Good Afternoon,
Another cold day here. We are expecting a high of 30F.
Lots of excitement here on the bird front. My wife looked out the living room window (faces back yard) and saw a bird she had never seen before. It was a Varied Thrush. Their normal range is B.C. so this one was lost. It is really beautiful bird and she did manage to get a photo.
Absolutely nothing on the agenda today. I have a Red Caboose box car kit on the bench I could start or I could make coffee and watch a train go around. I think the coffee will win out. Besides that Pacific looks so good. Also I'm still in quaranteen. I went to the eye doc 10 days ago so my wife insists I segregate myself for a full 14 days. She is very anxious.
Well turns out we need more birdseed. I do curbside for that as we do for all purchases even groceries.
CNCharlie
SeeYou190 Some grocery stores have two full aisles of food imported from Latin America, it is all so yummy. Can you get these up there? They do not crack.
Some grocery stores have two full aisles of food imported from Latin America, it is all so yummy.
Can you get these up there? They do not crack.
Yep.
And I remember those were the good ones but Judy is such a health kick freak she insists on corn tortillas because she says it's better for you. She's the gal with a $300 juicer and a juicer book and there is no arguing.
We have a homemade Latina store not far from us that we used to go to. Those homemade tortillas made your enchiladas taste about five times better. They were great!
Since the pandemic we only have three buildings we go into anymore. The grocery store, the other grocery store, and that third grocery store, ...And that's it.
Everything Jim said and I do appreciate is what she does on taco night. She fries the tortillas in canola oil and flips them until they have the little brown spots and those are some good tacos.
She always does that on enchilada night too but last night she was lazy and not a very good kitchen participant so I had to wing it
The funny thing is when I brought her the flat square pancake looking enchilada on the plate, she looked at it, then looked at me and I said don't you even Beech about it
And she didn't
TF
It's about 28° out right now -- that's the high today. Tomorrow the high will be 20°, and then it gradually warms later in the week. The snow has slowed down, but we should get up to six inches by the morning. It will melt pretty quickly.
The grandsons and I at the pumpkin farm: They enjoyed the big haunted house. We even got to ride the pumpkin patch train, but it was cold and windy. This was the first time the face mask actually helped -- it kept our faces warm. They have a big restaurant and served chili in bread bowls -- that warmed us up.
York1 John
Quality time with Family ...Nice!
From the picture it looks like you had a great day John
I understand the mask norm these days but it would have been nice to see all your smiling faces
Good afternoon all —
BATMANEd, I think I heard Rapido is opening a repair depot stateside to offset shipping. They heard you.
Yeah, they heard me exactly one week after I sent both my RS-11s in for repair ($85 postage). I have them back now and Rapido sent me a complimentary freight car to assuage my sore wallet:
Double-Stack-retro by Edmund, on Flickr
Maybe I could paint it Tuscan red and letter them PRR and nobody will notice?
I love soft flour tortillas Just had some the other day with chorizo sausage and elote corn with cotija cheese. Yum, indeed!
We're enjoying a quiet Sunday afternoon here. Sadly, we had to put down one of our cats yesterday. "Baby Kitty" somehow developed something like encephalitis Thursday night and we took her to the vet first thing Friday. She had no control of her hind legs, almost like a paralysis.
Some steroid treatment was given but by Saturday morning there was no improvement. She was twelve years old and born blind in one eye.
baby1 by Edmund, on Flickr
I'll get some "train-time" in tonight. I've been making static grass "tufts" using a plastic storage box to supply the static rather than the zapper. Seems to be working pretty neat. My first try was using 2-3 mm grass. I just got some longer 6-12mm fibers that I'm anxious to try out.
I'd sure like to be in this guy's seat right now
Santa-Fe_FT-cab by Edmund, on Flickr
I hope everyone is doing well these days —
Cheers, Ed
Sorry about your kitty Ed. Pets are definitely a member of our family and always hard to let go
That interior shot of the cab looks like an F7 to me.
P.S. I guess it was labeled FT I'm a little unfamiliar with that one
Track fiddler I guess it was labeled FT I'm a little unfamiliar with that one
Santa fe was an early adopter of the FT. Here's a shot of the same train later that day:
Santa-Fe_FT-Winslow-3-43 by Edmund, on Flickr
Both of these are Jack Delano photos taken near Winslow, Arizona in March of '43.
Thanks for the kind words, TF
Like the FT
Thanks for the pic Ed That's a cool picture, I always did enjoy the old Black and Whites
The superelevation was certainly captured in that photo
Zucchini spaghetti with fish and scallops, please and thank you.
Sorry very about your kitty Ed. To this day I still miss my lost furred family members.
Patti and I finished the new train tables. Went to place the Unitrack WGH set, only to find some defective pieces. Gurrrrr! May well go back to Bachmann and just skip ballasting it so it will function ok. Patti is going to call Kato, but I'll be surprised if they replace the bad sections (manufacturing issues). That's a problem I make for myself by buying stuff I am not ready to use right away and letting it sit 2 or 3 years.
Sure hope the Atlas track pack for the Scenic Ridge layout goes together well.
Lack of health has gotten in the way of a lot lately. At least I am off radiation and chemo. Still trying my best. Thank goodness for Pattis help with everything. I wouldn't be here without her.
Hope everyone is doing well. Cheers! Rob
Still in our prayers Rob
I have not forgotten about you speaking of this a while back
Good to hear from you and that you're off the chemo and radiation treatments now
Still pulling for you as I know others are too
As always wishing you well
I hope I don't have you confused with somebody else Rob as I talk to many people on this Forum.
But I do believe it was you that informed me about the Cedar Lake Bridge in St Louis Park that was rebuilt and has the History of the bridge and the Railroads of the area embossed in the abutment underneath.
It was my old neighborhood I grew up in and went back there 35 years later to see this new bridge and embossed abutment. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the history and things I did not know when I live there before.
Hope my memory serves me well but regardless I enjoyed visiting that area after 35 years.
There is another member of this Forum Cedarwoodron. If it wasn't you it was him and I do apologize if that's the case.
POST HOG!
Three consecutive posts in a row. I think I'm obligated to say that
Sup? Extended dinner time tonight or what?
So I'm talking to my buddy Erv today. I think Erv has become my best friend because we have so much in common and same experience similarities in the things we talk about.
How does two guys conversing bring up a subject about the dishes? We did and I'll tell you why. Erv's like me and does most of the cooking. It was brought up today "He that does not cook does the cleaning"!
Apparently a rule of the past. It got funny. Apparently Erv has the same experiences in his home as I do. Even if I cook, as soon as the food comes out of the pan I spray it with hot water so it's clean. Same thing with my plate and my fork. When I'm done eating I spray it with a hot water so it's clean. It takes about 5 Seconds.
I'm not going to elaborate too much on this subject, I'm sure you're smart enough to put the rest of the story together. Erv said his wife doesn't rinse her plate or the pans or anything else. I told him I thought I was the only one that had these problems.
Then the conversation went on to tell about when you have a sink full of water for the Soakers. Kind of like the old saying "split pea soup three days old". Or macaroni and cheese put away at night then the pot left on the stove and the next day the cheese is like plastic
There used to be a joke
How do you make a dishwasher into a snowblower..... You hand her a shovel I don't think this joke is prevalent anymore.
The kitchen is clean everyday but I have no idea how I have become the dishwasher at my house I didn't used to be. At least I ain't doing the laundry. Knock on wood
Track fiddlerThe kitchen is clean everyday but I have no idea how I have become the dishwasher at my house
My wife is convinced that if I load the dishwasher the dishes will not get clean. Fine. I just let her do it.
Track fiddlerAt least I ain't doing the laundry.
I have always done all the laundry.
My wife does not put things on hangers the right way, hang clothes in the closets correctly, or fold everthing the right way.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Rob, I hope it's good news that you've stopped radiation and chemo for while. Praying for your health.
TF, since we became empty nesters 20 years ago, we very seldom share a sit-down meal. If I want something, I make it, and she does the same. We're both fairly happy with this arrangement, since we can eat what we want, when we want.
Eveing Diners
Flo, give the gang and I a Rob anything he wants in a UP Mug and Dirk and Robbie a dog treat.
Rob Sure hope you beat's this!
Ed sorry to hear of your loss. Tonight while I was sitting outside with Dirk I did wonder what I would do with out him.
Funny how a dog I did not want has became so much of my life.
Later, Ken and Dirks says I love you daddy, Woof, Woof!
I hate Rust
cudakenTonight while I was sitting outside with Dirk I did wonder what I would do with out him. Funny how a dog I did not want has became so much of my life.
Same here, Ken. I didn't want a dog, but my wife just had to get Daisy. Now Daisy sits with me, sleeps beside me, walks outside with me, and watches out the front window waiting for me to get home. She sits in my chair watching me closely while I work on the layout.
York1 If I want something, I make it, and she does the same.
I think my wife might actually starve to death if I did not make us dinner everyday.
I use corn tortillas for my tacos and flour tortillas for enchiladas. Works best for me. But, I wish they would understand that we really want beef tacos with chili sauce, not fish tacos with vegetables and mayonnaise. It's supposed to be a meal, not a salad.
Ed, sorry about your cat. Our older cat is Emily, at 14 years old. She has to be carefully fed, but is mostly OK. Snowflake is only a year, but we have to watch her food so she doesn't become a fat cat. We thought she had back leg problems, but after we got rid of the final intestinal parasites she was fine.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
SeeYou190 I think my wife might actually starve to death if I did not make us dinner everyday.
Now that one struck me Funny! Sometimes you can be a card Kevin
That arrangement you and your wife have sounds interesting John. If the arrangement comes with cleaning your own dishes up after yourself, I may just have to be scheduling a meeting with Judy here real soon
Daisy sounds like such a great companion John God I Miss My Dogs Especially Nellie, She would talk to me with her eyes and I always knew what she was saying
SeeYou190My wife is convinced that if I load the dishwasher the dishes will not get clean. Fine. I just let her do it.
Absolutely true. There is some sort of precise placement required that men cannot see.
When I cook, I clean up as I go along, my wife creates a huge mess then says I'll clean that up later.
Ken I don't know if I will have another dog or not. Toby is 10 and I am 68. I know of cases where dogs are in shelters because their owners died. I'd hate to leave a dog to a shelter.I have a friend that is a serial restorer. For years it was BMW motocycles, then he moved to sail boats. Lately he restored a Mini and built a playhouse for his grandkids out of pallet wood, but made it look like it came from nice lumber.
He helped a friend attach fenders to a 1932 cadillac. That has been a 10 year project.
Arnold Scharznegger had another heart valve replacement. In 97 they replaced his bicuspid aortic valve (congenital defect that he and I shared) with his pulmonary valve and replaced that with a cadaver valve. In 2018 they had to replace the cadaver valve and now they replaced the aortic valve again at the Cleveland Clinic.
Judging by his picture on Twitter, it wasn't one they inserted through the femoral artery. I was warned that mine might not be able to replace that way either.
I don't understand that procedure at all. I know they put a balloon in the old valve and expand it to spread out the valve. That means at some point the aorta is completely obstructed, followed by no aortic valve at all, until they put in the new one. Doesn't sound possible but apparently it is.
We saw Arnold at Sun Valley ID. He is about 5' 10" and my ex cut him off in the lift line.
SeeYou190I have always done all the laundry.
My ex decided that the 80 hours a week I worked wasn't enough contribution to the household and had me do the laundry. I shrunk a very nice wool sweater I bought for her down to the size that would fit a 5 year old.
That ended that experiment.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
You have been added to our nightly prayer list. I don't understand the half of the heart stuff you were talking about. But I always take that kind of thing very seriously
That 32 Cadillac is a gem! What an awesome job on the fenders. The more classic they get, the more I like
So about two weeks ago the manager of the condo complex here gives me a call. He's just the greatest guy you'd ever want to meet and feeds me jobs throughout the building here.
He tells me a commercial HVAC company is coming to change out the exhaust recirculation blower in the garage. My Stang is parked right in front to the left a little bit.
He says I would never wish to see anything happen to your car because I know it's your baby. Switch parking spaces with me because I can move my car the morning I know they are coming. So I did but like I said it's been about two weeks and they haven't came yet.
I called him a few days ago and told him my security system on my car will drain the battery to nothing if I don't plug it in every two weeks because there's no access to a receptacle on that parking level.
Tonight I get a call from him and he tells me John I went to the garage and Strung extension cords and there's a cord hanging down right in front of your car.
I go down there and these cords are neatly wrapped around the plumbing drain pipes and brackets a long distance through the garage to a receptacle. By the way his name is John too.
I plugged the trickle charger into my battery and just had a gut feeling because it snowed and sleeted a little bit today. He might be outside salt sanding the walks. He was and I grabbed a bucket out of my truck and got some salt sand and helped him finish salt sanding the common areas. It was the least I could do!
There is still really good people in the world! I gotta tell ya!
I've always done most of the cooking. The ex-wife never could cook. The GF now can cook, but prefers not to.
When I retired, the ex-wife told me I had to do my own laundry. No problem. So, now I do my laundry and the GF does hers. I won't do any special instructions laundry. Everything goes in the washer with soap, then everything goes in the dryer.
The animals all belong to the GF, and family history and my ailments say that I go first by quite a few years. If that turns out not to be the case, I would still care for the cats, but find somewhere else, preferably someone else for the dog. Our local paper has a little ad every week with a picture of one cat and one dog up for adoption. They're usually older animals, and I feel sorry for them.
Busy night in the Diner! I like that
Thanks to all for the kind words on the loss of Baby Kitty. Every weekday night she would get in my lap and stare at the big TV while the 11 o'clock news was on. Then we would watch Steven Colbert and, like clockwork, when the first commercial would come on, off she would go to sleep. Tomorrow won't be the same.
Henry, I had a girl friend once who had meniere's disease. She wasn't from around here and she mentioned she might have to have surgery. I said you're in luck, you can go to the Cleveland Clinic just a few miles away. She said, kind of testy "I'm not going to some clinic! I want a REAL hospital"! Former girlfriend.
Dee Ann and I share meals and cooking duty about four nights a week. The other nights are "orts" night (crossword puzzle word) and we just grab whatever we want. I always clean up as I go but she stacks and gathers and after dinner there's a mountain of pots and dishes. I don't mind, I usually wash, she dries. Haven't used the dishwasher in years. I run it about every other month or so just to keep the piston rings oiled.
Our washer and dryer are right next to the ore dock and staging yard. Start a load, run the local and make a few setouts. Clothes into the dryer and run the Capitol Limited a few laps.
Dee Ann does all the folding and putting away. She can fold fitted sheets perfectly. I make a tangled lump out of them.
My thoughts are with you, Rob.
Stay Safe, everyone!
Arnold had more valve jobs than that Cadillac!
WB_29_cle by Edmund, on Flickr
Thanks again, Ed
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, I get up this morning thinking I'll whip in the new HDMI cable and spend the day in the train room. WRONG! One of the porcelain tiles in the kitchen cracked and then nine more cracked as I walked around, water started oozing out. Down to the crawl space and sure enough, it is under the dishwasher. I run the dishwasher long enough to see the leak underneath and out to the back patio it goes. The next project was supposed to be the master bathroom, not any more.
Kitchen/family room is about 800 square feet and it will be gutted and made brand new once the puppies are gone. I may just contract this one out but knowing me, not likely. Progress on the layout will never be made. A new gas fireplace is also in the works for that room as well as all new appliances including a double oven that the wife has wanted for twenty-five years. We put the recommended $1.25 per square foot in the bank every year to cover the cost of owning a house and it has been just about right as far as what we have had to spend on the joint so we are good on that front.
Kitchen issues are nothing compared to what Henry may be facing. I have friends and family that have had some pretty amazing things done in the cardiac ward and had a lot of years afterwards. We are all pulling for you, please try and keep us in the loop as you proceed with your care.
TF, many hands make light work. I am glad you have such a good building manager. Nothing drives me crazier than hearing someone say "not my job".
Ed, sorry to hear about your cat. Being married to a Vet has found me involved often when a family has had to say goodbye to a cherished member of the family. It is not easy.
I always load the dishwasher, that way all the dishes come out clean, not just half of them.
My wife's Dad was an executive Chef and my wife is a chip off the old block. She is an amazing cook thus requiring a lot of time on the bike.
Rob, good to hear from you, I do think about you when we haven't heard from you in a while, keep up the good fight. Wish we were closer, so we could give you a hand on the trackwork.
John looks like a fun day at the pumpkin patch, I miss those days with the kids. Use to take my own as well as a few others, but that is another story.
I ate a 5000 calorie pizza for dinner tonight along with a few glasses of red wine, I see some serious bike time this week. Cost of doin business.
The daughter and I went for a 2 1/2 hour driving lesson today, she is doing really well and it is the most relaxing instruction I have ever done. I use to train people at work and all I can say is some people just should not drive. My sister is not a good driver, yet at 70 she has never had an accident. I think it is because other drivers must give her a wide birth.
David, that photo of the plough reminded me of my cousins in England. Their farm was used for the movie "War Horse" and they all had cameos as the farmhands.
The kid got called for a movie yesterday that was $30,000.00 for nine days of video capture animation for a new superhero movie. He had to say no as he is already past the breaking point with two jobs and full-time University. He has made the Deans List every year but is worried it might not happen this year as his UN work on the covid crises is somewhat overwhelming.
He is fully involved with what is going on, on the international level in the battle and has his own staff. I still think of him as my little boy that I took to hockey three times a week. Someone pinch me.
I think I will be hitting the rack soon as I have an hour on the bike first thing tomorrow to pay for my gluttony, then a new dishwasher will be picked up and installed. I have the dehumidifier in the crawlspace to dry things out but that won't fix all the cracked tiles so we are in the deep end now.
All the best to all.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
I have had the A/C system replaced in this house twice.
I am replacing a few register boxes, because I have the ceilings down, and they are 30 years old. I am following all of the instructions from the manufacturers, and I am amazed at how wrong so much of the installation is for the A/C flexible ductwork and air return system.
I think I will be replacing a lot more than I intended.
Brent. The film War Horse highlighted the dangers and in cases the suffering the animals went through in the Great War. After the film was released all the horses that were involved in the War (on both sides) received the Dickin Medal. The Dickin Medal is the highest military award for any animal.
We have had new roofs put on our house. I covered the layout just in case any dust or whatever got on the track etc. Fortunately all was okay. I was rather clumsy on removing the sheeting and slightly damaged a few items.
Now in the process of doing minor repairs before normal services can be resumed.
Sweet & Sour Chicken with peppers etc. for dinner tonight.
Have a good day and keep safe.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
Good morning, everyone.
To all of you who have health issues, I am hoping you get some relief and healing.
I am at the point in home ownership where things are about finished. I'm too old to start serious new projects.
When I was younger, we would visit older people and see how their house looked like it was designed and decorated decades ago, and I thought they should renew and update things. Now that I'm that age, old and decades out-of-date stuff doesn't bother me anymore.
What does bother me in our house is my wife's inability to get rid of things. We have a basement crammed full of "stuff". None of it means anything to me, but it sure does to her.
More work on the layout church today. I am still having issues with windows and with the steeple roof. When I get what I want, I step back and it just doesn't look right. More work. I'm supposed to enjoy this hobby, right?
Have a good day, everyone. It's time for bacon, eggs, and coffee.
Howdy.... Well the computer is fixed, but I'm not doing well . I've been sick for several days. I want to share more pictures here, but not yet. I hope to be back to normal sooon.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
I didn't mean to imply there was anything new going on with my heart. I see my new cardiologist in a few weeks and it's time for another echocardiogram. Getting all new doctors and a dentist is a pain. I think I've only had 3 other dentists my entire life.
Today is my 69th. The wife and I are planning on eating outside at a winery just down the road, if the weather clears up. Right now it's foggy as heck.
Happy birthday, Henry. I have my 69th in about a month, so you are older than me for a little while.
Good luck with the new doctors and dentist.