ELLIOT'S TRACKSIDE DINER, JULY 2013!

[howmus]

Evenin' folks!

Janie, just a cup of decaf and a piece of strawberry rhubarb pie please...

So, what happened here Janie.  Sure is a mess in the back.  Huh? Oh, Jeffrey had a fit of temper over a TV show?  'Nuther reason I don't watch the thing...  Hope he has calmed down and feels better in the morning.

Hot here in the Finger Lakes today, but the humidity was down a bit so it didn't actually feel as bad as yesterday.  Made it to 89°F mid afternoon and hung right around that until the sun set tonight.

I got the pile of topsoil moved to the garden (finally!), but still have the other pile to get done tomorrow.  That won't be as bad.  Three or four wheelbarrow loads probably.  Got an email from the guy who I am looking at to install the fence tonight.  Hopefully he can over sometime this week and give me an estimate for the installation.  I also took a car load of stuff to the Salvation Army shop this afternoon.  Uncovered the box of old photos my Father had saved for a few generations while looking at the stuff left to sort.  These will mostly end up going to my youngest son for the time being as he can use them for the Genealogy things he is doing.  Also found some China that could net me a few $$$ at a Replacements place.  I think they may take my Mom's collectable plate collection as well.  Had to water the garden for the fist time tonight...

Only thing that I didn't get to at all was to do some stuff in the train room.  maybe tomorrow (:It's always a day away...").

Time to take my evening sugar test, take the evening meds, and head out to bed.  Prayers for all in need!

73

[blownout cylinder]

Good Evening

Had a very hot muggy day here. Got to 92 feeling like 106 earlier
Tonight the low will be 75 feeling like 95. Oh joy oh bliss.

Most of the lawn is now looking scorched which is really not helping my mood any.

Anyhow thinking of turning in early as well. Have a bunch of meetings to do tomorrow. Another form of oh joy oh bliss...le sigh.

[cudaken]

 Evening Dinners.

 Flo, Beer Pleases.

 Glad to see I was missed some!

 Quick Recap.

 1. Love of my Road Runner is still strong.

 2. Layout will be coming down to make room for the Road Runner.

 3. Still fighting with BoS I was declined for the loan mod because they requested by mail more up to date information which they mailed to with my street address Collinsville IL, I live MARYVILLE ILL you stupid *%$#!

 4. Wife is having major health issues, has not been able to keep food down for a month now! Spent 7 hours today at the ER, still with no real answers! She is losing 5 pounds a week!

 5. Been offered a new job today, while not the base I was hoping for I will be off my feet!

 6. Getting a lawyer to help me fight BoS Wednesday. My current job does not know I am calling off yet, but I am burning off the last of my personal days before I quite!

I will stop by Wednesday with some details.

Cuda Ken

 

[galaxy]

morning coffee in the diner...

GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING!!!

Today is Wednesday, July 16th,2013!!

I will light the prayer candles at 9 am for those in need...

MAKE IT A GREAT DAY!!!

 Raining Cats and Dogs:

Meaning;

Rain very heavily

Origin:

The short, cute version:

A colorful expression that means it is raining very hard, with lightning, thunder and most likely high winds.  There are two ideas of how this phrase developed. One is simple: A storm sounds a lot like cats and dogs fighting. The other goes back to Norse mythology.  It is believed that witches caused storms and rode the winds in the shape of back cats. And, the God of Storms is described in Norse Mythology being surrounded by wild dogs and wolves. So, add the witchy cat-shaped winds and the wild dogs and you get "it's raining cats and dogs".

The longer truthful version:

This is an interesting phrase in that, although there's no definitive origin, there is a likely derivation. Before we get to that, let's get some of the fanciful proposed derivations out of the way.

The phrase isn't related to the well-known antipathy between dogs and cats, which is exemplified in the phrase 'fight like cat and dog'. Nor is the phrase in any sense literal, i.e. it doesn't record an incident where cats and dogs fell from the sky. Small creatures, of the size of frogs or fish, do occasionally get carried skywards in freak weather. Impromptu involuntary flight must also happen to dogs or cats from time to time, but there's no record of groups of them being scooped up in that way and causing this phrase to be coined. Not that we need to study English meteorological records for that - it's plainly implausible.

One supposed origin is that the phrase derives from mythology. Dogs and wolves were attendants to Odin, the god of storms, and sailors associated them with rain. Witches, who often took the form of their familiars - cats, are supposed to have ridden the wind. Well, some evidence would be nice. There doesn't appear to be any to support this notion.
It has also been suggested that cats and dogs were washed from roofs during heavy weather. This is a widely repeated tale. It got a new lease of life with the e-mail message "Life in the 1500s", which began circulating on the Internet in 1999. Here's the relevant part of that:

I'll describe their houses a little. You've heard of thatch roofs, well that's all they were. Thick straw, piled high, with no wood underneath. They were the only place for the little animals to get warm. So all the pets; dogs, cats and other small animals, mice, rats, bugs, all lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery so sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Thus the saying, "it's raining cats and dogs."

This is nonsense of course. It hardly needs debunking but, lest there be any doubt, let's do that anyway. In order to believe this tale we would have to accept that dogs lived in thatched roofs, which, of course, they didn't. Even accepting that bizarre idea, for dogs to have slipped off when it rained they would have needed to be sitting on the outside of the thatch - hardly the place an animal would head for as shelter in bad weather.

Another suggestion is that 'raining cats and dogs' comes from a version of the French word 'catadoupe', meaning waterfall. Again, no evidence. If the phrase were just 'raining cats', or even if there also existed a French word 'dogadoupe', we might be going somewhere with this one. As there isn't, let's pass this by.

There's a similar phrase originating from the North of England -'raining stair-rods'.  No one has gone to the effort of speculating that this is from mythic reports of stairs being carried into the air in storms and falling on gullible peasants. It's just a rather expressive phrase giving a graphic impression of heavy rain - as is 'raining cats and dogs'.

The much more probable source of 'raining cats and dogs' is the prosaic fact that, in the filthy streets of 17th/18th century England, heavy rain would occasionally carry along dead animals and other debris. The animals didn't fall from the sky, but the sight of dead cats and dogs floating by in storms could well have caused the coining of this colourful phrase. Jonathan Swift described such an event in his satirical poem 'A Description of a City Shower', first published in the 1710 collection of the Tatler magazine. The poem was a denunciation of contemporary London society and its meaning has been much debated. While the poem is metaphorical and doesn't describe a specific flood, it seems that, in describing water-borne animal corpses, Swift was referring to an occurrence that his readers would have been well familiar with:

Now in contiguous Drops the Flood comes down, Threat'ning with Deluge this devoted Town. ... Now from all Parts the swelling Kennels flow, And bear their Trophies with them as they go: Filth of all Hues and Odours seem to tell What Street they sail'd from, by their Sight and Smell. They, as each Torrent drives, with rapid Force, From Smithfield or St. Pulchre's shape their Course, And in huge Confluent join'd at Snow-Hill Ridge, Fall from the Conduit, prone to Holbourn-Bridge. Sweeping from Butchers Stalls, Dung, Guts, and Blood, Drown'd Puppies, stinking Sprats, all drench'd in Mud, Dead Cats and Turnip-Tops come tumbling down the Flood.

That phrase was in use in a modified form in 1653, when Richard Brome's comedy The City Wit or The Woman Wears the Breeches referred to stormy weather with the line:

"It shall raine... Dogs and Polecats".

Polecats aren't cats as such but the jump between them in linguistic rather than veterinary terms isn't large and it seems clear that Broome's version was essentially the same phrase. The first appearance of the currently used version is in Jonathan Swift’s A Complete Collection of Polite and Ingenious Conversation in 1738:

"I know Sir John will go, though he was sure it would rain cats and dogs".

The fact that Swift had alluded to the streets flowing with dead cats and dogs some years earlier and now used 'rain cats and dogs' explicitly is good evidence that poor sanitation was the source of the phrase as we now use it.

 

 

 

 

[MisterBeasley]

Good morning!  It's going to be another hot one in New England, with temperatures in the 90s.  In theory, we get some relief on Sunday, but until then I'll be hiding in the air conditioning.  I can watch the Tour de France and work on my layout at the same time, so I'm not going to suffer or be bored.  But, workshop and painting activities are on hold for a while.

Last night was my weekly winter vacation at the hockey rink.  I'm pretty useless on Wednesdays as a result, and I'm a powerful methane generator for most of the day thanks to our late-night fluid replenisment activities.

[kbkchooch]

Mornin gang! 

Another hot one on tap, 96 and humid, with a heat index of 105  Gonna stay inside today, only venturing out to the garage to paint 3 engines, and then that will be by 11, before it gets too hot.

Really could use so cats & dogs type of rain, but then again, you have to be careful with rain like that. You don't want to step in a poodle!

 L8ter gators!

[TMarsh]

Good Morning!!!

Coffee, fried catfish, hashbrowns and coleslaw please, thanks.

Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. Humidity88%

Inch- No the coffee wasn’t bad at all. But it was about the smallest cup I seen though. Never been in that place before.

Jeffrey-       (gas story)

Welp, same thing goin on here today as yesterday except I don’t have to w*rk at the restaurant tonight so full day wo*king on the apartments. We’ll see what Mr Murphy has in store for me today….

Ya’ll have a good day, ya hear!!!!

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Good morning. It's 75° with 100% humidity. The high will be 92°.


Well we're still here after a very wet night. Can't say much for the weather other than it was interesting at times. No plans for today other than maybe getting a bit of laundry done. Tomorrow I'll be going to Oakdale to see what can be done about this foot of mine. Hopefully this trip will be to get something done and not just a consultation. The last trip was a consultation so I don't see what could be merited by another except to waste my time. We'll see what happens.

[EMD.Don]

Morning All!

Cuppa coffee would be great please.

HOT HOT HOT here yet again . The work outside is starting to pile up. I don't have much choice so I plan on heading outside here in a couple minutes to spread 3 yards of mulch in the gardens. If it's not too hot by the time that gets done I may trim some trees (no promises on that one though...but it needs to get done). Still working on my Athearn Santa Fe Streamlined passenger cars in the evening. Slow going but enjoyable.

Well stay cool everyone ...!

Happy modeling.

Don.

[ONR FAN]

Its very hot in Southern Ontario.  My office lost its air conditioning yesterday and it was a very uncomfortable day for everyone.  It has been fixed so its business as usual.  I can't imagine the people who work outside are enjoying the heat.  Not a lot has been going on with my layout.  I'm waiting for some flex track, turnouts and buildings to arrive so I can continue.  So far my son and I are really enjoying it and I'm very happy I decided to join the hobby.  Its great to come home and head into the basement for a few hours a night.   I don't know how some of you guys find the time to be on the forum everyday.  I'm lucky if I can find the time once a week.  Until next time, cheers.   

[pascaff*]

  Morning All,

    Currently it is 59 with an expected high of 93.

    Busy day off for me here. Need to do some grocery shopping and laundry. Then make a few phone calls to check on how much my health insurance will pay for my cataract surgery. Call my cardiologist and make an appointment for sometime in August. Then head into Carson City to visit Hobby Town for some Tenax 7R glue and some styrene. Then one of my daughters wants to take me to see the "Lone Ranger", we do not have high expectations for this movie, but spending time with one of my girls in AC that someone else is paying for  is OK with me.

   Jeff - Good luck on the dr. visit, I hate those consultation visits.

   Ken - Glad you stopped by. good luck with the new job.

  Prayers to all in need.

    Paul

EDIT: I got top, so eat up, it is on me today.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

pascaff*

   Jeff - Good luck on the dr. visit, I hate those consultation visits.

I just found out this morning. It will be a consultation visit! Another waste of time.

[AmanaMedic]

Gooooooooooooooooooooood afternoon everybody,

Figured I'd best poke my head in the door and say "hello," so...hello. 

I've been making some progress in the RR room as the w**k load has eased up a bit. However the busiest part of the busiest month (July) starts this weekend with Beef Days and continues next week with the County Fair and State (high school) Softball Tournament. Concurrent with State Softball is baseball Sub-State games leading to the State Baseball Tournament the week after.

Oh, and Sliced Bread won't be around for any of it...

This photo shows the "new" sky with Elevator G temporarily sitting in the CCP yard.

Research for the future IC/ICG/CCP freight station and turntable. The structure will be "cropped" to fit with a blank, black back wall.

Another view showing off the sky and lack of CNW "graphic element" stripes.

For reference, here's how THAT corner used to look.

Have a good, safe rest of the day,

Chris (in Iowa) 

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Good afternoon! ... It is great to see a full diner!

jeffrey-wimberly

pascaff*

   Jeff - Good luck on the dr. visit, I hate those consultation visits.

I just found out this morning. It will be a consultation visit! Another waste of time.

Jeff..... Fear not. you can make the best of thungs with a stop at KFC!

Galaxy .... Thanks for the Pie in the Sky explanation. In contexts I have heard it meant something was far fetched. ... No Cats & Dogs rain here.

Chris ...... Good to see you and the layout progress photos!

Ken ...... Thanks for the update of your busy times. In particular, sorry to learn your wife has serious health issues. Prayers for her. .... What? The layout is coming down! Ouch! .... Glad you have your Road Runner though. Please keep posting in the DIner. ... Will you still do mrr'ing at the club?

Ulrich ...... I forgot. When is the election?

Todd ....... A small cup of coffee, eh. Sounds useless to me.

Inch ..... Our trip north through IL should be Tuesday next week. Plans are still not firmed up. Drives me crazy. We'll be going south through IL to Wisconsin on following Sunday I think. ....You said you had a full week coming up with great grand kids. How old are they?  .... I see the hamburger place town on the map.

Ray ..... I have wondered about Tom White too. Not sure when I saw him post last.

Smile and be happy, everybody!

[Packer]

Evening guys

Well that Kato/Kobo F40PH showed up. It's nice and sounds great, but I though it'd be heavier that it is. It's weight is 14.5 ounces... I hope that's enough to pull my 7 Amtrak cars up the club helix. The Rapido cars roll pretty well, but the Walther's Amfleet is pretty much a sled. I'll find out on Saturday. I'll try to remember to bring my camera and get a vid. I don't want to try my cars on the ez-track loop.

As for those Rapido cars, I got them to work reliably around the club layout. I put a Long-shank Kadee on the vestibule end and left the #5 on the other end. Worked fine. As for that Amfleet, it has a droppy coupler and the box design doesn't really allow a shim. I'm gonna try tomorrow to make a shim that will work with the swing coupler.

Garry, your tip worked on those rapido cars. Thanks.

 

[CNCharlie]

Good Evening,

A nice day here in the fairly far north. Sunny and about 80F, not too humid either. 

Ken, sorry to hear of your wife's health issues. Hope the docs can find out what is wrong. Wow, tearing down the layout! That is major but I can relate in a way. At one time the idea of being without a sailboat seemed ridiculous to me but it has now been 4 years and I don't really miss it which sometimes does surprise me. I guess after 35 years of being blown about a lake was enough. 

Todd, nice to see your layout progress. Robbie wants to know if Rerun is still eating cheeseburgers and if so he sends a couple his way. As this is a virtual diner such long distance meals are easily done. 

Not much new on the RR front. I am taking in my BMan GP9 to sell along with about 6 freight cars. Mostly blue box stuff but one PK2 stock car. No real use for them and as they rarely make it onto the layout, I want to just get rid of them. I will buy some new rolling stock but only if it is highly detailed and fits the layout's era and place. In fact I just ordered a Red Caboose Wabash box car. 

Well today I cut the sidewall on my car's tire. The same one that was replace on June 27th. I hit the step that is on the path going into the garage. It is a very tight fit and I was only going about 2 mph so I was rather surprised that the sidewall split.  The tire is ruined so back to the dealer tomorrow for another new tire. 

The planning is now in full gear at work for the handover of my duties when I retire at the end of Oct. It does seem real now and frankly I'm looking forward to it but with some trepidation.  

Well time for Upstairs Downstairs re-runs.

CN Charlie

[howmus]

Evenin' folks.....

Janie just a cold glass of lemonade please.

Got the rest of the topsoil moved today. Actually the neighbors took the last 3 wheelbarrow fulls over to do a project in back of their house.  Took another 3 boxes of doodads and stuff over to the Salvation Army, went and picked up some Rxs at the pharmacy, and then got the last three 1" x 4" x 10' cedar boards to finish the trim on the 3rd. raised bed garden.  Guess what I didn't find time in the schedule for???

Maybe tomorrow.....   Tomorrow Late afternoon I will head out to the R&GV RR Museum for the monthly meeting.  I will be a car host for our trips up and down the railroad.  I will be out there on Sunday to be a Museum Guide. 

Time to do my evening blood work and take some pills...

Later!

73

[blownout cylinder]

Good evening

A long sticky day here is now, somewhat, over...the low tonight will be 77 Feeling like 90....yay.

Got a few things done around the house, laundry, closet cleaning, vacuuming...that sort of thing

Going to call it a night...have a good one!!

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I got couple of things done today at least. I got some laundry done. I updated the virus protection on the computer I keep at my fathers place and I did a little work on Apple IIe #1. Yes, it's all refurbished electronically and mechanically but the case still looks thirty years old. I was able to clean it up a little and get a start on filling in some ding marks. I also super-glued closed a crack in one side of the case. Now the crack can't even be seen. And I used the expensive professional stuff, not the cheap crap that comes in those itty-bitty use 'em once and they're done tubes that Wally-World sells. Once I get the case scrubbed down I can recoat it so it'll look like new. It's the least the old machine deserves for holding together through all the punishment I've put it through over the years. It's got scratches, dings, tobacco smoke stains, some writing, old tape adhesive. All that is going to go away and it'll look like the same computer I pulled out of the box in 1982. Is it worth it? I asked an old collector of antique Ford's that question about an Edsel Ranger he was restoring to original condition. I'll give you the exact answer he gave me. It is to me and that's all that counts.

Well that's all for today. I don't know exactly when I'll be back. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. I have not one but two doctors appointments to go to. I have to be ready to go at 8am so that means getting up at 5am.

Have a good night everyone and a better day tomorrow.

[last mountain & eastern hogger]

Best of luck Jeff, with those consultations and examinations.

May it all work for a healthier you.

Prayers and best wishes,

Johnboy out........................

[Lehigh Valley 2089]

Good evening everyone. 

Got more work done on the B-17G today. In fact, it is officially now "Chow Hound", a B-17G that had a perfect record with the original crew completing it's tour of combat without incident. No turning back for maintenance, getting lost or anything of the like. However, on August 8th, 1944, "Chow Hound" was shot down over Caen, France. Four of the nine man crew were killed. 

The decals are looking great on it now, and can't wait to see it when it is done. 

Night everyone. 

[kbkchooch]

Good evening all!

Flo, just a glass of milk and a pack of Oreos,,just a snack before bed. Got a lot done today. Masked and shot the 2nd color on 3 engines I'm doing for a friend,,then disassembled and decaled and cleared 2 Rivarossi coaches for the LHS, then fiddled a bit with the C415 rebuild. I oughta have that done by the weekend.

Tomorrow I have an early meeting then the LHS to,,get this,,GET money instead of spending it!  Mark this day on the calendar, bet on the ponies, buy a lotto ticket, tug on Superman's cape or spit into the wind! Me GETTING money at the LHS is liable to cause a rip in the space/time continuum!  

Ray.. I'm sweating just reading about you shoveling. How do you do it? In a long sleeve flannel shirt at that??

Ken, Prayers for the wife, and for the Doctors to have the wisdom to figure it out.

Jeffrey. Patience , Doc probably just wants to make sure they set the surgery for the correct foot! 

Chris,, nice progress,,keep it comin!

Nytol...cya 2Morrow

[galaxy]

Morning coffee  in the diner...

GOOD THURSDAY MORNING!!!

Today is Thursday, July 18th, 2013!!!

I will light the prayer candles at 9 Am for those in need...

MAKE IT A GREAT DAY!!

Bats In the Belfry:

Meaning:

Crazy; eccentric

Origin:

The short version:

A person who is a bit bewildered, confused, or even considered nuts or crazy, is said to have "bats in their belfry." The term goes back to the days when the tallest building in town was the church due to its tall bell tower and steeple.  Because this wasn't enclosed, bats loved these towers; and, at night they'd fly all around swirling as if in confusion.  Whenever someone was confused, the symbolism too shape of the bats flying all which way around the belfry

The longer more accurate version:

Bats are, of course, the erratically flying mammals and 'belfries' are bell towers, sometimes found at the top of churches. 'Bats in the belfry' refers to someone who acts as though he has bats careering around his topmost part, i.e. his head.

It has the sound of a phrase from Olde Englande and it certainly has the imagery to fit into any number of Gothic novels based in English parsonages or turreted castles. In fact, it comes from the USA and is not especially old. All the early citations are from American authors and date from the start of the 20th century; for example, this piece from the Ohio newspaper The Newark Daily Advocate, October 1900:

To his hundreds of friends and acquaintances in Newark, these purile [sic] and senseless attacks on Hon. John W. Cassingham are akin to the vaporings of the fellow with a large flock of bats in his belfry."

Ambrose Bierce, also American, used the term in a piece for Cosmopolitan Magazine, in July 1907, describing it as a new curiosity:

"He was especially charmed with the phrase 'bats in the belfry', and would indubitably substitute it for 'possessed of a devil', the Scriptural diagnosis of insanity."

The use of 'bats' and 'batty' to denote odd behaviour originated around the same time as 'bats in the belfry' and the terms  are clearly related. Again, the first authors to use the words are American:

1903 A. L. Kleberg - Slang Fables from Afar: "She ... acted so *** ... that he decided she was Batty."

1919 Fannie Hurst - Humoresque: "'Are you bats?' she said."

There have been several attempts over the years to associate the term 'batty' with various people called Batty or Battie, notably the 18th century physician William Battie. He was a governor of the Bethlem Hospital, a.k.a. Bedlam, and physician to St Luke's Hospital for Lunaticks, where he wrote A Treatise on Madness. Despite those illustrious credentials, it was bats rather than Battie that caused scatterbrained people to be called 'batty'.

It should be noted some people who read this page think this is  all wrong and that 'bats in the belfry' derives from a Victorian inventor called Batson, who patented a safety coffin which was topped with a tubular device containing a bell. The aim of the invention was to guard against premature burial and came to be known as the 'Batson Belfry'. They suggest that this is the source of the phrase.

If the story is in any way correct, it concerns the name Bateson rather than the usually cited Batson. In his novel The Great Train Robbery Michael Crichton includes this:

In 1852, George Bateson received a patent for the Bateson Life Revival Device, described as "a most economical, ingenious and trustworthy mechanism, superior to any other method, and promoting peace of mind amongst the bereaved at all stations of life". In 1859, Queen Victoria awarded him an O.B.E.

Novels are of course works of fiction, but it is this novel that appears to be the source of the belief in the 'Bateson Belfry'. Just in case the story has any factual basishere is the research into it. Did Bateson even exist? The comprehensive Oxford Dictionary of National Biography makes no mention of any George Bateson - surprising for a prominent inventor who is supposed to have been awarded an Order of the British Empire. Did he record a patent? There is no record of the supposed patent at the UK Patents Office. Was he awarded the OBE? No, he wasn't. Queen Victoria didn't award Bateson, or anyone else, the OBE, she died 16 years before the OBE was inaugurated.

Leaving aside whether Bateson (not Batson) patented a safety coffin, or even existed at all, what about the claimed link between him, his device and the phrase? Here we can be sure - there is no evidence to support such a link. The 'Bat(e)son Belfry' origin is a fanciful imagining.

This does, however, make an interesting folk etymological link between the phrases 'bats in the belfry', 'saved by the bell', 'dead ringer'' and 'stinking rich', which have all been falsely suggested to have originated from practices to safeguard against premature burial.

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Good morning. It's 72° with 98% humidity. The high will be 96° but will feel like 110°.


I'm almost ready for my trip to Oakdale so I have some time to play with. Today's gonna be a hot one. Glad I won't be out working in it. We'll stop at McD's for breakfast then head out for Oakdale. First appointment is at the clinic at 11am. Second is at the hospital with the surgeon at 12:30pm. I have a list of every med I use, when, how much, how many times a day, etc. Hopefully that answers all their questions on the meds. Now if they tell me they can't do anything on what Medicaid pays, there might be some trouble at that hospital. We've gone to a lot of trouble to find this guy because many say he can do what needs to be done for what Medicaid pays. The next closest place I know of is LSU in Shreveport and that's over 120 miles one way. With my transportation issues and no ride there it might as well be on the moon. So hopefully today we'll get all the positive answers we need.

[MisterBeasley]

Good morning again.  81 on the way in to work at 7.  It will be another hot one.  I've got to start the bedroom air conditioners about dinner time to give them time to cool the place down.  Three more days of this, with the break hopefully on Sunday.

galaxy, we've got no belfry, but we've got bats.  They like the sloped boards over the attic vent.  After we got a few into the house, I had to beef up the screening that keeps intruders out of the attic itself.  Bats, however, are prolific mosquito-eaters, so I an happy to have them around.  If you do get a bat into your house, incidentally, turn off the lights and open doors and windows to the outside.  He'll find his own way out.

No more little white spots!  No, I have not found a treatment for some skin disease.  Our TV (a Samsung DLP model, about 5 years old) started developing little white spots on the screen.  At first it was just 1 or 2, but then they began to spread like, well, like some skin disease.  I looked online and found various remedies, but the simplest was "call Samsung."  So I did, and to my great delight they offered to send out a tecnician to my house and repair it for free.  The whole process took less than a half-hour, and even that was mostly disassembly and reassembly to get to the guts of the TV.

The young lady who did the repair liked the trains.

[TMarsh]

Good Morning!!!

Coffee and a couple glazed donuts please, thanks.

Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. Heat index values as high as 102.

Ken- Prayers for Sue.

Chris- Charlie oopsy-typed my name instead of yours. Check it out if you haven't already. Good to hear your still kickin and the sky looks good!

Charlie- I know what you mean about the pre-retirement jitters. Trust me though….DON’T TELL ANYONE YOU’RE RETIRED!!!! NO ONE!!!!

Jeffrey- I still don’t understand this “they won’t do it for Medicaid..” I thought ….you know, I best just stay quiet. It’s taking me down the daaaangerouse political avenue and Vinnie’s already standing up and reaching for his stick. Good luck today.

(clap clap clap) Ah the best phrase I’ve heard in a loooong time and I agree 100%.....”It is (worth it) to me and that's all that counts.”

Welp, off to do the same thing today as yesterday….and the day before…and the day…before. My buddy/boss has realized what I've been saying, the first of august is coming faster each day..

Ya’ll have a good day, ya hear!!!!

 

Eat up fellers! Zoe, no time to stick around for the bill. You have my card on file and add 20% for you.

[blownout cylinder]

Good Morning

Another hot and humid day here...88 feeling like 108....le sigh

Get to go and do a few things at the mall then try to pick up some more blue foam at home desperate....

Well....off to do dis....

Have a good'un!!

[MisterBeasley]

Charlie, I feel the same way about retirement.  I'm planning to call it quits about this time next year.  I am, indeed, tired of getting up to an alarm clock and commuting, and the work has grown less interesting and more bureaucratic over the years.  At the same time, though, I have to deal with SWMBO.  She's not always realistic, and I'm afraid she thinks that retirement will be one long vacation, traveling all the time and spending money a lot faster than it's coming in.

Relocating is something that I expect we'll do twice - first to escape the taxes of Massachusetts, and then then again to escape the cold when we get older and skiing is no longer part of our retirement lifestyle.  I have dreams of a large train room, where I can paint the walls, put up backdrops and have real staging.

[EMD.Don]

Morning all!

Coffee and a couple of Tylenol if you please.

Sore today big time. I hustled in the heat yesterday and got 3 yards of mulch spread in the gardens, trimmed/prunned some of the fruit trees that we're long overdue, and sprayed some weed killer on the crushed rock driveway (I HATE weeds...). Too hot for that I know, but it's got to get done and the work won't do itself. Probably take it a bit easier today. Still very hot.

Got nothing done on the layout or with my passenger cars yesterday...suffering from train withdrawal this morning. 

Well, gotta shove off fellas. I have a lawn mower that needs servicing...in the garage...in the shade...in the cool. 

Have a GREAT day all and take care...stay cool .

Don.

[liba]

Sorry fellas,Vegemite on toast for who Evers game. Yep I heard some one mention bipolar , it can be unpleasant . O my name is Robert , I'll  look for a seat in the corner somewhere and mind my own business . Top or bottom this ones on me.   Just kidding about the vegemite. Although my Mother dipped my dummy ( pacifier) in it. If you have ever tasted it you know it's  certainly an acquired taste. Thanks  for the wonderful hospitality& eat drink model train & be merry.