Running Bear's May 2022 Coffee Shop

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Morning all... I may be giving up the evening wine/adult beverage glass

I'm in the Eastern US time zone. That's New York City time.

(New York City? - Yep, New York City - bonus points if can name the commercial product that used that phrasing in their commercials a decade or two ago)

I normally make it to bed by 9:30p and asleep by 10. Last night was an hour earlier.

Last night was half-an-hour ahead of that. Asleep at 9:30p

Now I'm awake. But yawning. Had to relocate to the recliner in the basement to get the yawns to start. Been awake for an hour already.

Need to adjust my sleep patterns to be later by two hours at least. Too many activities this summer fall where I need to be awake later.

Cutting out the booze will be the first experiment. Other suggestions welcome.

Now, I'm about to turn off the lights, adjust the pillow and the cat, and attempt a few more hours of shut-eye.
Pace salsa!
 
SantaFeWillie........
You mentioned going to Dallas to Olive Garden and a mention of Discount Model Trains.
I am about 185 miles from Dallas now and really miss Discount Model Trains. I usually always make it a point to go by and visit on Saturday after attending the Plano Train Show and call them ever so often when trying to locate or order something. Wayne and Dave are good folks. I am 65 miles from Wichita Falls Tx and there is an Olive Garden there but no hobby shops with any train stuff or much of anything else for that matter. The hobby shop owner there stays in business by making plaques and trophies. He does on occasion, contract to build very large RC planes mostly for nearby Air Force Base folks. He says internet has killed his business. He does have a nice supply of balsa in stock.
Your post brought back some fine memories of when I could easily hit 4 nice hobby shops on a Saturday. However, I DO NOT miss living in Dallas at all!

Happy model railroading to all.........................John
 
Whew! I am glad to be home and catching up on the forum. We drove up to the lake house last night with 9 of us spending the night to host my middle grandson's high school graduation party for family and friends today. Based on his ACT scores, he will attend the same school as his mother and aunt did on a scholarship.
My SIL brought his gas grill and set it beside mine on the back porch to grill the meat. We started smoking up the neighborhood about 11 AM and cooked 96 hamburgers, 48 corndogs, 4 pounds of smoked sausage and 8 pounds of chicken until 1:30 PM. We had about 3 gallons of potato salad, 1.5 gallons of macaroni salad, 1 gallon of English pea salad, 2 gallons of baked beans, and a gallon of sausage/cheese dip with potato chips. Lots of cheese, tomatoes and lettuce to put on the burgers. The 38 people present also feasted on a large double layer sheet cake, five gallons of ice cream and about 7 different toppings and sauces.
When we old fuddy duddies left about 5 PM, there were still10 people enjoying the lake water.
I hope to make it to 8 PM before I fall asleep!
Ok recipe for English pea salad please
 


Up at 3:30 for a pee break... and still up

Think I might get some melatonin and start with it.

Going to try to sleep again in the recliner. We'll see... Wish me luck.

Edit: 40 minutes later, still yawning, no luck sleeping. Time for coffee. It's quarter past five.
 
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Good morning gang!

Another glorious day in the neighborhood, the sun is up, the birds are chirping, life is good!

Louis, happy belated birthday! 🎂

Today I plan to trim the lower branches out of a few trees cuz I'm tired of getting whacked in the head when cutting the grass, then I will feed them and a pile of branches I have saved up over the winter to the wood chipper. I also have to put chicken wire around the garden to keep the bunnies out of the carrots. The only time bunnies are allowed to be in the carrots is in the slow cooker.

hasenpfeffer-recipe.jpg


TTYL
 
Good morning all,

54 and headed for 79.

Louis - Happy belated birth anniversary, ahem, birthday!!

The pizza everyone is talking about has given me a good idea for lunch today, THANKS

Really made tons of progress on the bridge yesterday, pics tomorrow probably.

NO MOW- What about no street lights? Research out of the UK indicates our obsession about having cities and roads lit up all the time is having serious deleterious effects on insect mating. Just thought you should know...

Have a great day, need to get dressed for church

Dave LASM
 
Good morning from Cheeseland or as my license plate says, The Dairy State. Which is a really old plate as we no longer lead the nation in dairy. That would be the 1st state that when the big one (quake) hits will split off into a submarine island.

Yesterday was a nice day. Some 5 minutes of rain drops, we did not go the Brat Fest, we did go for ice cream at 9:30pm after watching 2 shows of Obe-Wan Knobi on Disney. Not a TV series guy any longer but I enjoyed it. Also planted in pots all the annuals for the Summer and placed them. Today is mulch day and I am not looking forward to that. Also, I was told to move a raised bed that is 3’ tall on legs. I did and a leg separated from the box. I will try to fix it today without removing all the plants and then dirt. This was a raised bed that has successfully raised peas, tomato and herbs in each of the past 3 years. This year it was scheduled to hold Kohlrabi that we normally plant in the ground. The box was empty as the green beans planted in March didn’t work out so well in it. It maybe become fire wood for the fire pit.

I did run some trains yesterday, split into 3 maybe 20-30 minutes sections. Just didn’t feel like any bench time yesterday. Depending on Friday’s up coming doctor appointment we will start traveling again. DO NOT ask me why if you will be possibility gone from early June to September would you plant flowers? I have no reasonable male perspective on that! It will keep the daughter busy between the flowers and veggies.

Terry has the TV on and the sound of silence is glorious. The sound is running through her hearing aids and I don’t have to hear it. My anxiety levels have started to rise. I am tired of exactly the same reports of anguish, inaction, stupidity, why did something happen that they (media) have continuously reported on almost daily since Buffalo. They give these guys a “Star” platform. I know there is good news out there, just not in the National Media.

In March the daughter and family visited Clearwater, Fl. Saw some old friends and a 2nd cousin of the SIL. He is a golf pro and gave the 8 yr. old grandson some kids golf clubs. I have since a couple times a week, been teaching him how to swing the club. I have a golf simulator that you hit the ball into a screen and it tells and shows you how you did. The last month or so as I readied for surgery and then recovery I have sat there and just given pointers but watched him improve. He went on the simulator playing from the front tees at Pebble Beach. His dad has taken him a couple times to the driving range and then the putting green. He started out shooting 100+ for 9 holes in April to playing 18 holes from the same tees in the high 80’s last week. Yesterday he and his dad along with his 2 other grandfathers played a course in Waukesha from the Ladies tees, and shot 81. He beat both grandfathers. Dad said he never saw the rough, just fairway and greens

Louis happy birthday belatedly

edit: I have just been informed by the the Spousal Unit that she will be joining me on my trip to Home Depot and that we also will be hitting the Sunday Farmers Market. There are a couple veggies she and the daughter talked about that by golly, we don’t have! FM is first and then HD. This might be a long day and I now know that the mulch will not be finished today

Stay safe
 
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Good morning all! Sunny and 65 on the way to sunny and 84. Should be a beautiful day for our garden to get a little sunlight instead of the constant rain it's been getting lately.

Wow, you guys have been busy here since my last visit! Won't lie, I didn't read every post since then as there's 4 pages worth to catch up on.

Finally got to go celebrate our anniversary yesterday. Spent the day together and ate at a Longhorn steakhouse. It was a really nice day.

Nothing else to report really. Planning to sit on my butt today and watch the Greatest Spectacle in Racing (aka Indy 500) and later the NASCAR 600 miler at Charlotte. Hope you all have a great day!
 
Good Morning. Today is the Seventh Sunday of Easter...time is marching on at a quick pace. 71° and sunny, going up to near 80° today.

New York teams did well yesterday. Yankees and Mets both won, while the Orioles and the Nationals split their respective doubleheaders. Unfortunately, the Carolina Hurricanes again failed to win a road game, and the Gotham Rags pushed the playoff series to a Game 7 in Raleigh.
I really don't have and preference for Carolina, but I truly dislike the Gotham Rags...all hype, and one Cup in 81 years.

My mind traveled back in time to a Memorial Day, (possibly still called Decoration Day), when as I young Cub Scout, I got to carry the Flag in the parade. The parade route was perhaps 14 Blocks, from the Colonial Courthouse to the "Rural" Cemetary, where a remembrance ceremony followed.
There is a section called Soldier's Circle, which contains graves of soldiers from the Civil War, (Including Confederate Soldiers who died while POW), WW1 and WW2, and possibly Korea and Viet Nam. (Not sure about anything past WW2). There are several Medal of Honor recipients at rest there.

Memorial Day used to be quiet. Like Sundays used to be. Businesses were closed, There were no over hyped sales events, People knew that we were honoring our war dead, and not the first responders or veterans, or special causes.

Not much planned for today, some time in the train room, perhaps, and possibly a ball game.

Eastbound at Paoli September 1975 - John Irwin.jpg

Eastbound PC Freight with N5c Cabin passes Paoli Tower. MU yard yard office, and coach visible behind tower Note fuel tank and propane tank (switch heaters), on the West side of the tower. John Irwin photo from 1975.
 
Good Morning. Today is the Seventh Sunday of Easter...time is marching on at a quick pace. 71° and sunny, going up to near 80° today.

New York teams did well yesterday. Yankees and Mets both won, while the Orioles and the Nationals split their respective doubleheaders. Unfortunately, the Carolina Hurricanes again failed to win a road game, and the Gotham Rags pushed the playoff series to a Game 7 in Raleigh.
I really don't have and preference for Carolina, but I truly dislike the Gotham Rags...all hype, and one Cup in 81 years.

My mind traveled back in time to a Memorial Day, (possibly still called Decoration Day), when as I young Cub Scout, I got to carry the Flag in the parade. The parade route was perhaps 14 Blocks, from the Colonial Courthouse to the "Rural" Cemetary, where a remembrance ceremony followed.
There is a section called Soldier's Circle, which contains graves of soldiers from the Civil War, (Including Confederate Soldiers who died while POW), WW1 and WW2, and possibly Korea and Viet Nam. (Not sure about anything past WW2). There are several Medal of Honor recipients at rest there.

Memorial Day used to be quiet. Like Sundays used to be. Businesses were closed, There were no over hyped sales events, People knew that we were honoring our war dead, and not the first responders or veterans, or special causes.

Not much planned for today, some time in the train room, perhaps, and possibly a ball game.

View attachment 146617
Eastbound PC Freight with N5c Cabin passes Paoli Tower. MU yard yard office, and coach visible behind tower Note fuel tank and propane tank (switch heaters), on the West side of the tower. John Irwin photo from 1975.
Curious if you know where Paoli Tower is/was (city, state, etc).
 
Good Morning All. Partly cloudy and 72°, on the way back up to at least 91° like yesterday. Another couple of high wind days still, with winds in excess of 20 mph. At least it blows the mosquitos away from my wife. They don't bother me.
The clouds will hinder the re-warm up of the pool. I had three days of above 82° water temperature, and then it turned cloudy, rained 3.25" and remained cloudy for four more days with the nighttime temperatures dropping into the 50's. The water temperature dropped to 72° and has only gotten back to 77° yesterday. With two more sunny days, it will be tolerable for two more days before the next wave of clouds and rain hit on Thursday. It does take a bit of time to heat 14K gallons of water up regardless of the air temperature. Sunshine warms and keeps it warm, not air. Fun Fact: That 14K gallons of water weighs 112,000 lbs, or 56 tons, spread over 76 sq ft! I am also listed with the local VFD as an emergency remote water supply if needed.

Yesterday morning, I mowed, and mowed some more. I am beginning to get a handle on the savanna that developed while the tractor was in the repair shop. Didn't help that we had 11" of rain during that time and the week after I got it back. Nor does it help that I limit myself to two 45 minute sessions a day out of age and safety considerations. I'll get more done in those sessions now that is at a manageable level.

Spent a pleasant evening in the North Dallas suburbs of Richardson and Addison yesterday, celebrating the twin birthday's of my two grandson's; one was 13 yesterday and the other is 15 today. They spent the morning with their mother at a local cemetery placing "stick-up" flags on veterans graves, something that they have done for over ten years now. Went to an Olive Garden restaurant which was just OK. The little family owned Italian place near me is much better and less expensive.
The restaurant is only a mile from Discount Model Railroad, so naturally I had to make a stop. I only bought the missing chains that I needed, a couple of Oxford vehicles and some flex track to add another passing siding on the upper level. Actually since it really connects two existing passing sidings, it will make a nearly 80' double main.

I did not visit the train shed yesterday, but I hope to make up for it today after mowing and other yard work. I am doing a quick load of laundry before Mass this morning. I think that after that we are meeting with some friends from church to go to a German eatery in Muenster TX nearby. Back before the Texas liquor laws were changed last year, they would serve beer and wine before noon on Sunday, which they bypassed the liquor regulations by not ringing it up on the cash register until after 12:00. Sports bars statewide followed the same practice. The new law is now 10:00 on Sunday; still 6:00 the rest of the week.
From the archives, comes the Stallings Horse Ranch. It commemorates some close friends of ours who raise horses and used to train them.
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Curt - Thank you so much for the comment regarding the nature pictures that I posted.
Mikey - That reads like quite a feast at the lake.
John - I also do not miss getting out of Dallas, but at 65 miles away I am close enough that it's not a long haul to get there if needed. I also remember having multiple hobby shops there, as well as the Silver Spike in Denton. I've been on my "ranch" for 41 years now. Wayne was the only one running the shop (Discount Trains) yesterday, but I was the only customer. He and Jim (the owner) have been there since I first started going there in 1992, when Bob and Barb Wilson owned the place. Back then it was smaller and entry was through a back door in the limo detailing/rental's garage that was behind them. I don't even know if the limo place is still in that space.
There is an Olive Garden much closer to me in Denton at 25 miles away, but we rarely go there.
Karl - I am with you on trimming those lower branches on the trees. Mine got away from me this past season as I spent four months dealing with the extra duties when my wife had those back to back knee surgeries, and then I got pneumonia. Fortunately most of my issues are with Hackberry trees which respond quickly to "out of season" pruning.

John F Kennedy would have been 105 today. He was President before I even really understood politics. Today is also as someone already mentioned, the day of a couple of car races. Indy 500 used to be held on Monday though.
Everybody have a great Sunday.
 
BelatEd I missEd the post…hope yo u had a great day..and cake or yummy substitute
Jaz,my wife made a sugar free golden cake with sugar free chocolate icing, my favorite cake. It was the first one I ever had that was sugar free. I liked it very much, but I only had a very small piece. My son loved it! She also made a blueberry pie and brownies, not sugar free, I stayed clear of them, but I did enjoy looking at them.
 
The curse on my birthdays continues. 😉 I have had many misfortunes on my birthdays.

A lost dog wondered into my yard as I was reading myself for bed. Cute little puppy with a collar and leash, but no owner. I attempted to walk him down to the main road to see if anyone was searching for him. As we walked a big dog escaped through the front door of his home hell bent on attacking the little guy. I reacted quickly and shielded the puppy. In the process I tore a muscle in my upper left leg. That resulted in me landing on my left hip and shoulder. Still with the puppy in my right arm. Luckily the big dog was not mean and only grabbed my arm in his mouth and released, no harm done.

I posted the lost puppy on the ring community. A neighbor also posted on another neighborhood site and agreed to take the puppy in until the owner is found. That was a pleasant offer. My old beagles, both with arthritis and one with a heart condition would not have rested with a puppy in the house. I certainly would not have either.

After some time I managed to get back on my feet and slowly hobble home with the help of my grandson. Now I'm stuck on the couch. Fortunately I have a cane and I can slowly manage to make it to the bathroom. All quiet here at home now. Thank God, things could have been much worse.

The good news is I have lots of baseball and other shows to catch up with.

Turns out I'm not getting younger. 😁
 
Morning all,

Youngest grand daughter getting picked up soon by her mom. Daughter got a free pass to see the new top gun movie. Said she was glad she didn't pay to see the movie as the movie is over rated.

Currently 80° and sunny going for the mid 90's. Wind advisory up as the winds are running in the 30 to 40 mph range with gusts to 50mph. I'm getting tired of the winds anymore.
 
Good morning all,

54 and headed for 79.

Louis - Happy belated birth anniversary, ahem, birthday!!

The pizza everyone is talking about has given me a good idea for lunch today, THANKS

Really made tons of progress on the bridge yesterday, pics tomorrow probably.

NO MOW- What about no street lights? Research out of the UK indicates our obsession about having cities and roads lit up all the time is having serious deleterious effects on insect mating. Just thought you should know...

Have a great day, need to get dressed for church

Dave LASM
Usually only major towns and cities in the UK are permanently lit at night, in urban areas a lot's of council's only have road junctions lit after a certain time.
 


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