BigGRacing
Aka. Gary Russell
Good morning everyone, overcast and about 2deg Celsius this morning. Doing some painting and printing of more diesel parts and heading down to get some more track in place.
Running Bear's January 2026 Coffee Shop
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Well, howdy there internet peeps and those with their own shovels.
It's Troy again.
Now that the cat has his manual clean pooping box back, he left the rugs alone last night. We'll see if that lasts.
I managed to write 1300+ words on the next book this morning. Chapter one is now "done enough" to move on. Need to get act 1 written (about 4 chapters) so I can start detailing out Act 2 part A. Yes, 2nd acts are long, and are usually broken up. Sometimes that's where the intermissions in stage plays occur.
Made a Costco run yesterday. About half of the items were booze. Two bottles for the wife, and one of Bulleit Rye for me. Got nuts, chocolates, and AA batteries to keep Lord Fuzzbut in red light juice for the rest of the year.
We went to pizza at the Mom&Pop place. Family owned for 27 years now. Order at the counter, they bring it out to you, but about 80+ percent of their business is delivery or carryout.
we got the 5 meat large special. Leftovers for dinner tonight.
We're hunkered down today for the "nuisance" snow we're predicted. Hoping the 7-9 inches stays over near Lake Michigan.
My property taxes are 6X what Willie pays.
I do have a little more square footage but nowhere near the acreage.
The guys in the local offices don’t always know how the system works behind the scenes.
When I first called they didn't sound like it was anything very serious, even after describing what I was and was not seeing in that left eye. They told me that if there was a sudden change in my eyesight, or if one day it looked like a curtain had been pulled over my eye, to call immediately. None of that happened and I didn't think any more about it.
When I spoke with the ophthalmologist yesterday while being examined she told me I should have argued with the appointment desk to get in sooner. The doctor said this left eye is pretty serious. Hence all of the closely spaced appointments now. Amazing how they can get me in that many times in a week, but couldn't get me in for four months for an initial exam.
For whatever reason, my eyes do feel better after using these drops. They didn't hurt before, and I can't really explain it, but they do feel better. Like maybe, more relaxed? My distance vision seems to have improved a bit too. Maybe the pressure relief internally has also changed the curvature of the lens.
I wonder why it changed? Besides the lack of the tax, what else changed?
And do they put a $0 stamp on it?
Property taxes in the county where I am are pretty low, and affordable. I couldn't afford to live in the county to the north where I'm originally from. I check property values a lot up there, and then check the tax amounts paid. It's astronomical what these people pay for a similar property to mine. Even if I could afford a new mortgage up there, I could never afford the property taxes. You really can't go home again.
My taxes were a few dollars less than Willies. It would be three times that just 10 miles north of here.
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troyphoto
Snarky Old Fart (in training)
With that experience, you can work in polytics!
Well, howdy there internet peeps and those with their own shovels.
It's Troy again.
Now that the cat has his manual clean pooping box back, he left the rugs alone last night. We'll see if that lasts.
I managed to write 1300+ words on the next book this morning. Chapter one is now "done enough" to move on. Need to get act 1 written (about 4 chapters) so I can start detailing out Act 2 part A. Yes, 2nd acts are long, and are usually broken up. Sometimes that's where the intermissions in stage plays occur.
Made a Costco run yesterday. About half of the items were booze. Two bottles for the wife, and one of Bulleit Rye for me. Got nuts, chocolates, and AA batteries to keep Lord Fuzzbut in red light juice for the rest of the year.
We went to pizza at the Mom&Pop place. Family owned for 27 years now. Order at the counter, they bring it out to you, but about 80+ percent of their business is delivery or carryout.
we got the 5 meat large special. Leftovers for dinner tonight.
We're hunkered down today for the "nuisance" snow we're predicted. Hoping the 7-9 inches stays over near Lake Michigan.
RetiredinIowa
Well-Known Member
Morning ladies and gents
Dang....sustained winds 20mph and lots of gusts at 40mph... combined with 20 degrees means yikes!
Looking forward to the online, real-time HO scale sale tonight at 7:00 pm... link can be found here ---> https://www.caboosestophobbies.com/
Great prices.
Dang....sustained winds 20mph and lots of gusts at 40mph... combined with 20 degrees means yikes!
Looking forward to the online, real-time HO scale sale tonight at 7:00 pm... link can be found here ---> https://www.caboosestophobbies.com/
Great prices.
NYC_George
Well-Known Member
I go to Chase bank today and ask them in person how McAfee was able to us my new debt card number for payment of my McAfee account which is not even up for renewal until 02/20/26 5 weeks from now. I didn't even have time to let them know I'm not renewing it. He shows me on his computer it looks like when your old debt card was canceled, they just used your new one. Yes exactly, that's what they did, and Chase gave them my new account number. He says I don't know why we would do that. I know why because you don't want to miss a sale. Swal
We're seeing 2-3 day max turnaround on the forms.I was more commenting on the details behind the form (ie Class 1 vs Class 3 or whatever). Doing what you do I'm sure you are very familiar with the forms
Speaking of cheap SBR, I may have to register a bunch. I've heard they're coming back in weeks. A friend had a suppressor come back in less than a week or something like that. I'd prefer the whole registration go away as is but the $200 tax was a major reason I hadn't registered a bunch of receivers. ($200 on a $10k-$40k machine gun is peanuts -- $200 on a $70 receiver is a lot of money)
santafewillie
Same Ol' Buzzard
Good Morning All. Clear and 52°, but a cold front is on the way. It will drop below freezing tonight. The next 10 days are up and down depending on which way the wind blows; highs still in the 50's and 60's with the lows occasionally dipping into freezing territory. Still no precipitation in the forecast.
Well, it took the entire day to take the Lexus in for it's 30K mile service. Replacing all filters and fluids, doing a software update that also fixed the back-up camera recall. They also replaced the front floor mat that inexplicably disappeared the last time we bought it in, and then washed and vacuumed everything. I have three pages of reports on various stuff. One thing that they weren't allowed to do was disable the Auto Start-Stop Technology, which is just a minor irritant to do manually. Add to that an hour drive each way to reach the dealer. We had a free loaner to use while there and visited Discount Model Trains, daughter #2 who works from home, had lunch with an old friend and spent money at Trader Joe's. Got out of North Dallas barely before the evening rush hour traffic started.
Not sure what's in store today, I'll play it by ear.
Very little time out in the train shed after we returned home. All I did was unpackage the booty from Discount. Not a lot, I was just there for supplies and vehicles mainly.
Sticker shock while I was there. I don't know if it is inflation, exchange rate, tariffs or just plain price-gouging, but Oxford vehicles are now 35% higher than before Christmas! Maybe a combination of all four.
I wish that they had more vehicles from the late-70's through the 80's.
I'll post some more later
Michael - Interesting that you had to wait four months for the eye appointment to begin with, but the follow-ups seem to be "rapid-fire".
Tom O - Divesting "A" shares of BH could trigger a tenuous tax situation! I'm sure you have an advisor to guide you.
Might be a good call on Minneapolis.
Lonnie - Lucky you on the driver heading for the ditch instead of smacking you.
Kevin - Like you, we have had an extremely mild fall/winter so far.
Chet - Once again, a few familiar structures in your pictures.
We have never had any issues with our credit card from Chase. We only use it in lieu of cash or checks and pay it off every month. Haven't used a credit card for true credit since the three kiddos were in college. My wife checks that account as well as our bank accounts daily for any nefarious activity. None of our bill payments are automatic except cell phone.
Rock musician Dave Grohl, of Nirvana and Foo Fighter's is 57 today. I don't really know any of his music very well, as he came along after my active interest had waned (and my hearing was shot). But he has been inducted in to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice and has 16 Grammy's, so he must have some talent.
Everyone have a wonderful Wednesday.
Well, it took the entire day to take the Lexus in for it's 30K mile service. Replacing all filters and fluids, doing a software update that also fixed the back-up camera recall. They also replaced the front floor mat that inexplicably disappeared the last time we bought it in, and then washed and vacuumed everything. I have three pages of reports on various stuff. One thing that they weren't allowed to do was disable the Auto Start-Stop Technology, which is just a minor irritant to do manually. Add to that an hour drive each way to reach the dealer. We had a free loaner to use while there and visited Discount Model Trains, daughter #2 who works from home, had lunch with an old friend and spent money at Trader Joe's. Got out of North Dallas barely before the evening rush hour traffic started.
Not sure what's in store today, I'll play it by ear.
Very little time out in the train shed after we returned home. All I did was unpackage the booty from Discount. Not a lot, I was just there for supplies and vehicles mainly.
Sticker shock while I was there. I don't know if it is inflation, exchange rate, tariffs or just plain price-gouging, but Oxford vehicles are now 35% higher than before Christmas! Maybe a combination of all four.
I wish that they had more vehicles from the late-70's through the 80's.
I'll post some more later
Michael - Interesting that you had to wait four months for the eye appointment to begin with, but the follow-ups seem to be "rapid-fire".
Tom O - Divesting "A" shares of BH could trigger a tenuous tax situation! I'm sure you have an advisor to guide you.
Might be a good call on Minneapolis.
Lonnie - Lucky you on the driver heading for the ditch instead of smacking you.
Kevin - Like you, we have had an extremely mild fall/winter so far.
Chet - Once again, a few familiar structures in your pictures.
We have never had any issues with our credit card from Chase. We only use it in lieu of cash or checks and pay it off every month. Haven't used a credit card for true credit since the three kiddos were in college. My wife checks that account as well as our bank accounts daily for any nefarious activity. None of our bill payments are automatic except cell phone.
Rock musician Dave Grohl, of Nirvana and Foo Fighter's is 57 today. I don't really know any of his music very well, as he came along after my active interest had waned (and my hearing was shot). But he has been inducted in to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice and has 16 Grammy's, so he must have some talent.
Everyone have a wonderful Wednesday.
santafewillie
Same Ol' Buzzard
Wait! I've never known a politician who cleans up the mess they create!
troyphoto
Snarky Old Fart (in training)
That's why they hire people like me... Now how do I put out the fire they just created by opening their mouth?
truckdad
Well-Known Member
VOLUNTOLD Now there's a word that should be in the dictionary..........
migalyto
Well-Known Member
I know all too well! I think we are #2 highest on gas tax as well.
My property taxes are 6X what Willie pays.
I do have a little more square footage but nowhere near the acreage.
There's several new housing developments going on in and around our once semi-rural neighborhood. We're talking about developments from 70-3,000 homes.
1/2 mile down the street one of the new homes listed is 2800 sq/ft, 4bd/3ba, on a 5200/sq/ft lot (but all the homes have valley views
)
$740k before upgrades, no HOA, and estimated first year property taxes are $9850.
1/2 mile down the street one of the new homes listed is 2800 sq/ft, 4bd/3ba, on a 5200/sq/ft lot (but all the homes have valley views
)$740k before upgrades, no HOA, and estimated first year property taxes are $9850.
DeaconKC
Well-Known Member
Good morning folks, 52 here with rain coming in and can I ever feel it in my back. We start a new video Bible course at church tonight. I took it many years ago, so I will be the proctor for it, it runs 6 semesters and is a wonderful course. Spent a good chunk of yesterday double-checking all the video stuff, so hopefully everything will go well tonight.
I thank God everyday we escaped Illinois 5 years ago. Even away from Chicago Property taxes are much higher than in Arkansas.
Tomorrow Circle K gas stations have 40 cents off a gallon of gas if you have their app. My van does enjoy that cheap gas! Anyway I did pay 1.99 gal last week, so that felt good.
May you all have a good day.
I thank God everyday we escaped Illinois 5 years ago. Even away from Chicago Property taxes are much higher than in Arkansas.
Tomorrow Circle K gas stations have 40 cents off a gallon of gas if you have their app. My van does enjoy that cheap gas! Anyway I did pay 1.99 gal last week, so that felt good.
May you all have a good day.
chadbag
Well-Known Member
I bet the guy in the office was confused and I bet that McAfee didn’t use the new number. They used the old number and Chase accepted it since you’d done business with McAfee before on a recurring basis so it hit that grace period I talked about.
The guys in the local offices don’t always know how the system works behind the scenes.
RhB Michael
RhB Lokführer
When I first called they didn't sound like it was anything very serious, even after describing what I was and was not seeing in that left eye. They told me that if there was a sudden change in my eyesight, or if one day it looked like a curtain had been pulled over my eye, to call immediately. None of that happened and I didn't think any more about it.
When I spoke with the ophthalmologist yesterday while being examined she told me I should have argued with the appointment desk to get in sooner. The doctor said this left eye is pretty serious. Hence all of the closely spaced appointments now. Amazing how they can get me in that many times in a week, but couldn't get me in for four months for an initial exam.
For whatever reason, my eyes do feel better after using these drops. They didn't hurt before, and I can't really explain it, but they do feel better. Like maybe, more relaxed? My distance vision seems to have improved a bit too. Maybe the pressure relief internally has also changed the curvature of the lens.
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chadbag
Well-Known Member
That’s a huge difference from before where it could be months.
I wonder why it changed? Besides the lack of the tax, what else changed?
And do they put a $0 stamp on it?
santafewillie
Same Ol' Buzzard
On my house, I get a Homestead exemption and in Texas, school taxes are frozen when one of the owners reaches 65. My wife who is listed on the deed, hit 65 two years before I did and we applied then. School taxes are the biggest part of the tax bill, probably 85% of the total. I get an agricultural exemption on 13.5 acres because I grow hay, really just Johnson Grass that is cut and baled once a year. Even though that is only cut on about 10 of the acres. The train shed is taxed on full value because it is on the agricultural part of the land. There are some drawbacks to this though. I have a corner lot and only one road is paved, the other is a private road that I own half of. I have to maintain over 900' of that because that's what my perimeter line is. There is no sewer system, I am on septic that I have to maintain. No trash removal, I have to pay a waste disposal service for the dumpster on my property, that I share with two neighbors who pay me. Maintenance on the county road along the front side is minimal at best. Oh! And it takes 45 minutes for a sheriff to respond, but the VFD can get here in 7 minutes.
RhB Michael
RhB Lokführer
Property taxes in the county where I am are pretty low, and affordable. I couldn't afford to live in the county to the north where I'm originally from. I check property values a lot up there, and then check the tax amounts paid. It's astronomical what these people pay for a similar property to mine. Even if I could afford a new mortgage up there, I could never afford the property taxes. You really can't go home again.
My taxes were a few dollars less than Willies. It would be three times that just 10 miles north of here.
chadbag
Well-Known Member
Those of us paying much more may have trash removal but it ain’t free. Besides the high taxes we have a monthly city utility fee here that includes trash removal. Plus our water use, our share of the neighborhood lamp posts , some water runoff fees, and some other things.
RhB Michael
RhB Lokführer
I wouldn't mind paying slightly higher taxes to have water/sewer/trash included, but trash and water are billed separately here. I pay the equivalent of my property taxes for water and trash every year.
I just now, this minute received my trash bill via email. They raised the rate another $2.00 for the year. AHs.
I just now, this minute received my trash bill via email. They raised the rate another $2.00 for the year. AHs.
migalyto
Well-Known Member
Your right, it isn't free. We get a bill for all that on top of it! We get one bill from the City with trash, water, sewer ect....
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