Hello from cold Kansas. My new job is keeping me hopping, so far 7 days a week, although most of the extra work is related to extreme cold and all the issues stemming from that. Not much time to visit here.
Good evening all. We spent the afternoon watching travel programs of places we would like to visit when this Covid stuff is over.
Sweet & Sour Chicken with Rice. Easy meal to make tonite.
Stay Safe.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
NorthBritWe spent the afternoon watching travel programs of places we would like to visit when this Covid stuff is over.
Hey David.... One thing I am planning to do when the Pandemic is finished is to fly to Jolly Old England and visit my Son at Rookswake. Maybe we could meet in person when I do that? (At least hoping I outlive the pandemic.. LOL)
I am in the process of upgrading my Mac to Big Sur. Seems I can't do my taxes intil I do. The new program for this year won't instal and run on High Sierra. So.... We shall see if all goes well. If I disappear for a while you'll know what has gone wrong! LOL
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
Just got back from Walgreens and the post office. The post office costs way more than the candy does.
They were basically giving the leftover Valinetines candy away just like every other year. I never forget these things just like the bunny I dont. But it's the thought that counts.
Valentine's chocolate to my daughter's, son and grandsons taste just as good and cause just as many cavities a half a week later
I'm the kind of guy that slides in at the last minute for the deals
They all know by now it's going to be late, they just expect that
I'm not retired yet by choice. I might as well be though. I've only worked once in the last three months I think
It's snowing here again
TF
I have been retired for five years now, and I still have dreams about work. They have nothing to do with anything I actually worked on, but instead was about having to find my new office. Most of the dreams for some reason concern not getting what I wanted at the cafeteria.
Years earlier, I used to dream of subways, having grown up outside of New York City. Those dreams actually stopped when I built my own model subway.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
NorthBritEven today if I see a road haulage vehicle I wonder where it is going? Where has it been? Sometimes it is 'He's a long way from home'.
A while back I stumbled upon these vids of the huge steam lorrys of England:
While North America had many steam traction engines I don't recall many "over-the-road" steam trucks. Operation of these vehicles must have been quite the chore.
My fascination with vehicles of Great Britain stem from the Matchbox cars and lorrys I collected as a kid. One of my favorites was the "Showman's Engine" all fancied up
I'd still like to get my mitts on one of these Wilesco live steam models:
wilesco_Showman-engine by Edmund, on Flickr
Let's ride the Strasburg on a slightly warmer day:
Time to haul in the trash trolley and get the mail —
Homemade pizza tonight
Cheers, Ed
So for those in England, Where did the term "Lorry" originate from?
Not much going on here, got 3 more inches of snow on top of the 9+ we had,
Thaw starts the weekend
our southern command got tons of snow. we are planning to go down next wekk to get away.
moelarrycurly4So for those in England, Where did the term "Lorry" originate from?
Could have railroad lineage?
From Wikipedia:
"Lorry" has a more uncertain origin, but probably has its roots in the rail transport industry, where the word is known to have been used in 1838 to refer to a type of truck (a goods wagon as in British usage, not a bogie as in the American), specifically a large flat wagon. It might derive from the verb lurry (to carry or drag along, or to lug) which was in use as early as 1664, but that association is not definitive.[9] The expanded meaning of lorry, "self-propelled vehicle for carrying goods", has been in usage since 1911.[10][11]
Cheers, Ed (not from England)
Thanks, everyone, for the interesting retirement stories. We have quite a few different careers hosted in the diner.
I retired several years ago after 42 years in education. About half of that was teaching middle school grades. The rest of the years were spent as a school principal.
For a while after retirement, I was concerned by events at the school, but I quickly got over that. Whatever happened was the problem of the new administration. I was available if questions about procedures arose, but stayed away otherwise.
I just finished scraping the last of the ice off the driveway. Not easy work.
York1 John
gmpullman Homemade pizza tonight Cheers, Ed
Oh Man!!!
That is absolutely, positively just downright cruel that you would even think to post something like that.
My mouth is watering like a sieve as I have given up on frozen ones and that is exactly what I want for dinner tonight but I don't have the fixings for it
It sucks to be me right now
I may just need to fire it up to warm the truck up just one more time today!
What else are you going to do though
Track fiddlerIt sucks to be me right now
I do sympathise with ya there, TF. I make the crust from scratch, too, using King Arthur Flour (the best!)
Sure would be nice to invite you over for some, and lots of train-time afterward
Meanwhile — At Lehman Place where the Strasburg interchanges with the PRR:
Mystery by Edmund, on Flickr
Also seen at Strasburg, this little fixer-upper. At least the motor is still there
070311_7 by lmyers83, on Flickr
I'd be over there in a minute Ed. Homemade pizza sounds really good right now and running trains afterwards sounds very good too.
I'm going to have to settle for chili. I already browned the meat and Judy's taking care of the rest of the stuff. I do have to dice up the onion and mince the jalapeno peppers though.
I think after I take Judy to work in the morning I'm going to swing by the grocery store so I can have some homemade pizza too
And I had Judy right down the King Arthur flour so we don't forget the next time we need some. I will look for it tomorrow
I always thought sleet happened when rain was changing to snow, or snow was changing to rain. We had 8 hours of sleet and it never got warmer than 26. We might have freezing rain in the morning.
I retired in 2008 and then realized how much stress anesthesiology was. I miss working with really excellent surgeons. But not all fit the bill.
I would guess I had dreams that I was in the the OR 5 times or less. I got an email today from a collegue who is 7 years older, complaining that his oncology doctor (and group) has been fired and he has no recourse. If he goes to the hospital, his doctor can't see him. My wife was treated by someone in the same group and she says she would have freaked out had she had to change doctors mid-stream in her chemotherapy.
The same dynamic is playing out here in Harrisonburg. The hospital demands physicians become employees, then they fire them or lower their salaries to non-competitive levels and they leave or retire.
We are on the list to get our first vaccine on Saturday, if things aren't still frozen. My wife was talking to a friend who is not going to get the vaccine. The usual reasons it's untested, it might have side effects. She ended saying her cousin died of the virus last week.
The best pizza I ever had came from a hole in the wall pizza shop that was carry out only. The owner had a heavy Italian accent, worked all by himself all day long.
I went back years later and it had expanded to a couple tables. The pizza was almost as good but the owner was gone.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Speaking of old wooden Reefers.
My buddy Erv's Mom lives in a very old house. He was organizing and curious digging through her attic upstairs. He found this really old picture. The glass was cracked and had a bit of water damage in the center so the picture quality is not the best in the world. His mother knew nothing about it so possibly the previous owners of the house.
He knows I'm a train nut so he thought I'd appreciate it and I did. I received it in a text so the picture quality probably goes a little more down from there. But I thought you guys might appreciate it as much as I did.
Apparently it's a photograph from Minneapolis Back in the Day. They are Western Fruit Express Great Northern Reefers if you look to the far right you can see half the logo.
Only anyone's guess could determine the big gathering of some sort of historic celebration of something that day.
I don't know? but the photograph makes me want to know who these people were. If some of them are still around or just someone else's memory of them.
I guess the older I get the more Curious I appreciate history
BigDaddy I got an email today from a collegue who is 7 years older, complaining that his oncology doctor (and group) has been fired and he has no recourse. If he goes to the hospital, his doctor can't see him. The hospital demands physicians become employees, then they fire them or lower their salaries to non-competitive levels and they leave or retire.
The hospital demands physicians become employees, then they fire them or lower their salaries to non-competitive levels and they leave or retire.
I just began watching the hospital drama series "House" and I'm at the end of season 1 where that scenario is playing out as a multi-million doner (big pharma money) had seated himself as chairman of the board and now HE decides who stays and who goes.
I saw similar things play out in the funeral industry, then that HBO "Six Feet Under" show came along and made a drama about it.
Nursing homes, same thing. Corporate raiders come in and "streamline" the operation. Mrs. Pullman has first-hand experience with this.
Regards, Ed
BigDaddyThe same dynamic is playing out here in Harrisonburg. The hospital demands physicians become employees, then they fire them or lower their salaries to non-competitive levels and they leave or retire.
That's going on here too. Within the last 5 tears, I've had to change primary care doctor 3 times, and cardiologist 3 times.
I can't praise the health insurance that was provided by the cement mason's union, OPCMIA enough. Life time, wife and myself.
Building trades need more people.
Mike.
My You Tube
mbinsewiI can't praise the health insurance that was provided by the cement mason's union, OPCMIA enough. Life time, wife and myself.
Good for you and your union. One of the smartest women I ever met, decided she could go without heath insurance. Medical problems, which were no where near life threatening, almost wiped her out financially.
When I turned 64.5 I got 10 calls a day from insurance agents or people claiming to be insurance agents all with the "cheapest policy" Cold calls are illegal under Medicare laws, but the calls kept coming until I was 65.
gmpullmanToday we had TWO Pileated woodpeckers visit
Hi Ed,
Lucky you!! Dianne and I are envious!
My sister in law had one in her back yard less than a week ago. The timing was perfect because she was participating in a backyard bird count when she spotted it.
I don't think that we are close enough to the sort of bush that they habitate, but just out of curiousity, what feed are they attracted too?
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
CNCharlieDave, saw that Mc Keen car on another thread, what a beauty!
Thanks CN Charlie!
hon30critterI don't think that we are close enough to the sort of bush that they habitate, but just out of curiousity, what feed are they attracted too?
I have only witnessed them coming for a taste of suet. Our local "closeout" store sells nice suet cakes (Suet Plus brand) for 65¢ each. We load up on them and from what I gather the birds really need the extra fat in cold weather.
The Pileateds dance around the tree bark and calculate how and when to jump over to the hanging suet feeder. It is amusing to see them swinging in the breeze while trying to use that huge jackhammer of a beak to get at the suet.
One of the best suet feeders we have has a tail rest built in to it. The larger woodpeckers and Pileateds make use of this.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=suet+feeder+tail+rest&ref=nb_sb_noss_1
Take a look at mealworms, too. I bought a bag of these because the bluebirds like them but they're treats for all the birds. I mix in a scoop or two when I refill the feeders as an extra treat. Seems expensive but a little goes a long way.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=mealworms&ref=nb_sb_noss_1
Sometimes, when the chickens are well behaved they get some, too!
Happy Birding Ed
gmpullmanOne of the best suet feeders we have has a tail rest built in to it. The larger woodpeckers and Pileateds make use of this.
We have a very similar suet feeder with a tail rest, and it gets a fair amount of activity from the smaller woodpeckers.
gmpullmanTake a look at mealworms, too.
I have, and Dianne absolutely refused to entertain the idea! Maybe I can use your endorsement to get her to accept them. We have a Baltimore Oriel grape jelly feeder which would hold the mealworms nicely when the Orioles aren't here.
Thanks Ed,
hon30critterI have, and Dianne absolutely refused to entertain the idea!
The ones in those big bags are freeze dried. Just pretend they're fishing bait . I just mix in a few scoops along with the sunflower seed and everything is good. I toss in a few scoops of raw, shelled peanuts, too.
In the summer months I buy live mealworms and sprinkle a few into a dish on the feeder.
I know the birds appreciate it
gmpullmanThe ones in those big bags are freeze dried. Just pretend they're fishing bait
She doesn't like fishing bait either! Never the less, I just ordered 2 lbs. of dried mealworms.
Dave, we have hàd Pilieateds at our suet log. It is a piece of hardwood about 2' long and 6" in diameter. Holes are drilled in it about an inch in diameter and an inch deep. We push suet into the holes. It hangs from a hook screwed in the top and hangs from a shepherd's hook not far from a large maple. The pileateds can perch on it and it is very popular with hairy and downy woodpeckers too. Nuthatches like it as well. It is one of the most popular feeders in our yard.
We haven't had any luck with dried mealworms but the chicadees sure love the live ones. We can go through 50 in a couple of hours. They are such smart little things and recognize the dish we use. Just don't tell yor wife to use bins to watch them feed. That involves taking a worm ,holding it down with a claw and tearing off pieces. Savage little things when it comes to worms. If the dish is empty they will fly over to us to let us know.
Time to turn out the lights.
CN Charlie
,
CNCharlieWe haven't had any luck with dried mealworms but the chicadees sure love the live ones. We can go through 50 in a couple of hours. They are such smart little things and recognize the dish we use. Just don't tell yor wife to use bins to watch them feed. That involves taking a worm ,holding it down with a claw and tearing off pieces. Savage little things when it comes to worms. If the dish is empty they will fly over to us to let us know.
Hi CN Charlie,
Thanks for the info on the mealworms. I've only ordered a couple of pounds of the dried ones so we will see how that goes. Dianne has actually warmed up a bit to the idea of handling them! Will miracles never cease!!
I spent the day working outside in the neighbor's yard. I cut down a good bit of an invasive mimosa tree that has been growing near to the power lines.
They built a very fancy wooden fort in the backyard for their seven year old son, and I have never seen him out playing on it.
I did work on some drywall patches in the dining room. There was not much work to do there, and now I am waiting for the joint compound to harden overnight.
According to the local news, there was a time this week when we were 100 degrees warmer than it was in Minneapolis. Sorry Track Fiddler!
The World Is A Beautiful Place.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
SeeYou190 According to the local news, there was a time this week when we were 100 degrees warmer than it was in Minneapolis. Sorry Track Fiddler!
Again I must say no need for apologies Kevin
100 degrees warmer I cannot Envy. As what I'm used to the Sub-Zero cold up here, going to 100 degrees warmer would have to be taken in baby steps with some sort of acclimation process.
To just jump into it, I would probably melt like the Wicked Witch of the North from "The Wizard of Oz". At that point, I could take the chance of losing all those cool little Monkey Man Soldiers with the wings. Then, how would I ever have any more hopes of storming the castle
OREO... Oh Oh "O" OREO... Oh Oh "O"
The world is a beautiful place
Good morning all. A breeze is getting up. There will be dead branches on the roads
Lorry. A lorry is a large, flatbed truck, covered or open, for carrying goods. The word was in use for certain kinds of freight-carrying rail cars long before motor vehicles were invented and it has been around since the early 19th century. Some dictionaries suggest it is related to the English dialect word "lurry" that means to pull, drag or lug - and that's been around since 1571!.
To add to the confusion, all lorries are trucks...but not all trucks are lorries. Other kinds of vehicles that North Americans might call trucks all have their own special names in British English.
To be classed as a lorry, the cab pulling the goods carrying part of the vehicle is always physically distinct and usually separate. If the cab can be physically separated from the rest of the vehicle, that vehicle is called an articulated lorry.
The very large North American truck, often called a "semi", that pulls shipping containers or other large dry cargo containers on a flatbed fitted with wheels is an articulated lorry or sometimes, a juggernaut.
If the part of the vehicle that contains the driver and the engine is all one with the goods carrying part, then it would be called a van. And if it carries liquid - like gasoline or milk - it's a tanker (not a tanker truck).
With that said -- It is Coffee Time.
Thoughts & Peace to All who Require
The world is a lovely place.
I just love the 50 shades of green in a small area.
My love of the sea. Scerenity In the Arabian Gulf. The sky is not always blue.
Good morning, everybody .
David North Brit ... Thank you for the explanation of the word, Lorry.
The Diner is beginning to look like National Geographic with posts about the world being a beautiful place.
Have a good day !
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU