Dave - I'm not sure you will see any difference in the amount of seed on the ground even if you change your feeder. We had feeders with only 1 hole per perch, & half, if not more, always ended up on the ground. I watched closely & discovered that the finch would simply throw most seeds away. I also noticed that they would not go on the ground for the discarded seeds. Nothing else, like other birds, chipmunks, etc, would eat that seed either. So it simply rotted away. And as you mentioned, nyger seed is very expensive. I ended up taking down that feeder. Too bad, because the gold finches were beautiful & came in large numbers.
Tom
Pittsburgh, PA
Hello all
Train front - arrived home late yesterday - in the dark ! Wall panels are up and the inspection should go off this morning. They are scheduled to pour today ! : ) !
Read through the post. Will comment later. Have a bunch of inspections today. Gotta run.
YGW
yougottawantaLion - How is the paw coming ? Hey I bet the patrons here can soup up that motorized chair ! We could sound equip it to sound like the Big Boy beating across the church parking lot !! Hey maybe even mount a cattle gaurd across the front. Head lamp on the topand heck maybe even a tender full of Wildebeast jerky
Seems to sound like the Bull and Pinion gears on the old Arnines (R-1 - R-9 series subway cars.)
Even into this century, the Moscow Subway still had the same Bul and Pinion sounds.
The new AC motored subway cars have wonderfully intricate propulsion sounds.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Mornin' everyone!
Zoe, I'll have the #2 Special this morning - Over easy on the eggs, bacon, home fries and a double order of the sour dough toast, please. A pot of Marrahesh Express Organic Dark Roast Coffee for my R&GV RR Mug would complete the order.... Thank you Ma'am!
Lion, there is probably a Claws somewhere in the order prohibiting souping up that chair, but if you do go outside to the parking lot just make sure you have chains on the drive wheels or at least snow tires......
YGW, LOL! Ah.... Yep, I know what "Grey" water is. I was just making a little joke there. I have no idea of the qualifications of the drivers of the cars were, but if the Concept one was driven by Rimac himself, he is/was a professional race driver. The concept one spec: Power output: 1088 hp, Torque: 1600 Nm from 0 to 6500 rpm, Top speed: 355 km/h, Range: up to 330 km., Acceleration: 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) 2.6 sec. Not bad for a little "golf Cart" I think. It might even beat Ken's Cuda with me driving the Rimac.... LOL
Rather nasty outside today. Forecast calls for: "Windy. Snow this morning will mix with sleet and freezing rain at times this afternoon. High 32F. Winds SSE at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of precip 90%. Snow and ice accumulations less than one inch. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph." Good day to get some stuff done around here and maybe spend some time working on the railroad.
Stay warm and safe out there!
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
Just stopping by to say hello.
I feel awkward - the migraine still has the grasp on me. I can hardly move without lightning shooting through my head.
Nothing got done today and nothing will be done for the rest of it. I am just hoping I recover within the next hours to an extent allowing me to catch some sleep during the coming night.
Never felt that bad lately.
CU tomorrow!
Good Morning,
Dave, wow an indigo bunting. We haven't had one here but they do turn up from time to time. We have had 20 species of warblers in our yard over the past 3 years. There are only 1 or 2 more that there is a remote chance of seeing. It seems warbler numbers have been declining everywhere lately. We feed nyjer but right now we don't have any customers but that would change if the redpoles show up. Two winters ago we had a flock of about 60 around our yard. There were a few Hoary Redpoles in the flock too which were neat to see.
Amazing how many diner patrons are also birders. Who would have thought.
It is getting a little boring around here. I can't even go downstairs to the basement. I sure will be glad when I can drive the car again but that won't be for a few weeks yet. Just can't take a chance on damaging what seems to be healing up nicely internally.
Needless to say I don't have any news to report.
CN Charlie
Hey all !
Disaster struck and some good luck. Passed a fianl inspection on the new model. Didnt think we would pull that one off ! And while testing another unit sprung plumbing leak. Water every where Thats why I test them BEFORE the home owners perform their walk throughs !
CN Charlie - Glad you are healing up. That does wear on one not being able to get around. Hope your recover conyinue to go well. Keeps us posted on teh birds : )
Ulrich - Do you take Nitro for your heart ? I had to take that stuff a few times and it gave me the worst migraine !
Howmus - Oh ! Well I can tell you that is one of the better looking golf carts I have seen in a while
Lion - Okay then we van set it up with subway sounds ! Would you like us to build you a station, with stops... since there isnt a tender where would you like the wildebeast jerky stored ?
Dave - Sears is selling everything off. They just sold there tools off I think to Dewalt.
Ed - I think all kids fear being left somewhere. I remember having nightmares about that !
FRRYKid - Oh I was wondering why all of the pink. I think that is a nice way to honor her.
V8 - Parrots ? Really I was not expecting that. I assume they are not native ?
Ken - Lennox and Carrier are very good HVAC units. Some of teh better products. But like anything once they get old they do break down. I had a carier at my old home. I had it 22 years and it was still going strong when we sold the house. How many slot cars went over the edges ?
Mr. B - I love cardinals. They are so beautiful sitting in an evergreen with snow on the limbs and the bright red feathers.
SS Express - LOL love teh short story. Keep em coming !
Ricky W. - What is WAZE ?
Henry - Only an inch ? I thought you all over on the east side got hammered ? Over in MD in St Marys county they recieved 7". I heard they even had snow in Georgia and NC !
History qoute:
What, sir, is the use of a militia? It is to prevent the establishment of a standing army, the bane of liberty ... Whenever governments mean to invade the rights and liberties of the people, they always attempt to destroy the militia, in order to raise an army upon their ruins.
I am exceedingly distressed at the proceedings of the Convention-being ... almost sure, they will ... lay the foundation of a Civil War.
The American war is over; but this far from being the case with the American revolution. On the contrary, nothing but the first act of the drama is closed. It remains yet to establish and perfect our new forms of government, and to prepare the principles, morals, and manners of our citizens for these forms of government after they are established and brought to perfection.
yougottawanta. . .Dave - Sears is selling everything off. They just sold there tools off I think to Dewalt. . .
The Craftsman brand is being sold to Stanley/Black & Decker. Sears had already allowed non-Sears-owned outlets to carry the brand, most notably, Ace Hardware.
Richard
Good evening, diners.
Daughter's family gave us two tickets to Penguins hockey game this past Sunday in Pittsburgs. We had not been to the new arena yet. We made a weekend of the opportunity and stayed next door to the arena. Good game for us Penguin fans with a 6 - 2 win.
Bird watching has been good this winter as we have six to eight cardinals feeding daily. We think they nest in a big holly tree next door to us. The doves and squirrels keep the spillage cleaned up.
Stanley Blank & Decker about have a total monopoly on power tools with DeWalt, Porter Cable, Black & Decker and Makita. Bosch and Milwakee are about the only competion outside of the big box house brands. Stanley most have gotten a real good deal for Craftsman tools as Sears has continued to milk the brand for years without putting much into new products. I would guess all of Craftsman power tools will disappear in the other brands (probably B&D).
YGW, good luck on getting your barn up this time of year.
Jim
yougottawantaEd - I think all kids fear being left somewhere. I remember having nightmares about that !
Oh, I really wasn't panicking, just something I recall. Heck, I was with dad and we were in a beautiful Ontario city... what's to fear? I can think of worse places to be left behind. At least the train watching would be great!
Found it!
I'll stop by later. Right now I'm preparing to rip up about ten feet of track!
Cheers to All,
Ed
YGW 1" was all Ocean City got 10" and most of the schools on the eastern shore were closed today. I have a friend in Lake Tahoe and they are getting a big dump, biggest in years he says with 3 to 7 feet forecast.
Sears it's sad to go in our local Sears. Hardly a handful of customers in the whole store. I don't know how they make the rent.
Makita is owned by a Japanese company and not Black & Decker.
Was thinking of buying the Bowser VO 1000 DCC in PRR from MB Klein, but the 2 they had in stock are gone. They have a 30% off selected Bowser stuff (modeltrainstuff.com is their website)
The first suit has been filed in the LIRR station crash -- $5 million.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Ed .... Your GTW fan trip of 1962 reminds me of the CB&Q steam excursions of the 1960's. ..... 2-8-2 #4960 and 4-8-4 #5632 were doubledheaded for one of them.
I road on about 4 or 5 of the excursions, but not the one with the doubleheader.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Hi Tom:
tcwright973I'm not sure you will see any difference in the amount of seed on the ground even if you change your feeder.
The old feeder had only one hole per perch and there certainly was a fair amount of waste. However, I'm pretty sure the new feeder is worse. The seed accumulates on fresh snow much faster than it used to. The new feeder also gets water inside it which freezes some of the seed. That's OK for the winter but in the summer it will lead to mold.
There are suggestions in the birding world that we should stop using nyger seed altogether because it is not native to North America. Fortunately it has proven to be non-invasive i.e. it won't grow on its own here, but the Goldfinches are just as happy with the black sunflower seeds and they are 1/4 the price. We do have Juncoes and Mourning Doves, and sometimes Goldfinches (if the perches are full) that will nibble on the nyger seed waste but they don't consume enough of it to make much of a difference in the size of the pile. I'm torn between fewer birds and less mess. Of course, I could put up a second sunflower seed feeder.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
BigDaddySears it's sad to go in our local Sears. Hardly a handful of customers in the whole store. I don't know how they make the rent.
I belong to a Sears Canada retiree group which is led by a number of retired Sears Canada senior executives. Between them they have a lot of retail experience and virtually all of them were good at what they did. They are predicting that Sears Canada won't last through 2017 and neither will Sears Roebuck. Ed Lampert, the gentleman who took control of Sears Holdings (I use the term 'gentleman' very loosely) has basically raped and pillaged Sears in both the US and Canada by paying huge dividends to shareholders (of which he is the biggest) despite the fact that Sears was not making money, and while leaving the Canadian pension plan short by 33%. I'm not sure where the US pension plan sits. Sears Canada 2016 3rd quarter sales were down by 20+% from the same period in 2015. The bottom line is that if you choose to still buy from Sears don't expect to have a warranty!
Sad situation!
Regards all,
Evening Diners
Flo, Ed will have a Crown Royal, SS Rick will have a Boston Cream and I will have a . Oh, Rob will a coffee.
Very Long Boring Day At Work. I did get the year end done yesterday. So I took my old Laptop into work to work on my resume. I had not started the thing in, what 4 years? It is so old I found a recpite for adding 128 Mb ram in it for $79.99. Yep, that is old. Took for every (that 35 minutes) to boot up, in fact I turned it off (crashed it) 4 times before it took 35 minutes to boot! Well, it seems I sat something heavy on the screen while I was not using it. When it did come on, well only about 2 sq inches looked a screen. Rest was morden art. Going to take my moniter to work Wednesday and see if that will let me work on the resume.
While I really don't need a laptop I do have a question. What is the driffrences between a Tablet, Note Book and a Laptop?
V8VegaThat must have been a challenging slot car track.
V8 Yes, it was a fun track. Two things happned that got me out of the slot cars.
1 Only found one person local to race with. He got tired of me beating his but all the time. Rather it was his layout or mine.
2 Went the way of the train. Sad thing, I had bought another 100' of track. Layout out I was going to bulid had 350 feet of track.
YGW Did not get a chances to look at E-Mail when I got home.
Later, Ken
I hate Rust
yougottawanta FRRYKid - Oh I was wondering why all of the pink. I think that is a nice way to honor her.
Considering she probably paid for a large amount of the railroad when I first started it, it seems a good idea to remember her. (There are quite a few tributes to her that I have put into the layout already.)
cudakenWhile I really don't need a laptop I do have a question. What is the driffrences between a Tablet, Note Book and a Laptop?
I'm far from being "tech-savy" type I'm pretty sure a laptop is the biggest of the three and a notebook, while still having a keyboard, is slimmer and takes up less space.
A tablet is probably like an oversized "smart-phone" and you have to tap the screen to get it to do anything. The keyboard pops-up onto the screen when you need to type something in.
I have a couple of those Kindle Fire tablets and I can run the railroad with them through JMRI>Digitrax and the computer network.
BTW, if you can use it, I have a spare Acer Aspire One 722 notebook you can have. I just upgraded my JMRI/Sprog computer in my work shop and this one is available... 2 gig memory, 250 gb hard drive, AMD dual-core and Windows 10.
Say the word
Testing water lines was done on the ships we built--one night the operating crew ran a hydro test on one of the 3" lines that ran the length of the ship. After running water in for over two hours the question was asked, "didn't we run water only 35-40 minutes on the last test ?" Upon checking it was discovered that none of the joints had been silver soldered, and the entire mess deck had been covered with nearly one inch of water. Much waving of arms, and loud voices, almost on a par with the time one of the frigates was launched, and nearly sunk, at the dock.
We have fed birds since forever. Finally convinced my wife that suet purchased at the meat counter was just as effective as melting oatmal, peanut butter, and lard, or Crisco, for the birds to feed on. I think the woodpeckers prefer the suet in that they don't sink up to their eyeballs when they hit it with their beak.
I have opened up the seeds cast aside, and many were found to be empty, or shrizzled up so as to have nothing inside edible. Don't know how a bird can tell the difference---smell perhaps. Switched over to the black sunflower seeds this year as the striped ones were hard to get. We pay around $14.00 for a 40 pound bag-from Canada no less--go figure. There are three large feeders on the deck rail, and the stuff that gets splashed on the ground is eaten by the wild turkeys. It does make for a selective dinner choice. The deer will scuff out the corn kernels.
One of the more vibrent birds we have at present is the red-bellied woodpecker. It has very sharp contrasted white and black squares on it's wings, pronounced red stripe from the back of it's head to its beak, and a faint red cast on it's breast.
Raptors also use the area for a feeding station, usually once a week there is a quantity of dove, or blue jay feathers scattered around the deck. When I was a boy, blue jays, and crows were more than fair game to be eliminated. The jays eat the eggs, and young, of song birds, and crows will savage a wild duck nest. I have also watched crows raid a robin nest, carrying off half grown robins.
Lion-
Have you given thought to adding another battery or two to boost the speed of your charriot??
Cudaken-
Your musing as to beating your friend with the slot cars is what my brother would do to me when I was staying with him while he lived in New Orleans. We would play for coffee and donuts--it reached a point where I would just go to DD beforehand and have them ready before we started running the cars.
Last storm only gave us about an inch of the white stuff, it was so cold it was fluffy and I could remove it with a broom. Right now it is 42, with a strong SW wind, and rain--white stuff is almost gone. I have now doubt that before all is said and done the white stuff blower will get a good work out.
Prayers for those in need,
herrinchoker
herrinchokerI have opened up the seeds cast aside, and many were found to be empty, or shrizzled up so as to have nothing inside edible. Don't know how a bird can tell the difference---smell perhaps.
I've been feeding black sunflower seeds for years, too. The bluejays are picky and sweep them off the feeder looking for just the right one. I don't mind as the ground feeders and the chickens will pick through them and dig the meat out.
Sometimes I snack on peanuts while I'm outside. The chickens hang around me like I'm their best friend. I try to trick them and toss empty shells on the ground and they just stare at me. If I toss one with a peanut inside there's a feeding frenzy. Somehow they DO know how to tell the difference.
I used to buy the niger/thistle for the finches at about $8/lb. Maybe five years ago I noticed they were eating less and less of it but going for the black sunflower. I bought a few pounds of thistle to try it again and it just sat in the feeder. I don't know what changed but they love the sunflower and avoid the thistle!?
Speaking of Garden Railroads, you should see what happens to track ballast when you have a hundred chickens and use chicken grit for the ballast
Have Fun!
Morning all.
Zoe - Breakfast special, with scrambled eggs, bacon, homefries, and wheat toast please, and a large OJ. Thanks.
Weather - Warmer and windy... Yesterday we got the ice storm for a while, made quite the mess! Now it sits @41F, but very windy!
Sears -In the US, Sears sold its credit off to Citibank, they sound a lot like the Canada Scotia bank, with many of the same issues! Yes, Hoffman Estates has made a mess of things, and has indeed sold off the Craftsman name to Stanley Black & Decker. They have also announced more store closings in the near future. Makes me glad I don't w**k for a Hoffman Estates Corporate store! (Sears Hometown is a seperately owned & operated company... So, also seperately managed from Hoffman & Cohorts... I mean Hoffman Estates... )
Speaking of w**k - Slow yesterday, due to the ice storm, but still over goal so far for the month, and holding strong on getting the spiff bonus's, so... Should be busier today, what with warmer weather and a bunch of special order items in stock after yesterday's truck.
WAZE - A smartphone navigation app, so it's like getting a GPS built into your smartphone. Gives real-time traffic alerts, and lifetime free map updates, all straight into your smartphone, for very little money. (Currently Free on Apple-Appstore.) Just need a holder and charger for your car, and data usage capability. (So, it will not work where there is zero cell service, It's major downside. You also will need to have a charger in your car, as it is a major battery hog...)
Hope all enjoy the day!
EDIT: Corrected typo....
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
Notebook, a small laptop, a chrome book comes to mind.
laptop full pc in portable package
tablet as ed said a large smart phone. touchscreen control.
A laptop is a full computer and does all that a real computer will do, albeit with a small monitor, cramped keyboard, and a joke for a mouse. They are run on battery, and batteries really are not part of what a LION can mandage.
A notebook (netbook) is a cheaper version of a laptop, may or may not have a full operating system, although now with Windows 10 they run the same OS on all platforms. I do not know if they can run alll Windows Programs, but runs the smaller "applications" that are all the rage right now.
A Tablet is not a computer per se, usually has no mouse or keyboard. The screen is both keyboard and mouse. It does have applications that can do many of the things that your computer can do. Mostly a Tablet is an open door to your wallet.
Connectiviity:
Computers and Laptops can connect via 10/100/1000 NIC (Network) and by Wi-Fi connectivity. Telephony connection via modem can be done with an additional card.
Not so sure about netbooks, Wi-Fi connection certainly, may have an NIC connection, probably cannot handle a telephone modem.
Tablets connect ONLY with Wi-Fi. For android you can use a USB cable to your computer but only to exchange files. You cannot operate one from the other. A Tablet with Windows 10 should work line any other network connection , but then again it may not. Tablets usually do not have G4 connectivity.
Smart phones do have G4 connectivity (Via Cell Phone system) [Money], and may or may not have Wi-Fi capibility. [free connection to a Wi-Fi router]. These are telephones that can do some other stuff, but are not computers.
Tablets need a Wi-Fi router to connect to the internet This could be your main computer, or a separate Wi-Fi router connected to your WAN, and then your computer would connect to this with your NIC cable and or via Wi-Fi. If you are not familiar with Wi-Fi. ask for more help, for you do not want to set up a Wi-Fi hotspot that anybody can connect with.
Good morning ..
Speaking of birds, I just saw a pair of eagles in a tree on our property about 5 minutes ago.
Herrinchoker .... That sounds like a bad experience with the pipe on the new ship. The mess deck was a mess.
Have a nice day everybody.
Mrs. ROR and I are about three years from retirement and starting to explore our options. Here is question for the group--where should we retire and why? A couple of requirements--affordable housing and not bitter cold in the winter (snow is okay, just no sub-zero temperatures).
Another frosty one out there this morning. We had a piliated woodpecker at the suet log today. What a magnificent bird. That log attracts woodpeckers like a magnet. It is a 2' piece of tree branch about 4" in diameter into which holes of about 1" have been drilled. We stuff the suet into the holes. It is hung from a shepherd's hook.
Sure hate to see my wife having to do literally everything around here. She is finding it very tiring. Shortly she will be heading out with a friend to do the grocery shopping. Maybe it is a good thing Robbie isn't here as she would have to take him outside, etc. too. I am hopeful that by the time he comes back I can at least go out with him in the back yard. Sure do miss the little fella.
Have a great day,
ROR, as to moving on retirement, think about why you don't want to live where you are now and the cost of making a change. Moving is very expensive and in the end it has to be worth 'the cost' to you. My wife and I had plans on moving to Victoria (west coast) but we would have had to go to a condo and in the end the better weather wasn't worth spending 20 grand, not to mention the real estate fees. We decided to go on another trip to Africa instead. We also have a lot of contacts here including a bunch of doctors we don't want to give up.
Good Luck with your deliberations.
Morning diners,
ROR- I really don't know. I'm away from retirement, the only thing I think of is money and a nice two story house with 5 rooms.
I been waiting patiently to order a NYC GP40 and a tank car so I can save on shipping. But I think I'll get something else.
Amtrak America, 1971-Present.
Hey Y'all !
Train front: WALLS WERE POURED yesterday !!! HURRAY. Next bit of good news. I was looking for fill material ( structural soil ) I called one of my venders requesting a price and he told me he would truck it and provide the material all I had to do was pay the driver ! That is a HUGE savings. Heck if I had to pay for the structural fill and trucking I would be looking at as much as $3000. ! What a blessing ! Supposed to start trucking Saturday !
FRRYKid - I for one am impressed with you. You dont see anyone giving anyone honor or showing thankfulness these days.
CN Charlie - It is so hard when one is a man to have to have others do for us. It can be frustrating and humbling....
Angel - Why a big house with five rooms if you are sgl ?
ROR - I would FIRST check with Mrs. ROR about grandchildren and Family. Because of teh cost of living I have seen lots of familes from here move to Florida only to return to be near the children ! Other things to consider is taxes, cost of living, Available resources like medical, emergency, libraries, resturants, shopping etc...
Garry - Were they Bald eagles ?
Lion - Why is a tabley an open door to your wallet ?
Ricky W. - I do not understand B&D buying craftsmen. They have two different programs. B&D has pretty much become jumnk, Craftsment is usually associated with a great Homeowner qaulity with a terrific warranty. Plus if the Sears store is gone how do you market Craftsmen ?
Ed - LOL Chicking feeding frenzy. Once when growing up a mouse made a fateful decision to run through the chicken pen. I have never seen so many chickens chasing fresh meat so fast in my life. The mouse didnt make it out the other side ! Why are you tearing up ten feet of track ?
Herrinchoker - WOW a 3" line ? That would be a MASSIVE amount of water. Fortunately for us it was only a 1/2" line ! How did the Frigate almost get sunk when launching ?
Dave - I remember back before 2000. There was a LOT of that type of stuff going on. Buying companies then selling off the profitable parts - wrecking peoples lives... always thought that was terrible that someone could be so greedy to do that to workers.
Henry - 3 to 7' ! Man I am glad I dont have to shovel that ! How the heck do they get outside when the snow is 7' ?
Ulrich - Hope you are okay ??? Sent you some emails yesterday.
Ken - Okay and thanks
Dissections daily convince us of our ignorance of disease, and cause us to blush at our prescriptions. What mischief have we done under the belief of false facts and false theories! We have assisted in multiplying diseases; we have done more; we have increased their mortality. ... I am pursuing Truth, and am indifferent whither I am led, if she is my only leader.
We cannot be happy without being free; we cannot be free without being secure in our property; we cannot be secure in our property if, without our consent, others may, as by right, take it away; taxes imposed on us by Parliament do thus take it away.
Honor, justice, and humanity, call upon us to hold, and to transmit to our posterity, that liberty which we received from our ancestors. It is not our duty to leave wealth to our children, but it is our duty to leave liberty to them.
I just had a call from my wife. She was at the grocery store at the check-out when the roof started to collapse. So the groceries were left in the cart and she now has to do it all over again at another store. Not a good day for her.
I'll have to think of something really good to do for her when I'm more mobile. She has a bad back so all of this is taking a toll.
CN Charlie - Wow! Hopefully nobody got hurt! Was it snow related?
W**k - Slow day again sales wise, but lots of pickups from prior orders.