Running Bear's December 2025 Coffee Shop

[kbkchooch]

Good morning gang!

24 degrees under cloudy skies, with a high of 34 degrees.

Happy New Year’s Eve!!

 

[ctclibby]

Good Morning All!
25F @ 78% and dark.

Site was unreachable for about an 1/2 hour for me starting at about 0330. Bob must have been doing something. Other sites banged right in.

Dishwasher fix didn't. Maria found some NiB ones that some construction company over bought @250.00, so looking at those. Gonna take this washers door off and check the bottom seals ( if you can call them that ) again and either try another fix, or ....?

Going to Bonners Ferry about 0900 to spend, spend spend. The monopoly store here looses!

L8r

 

[Patrick]

Morning all,

27° and clear with a high of 60° later. Got a bunch of stuff I need to do that doesn't have anything to do with work. Hopefully I can get stuff done.

Good Morning All!
25F @ 78% and dark.

Site was unreachable for about an 1/2 hour for me starting at about 0330. Bob must have been doing something. Other sites banged right in.

Dishwasher fix didn't. Maria found some NiB ones that some construction company over bought @250.00, so looking at those. Gonna take this washers door off and check the bottom seals ( if you can call them that ) again and either try another fix, or ....?

Going to Bonners Ferry about 0900 to spend, spend spend. The monopoly store here looses!

L8r

If you can get one for $250ish, that's not a terrible price. The Whirlpool one I bought a couple years ago was on sale for $299 at Lowe's and I got the Veteran's 10% discount as well. It was normally a $100 more. I have found they don't build them like they used to.

 

[Bruette]

 

[TLOC]

Good morning from Wisconsin. 31f degrees heading to 35 and if the sun pops out I shouldn’t need to shovel or use ice melt on the sidewalks today. We have at best 1” of the new white stuff that started as a mix of everything yesterday afternoon. Driving to the movies was an adventure. I was fine but watching the crazies who think 4 wheel drive can stop you on ice was fascinating. Saw 2 rear bend accidents happen last night, big pickups don’t stop on a dime in 4=wheel or not on ice. The one I pulled over and asked if they were ok told me, “it’s in 4=wheel drive, my dad is going to kill me”. Didn’t want to tell him it will be ok but that his insurance rate is going to skyrocket.

Saw Song Sung Blue last night and it was very good. Synopsis: Based on a true story, two down-on-their-luck musicians (Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson) form a joyous Neil Diamond tribute band, proving it's never too late to find love and follow your dreams.

Kate Hudson was awesome and should get an Oscar nomination. A feel good movie that has its turns and you may need tissues while watching. The music is key but it’s about the couple not Diamonds music

The slot car racing was fun yesterday. From 9 till 5 with 3 granddads there and 2 single moms it was a good time and kind of neat watching a single granddad and one of the moms gravitating towards each other as the day went on. The next one is Monday 1/5/2026 the last day off for the school break. The LHS owner stayed for a couple hours after dropping his niece off. She was one of the 5 girls who raced and I tell you watching 12/13 year old females herding 12/13 year old boys around was enlightening. I remember back though, I was just as clueless about women at 12/13 like they are now and I still am. Good time though. The track was flawless and these kids can race.

I’ll be at the bench today and a few 15 to 30 minute work sessions on the layout. I have a 10’ section of track that needs work. That is my goal for today and if it needs ripping it out I have the replacement tie strips and new rail, though I can re-use what’s there

Enjoy your day

 

[Kusojiji]

View attachment 253081

I'm dying right now. Just 55 more minutes. Started another project of putting lights in a tiny tram to try to stay awake.

 

[RhB Michael]

Good morning! I didn't rise until 0800. The latest I've slept in months.

Temperature is already above freezing at 33°F, and is heading for 43°F this afternoon.

Have a great New Year folks! Stay safe.

Servus!

 

[migalyto]

 

[santafewillie]

Good Morning All. Happy New Years Eve. Clear and 38°, which isn't as cold as predicted. Upper 60's later today with nothing but sunshine. Great weather is predicted for the next ten days.

Couldn't get on the forum earlier, around 0400, for some reason.

Nothing really accomplished yesterday due to the last minute doctor appointment in early afternoon. For me, it was just a 3 day move-up from my previously scheduled Friday follow-up. Nothing different except I recorded my lowest BP reading ever in his office, 120/68. Doctor didn't think that the nurse did it right, so he checked it again to verify. Wife will survive her bladder infection and we picked up her prescriptions on the way home.
Earlier in the day, I verified that the RMD's that I am being forced to take did indeed transfer from the retirement accounts to our bank, important to avoid problems with the IRS. Ironically we now make more income in retirement (SS & RMD's) than we did when both of us were working! The result of over-saving over the years. Stopped on the way home for some to go Texas BBQ for supper.

Finally getting to relax today after two weeks of mostly non-stop holiday cheer and doc visits. We don't typically do anything special for New Years Eve or day any more. My wife will fix her traditional Black-Eyed Peas for New Years Day, which only became a tradition for me once we were married. I actually don't care for them but eat a spoonful to humor her. It's supposed to be a Southern tradition to bring good fortune for the upcoming year.
I haven't seen midnight in over 40 years, and don't plan on it this year either.

Got home too late to do much out in the train shed yesterday, so I just ran trains. I'll make up for it today. I still have that Walther's Commissary Building next to the workbench that I am going to add figures to, and hope to find a suitable sign for it. I did add black construction paper to the inside to black-out the windows.

Sometime last week, I also had added gray painted styrene boxes behind the two open doors. I originally had greater plans for an interior, but in it's current place on the layout, anything inside would be hard to distinguish, so open gray areas it is.

Michael -

I wish I had the real estate for yards that long!

I am fortunate enough to have the land and $$$ to build a dedicated train shed. Interior dimensions are 20' x 32'. I could have made it bigger, but I made a careful decision regarding just how much layout I might be able to maintain as I aged. They generally don't build basements here in Texas, hence the train shed.
Terry - Good luck with the pay!

Everybody have a great Wednesday and a safe New Year's Eve.

 

[Kusojiji]

5-4-3-2-1

Happy New Year! Hope your 2026 is as good or better than 2025!

 

[migalyto]

Good morning all!

Was kind of surprised this morning looking at the temps. I didnt think it was supposed to be this warm. It is currently 33F with an expected high in the mid 30s. It is cloudy and probably no chance to see the sun, but it will be above freezing. No precipitation is forecasted. We did receive a light dusting of snow yesterday afternoon into the evening but wasn't much. Some of it will melt away today.

A few things to do around the house today. Laundry, vacuuming, dishwasher etc....

We will not be going out for New Years eve. We haven't done that in years and dont plan to start tonight. It will be pick-up from a local restaurant. My daughter is going to stay at a friends tonight with a group from the volleyball/basketball team so it will just be the wife and I.

Hope everyone has a fantastic New Years Eve!

have a safe day everyone!

 

[migalyto]

5-4-3-2-1

Happy New Year! Hope your 2026 is as good or better than 2025!

So, you must be about 13 hours ahead of us here in the states. That's crazy its already 2026 in some parts of the world.

I just got used to writing 2025 for the date.

A happy healthy prosperous New years to you!

 

[ctclibby]

Morning all,

27° and clear with a high of 60° later. Got a bunch of stuff I need to do that doesn't have anything to do with work. Hopefully I can get stuff done.



If you can get one for $250ish, that's not a terrible price. The Whirlpool one I bought a couple years ago was on sale for $299 at Lowe's and I got the Veteran's 10% discount as well. It was normally a $100 more. I have found they don't build them like they used to.

Ya, will look into it.
This crap one was $450 3 maybe 4 years ago. From Sears.

L8r

 

[troyphoto]

Happy new year to all the old men of the future

See what I did there for our Japanese residents?

It's Troy again.

Spent the morning working on the prior book. I had a "secret" chapter epilogue that you needed to sign up for my newsletter to get. BUT seems like I managed to delete the link to it in one of my typo correction sweeps last year. And that chapter has some context for the new book that will come out in two weeks... So I stuck the entire chapter back into the book. I got it uploaded to all the retailers, so it should be populated out by this Saturday when I send my next reader newsletter out. I'll alert the masses about it in that missive.

Wife says we're going out for Pizza Hut this evening. I just Saluted and said "Whatever makes you happy" while doing my own little happy dance.

Then she handed me a list of excursions for our cruise in February she wants to try. She gave me several options for each port. I had to get her to tell me which were the important ones for her, but she threw two back at me with a YOU PICK. OK, we'll go see the Lookout tower for Blackbeard the Pirate. See what Ole Teach was up to in those Islands.

I do actually include mention of Blackbeard in my Pirate-Centric book, but it's Barti Ddu (Black Bart) that I include as a recurring character.

Should be a fun 10 day cruise.

 

[RhB Michael]

Happy new year to all the old men of the future

See what I did there for our Japanese residents?

It's Troy again.

Spent the morning working on the prior book. I had a "secret" chapter epilogue that you needed to sign up for my newsletter to get. BUT seems like I managed to delete the link to it in one of my typo correction sweeps last year. And that chapter has some context for the new book that will come out in two weeks... So I stuck the entire chapter back into the book. I got it uploaded to all the retailers, so it should be populated out by this Saturday when I send my next reader newsletter out. I'll alert the masses about it in that missive.

Wife says we're going out for Pizza Hut this evening. I just Saluted and said "Whatever makes you happy" while doing my own little happy dance.

Then she handed me a list of excursions for our cruise in February she wants to try. She gave me several options for each port. I had to get her to tell me which were the important ones for her, but she threw two back at me with a YOU PICK. OK, we'll go see the Lookout tower for Blackbeard the Pirate. See what Ole Teach was up to in those Islands.

I do actually include mention of Blackbeard in my Pirate-Centric book, but it's Barti Ddu (Black Bart) that I include as a recurring character.

Should be a fun 10 day cruise.

Have you considered a Viking river cruise on the Rhine, Danube, or Inn rivers in Europe? A cruise down the Rhine is much more scenic than the open ocean and has plenty of ports of call. It's something you will never forget long after images of empty ocean has faded from memory.

 

[DeaconKC]

Good morning all and may you all have a blessed 2026. 46 here this morning and sunny much improved over the last two days.
Wondering if anyone here has used those flexible thin foam sheets on the MRR? Wondering how they would work as a road.
Anyway, hope you all get dishwashers, paychecks [!!] and snow shoveling sorted out.

 

[RhB Michael]

I have a few of those sheets I have been planning on using for planting structures on to make a natural curb against the road. It's nearly a scale foot thick though so I'm sort of hesitant. I know it would work, but I am afraid it will look out of scale.

Especially on my railroad where in Europe, most curbs are lower than US curbs and in some places there are no discernable curbs at all in more rural settings.

Used as road, it is going to be higher (of course) than the surrounding land and I think that will not look good either. I've never seen a road higher than what surrounds it. JMO.

 

[CambriaArea51]

Much like when I grew up on milk still warm from the cow, after refrigeration it was so rich it was like pouring ice cream on your morning cereal......make todays whole milk taste like skim milk by comparison, and today's skim milk taste like white paint thinned with piss.

Milk warm from the cow......, I had the missing people on the milk carton.

 

[troyphoto]

Have you considered a Viking river cruise on the Rhine, Danube, or Inn rivers in Europe? A cruise down the Rhine is much more scenic than the open ocean and has plenty of ports of call. It's something you will never forget long after images of empty ocean has faded from memory.

Yes. those are about 2x to 3x what we like to spend though. To put it mildly, my wife is "thrifty" when it comes to vacationing. she's still working hard to build the nestegg and we just turned 60ish.

 

[trailrider]

Temperatures overnight along the Front Range in the low 3appy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year! 0's, but going up into the 50's. We had about an inch of snow the other day, which lasted until the sun came out. Not bad weather...for October! Fire danger in the foothills is still very high. Got pretty windy the past few days, so Xcel Energy was cutting off power where the power lines are above ground. Fortunately, all ours are underground. Wife and I aren't planning too much for tonight, except staying off the roads. We don't drink, but it's those who do you have to be concerned about.

Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year! Green board all the way!