THE FLAT WHEEL CAFE

[cherokee woman]

Been outside a couple of times this morning, and it is really warm, already bordering on HOT!!  So, with that in mind, I'm making today a Monday Mexican Fiesta Day the following on the menu:

1.  Tacos

2.  Beef burritos enchilada style

3.  Beef, bean, onion burritos

4.  Spanish rice

5.  Quasadillas

There's also some lettuce chopped up, with diced tomatoes mixed in with it, just in case you'd like to add that to your tacos or burritos, quasadillas, etc.

And, along with plenty of iced tea and lemonade, I've made some non-alcoholic strawberry margaritas.

 

[grampaw pettibone]

Morning. 86 degrees and clear in Carolina this morning, headed for the high 90s again. CW, thanks for breakfast. I shall have one of each and some pineapple juice. Everyone stay safe

[Modelcar]

...Brian....It appears to us here, wind can do weird things.  Many times I see the limbs and leaves whipping around on the former tree line {of still some remaining large trees}, on the fairway right behind our home and we seem not to be getting much wind at all just several hundred feet away for that moment.....

[blhanel]

good morning

brian glad you made it home safely.you must of had a low pressure center just go to the south of you.they spin counter-clockwise.another warm one with maybe some thunderboomers this afternoon.will keep our eyes peeled.

stay safe

joe

Yep Joe, the direction I understand- what I don't understand is how a wind gust out of the SW last night that uprooted a tree in the front yard of a house four down the street from us and two trees in the backyard of our neighbor across the street didn't even register on my wind gauge!  That is just WEIRD.

Looks like it might be awhile before I post any pictures from this past weekend- I can't get my desktop PC to turn on, so I'm limited to my new laptop and here at work.  Since there's other issues that have a higher priority on the laptop (like getting our checkbook monitoring software loaded on it), picture processing will have to take a back seat for now.

[tree68]

The mess that hammered Michigan dissapated before it got to us, to it was a peaceful night.  T-Storms in the forecast this afternoon.

Bearclaw and tea.  I'll be in the corner finally reading my July Trains.

[JoeKoh]

good morning

brian glad you made it home safely.you must of had a low pressure center just go to the south of you.they spin counter-clockwise.another warm one with maybe some thunderboomers this afternoon.will keep our eyes peeled.

stay safe

joe

[Modelcar]

....Yes, this will be another warm one.  77 now to start at a bit past 7:30....so if rain doesn't cool it off, that probably means a bit into the 90's again.

[cherokee woman]

Good Monday morning, folks!  Very muggy this morning, w/a temp of 79, 80 degrees.  Sun shining brightly.  Brian, very glad to know you and Joanie made it home safely!  

Coffee, fresh juices (apple/pear, orange, orange/tanerine, pineapple and grape), hot water for tea are all ready.

On the breakfast bar this morning:  cinnamon rolls, cereals, turkey bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, hash browns,  homemade buttermilk biscuits w/sausage gravy, bagels and bear claws.  

Think I'll get some coffee, and head out to the garden for a few, watch the trains go by, and wait for some company to come into the Cafe/Diner.

[blhanel]

We're back home fine, but not without getting nervous in a couple of places on the way- lots of water everywhere in northern Iowa.  As luck would have it, our route home took us away from the normal through Mason City, going via Rochester/New Hampton instead.  And Cedar Rapids got hit with a pretty bad storm tonight just a couple of hours before we got here- one of our neighbors across the street lost a couple of trees.  My weather station has a new high wind gust, but interestingly enough it wasn't from tonight, but yesterday morning at 7:36 AM it recorded a 46.3 MPH gust out of the SE.

[Modelcar]

.....Cannonball:

In the cold season when ice is a threat for your locking gas caps.....How about spraying in some windshield deicer or a shot of antifreeze to prevent the lock from freezing....

[tree68]

Good day, everyone.

I also just received one of those email alerts about people stealing license plates to use in drive-offs at gas stations.

Our Province (British Columbia) brought in a law February 1st that all fuel must be paid for before you can start pumping. I would have thought this would have already been in place throughout the United States. I'm sure it will be within a couple of years.

Thanks for supper.

If I knew how much I was going to put in, that would be easy, but I generally fill the tank and that can vary by several gallons from fill-up to fill-up. 

I generally use my debit card anyhow.  The only hassle is when they cut you off at a certain dollar amount and you aren't quite full yet. 

That's a real pain for a local supermarket incentive program.  You get cents off from your fuel based on your purchases at the store.  The problem is that it doesn't carry over - once you invoke the price reduction at the pump it's gone, whether you pump all 20 gallons (the max) or one.  With a price cutoff of $75 on card transactions, I can never get the full value of the discount....

[CANADIANPACIFIC2816]

There will always be people who will try to steal someone else's gasoline by siphoning it from the tank of a car or truck. What none of these people seem to realize is that siphoning gasoline can cause severe neurological brain damage. I have a friend who teaches biology and human anatomy at the University of Sioux Falls, and he told me this several years ago.

Ray

[nanaimo73]

Good day, everyone.

I also just received one of those email alerts about people stealing license plates to use in drive-offs at gas stations.

Our Province (British Columbia) brought in a law February 1st that all fuel must be paid for before you can start pumping. I would have thought this would have already been in place throughout the United States. I'm sure it will be within a couple of years.

Thanks for supper.

[tree68]

We'll have to see if the stuff coming across southern Ontario (after pounding Michigan for the second day in a row) holds up coming across Lake Ontario.  The lake has a marvelous calming effect like that.

If not, I'll probably be up in the middle of the night, chasing the usual "thunderstorm calls."

[JoeKoh]

afternoon

a warm one here in nw ohio.My sister is going to come home and not have power to their house from fridays storms.Csx is also delayed between holgate and hamler.every signal box has a portable generator hooked up to it and the speeds are restricted as well.due to the flooding in southern indiana they are re-routing trains through deshler as well.Brian I hope you and Joanie don't have to swim home.Cw thanks for supper.

stay safe

Joe

[spokyone]

The other night a big rig in New Windsor ILL suffered a 100 gallon theft. And he was parked near the highway. I'm not sure how someone could pull that off.  I also just received one of those email alerts about people stealing license plates to use in drive-offs at gas stations.

[switch7frg]

 Yes the fuel caps do have locks.And very sensitive vibration larms. Fuel caps do work well once they are locked , it feels like never locked twist off kind . The ( secret is lock operated cam assembly) . The only drawback  is ice in the key hole. 

         Cannonball

                    PS. I know , been there ~~ done that

[locomutt]

Afternoon, could y'all pass me that bar of soap over yonder?  Raining pretty good the last three days around here, more still coming....

Just been up in the truck doing what i'm supposed to be doing, so far we have weathered the high price of fuel (about $5/gal in NY) okay, but it's taking its toll on everyone.

Back in a while, going to check on the semi, make sure it's upright and nobody sucked the fuel out of it yet....   

 

Randy, Long Time No See!    OOPS!!    Stay on the other side of the truck please!

For once, no rain to report around here. 

Eventhough locks only keep honest people Honest, do they make Locking Fuel Caps

for the Big Rigs? 

[Anonymous]

I talked with RRKen earlier...Most of the area of N Central Iowa (where his lives) has very bad flooding.

He stated that:  "The levy has breeched in two locations, north end of town closed.   U.S. 65 closed  north of town.  County Road B-20 closed in two locations between I-35 and U.S. 65.   Highway 18/122 is still open, for now.  Most other major streets are closed or stub ended...Highway 65 north closed in town now.  Only one way out of town, Highway 18 W.  And that has water flowing over it."

Very bad up there...

 

[Anonymous]

Rain?

Whats that?

Here in San Antonio I have a nice crunchy brown lawn...and now the city is moving up its summer watering restriction schedule.

 

 

[Modelcar]

....Walt:

We here specifically, have not had any problem....My rain gauge in all this mess since last Friday has had just 1.45" in it.

But....The area...north of us....and south and west of us has had some nasty damage.  Yes, I-65....and I-70 {east - west}, were closed due to high water....When it does that, most of us know they are engineered for a very long time frame of no flooding.  Some of that area had 125 mph winds and 10" of rain....and some tornado action.{That's just 70 or 80 miles from here}......!!  Some fatilities....Lots of infrastructure damage and many homes flooded up to the roof eves....

I'm amazed we've got by as we have......The only thing it's caused me {so far}, is more mowing as it was just fertlized within the past week or so....

Muncie White river overflowed it's banks and covered the flood plane and that was about it....

Big doings here in Yorktown next weekend.....Sure hope it stays dry for that.....This week, the area where it will be conducted had 4' plus of water.  Summer Heat program....Hot air balloons and all the festivities that go with it. 

[rvos1979]

Afternoon, could y'all pass me that bar of soap over yonder?  Raining pretty good the last three days around here, more still coming....

Just been up in the truck doing what i'm supposed to be doing, so far we have weathered the high price of fuel (about $5/gal in NY) okay, but it's taking its toll on everyone.

Back in a while, going to check on the semi, make sure it's upright and nobody sucked the fuel out of it yet....   

[tree68]

Actually, I was kind of enjoying the coolness.  Feels like a blast furnace outside now, though.

[locomutt]

Oh look - a blue spruce tree.....

 

[locomutt]

While you're in the cooler, would you please check the freezer side, and make sure we have plenty of Ice there? 

Th-th-th-there's pl-pl-pl-plenty, b-b-b-but I'll g-g-g-go b-b-b-back in and ch-ch-ch-check ag-g-g-gain.....

 

Thank You!!!  But you don't have to go back in!!

Be sure and grab a blanket before you leave. 

[Mookie]

Oh look - a blue spruce tree.....

[locomutt]

.....Did someone say "hotdogs...........",  Now that's real food.  But watch I don't too many.

 

That is very good food, especially if you're at a Baseball Game!!

(but it has to have "Everything" on it!) 

[tree68]

While you're in the cooler, would you please check the freezer side, and make sure we have plenty of Ice there? 

Th-th-th-there's pl-pl-pl-plenty, b-b-b-but I'll g-g-g-go b-b-b-back in and ch-ch-ch-check ag-g-g-gain.....

[locomutt]

Well, looks no one had any requests for me today regarding Sunday Dinner.  So, here is what I have come up with:  Since it is so hot and muggy (steamy, whatever adjective you'd like to use), think I'll just fix some burgers, brats hot dogs on the grill.  

It may not be summer officially yet, but Mother Nature has certainly handed us in northern NY a nice summer day.  I'll see if there's some potato salad in the cooler...

 

Yeah Larry, I think we have about two more weeks to go before the "Official";

but it seems like we are having July and August weather the first week of June!

Not sure I'm looking foward to more heat & humidity. While you're in the cooler,

would you please check the freezer side, and make sure we have plenty of Ice there? 

 

Quentin, how has your area fared? It would seem earlier today, (and yesterday evening)

If we had wanted to drive from Lou. to Indy., we wouldn't/couldn't have made it

due to high water. I-65 was closed for awhile from Seymour on.

[Willy2]

I believe it scared a lot of people because of how fast it developed. The NWS issued the severe thunderstorm warning at 2:22 AM. The tornado warning was issued at 2:25 AM. When I heard the weather radio go off again and then the sirens sounding, I was rather surprised. It appears the warning was issued about when the tornado touched down, or perhaps even shortly after. Still, I think the NWS did well since there really was not much of a velocity couplet on radar that would have indicated a tornado.

The good news is that there were no injuries.

Spotters on the ground must've eyeballed it thanks to lightning?

Joanie and I are currently up in Minnesota, and I'm concerned about what we'll find when we get home- looks like eastern Iowa got doused again last night.

That was more than likely what happened. Here's a link to a slideshow of some damage photos:

http://www.slide.com/r/fkMs6-Xc1T_92v9pE7XCpiubxMRSOYSM?previous_view=TICKER&previous_action=TICKER_ITEM_CLICK&ciid=1297036692888127037

It looks like Cedar Rapids got some rain, but no violent weather, so everything should be ok for you folks.