Running Bear's August 2026 Coffee Shop

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Morning all,


ctlibby: Hope all is well with the Mrs. and she get well quick! Be careful driving.

Anyone on GLP-1's and Medicare? Seems if you want to lose weight, it's $50 a month for the next 18 months. Have Type-2 diabetes, and it's the wild west for coverage. We're losing our access to the compounded version of tirzepatide (free on my work prescription plan), but can't get the cost of the name brand until the Dr prescribes it. Yes we have to have a part D plan as my work plan isn't creditable, but the work plan makes more sense in some cases. Like one of her drugs in $60 a month on our Part D, but $10 as the same generic on my work plan. My particular drug is free as a Sam's plus card member, so I'm paying for nothing. What a racket!

Talking about oil, the '09 Colorado and the '10 Colorado had different oil spec's and the 2 engines are also the same (Dexos). Dexos is a full synthetic for the '10 up, where I was using a blend in the '09. I've got to say I haven't noticed any real difference, darn engine is an oil consumer in either version. I just check it more frequently than i did the '09.

Road trip: Anyone do a Rt 66 trip? I have my overnight stops figured to Williams AZ, but not sure how far to go before stopping as I head west. I think there's not a lot of stuff in the desert between Needles and Barstow. So do I stop at Needles or press on to Barstow....Short day or long day...


BBL
 
Good morning all!

A mostly cloudy morning. Currently its still pretty sticky out there at 72F. Rain is supposed to move into the area around 9am and last till
around 1pm. Higs for today will top out at 82F. A bit of a cooler stretch thru the rest of the week will be welcome.

Today will be usual tasks around the house.

Not much else going on around here at the moment.

Have a safe day everyone!
 
Morning All! 70 in the Brew City this morning, going to 80 today with some thunder bumpers in the near future. Got a meeting with my Ed Jones gal this morning. I'm going to listen to her get all uneasy when I talk about withdrawing funds. 🤣 After that, I'll do some more painting on the passenger car. I got the Daylight Orange painted yesterday. Today I'll mask and paint the Daylight Red. After that, some work on the O'Neil's build. With all this talk of oil it reminds me that the Crossfire needs an oil change. It's not getting driven much these days, but it's time. I may do it myself this time. Enjoy your day.
 


Well, howdy there internet peeps

It's troy again.

First, best wishes for a speedy recovery to Maria, and anyone with health issues now.

Second, thanks for all the positive vibes sent my way. Most days are an improvement over the last. And I learned that since I'm posting here daily, I can use this as a symptom tracker and save me the trouble of writing it down a second time.

Go to the chiropractor in 30 min. We'll see how this goes.

I had to move to the couch from the recliner last night due to discomfort in the leg. Couldn't get comfortable in the recliner due to pressure points being pressed upon. Anyway, as I sat in the middle, then turned sideways scooted in past the side table I use there for drinks and computer holding. the goal is to lean back against the arm, and stretch out the legs.

Anyway, I tweaked something the lower back on the same side. Not sure if I overstretched another muscle or bounced the spine enough to compress a disk? Anyway, I applied an ice pack for half an hour, and continued with the Ibu and Tylenol.

Slept in a bit past my 2 am pee run/Ibuprofen time. So up by 4am.

Fortunately, the pain is in the manageable 5/10 zone with the NSAIDS.

Not sure what else today will bring besides rain.

BBL
 
Good morning from my part of WIsconsin. 71f degrees now 82 later. Winds are calm and that’s erie as the leaves do not seem to be moving and we are surrounded by trees. The 3 horses are in one of the far paddocks about 600’ away and I can hear their noises. Our chances of rain are under 20% almost all day

The week of medical visits roll on. At 10:15 is the Endocrinologist who also is a good friend of Terry’s. The thyroid replacement medicines seem to be working and the diabetes is as controlled as diabetes gets. I know based on the lab results of last week the sodium is low and the throat lymph nodes are not cancerous and have not grown! Between experience, Web MD, now Ai and not being afraid to ask questions of the doctor I have a pretty good handle on what’s going on. So there should be no surprises today. My Endocrinologist is one of my few remaining doctors that actually is hands on. Thursday though will be different as I meet with the 2 doctors practicing on the Lyme disease

I took the pony truss bridge outside yesterday for some sunlight photos. I am having issues under my bench lights of seeing the details so outside I went. I do see the eye doctor this week I just can’t remember which day!

This is Vallejo Surface Primer ghost gray. The 1st spray the psi was too high at 30. I should have tested it on a sheet of cardboard but I set it up for the grandson to spray. I’ve used 30 psi using this surface primer before. He caught it saying it’s drying as it hits. He was right. But I didn’t think it was too bad so he practiced on a sheet of cardboard and we settled on the psi at 15 about 10” away for sprays 2 and 3. This material Walthers calls Architectural Laser board that I call artist task board and it has to be sealed before finish paint. I took it outside yesterday because I didn’t think it was too rough. As you can see I was wrong.

But all is good now after I used a 600 grit sanding stick. A few rivets were harmed though. Lesson learned, test your spray!
IMG_8628.jpeg
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IMG_8259.png

This prototype picture is for bridge color only. I sprayed last night hoping that this is the color I get! Photo is from Stevens Pass Railfans by Charles R Lie

No pictures yet taken of the new bridge color

Have a great day
 
ctclibby said:
Morning All

Yesterday Maria got up just after I did. Not her usual thing. She was complaining of not being able to breath with pain in her upper back. So off to the ER we go at 0400. Got her breathing stabilized with Ubatrol ( what ever ) then checked the heart enzymes because of the pain. Those were rising so they also suspected 'heart event'. Cabinet Peaks was whispering 'stint'. She got an Ambulance ride to Logan Health in Kalispell with me following. At least it was not Acute, or it would have been a $55K chopper ride. Ya, Ambulance chaser. You should have seen the pages and pages of questions that were asked. Also, they shaved her groin area. Because of that, I do expect that a stint is going to happen. Got her settled in the room and headed back home to check on house and animals. She is doing 2 or 3 scans this morning, then to the CathLab in the afternoon. I should be there around noon. These folks are *very* sparse on details. Can't tell me anything of a timeline for what is gonna happen, or when she gets done and come home. Can't even tell me if there is a 24 hour 'watch her' window after the insertion. So will have to play that by ear. Suspect that I will come home again tomorrow afternoon and get her on Wednesday. She is in good spirits and her typical self. Motels in the area are $200, so I will drive 90 minutes each way.

L8r
Click to expand...
Hope it's not something serious. Best wishes for her speedy recovery.
 
79°F/75°F out there today. Good morning folks.

ctlibby: I hope they fix Maria up good as new. I'll be praying for her.

The cool weather (low 80°s) we were supposed to have after tomorrow has been cancelled. Sorry, no rainchecks or refunds. Temps will remain in the upper 90°s for the foreseeable future with little chance (30%) of rain that was forecast for a full week before they changed their minds. The dewpoints will remain in the upper 70°F to add a little excitement to the temperature.

If you ever dreamed of visiting the Amazon rain forest, save your money and just visit Southern Illinois. No grass cutting today. I'm not risking my health for a weed.

Very early this morning about 0200, I heard a loud noise that sounded like Willow getting spooked while laying on the 4x6 rug in front of the piano. This sits on a wood floor with no anchoring, and if she gets spooked and tries to move too quickly the carpet slides out from under her while moving. I even though I heard the piano bench legs moving on the hardwood floor.

Imagine my surprise coming downstairs at 0700 and seeing a shelf had fallen off of the wall in the living room. I'll bet that scared the crap out of her. That shelf has been on the wall for over a decade, but I only recently within the last year decided to put my Walther collector books on the shelf for easy access instead of the book case. The weight must had been a little too much for the #8 screws holding the shelf standards to the wall.

I also had two 2lt official Oktoberfest Maß on the shelf and a bunch of other doo-dads. The handle on one Maß was broken off but I found the pieces. The other survived unscathed. So did everything else except the lampshade on the end table the shelf took out on the way to the floor.

Back to the train room for more running today. Being outside in this weather is an exercise in torture. Willow doesn't even play with her ball. She just sits in the shade not moving much at all.

Hope you all have a good day today.

Servus!
 
Good Morning All. Clear and 75°. Forecast is for 100° again today as well as the next 10, but it didn't hit the forecast high yesterday (or Sunday either), just barely inching to 99°.

Medical week continues today with a PCP visit 50 miles away. I should really find one a lot closer to home, but he was a lot closer when I first started seeing him 21 years ago, and I like him. But he moved further south. It was OK n the beginning because he was on the way home from work and I only went by twice a year. Now it is becoming tedious.
Yesterdays trip to the cardiologist went OK, he cut the dosage of two meds in half so I'll see how that works out. Side effects of many of my medications is fatigue and I really want to overcome that.
The dishwasher awaits me this morning, but I haven't decided whether to empty it before or after the doctor visit. Oh! And I need to stop by the bank to deposit that $8.25 check from my prescription drug plan provider! We'll be stopping at Dollar General on the way home.

Out in the train shed yesterday, I stepped back from the wiring upgrade project just for a day. Since I have been adding figures to a couple of areas, I did some more spot painting. Pulled out four colors and painted parts of about 15 figures, tossing six of them into the completed stash (small condiment cup from some long ago take-out meal). I also ran a couple of trains including one local left stranded from Sunday. Here's a shot of the Longhorn with it's transplanted leg now painted from the weekend.
1786456861312.jpeg

That left front leg doesn't even resemble the human one that was it's origin.

Now a couple of electrical question for y'all. I have a series of LED streetlights shown here.
1786457139664.jpeg

Since I don't have a 3v power source, I need to use a 12v wall wart. My question is "can I just use one resistor in the power source's output terminal circuit to light all 10 fixtures, or do I really need to wire a resistor to each individual lamp and run the 12v to all of them?" Remember that I am the world's worst solderer! Second question "can I use a 6v power source with the same resistor or must I use the 12v power source?" I have a box full of discarded wall warts but no 3v. I understand that the amperage output of either must be greater than the requirements for the 10 light fixtures. That won't be an issue.

Todd - My thoughts and prayers go out for Maria.
Karl -
kbkchooch said:
Got an actual real shower for the first time in 10 days yesterday then I went and slept in my own bed last night.
Click to expand...
A couple of the most underrated pleasures in life.
Alan - It's definitely a Medicare thing, six month interval with the cardiologist since I had a stent put in a few years back, quarterly with the PCP because I am borderline diabetic; although right now it's once a month due to the anemia in February. Ophthalmologist is yearly from the cataract surgery. Dermatologist, gastroenterologist and electrocardiologist all have their own schedules. Pulmonologist had his schedule too, but he moved across the state and I now see one of my other guys instead.
Ed Jones...I went to self-managed after I retired rather than pay the fees with my guy, not Ed Jones however. I was offered a couple of bad investment choices in 2008 and lost well over 6 figures. Took until 2014 to make it all up, but since I went to self-management in 2016, I have doubled the nest egg in 10 years. Now I'm having to take RMD's that I don't need! I know! Tough issue to deal with!

Everybody have a great Tuesday.
 


santafewillie said:
Good Morning All. Clear and 75°. Forecast is for 100° again today as well as the next 10, but it didn't hit the forecast high yesterday (or Sunday either), just barely inching to 99°.

Medical week continues today with a PCP visit 50 miles away. I should really find one a lot closer to home, but he was a lot closer when I first started seeing him 21 years ago, and I like him. But he moved further south. It was OK n the beginning because he was on the way home from work and I only went by twice a year. Now it is becoming tedious.
Yesterdays trip to the cardiologist went OK, he cut the dosage of two meds in half so I'll see how that works out. Side effects of many of my medications is fatigue and I really want to overcome that.
The dishwasher awaits me this morning, but I haven't decided whether to empty it before or after the doctor visit. Oh! And I need to stop by the bank to deposit that $8.25 check from my prescription drug plan provider! We'll be stopping at Dollar General on the way home.

Out in the train shed yesterday, I stepped back from the wiring upgrade project just for a day. Since I have been adding figures to a couple of areas, I did some more spot painting. Pulled out four colors and painted parts of about 15 figures, tossing six of them into the completed stash (small condiment cup from some long ago take-out meal). I also ran a couple of trains including one local left stranded from Sunday. Here's a shot of the Longhorn with it's transplanted leg now painted from the weekend.
View attachment 271866
That left front leg doesn't even resemble the human one that was it's origin.

Now a couple of electrical question for y'all. I have a series of LED streetlights shown here.View attachment 271867
Since I don't have a 3v power source, I need to use a 12v wall wart. My question is "can I just use one resistor in the power source's output terminal circuit to light all 10 fixtures, or do I really need to wire a resistor to each individual lamp and run the 12v to all of them?" Remember that I am the world's worst solderer! Second question "can I use a 6v power source with the same resistor or must I use the 12v power source?" I have a box full of discarded wall warts but no 3v. I understand that the amperage output of either must be greater than the requirements for the 10 light fixtures. That won't be an issue.

Todd - My thoughts and prayers go out for Maria.
Karl -

A couple of the most underrated pleasures in life.
Alan - It's definitely a Medicare thing, six month interval with the cardiologist since I had a stent put in a few years back, quarterly with the PCP because I am borderline diabetic; although right now it's once a month due to the anemia in February. Ophthalmologist is yearly from the cataract surgery. Dermatologist, gastroenterologist and electrocardiologist all have their own schedules. Pulmonologist had his schedule too, but he moved across the state and I now see one of my other guys instead.
Ed Jones...I went to self-managed after I retired rather than pay the fees with my guy, not Ed Jones however. I was offered a couple of bad investment choices in 2008 and lost well over 6 figures. Took until 2014 to make it all up, but since I went to self-management in 2016, I have doubled the nest egg in 10 years. Now I'm having to take RMD's that I don't need! I know! Tough issue to deal with!

Everybody have a great Tuesday.
Click to expand...

You should use a resistor for each of the lamps wired in parallel, not series.
 
Good morning all, Todd, prayers up here for Maria.
Karl continue to get better
Troy, still praying.
And Kuso, praying for your health and safety.
And I suspect that the reason there are no pictures of the Maple Donuts in Bill's picture is he ate it before the picture could be taken!
Well, it's 88 here heading for 101, with a Heat Index that I don't even want to consider. Got a call from the gunstore, so I will be working Saturday, the following Saturday is the Conway Train Show, so that will be fun. Still have work to do on the modules, the Corner just has to have the Engine House weathered, but the Straight one needs a solid bit of work still. But at least they are presentable now, just not to my satisfaction.
You guys have a good day.
 
Motor Oil – What Brand I Use and Why

I talked a lot about the grade and viscosity of the oil I use, but I don't think I mentioned which brand I use.

I used and sold Walmart’s Super Tech oils for years as an independent industrial mechanic and never had a single issue with it. It always delivered solid protection, and I never saw the oil shear, even in extreme conditions. They are reliable, affordable, and do exactly what they supposed to do. I felt confident selling Super Tech oils to my customers, including Bethlehem Steel, and equally confident using them in my own vehicles.

On the recommendation of a trusted advisor, I switched to Mobil 1 for my Equinox for a few oil changes. I’ve always had my own unscientific method of analyzing the oil when I drain it. I get a little on my thumb and finger and slowly pull them apart to check viscosity. After doing it for many years, I feel like it says something to me. I’ve done that with the big‑name oils and with Super Tech oils, and honestly, I don’t see any difference.

So, I did a little research.

Walmart’s Super Tech oils are made primarily by Warren Distribution (now part of Highline Warren), one of the largest independent lubricant blenders in the U.S. They also produce private‑label oils for Costco’s Kirkland Signature brand and others. In some regions, ExxonMobil and Pennzoil handle production for Walmart to keep supply consistent.

Every batch of Super Tech oil meets API SP and ILSAC GF‑6A standards, and many grades carry various GM Dexos certifications. The same specifications and certifications as major brands like Mobil 1, Castrol, Pennzoil, etc. Independent lab tests from the Petroleum Quality Institute of America show Super Tech’s viscosity, additive chemistry, and volatility results are right in line with other premium oils.

So, I switched back to Super Tech Advanced Full Synthetic Motor Oil.

Super Tech oils are reliable, American‑made, and priced right. It lets me change oil without feeling like I’m paying for the label. Running Walmart’s Super Tech Advanced Full Synthetic Motor Oil in my Equinox for over 200,000 miles confirms what I’ve always believed - it’s great oil.

I change my oil for under $30 using Super Tech Advanced 20,000 Mile Full Synthetic Motor Oil ($19.98) from Walmart and a Fram Ultra Synthetic XG12060 20,000 Mile Filter ($8.97) from Amazon. I realized I should mention that, although I said I changed my oil for under $30, I never explained how I did it. I’m not trying to convince anyone of anything; I’m simply sharing my experience. As they say “your milage may vary”
 
ctclibby said:
Morning All

Yesterday Maria got up just after I did. Not her usual thing. She was complaining of not being able to breath with pain in her upper back. So off to the ER we go at 0400. Got her breathing stabilized with Ubatrol ( what ever ) then checked the heart enzymes because of the pain. Those were rising so they also suspected 'heart event'. Cabinet Peaks was whispering 'stint'. She got an Ambulance ride to Logan Health in Kalispell with me following. At least it was not Acute, or it would have been a $55K chopper ride. Ya, Ambulance chaser. You should have seen the pages and pages of questions that were asked. Also, they shaved her groin area. Because of that, I do expect that a stint is going to happen. Got her settled in the room and headed back home to check on house and animals. She is doing 2 or 3 scans this morning, then to the CathLab in the afternoon. I should be there around noon. These folks are *very* sparse on details. Can't tell me anything of a timeline for what is gonna happen, or when she gets done and come home. Can't even tell me if there is a 24 hour 'watch her' window after the insertion. So will have to play that by ear. Suspect that I will come home again tomorrow afternoon and get her on Wednesday. She is in good spirits and her typical self. Motels in the area are $200, so I will drive 90 minutes each way.

L8r
Click to expand...
I don’t know how they do it there but my wife is an RN in the cathlab at IMC, the big hospital complex campus thingy here in the SL Valley. (IMC — Intermountain Medical Centwr. Intermountain is the company and it’s their big medical center. Very original. They’re the largest hospital / health service company in the area).

Stents are usually same day at her place. They get put in. The person has to rest a few hours and they can’t be bleeding from the insertion point. And I think they have to pee. A few other things I’m probably not familiar with as I’ve only gotten it told from her.

And good luck to Maria on the procedure and recovery.
 
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Good morning, all! Hot, humid and spotty showers forecasted. Not a lot happening here as it just too hot to be outside.

Oil - I change it once a year. Synthetic 5w. Our vehicles usually see 3,000 miles a year. additionally, tires are rotated at the same interval.

Todd - Best thoughts and wishes for Maria
Karl - Good to see you are home.
Troy - Hope you feel better.
Patrick - Drugs here in the USA are a racket, in my opinion. I am on Ozempic. Started on .5mg @ $30 a pen. Now on 1mg @ $60 for 3 pens.

STAY SAFE (and well oiled)
LATER
 
Well, howdy there internet peeps, and those able to log on.

Been doing more research on the Canadian ancestry, trying to fill a document hole for the ancestors that were Canucks when no one was keeping records....

Found out that my 4th Great Grandfather was an AMISH Bishop in the Waterloo Ontario region. He went off to Huron County, formed a church, then died a year later.

One of his daughters married my 3rd great grandfather.
Amish 3.jpg

So I had NanoBanana make me into an Amish Bishop to celebrate finding out where his family history is kept in Canada. And that my 3rd Greats are specifically mentioned in the entry for the collected biographical materials.

Now I just have to find someone in the Kitchener-Waterloo area that wants to go to the college library, find the family history, and photo copy all the pertinent parts.

Oh, and the chiropractor turned me into a pretzel. Sciatica still hurts, but I've got more flex in my hips. Two more weeks of visits and "adjustments"
 


Afternoon all!

A very stormy morning and early afternoon. We had a pretty severe storm go thru town around 10am. I don't know how strong the winds
were but I would guess 60+mph. There is some tree damage around the neighborhood. Only thing we had was a couple of small limbs
come down. It was hard to get an accurate total on the rain since it was sideways most of the time. The other 2 rounds of storms that
came thru were not the severe variety. Its now sunny and the humidity appears to be dropping some.

Enjoy the rest of your day!
 
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