles to get rye bread yesterday. Sometimes living in the country has its drawbacks. Nearest "big" store is 65 miles away and thats one way.
On a similar note, the Joe Rogan show recently had guest telling how bad white bread has really got and how bad it is for you. Mrs. Bairds bread was a family run business until they were bought out by Bimbo, a company based out of Mexico. Bimbo owns almost all major bakeries in the U. S. now. This rant is just my opinion, yours may be different and thats ok.

Oh well, gotta get buy, enough of my bs........John

 

[logandsawman]

And a great Sunday afternoon to all.........

Scrambled eggs with boudin, topped with shredded cheese for breakfast today. I have been frying up Hickory Smoked Spam instead of bacon these days for breakfast and slice it for sandwiches also. I tend to rotate breakfast food. Some days oatmeal, or cereal, or eggs and whatever or pancakes with eggs in between or just pancakes with maple syrup. I tend to like a variety in what I eat. I sometimes have leftover pizza.

I haven't decided on today's project. My paint for the Champion meat packers plant won't be here until Tuesday but I can start on the adjoining cattle pins. Or put some Accurail kits together. The Accurail kits are easy to put together and offer a level of detail I can live with. For me, when someone builds a layout , they should set a certain level of realism that suits the builder, not someone at a club or the rivet counter at the hobby shop. For me living in west Texas, there will most likely never be anyone who visits my layout who is a knowledgeable train person. Other than a handful of folks, I don't expect any visitors at all. That being said, I have many Proto 2000 kits and RTR items along with Intermountain, Athearn Genesis and other nicely detailed items mostly bought at train shows or "on sale". Not bragging here, just sharing my thoughts. You need to decide on whats "good enough" for you.

I started buying rye bread and Italian bread only, several months ago as white bread has really gotten bad. Mrs Bairds bread has been the staple white bread in my family since I was a kid but now tastes like it has plaster in it. Wonder bread was ok for several months but it too started tasting "different'. That being said, my grocery usually carries both the items I like but I have to get to the store the day after bread is delivered (usually on Tuesday) or they are out. I am not a big bread eater (I really like cornbread and biscuits) but on occasion, I like a sandwich. I now buy hamburger buns as a replacement for white bread as the texture is slightly different and doesn't have the plaster taste. I have made two trips to my nearest grocery store in the last seven days and both trips resulted in NO items I prefer. I had to drive 45 miles to get rye bread yesterday. Sometimes living in the country has its drawbacks. Nearest "big" store is 65 miles away and thats one way.
On a similar note, the Joe Rogan show recently had guest telling how bad white bread has really got and how bad it is for you. Mrs. Bairds bread was a family run business until they were bought out by Bimbo, a company based out of Mexico. Bimbo owns almost all major bakeries in the U. S. now. This rant is just my opinion, yours may be different and thats ok.

Oh well, gotta get buy, enough of my bs........John

Bimbo? I thought that was a derogatory remark pointed at ditzy women...

I guess it is easy to remember

 

[santafewillie]

Bimbo? I thought that was a derogatory remark pointed at ditzy women...

I guess it is easy to remember

No, it's a real bread baker here in the south. For years, our company trucks backhauled Bimbo Bread to Dallas after delivering loads of windows to San Antonio. They own a lot of companies in the US that you have probably heard of. Here's a link to all of them.
Bimbo Bakeries

 

[DeaconKC]

Here ya go. The last working steam freight engine in the US. Crab Orchard and Egyptian 17, worked until 1986!

 

[insomniville]

Taking a break out on the patio and checking in on this incredibly nice evening. It's 89F out here, but there's a nice light breeze, so it feels like a lot less. Still trying to decide what I want for dinner, and having no luck with that decision...

Ended up having to rewire a couple of things on the traincam because I apparently wasn't paying enough attention the other day. I hate it when that happens! Now it's all tested and working, though, and the software for it is about 90% done. Not that it's difficult; just glueing a bunch of Other Peoples' Code together to make it all work the way I want. Of course, that last 10% always takes the longest...

Only hardware thing left is to glue some stuff together (literally!) and 3d print a nice cover for it. Then I can mount it on the wall and be all set.

Maybe tomorrow I'll actually start rearranging my back office and begin the process of turning it into a proper train room!

On the topic of bread, which is what prompted me to actually post something: I really need to learn to bake my own. I used to love store-bought bread, and now I just... don't. It's not that I hate it, it just doesn't attract my attention at all, and sandwiches don't sound good anymore.

I'm starting to think that it isn't me; it's the bread, and the way they've changed the recipes. I need to try baking some and see if that fixes it. Something has definitely changed, though; my store-bought bread used to last for, what, a few days before molding? Now it lasts for weeks, and maybe even months!

It's like they swapped the recipe for the one that the outer part of Twinkies is made with... Those things keep forever, right?

Wishing you all a good next week; I'm going to go see about designing that cover now.

 

[Kusojiji]

I used to bake bread every week. It was a real pain during the freak out period as yeast became difficult (everybody doing the same). Did some searching and found a method for making Japanese style bread.

I even bought one of those square pans with a lid. It browns all sides at the same time. Gets stuck though, so had to resort to crisco...

Should start again...

edit: my recipe is older than this video, but the video shows the technique.

 

[Bruette]

Is that a great logo or what?