Good afternoon from the spectacular West Coast. I was out in a T-shirt cutting the lawn today. After many interruptions over the last week, I actually got it done along with servicing the two Deeres I have. One is my old beater I keep to haul a little trailer around with and the other is two years old.
I didn't get the ice rinks done this year, I usually do a small one in the front yard for the neighbourhood kids to use.
I also flood the pool pad for a 20' x 40' for the big games, you know, the ones where an old man can build up enough speed to take out his kid.
Garry, glad to hear your family members are safe, I have good friends in Nashville and have been trying to find out if they are okay. I hang out on some aviation sites and the talk on the aircraft destroyed has been interesting.
JR, love the lotus, had one like it on my Strombecker slot car set when I was a kid, it was my favourite.
Ed, that Tucson station is beautiful. The wife and I were talking road trip to the S.W. U.S. next winter, though we may fly down and rent a car as those long drives seem a lot longer at our age. When I had my RX-7, I couldn't wait for a road trip, wish I still had it.
I sold it and bought a Honda civic when the second kid arrived. My son was six when we waved goodbye, I think he was more upset than I was. We had some good times in it, ripping into Vancouver to see the Canucks or just taking him to pre-school.
I worked all morning on the bathroom remodel getting ready to put it all back together. I found a soft bit and it turned out to only be the drywall so it was an easy fix. The wife came home with a toilet that she got for half price. It was the one we wanted and the stars were aligned to get multiple discounts. The room is ready to paint and that is the one thing I won't do as I hate painting, so the wife does it. We were going to do vinyl plank as we did that in the kids BR but with all the weird cuts in this BR we decided to go with 1'x 2' tile. A quartz countertop needs to be ordered up and we have a guy that does a great job on countertops.
When the house was built they put no shutoff valves under the sinks so I have been adding those as I do the bathrooms.
Got back on the bike after being sick, it has been two weeks at least and the muscles enjoyed the break I think as I had a ripper of a time. Haven't had a drink in at least a couple of weeks so a bottle of red is in order as a reward for all me hard work today.
Stay safe, be healthy, play with your trains.
All the best to all.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
It was a very windy day today. The pine trees in the back yard were swaying back and forth in an amusing action. My neighbor's fence is just about to collapse. One more windy day might do it in.
I found a tear in the screen on my back porch. The screens are over ten years old, I guess it is about time.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Eveing Diners
Flo, give the gang and I a please and Dirk a dog treat.
Work was slow and that was good for me. Had a lot of stupid stuff to do in my opinion and the other store mangers.
Had a very nice walk with Dirk Pip tonight. Pretty much stayed by my side and no pulling.
Planting Grass question? I live in ILL and have been wondering if it is to ealy to start thinking about using Scott Lawn Patch grass seed? What do you grass lovers think? OK, that last part was a joke.
Later Ken and Dirk says Woof, Woof.
I hate Rust
Good evening ...
John, Ed, and Brent ...... Thanks for commenting about my family members affected by the TN tornados. They had a very nice house, but now it looks like some of the severely damged house showed in the news.
I had another sanity break this evening running trains. I also cleaned up the workshop.
Everybody: .... Happy model railroading.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
My youngest daughter just called me and told me the cat we gave her for Christmas when she was ten just passed away.
She is devastated. My poor baby. This might be the first time she has needed to deal with a loss.
Mumbo was a great old lady.
I'm saddened to hear of Mumbo's passing, Kevin. We sure get attached to our pets.
Take a look at this 1911 film of New York City. Absolutely fascinating to watch. Colorized and dubbed sounds make it even more enjoyable. You can almost smell the horse apples.
Cheers, Ed
gmpullmanI'm saddened to hear of Mumbo's passing, Kevin. We sure get attached to our pets.
When we picked up Mumbo from the shelter, we thought she was a kitten, but she never behaved like a kitten.
On her first visit to the vet, we were told she was actually 5-7 years old already. We just started calling her the "old lady".
I can't believe I am getting sad about this as I am typing.
Good Morning All,
Just a regular in a to go cup please Zoe. Been out the last couple of days trying to catch up shop stuff. No real progress on the layout.
Garry, Sorry to hear of your families losses. Good no one got hurt but it's going to be tough going for them as they rebuild.
Kevin, We do get attached to our furry friends. You recover but the memories are forever.
Ciao, J.R.
Pets are family
Ed loved that video. My grandmother was not from NYC, but she certainly could have traveled there in 1911. Not one of those people in the film would have predicted that the hat would degrade into a backward baseball cap, if worn at all.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Good morning, everyone. Just coffee this morning.
Keven, sorry to hear of the cat. It's amazing how animals become such a part of our lives.
Garry, we traveled to New Orleans to help an elderly resident deal with Hurricane Katrina. Her house was a complete loss, as was most of our old neighborhood. However, they have recovered, and the neighborhood is better than ever. It was a long recovery, a lot of work, and lots of tears and heartache. But time has healed the wounds.
Brent, for me, the worst part of Spring coming: It snowed Monday, it melted Monday, and our neighbor ran his lawnmower yesterday to pick up winter leaves and junk. I'm never ready for lawn work. I HATE lawn work. Everytime I get the mower out, I tell my wife it's the last time. I'm paving our entire yard and painting it green.
Ulrich, I know you have not been feeling well. Is there any progress with your friend selling her house and your move?
For those of you dealing with health issues, I'm hoping you can find some relief.
York1 John
I asked my doctor if I gave up delicious food and all alcohol, would I live longer? He said, "No, but it will seem longer."
Good Afternoon!
Recovery is much slower than I´d like to see it. At least the time spent in the "ceramics department" is becoming more normal now. I am still on a diet. All I am allowed to it is that tasteless stuff which is usually forece-fed to sick people. Boy, will I be glad when that´s over with!
Garry - I am sorry to hear about the loss of your family´s feline friend!
York1Is there any progress with your friend selling her house and your move?
The apartment is on the market for some time now and there has been some interest, but nothing final yet. Covid-19 seems to throw a spanner in the works, as we are just short of a mass hysteria here. The media contribute their share to the rising panic. Common sense seems to have left Germany for good - which makes me think I should join it, too - asap!
Good news is, that one of the house options has come down in price by 20%!
Petra and I have started talking about getting a dog after we have moved to Denmark. TRhe both of us are not yet decided, but I´d vote for one of these little fellows:
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
Tony Hillerman wrote the mystery novels based on the Navajo reservation. He said a day that starts bad, ends bad. Seems to be true.
Our painter showed up for the first time since last Friday. He had been taking his wife to the ER several days in a row and finally they took out her appendix. He told us about her bipolar disease and how she has been on every drug and it's just getting worse.
My step father's wife and my step brother had schizophrenia. A different disease but it did not end well for either of them.
The painter said my office was next to paint, so I started cleaning out the file cabinet and moving the bookcase. I found my father's passport, he went to Spain and the Vatican in 1934, 1930 high school yearbook and his ornate Shellback certificate.
I remember him pointing out the classmates the did not servive the war. There was a Chinese American in his class and his description was every bit in the theme of Blazing Saddles and would not be tolerated today.
A Shellback crosses the Equator or dateline and is long standing Navy ritural. According to Wiki, it has elements of severe college hazing and dressing in drag. I don't know that for sure. I could not throw away any of those things.
I also found that my parents house was assessed for $29,000 in 1975. So I did throw away some things.
Then I logged into Facebook. There was a tribute for my friend, who died in a motorcycle accident one year ago, by his daughter.
Then I turned on the news. Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan Bank had emergency surgery for an aortic dissection. Blood normally flows inside the tube that is the aorta. In a dissection it flows between the inside and outside wall of the aorta. If the dissection travels down the aorta it can block off blood flow to vital organs.
That's what killed John Ritter and a wonderful surgeon I worked with. The surgeon's diagnosis was missed, but he survived long enough to have it repaired electively. He said good bye to me the day before. The way he said it, we both knew he wasn't coming back. I had read about people going into battle knowing they would die, this was the first time I had seen it first hand.
To repair it, they put a clamp across the aorta. When they did that, his aorta broke apart. I never saw him again.
Tinplate Toddler Petra and I have started talking about getting a dog after we have moved to Denmark. TRhe both of us are not yet decided, but I´d vote for one of these little fellows:
OK, since you've posted a picture of a cute dog, I'll post a picture of my favorite dog: Daisy, the long-haired dappled Dachshund. We got her from the dog rescue group when the police raided a drug house. She's deaf, so she doesn't mind when we talk to her. She also doesn't care about thunder or fireworks.
She is the sweetest animal I've had.
Good late evening.
I love dogs, I picked the first one and I definitely remember my last I keep fish now, it's just a little easier when you lose one.
John Ritter, I loved that man. Bobby Bobby De Boo, Three's Company Too
I got bored around 1:30 today. I had a hobby store project in the house around 2:30.
I decided to try an Estes model that can be completed in a day if planned right. Do any of you guys remember those? The last one I made, I was around thirteen years of age.
I did get it built, got the satin hot pink and the matte black done. It's hanging by coat hangers over a few dirty dishes waiting to dry so I can put the decals on tomorrow.
Sunday is supposed to be 65 degrees in Minnesota here. It is my thoughts to go to a big lake before it thaws and walk out to the middle of it to launch it out there because this baby flies 1600 feet in the air and I would imagine it's going to drift in the wind with its parachute.
Then maybe after I get done screwing around with that, I can get back to some model railroading around here
TF
I went to pick out the new sliding door to the lanai today. The door will be $1,100.00, but there is more.
My house was built in 1988, and the fully opening "pocket" sliding glass door is not allowed any longer. I need to have a contractor come out and fill the pocket and install the new door into the modified opening. The new door will only open on one side.
I will find out tomorrow how much that will cost.
SeeYou190 and the fully opening "pocket" sliding glass door is not allowed any longer.
So, this is not a normal patio door, where one door slides past a "stationary" door? This actually slides into a pocket in the wall? for a full 36" opening?
I don't think I've ever seen something like that.
Up here, they're sliding patio doors, that work as I mentioned above.
As TF mentioned about the weather in MN, it will be the same in WI. A break in winter, but, it WILL be back.
Mike.
My You Tube
all of Europe seems to be panicking right now. The COVID-19 virus is spreading like wildfire - well, not really. Actually, it is spreading much less than an ordinary cold or the flu. Germany now reports 545 cases, or less than an average village has people suffering from a cold. No deaths so far and none of the infected persons is in a critical condition. The season´s best selling items are toilet paper, paper handkerchiefs and disinfectants. ALDI is having a sale of that stuff starting Monday, limiting the number of items to three per person. I have seen ads in Ebay attempting to sell a $4 bottle of spray disinfectant for $3,000! What´s up next? Witch doctors offering magic spells against the disease?
I have to admit that Italy is quite in a bad shape. The country reports 3,296 active cases, but already 148 deaths. One might ask why the mortality rate as well as the rate the disease spreads is so much higher in Italy, when compared to other European countries. Italians are more sociable people than Germans and hugging and kissing among relatives and friends is much more common than in Germany, where people are much more reserved and even a handshake has become the exception. Hygienic conditions in Italy may also differ slightly from what we are used to. As it seems now, it will take some time before life will be back to normal. Some of our key industries are being affected already.
Just to put things into the right relation - the world population is currently estimated to be 7.75 billion people. The total number of people currently infected, dead or cured is 100,055 - that´s 0.0013%.
Have a great day!
Good morning.
Kevin, that door of your sounds like a pain in the but. I don't know if I completely understand your situation.
A normal install of a slider up here ranges from 450-600 depending on the variables. My gut says you'll be in the 900-1300 range conservatively, depending on the complexity of things.
I stayed up late to put the decals on my rocket last night. I sure have a lot of respect for you guys that do such beautiful work on your Freight cars.
One of the reasons I took on this project was to get some experience with decals before I attempt the dry transfer ones on my grain elevator.
I tend to deviate from directions. The fin decals weren't even big enough so I cut them up and did my own thing.
I fumbled around Forever until I got it done. I have no idea how you do N-Scale boxcars Kevin
Good morning, all. I'm going into the hospital on Monday for what should be a routine surgery. It's a same-day thing, in and out, though they will have to knock me out for it. I'll be out of work all next week recovering, partly because they don't want me driving while taking pain pills. I'm paranoid about opioids, so if that's what they give me I probably won't even take them. But if they want me on my back for a week, I'm not gonna argue. Anyway, everyone behave while I'm gone. Dana will be watching things. Everyone belly up to the sundae bar for a sample of what I really shouldn't be eating any more.
--Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editorsotte@kalmbach.com
Here´s to a sucessful outcome of your surgery and a speedy recovery, Steven!
Thanks Steve! I can eat that! ......as long as it's the ONLY thing I eat for a full day...
I'm the same about the opioids, they can interrupt other things as well.
Speedy recovery!
mbinsewi So, this is not a normal patio door, where one door slides past a "stationary" door? This actually slides into a pocket in the wall? for a full 36" opening? I don't think I've ever seen something like that.
When I lived in Cape Coral, Fla., where SeeYou190 lives, my sliding glass door had three tracks for three separate doors. All three could slide past each other alongside the outside wall -- not really a "pocket," since the doors didn't go inside the wall when open. But the entire 12-foot-or-so window-wall could open fully between the living room and the screened porch. And for about two months a year, it was cool enough to be able to do that.
(disclaimer: not a picture of my actual former house)
Henry .... Sounds like you found some intersting items that were your father's. Intersting about Jimmy Dimon; I hope he recovers okay.
TF ..... Wel, well, well. We have our own Rocket Man in the Diner. LOL .... Have fun.
Ulrich .... From what you say, the virus sounds like it is getting bad in Europe. I like the dog photo you posted.
Kevin .... Can your local government require owners of existing houses to change their doors?
John / York 1 ..... I like your dog photo too.
Steve O .... Thanks for the scrumptious goody. Praying your surgery goes well. I agree about avoiding pain medicine.
We heard more from our niece about their house. The tornado ripped apart one end of the house, but they are able to live in the other end with tarps and generators. About two dozen men came out to help clean up their property. Some were from their church and some were just friends. Some had chain saws to cut up fallen trees. Niece's husband owns a roofing company, and he should have a lot of repair jobs in the weeks ahead.
Yesterday, we had a company replace both of our furnaces and air condioners. One of the AC units stopped working at the end of last summer. Furnaces were rusty inside, and were having problems. All units were almost 20 years old.
And that looks like the perfect breakfast this morning. Thank you. Now I really wish I had that
Hoping the best for you on your surgery Steven.
Heartland Division CB&QUlrich .... From what you say, the virus sounds like it is getting bad in Europe.
Garry - it is by far better than the media want us to know. In the winter of 2017/18. nearly 25,000 people in Germany alone died from the ordinary flu, but no one cried out! There is a different reason behind all this panicking, but one we shouldn´t discuss here.
I have a question for anyone that knows the answer.
I remember a discussion in here about putting a clear matte finish over decals. My question is can it be any matte finish? (I have Krylon low odor matte finish) or does it have to be a certain brand not to Bubble Up the decals?
Thanks in advance.
Rocket Man Good one Garry
Good morning, everyone.
Steven, praying for a successful surgery and easy recovery. I took one opioid after a surgery and threw the rest away. I'd rather have pain than the feelings I got after that drug.
Track fiddler I have no idea how you do N-Scale boxcars Kevin
I agree. I can't believe Kevin's work on my N Scale boxcar. It's better than what you'd find opening a new factory model.
It's supposed to be a nice warm weekend. Probably time to start thinking about the yard. Geese by the thousands have been flying over for the past week. You can hear them before you see them. At night, you can see them lit up by the towns lights. Pretty neat sight.
Have a great Friday.
They have only tested 41 people in Maryland and 3 people who where on a cruise together are positive. The low number of tests is unbelievable to me.
I would imagine 100's of people call their doctor or go to the ER every day wanting to be tested.
Today some major lab companies said they would be doing the tests. I'm not sure we will know the real incidence of Corona for quite a while.
I'm curious about why the building codes changed to disallow those pocket doors. I can imagine that they could be a problem with water leakage on an outside wall in a wet climate, or something to do with stormproofing, but at some time these installations must have met building codes.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
That should work, TF. Some use the Testors Dullcote or Glosscote, or even Future (used to be Pledge) floor finish, which I've used.
I've sealed over locomotive number boards with all of the above, with a tiny brush, no problems.
That transfer caboose I built last year, I sealed it with Future.