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Mookie's Thread

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Posted by SD70Dude on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 10:53 PM

erikem
edblysard
She kept a low profile here, as she felt that most of the members, being men, would feel threatened by a female fan, and either dismiss her or ridicule her.

I can understand while she felt thay way, but I have been impressed by the women who have posted on this forum, e.g. Cherokee Woman, Juniatha, Shadow the Cats Owner and especially Mookie with her kind words for her friends.

Will be missing her posts and condolences to Driver.

 - Erik

Well said.

I didn't know her and have only been posting on here in the more recent years when she was less active, but I did enjoy her humour.  

She will be missed.

Greetings from Alberta

-an Articulate Malcontent

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Posted by erikem on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 10:05 PM

edblysard
She kept a low profile here, as she felt that most of the members, being men, would feel threatened by a female fan, and either dismiss her or ridicule her.

I can understand while she felt thay way, but I have been impressed by the women who have posted on this forum, e.g. Cherokee Woman, Juniatha, Shadow the Cats Owner and especially Mookie with her kind words for her friends.

Will be missing her posts and condolences to Driver.

 - Erik

 

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Posted by samfp1943 on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 9:47 PM

MidlandMike

Thanks Ed [Blysard] for sharing.  I doubt she is looking down and being mad at you.

GOOD GRIEF!

Angel This news of Mookie's passing is just stunning news.  I too, "knew her" through her posting here, and personal correspondence,from time to time . 

 My condolences to Edwin( Driver) and her brother Carl. 

I'll miss her, but I can look back on some of our e-mail letters. Her clarity and brevity could be counted on to bring a bright light to any conversaton.

Jen(Mookie) wrote in January of 2010:"...We aren't too far from the tracks - about 16 blocks west of us - so I can't see them but sure can hear them when the dogs aren't barking in the neighborhood or during the nite when it is finally quiet.  They made north Lincoln a quiet zone and now want to do the tracks that go south out of Lincoln.  It shouldn't affect Amtrak, but will the coal and freight that goes down to KC/St Joe. 
 
Dale[NANAIMO73] seems like a good person.  He has commented on some of my postings and I have read some of his items in Trains magazine.  Murphy Siding has been visiting with me a little.  He has a big job as moderator and is trying very hard to be a good one.  He has his hands full!
 
Seems the commotion has died down a little in the forum.  I get a lot of information from Carl in Chicago, Houston Ed and Mudchicken in Denver by e-mail.  Pretty good group - a tower man, a switch foreman and a surveyor/teacher.  Think I have all my bases pretty well covered.  Sir Chicken is educating me on rotary snowplows right now!  Very impressive!
 
Sick of winter; sick of snow; sick of clouds; and sick of being cold all the time.  Temps aren't too bad, but humidity is killing us.  Had "mist" - no real rain.  Did in some of the snow, but still too much of it.  Musn't complain - could live in So Cal.  :)
 
Good to hear from you.  I have another subject for the forum, but will try to wait a few days before I post it.  Hope I can remember it! 
 
Jen, Ed and the late Mookie...."

Jen Corman (Mookie )will surely be missed .

"...May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields
and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand..."

 

 


 

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Posted by BaltACD on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 9:33 PM

blhanel
OK, switched hosting site to Flickr.  Should be fine now.

Thanks for correcting - pictures are now visible.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

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Posted by blhanel on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 9:29 PM

OK, switched hosting site to Flickr.  Should be fine now.

Thanks for the suggestion, Charlie!

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Posted by MidlandMike on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 8:52 PM

Thanks Ed for sharing.  I doubt she is looking down and being mad at you.

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Posted by zugmann on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 8:51 PM

Had a couple long PM conversations with Mookie over the years.  Just went and read through the one just now. 

Place just got a little bit less friendly with her gone. 

It's been fun.  But it isn't much fun anymore.   Signing off for now. 


  

The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 8:00 PM

Brian:  You might be seeing them because you own the webspace and are logged into it on your cornphewer.

 

I only knew Mookie from her posts here.  Always liked her avitar of the kitten.  I think I will miss her, too.

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

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Posted by mudchicken on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 7:54 PM

No luck up here in Minniesoter Brian....

Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west
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Posted by SALfan on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 7:52 PM

I am so sorry to hear this; my sincere condolences to Driver and all on here who knew her personally.  I only knew Mookie from her posts on the forum, but she seemed like a really nice person.  My priest would have a conniption fit if he heard this, but I'm convinced there are trains in Heaven, so she should have plenty to watch.  

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Posted by blhanel on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 7:22 PM

Sorry, got called away for a "honey-do" immediately after making the previous posts.  I must be doing something wrong with my links to Dropbox- I shall endeavor to fix them (funny, they show up fine when I look at the posts).

EDIT: can you see them now?

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Posted by Los Angeles Rams Guy on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 7:04 PM

Found out about this from Mudchicken last night when I met him for dinner.  Didn't know her nor was I acquainted with her but it's still damn sad nonetheless.  Our profession has lost a good one. 

"Beating 'SC is not a matter of life or death. It's more important than that." Former UCLA Head Football Coach Red Sanders
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Posted by selector on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 6:56 PM

Darn....  Tongue Tied

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Posted by CopCarSS on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 6:31 PM

Thanks for posting this, Ed. Even if Mook would have been upset about it, I think it's important to have a thread for her in this forum. Mookie was synonomous with this place and it's very melancholic to sign in and not have her here.

Mook, I hope there are lots of trains for you on the other side. Thanks for the gift of your friendship over the years. Keep an eye on all of us until we have the chance to meet again.

-Chris
West Chicago, IL
Christopher May Fine Art Photography

"In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration." ~Ansel Adams

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 6:15 PM

Brian:  All I see is a slashed circle and the title of the image in red.  Clicking the title gets me a page that says "Error 401, It seems you don't belong here!"

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

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Posted by edblysard on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 5:54 PM

Links don't seem to work for me....

23 17 46 11

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Posted by blhanel on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 5:50 PM

And here's a shot of Mookie's favorite train-watching spot where I did manage to get her in the picture- second from left.

Watching Trains in Lincoln

 

I could post a shot of her from Rochelle, but that's the one that led to the need for "tin shoes"- I don't want to risk her coming back from the grave to get me.

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Posted by blhanel on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 5:43 PM

You're a year off, Carl- here's a shot from that get-together taken on October 7, 2006; Mook's behind the camera, pushing the shutter release...

Forum Gathering in Lincoln

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Posted by edblysard on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 5:40 PM

Aimee's, it is October 24th......

23 17 46 11

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Posted by CShaveRR on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 4:06 PM

I have the photo of our lunch in Lincoln all those years ago.  I've posted it here before, but have lost the knowledge of how to do it again.  

Carl

Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)

CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)

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Posted by blhanel on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 3:29 PM

CShaveRR

The time that a bunch of us--the Blysards, Willie and his parents, Brian Hanel, Mudchicken and Boss Hen, and Pat and I--joined them at this spot, we all had a fantastic time watching trains, and at the lunch for all, the supper for some, and the small gathering in her living room at the end of that day in October 2005.  It was somebody's birthday--I can't remember whose, among that crowd of early/mid October birthdays.  BH?  Aimee?

Not me- mine's in May.

I will miss her as well.  I guess I can throw away the tin shoes now... Sad

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Posted by csxns on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 3:06 PM

RIP Mookie will miss you.

Russell

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Posted by CShaveRR on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 12:28 PM

I was sad to hear of her failing health, and we have both been saddened even more today with this news.
We, too, got to "Camp Mookie" in Lincoln a couple of times.  The time that a bunch of us--the Blysards, Willie and his parents, Brian Hanel, Mudchicken and Boss Hen, and Pat and I--joined them at this spot, we all had a fantastic time watching trains, and at the lunch for all, the supper for some, and the small gathering in her living room at the end of that day in October 2005.  It was somebody's birthday--I can't remember whose, among that crowd of early/mid October birthdays.  BH?  Aimee?

From the time I started contributing to the Forum (she had already been here), I adored her posts.  I may have been responsible for the "SJ" appellation, because I thought she was like somebody's little sister, tagging along on her brothers' adventures (she wouldn't have been a little sister, having several years on me--she would have been 75 this December--but the image persisted, even after we'd met).  It was an image I delighted in, even more so when I became "BC" (Brother Carl) to her.  And on the fairly frequent calls we shared, I always looked forward to eliciting one of her guffaws.

But all good things had to come to an end.  Ed, you mentioned that she'd probably be angry over this post as an unnecessary intrusion.  You're lucky you didn't run afoul of this.  I did...and she was not happy with me.  And she bore the grudge.

But now, there's a sunbeam in Lincoln without its owner.  Stay warm and happy, SJ!

As to the monument at Camp Mookie, I'm in favor--how could we make it happen?

                           @

Carl

Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)

CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)

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Posted by Gramp on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 11:16 AM

Sad.  Always enjoyed her humor and comments.  RIP

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Posted by charlie hebdo on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 10:41 AM

She was wise and gentle "old soul" who will be missed.

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Posted by zardoz on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 9:37 AM

A wonderful person who will be missed by all who knew her.

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Posted by diningcar on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 8:32 AM

Sometimes words are not adequate to express our feelings. This is such a time for me but I must try.

Mr. Driver your wonderful lady brightened our lives with her very unique style of communicating. Please take comfort from these responses from her many friends.

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Posted by Murphy Siding on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 8:17 AM

  

    This is sad. Mookie was a big part of what made this forum interesting. She and I have corresponded for at least 10-12 years. A quick look back at PM’s shows that we probably corresponded 500-600 times. We talked about trains, the forum, families, jobs, doctors, health issues and life in general.

     Jenny was a very private person. I can respect that as I’m the same. I can tell you she was like everyone’s nice grandma. She had a delightful sense of humor and a great demeanor. About 6 weeks back I managed to call her in the hospital and talked for about 45 minutes. She was just a chatty, giggly, fun person to talk to.

     I trust that her new train watching spot has a lot more to offer than just coal trains pulled by orange pumpkins. See ya at the next station Jen.

Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.

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Posted by Deggesty on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 8:00 AM

I am grieved to hear of Mookie's departure from this life. I did not know her as well as some of us did, but I felt able to call her, as a fe did, "Sister Jen."

I appreciated her questions, which were, to me, reasonable. And, I enjoyed the little bit of back and forth she and I had.

I, along with many others, will miss her comments and questions.

Johnny

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 7:09 AM

Mookie's posts were always entertaining, interesting and even informative.  They also kept us from taking ourselves too seriously and reminded us that we are in this hobby for the fun of it.

The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul

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