Running Bear's February 2022 Coffee Shop

[kbkchooch]

Oh Bother!
Came home to a small flood in the basement. Sometime during the day the T&P valve on the water heater started leaking. #4 son went downstairs to get something and his feet went squish squish. So the water heater is out of the loop plumbing wise. It leaks quite slowly but the water covered 1/4 of the basement. Thank goodness for waterproof LVT that looks like hardwood. Just a wet mess. Tomorrow I will bring the heater back online long enough to get showers, then off again til my neighbor the plumber can come over tomorrow night to install a new valve. He would have done it tonight but he didn't have one on his truck.

I was going to take pics of my 2 guitars, but one is in the middle of restringing and the water cleanup kind of took it out of me. Honestly, I haven't played anything since the stroke 10 years ago, just because my hand speed is not what it was.

I also haven't played golf for the same reason until last summer. Son #4 was trying out for the H.S. golf team so we took him to the driving range so he could get some practice in. I got kinda aggravated with him trying to talk him through what I felt he was doing wrong. Wifey said he learns better by watching, show him instead. So I grabbed a club, took a few practice swings and promptly sent a ball straight up and out 200 ft.

Since then, wifey has been pushing me to go kill balls more often, and to do other hand exercises, including the guitar, hence the restring.

Speaking of guitars, here is son#2 in a band, at college in Nanjing China. He's the 6'7 guy on your left with the white guitar. He left that guitar behind when he came home, knowing his faithful B.C Rich axes were waiting at home.

Ok, who has the skinny on this WoW POW sound decoder stuff?? Sounds like vaporware to me!

L8Ter!

 

[CambriaArea51]

Well after a few tries at strapping down a couple of pipe loads, I decided against it for a couple of reasons. One I couldn't get it to look right, Two I'm picky, Three it has to be mobile to go to shows. The car with all it's detail needs to be able to go in its box and the load separate. So I just wrapped the yellow chart tape to simulate nylon straps to hold the load to the car. It is was it is and I'm just going with it.

 

[LesterL]

I'm looking for steam locomotive numbers for N&W 4-6-2 and 2-8-2. Same for Rock Island.
Thanks in advance,
His Servant and yours,
Lester

 

[TrucTrain55]

GEORGE - Absolutely love your caboose ! How about a side and a 3/4 view?

LEE - Great looking RS-3! Did that start life as a two, or three rail?

WILLIE - We missed you - glad your trip was safe! Mini scenes today are GREAT! Love the man in the "manhole".

TROY - I was mugged on Sunday! If you need more cookies - I'll send you a couple boxes.

LOUIS - I could absolutely quote you with my feelings and thoughts about my Spousal Unit too!
SHE is my blessing!

Thanks it is a 3rail but now it’s a non powered I bought it off Sleezbay I ran it twice around the layout really rough going it started smoking them stopped. I tore it apart and the E unit board was fried and had been getting hot for awhile the seller would not refund me I turned it over to Sleezbay and got a full refund. The seller didn’t accept returns so I got to keep the Engine. That’s what these Stupid Sellers don’t understand when selling on Sleezbay if you don’t accept returns that means to Sleezbay you don’t want it back get them seller’s every time.

 

[TrucTrain55]

I bought this in 1974 for $160. Harmony made a bunch of these, not a bad guitar. I have seen them go for over 2K on ebay in good shape. I got Buck to sign this one at his Crystal Palace in Bakersfield in 02. I gave it to my son along with the G&L Asat I had. There were another group of the Buck guitars from the other side of the world that were cheap junk..View attachment 140053

Wow very nice and I’m a huge Buck Owens fan Mom use to Hum Buckaroo to me to get me to fall asleep when I was a Baby and entertained me by putting my high chair in of the TV when the Buck Owens show would come on I wish I could have met him.

 

[Jaz avalley]

Ok, Most schools are already closed for tomorrow and McConnel AFB is on essential personnel only. This is what we're looking at overnight and into tomorrow:

View attachment 140057

I'm in the 6-10"+ range. We don't know how to really handle that much snow, but it may be gone by the end of next week.

Are you guys ok?

 

[Jaz avalley]

I have a clause in my will stating that whoever contests this will shall have no distribution from it.

I like that clause so much I plan to add it to mine to protect my younger son. sad isn’t it that a will cannot be upheld as ‘the will’ of the person leaving their goods. Unfortunately instances like care workers having been known to appeal to older lonely people cutting out family, so sometimes turning a will over has some meaning. Difficult.

 

[troyphoto]

Up for the 3am pee break (it's now 4:30ish) and couldn't sleep

No snow yet in the Fort (NE Indiana). But, the maintenance guys had the snow removal company (also the tree company) out with their little bobcat loader moving existing snow piles back farther so they have someplace to put our new snow.

Several local businesses (coffee shops, restaurants) have announced closures today (coffee shops and small retail).

 

[Patrick]

Morning all,

At this time only about 1.5" on the ground. With the wind not yet enough to run the snow blower. Most of the snow is expected during the day. Still have to run the wife to work in a bit.

Nice to not have to get the machine out just yet...but I do look forward to getting it going.


BBL

 

[CambriaArea51]

Good morning....Up before the alarm by 30 min. Coffee Flo in the big cup today.

Lee- Nice RS-3 sad to hear that it didn't run long but at least you got your money back.
Thanks for the likes on the flatcar loads, another 2 in the works.

 

[Patrick]

Ok local weather says 4" at the Wichita airport. That measurement is 30 miles away.
We do have a heavy band over the top of us over the past 30 minutes.

 

[CambriaArea51]

Ok local weather says 4" at the Wichita airport. That measurement is 30 miles away.
We do have a heavy band over the top of us over the past 30 minutes.

We're next supposed to start tonight into tomorrow, 9-12" when done.

 

[bnsf971]

Good morning. It's clear and 24.
The fertilizer plant is still burning, they say drones have captured several small explosions on video.

 

[OBTC 1909]

Good morning all! Rainy and 42 with the temp expected to fall during the day. Rain turning to freezing rain about the time I'm to drive home from work, so I'm not looking forward to dealing with that. Snowmageddon 2022 is expected beginning overnight after we get a nice layer of ice on the road first. Hearing we can expect anywhere from 3 to 10 inches of snow. I vote for sunny and 75 but not expecting to win that vote. If things get as bad as they say, I'm staying home from work. The little gravel road I live along isn't even close to top priority for snow removal, so I may not be able to get out to the main roads anyway, even with my 4x4 pickup truck.

Still can't get through to the IRS to ask questions about that letter we got a few days ago. Every time we call they pretend to forward us to an agent when all they really do is forward you straight to a recording that then hangs up on you. They claim in the letter we need to re-file the forms we already filed immediately. However, they didn't provide an address to send these forms to and they won't actually talk to us on the phone so we can't even do what they said. The IRS has been too high and mighty for too long. Sad there is nothing the little guy can do but obey and pay.

Wow very nice and I’m a huge Buck Owens fan Mom use to Hum Buckaroo to me to get me to fall asleep when I was a Baby and entertained me by putting my high chair in of the TV when the Buck Owens show would come on I wish I could have met him.

Absolutely loved the song Buckaroo. Used to play it over and over on my record player as a kid.

Have a great day everyone and be safe out there!

 

[kbkchooch]

Good morning gang!

Flo dear, can I get a big old stack of flapjacks and coffee to start.

I'll be resting in the corner booth after last nights cleanup!

 

[Patrick]

Karl: Pressure relief valve isn't a big deal. When we bought our house nearly 8 years ago, ours starting leaking after the heater got refired after being shutdown for 18 months, (house was a VA repo), I priced water heaters(Ouch) and then found a new valve (exact same Robertshaw valve and part number) at One of the big box stores and replaced it for about $15. Still working properly on a 22 year old water heater. I stilll need to replace this heater one of these days.

We have gotten another couple of inches over the past hour. Took the wife to work this morning and told her the worst roads would be in the neighboring town where she works. I was right. Our tracks were covered by the time I gothome 45 minutes after we left. 24 mile round trip took 45 minutes. She though me going 40 was driving too fast, but then again she's an old lady... I'm damn lucky as she's put up with me for 39 years in May. Coming up on 40 years since we met on a blind date. .

Forgot to add: Happy Pork Sausage Day. If I gotta put up with another 6 weeks of what's going today, I'll eat him. Actually it has been a pretty mild winter otherwise. Monday was 68° and sunny.

 

[kbkchooch]

 

[NYC_George]

Well after a few tries at strapping down a couple of pipe loads, I decided against it for a couple of reasons. One I couldn't get it to look right, Two I'm picky, Three it has to be mobile to go to shows. The car with all it's detail needs to be able to go in its box and the load separate. So I just wrapped the yellow chart tape to simulate nylon straps to hold the load to the car. It is was it is and I'm just going with it.View attachment 140076View attachment 140077

Yes Sir I like these a lot. Great looking cars, track and ballast.

 

[NYC_George]

View attachment 140102

Phyllis doesn't look very happy in her new FL life.
George

 

[troyphoto]

Well, howdy there internet people and those waiting on Snowpocalypse 2022 part Deux!

It's Troy again...

Lets talk about happy and frustration... but first:

Fort Wayne is currently under Wintry Mix...

Yesterday, late afternoon, I experienced Frustration on an epic level.

Someone posted to one of the bookface author groups about an email from the largest AudioBook distributor, owned by a parent company that sent it's former CEO into low earth orbit on a rocket that resembled ... well... a male... um... member.

Seems that said audiobook company - whom I deal with exclusively for my books, and I'm a small fry in a very large ocean of authors. We small fry use what's called Royalty Share. We split the profits from the ebook equally between us. The audio company deposits their share to their bank, and my share to my bank on a monthly basis.

That worked well, each of us getting a 1099 at the end of the year. That was, until the Audio company decided that they would stop sending 1099s to narrators about royalty split amounts, and pass their royalty amounts onto the authors via OUR 1099s from said audiobook company.

So, let's say I have one book with one narrator and received $300 in royalty split. That means the narrator for that book deal with got $300 from my book, straight from Audio into their account.

But, my 1099 would say $600 was paid on behalf of me. Nevermind that half of it went to the narrator and I didn't touch it.

Now, take a narrator or author that does that with say a dozen partners across all their books.

To top it off, not one single author in any of our groups can find the email that Audio claims to have sent a year ago explaining that this was happening.

So, I now have to file 1099s for my three narrators... unlike the 1099NEC which has a $600 threshold, the 1099misc for royalties, has a $10 threshold. All three of my narrators made that or more.

And the reporting of funds for each book from Audio is at best. I've only got six books out on audio, and I'm guessing it's going to take me about two hours to set up a spreadsheet from their data.

BUT, on the HAPPY front, I wrote up an article for the gaming blog and it just went live. If you want to read about Vive L' (tiny) Emperor, you can find it here.

Warlord Epic Waterloo – Vive L’ (tiny) Emperor!

by Troy A. Hill “For the love of God! Troy! Here we are painting up stuff in 28mm and you go batshit crazy in 12mm…” was what one of my local gaming friends posted under the photo of my…

nodicenoglory.com

So, before I dive into spreadsheet heck, I'll go check the oil in the showshovel, and get it warmed up.