Coffee Pot #1 January 2013 SIX years [April 1 is Anniv.] and going strong and its for all to chat. Plenty of coffee and sweet ice tea for all. Come and join us and chat. GRITS for the Yankees

[anjdevil2]

Monday....

Oh, hey guys....

Happy Birthday, Bo!!

SubBob - yeah they are electric flip lights and work well, so far....

Jack - Not enough money for the Challenger in the near or medium distant future - which sucks...

Will my one and only Proto1 equipt Wanderer is officially dead.  Needs 2 boards per the Train Doctor here, I may ravage it for parts...unless I can find the boards.  I have tried the reset (yep I have the chip!) and nothing.  The light is pretty shiny however.....Mike's trash house is right.  At least Lionel is backward compatible....

Did score a WHOLE BUNCH of trains and cabeese that need repair for the princely sum of $10.  2 N5c porthole caboose and a couple of other cabeese to assemble.  Well worth the money and also have an Atlas flat with Plastic wheels, which I'm pretty sure I can convert to Lionel.

I really shouldn't have gone, though, the crud kicked my buns...very winded and struggle to get back to the car.  hate that.....  I may have a dr. visit soon...

Charlie - nice FRED...looks great!

I'll be going to my LHS to put a deposit on a NJ Transit work train set. Saturday....

If I missed any other questions, sorry...quick post, just need to get back to bed.  Work beckons again on the morrow.....Oh DougM, NICE launcher.....

[rtraincollector]

anjdevil2

Monday....

Will my one and only Proto1 equipt Wanderer is officially dead.  Needs 2 boards per the Train Doctor here, here, I may ravage it for parts...unless I can find the boards.  I have tried the reset (yep I have the chip!) and nothing.  The light is pretty shiny however.....Mike's trash house is right.  At least Lionel is backward compatible....

You could always contact ERR and convert it to tmcc

[Demay]

Ohayō,

It was cold and clear this morning, but the high will be in the low-50s.  I completed my first run of the New Year this morning and first in about two weeks as I was enjoying the Christmas/New Year break.  I only ran three miles so I can ease back into it.  It’s almost my lunch break, but I haven’t done much work this morning as I’ve been watching the championship game.  Fortunately, I am caught up on my work and my boss is easy-going.  With the way the game is going now, I may not have any interest in it after halftime as it looks like Alabama is going to rout the Irish. 

Brent – I am always impressed with my wife’s ability to not lose her mind and be awake when I come home from work since she home schools our three kids who are 11, 9, and 2. 

Jack – A cold day in this part of Japan right now is upper-20s, low-30’s when I wake up.  The midday highs have been in the upper-40s, low-50s which is not cold to me.  I will be happy if the temp drops another 15 degrees or so.  Thanks for the encouragement Jack.  I will be finished in May and I cannot wait.

Jeffrey –   I’m glad you’re feeling better today.

Happy Birthday Bo!

Sayonara,

Joe

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Demay

Jeffrey –   I’m glad you’re feeling better today.

Only marginally Joe. Whatever it is, it's still kicking me around.

*

I lasted a bit longer today but I'm now starting to feel very tired and a little green around the gills. I was able to run a train for a little while today if for nothing else to wipe any accumulated dust off the track. Looks like rain tomorrow. Time to call it a night. See y'all tomorrow.

[wrmcclellan]

Hi all!

Crud still hanging on. Coughing all the time. Made for a tough day at the home office. Still had to do the work.

Jack - I am impressed you are still with us after that hair comment. If I could redirect "the look" I got after similar comment here I could bast all the drains crystal clean!

Doug M - that is amazing. What else wil we think of? Does it work?

Jeffrey - glad you are better. Big rain starts here tomorrow and then it heads your way. We need it, not sure you do.

Bo - - I am a few months ahead of you on the 60.

Have a great evening all!

 

 

[8ntruck]

Sunny and in the high 40's today while I got back to work to make sure all of you retired guys SS checks don't bounce.

Good thing it was warm today, as I had grave digging duty after work.  One of our old cats passed last night.  He was my TV watching buddy, usually sitting on the arm of my chair, or in my lap while I watched TV in the evening.  Our remaining cat seems to be a little lost tonight.

I got upstairs tonight and ran the 4-6-2 UP steamer my wife gave me for a little bit.  It is pretty dirty, has a wobble, and a clunk, clunk noise.  I've got to find an exploded diagram so I can open it up for a good cleaning, search for the wobble, noise and installation of a new traction tire.  I noticed that the smoke unit does not have an on/off switch, so I'll bet it was run dry and will need attention too.

I also put my new black bonnet F3's on the track for a test run.  They have pulmore motors, so they sound and smell 'right'.  The modern electronic horn and bell is a great improvement over the postwar 'bike horn'.

All for now.

[dougdagrump]

Evenin' All.

Sounds as though most of us have been fighting the crud. Saturday didn't get much rest as the munchkin was here but I ended up missing almost all of the Sunday football games slleping/napping on the couch. Tried to see primary care physician today but no luck, her nurse suggested urgent care but when I got down there it looked like half the county was waiting. My doctor called after I got home and was able to get me in Tuesday morning.

The friday run went great, my two MTH problem children functioned perfectly.

Started packing up all the Christmas trains, pretty much finished but I'm sure something will be overlooked until somewhat later.

Well gettin a bit tired.

Nite all.

Ooops, almost forgot.   Bo and many more to come

[submmbob]

Hello all

Another night counting photons. Storm system mostly went south of us. Is now centered over corner of SE AZ and SW NM. A bit of moisture is curling around back on us so I'll have to keep an eye out for frost.

Well the dockside from the Land of Lincoln ended up having a couple of cooked power transistors. Like the 6 Million Dollar Man we will see if we can rebuild it better, stronger, faster...

Bo - Happy Birthday! I'm guessing that circuit board trace could be jumpered over w/ wire. The older Lionel switches could burn out if a train was left parked on them for a while. Since these are yard switches I wonder if that could be the problem. Bob Nelson has a modification using capacitors to solve this. Having never used anything other than tubular track, I'm just making a somewhat educated guess here.

Rich - if you need rust-free Pulsar parts let me know. We probably have some around here.

Chief - hope you feel better soon! So you had a 140HP? Fun! One of the guys in the club has a Stinger replica w/ a modified 140HP. Really beautiful and neat car.

Jeffrey - take care there buddy! Keep the photos of your locomotive innards coming! I like 'em!

Doug - nice work on the launcher! How 'bout some video of how it works?

Jack - we can get snowed in from time to time. The basecamp staff does a pretty good job plowing the road. When the gate at the end of the pavement is closed in Nov by ADOT, we are responsible for clearing the last 10 miles of so. Since I tend to sleep for a few hours after getting off shift on Wed, by the time I get up the road is usually plowed. Some folks like to try and leave first thing and often that doesn't work out so well. Chains are a must in all the vehicles. Of course, for them to be effective the driver must actually get out and put them on I'm sure you can imagine what a bunch of astronomy phd type's w/ rental vehicles can lead to.

PrairieType - nice to see you guys keeping the faith. I prefer to have a transformer handle to hang on to rather than a remote gizmo for my trains. Wireless is for radio astronomy and the ham bands, but that's me

[ChiefEagles]

Reclinerized too long.  Roy get well.

Sleep tight.

[Lehigh Valley 2089]

Good Morning.

Seem to be the first one up. Strange......

Anyway, hope to get some more work done on the layout, even if it's just adding one or two more trees (still need plenty of them).

[blownout cylinder]

Good Morning....

A mix of sun/cloud is greeting us this morning...always a good thing to see..temp going up to 34F with tonight's low sitting at 24F....

Got a telecommute thing going today...so I'e be a happy fellow here Tomorrow not so much...

[Blueberryhill RR]

Good Morning from Blueberryhill RR....

It is a sunny 24 degrees. Going up to 44 today with sunshine.

Today is an easy day. I have some paperwork to do and a few chores. I will work on a train project for an hour or so. Other than that, not too much new. Lunch and a nice nap is planned.

Bo......

Dining car is here with Cheerios for breakfast.

Y'all have a great Tuesday.

Chuck

[laz 57]

Hi GUYZ,

  Another nice day today gettin up to 45.  Nice sitting in the woods.  Yesterday took the Smokepole out and was at the right time but just a little to far away.  I was sitting watching a ravine that the deer usually follow at dusk it is adjacent to a corn field.  I was on the opposit side of the corn field atop a small hill when at 4:12 saw a stampeed of deer,13 in all running in the field.  I was at least 60 yards to the field and they were another 50 yards into the field.  Drat!  I waited had the hammer back and was hoping they would turn to the ravine but no dice, headed up the mountain.  Later heard bunch of turkeys going to roost in the pine trees.  Another bag full of memories.  Going back out this afternoon.

BO, hope you had a great BDAY.  Yes I guess you can call the precussion muzzleloader a Smokepole too.  Big difference between both guns is that the precussion gun will go off everytime with the cap.  The Flintlock has the flint to rub against the frizzen that throws a spark into the pan that ignites the fine black powder that sets off the main charge in barrel.  Sometimes you get spark and nothing happens and other times you get spark and ignition and nothing happens and other time you get no spark and nothing happens.  Its a big crap shoot and it gets frustrating at times. But gives you a bag full of memories.  And we won a few wars with these guns WOW!

Stay frosty my friends,

laz57

[cheapclassics]

Good morning all,

IIABSDISEI with temps in the 40s.  Went to bed early and slept on the way in.  Should be rested for today.  Person building files for me to process is running behind today, which throws my day off as well.  Can relax for a few, but I know I will be busy later on.  Did not do much last night.  TBIL anytime tonight.  I hope everyone has a good day.

Keep on training,

Mike C. from Indiana

[wrconstruction]

made it to tuesday, think I got that bug thats going around

LAZ / cheif  I am not much of a hunter, but always thought it would be cool to have one of those old fashion "horn Type" Muskets.   I'm sure they are less than accurate, if even available

Ryan

[cnw1995]

Aloha. Many happy returns of the day to you, Bo !  Glad I had the church meeting last night to miss most of ND's rout. They sure looked rusty. Bob, I'll try for a video. I certainly overpowered the launcher. Roy, the launcher throws anything I can slip between those wheels. It seems like a carrier's catapult 

First on-campus class for me in a few years begins tonight. Just happy to get a chance to teach. 

[RockIsland52]

Good Mornin' Y'all From Crystal Clear Cape Ann,

I had Maximus the dog out for a walk last night and stared up in awe at the crystal clear skies and the stars that filled the darkness.  When I lived in Chicago proper a couple of decades back, you could see the moon,  the North star, sometimes the big dipper.  Polluted air eradicated much of the rest.

Lehigh Valley 2089

Good Morning.

Seem to be the first one up. Strange......

Anyway, hope to get some more work done on the layout, even if it's just adding one or two more trees (still need plenty of them).

 

Lehigh........I was up at 6AM and was greeted by a cable TV issue.  Just with one set, the one I use a ton because it sits next to my PC.  I have Comcast.  Two of the three TVs hooked up in my house are analog and I have the analog to digital convertor boxes. 

I checked all the hook ups to the bad TV.  No dice.  Swapped boxes with the analog set that was working.  That worked.  Then I hooked up what I thought was the "bad" box to the TV that had been working.  Got one of those dialogue boxes on the screen that now read "Checking For Cable TV Service" and watched the progress bar move up very slowly from 1%.  Signal found, and the picture popped up.  Issue resolved. 

Cause?  Who knows?  Both sets were working just fine last night when I hit the sack.  I suppose we are doomed to live with glitches of unknown causes, the need for a knack for trial and error troubleshooting, and them the patience to deal with not knowing what tinkering actually fixed the problem, and why.   

I think I have to agree with SubmmBob when tongue in cheeck he noted:  "TMCC stands for Too Much Computer Cr%p and DCS stands for Definitely Causes Surprises."  In general, we spend a lot of money and time buying services (cable/satellite TV, internet, digital phone, cellular service, et al) and added features which add a layer of complexity to our lives.  But these things add stress.  I just may have hit the tipping point where the value, quality of life, and added convenience is no longer worth the price of admission. 

I have always been ahead of all my friends and acquaintances when it came to a number of things.  Monoral to stereo to quadraphonic to home theater (late 1970s when there was no such thing).  Reel to reel tape for music.  8Track.  Then cassette.  In car dash CB radio.  Radar detectors.  Bought one of the first stereo VHS VCRs.  Bought one of the first CD players.  Same with DVD.  Later, surround sound, HD television, and the like.

Well.......the thrill is gone.  Simply stated, I am tired trying to keep up, let alone staying ahead of the curve.  Six separate pieces of interconnected audio/video devices make up my home entertainment setup, with "far too many"  wires that go with it.  Fiberoptic connectors, HDMI, etc, have left me with a big box of now useless or out-of-date wiring that cost big bucks when new (remember Monster cables and the demise of RCA connectors?).

Two years ago I took a pass on 3D TV  and internet compatablity with my current TV set.  DVR?  HD radio?  Nope and nope.  Pay movie and sports channels?  Cut them out too.  Higher levels of digital service?  I'm down two levels from where I started.  And I don't miss any of it.

Mass marketing has us solidly hooked up to the technology IV bag that needs incessant tinkering and a big wallet to back it up.  Vastly superior communication and entertainment devices and networks have made communication far less effective and entertainment only marginally better in my mind.  We need the hundreds of access channels because? 

Today, I think I will play with my best home entertainment device, my dog.  LAZ has the right idea.....outdoors with the turkeys, elusive deer, and the smoke pole.  Must get my rear end out of the house and see what is going on in the real world, not the electronic, technology-driven one.  Then unwind with the beautiful simplicity of my postwar toys.  And tonight go out again with Maximus to look at the sky and let him search for the evil bunnies that (the snow tracks indicate) have invaded his domain.  Then light a fire and run trains some more. 

Jack

PS:  I almost forgot.  Bo.......  And to the crud carriers, especially the ones who have been dragging on since December,

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Good morning. It's 46° with 99% humidity. Flash flood watch in effect. Cloudy with showers and thunderstorms. The high will be 62°.


Looks like today will be warm and wet. At this momnet I can hear thunder in the distance and with the heavy clouds it looks like dawn instead of 8:30am. I'm feeling better today than I did yesterday which isn't saying much. I still don't have enough control over my equilibrium to do any work that requires me to stand at the layout. I may be able to do some work while sitting though. That thunder is getting louder. Time to wrap this up.

[Prairietype]

And morning to everyone as well, on a day that promises to be mild (for a January day) and mostly sunny.

I'm getting into my second week of retirement, and my new routine is to do something productive each morning to start the day.  Then, I intend to do the satisfying and fun things.

I stopped by the Lionel layout at the mall to see what needed to be fixed, and brought home the two KW's and the little ALCO Bluebonnet from the 70's.  It was left on its back so that I would notice that one of the two contact rollers had melted/broken off.  So yesterday involved fabricating plastic replacement patches and epoxy application to put things back to rights.  I haven't done a test run yet (that's next) and then I'll take a look at the KW's. 

A lot of the Lionel trains and tracks are acquired from donors, or, at the very least very cheap.  Much of it is really really worn, broken, or in just rough shape.  We have lots of tubular track, for example, which is orange (rusted) instead of silver,  I can't stand to write anything off so I work this stuff 1 item at a time.  When I get through with it, the track looks almost new and is certainly more than adequate for use on this layout.  Locomotives and rolling stock are likewise rough, so I'm always repairing trucks, switches, accessories, motors, etc,, If I'm fortunate we get the broken pieces operational again.

This has been my therapy. For quite some time now; the frustrations of daily life and work have been eased with working on old Lionel stuff and succeeding in making it work again.

 

[KRM]

Prairietype

 I'm getting into my second week of retirement, and my new routine is to do something productive each morning to start the day.  Then, I intend to do the satisfying and fun things.  I found sleeping till 7:30 to be something productive for me.  After all of the years of getting up at 4:30 it took time to get there.

    

Prairietype, It is good to have things to do. Retirement can be a big change and takes some adjustment. I am starting my 5th year on the 30th of this month. Did not plan on it at 56 but had to take it when it was there.

 Jack Nice summation on the state of technology. 

 Gray out there today. I have to go car shopping with the daughter later today. I don't know why,,,,,,,but I do.

 The wife came home yesterday and saw the painting I did in the basement. I like a asked her what she thought. Her answer,,,, why don't you do all the rest of the basement walls.     

Bob, Yes, a Bionic Dockside sounds good, but lets keep it under the price of the six million-dollar man.  P.S. Sent you a PM

 Prayers for all of you with the crud.

 

 

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

KRM

It is good to have things to do. Retirement can be a big change and takes some adjustment

For sure. It pays to have a hobby or two to occupy your time. I was pushed into retirement in my mid-forties and it didn't take long to discover the true meaning of boredom. Must be from not having a honey-do list to keep me busy.

[sir james I]

30 degrees with sun so I'm hoping for more snow melt. What usually happens is when it's all gone we get a fresh batch. Gee guys TMCC couldn't be any easier. 1 wire to the track, other wire into the wall socket, push engine 1 and off you go. Legacy on the other hand needs some learn time. Home from the grocery store, yeah they took it all, I had about 4 singles left as we drove home....S.J.

Jeff, I noticed that it's when I pause or stop that the font changes.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

sir james I

Jeff, I noticed that it's when I pause or stop that the font changes.

Guess that's why I rarely notice it on mine. I type up most of my posts in Notepad then copy and paste them here.

*

Boy, glad I don't have to do anything outside today. There's heavy rain falling and it's almost dark out there. Anybody who wants fresh rain water, hey you're welcome to it. There's enough pouring off my roof to fill up a rain barrel in a few minutes!

[Anonymous]

Mornin' Fellas

Tomorrow is going to be LONG and TIRING... and hopefully worth every minute!

Got to thinking over the weekend about a project I have been considering. I want to build a small layout for Christina (and her baby brother), problem is I am very tight on space. So I was thinking of building it so that it will foldup against a wall. I don't want it to fall down, so I was thinking some sort of motorized unit. I just have no idea how to get started... I know I will need to build it out of metal so it can be mounted on the wall, then I'll need two threaded rods, and two nuts to attach to the layout and thread the rods through. I'll also need some way of stoping the back from going to high and some cable to keep the front from going to low, the problem is how do you stop the motor? And how do you get the threaded rods to rotate at the same speed?

[rtraincollector]

Morning already? Gee don't know where it went. actually got up at 8:30. Been working on my resume as there is a promotion at work I would like to put in for. Short term not really a big raise but long term it really could be as the position I'm in now I can look at about another $0.50 raise and I top out in that position if I get this position I would get about $0.60 raise right away but then have 9 more steps I could go up in pay so it would be a good step up. And I wouldn't see that to the end as I would become retarded ( oops were not allowed to use that joke anymore) retired prior to that.

Hope all having a good day Talk to you all later

 

[ChiefEagles]

Happy days are here again!  Happy days are here!  Us REBS gave those Yankees a flogging last night.    Take their football and tuck it between their legs and run home. 

Afternoon gang.  Cloudy and chilly but still not cold.  Been snoozing and watching TV all morning.  Now dressed and getting lunch.  Seems nice not to have to do anything except what I want.  Back on diet to shed those holiday lbs.  Gained a little but not like I was before the dieting.

Hope all are doing OK.

RT, the "rat" will report you.

Have a good day.

[SPMan]

V8, I was sad to hear about Huel Howser's death myself.  First heard about it last night and there was quite a bit in the paper about him this morning.   I have been watching his show for years.  His homespun chatter would drive you crazy sometimes but his subjects made it worth watching.  He seemed like a genuinely nice guy.  He was from Tennessee and never lost his lovely accent.  I would like to get a copy of the episode where he interviews a guy with a musical instrument called a photo player.  It was sort of like a player piano with a lot of sound effects thrown in.  When the owner was playing the thing it was like watching a one armed paper hanger in action.  Same guy collected old movie projectors and stuff like that.  You could count on Huel for the unusual.  We will miss him here in California.

Bo, belated happy birthday!

Jeffrey, Chief, Roy et al with the flu, get well soon.

Dougnota, thanks again for the traction tires.  Got the engine that needed it running again.  I bought some more from a place back East that was recommended by one of the guys on the Pot.

Laz, you have had so many adventures with that black powder gun.  It would be a shock if you ever hit anything with it.  However, it's a lot more sporting than an assault rifle.

later,

Ray

 

[Lehigh Valley 2089]

RockIsland52

Good Mornin' Y'all From Crystal Clear Cape Ann,

I had Maximus the dog out for a walk last night and stared up in awe at the crystal clear skies and the stars that filled the darkness.  When I lived in Chicago proper a couple of decades back, you could see the moon,  the North star, sometimes the big dipper.  Polluted air eradicated much of the rest.

Lehigh Valley 2089

Good Morning.

Seem to be the first one up. Strange......

Anyway, hope to get some more work done on the layout, even if it's just adding one or two more trees (still need plenty of them).

 

Lehigh........I was up at 6AM and was greeted by a cable TV issue.  Just with one set, the one I use a ton because it sits next to my PC.  I have Comcast.  Two of the three TVs hooked up in my house are analog and I have the analog to digital convertor boxes. 

I checked all the hook ups to the bad TV.  No dice.  Swapped boxes with the analog set that was working.  That worked.  Then I hooked up what I thought was the "bad" box to the TV that had been working.  Got one of those dialogue boxes on the screen that now read "Checking For Cable TV Service" and watched the progress bar move up very slowly from 1%.  Signal found, and the picture popped up.  Issue resolved. 

Cause?  Who knows?  Both sets were working just fine last night when I hit the sack.  I suppose we are doomed to live with glitches of unknown causes, the need for a knack for trial and error troubleshooting, and them the patience to deal with not knowing what tinkering actually fixed the problem, and why.   

I think I have to agree with SubmmBob when tongue in cheeck he noted:  "TMCC stands for Too Much Computer Cr%p and DCS stands for Definitely Causes Surprises."  In general, we spend a lot of money and time buying services (cable/satellite TV, internet, digital phone, cellular service, et al) and added features which add a layer of complexity to our lives.  But these things add stress.  I just may have hit the tipping point where the value, quality of life, and added convenience is no longer worth the price of admission. 

I have always been ahead of all my friends and acquaintances when it came to a number of things.  Monoral to stereo to quadraphonic to home theater (late 1970s when there was no such thing).  Reel to reel tape for music.  8Track.  Then cassette.  In car dash CB radio.  Radar detectors.  Bought one of the first stereo VHS VCRs.  Bought one of the first CD players.  Same with DVD.  Later, surround sound, HD television, and the like.

Well.......the thrill is gone.  Simply stated, I am tired trying to keep up, let alone staying ahead of the curve.  Six separate pieces of interconnected audio/video devices make up my home entertainment setup, with "far too many"  wires that go with it.  Fiberoptic connectors, HDMI, etc, have left me with a big box of now useless or out-of-date wiring that cost big bucks when new (remember Monster cables and the demise of RCA connectors?).

Two years ago I took a pass on 3D TV  and internet compatablity with my current TV set.  DVR?  HD radio?  Nope and nope.  Pay movie and sports channels?  Cut them out too.  Higher levels of digital service?  I'm down two levels from where I started.  And I don't miss any of it.

Mass marketing has us solidly hooked up to the technology IV bag that needs incessant tinkering and a big wallet to back it up.  Vastly superior communication and entertainment devices and networks have made communication far less effective and entertainment only marginally better in my mind.  We need the hundreds of access channels because? 

Today, I think I will play with my best home entertainment device, my dog.  LAZ has the right idea.....outdoors with the turkeys, elusive deer, and the smoke pole.  Must get my rear end out of the house and see what is going on in the real world, not the electronic, technology-driven one.  Then unwind with the beautiful simplicity of my postwar toys.  And tonight go out again with Maximus to look at the sky and let him search for the evil bunnies that (the snow tracks indicate) have invaded his domain.  Then light a fire and run trains some more. 

Jack

PS:  I almost forgot.  Bo.......  And to the crud carriers, especially the ones who have been dragging on since December,

FIGURED something seemed odd. I was surprised when I didn't other posts before mine that didn't carry over from yesterday.

PS. Had to get up at about 5:00 to about 5:15 to get around for school. I won't be feeling bad when those days have passed (not wishing my life away, however).

[railhead53]

Good afternoon all.  Stayed up late last night and slept in this morning.  Thanks for all the Birthday Wishes, it was a great birthday!  Mary came through with the German Chocolate cake like I knew she would!  60 now, but still feel'en like a pup - kinda!

Still trying to get caught up on all the post.  Man this is a talkative buch and just a lot of stuff going on!

Jack - I understand about all the technology and its adding to the complexity of life.  IMHO the convenience the technology offers is often nice, but seldom truly needed.  I have found as I have gotten older that it really is the simple things in life that truly give the most pleasure and provide the most satisfaction.  With that said, I don't know if I'm ready to give up my TMCC quite yet.   

Prairietype - I agree with KRM, retirement is a big change and it will take some time and effort to make the adjustment, but it is good.  For example I use to get up about 5:30 every morning to get ready for work.  It was months before I was able to sleep much past that time.  I also found not being around all the people I had worked with for years to be an adjustment I had to make.  I didn't think about it while I was working, but work provides a lot of opportuntiy for socializing and staying connected.  Retirement really is a change in lifestyle and it does take some time.  I don't know if it is different for men and women, but I think for many men so much of our identity is tied up in what it is that we do.  It can be problematic for some with regards to retirement.  It is a matter of finding a purpose and sometimes having to redefine who one is.  Next month will be one year for me and I have found that as the months have gone by I have become more and more comfortable with retirement and the freedom it offers.  Hope one day to be able to see the Mall layout(s).  It sounds great to have that kind of space available.  I know there must be a lot of work involved to keep things up and running! 

Speaking of up and running I have got to get busy myself.  I have a railroad to run!  Thanks again for all the Birthday Wishes!  Bo   

 

Visit my website Bo's Trains at http://www.bostrains.com 

[RockIsland52]

ChiefEagles

Happy days are here again!  Happy days are here!  Us REBS gave those Yankees a flogging last night.    Take their football and tuck it between their legs and run home.

Chief........with this over-the-top celebration following the outcome of last night's BCS championship game, you must realize what you have now set yourself up for with the NFL playoffs underway.  For a nominal fee I can keep a lid on it. 

Jack

PS:  I don't think you want to know Alabama's football player graduation rate.  Notre Dame's is 97%.