Boy, i have had a migraine all week, it seems, with the change in the weather to cool here in the NE, it has caused it, and so has the health insurance issues.STRESS.
Struggling along.
The FIL is all sweety-pie today as to yesterday's nasty exchange with MOH. Naturally now he wants something!
WEll, I should get to household chores.
-G .
Just my thoughts, ideas, opinions and experiences. Others may vary.
HO and N Scale.
After long and careful thought, they have convinced me. I have come to the conclusion that they are right. The aliens did it.
V8VegaI wrecked my 87 Fiero GT today,
Sorry to hear about your accident Dennis. I owned two of those little devils back a few years ago and I loved them. In my experience they accelerate so fast because of the power to weight ration that you don't realize how fast you are going some of the time. I found that ramps were the worst. I'd look down and I'd be going like the mill tails of hell without even noticing it. They also stick to the road like glue so to speak with the 4 wheel independent suspension and the mid engine but when they let go , they really let go in a big way.
Good you weren't hurt.
Dennis
CDN Dennis
Modeling the HO scale something or other RR in the shadow of the Canadian Rockies Alberta, Canada
jeffrey-wimberlyThe doc also has me scrubbing my foot and leg down with Betadine every day. Boy that stuff is messy. It's sort of like iodine on steroids.
Jeffrey you are so right about the Betadine being messy but it does a great job of getting rid of any nasty infection causing bacteria that may be loitering around on that leg of yours given your foots current state with constant ongoing infections. Your Doc is on the right track in my opinion for what it's worth.
It's going to be a traumatic experience even though you should have had this done quite some time ago and are glad it's finally happening. Just take it cool and in the end your life will be better with greater mobility. It's also good that the surgery is not far off so you don't have to wait any longer now that the decision's been made.
Take care my friend.
Morning All,
Currently it is 62 with an expected high of 95, with the possibility of a thunder storm late in the afternoon.
Had a nice dinner with my oldest daughter last night. She brought over some catfish which I fried up, I also made some broccoli. She spent the night, and will give me a haircut before she leaves.
I hope to finish the Brook Hill Dairy building today or tomorrow, and w**k on a few other building kits I have. In between building kits, I hope to get some scenery done.
Dennis - Glad you are OK, Some of those first rains in So. Cal can make the roads real slick.
Prayers to all in need.
Paul
Living in Fernley Nevada, about 30 miles east of Reno, also lived in Oregon and California, but born In Brooklyn NY and raised on Long Island NY
Morning all!
Strong cuppa joe is all if you please.
Hurting unit here today fellas. Been working outside all week and it's starting to take it's toll. Planted a dozen new trees, pruned a dozen or so more, and been trying to keep up with all the nasty weeds and unhealthy growth around the fruit trees and grape vines. I think I may take today off...but knowing me I will go out just to "putter" and end up putting in another full day. I have been itching to do some work on the layout, but I may have to content myself with working on my gravel conveyor and gravel work building kits.
Anyways, hope all are well and have a great day!
Don.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that both engines have failed, and we will be stuck here for some time. The good news is that you decided to take the train and not fly."
Good MorningSeems to be cooler for today but with those ol' t'underin'boomers ever present..in fact, one just came through not too long ago. Well, considering that I already am doing a show tonight we will be down at Hawk Rocks The Park ( a local rock festival for charity) it looks to be something of a longish kind of day for us'uns ....no traintime today by the looks of things... Have a good day!!!
Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry
I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...
http://modeltrainswithmusic.blogspot.ca/
Good morning. It's 75° (already feels like 86°) with 99% humidity. The high will be 88° and will feel like 101°.Looks like today could be a bit wet, not that it bothers me any. I don't intend on going anywhere. There's a possibility of thunderstorms with continuous lightning. These storms are moving southeast.I finally managed to get to sleep late last night and got a little over five hours. I ache all over though. Really overdid it yesterday. I started the antibiotic regimen last night. That's supposed to go on for three weeks. The doc also has me scrubbing my foot and leg down with Betadine every day. Boy that stuff is messy. It's sort of like iodine on steroids.
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
Good Morning!!!
Chicken salad sandwich, yes the one with grapes and pineapple, some BBQ chips and…, coffee I guess. Not that I like drinkin coffee with a meal othern what is generally accepted as “breakfast” foods, but it is morning and I need coffee or I feel like I’m missing something.
Check THIS out for the end of July; Mostly sunny, with a high near 71. They’re not calling for it to get back into the 80’s until Wednesday.
Oh my. What’s that in the corner? Ray in a Speedo? Well, um…I was ganna tell him his garden boxes has given me the answer for a garden myself because it seems everywhere there is a good spot for one, there is a shallow utility buried across there. But, I think I’ll wait until he’s done sunbathing.
Dennis- Glad you’re ok.
Welp, gonna check out this TYCO site ( I think I’ve been there before) then get back to the apartment. Downhill slide time. She, the bosses wife, or should I say the real boss, however has added a few things she wants now that she sees it with the carpet is in, so being done by the 1st will be pushing it hard. Luckily the new person won't be moving in til a week later, but I am ignoring that because well, just because it will be better for all to still plan on the 1st. He's, my friend, is getting a bit upset, but she just wants it to look nice. I tease him and say whenever I see her van pull up...."And when the fourth seal was opened, I heard a voice say, "Come". And I looked, and behold a blue mini van and her name that rode in it was Death..... and hell followed with her". She's a very nice lady. She just wants it to be a nice place to live for someone and he just wants to get it done cheap. Between the two when the smoke settles, it usually is a very nice compromise.
I hope I get time this weekend to fry up the eggrolls my friends wife’s mother made. They are usually very very good. She’s Vietnamese but eggrolls apparently are universal I guess. You know come to think of it, I don’t remember eggrolls in Korea. Chicken on a stick I do, but not eggrolls. Hm.
Ya’ll have a good day, ya hear!!!!
Todd
Central Illinoyz
In order to keep my position as Master and Supreme Ruler of the House, I don't argue with my wife.
I'm a small town boy. A product of two people from even smaller towns. I don’t talk on topic….. I just talk.
morning coffee in then diner...
GOOD SATURDAY MORNING!!!
Today is Saturday, July 27th, 2013!!!
I will light the prayer candles at 9 AM for those in need...
MAKE IT A GREAT DAY!!!
Have you ever been 'sacked'?, if so:
Meaning:
Be dismissed from a job
Origin:
Today it means to get laid-off, hopefully with severance pay and an explanation? But, in the old days, artisans came with their own tools for the job (usually in a sack). When an employer wanted to fire someone, all he did was hand him his sack and tell him to take his tools and go! No justification was needed. Since the 17th century, the phrase has remained as an expression of losing your job (whether fired or laid-off). Little or no justification is needed for many firings these days either.
Another view and history on the subject, resulting in the same meaning {old English is so hard to read}:
The probable derivation of this phrase is an allusion to tradesmen, who owned their own tools and took them with them in a bag or sack when they were dismissed from employment.
It has been known in France since the 17th century, as 'On luy a donné son sac'. The first recorded English version is in Charles Westmacott's The English Spy, 1825:
"You munna split on me, or I shall get the zack for telling on ye."
In his 1869 'Slang Dictionary', John Hotten records these alternatives - 'get the bag' (from the North of England) and 'get the empty' (from London)
Hey everyone. More work today in the trench. Can tell that my right arm is not happy with me right now.
The Lehigh Valley Railroad, the Route of the Black Diamond Express, John Wilkes and Maple Leaf.
-Jake, modeling the Barclay, Towanda & Susquehanna.
DITTO !
Flip
Prayers for all.
rdgk1se3019 Hey Karl..........is True Line Paint water based acrylic?
Hey Karl..........is True Line Paint water based acrylic?
No, it is acrylic, but not water based. It's acetone based, yup, you can clean up with SWMBO's fingernail polish remover if you have to.
Personally I just gave the airbrush a quick shot up the siphon tube of carb cleaner. It's safer than trying to get ahold of the nail polish remover!
Today I shot the frame of a loco with Floquil Engine Black. 2 hours later, it's still tacky and smells of solvent.............NOW I remember why I was so disappointed when Accu-paint went belly up.! (Same stuff, different company).
One other perk.....the Tru - Color bottles have the same size cap as a Floquil or Polly Scale bottle, so they screw right on to my air brush!!
Karl
NCE über alles!
Evenin' folks!
Janie just a glass of lemonade for me right now.
I have spent much of the day getting everything ready for the NMRA Picnic tomorrow. Hopefully I will have everything done...
Galaxy, yep, today has been a good day for the electric. Should be around 25 kWh by the time it shuts down in a few minutes. Just doing some quick figuring, I have been putting about 250 miles a week on the PiP. That includes a couple somewhat long trips since I bought the car and averaging one 100+ mile drive out to museum each week. There are also the 30+ mile round trips to Canandaigua to take care of my sisters cat when she is in the "very far". I have been getting between 70 and 75 mpg per tank most of the time. Now that does not take into consideration the pure electric being used for many of those miles in the equation. For your wife, if it would be usable, and older Prius or other Hybrid car would give about double the gas mileage of what you are driving now. The key issue would be if a car like that would be able to serve what the use is for YOH. The downside is that most hybrids tend to hold value very well compared to a similar ICE powered car so it is more expensive. However.... There are far fewer parts needing to be replaced on the hybrids. For instance no fan belt. Brakes tend to last 150,000 miles or more.
I best get moving as I still have a few things to get done tonight. I'll stop in later if I can.
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
kbkchooch Just a quick comment to my earlier post. 8:47 was the last post, now it's 12:33 . I've managed to hang up a new cabinet in the garage to hold kitty food and other "stuff" that was finding it's way to my workbench,, apply clear poly to a new sillplate and some molding for the master BR, and completed a 3 color paint job on the FM trainmaster shell using the Tru-color paints. Yes, 3 colors in 1 day! Wow, I'm all giggly happy about this!! Remember, they gave me samples of gray primer, Tuscan red and Brunswick green. So the best "fake" scheme I could come up with looks like a cross between the Southern Railway and the Pennsy,,,,,,I know, the Southern Pennsylvania! Gosh, I love this stuff!!!!!!!!!!!
Just a quick comment to my earlier post.
8:47 was the last post, now it's 12:33 . I've managed to hang up a new cabinet in the garage to hold kitty food and other "stuff" that was finding it's way to my workbench,, apply clear poly to a new sillplate and some molding for the master BR, and completed a 3 color paint job on the FM trainmaster shell using the Tru-color paints. Yes, 3 colors in 1 day! Wow, I'm all giggly happy about this!!
Remember, they gave me samples of gray primer, Tuscan red and Brunswick green. So the best "fake" scheme I could come up with looks like a cross between the Southern Railway and the Pennsy,,,,,,I know, the Southern Pennsylvania!
Gosh, I love this stuff!!!!!!!!!!!
Dennis Blank Jr.
CEO,COO,CFO,CMO,Bossman,Slavedriver,Engineer,Trackforeman,Grunt. Birdsboro & Reading Railroad
I've been on the go all day and I'm just about dead. First there was breakfast with my father and step mother this morning. Then my father said we had to go to the pharmacy to pick up a few things the hospital called and said I needed. Things like Betadine and Cipro then over to Wal-Mart to get some things he needed. By the time we got back it's 12:30pm. The whole morning was shot! That meant I'd be mowing the grass in the afternoon sun in near 104 heat. Oh but it gets better! Now he wants help getting his tractor out. It has a dead battery and won't start even when jumped due to the fact gas isn't getting to the carb. So I help him push it out and set the jumper cables up. Finally I can my tractor out, gas it up and get to work. So for the next two and a half hours I cut the grass. No interruptions. I finish and put my tractor away and by now I'm dead on my feet. He wants me to help him with his tractor again. So far all he's been able to is get it to pop by priming the carb. It wouldn't stay running after that. To me it's the same old song again. Fuel filter or carb. I checked the fuel filter (had to take a bunch of stuff off the side of the engine to get to it, a Kohler naturally) by giving it the blow test. I got resistance so the filter was suspect. So off we (me, him and my step mother) go to Riverside Logging to get a new filter and he unbolted and disarmed his wallet and got a new battery for the tractor. It's been dead for two years. He just kept charging it with a battery charger when he wanted to use the tractor. I told him this new filter may fix it, it may not. The problem may be in the carb meaning the possible expenditure of more money that'll be wearing sunglasses due to not seeing the light of day for decades. Can anybody say cheapskate? He make Scrooge look like a drunk sailor. An upside to the trip to Riverside Logging was we stopped by Sonic for strawberry shakes. I finally got back home and I'm about to break into a pile of assorted parts on the floor.Oh yeah, I got some info on the upcoming surgery. I go in on Aug 8th to have the prelim work done the back on Aug 12th for the surgery.Now if you'll excuse me I'm wiped out and I am going to go crash somewhere, preferably on the bed.
G- I did get taken in to see a doctor a couple weeks ago, stress-caused work-related apparently...long story behind why I got taken in...
-(Alexander)
Modelling HO Scale with a focus on the West and Midwest USA
Well
ERm
Had LOTS of errands to run this Am-Credit Union, Get MOH's check adn schedule, CPAP mask insert, returned cans and bottles, GO t me a replacement Cell phone for emergencies, etc, got those done and then dentist for both of us. A filling for me, a filling that turned in to 2 for MOH and impressions for a bottom partial for me. The partial won't be here for 3 weeks. Then stopped to activate the cell phone on the way home at verizon.
SPeaking of Verizon, they are NOT replacing land lines in the areas of NJ or NY where the Storm Sandy took ojut the old lines. This is to cut their expenses, and force all to a cell line only. This IS a problem for and causibng havoc for those with phone-connected security systems, for those with\ the "I've fallen and can't get up" medical alert systems! The cell connected systems don't function well with those systems. ANd they would have to have a separate cell line just for the house and those systems, besides the one cell they carry with them IF the systems played well with cell communication systems.
We still insist on having a land line WITH a hard-wired phone connected to it for power outages. WHen the power is out for 5 days at a time everytime the substation gets flooded, we are the only ones who have good phone service! Those with cordless battery systems don't have phones, and those with cells can't charge them And often the power to the cell towers is either off due to power outtage, OR cut off to avoid overload on the system. We on;t, if we can avoid it, loose the hardwired land line!
FIL is *** at us as we told him many tiems to reschedule his Dr.s appt this afternoon, and if he couldn't get it this AM {in which case we would have stalled errands of ours} We COULD NOT DO it {sit with MIL while he went}. He FAILED TO understand this adn called on the emergency cell while we were driving to ask if we could do it this afternoon. I told HIM 3 times MOH was driving and couldn't talk, that I'd relay messages, did he get it? NO. MOH pulled over and they boht exchanged unprintabel words. Now EVERY DAY this week, MOh has been over there for one stupid reason or another, and every day MOH told FIL to CHANGE HIS Appt! But we think his memory is really slipping and senility setting in as he DOESN'T comprehend thngs anymore. He also waits til last minute to get help from MOH for such things, can't ask in advance, now can he. SHeesh. GRR. I HOPE I don't get that way as I age.
Subway sub..Orchard Chicken foto long split for dinner, so I din't have to cook, just have to wait til we both are un-numbed!
well, that about how my day went. Hope yours went well!
JEFFREY- I rarely sleep well, or for more than 3-4 hours at a time at night without at least getting up for the facilities, and often that makes me wide awake for a couple of hours, sometimes I am successful at getting back to sleep often not, hence the reason I post the AM greeting at anywhere from 2am to 4:30Am! No sleep is no fun, I know, tired all teh time, dragging.
ALEXSTAN-Hope the depression improves, if you don't already, see a DR. I am Bipolar, so I know Depression all to well.I'd say "cheer up, chap" but I know it isn't that easy!
Ray- I hope that spinny-thingy downstairs was spinning away for you, here it was nice and sunny.I know you get great mileage with the PIP, but how many miles do you usually put on per week? and you get what? 60MPG? With MOH's new job of drivining clients around, we are thinking newer high MPG cars.. reimbursement won't quite cover all gas cost at about 18 MPG in the Gr Caravan. Now to afford a new car is the thing...
later
Just dropping in, I am still alive...sort of...fighting depression...
Mornin'.... Uh.... Ok, Afternoon folks!
I've already been hard at w@rk here printing up some flyers for the handicapped troop to hand out during a service project they are doing tomorrow. The printer ran out of ink but didn't notify me so I ruined about 15 of them... Grrrr!
Todd and Tom, thanks for the comments. Tom, that cookie already disappeared into my tummy... Sorry! You can have tow of the other virtual ones though. The raised beds have hardware cloth on the bottom to keep out rodents, but no special thing for drainage. Where they sitt is on well drained soil that was my garden for 30 years, so I doubt there should be any problem. The nice thing is I don't have to crawl around on my hands and knees to weed or harvest these. they can also support a much higher density of plants than a standard garden. With the fence, my next door neighbor suggested I should put the "good" side on my side, but I told her that could be a problem when we sell the properties..... I plan to put some solar lighting on the fence to give a bit of glow back there for security and to enjoy in the evenings. I can also start the "Sunbathing" now the dermatologist wants me to do. All I have to do is find some time!
Currently 71°F outside with a predicted high of 76° this afternoon. Another day without the air conditioner sucking up the solar power on me. have to ready the electric meeter this afternoon and turn in the reading. So now the sun comes out.... Yesterday and today should be good ones for the panels.
Catch you all later!
Currently it is 67 with an expected high of 96, we did get a quick downpour yesterday afternoon, but nothing sustainable.
W**k again today, but my oldest daughter is coming by this evening with some catfish for me to fry up for us, so that should be nice. She probably will not get here till around 8:00 PM, so she may spend the night, which is fine with me. I don't like them making that drive in the dark, and I enjoy their company.
Morning everybody,
Ray - The raised beds turned out very nice. Did you do anything special for drainage? The fence turned out very nice as well. I especially like the transition to a pickett type. Lots of possibilities for landscaping there. And speaking of the cookies. I'm pretty sure if you turn that big one over, it has my name on it. Feel free to FedEx it at your earliest convenience.
We did make it up to Conneaut, Ohio on Wednesday. Could not have asked for a better weather for railfanning. Temperatures in the low seventies with a gentle breeze. Met another fellow from Pennsylvania and had a chat with him. Saw 7 trains while we were there. I had some trouble with my camera (Canon PowerShot) most of the time. Finally tried changing out the batteries and that seemed to solved the problems. I put them (4 AA) last week so they should have been okay. Maybe one of them was bad, I don't know. Anyway, the highlight for me was an ethanol train powered by 2 Canadian Pacific ES44AC engines. It's the first time I've seen any CP power. We also saw 6 or 7 gondolas with covers that I've never seen before. They had hazardous placards which indicated they were filled with "solid enviromentally hazardous substances".
I have been taking photos while railfanning since 2007. When I get home I download them to folders named for the date taken. Needless to say, finding anything is just about impossible. One night a couple of weeks ago I started a spreadsheet which listed the engine number, type of engine, railroad name, location, and date of photo. I was very surprised to see a total of 1,213 seperate locomotives to date. Now some I have seen many times, but they are only counted once. Some interesting entries too. For example, a CSX engine I saw on Wednesday, I also saw once before in 2007. As I don't usually see much in the way of CSX, the odds of that have got to be high. By using a spreadsheet I can sort on any of the fields to find things.
Ysterday I trimmed the hedges which got away from me again, now the yards need mowed. So I better get goning and get something constructive done. Take care and have a great day.
Tom
Pittsburgh, PA
Good morning. It's 76° with 95% humidity. It already feels like 84°. The high will be 95° and will feel like a mere 105°.I feel rotten today. I've been awake since 2am and no matter what I did I couldn't get back to sleep. The hours of sleep I've gotten the past couple of days can be counted on one hand.What's bad about that? Today is mowing day! I really don't feel like doing it but I promised my niece it would be done and I don't make a habit of breaking my promises. Yeah, I can do the job but I'm going to be completely wasted for the rest of the day. On the brighter side I should be able to get some sleep later.
Good MorningSunny and getting a little humid out -- 77 feeling like 88F this afternoon. This morning a bit clammy and 70 out now...Not much on this one's plate today except that of even more filework...oh well...more cash in my pocket. lol!!Have a good day!!
Happy Friday morning! It's cool and drizzling here in New England. I had hoped to go for a bicycle ride myself yesterday, but the weather didn't cooperate. Tomorrow should be nice, though.
Our state legislature is about to give us a "sales tax holiday" weekend, where the normal sales tax on most stuff goes away. It was just announced by the Speaker of the House, and in Massachusetts he is actually more powerful than anyone else, including the Governor, so I'd consider this a done deal. In preparation, I've pre-ordered a U28B locomotive in Milwaukee colors, which won't be available until October, but I will pay for it on the sales tax holiday weekend.
And today I get to leave work a bit early and have a tooth pulled. Joy. It's a wisdom tooth, and I won't miss it. It will probably be soup and other soft food tonight for me, though. Hey, this is an excuse to eat ice cream! I'll be back later for some cherry vanilla.
Penny is still in Florida taking care of her parents. It looks like her Dad will have to spend a few weeks in a rehab hospital while his elbow heals up. They need to change the dressing frequently, and it's a job for the pros. Her Mom is mobility-limited, and can't get down the stairs at the condo by herself, so she's essentially shut in. Their doctor, whom they get along with and trust, has joined the chorus of telling them they need to be in an assisted-living facility now, so it looks like Dad's medical issue will finally push them to do something they should have done years ago.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Coffee and an order of biscuits and gravy and could you put 2 or 3 scrambled eggs on top please? Thanks.
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 7am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 78. Looks to be in the mid to upper ‘70’s thru Tuesday. Open windows time!!!
Gee, I was contemplating hitting the ‘Bay for an Amfleet or two, but after what Vincent just reported, I might as well just buy new. Normally I’d go to my FLHS, but it seems I can’t get there anymore. Maybe later in the fall. I might just as well consider train time a winter hobby ‘cause good weather sure ain’t conducive to inside play it seems.
Fence looks great Ray, though the garden looks better. I know it's the way it's done with that type of fence, but I always wondered when a home owner pays for a fence to be put up, why they always put the best looking part for someone else to see and they sit and admire the less attractive side.
I’m waiting for my neighbors to put up fences so I get to look at the good side. Two to go. One keeps saying he is, the other well, he doesn’t seem to be too thrilled with a fence. It sure would be nice just to let the dog out without having to tie her. Other than that, I wouldn’t care about a fence. More to trim. Of course we have no windows that open into someones house either. Oh! I see you just stepped out of the shower.
Well things went well with Brenda yesterday. She felt good enough by 5:30 that we went to the Stockholders Dinner /Meeting last night and the food was great. I was happy, she was tired.
Today, I’ll wo*k on the kitchen part of the apartment as the counter tops came in yesterday. I won’t be in the way of the carpet guys. Besides, not sure when they’ll be there. Hopefully early but at the duplex they didn’t show til like 3 in the afternoon which is fine, I have to w*rk in the restaurant tonight, so I suppose it don’t make any difference. I can get the tops down and the sink set....stuff like that. Hope to get the toilet set as well. The 1st is coming fast.
mroning coffee in the diner...
GOOD FRIDAY MORNING!!!
Today is Friday, July 26th, 2013!!
I will keep the prayer candles for those in need lit as long as I am home...
MAKE IT A GREAT DAY!!
Politicians or we all say we have/need ot have a "slush fund", SO:
Money put aside to be used to bribe or influence, especially in a political context
Origin: the Short version:
Back in sailing days, a ship's food supply was stored in a lot of salt pork. After frying or boiling, a lot of fat (aka slush) was left over. Some of it was used to grease timbers. But, they had LOTS of this stuff! So, most was just put into storage. When they got back to port, they sold it. (We're not sure who buys this stuff and why?) Anyway, the money from selling their slush was used to buy extras for the crew. Soon, the term "slush fund" was used to represent money that was taken from a normal budget and used for extras. More commonly, the extras meant to pay bribes for corrupt purposes, etc
The longer, in depth version:
The word 'slush' was coined in 17th century England as the name for half-melted snow and is first referred to in print with that meaning in Henry Best's Rural Economy in Yorkshire, 1641. Of course, that's where the name Slushies, the part-frozen flavoured drinks, came from.
A century later, there was an alternative meaning of 'slush', or 'slosh', which was the fat or grease obtained from meat boiled on board ship. That invaluable guide The Gentleman's Magazine, 1756, referred to it like this:
He used much slush (the rancid fat of pork) among his victuals.
William Thompson made it sound even less appetising in The Royal Navy-men's Advocate, 1757:
Tars whose Stomachs are not very squeamish, can bear to paddle their Fingers in stinking Slush.
Despite it not being the apex of culinary delight it was considered a perk for ships' cooks and crew and they sold the fat that they gathered from cooking meat whenever they reached port. This perquisite became known as a 'slush fund' and the term joins the numerous English phrases that first saw the light of day at sea.
The author William McNally didn't think much of the practice and included a description of it in Evils & Abuses in Naval & Merchant Service, 1839:
The sailors in the navy are allowed salt beef. From this provision, when cooked nearly all the fat boils off; this is carefully skimmed and put into empty beef or pork barrels, and sold, and the money so received is called the slush fund.
In the same year, The Army and Navy Chronicle suggested that a ship's slush fund would be a suitable source of money to buy books for the crew:
To give men the use of such books as would best suit their taste, would be to appropriate what is their own, (viz.) the slush fund for the purchase of such works.
This is the beginning of the meaning we now have for 'slush fund', i.e. money put aside to make use of when required. The use of such savings for improper uses like bribes or the purchase of influence began in the USA not long afterwards. The Congressional Record for January 1894 printed this:
[Cleveland] was not elected in 1888 because of pious John Wanamaker and his $400,000 of campaign slush funds.
Into the 20th century and we head straight for one of The Simpsons' many cultural references and back to the original meaning of 'slush fund'. In the 1998 episode Lard of the Dance, Homer and Bart instigate a scheme to make money by collecting and selling grease. They try to siphon Groundskeeper Willie's stashed vat of rancid fat from the school kitchen. A fight breaks out over what is clearly Willie's slush fund or, in 20th century cartoon parlance, his 'retirement grease'.
Janie a cup of decaf would be great at the moment...
Been a busy day. My son and his daughters came over for a few minutes this afternoon. They were sent home with a bag of fresh broccoli, a couple peppers, a zucchini squash, and a bag of toll house cookies...
Fence is done! These guys worked very quickly and several times stopped to ask me how I wanted the job done. He will get more business from me I think.
And from my side of the fence...
Tomorrow I have to finish getting everything ready for the NMRA Division Picnic on Saturday!
Have a good one. Prayers for all in need.
Good evening all!
Flo, how about a cool glass of milk and some of Ray's cookies,,,...wazzat?? Barry ate them all! Ok, then got any Oreo Double Stuffs?? Oh good,,,,that will do just fine!!
Just got back from the viewing for our senior club member who passed last weekend. Several club members showed up in our dark blue club shirts. Charlies daughter got a big kick out us showing up in the uniform Charlie saw us in frequently. He was a great man and will be missed.
Tomorrow, it's lawn cutting day, plus maybe painting the chassis on the Mikado I am currently working on. better get some shut eye. Get to sleep with the windows open tonight,,,,61 degrees predicted.
Cya!
Well by now you know I've upgraded IIe #1 into an Enhanced IIe. If I can get the pieces I need I'll upgrade it further to a Platinum IIe. No great change for that. Just a platinum color case with a IIGS keyboard and a couple of internal pieces. Then I can get started upgrading the other two IIe's. Talk about a long term project. Found another game in my collection that I haven't played in many years. Moonmist. I couldn't find the box that has the book and map so I downloaded the map and associated letters from the internet.No news on the layout other than that it's a mess. There are a few items on Ebay I'm looking at getting.Well that's all for tonight. See y'all tomorrow.
Another ride today on the bike. Planning on doing close to 20 miles tomorrow.