Track fiddlerAnd the birds are still smarter than me Kevin as they fly down south every Fall.
We do not see very many migratory birds down here at the very bottom of Florida. When I worked in Tampa, I was sometimes amazed by the variety of birds that came down for the Winter. Just 120 miles North, and everything is different.
We do have a lot more Blue Jays this year than I have ever seen.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Blue Jays are egg robbers.
And upset the Little Tweety Birds pretty bad.
Thier song sung isn't too pretty either. Actually rather irritating.
But they are a handsome bird.
TF
Track fiddlerBlue Jays are egg robbers. And upset the Little Tweety Birds pretty bad. Thier song sung isn't too pretty either. Actually rather irritating.
We are infested with mockingbirds year round. I do not know what a Blue Jay sounds like, but they cannot be any more irritating or aggressive than a mockingbird.
I never understood why you aren't supposed to kill a mockingbird. They seem to invite that kind of reaction. Once there was one in the Crape Myrtel that would attack my wife every time she walked out the front door.
But.. they are not as bad as those burrowing owls!
Egrets... I love egrets.
Mama loves her baby!
And Daddy loves you too!
The sea may look warm to you babe and the sky may look blue.
If you should go skating on the thin ice of Modern Life.
Dragging behind you the silent reproach of a million tear-stained eyes.
Don't be surprised if a crack in the ice appears under your feet.
You slip out of your depth and out of your mind with your fears falling out behind you as you claw the thin ice.
PF not TF
I always did like that one
I love egrets too and I see them all around me up here.
Even more I really like the blue heron.
Blue Jays are the birds that scream " Theif! Theif!"
We seem to have tons of Robins right now, I think they are making their way back South.
On a V of Geese , do you know why one side of the "V" is longer?
I will let the guessing begin.
Still on call but I will be at home for the weekend.
I did get my " desktop layout" running. I need more room ( don't we on every layout?) I can really only run one car and an engine and be able to switch.
I am controlling it using JMRI and the Arduino set up. Pretty cool if you ask me.
I "nailed" my track down with hot glue to my desktop. It will pop right off after I am done. If I need desk surface I just move the train out of the way. Most of our work is get up go fix a PC. I will be installing stuff at a new doctor office the coming week.
I need to convert some more of my old Athern Blue boxes to DCC.
moelarrycurly4 On a V of Geese , do you know why one side of the "V" is longer?
Yep!
Because there is more birds on that side.
They're probably on that side because they like the other geese better.
We love our egrets and herons here, too. The egrets have gone for the winter, but a few herons will stay all year. We are on the shore, so the wading birds are always a treat. The Mergansers will be here soon.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I always enjoyed watching the mergansers every morning in the spring after I opened up the dock house Mr B.
The mergansers. A colony bird where the hens would take turns taking the young out on the lake.
My good friend Leo Neisser that fished with me on the dock with always a cigar hanging out of his mouth told me about them.
One day 63 little ducklings behind the hen. The next day 62 because a Northern or a Muskie swam up and grabed one for lunch.
The numbers counted down every day fishing on the dock but that's just the way it was
A little follow-up I need to share with you.
Leo Neisser was the best friend I ever had in my life.
He was my friend because he always spent time with me and taught me how to do things.
Before my parents bought the resort we used to go up to his Resort on Mille Lacs Lake. After he sold his Resort he stayed at our Resort.
I've lived my whole life for 57 years now and never found a person as wholesome as Leo.
The fresh fish filleted in the fish house 20 feet from his trailer and bread I still to this day don't know what it was but those fish sandwiches were really good.
Good Evening,
While Blue Jays on occasion may eat eggs, they aren't the killers many people think. Check the Cornell website. They are very clever and can mimic the calls of other birds. We have several visit our yard daily and one will sit in the spruce tree by the back door and look at the door. He wants us to throw out peanuts. He makes a ' queedle' call, one of many they make.
I finally got the TV service sorted out today, very frustrating. I did learn not to call in the evening . I did last night and the call went to a call centre in India. After over 2 hours it was obvious they did't have a clue and were very hard to understand. I spent another 2 hours on the phone today but they did fix the problem plus were very nice. I've had 2 calls back from a supervisor following up. That call centre is in Vancouver.
Glad to here everyone survived Thanksgiving.
Rob, interesting that you dream about your pets and people you know/knew. I never do. All the places and people are always imaginary. I do dream about airports a lot. Must be from all those business trips I took over 35 years .
Time for sleep.
CN Charlie
moelarrycurly4On a V of Geese , do you know why one side of the "V" is longer? I will let the guessing begin.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Good evening fellow Railroaders! Been quite along time since I disturbed the natural order of things. I spose 5 years is long enuf break for yall. Very glad to see the diner is still around. And a few of you ol 'timers as well.
Whats that you say? How've I been? Im about half, as is the latest cliche of the locals around here (here here, not there here). Im still kickin shins and payin dues like the rest of you.
I can catch up on pretty much what yall have been doing by spending some time reading the forum so I recon the best and shortest thing to do would be let yall in on what my scoundrel self has been doing.
First couple of years here, I couldnt do much. Pretty intense getting settled around here, commuting, working, and taking care of the ill family member. All while living out of a suitcase.
Once I got kinda settled I moved my collection here. Set up a 1x8 test bench since i had the room. Just for testing stuff, you know.
This past year I ended up needing a loop for a test track so I put together one of those. I got real tired of juggling shelless locos on a bench, trying to keep electrical contact, operate a throttle, and diagnose a problem. 5 hand job for a two handed person. Model Railroading is FUN!
Im still collecting ofcourse, can never have enough trains. So much so Ive taken to 3D printing cars. I knew one day Id be scratchbuilding my own stuff. But I never imagined just how much fun it would be to actually make models!
Im doing my darndest to get out of the IT industry, yet 3D work is hopelessly intertwined with puters (Ill never get away from them!).
I finished the website test a couple years ago and took it down so I dont have a place to post photos anymore. I dont even remember if you can post your email address in here. Matter of fact, and dont laugh, but its been so long since Ive been here I forgot how to post to this place (turn knob, walk into diner).
Well, thats pretty much it. As far as I know Im in reasonably good health, my pickup truck is still running, and I still have power to the rails. I hope the same for all of you.
Happy Holidays!
Douglas
PM Railfan
Welcome back, Douglas!
Glad to dust off a booth seat for you and see a fellow diner patron back in the fold.
I might need to pick your brain on 3D resin printing. These things have become so rediculously cheap lately that it seems every modeler should have one stashed under the layout — or in the loo if that's the only place you have room!
Hope to see you around more often! Don't be bashful make yourself at home here...
PM_Tail by Edmund, on Flickr
Cheers, Ed
gmpullman I might need to pick your brain on 3D resin printing. These things have become so rediculously cheap lately that it seems every modeler should have one stashed under the layout — or in the loo if that's the only place you have room!
Rich
Alton Junction
Good morning all. Jack Frost has been busy.
A busy morning with parcels arriving.
It is now coffee time.
Afterwards I am going to make some fruit parcels using filo pastry. I never tried making them before. Wish me luck.
Thoughts & Peace to All who Require.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
Good Saturday morning all,
TF: Ding ding ding. Yes because there are more geese on one side of the "V"
Not much going on today. On call but not at work, I will be spending time on the bench. I have a record player coming at 2:30 for repair. It will be a Christmas present for the man's daughter.
SeeYou190 We are infested with mockingbirds year round. I do not know what a Blue Jay sounds like, but they cannot be any more irritating or aggressive than a mockingbird. I never understood why you aren't supposed to kill a mockingbird. They seem to invite that kind of reaction. Once there was one in the Crape Myrtel that would attack my wife every time she walked out the front door. But.. they are not as bad as those burrowing owls! Egrets... I love egrets. -Kevin
We don't have blue jays or mockingbirds in Wyoming (or cardinals or orioles either), so it's kinda hard to explain to my fellow Wyomingites why I wore my hockey helmet while gardening in Florida.
I once had a mockingbird mimic the tweet-tweet chirp of me locking and unlocking my car doors.
Robert
LINK to SNSR Blog
Good afternoon all. The temperature has not gone above 32 degrees F today.
The fruit parcels in filo pastry were a partial success. I should have had double filo pastry thickness. (I shall remember next time.) They tasted lovely though; which is the main thing.
Chicken Korma tonite. That will warm us up.
Good morning, diners.
I guess I wouldn't mind taking the diner to the UK. It sounds like David could be the cook for the diner in December. We would all need to go on diets January 1.
At our feeders, the Blue Jays and the Cardinals all seem to eat together at the same time. I don't know if that is a thing or just coincidence.
Have a good Saturday, everyone. Weekend, weekday, Saturday, Wednesday? Those are just meaningless words after retirement.
York1 John
PM RailfanBeen quite along time since I disturbed the natural order of things. I spose 5 years is long enuf break for yall.
I am new since you were here, but I still look forward to seeing you around. Please don't be a stranger.
York1I guess I wouldn't mind taking the diner to the UK.
That sounds good to me.
ROBERT PETRICKIt's kinda hard to explain to my fellow Wyomingites why I wore my hockey helmet while gardening in Florida.
I have tried to make similar explanations while working out of state.
A territorial mockingbird is very scary. They are tiny, but they will attack hawks. They are fearless, like the badger of the sky.
SeeYou190 ROBERT PETRICK It's kinda hard to explain to my fellow Wyomingites why I wore my hockey helmet while gardening in Florida. A territorial mockingbird is very scary. They are tiny, but they will attack hawks. They are fearless, like the badger of the sky. -Kevin
ROBERT PETRICK It's kinda hard to explain to my fellow Wyomingites why I wore my hockey helmet while gardening in Florida.
I remember a TV show that explored birds in the wild recognizing different people's faces. I just found this interesting report of mockingbirds and a Florida researcher:
"The mockingbirds seemed to have it out for Stracey in particular; they ignored passersby and even gardeners working right beneath their nests. "By the end of the summer, I was absolutely convinced that the birds knew me and did not like me!" she says."
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2009/05/bird-knows-who-you-are
I have mocking birds that I call the mower birds. They will come when I start the mower and get the bugs I stir up. They never attack me, just the bugs.
I did the last lawn mow of the season, basically to chew up the leaves that had not blown into the neighbors yard yet (haha) The mower ran out of gas on the last of the back yard and I call it good for the season. That way it won't gunk up over the winter.
moelarrycurly4The mower ran out of gas on the last of the back yard and I call it good for the season. That way it won't gunk up over the winter.
Huh? When I get done mowing for the season I just do the same as always after mowing lawn and just put the battery on the charger. I leave it there for the winter. The charger reduces the battery level after a while to keep the service life of the battery tip-top. No problem and no stale gas sitting in the shed to cause problems for next year.... No oil changes, no gas no problem, no running to the gas station and hauling the can back home, etc.. Much easier actually.
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
Apparently we don't have Mockingbirds up here and if we do I have been fortunate enough not to ever brush paths with one.
I do remember a movie Once. I can't remember the name of the movie but this girl took a BB gun and shot the Mockingbird out of the tree outside of the bedroom window.
Right after she did it she felt horrible and just couldn't live with what she just did. She went and got the bird off the lawn.
She gave the bird mouth to mouth resuscitation with her boyfriend while pumping her little pinkies on the birds little chest and then all of a sudden the bird woke up chirped and flew away.
I don't remember what movie that was but it was the funniest crap I've ever seen in my life
Track fiddlerI don't remember what movie that was but it was the funniest crap I've ever seen in my life
Failure To Launch, 2006, starring Matthew McConaughey.
The mockingbird portion was sub-plot, but it was MUCH funnier, to me, than the actual story of an adult male refusing to move out of his parent's house.
The scene where the woman being harrased by the mockingbird hears about an instructional book "how to kill mockingingbirds", but then finds out it is "To Kill A Mockingbird" was incredibly funny.
SeeYou190 Failure To Launch, 2006, starring Matthew McConaughey.
That's it Kevin!
Thanks for clarifying that one for me
And Terry Bradshaw was the father who had his naked room with the aquarium.
They could have left that scene out as far as I'm concerned
The last movie I seen with Matthew was "Mud" That was a very good movie.
Found it.
I would have been surprised with almost 2000 DVDs that I didn't have that one. It was four down from Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
Do you need to guess what we are watching now
Track fiddlerDo you need to guess what we are watching now
Ferris Bueller's Day Off???
Uncle Buck