Good Sunday morning! It's warmer here this morning: 33 degrees, going for a high of 48 (?) possibly. If it does, it's going to feel like a heat wave around here.
Joe, thanks for fixing breakfast again this morning. I really appreciate your help around here, and everyone else who helps out, too!!
Rixflix and Tom, you're both still here because your work here is not done yet. I think there are days when every one of us feels that way: Why on earth am I still here?!?! Keep the faith, and things will get better for you.
We've got a couple of things going on in our area today. 1. The Cincinnati Reds Winter Caravan will be at the Louisville Slugger Museum this afternoon, and we also have a train show at the Ky. International Convention Center. Don't think we'll be going to either one, as there are other obligations to attend to today.
I'll be back in a couple, three hours to post the Sunday Dinner menu.
I have to agree with what Tom says about God's planning for our lives. Sometimes he's just not ready to take us home and chooses to leave us on this earth for a reason. Some years ago while I was doing custodial work for a church, I was waxing classroom floors, when my mind wandered elsewhere and I proceeded to walk across a freshly waxed floor when I slipped in the finish, my feet went straight up in the air and the top of my head came down and struck that floor with a loud BANG!!! that echoed throughout the room. I could have very well broken my neck or ended up in a wheel chair with a permanent spinal cord injury, I did come out of it with a bad headache and a whiplash injury to my neck, but by the Grace of God I am still walking this earth. It wasn't my time to die and the good Lord knew it.
We have 17 degrees here in Sioux Falls, no wind, and it is supposed to warm up to about 36 later this afternoon.
I hope the rest of you out there have a good day! Stay warm, and above all, stay SAFE!
Ray
....It appears we will see some sunshine today. Rather bright now with light clouds as the sun is low in the eastern sky. Dry. No new snow....just a bit of the skiff remaining in the shadow areas from a day or two ago...22 degrees now.
Rix, hang on....
January is just about finished. Not too much snow but it did get a bit chilly at times.
Quentin
CP - Been there. Usually on an icy surface, however. You think you're in control, then you find yourself on the ground. I've been lucky, too - no major injuries.
Nice sunny (kinda) day - high haze, but at least it isn't gray and gloomy.
Looks like the east coast is in for it over the next day or two. Hopefully it won't reach too far inland.
Time for chores. The dogs are almost out of treats...
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Yes, it is a beautiful, sunshiney day! At 12:10, our curent temp is 37 degrees. No ice or snow in our immediate area (that I'm aware of, anyway).
For our Sunday Dinner today, I have fixed country fried steak with baked potatoes, green beans, corn on the cob, cole slaw, and you have your choice of the following breads: cornbread, corn fritters, homemade buttermilk biscuits, and homemade rolls (like the kind you used to be served in the school cafeterias.
Desserts today: apple, blackberry, cherry, peach cobblers (with plenty of ice cream to put on top of the cobbler of your choice), and made from scratch chocolate meraigne pie and coconut cream pie.
Saw something earlier this morning, about a train wreck, I think in Turkey(?) Anyone know anything about it? If so, please share with the rest of us.
Evening
matt had a great time with grandma and grandpa today.he even got an official ns calendar too.the sunshine makes this afternoon great.time to get stuff around for work tonight.thanks CW for supper.
stay safe
joe
Deshler Ohio-crossroads of the B&O Matt eats your fries.YUM! Clinton st viaduct undefeated against too tall trucks!!!(voted to be called the "Clinton St. can opener").
Good evening everyone. Thanks for the country fried steak with green beans, cole slaw and homemade rolls.
CW, the railroad accident in Turkey was reported here:
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/01/27/turkey.crash/
Eight people were killed in that unfortunate derailment.
Evening everyone. Looks like a meltdown was created in averting one in the neighborhood.
Some people I just don't get. If you hate a job so much that it turns you cynical to almost everything and everyone, why on God's green earth would you stay at that job? I think some folks just like being mean to others for mean-ness' sake, which is sad because it does nothing but create animosity and build on a culture of distrust (sigh).
Hopefully January will go out peacefully. Not too cold and no snow. I'll be lurking for a while.
Dan
Ah - Monday morning in the land of ......well, let's just say it is nice to hide out in here.
Well, let's see - what's on my feeble mind: Saw an IC Operation Lifesaver SD40 yesterday - had a great paint job - still. It was doing some transfer work in our yard going to the east edge of the city and the shops out there. Lots of ADM cars go out there and then on to repair the bad ones.
If Uncle George comes through - I may get to buy a puter for the home, along with the million dollar service that goes along with it. Everyone keep your finners x'd.
52 today 18 tomorrow. Ah Spring. It was gorgeous this weekend and we sat trackside with the windows rolled down. We do get some rather odd looks - I think people think there are two dead people in the car, since we are usually reading and have our heads down. So I hang a hand out the window to let them know we are alive and will have to put a large sign "BIRD WATCHING" in the front window, so they aren't wondering why we are parked there for so long. We seem to be the only people that don't move after the train passes...
Dan - he probably just isn't a happy person in general - but even crusty people should have their place on our forum. We can't all be Einstein's and only put things on the forum that read like the WSJ Editorial Page. I am always amazed that the railroad workers even take the time or the energy to post on the forum. Back in the dark ages, you found more that were crusty than now - simply because it was a hard job and a hard life.
I still maintain I wouldn't want to do what Houston Ed does - I like creature comforts too well.
More seminars through the month of "Febanary" - so will be in and out. I am a team leader - and still don't know what that means, except I need to attend meetings. Wonder where the extra pay for that window is hidden?
She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw
Morning, Mookie! Looks like you were the first one around here, to be able to get in the front door!! I tried two hours ago, and no one would let me in. Guess they weren't through cleaning (lol) from the weekend. Sure glad to hear that you could actually be at the tracks over the weekend, with your windows down. That must have been really nice!!
Coffee, juice, hot cider, hot chocolate and hot tea are all ready to be consumed!! On the menu this morning: hot muffins fresh out of the oven, along with bagels, and bear claws and cinnamon rolls with butter and sour cream icing on them.
Looks like I fixed just the right amount of steak & sides yesterday, because I need to find something else to fix for today. Do I have any requests today? If not, maybe I'll bring out the charcoal grill, and fire it up. Still debating that train of thought.
Mookie,
What I was getting at was the attitude of certain folks, not even on here-though it could apply on here, too. My comment had to do with personal contact with 1:1 RRers over the weekend. No, not at their job or on RR property. It's a long story that I can email you if you wish. Personally speaking if a job made me get that mean & rude it's time for a reevaluation of priorities. Comments like "You don't wanna work for the railroad. Long hours, getting dirty, and always on the engine. Besides-you're just a *** kid (FWIW I'm 28) and would do nothing but get in the way of the rest of us who know what we're doing. The job is too hard to learn how to do" remind me of an alcoholic speaking of their problems. Life is way too short to go through being a crabapple unless you like ulcers and being alone because nobody can stand you.
I am very grateful to the RR employees that post on here. They are a wealth of info and insight into a world that the rest of us wouldn't normally have. Would I like to try my hand at it? Yep, but I don't know if it'll happen. Anyway....what road was that SD40 you saw from?
CW-I'll grab a bearclaw and my vote is for the grill for later. Time to go and see what the CN is up to this morning. Back later!
Dan - it was an old Illinois Central - Operation Lifesaver - we have seen several of them around here. And by golly- they are black and white - and their paint is holding up just fine thank you!
I think some people are not happy in their private lives, so they take it out on their jobs and anyone around them. They want to make themselves look larger than life. so they don't let their actions speak for them. They make a lot of noise so everyone will know that what they do is very important. They don't realize that if you are good or work very hard at whatever your job is, people will notice.
Plus some people get off belittling others to....see above......
Morning folks!
Hot coffee and some buttered toast please!
How do you folks up north of the Mason-Dixon keep your house pipes from freezing? I have a crawl space where the water pipes are exposed and I drip water when the temps go below 32, but with the water restrictions due to drought this year I need to find an alternative. Any suggestions would be a help!
Have a great day!
Thanks,
Ryan
Ryan BoudreauxThe Piedmont Division Modeling The Southern Railway, Norfolk & Western & Norfolk Southern in HO during the merger eraCajun Chef Ryan
SilverSpike wrote:Morning folks!Hot coffee and some buttered toast please!How do you folks up north of the Mason-Dixon keep your house pipes from freezing? I have a crawl space where the water pipes are exposed and I drip water when the temps go below 32, but with the water restrictions due to drought this year I need to find an alternative. Any suggestions would be a help!Have a great day! Thanks,Ryan
Ryan, here on the south side (barely) of the Mason-Dixon line, we use insulation, insulation
and more insulation; the Nawth'ners just use a whole lot more of it!
Being Crazy,keeps you from going "INSANE" !! "The light at the end of the tunnel,has been turned off due to budget cuts" NOT AFRAID A Vet., and PROUD OF IT!!
....Ryan:
My construction is somewhat different than what you mention. House is on a concrete slab, hence....all water pipes are in the pea-gravel under the slab..{continous copper}, and of course up in the walls to serve the house. Some in the outside walls too. But the walls are insulated with blown in celulose and hence around all the pipes. In 1994 we recorded -22 degrees {but we were in Florida}, and some say lower temps and we had no pipes freeze. And....the heat is in the ceiling. Electric radiant. I do open the lower doors at the vanity in the bathrooms when it is extremely cold just for insurance.
For pipes in a craw space...I'd make sure all vents to the craw space are closed and perhaps enclose the pipes in those foam sections one can purchase, especially the ones near outside walls. One other thing I do...is cover outside water faucets {in Winter}, with a purchased "mitten" that insures additional insulation from the cold.
Hold onto your fur Mooks!...60+ MPH winds here...Flying garbage can season here in Denver (and don't dare try to go up in the hills southwest of here - Blizzard Conditions and multiple feets of snow inbound from CA) ...Uncle Pete is not having fun in Winter Park and Glenwood. (we heard more noise about Tennessee Pass reopening this weekend)
Flying garbage can lid (fortunately plastic) hit the living room window about 5AM setting the three barking doorbells off (Nigel is SOoooo off key)...no need for Mr. Alarm Clock today!
Possibility of light snow tonight and it was 62 here Sunday. Return to iceskating in the birdbath here shortly.
Mudchicken, those winds sound like the ones we sometimes have, and when we do, even I (with my excess weight) have to anchor my pockets down, to keep myself from blowing away. Don't know about iceskating in the birdbath, but supposedly, we have the possibility of snow coming back to us Friday.
Okay, I've gotten the grills out, cleaned up, and fired up. Just put the following on it: angus sirloin steaks, 2 inches thick; rib eye steaks (same thickness), 3/4 lb. burgers, hot dogs, Polish sausages, brats; and on the other grill: corn on the cob, veggie shishkabobs w/thick potato slices, green, red and yellow sweet peppers. And on the stove, is a pot of green beans, a pan of baked beans in the oven. Everything is just about ready to go on the warmer bar (at least the first round of the meats and veggies). And I'll still be working the grills all afternoon.
SilverSpike wrote: Morning folks!Hot coffee and some buttered toast please!How do you folks up north of the Mason-Dixon keep your house pipes from freezing? I have a crawl space where the water pipes are exposed and I drip water when the temps go below 32, but with the water restrictions due to drought this year I need to find an alternative. Any suggestions would be a help!Have a great day! Thanks,Ryan
CW that bearclaw was so good I'll grab another. Patiently waiting for lunch...
Thanks Walter, Quentin and Dan for the pipe info, I think some insulation and maybe a 100 watt light bulb or two turned on in the crawl space at night would help bring up the temps too! I have the exterior faucets covered with the insulated caps, and the pipes leading to them have valves inside the crawl space that I turned off. I think the light bulb idea will do the trick too! And covering the air circulation vents too, need to get that done, seems like there are about 6 of them!
CW, that lunch menu sounds down right tasty! I'l start with 1 of each! yum!
Cheers,
Ryan,
My crawl space is usually at least 40 degrees simply from the bulbs I use. Even when we were below 0 and in the -10/20 range it didn't dip below 35 down there.
Grill sounds good...
Spike - I live 10 miles from the Canadian border. I have a full basement, and the furnace is there, so you'd think I wouldn't have a problem. I did, one year, as the result of the minute amount of air that passed between the sill plate and the foundation. It was just enough on a windy day to freeze a small plug in a copper pipe. A bit of heat and that was solved, and the simple act of hanging a bit of plastic sheet between the sill and the pipe cured the problem for good. The pipe wasn't damaged.
That said - make your crawlspace as airtight as possible. That 1/4" hole might not seem like much, but when you cumulatively add it to the other little holes, you end up with what would effectively be a rather large hole. The heat from your home, plus the natural heat from the ground, will actually help keep the area warm, and your home will be the warmer for it as well. If you do use some light bulbs for heat, this will make them that much more effective. Caulk and/or foam insulation will do the job. Hereabouts people pile snow up around their foundations as insulation, especially with mobile homes.
You might also find it productive to put insulation on all of your exposed pipes. Use the stuff they sell for your hot water pipes. Works great! Heat tape can be useful if you have a recurring problem area, but use it with caution. I've seen too many times when it has problems and causes a fire.
All I can say about cutting off the intake of air is beware. If you have a furnace or floor furnace, remember those things have gotta have combustion air. Otherwise, they could go out or worse, make carbon monoxide. Here, our circulating hot water from the furnace runs in the crawl space, and keeps temps relatively high.
Tom
COAST LINE FOREVER
It is better to dwell in the corner of a roof than to share a house with a contentious woman! (Solomon)
A contentious woman is like a constant dripping! (Solomon)
....Ryan, in thinking about what we've written along with several others, I'd pay attention to blocking those crawlspace vents and just in general, seal up the space. Prevent any {cold}, wind blowing anywhere near the pipes under there and you will have helped a lot.
Edit: Just read the part of your water heater {electric}, being in the crawl space. No vent needed for that. And...If it doesn't have an extra insulation blanket around it, it should provide heat to the crawl space area and by sealing the space up you should have good results.
By the way, make sure the crawl space vents are opened in the Spring for ventilation.
Brian (IA) http://blhanel.rrpicturearchives.net.
afternoon
well I worked over this morning.saw 3 mookies in our siding with a coal train for detroit edison.according to the weather thunderstorms tommorow then cold again.will be hanging onto our hats.had a scary feeling this afternoon.heard sirens and matts bus was late.matts bus passed a bad accident on the way home.he said a grand am got smashed.hope everyone there is okay.Cw thanks for suppper.
Joe
Yeah, Joe, we're to start with rain tonight through tomorrow night. Expecting wind gusts between 30 -40 mph tomorrow afternoon, then possibly turning to snow Wednesday. Very glad Matt did make it home safe and sound!!
Got the next round of grilling off the grill, and on the warmer bar. Hope you all enjoy!!
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