Running Bear's November 2025 Coffee Shop

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Good morning to all! It’s 41f degrees in So. Central Wi., the grasses are still green as the whiteness melted by 9 yesterday morning. A late get up at 7:10 today headed to 40.

Volleyball on campus was #10 Badgers entertaining #11 Purdue. 1st set was tight with Bucky winning 25-23. The next 2 sets were Bucky’s.

Today Terry has a procedure being done at 10:30 on her eyes so I’ll be chauffeuring and care giving later. She should be fine though with minor restrictions by 6pm per the doctor. She however, like me, is a terrible patient.

Paper mill build and swing bridge + approaches. Took them over to my friends layout. They will look good. We were triple checking some dimensions and just double checking others. It helped with my discussion about too much track in the complex. But the track work is strictly his decision and installing. The scene for the bridges will be a great one. If he can pull off the scenery as he’s hoping it will be.

Damn, still yawning after way too much sleep. I usually read what I missed since my last post before joining in the diner! 3+ pages I will go look at now

Enjoy the day
 
bnsf971 said:
Back from the meeting, and still employed for now.
The meeting was to let us know there was a payroll payment processing issue. They’re working on the problem and hope to have it resolved by end of business day tomorrow—payday…
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Oh boy, but at least they informed you guys today and not the payroll day.

I worked at a place where payroll got misplaced and was not in our accounts when it should have been. Owner was moving money around and screwed up, I left a week later. Turns out he was embezzling from his own company but what got him in trouble was him telling the State of Illinois he had 101 more employees then we had. The City of Blue island gave him tax breaks on the # of employees and State was waiving payback of loans. He was sentenced to 10 years and served 6 months.

Hope payroll is good tomorrow
 
Good Morning All. Cloudy and 64°. It's not raining right now, but there was a mild thunderstorm overnight. Looks like 0.35" in the rain gauge. I think that we will get more later today. Still looking at temperatures in the mid-70's until Monday. Then upper 60's until Thanksgiving Day.

Today is of course, the day for the weekly grocery trek into Denton. I've got a pretty full list already, and I am awaiting for my wife's last minute additions. She'll probably go with me again this week, just because she likes to shop! I don't normally deviate from the list which I update all week long. She'll roam the aisles looking for stuff. An unusual trip today in that I don't have to stop at the pharmacy! The dishwasher awaits me but I may not do it before I leave. Later today I'll do the burn trash that has piled up.
Lots of lazy activities outside yesterday, emptied the cart of firewood but didn't stack all of it. Some needs further trimming. Only split one oversize log even though there's at least a dozen needing it. No hurry since they were all cut 16 months ago and are already dry enough to burn. Picked up a couple of hand tools and put them up before the anticipated rain. Topped off the indoor firewood supply box which was already more than halfway full. I'll probably need it Saturday night, for sure on Sunday.

We need to look at the bright side of the Micro-Trains change of ownership. At least their products aren't going to disappear into obscurity like so many other small private companies products have.

Out in the train shed yesterday, I continued with my lazy day. I did general clean up, starting with the workbench; which was still in disarray from recent projects. Vacuumed the area under the workbench and by the entrance where yard debris had dropped from my shoes. Ran some more trains and stopped every so often to fix some fallen figures on the layout. I have used Woodland Scenics Scenic Accent Glue to mount most of my figures over the years, it's touted as "re-positionable", but it also seems to loosen by itself after 11-12 years. In some cases I have resorted to using Super Glue, but while I don't like to think of it, I need to be sure that my heirs can easily remove stuff in case they choose to not use the dumpster when I am gone.

Troy -
troyphoto said:
That means tuning out 99.9% of what the idiots in government are doing. Then changing my attitude about life a bit.
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Hard to comment on that one without getting political, but there have been idiots in government continuously for my whole lifetime.
Bob -
rgeiter said:
Got lots of ideas and stuff for this corner. Every layout has to have a little humor in it.
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I couldn't agree more. I have some humorous scenes in various places around the layout. Here's one such scene.
1763642845177.jpeg


Louis - What you posted about DNA may be true, but the reality of it is that if the price is right then the information can and will be sold to anyone.
Kevin - Sad to read of the freezer issues beginning with the missed delivery and funeral, and the damaged unit itself. Best wishes on the back recovery.
Patrick - You're not alone, I don't dance either. Unless I have way too much alcohol! But that hasn't happened in over 45 years.

A couple of notable birthday's today in the rock world. The late guitarist Duane Allman was born on this day in 1946. Current Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh is 78 today. Outside of the rock world, former President Joe Biden is a spry 83.
Everyone have a great Thursday. It just started raining again.
 


47°F and a little showery this morning, stopping an a couple of hours. Good morning folks.

Nothing on the menu except a haircut today. I also plan on running trains after cleaning the track in the area I was working yesterday. I'm sure there is glue on the rails, and I know there is loose grass on the track.

Might tip back two or three Hofbräu Festbier too. Found some last week that is the bottled Oktoberfest Bier. Not the Märzen they label as Oktoberfest, but the real thing. 6.3% ABV.
 
Good Morning All!
39F @ 87%, cloudy. No white so far.

Maria didn't get up until late yesterday as she did not sleep well. That meant I got to do my stuff for more than a few hours. Started cleaning of the computer desk, put the documentation for the Switch Controller in a 3 ring. Then worked on the Switch Controller schematic and the track plan. Did watch the news for a bit also. Today? Who knows. Probably will finish the computer desk after I get all the forum stuff read. And on top of that, since we have been remodeling in different places, there are tools and parts laying on all the hutch's, book cases and small tables. Need to be able to see the tops of those too; not to mention the 5 Gallon buckets full of stuff. Sure wish I was as organized as most of y'all. I have always heard 'messy desk, clear mind'! Ya, will still go with that - good enough excuse ... right?

Cat or Cats have been bringing in Mice, and Fir Cones. We tell them to leave the Mice outside, but they don't listen. The Cones on the other hand, what the heck for? Yup, they end up batting them around the mud, kitchen and dining rooms until they hide under a desk or something. Stepping on them in the dark is quite the experience. Oh, and a friend brought over parts of a venison carcass. Gave them two of the 6 bones. That kept them busy almost all day. Put the other bones in the freezer for later enjoyment.

L8r
 
NorthBrit said:
Haggis, neeps 'n' tatties. 🍽️👍
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Address to a Haggis​

Fair and full is your honest, jolly face,
Great chieftain of the sausage race!
Above them all you take your place,
Stomach, tripe, or intestines:
Well are you worthy of a grace
As long as my arm.

The groaning trencher there you fill,
Your buttocks like a distant hill,
Your pin would help to mend a mill
In time of need,
While through your pores the dews distill
Like amber bead.

His knife see rustic Labour wipe,
And cut you up with ready slight,
Trenching your gushing entrails bright,
Like any ditch;
And then, O what a glorious sight,
Warm steaming, rich!

Then spoon for spoon, the stretch and strive:
Devil take the hindmost, on they drive,
Till all their well swollen bellies by-and-by
Are bent like drums;
Then old head of the table, most like to burst,
'The grace!' hums.

Is there that over his French ragout,
Or olio that would sicken a sow,
Or fricassee would make her vomit
With perfect disgust,
Looks down with sneering, scornful view
On such a dinner?

Poor devil! see him over his trash,
As feeble as a withered rush,
His thin legs a good whip-lash,
His fist a nut;
Through bloody flood or field to dash,
O how unfit.

But mark the Rustic, haggis-fed,
The trembling earth resounds his tread,
Clap in his ample fist a blade,
He'll make it whistle;
And legs, and arms, and heads will cut off
Like the heads of thistles.

You powers, who make mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill of fare,
Old Scotland wants no watery stuff,
That splashes in small wooden dishes;
But if you wish her grateful prayer,
Give her a Haggis!
 


chadbag said:
So I went and Googled about DB and RhB trains. It claimed there is not a standard for designating the front of dual cab locomotives though I swear I've seen something in the past. Looking at pics of RhB locomotives there is nothing obvious on them but I swear something is stuck in the back of my head about the German DB trains. Despite what Google said I'll have to find pics and look at my models. Being N the printing on them is kind of small.
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German DB locomotives have a 1 or 2 to designate one end from the other. It's for maintenance only as most dual-cab locomotives are identical on both ends. Some Diesel locomotives look like they have a front and rear by the arrangement of fans and exhaust stacks, but it still only matters for maintenance work orders.

ÖBB also numbers the front and rear of their locomotives. I did not see anything on my Swiss locomotives for front and rear, nor did I find any designation on my RhB locomotives.

I will have to examine the RhB locomotives closer. I know my ABe 4/4 II did not show any markings, unless you can count the First Class and Second Class seating as front/rear. The other two trains were a little far away for my eyes to see without firing up the layout, but that will be after lunch and I will report again later.
 
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And, I had a good morning writing.

Ignoring my political past and letting the swamp rise on it's own, is helping me get the word count going.

This was today's effort. I'm about 2/3 of the way through the book... (green bar is today's word count vs goal, blue bar is how the book is progressing)

Screenshot 2025-11-20 at 9.41.41 AM.png



And since November 10, I've only had 3 days of less than 1000 words each. I feel pretty good about this book. It's got a date with my editor beginning on Dec 15, so I need to keep it going.

So, I'm going to put together some little toy soldiers and listen to a podcast.
 
Troy, I've learned that absolutely nothing any of us here say or do, nothing will change in that area we can't discuss. Nobody's minds will be changed, and nobody in a position to do anything about it will care. All we'll do is honk each other off and elevate our blood pressures (bloods pressure?).
As you've discovered, it can be detrimental to our livelihoods, as well.
 


Kusojiji said:
I took a look at the GE4/4 and managed to take a couple of shots.
View attachment 248506
View attachment 248507

They are marked with an I on one end and an II on the other.

They're so tiny that my iphone couldn't get the shot without help.
View attachment 248508

Since it has 3 eyeballs, it kept shifting which eye it was looking out of so I had to move my magnifyer around. Gave up after a while.

RHB could probably give us better shots of his twice as large stuff.
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Where? I don’t see it. I looked at a bunch of life size 1:1 pics as well. I’m. It saying you’re wrong. Just asking for assistance in where so I can see it.
 
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