Good evening
Things have gotten a little more Hecktic close to home. They are two blocks away and that violated our comfort zone. I took a break for a few days to try to wash it away. It didn't work Now I'm taking a break from my break.
These outbursts do seem to fizzle out, they're just hard to see. It isn't like waking up to a glorious morning.
TF
Keep safe.
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."
Arizona is afire. North of us, a brush fire started on Saturday afternoon, has consumed over 15,000 acres, and is 0% contained. The sad part it was human started. It started in an area that is very popular with the off-roaders. I will bet someone parked their ATV with a hot exhaust in some tall grass. Now two communities have been evacuated and two more have been told to get SET, in case they are next.
Speaking of exhaust systems, I just replaced the exhaust and intake on my bike with a high-flow system and have been amazed at the difference. In retrospect I should have expected it. As someone who has been a severe asthmatic his whole life, I should understand the value of unobstructed inhaling and exhaling. (Oh yeah, and it sounds really awesome, too.)
Edit: The fire is now up to 38,000 acres. The forecast is for hot, dry, windy days ahead. Not good.
Richard
Veggie pizza please.
After working on one of my train tables which turned into a frustration session. Now I am leaning towards just buying a bunch of Woodland Module Kit Stands. Any of you ever try those and if so are they nice?
Hope everyone is doing well.
Cheers! Rob
Bismarck North Dakota
Northern Pacific
One of my favorite Bridges and where I would rather be
Just give me a Train in the Sky
Track fiddler Just give me a train in the sky TF
Just give me a train in the sky
Here you go TF.
Apologies in advance if this doesn't work out. I'm trying to post a picture and I'm not sure if I have it figured out yet. If it's a bust, know that I was trying to post a pic of a Frito pie.
The interesting part of the story is that I had never heard of a Frito pie until it came up in this thread recently. Then out of the blue, Mrs. Crunch served it up this weekend when we had dinner with my folks. It turns out that she had just gotten the recipe out of the Joanna Gaines (Fixer Upper) cookbook and thought she would give it a try. She doesn't follow the MR forum posts so this was all coincidental. Who knew?
Tim
frito pie by Tim Neely, on Flickr
Late to the model railroad party but playing catch-up.....
Eveing Diners
Flo, give the gang and I a please and Dirk his dog treat.
Work Front While it was slow it has taken it toal on my. My rib is hurting and I have been short of breath most of the day. Oxgen level is 98% so why do I feel short of breath?
JR Only stock parts I have engine wise for the Road Runner is the stock valve covers and Pie Pan that says Road Runner Engine. Well, I take that back, I have the stock block under the train layout, stock crank and pistions and rods. Have not been in the car for 30 plus years.
Far as the 650 Holley, been there and done that. Long time ago when I had the stock 383 long block with Headers and Troker Intake it work fine and I got 16 mpg if I keep my foot out of it. If I where still racing the car I would use two 750 holleys I use to on a cross ram intake. I have de cammed the car to a small 292/292/ 525/525 cam so the 750 seems right. Yep it is slow till I hit 3000 RPM's Then It Is Show Time! Now if I reinsall the 4:10 gears and 4000 stall, hum. Nope, I kill my self.
Far as resale, never worried about that, it was never for sale and more than likely will never will be!
Amazing, after some I feel way better.
Later, Ken and Dirk says bring home the Beep, Beep car daddy, Woof, Woof!
I hate Rust
gmpullmanI heard the sound of baby birds peeping away. Usually I check the bluebird boxes a few times a week and then realized I hadn't checked them for almost two weeks ! So look what I found — Here's a clutch of six baby bluebirds:
Ed,
It's great that you have the right property for bluebird boxes! We are much too urban for them. Alas, our orioles have moved on. We are probably a bit too urban for them too but it was nice to see them for the couple of weeks that they were here.
Our daughter-in-law, Kaitlin, asked for a bird feeder for her 30th birthday. She is getting a bit more than just a bird feeder! We bought her a good quality squirrel proof feeder, plus a hummingbird feeder, plus two wall (fence) mounted feeder poles, plus 20 lbs. of decent seed (no corn), plus a set of cleaning brushes for the hummer feeder, plus a bucket for the seed, pluys a shepard's hook so Kaitlin can get the feeders off and on the poles (she is a bit height challenged)! Dianne wouldn't let me buy a scoop for the seed! She says that Kaitlin can use a coffee cup! I can hear the birds now! "Cheap, cheap, cheap!!!"
Speaking of feeding the birds, we are frequented by downey, hairy and red bellied woodpeckers as well as flickers, so I decided to buy some non melting suet hoping to keep them around. Well, the starlings and blackbirds descended on the suet like they hadn't eaten in weeks. They decimated the first block of suet in 2 1/2 days! The woodpeckers visited a couple of times but for the most part all we had was a backyard full of squawking ugly birds! Being rather slow on the uptake, I decided to try a second block hoping that the woodpeckers would pay more attention. The blackbirds devoured the second block in just over one day, and the woodpeckers didn't show up until it was gone. Any suggestions?
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
I worked my tail off in the garage today.
However, I do not feel like I accomplished anything. I can go see what is different, but what was done compared to how hard I worked all day just does not seem worth the effort.
I will continue tomorrow.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Track fiddlerJust give me a train in the sky
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
Dave,
Try using beef suet. It lasts longer than the molded blocks, does not leave the grease stain on the boards, or ground, like the manufactured blocks do. I have different types of hangers, store bought-have about 1 1/4 holes, and ones that I made out of 1/2 mesh hardware cloth.
Starting in the late fall Barbara makes suet with Crisco, peanut butter, corn meal, oatmeal, and flax meal. All the above are mixed in a pot on the stove over low heat, and then turned out into cake pans, we let them harden, and then cut to size. The sugar in the peanut butter gives the birds a "sugar push" in the cold weather. This time of year it becomes a sad looking glop that oozes out of the holder.
The beef suet makes the "flock" birds work for what they get. The only woodpecker that has yet to feed on the deck is the Piliated. They are around the house, and frequently molest the trees here. We see them often.
I hope you are able to resolve your challange.
herrinchoker
That was a good one Ulrich. I certainly gathered my gathered
herrinchokerTry using beef suet. It lasts longer than the molded blocks
Hi herrinchoker,
Are the blackbirds and starlings attracted to the beef suet? I'm guessing that they aren't too discerning when it comes to what they will eat so changing to beef suet might not solve the problem.
We are going to try a different solution. We just bought a new hose nozzle that shoots a very powerful jet that can easily reach the suet feeder from our deck. When we are on the deck we will use the hose to try to fend off the offending birds (couldn't resist the turn of phrase). When we are not on the deck we will take the suet feeder down. Somehow I think that will be a futile exercise, but we will have fun squirting the wee beggars in any case.
A few years ago we tried using a sling shot with dried chick peas. Dried chick peas are not aerodynamic so shooting one in a straight line is an exercise in frustration. Imagine if your golf balls were shaped like chick peas and then calculate your score on 18 holes! When we did manage to make the occassional hit the birds and squirrels barely moved!
We are trying to beat Mother Nature! Wish us luck!!
hon30critterOur daughter-in-law, Kaitlin, asked for a bird feeder for her 30th birthday.
That's great that you're passing on the bird watching/feeding hobby, Dave
I know what you mean about keeping the pest birds away. We clean out the nests of House Sparrows to keep them out of the bluebird boxes. For a while we were trapping them and eliminating them, along with European Starlings, but that takes a lot of effort and dedication, checking the traps several times a day. The house sparrow is non-native and kills the bluebirds and destroys the eggs.
We get red-wing blackbirds in large numbers but they don't really eat more than some of the others and their nests are neat, in the reeds along the pond.
In the fall we get grackles by the thousands. They are fascinating to hear their noise, then in a moment they are dead silent, then start up all over again. We also hang big slabs of beef suet along with the store cakes. Our local discount store has suet for 69¢ per cake and it is good stuff. Amazon sells the same brand for $2.50 each!
Do you have a bird feed store nearby? (Wild Birds Unlimited?) They can be helpful about choosing feed and seed for the birds you want to attract. I buy black sunflower seed and sometimes thistle for the finches. I put raw peanuts out for the woodpeckers and occasionally sprinkle some mealworms onto a platform feeder for the bluebirds and orioles. They love those!
https://barrie.wbu.com/attracting-backyard-birds
and:
https://naturenotesblog.blogspot.com/2019/06/bird-feeder-blues.html
Here's a look at the Robins in the front porch nest:
Robin_20 by Edmund, on Flickr
Cheers, Ed
Good Morning!
What a day! Well, the good news is, that it is bright and sunny!
This morning, I bought a prepaid SIM card, so we have a cell phone with us during tomorrows trip to Denmark. We may need to contact the real estate people and as publi phone booths are a thing of the past, it´s quite handy to have a mobile phone. So I went to Aldi to buy a starter kit and then tried to register the phone with the provider! After 8 failed attempts I finally gave up on the online registration and went to the post office, who do such things as a service. I hope this time it´ll work and I have a working phone with me when we start early in the morning!
Good Morning All,
A regular to go and a blueberry muffin please Zoe. Yes toasted with butter too if you would. mid 50'sF and sunny this morning. Still out sorting out trailers and we have a crew coming in tomorrow to clean the Toterhome which got taken over by mice despite the mouse traps last winter.
Ken- yes - that was what i was getting at with the 750. If the car is all modded already then it's easy to move forward. We did a Cobra kit car with a 370 SBC a while ago and the owner insisted on the 750 and the car was undriveable. The smaller (don't rewmember if it was a 600 or 650 transformed it and made it so you could drive on the street without being a goon.
Kevin - you may be overthingking your overthinking? We have a saying when we get caught up with making everything better - Freeze The Design. It helps.
Ulrich We went through the same thing when we went down under. I got a new sim card but couldn't get the phone to work with it. I finally did as you and got a Vodaphone burner and had the nice people at the kiosk set it up to work with the card I already had. Not too expensive and I still had a phone that worked for international calls.
Layout front - I made more chain link fence frames last night. Worked out a gate set up and started on that. The rubber contact cement to hold the aluminum screen doesn't work as well as I hoped so I may have to scrape it off and use CA. Hope not, it is a royal pain to clean the cement off and another one to put enough super glue in the right place on a thin piece of wire.
Back to it. I also get to see the dermatologist this morning in between.
Ciao, J.R.
The weather people have predicted no rain for today. This will be the first dry day in weeks if that forecast proves to be correct.
I am going to spray weed killer... finally. My rock borders look terrible right now.
My whole back yard is a mud hole.
Finally, the phone is working now! I have noticed, that the battery unloads quite quickly, so we keep it shut down during the trip and switch it on only if needed. A few months ago, I bought a "senior" phone with big display and keys! It´s just a phone, no camera, no nothing. I´ll get that one going once we are back!
I was able to go to Scale Model Supplies in St.Paul MN Friday, first time in a hobby shop since mid-March. Other than everyone wearing masks, seemed almost normal. Being located in a basement under a strip mall, they came out of the 'troubles' OK, although the stores above them still had all their windows covered with plywood. Not sure if the owners put them up as a preventative measure, or if all the windows were smashed (and stores looted) and the plywood was put up after. Apparently the worst of it for St. Paul was just to the west of them, over by the new soccer stadium (Allianz Field).
All of this talk of birds...
I went for a walk this morning and saw this weird looking fellow.
Sorry for the poor quality picture, all I had with me was my iPod.
Good morning diners.
Flo - A nice bacon bbq style cheeseburger with fries for lunch, and a coke please. Thanks.
Dave - We used to have the same problem with suet cakes, all Starlings and Black birds. We ceased feeding them, and then the other birds once the bear population started getting more abundant. Didn't want to feed them. Although if Bear (JaBear) shows up and demands something to eat, I would of course offer him something. (Anything he wants! )
Ken - Sorry the ribs are still bugging you. If the breathing is still not quite right, you might want to seriously think about seeing the Dr again though. (I know how the not breathing properly thing goes!)
Ulrich - Safe trip, and still hoping the house hunt works out.
Ed - We have the issue with the Starlings and House Sparrows here as well. Starlings are a bit worse than the House Sparrows though.
Bird watchers - Seems the Blue Warbler is still hanging around. It's not usually found around these parts, especially this long. While they do migrate through here, he seems to be staying. But he is extremely camera shy! Everytime I grab my camera, he makes like Houdini and disappears. He has the most wonderful coloring though, almost a iridescent indigo. Hoping I can sneak a shot off without his knowledge and capture a image of the little guy.
Trains - Have the entire C425 primed, might start color coating the frame sill and pilot ends today, as they no longer smell of paint, so the primer is fully cured. Shell and cab still smell of paint though, so they will sit around another few days to fully cure. (And when I checked the cab out, it clicked that I forgot to install the radio antenna prior to priming..... )
W*^k - Got a letter from the owner I used to call my employer, officially informing me I am "not expected to come back" so am officially out of a j*b. Well, I'm not surprised or angry, only disappointed that I obviously was not appreciated nor respected. Oh well. Something will come along.
Weather - Bright sunny day and currently sitting at 72°F, with a few puffy clouds here and there. A very light breeze is also present, making for a gorgeous day.
Hope all are well, and all enjoy the day!
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
SeeYou190 All of this talk of birds... I went for a walk this morning and saw this weird looking fellow. Sorry for the poor quality picture, all I had with me was my iPod. -Kevin
Kevin - A Roseate Spoonbill! NICE!!!!!
A bad day
All our efforts and all our prayers It isn't looking good
They are going to pull the plug today
Each family member has called the last few days and talked to her and her heart rate went up as some false encouragement was felt.
Unless we get a miracle
Judy's Sister Kelly I can't do this We are going to try one more group call to try to wake her up
TF - I am so sad to hear about Kelly. Praying with you for a miracle!
Judy talked to the doctor I'm terrified I know how much Judy loves her sister
She has to see her sister They are going to dress her in protective precautions
She says she is going to the hospital to get her Sister back
I'm glad none of you are here. She's a mess and I'm a mess with tears and toilet paper all over the living room
I feel like I'm going down to give rightful condolences and catch The Covid right now
John
TF Prayers to you and family
ricktrains4824Bird watchers - Seems the Blue Warbler is still hanging around.
Hi Ricky,
You may have an indigo bunting:
They are pretty rare. In 35 years of birding we have seen less than a dozen. I hope it sticks around.
TF - we're praying not only for Kelly, but also for you and Judy.