BR60103

We went for a walk in the University Arboretum this morning. Many of the paths had muddy patches and puddles that we had to walk around. There were large ponds where there is normally lawn. We detoured across one patch of lawn where the pond came to just below the level of the grass. And one end of the parking lot had a big frozen puddle.

I have had 2 different experiences in the last year. One set of packages had a little plastic capsule containing the springs -- coiled and straight. The last few had the springs loose and no straight ones. The shop staff, though, have always sealed the hole in the packet (for hanging on the display) with Scotch tape as they sold it to me. I have started to consolidate the loose springs in the capsules from the other couplings.

My wife has a motorized unit (a Galloping Goose) that was running erratically. After years of cleaning track and wheels, I finally treated all the contact surfaces in the pickup trail with Electrolube and it now runs with no hesitation. I would not use any oil or grease on axle ends unless it said "plastic compatible". I treated the lighting pickups in a set of coaches. I thought I was using Electrolube but it was oil. I had to clean all the pickups and axles and use proper Elube before the lights would come on again.

I neglected to mention one event in yesterday's duct cleaning. We started the process with the cat shut in the front room. When it came time to do that room, Marco was moved to the bedroom. Later there was a change from the heating pipes to the return air. I'm not sure what happened, but suddenly Marco was beside me in the basement and then disappeared under the railway. (It's supported with bookshelves and curtained.) He didn't appear until all was over. I checked upstairs and found that the sliding door (pocket door) on the bedroom was open about 4". It was worrying because the main suction tube went out through the garage and doors were open all the way. Marco, though, is a very indoor cat and resists going out. Today was opening day of Vaccine season, so we had Covid shot #6. We were over there about 10:00 and found they didn't open 'til 1:00. And just one day a week.

Long time ago, the Canadian Prime Minister* made a remark in the House. When some honourable member questioned what he had said, he replied "Fuddle duddle, or something like that."** Fuddle duddle is now part of our political lexicon. I note fuddle passes the spellcheck, but not duddle. *father to the current one ** may not be exact

This was an early day for us. We had an appointment for duct cleaning at 8:00 which is the time I usually start my morning coffee. So I was up an hour early. Duct cleaning: we have forced-air gas furnace. This sucks air in from all around the house and heats it up. Over the last 20 years this has left much debris in the pipes. Our filter, which has a nominal 6 month life, clogged after one month. The tech runs a 6" or 8" pipe from his van. He cuts a hole in the duct work and attaches the pipe to it. With the vacuum started, he takes a compressed air tool to each vent and blows it. Later he pushes the air through a hole in the duct. This was repeated 4 times -- hot air, return air, both sides of the furnace. I could hear what sounded like gravel bouncing through the vacuum. The job was preceded by my removing loads of obstacles (e.g.books) from in front of the vents. The job was finished in 90 minutes.

How do they know whose ballot is incorrect?

I bring up the Hugo awards (for Science Fiction) from 2015. https://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2015-hugo-awards/ There was a special interest group that hijacked the nomination process. Because of the preferential ballot system, the members were able to put "No Award" at the top of a number of categories. I wonder if there is a system where we could rate candidates as Preferred Tolerable Totally Unacceptable

I have an HO Birney which was my first brass model in the early 60s. The local trolley museum may still roster a Guelph Birney (225) but when I saw it it seemed to be floor, roof and a couple of corner posts. I finally managed a ride on one about 10 years ago in Perris, Ca. Just checked: the TTC (Toronto) acquired 25 Birneys when it started. The cars built in 1920 and some lasted to 1940.

We tidied the garage today. Weather was nice and Dayle decided that it was time to bring the reindeer in. So we had to clear out the space they summer in. And move some shelves and things around. Tomorrow we get ice. When we were outside Boston, Ma a few years ago there was a commuter train from the town into the big city. But parking required using a phone app and Dayle doesn't do those. Since we had a rental car we didn't want to chance a parking ticket. And there was no ticket seller or whatever. Maybe buy a ticket on the train?

We have used McD's a bit as it's often all there is. I commented years ago that it was amazing how uniformly horrible the coffee is. My father used to stop there because the washrooms were always clean. A descriptive word becomes nasty if it's applied to someone/something the speaker disapproves of. I just tried to work on a kit that I must have bought over 40 years ago and which may be 50 years old. It's an American coach. The castings for the truck (bogie) sideframes are all bent or shattered. There seems to be a second set of castings in the same shape. The bolsters or stretchers for the trucks are riveted to the floor (like early TriAng) so replacing them will be a chore. There are castings for steps in the same metal. There need bits removed and they snap off easily. Another kit from the same manufacturer has identical step castings but in a different metal. The little bits won't snap off.

A number of years ago, we were having trouble paying a parking meter. I saw a meter maid and told her. She said that the Mint/Government had changed the specs on the dollar coins without a major announcement and the new ones didn't work in the meters. I can't imagine the cost to replace/adjust the mechanisms in several hundred to a thousand meters (this was a small town) compared to the revenue they might bring in.

What % of income do they earn?

There is a French Canadian play called Les belles Soeurs (The sisters-in-law). The setup is that one lady has won a million trading stamps and has all her lady friends/relatives in to stick them in books. I haven't seen it.

Our local bookstore (chain) has about a half-dozen copies of the catalogue. At $25 a pop, I don't expect them to sell too many. I remember when they were either $0.10 or free. (price of a chocolate bar)

I have a tube. Points to note: It's not a glue. It works best if there is a cavity for it to get a grip in. I'm not sure if it sticks to itself. Instructions ask for a rough surface. It has a long time before you have to make it set. Lots of adjustment time. It needs to be visible to the UV light. Mine says that it should be 2 feet away from you! (25") It does a good job holding something in a hole that's slightly too big. You may need 3 hands for this job.

Marley looks very much like our Marco. I'll see if I can get a picture of him. He doesn't like being outside like that, but he does like being in his pram with everything zippered tight.

A question for those who spend a lot of time in France. We spent a week in Paris several decades ago. We watched the weather on TV and one night they had what looked like salt and pepper shakers on the map. Any idea what they meant? (It's no longer urgent.) I had an echo-cardiogram many decades ago. I have prolapsed mitral valve. The doctor wasn't worried -- they couldn't even have detected it 10 years before. The only consequence is that I have to take a big dose of penicillin before I go to the dentist. That dose has been reduced very much over the years.

My grandmother had little (1" around?) crystal dishes with glass (?) shovels that held the salt. I think there was one for every place. (I'm going back almost 65 years now) I never found out what happened to them. ed: Tony_S beat me to it.

The Canadian cars have outlasted a couple of sets of cars that were supposed to replace them.

There's been a situation in Canada at the start of March Break week. On Friday one of the cheaper and smaller airlines had four of its planes impounded for missing payments. This ruined a large number of people's plans. A few suggestions that the timing was designed to be extra nasty to the airline.

I have a souvenir shirt that reads "Lake Michigan Unsalted". I'm trying to get a companion "Lake Michigan -- Needs more Salt" (I think the campaign lists other things that it lacks, like sharks.)

I had lamps on my Hornby O gauge about 70 years ago. By the time I found out what I was supposed to do with them, they had all disappeared.

In all my working years, I remember only 2 times that snow kept me from work. We had gone to Ottawa for New Year's. The day we wanted to return, the road was covered with a sheet of ice and there were several inches of snow on top. We couldn't get enough traction to push through the snow. Another time, we had a major snow storm. I was taking the train to work. There were small delays but when we were past the second last station, we stopped dead. Trains were barely moving into Union Station. I think they were clearing one track. Every time a train went by it pulled more snow into the string of double slip switches that lead to the platforms and they all had to be dug out by hand again. I think I got to work between 2:00 and 3:00 in the afternoon and had to leave sonn to catch the train home. Luckily, I had my lunch and ate it on the train.

One of our club had an engineering job in Germany on a new aeroplane. It was an international project. He said that alternate fuselage sections came from France and Germany and they had different ideas about what the diameter was supposed to be. We started the passport renewal process this morning. After 2 hours in their office, including a half-hour with a real live person, we now just have to wait for it to come in the mail or whatever. And we won't have to repeat it for 10 years.