Running Bear's July 2023 Coffee Shop

[troyphoto]

Well, howdy there internet peeps, and those wondering what chicken-flavoured meatless ham is...

It's Troy again.

AQI is in the mid-50s now, and expected to climb. I'll get my steps in once I finish this post. Nachos tonight for dinner.

MIL Insulin/Blood Sugar issue update: Wife got through to CCS med and found a helpful customer service rep. Someone who actually looked behind the status and identified the issue with the first prescription for the sensors. She sent a message to her supervisor, and the data team that could reinstate that prescription.

MIL is supposed to get a call today to authorize shipment of the new sensors. IF that happens, all is well. One more day of waiting....

And friend of the family, sister-in-law's roomie, is in a down cycle health-wise that may be signaling end of life. She's only early 60s but had a troubled past. Her liver is basically all but gone, and she's trying to get on the transplant list. But that takes time. Appointment with the Transplant team in Indianapolis isn't until Sept. She's got all types of issues, but digestive track bleeding is the latest. They tried to go in and shunt that off, but weren't able to complete the process due to too large of an area.

I suspect we're getting into the end-of-life talks. Well find out more this evening after SIL and Friend go see the doc for an unplanned follow up.

To off set being such a bummer, I've attached a photo of something that will help me with the latest army of little toy soldiers...

My plan is only slightly evil, and my current avatar may give you a hint about my plans for those night stalker models.

Time to go walk. Enjoy your day!

 

[Boris]

Good morning. 76°, Sunny. Predicted high temperature 95°. Predicted fear index 105°. Heat warning in effect. Don't you dare go out. We will tell you what you need to know.

 

[kbkchooch]

How about my 2020 Equinox transmission? 1.5l turbo, push button AWD I'm closing in on 89,000 trouble free miles.

Thank you in advance.

Ditto

You also need to service the rear axle soon.

1 thought about AWD . Tires need to be kept within 25% of each other tread depth wise or driveline damage is possible. If tires have 8/32nds of tread and 1 has to be replaced, the new tire can have no more than 10/32nds of tread. If new tire is at 12/32nds, then you need to replace 4.

 

[dennis461]

86 degrees at 8:00, predicted 96 in Atco NJ. Town named after the Atlantic Transport Company. Trains still run through here from Philadelphia to Atlantic City.

 

[kbkchooch]

My plan is only slightly evil, and my current avatar may give you a hint about my plans for those night stalker models.

Ohhhh Ooogie Boogie!! Skellington is king!

 

[TLOC]

Good morning from the strange weather happenings in So. Central WIsconsin. High 90’s yesterday but after 1.6” of rain on Wednesday morning and another 1/2” of rain after midnight on Thursday, yesterday was a very uncomfortable muggy day. Today will again be in the high 90’s but at 1AM I had additional company in bed. The granddaughter doesn’t enjoy thunder boomers and decided I was in the way of her snuggling with grandma. It was quite the sound and light show but no rain from 1-2:15 as I was awake out on the deck taking it all in. No rain. When I got up at 6 though I noticed as I opened the blinds the sidewalks are wet. Sometime after I slept ( went to the kid’s bed) we got just about 1/2” of rain. The TV guy said last night at 6:20 and 10:20 NO RAIN for the area.

The granddaughter and I are heading over to swim, around 8. The grandson and Terry are out riding. Both grandkids are here till after lunch? By then mom and dad should be recovered from a surprise birthday party they threw yesterday for one of the neighbors who turned 50! The daughter called and sent over a neighbor last night about 9 for some booze items they depleted yesterday. I sure do not miss those types of parties.

I have some things to do in the air booth today before I decommission it. I sold it and it gets picked up tomorrow morning. The HVAC guy who built it for me has built the improved (per him) replacement. He said I can have it Monday morning installed by 2 of his crew. Or we can install it Friday night after dinner. I looked at him and said, “that’s a choice?” Tonight is the final answer. It’s ”only” costing me 2 previous dinners and a final dinner tonight. Yes, he also got the contract for the HVAC work on the house and stables! He’s a nice guy and if we ever get a layout running he wants to join in. I am getting excited about moving. Most of the stuff at my weathering prep station is in the blue Rubber Maid similar bins sitting on a trailer attached to a ATV ready to go. Today our back up generators for the new house and stables are arriving. There was no delay just a long 13 month lead time on the units we needed. Install is next week. Lots and lots of little things happening that my over organized spousal unit has on a computer generated progress sheet for me to follow up or at least remember. The house updates are coming near an end!

enjoy the day.

 

[santafewillie]

Good Morning All. Mostly clear and 76° out there right now. High today is only supposed to be 102°; triple digits for the next 10 days with a significant warming trend beginning Sunday..

It's warm out there, but still not even coming close to the summers of 2011 or 1980, yet! Not shown in the above forecast is the 8% chance of rain on 8/5.
Surprisingly, with the shorter days of sunlight, the pool is maintaining 88° in the late afternoon. For those without pools, sunlight warms the pool water by being absorbed by the dark pool liner; not by the air temperature, although that has a bit of an effect on the cooling off at night. Air itself is not a good conductor of heat or cold. It can be hot or cold itself.

Grocery trek went well yesterday, but the price on some stuff has slowly risen some more. Jalapenos have gone up to 99¢/lb when on sale. During the previous administration, they were 59¢/lb regular price. Eggs are coming down but are still 3x what I paid 2.5 years ago. And of course soft drinks are 40% higher. Beer however, is still only about 10% greater than 3 years ago. Gasoline has risen significantly since last week.
After the grocery visit, I stopped by my pulmonologist office for a brief chat. They screwed up a simple minor test known as pulse oximetry a few weeks ago, and I have to do it again. Easy at home test and the medical supply company delivers and picks up the device that you wear overnight on your index finger. Just another thing to work in.

Back to the ultrasound lab today, this go around is for arterial and venous scans. I think that I have had those before, but most medical visits for me are just a blur in the past a few weeks later. Next weeks schedule calls for a primary care visit Tuesday to discuss the ultrasound results and the blood testing done last Wednesday, Wednesday is the right eye cataract surgery, Thursday is the one day follow up for that.
This getting older is time consuming. I already have 10 separate medical appointments for August, although six are due to the cataract surgery on both eyes. Then there is the medication schedule! I've had to temporarily write it all down with the times so I could keep track. Some though are temporary and will go away soon.

Unusual day yesterday in that I did not go out in the train shed at all.
So here's a repeat of some pictures from the Mississippi Coast Model Railroad Museum in Gulfport MS that I took in 2019.

Sherrel - Hoping that everything is OK with your latest medical issue.
Tom O - The clean workbench makes me ill! Now, that wheeled cart on the side looks like my workbench.
Joe - It does seem that the forces behind the push for EV's have been totally ignoring many of the accompanying effects, battery fires, battery disposal, charging infrastructure & stations etc. Pushing for too much too fast in my opinion. Now many owners are noting that in weather extremes, either way, hot or cold, there are additional issues with reduced range meaning increased cost of operating.
Daughter #2's husband bought a new EV about three months ago and severely regrets his decision. He drove to Kansas City and back last weekend and had to make two unplanned charging stops, first having to locate a non-Tesla place since he couldn't make it to his planned one, and then waiting several hours to move up in the queue and the charging time.

Randy Meisner, bass player for The Eagles and before that Poco and Rick Nelson's Stone Canyon Band; passed away yesterday at age 77. Among other songs, he wrote and sang "Take it to the Limit" for them.

Everybody have a great day.

 

[Patrick]

Morning all,

81° and sunny, High today of 103° with heat warning in effect. My normal mowing when I get off work will happen tomorrow when I can start earlier. Doing my grocery shopping on the way home instead of tomorrow. I'll still get laundry accomplished tomorrow as well.

Willie: Gas went up here this week as well. 20 cents in most of the area and 30 cents in the small town I live in. Our gas is now the same as the rest of the area at $3.599. We were, in all fairness, 10 cents lower than everybody else in the area.

Karl: Thanks again. It is scheduled for a fluid flush and filter replacement.

So far a quiet day. It can stay that way.

BBL

 

[kbkchooch]

Good morning gang!

Hey here's a surprise, it's HOT outside! 79° at 8:30 a.m. , sunny with a high of 95° and 83% humidity. AQI is a 58 (moderate) Fridge in the shop is stocked full of water and Gatorade for the techs, fans and swamp coolers are running at max.

BBL

 

[McLeod]

Good morning!

It's a beautiful, foggy morning here at 43F. The predicted days high is 66F. That's near a perfect day, if it don't rain.
Everything is green and lush. The only fault to this day is the current mosquito invasion. They've come in force, and a good skin coating of Northwoods cream is required while walking the dog in the forest.

I'm very sorry to know that my friends down south are living through such horrific heat. Record temperatures I'm hearing. Personally, I would rather have the mosquito's than the heat. Hope you are all able to find ways to keep cool.

I took a walk through the CN staging area, just the other day. Collected quite the group of photos for my files.
Here's a selection of railroad 'stuff' photos. This is the stuff we don't normally pay attention to if there is good action in a yard.

I de-railer:

A re-railer, I believe:

The real rail-joiner:

A couple of different switch types:

When I'm walking the tracks, I find most things interesting. Including the brooms and detail items discarded by the rail crews. I suppose if one were making a highly accurate model railroad, one would want to include the small details. But, I believe most of us just compromise.

Sherrel - Please look after yourself. Praying to get feeling better and return to perfect health.

Troy - Watch out for the sugar intake. Sugar is no good for ya. I don't even put sugar in my coffee. Generally speaking, if treats taste like crap, it's probably good for you.

Anyway, I gotta go make tracks. Have a great day, everyone!!

 

[Sirfoldalot]

Well, Doggies! 66 degrees and looking for 98 for the 4th day (I believe) - anyhoo the weather mans gauge must be off two degrees - he keeps tell me that the high will be 98 and it has been 100 four days now ... so I would think that the 98 forecast for today will turn out to be 100 again - WHEW!

Feeling much better today - nothing on the horizon to make me think different.
You just cannot make this stuff up!!
Parts of the "supposed" agreement on the HOA front.

1. FRONT YARD FENCE: a. Ms. S has had a survey of the Property line which indicates that the fence in the front yard fence veers one-two inches onto the Ms’ property. If the Mi
s disagree with this survey, they may have their own survey conducted at their own expense. b. If the Parties agree that the fence veers onto the Ms’ property, Ms. S
and the Ms will equally share the cost of having the fence placed directly on the property line. c. If the Ms dispute that the fence veers onto the M’ property, Ms. S and the Ms shall share the cost of a neutral surveyor, appointed by their attorneys, for determination as to the location of the property line and fence. If the neutral surveyor determines that the fence veers to the Ms’ property, Ms. S and the Ms will equally share the cost of having the fence placed directly on the property line. d. Ms. S will cause her side of the fence to be painted within 7 days of completion of the fence. e. Any fence construction shall not be completed by “Carlos” who previously worked on the construction of the front yard fence.

2. BACK YARD FENCE a. Ms. S represents that all flood lights (except for the light illuminating here driveway) have been removed from her property and no additional flood lights will be installed on Ms. S property that interfere in any way with the Mis’ property. b. Ms. S represents that there are no cameras on her property that capture video of the M’ back yard, or home and no additional cameras will be installed on Ms. S property that interfere in any way with the Mi’ property. c. The Mi will remove all extension placed on the back yard fence and restore the fence to its original appearance. d. Ms. S and the Mi will share the cost in repairs to two panels of the backyard fence that are in need of repairs. Ms. S shall hire the contractor to perform the work.

3. WINDOW BANNERS a. The Parties will remove all window banners / flags from their windows.

4. HOA COMPLAINTS a. If either Ms. S or the Ms submits a Complaint to the xxxxxxx that is deemed to be frivolous, the reporting party will be fined in an amount to be determined prior to the execution of the formal agreement.

5. CIVIL BEHAVIOR a. The parties agree to conduct themselves in a civilized manner in all interactions without harassment, disparaging, or threatening comments or conduct. Any breach of this agreement will subject the Parties to a liquidated damages amount to be determined prior to the execution of the formal agreement.

6. HOA APPROVAL a. Any changes in location or appearance to the front yard fence are subject to the (“HOA Board”) approval. b. Once the backyard fence is restored to its original appearance as required by Paragraph 2(c), any further change in appearance to the back yard fence (other than routine repairs or maintenance) is subject the HOA Board approval.
7. FURTHER MEDIATION a. If the parties cannot agree on the final terms of the formal agreement, they agree to participate in further dispute resolution with xxxxxx. b. The parties agree that the further negotiations for the formal agreement remain confidential mediation conversations.

I GUESS Ms S did not like CARLOS's work! LOL

 

[troyphoto]

I have some things to do in the air booth today before I decommission it. I sold it and it gets picked up tomorrow morning. The HVAC guy who built it for me has built the improved (per him) replacement. He said I can have it Monday morning installed by 2 of his crew. Or we can install it Friday night after dinner. I looked at him and said, “that’s a choice?” Tonight is the final answer. It’s ”only” costing me 2 previous dinners and a final dinner tonight. Yes, he also got the contract for the HVAC work on the house and stables! He’s a nice guy and if we ever get a layout running he wants to join in.

Any pics of the booth, new or old? I'm about to embark on building a larger one.

 

[troyphoto]

Troy - Watch out for the sugar intake. Sugar is no good for ya. I don't even put sugar in my coffee. Generally speaking, if treats taste like crap, it's probably good for you.

Anyway, I gotta go make tracks. Have a great day, everyone!!

fortunately, those candy canes are plastic and will be used on the bases of the little troops of night stalkers.

You can suck on them all day long and get 0 carbs from them.

 

[chadbag]

Parts of the "supposed" agreement on the HOA front.

This is why I will never be part of an HOA

 

[Sirfoldalot]

This is why I will never be part of an HOA

There are a few good things as well .... neighbors have to get along .. this is bizarre - arguing over 2-3 inches on a property line?

They do keep "cars on blocks" away, and couches off the front porch! LOL

 

[Smudge617]

I have to ask, as I've never seen a freight car described as this, so what was it used for ?

 

[PRR Modeler]

Good Morning All,

Posting early today because last night Dad sprung an afternoon PT appointment at VA for this afternoon. I was thanks for the advance warning. It will put us in rush hour traffic on a Friday coming home. Not happy. MOH was supposed to help daughter set up her classroom today but daughter forgot a training session so that didn't happen. MOH and daughter will leave Saturday and return Sunday for a family visit. Nothing planned for tomorrow for me.

David- Have a great family get together.

Terry- I don't think anyone knows what's actually in the tube. Maybe it's Soylent Green. Daughter is a vegan and eats meat looking and flavored items. I don't understand the reasoning of it.

Joe- Best wishes for your MIL.

Troy- Best wishes for your family friend.

Guy- Interesting photos. Remember there's a prototype for anything you model someplace in the world.

Sherrel- I'm glad you're feeling better. The HOA stuff is beyond ridiculous. MOH is our HOA president and knows not to ask me to run for the board. I can only take so much BS before I revert back to a Navy Senior Chief if you know what I mean.

I hope everyone has a good night.

 

[kbkchooch]

I have to ask, as I've never seen a freight car described as this, so what was it used for ?

Usually they are yarded near a Waffle House restaurant, delivering Waffles

No seriously, it is just another form of boxcar. The "waffles" tend to strengthen the sides and really the whole structure of the car

 

[bnsf971]

Good Morning All,

Posting early today because last night Dad sprung an afternoon PT appointment at VA for this afternoon. I was thanks for the advance warning. It will put us in rush hour traffic on a Friday coming home. Not happy. MOH was supposed to help daughter set up her classroom today but daughter forgot a training session so that didn't happen. MOH and daughter will leave Saturday and return Sunday for a family visit. Nothing planned for tomorrow for me.

David- Have a great family get together.

Terry- I don't think anyone knows what's actually in the tube. Maybe it's Soylent Green. Daughter is a vegan and eats meat looking and flavored items. I don't understand the reasoning of it.

Joe- Best wishes for your MIL.

Troy- Best wishes for your family friend.

Guy- Interesting photos. Remember there's a prototype for anything you model someplace in the wo

Sherrel- I'm glad you're feeling better. The HOA stuff is beyond ridiculous. MOH is our HOA president and knows not to ask me to run for the board. I can only take so much BS before I revert back to a Navy Senior Chief if you know what I mean.

I hope everyone has a good night.

Curt, reverting to a Navy chief is what most HOA members need, AKA a swift kick to their nether regions.

 

[KriegslokBR52]

Ditto

You also need to service the rear axle soon.

1 thought about AWD . Tires need to be kept within 25% of each other tread depth wise or driveline damage is possible. If tires have 8/32nds of tread and 1 has to be replaced, the new tire can have no more than 10/32nds of tread. If new tire is at 12/32nds, then you need to replace 4.

You wouldn't have to worry about all this, if you install one of these: