Running Bear's June 2024 Coffee Shop

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Morning all,

Currently 73° and partly cloudy with a high of 99° expected.

Have an unexpected dentist appointment tomorrow to glue a crown back on. At least the dentist folks think that's all we need to do. Crown is intact, and so is the tooth underneath. I was forced to swear off caramels for a while.

Not much going on yet. BBL
 
Good Morning All. Mostly clear and 74° out on the porch this morning. 95° yesterday, expecting 99° today. The clouds from the past few days will disappear until we get SE winds again.

Did some mowing yesterday, I started on the south and got it and about half of the east sides done. I'll finish up the east today. Since there hasn't been any measurable rain since June 5, the yard will stop growing until it rains again. Afterwards, I trimmed some broken branches from some trees and hauled them to the brush pile and firewood stack. Today though, I plan to just cut logs for firewood from the 6 month old tree pile. OK, I post a lot about heating my house with wood for the past 43 years, here's a picture of the heater taken in 2021, just before I polished the top.
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Train shed time yesterday was cut short by a visitor, just 15 minutes or so. Had just enough time to paint red on a few figures and clean the paintbrush.

Chris - The cyclist taking the selfie was lucky. I have read of far more tragic situations.
Tom O - In my experience, I have to agree that finding good insurance information has been the toughest part of retirement.
Grizzled - Does your wife use a cane or a walker? I had a late neighbor who needed to use one, but was too "proud" to use one. While it didn't contribute to his demise, it made getting around quite difficult for him.
Louis -
Bruette said:
What do they do with the rest?
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I honestly don't know. I imagine many of them become permanent moveable yard art, like these next door.
Bruette said:
Willie, thank you for the lesson in agriculture, very interesting!
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A bit of trivia. Their horns start growing at about 6 months of age and don't reach full size until they are 5 or 6 years old; even though they mature at about 18 months. They don't reach maximum weight until 8-10 years old though.
The horns on a female Longhorn are about 1 foot longer across than males.
Curt - I like to have the figures on standby to paint whenever I don't feel like standing when out in the train shed. You're right that it does take patience.
At least I don't get the muggy part of your forecast after Memorial Day!
Mac - That should be a great trip to make.
Bill - Glad to know that you are happy with AARP. As I posted, I have no direct experience with them, all of my information came from others who had used them. Everyone's situation is different and everyone should do their own due diligence.
Patrick - Good luck with the crown.

Everyone out there have a super Sunday.
 
I've had quite a few crowns come loose.
Actually, those are money makers for the dentists. Don't use a real good glue is ya want return customers.
Dental industry is a mystery. Patient has no idea of the truth so take advantage of it. Several of my previous dentists have told me I need implants, soon. Well, 30 years later those teeth are still in place. I wonder now about the fillings, if I ever really needed them.
 


santafewillie said:
I do not have an AARP membership. We looked into it and discussed it with many family members and friends. It's not that expensive but all you actually get is a list of places that offer AARP members discounts; travel, hotels etc; many of which are available to any senior that looks it up on the Internet. For example, they offer a 10% discount at Schlotzsky's; but I get that anyway just by asking! You also get access to games and activities designed to stimulate brain health, including puzzles and quizzes. Your junk E-Mail and snail mail will increase by a factor of at least 10!!! They exist to sell you their products like life, home or auto insurance. In a very few markets, it is competitive but mostly not. A lot of their informative articles are excerpts from articles already on the web. They make a lot of their money by selling your personal information to their stable of business clients, so you will also get E-Mail and snail mail from them as well. Their Medicare supplement when we looked at it was no better than we got from Blue Cross of Texas, but it cost about 10% more. They have an advantage plan as well, but it (along with most others available) exists for them to make a profit.
Better than AAA??? Not from what we found out, maybe about the same. They do offer a comfort zone to those who may be apprehensive about retirement, but if one actually does their homework, much better options exist.
They are actually a non-profit organization, but I have read that their officers and directors live pretty high up in the world. This I cannot verify.
My advice is to check them out along with as many other options that you can, and then decide which ones are best for you. As I already posted, their membership is not that costly and can be dropped at any time. When we looked at it, it was $16/year for a couple, $12 for the first year if you set up auto-renewal.
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I agree with Willie. While all our Schlotzsky’s closed years ago everything else he wrote pretty much is what Terry found out when she retired 6 years before me.

It might be ok for you but like Willie wrote many of the discounts we can get without the AARP card just by asking.
 
D&J RailRoad said:
I've had quite a few crowns come loose.
Actually, those are money makers for the dentists. Don't use a real good glue is ya want return customers.
Dental industry is a mystery. Patient has no idea of the truth so take advantage of it. Several of my previous dentists have told me I need implants, soon. Well, 30 years later those teeth are still in place. I wonder now about the fillings, if I ever really needed them.
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Dentists have always been a little sleazy...some more than others. I can say the same about eye doctors. It used to amaze me how there was just enough every six months to max out my insurance.
 
santafewillie said:
I had a late neighbor who needed to use one, but was too "proud" to use one. While it didn't contribute to his demise, it made getting around quite difficult for him.
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I resemble that.
I subscribe to the notion, that if "I don't keep movin, the Devil's gonna get me".
If I really need a cane to maintain stability, I use it. Most times a shopping cart works just as fine in the supermarket. However, my daily exercise regimen involves bends and stretches to assist my gait and balance...I've seen what happens to people who plant their butts in wheel chairs, and it isn't pretty. I do not wish to end up there, so I just keep pushing myself to stay on my feet.
 
santafewillie said:
I do not have an AARP membership. We looked into it and discussed it with many family members and friends. It's not that expensive but all you actually get is a list of places that offer AARP members discounts; travel, hotels etc; many of which are available to any senior that looks it up on the Internet. For example, they offer a 10% discount at Schlotzsky's; but I get that anyway just by asking! You also get access to games and activities designed to stimulate brain health, including puzzles and quizzes. Your junk E-Mail and snail mail will increase by a factor of at least 10!!! They exist to sell you their products like life, home or auto insurance. In a very few markets, it is competitive but mostly not. A lot of their informative articles are excerpts from articles already on the web. They make a lot of their money by selling your personal information to their stable of business clients, so you will also get E-Mail and snail mail from them as well. Their Medicare supplement when we looked at it was no better than we got from Blue Cross of Texas, but it cost about 10% more. They have an advantage plan as well, but it (along with most others available) exists for them to make a profit.
Better than AAA??? Not from what we found out, maybe about the same. They do offer a comfort zone to those who may be apprehensive about retirement, but if one actually does their homework, much better options exist.
They are actually a non-profit organization, but I have read that their officers and directors live pretty high up in the world. This I cannot verify.
My advice is to check them out along with as many other options that you can, and then decide which ones are best for you. As I already posted, their membership is not that costly and can be dropped at any time. When we looked at it, it was $16/year for a couple, $12 for the first year if you set up auto-renewal.
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Yes, their insurance offerings are not really competitive. I priced out my vehicles and residences through AARP/Hartford and all were more than I'm paying through my present Mountain West Farm Bureau policy. I think AARP is still worth supporting if one is near retirement age. They do a lot of lobbying for older adults, and as stated, at nominal cost.
 
Good morning. I slept from 12:30am to a very late for me 7:45am. I feel like 1/2 the morning is gone already.

Our heat bubble burst during one of the evening passing through T-storms. It’s 63f degrees now feels like 68 but only going to 73 today. At noon yesterday I emptied the rain collection device (beaker) and from midnight to noon wass1/2” of wet. From noon to 10pm yesterday when after reviewing the radar I I decided the rain was over I checked the beaker, 3.5 inches. Those late afternoon storms were pretty damn wet. Thankfully the SIL’s trail inspections this morning were just a few branches. We do have a section of fence that got crushed by a branch. That will be handled today.

I sold a Covered Hopper on Facebook this morning to Germany. He asked if I’d shipped it and I have shipped Internationally before. A few to Germany but most over the years have gone to 3 modelers in the same city in Italy. Here I quibble over a couple dollar difference in shipping or taxes to determine online where I’m buying. I just can’t see spending 30% of the product cost to ship it. But it is the world we live in now. We are all wired differently. The car has no graffiti or tags
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I have been eating Kohlrobi from the raised beds and lettuces from the hanging baskets for about 10 days. Cherry tomatoes in the hanging baskets are a few weeks out yet but the plants looks very good. The Better Boys in the raised beds are about a month out. Peas and beans look hopefully like next week. The 3 hanging tomato baskets are about 6” in from the deck they hang from so they get good sun. The 5 hanging baskets for the greens are located 18” back in the next line behind the tomatoes spaced so nothing interferes. We found in previous hanging baskets putting the greens back out of the direct sun gives us better and longer yields. I know it’s crazy but outdoor growing lettuce tastes better to me than the lettuces Terry grows in the dirt in the greenhouse. I am tired of lettuce right now and since the daughter also grows her own my neighbor will be getting a knock on her door this morning.

Enjoy the day
 
Boris said:
Dentists have always been a little sleazy...some more than others. I can say the same about eye doctors. It used to amaze me how there was just enough every six months to max out my insurance.
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Yep. My wife's ophthalmologist talked her into cataract surgery about a year and a half back. She was already well into supranuclear palsy by that time which was (and is) affecting her vision, to the point now where she can no longer read much and sits most of the day with dark glasses on. She still has one followup exam (insurance milking event) in November but I suspect she will be in long term care by then.

I would have said no to that whole affair, but one of those situations were you can't. Her regular doctor said she was going to set up a visit with a neurologist after her last annual exam in May. That hasn't happened yet but I am going to make my opinion more than apparent when and if it does occur. Another TOTALLY WORTHLESS endeavor in this case. "Yes, you most obviously have supranuclear palsy and you shouldn't be making any long term plans. Thanks. That will be $3500."
 


troyphoto said:
That reminded me of an ages old problem: What to do with the milk left in the bowl?
Do you:
  • dump it?
  • drink it from the bowl?
  • Keep adding cereal, eating, add more cereal, etc til the milk is exhausted?
I re-discovered that I just keep adding and eating more cereal til the milk is gone.
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And that reminds me of a grad student we had once upon a time long ago. And a new high for bachelorhood. He would just put his dirty dishes in the frig and use them again. You can add that as option 4.
 
Good morning folks

Already 61 and headed to 90. But no doubt it will be dry heat----

I'm going to try to machine out a front truck support pin for Rayonier No 45 this morning. I pretty much got that locomotive completely reassembled a couple day back but the front deck was still sloping upward about 3 degrees. I finally got that sorted out yesterday after disassembling, bending and resoldering it all back together. The pilot/deck on model was unattached when I obtained it and had a number of other problems from what I assume was an air drop to the floor, including a really large forward tilt to the cab.

santafewillie said:
Grizzled - Does your wife use a cane or a walker? I had a late neighbor who needed to use one, but was too "proud" to use one. While it didn't contribute to his demise, it made getting around quite difficult for him.
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She has had a walker for a couple years but can no longer manage that. A good friend donated us his late wife's wheelchair which is pretty wooptydo carbon fiber.
 
santafewillie said:
A bit of trivia. Their horns start growing at about 6 months of age and don't reach full size until they are 5 or 6 years old; even though they mature at about 18 months. They don't reach maximum weight until 8-10 years old though.
The horns on a female Longhorn are about 1 foot longer across than males.
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Too cool, amazing creatures! All I need for proof of God's existence it to look to nature. No way can this be random!

Thinking of Troy's question; do they use Longhorns for dairy? Now I want to try Longhorn milk.
 
Bruette said:
do they use Longhorns for dairy? Now I want to try Longhorn milk.
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While I have not tried it, Longhorns produce milk with a high butterfat content of 6%, supposedly tastes sweeter than standard cow's milk and excellent for making cheese. As for trying it, I am not aware of any commercially available Longhorn milk. As for milking them yourself, they are extremely docile animals, but you gotta watch the horns. They might turn their heads and accidentally knock you over.
 


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