Running Bear's April 2023 Coffee Shop

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Good Morning!
Santa Fe Willie asked if I had a real name rather than Hobo
Well, do you have a real name, or not? I'm picturing a fella in a thatched hat and denim overalls sitting on down by the still, smokin onna corncob pipe and packin a 12ga side by side.

These days, it seems I've always got a pile of stuff to get done. For the most part, this is caused by my wife's desire to renovate our home before she retires. Seems like there is no end to it, and the work feels like it's harder now that I'm older. I hate painting walls.
Just to get away for awhile, I go on forest walks twice a day. The calm in the forest seems to make it all bearable.
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It's already time to get going, so I'll leave you with an older train photo. Just to put down something train related:
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Sherrell - So many have shared kind words with you about your painful loss, that I can hardly add. Except to say how sorry I am. I know exactly how you feel. - All my life, I've had and suffered the loss of dogs, that were my best and most loyal friends. Memories of the precious times they've had with me, outweigh the time of suffering over their loss.

Gotta get to it, folks. I don't want the wife to leave me in favour of a carpenter. Have a great day!
 
Good Morning All. Clear and 51°, another C of C weather day here. Sunny, light winds and temperature in the upper 70's. Weather persons are getting brave by adding some thunderstorms into next week's forecast on a couple of days; meanwhile highs in the 80's for at least half of the ten day forecast.
Yesterday's visit to our primary care doctor went as well as it could go, considering everything else. He has determined that my wife has developed a bit of arthritis in the back and prescribed a muscle relaxer and a cream that should help. As far as my pinched nerve, he prescribed the same muscle relaxer, but it has mostly gone away on it's own. While I picked up the prescription, I did not use any and probably won't. I'll donate to my wife; she needs it more I think. From there, I stopped by the hearing aid center and have mixed good news. They have located my pair of hearing aids and are starting the overhaul process. Apparently someone at the lab misplaced the paperwork and they didn't know what they were supposed to do with then. In the meantime, the local guy had located a pair that he prepared and gave me as loaners. So I can now hear again. Another thing that I learned yesterday, is that Sam's Club gives out ear plugs for hearing protection at no charge. They are not as good as the hundred or so pair of reusable ones that I have saved from work for future use, that were given to me by our Safety Director before I retired. Mine are washable and good for about 70-80 hours use each. I use them for 6-10 hours a week in the summertime until they are no longer pliable enough to be effective.

Back home, I re-tilled the remaining part of the garden, mixing in shredded leaves and grass clippings from yard mowing with the push mower. In about a week, I will plant another row of green beans for a staggered harvest. That crop mostly failed me last year and I am now out of canned product from 2021. I harvested some, but grasshoppers overwhelmed before I got enough to preserve. Happens sometimes. The rest of the newly tilled area will be saved for fall veggies this year.

I did spend a short time out in the train shed yesterday, shorter than I wanted. Wife wanted to go out and eat last night so I had to cut off early. I changed out the cleaning pads on my Woodland Scenics cleaning wand and cleaned all of the industry spurs through the town of Vernon. They weren't really dirty except at a few switches, but preventive cleaning keeps everything better. By the way, my main line visual inspection last week turned up one brake wheel and a Kadee coupler spring. Hard to believe that I spotted the spring. Now to locate the cars!
I took a couple of pictures of the "train alley" through Charlottesville yesterday.
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And from the other end.
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Swal - I didn't realize that you were so close to NYC. You are less than 50 miles from where I grew up in the Bay Ridge neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Louis - I'm no doctor, but I believe that just three days of rest for the myalgic encephalomyelitis probably isn't enough. Slow down a little and get more rest during your normal days. Your new normal might just not be as active as your old normal.
Hughie - Congratulations on post #1000. I have enjoyed your builds of laser-cut kits. I love them myself, especially the Bar Mills ones.

Everybody have a great day.
 


Good morning All,

going to be another picture perfect day in Northern Illinois. Going up into the low 80s later. Like Tom, we also have some fire warnings going on due to the dry conditions and winds that are coming. Maybe some storms by the weekend. We shall see.

Today’s little project is to get the patio furniture out and washed off. Getting my pressure washer started for the first time is kind of a challenge. Not sure why it’s so difficult to get started but after that it’s fine the rest of the summer.

Have a great day all,
 
Up at 4am to leave for the hospital at 5am to be there for her back surgery at 6am. Finally headed for home at 11:30am. I hope the operation works for her. She a long way from walking 18 holes 3 days a week. That was the good old days. I guess everything comes to a end at some point.
Here's a photo of her back then in her nurse's outfit.
Swal

Jane_02.JPG
 
Hello Happy Members !
I need a bit of advice. I want to replace Norton 360 Deluxe by Bitdefender Total Security on my PC.
Bad or good idea? Thanks for your help.
When Comcast was my internet provider, they originally offered Norton's suite.

Later they told me it was no longer needed. I have been using only windows defender for about two years now, with no issues.

I'm no expert. I'm just sharing my experince.
 
Louis - I'm no doctor, but I believe that just three days of rest for the myalgic encephalomyelitis probably isn't enough. Slow down a little and get more rest during your normal days. Your new normal might just not be as active as your old normal.
I'm not buying what they are selling.

I think you are right; I'm just wearing down. I've been going hard since I was fifteen.

This is my second bout with fatigue. The first one started in late 2017 and lasted almost 16 months. I was not my old self afterwards.

This one has lasted almost 16 months and I'm hoping it is nearing the end.

My pancreas lets me know if I do too much physically. I will literally work the Sh@$ out of myself.

Good day yesterday with no issues. Eleven hours today and all is well.
 


Afternoon All,

Spent the day doing odds and ends at the house. It's been very grey all day but no rain. We're getting 4 estimates for having a large oak tree removed from our front yard before hurricane season starts (1 June). I would do it but it's way too big and close to the house and overhangs the roof. Tomorrow, I have book fair setup at daughter's school, so I probably won't be in the coffee shop.

Louis- You have to take care of yourself. Beautiful Beagles. Nice 1:1 photo.

Hughie- Congrats on the 1000.

Sherrel- My wildest clothing item in the 70's was a pair of bright orange corduroy bell bottoms. Neat bridge photos.

Joe- Take care. Nice 1:1 photo.

Smudge- Great videos.

Swal- Interesting story and a great picture of your wife. I hope the surgery went well.

David- Interesting photos.

Guy- Great 1:1 photos. Love the deer.

Willie- Nice layout shots.

I hope everyone has a good night.
 
Swal- Interesting story and a great picture of your wife. I hope the surgery went well.
Curt not too long ago we would get up at 4am head upstate to Saratoga Springs play 18 holes of golf at The Spa then head to Saratoga Racetrack bet 9 horse races grab something to eat and then go to a rock concert at the Saratoga Springs Performing Arts Center. Now she has trouble walking to bathroom. Gehish how does this happen?
Swal
 
When Comcast was my internet provider, they originally offered Norton's suite.

Later they told me it was no longer needed. I have been using only windows defender for about two years now, with no issues.

I'm no expert. I'm just sharing my experince.

Thats how I do it as well. My Internet company scans everything on our network periodically, and gives us updates throughout the day. I have nothing else installed on any of the PCs or devices.

I'm hoping that's enough.
 
Curt not too long ago we would get up at 4am head upstate to Saratoga Springs play 18 holes of golf at The Spa then head to Saratoga Racetrack bet 9 horse races grab something to eat and then go to a rock concert at the Saratoga Springs Performing Arts Center. Now she has trouble walking to bathroom. Gehish how does this happen?
Swal

I'm not looking forward to the aging process. I'm just at the very tip of the journey at almost 53.
 
$57.00 Yep, $57.00 is what the IRS will be sending me. My ex-H&R Block agent wife waited until today, almost last minute, to file last years income tax form. I actually owe $0.00, this was tax withheld from a very minor pension that I get from a company that owned my employer for 8 years. All of our income came from that pension ($254/mo), Sociable Security and Money Market withdrawals. None was taxable. That will all change in 2023 as I have to begin taking RMD's from some of our IRA accounts. Meanwhile the Roth's continue to grow tax-free. Actually this is the first time since 1971 that I didn't have to pay something!:) Sadly, I cannot contribute to any of my Roth accounts because I have no "earned income". Savings and money market interest, and pensions are considered "unearned income".
 
[snip] in 2023 as I have to begin taking RMD's from some of our IRA accounts. [snip]

RMD's... the government's way to tax it as ordinary income rather than let it get taxed as inheritance upon death (and therefore inherited).

Nope... even if your parent dies with money still in the IRA, it ends up as an "inherited IRA" which means the heir has to take RMDs based on actuarial tables of the deceased... as if the IRA is still paying your parent.
 
RMD's... the government's way to tax it as ordinary income rather than let it get taxed as inheritance upon death (and therefore inherited).

Nope... even if your parent dies with money still in the IRA, it ends up as an "inherited IRA" which means the heir has to take RMDs based on actuarial tables of the deceased... as if the IRA is still paying your parent.
I think our financial planner used that exact explanation to my wife and I. or something along those lines.

She has an IRA that she inherited from her father's passing that she has to take a certain percent every year, and of course a tax form!

If I remember correctly though I think there was a year or two around when Covid started that that was exempt, so she didn't draw anything off of it until it was required again.
 


Thankfully we have not needed to start the draw downs. We are at ages 71 and 70, so we have time yet. Saw on the local news feed online one of the more well known financial planners in the area was arrested. Ponzi scheme that he started in 2019 and obviously didn’t do a good job hiding the scheme. Still bilked some locals out of around 5 million that he admits he used for personal stuff. When Terry did the personal investment review in December and January he came highly recommended. But when she spoke to him on the phone and offered 10% guarantees she said thanks but no thanks.

Post a sign
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