Running Bear's August 2025 Coffee Shop

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Good morning, Everybody!

It is a beautiful 72.3 with 43% humidity at my desk. It was 53 outside here in Baltimore when I left for work this morning. I usually don't mention the weather, but this is fantastic weather for the end of August. We have had the windows open for more than a week and I am loving it!

Glucose good 92, blood pressure great 111/68, great for me, life is good!

It is time to get another cup of coffee and enjoy my Sunday paper. The news will probably suck, but the sports page and comics will make up for it.

Have an enjoyable day Everybody!
 
Good morning from Wisconsin! I just read it’s 53f degrees outside, thankfully 76 in the house. I rarely sleep on planes and yesterday was no exception. I’m tired, cranky and hungry. Arrived with my brother around 9 last night and he wanted coffee. I showed him Terry’s coffee maker and said there. A few minutes later as I was heading to the shower I heard him talking to my wife still in Hawaii

I checked the house after the shower, all was well

The brother is heading to the Nekoosa area in North Central Wisconsin (2 hour drive) to play golf today and tomorrow. He returns Tuesday night for a board meeting Wednesday and flies to Arizona Thursday. Hopefully he’ll have the surgery scheduled by then. This afternoon the grandson is coming along as we will go on campus for a Texas and Wisconsin Women’s Volleyball game. Opening Spike tournament or something like that. The #8 Badgers beat #14 Kansas Friday but didn’t look great on TV doing it. #5 Texas beat #6 Creighton Friday and looked good. They expect around 17,000 for the crowd as it’s in the Kohl Center instead of the normal 9000 in the Fieldhouse. It’s all about the money! #8 ranking is the worst the Badgers have been ranked in the last 12 seasons. I think it will be a long season

I’m glad to be home


Enjoy the day
 


Good morning all,

Very quiet morning in the neighborhood, I noticed a couple white tail fawns in the yard this morning, staring down a rabbit. Finally, someone blinked and they scattered in 3 directions. The fawns were big, you would think they have seen rabbits before.

56, calm winds, overcast skies, headed for 78.

I finally got the doors well adjusted on my 88 suburban, it took new hinge pins and washers under some of the hinge plates. The washers were added yesterday, it has been decades since the doors closed this easily. Turned out a simple, cheap fix. Next up, completing the bondo work. Scheduled for next week.

Started on the plans for a new building for the layout. I will have to purchase more styrene, windows, and shingles. Store and rooms above, photograph from the Groningen archives at the History Center.

Have a peaceful, reflective day of rest,

Dave LASM
 
Good Morning All. Cloudy and 72°, with thunderstorms in the forecast for later this morning; they've been there for 6 days now so it probably won't happen. Rainfall total for yesterday was exactly 1". Ground soaked it all up despite a total of .75 the previous 2 days. Irony of it is that it topped up the pool which I don't think we will be able to use any more this season.

Nothing new here. I'm still home alone and doing double household chores. More of the same today.
News from my oldest grandson, who just completed his first week as an aeronautical engineering major at University of Texas; he has been named to the Engineering Orchestra playing the cello. The school is so big that many departments have their own orchestras. He will audition for First Cello next week.

I was out in the train shed for a little bit yesterday. Long enough to replace the McHenry couplers on the 2 new freight car acquisitions. Then I hit the RIP track and cleared the 3 remaining cars off it. Just minor stuff like drooping couplers on one and parts needing to be re-glued on the other two. Since I am working on my freight car database inside, I took pictures of the most recent 9 freight cars added to the roster. I sprayed all with dull coat ahead of the photo-op. I hate shiny freight cars on the layout. As I posted yesterday, I have 28 cars to add to the database and I haven't updated the maintenance records since January 2024. I'm planning on spending more time on that today.

Mike -
migalyto said:
Second highest gas tax in the Country and this is how our roads are fixed!
Click to expand...
Property taxes in our county were rolled back in an election some years ago. As a result, the precinct road commissioner told me that he couldn't repair roads any longer; he could just patch them. Sadly, that has been the case. Gas taxes only do state and federal roads.
Terry - And I thought that I was the only person who had a computer without a camera?

Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison is 80 today.

Everybody have a great Sunday.
 
Good morning. 74°, sunny with a perfectly clear sky. Going to 78°. Plenty of sports to choose from yesterday, including NCAA Football, and Beisbol. Definitely a touch of Fall in the air. Another Ground Hornet's nest was uncovered, requiring cortizone cream and benedril. They have been extremely bad this year. Needless to say the Hornets did not fare well vs. The bug spray.

I removed the collar, before bed last night and slept without it. I didn't realize how dependent on the collar I had become. Six more weeks before I can completely ditch it.

No trains today or tomorrow. Tuesday, if I find time, I can work on a few partially finished kits, plus a background building.
 
Good Morning All!
60F @ 56% overcast. Been cooler lately which is great. To be 89F later, partly with breeze. Upwards of 98F Tue, Wed, Thur; crap.

Concrete did its thing, forms are removed and have started to pile up the dirt against it. Round truck got here Thursday 0650 and left 0735. I am surprised that it only took us 1/2ish hour to get it mucked around and level. Ordered material for the actual building. We are at ~$4000 so far for the whole works; still need metal roof and some miscellaneous stuff. Roofing should be around ~$1500 and since we have some time, Maria is shopping on Craigslist for metal. Oh, HD is delivering stuff, time unknown just now and charging is $75 for the supposed 'free delivery' thing. Guess Libby is just a tad to far away for freebees.

L8r
 
Yep, same here. My T16 has a moveable shutter to block off the lens too, The rest all have a small square of electrical tape over the lenses. I have never found a need for a camera on a computer.

77°F/54°F here today and getting cooler every day this week. Might not get out of the 60s here by Thursday or Friday. Lows will be in the upper 40s.

This year will be my first Labor Day that I didn't have to work since I was in the Air Force. That was a long time ago.
 


Around 2010, a manager of a franchise furniture/electronics store installed software on laptops his store was selling, and used the software to view what the customers were doing using the onboard cameras. On the surface, it wasn't a bad idea, because if the customers skipped out on paying their bills, the manager would be able to see where the laptop was, and go repossess it. Of course, he said he didn't consider the fact many people sit at their laptops in their underwear, or less.
The whole thing turned into a giant sh*tshow, with the manager going to jail, and the store getting sued into oblivion.
 
Afternoon everyone. It's 79F and 87% out here on the patio today, with a nice steady rain falling. Only about a quarter inch so far, but not looking like it'll stop any time soon.

No thunder and lightning for a change; that's a bit of a surprise, but a welcome one since I can sit outside and enjoy the sound.

Was supposed to go out with the family for my brother in law's belated birthday celebration, but it was an outdoor thing, so it's rained out. I'm not complaining since I wasn't in the mood anyway. Went to Costco instead -- and turned around and came back home without bothering to even park. The parking lot was packed with people, which I did not expect on a rainy day.

I've never seen it anywhere close to that busy, and I'm just not going to deal with it; I'll go back a bit later. It's right up the street anyway.

Not much else going on today; probably more hiding from the world. I've not been in the mood to work on the track plan, so... it's stewing in my head for the moment. We'll see where it ends up.

I need to pull myself out of the motivational hole I'm in, but I can't be bothered at the moment. Funny how that works.

Have a good Sunday, folks!
 
Good day to all on the forum..........

Upper 80s in west Texas with overcast skies. Some sunshine is starting to peek through, so it should be humid again today.

I have two laptop computers, both with cameras. One older HP with a piece of plastic taped over the camera and the newer model came with a little slide window to block or open the camera. Both cameras are blocked.

I changed my browser over to Brave. It is a lot more secure (private) than Firefox and Google Chrome who tracks your every move. Firefox used to be more secure on privacy and all but has become more relaxed in their efforts lately. I also began having issues in trying to log onto my Yahoo Mail (A T & T) with Firefox and that was getting aggravating. Brave is working just fine so far.

I managed to get four servos working for a couple of crossovers last night. I used the Tam Valley servo positioner along with the controller board to set the throw on the servos. I am still not sure how the positioner works but through dumb luck my servos are working fine now. I am going to make up two fascia controller boards today using the Tam Valley crossover fascia controller button. Their fascia controllers are on a pc board with the pushbutton switch and LEDs already mounted as a unit, ready to be mounted as you choose. This just made things easier for me.
Just in case you are wondering, one push of the fascia controller button moves two servos to set turnouts for main running or crossover running. The LEDs reflect which route that is set. I have a couple of more crossovers to do on my upper level and some single turnouts left to do.
I am glad to be moving forward on these servo installs as I have spent over 2 months, off and on trying to make the BLOCKSignaling brand of servo controller work for a crossover. I think I can use them on some single turnouts just fine but they just aren't geared for operating two servos at a time.

A little cooking today and taking the garbage out is on my list of things to do but those things have been on my list for 3 days now.

Everyone have a great Sunday.

John
 
I have vanquished the foe, slain the proverbial dragon! (Calm down Troy)

My little flatbed "landscaper" trailer has not had a right rear taillight for some time now. Last week I rewired the trailer from the plug to the tail lights Right rear light lit very dimly. Yesterday I went to TSC (Tractor Supply Co, a.k.a Tough 💩 Charlies) and purchased a new taillight. Installed it and still no joy. Today I attacked the trailer like a savage. Out came all the right side wiring and replaced it all again with new. By this time I'm ready to scream because the light is still dim. Off to HD with the little S10 and I came back with the only part I hadn't replaced yet. The trailer side of the 4 pin plug. See I noticed that when I tested the truck, I had 14.5 volts,(truck running) but when I checked at the tail light I only had 6.5 volts. My wiring was perfect,it had to be the plug. So after wiring in a new plug and plugging it in, and crossing my fingers, there was light! Yes, my knees and butt are sore from rolling around on the asphalt driveway, but my smile is pretty intense! 😁

3 puters in the house, none with cameras. Son#4 has one on his laptop, but he's at college.
 
I'm not sure what I did to Fleabay, but now instead of photo ID, they want a USB security key. It's getting harder and harder to deal with some of this stuff. I'm sure it's more secure, but it has gotten to the point it is nearly impossible to comply with their requirements.
 


90F and sunny.

And of last week a cold front came through and we had over cast and scattered short rain showers off and on for a couple days. As the week started we had a few days of more rain including some intense downfalls.

The since Thursday it’s been mostly sunny, occasional clouds, and getting a bit warmer each day. From high 70s to now low 90s.
 
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