Mike, Momma mastiff swallows socks like they are buttered noodles sometimes, I always worry till that passes. What did "Jaws" have in his belly anyhow? Fortescue?
Finally fell asleep at a human hour and for a whole night really
..Got up before dawn, out of milk..out of coffee, so snapped a picture for tuesday & Trumptrain and went for a slow walk to Wallyworld in search of a basket of goodies and a skeleton or pumpkin face to turn onto a boiler plate.
I've struck out at three big stores and two dollar stores. They dont seem to make the head/pumkin shaped flashlight defusers for kids anymore. Closest thing was a string of Christmas tree lights with a skull really ment for a Día de Muertos party. Not even a cool one, just super cheesy.
Disappointed I headed towards food. Debating over coffees I bumped into another O gauge local, and we filled in the gaps on the "what ya been up to"-s. He has a couple motors saved for me to bash on and maybe steal the Magnetraction bearings from ( I need the MT correct 2037 bearings to retain MT on my first train....hens teeth it seems. I don't want to trash a C-8+ adriatic for good ones, but I might.)
I could see an itch in him developing as we talked. His layout bas been down over a year and wifes has been sick requiring him to care for her, and work every hour left that he can. She is now better and recovering well, and he has the week off too. His first chance to relax in a couple years. Knowing this, I only said to him.."It's only a half mile, this store is further" and got back a nod and smile that screamed "thank you". It started raining and would have been another hour till I got picked up again so I rode home with him too.
Today & tonigbt I'll be cleaning every layout mess, vacumming them, and wiping track so he can run what he wants where he wants. I'm looking forward to running some new and visiting trains too. It's been a long time and we used to run one of ours about once a month. No telling what he will show up with either. He doesn't collect tons, but buys, sells trades to keep a variety of things that are "fresh" to him.
I met him when I posted for Lionel trades on Craigslist and he answered. I ended up fixing his ZWs and some other things in trade. Over time, it turns out we had done buisness before. He was the regular mechanic for a number of freinds business trucks and one of only 5 mechanics to ever do my old VW brakes and valves 100% correctly. I was always too busy to really meet him and only saw him twice. I just dropped keys in his mailbox and then the cash in the mailbox and he dropped it off and collected. He said he recognized the VW campervan one day when I had the garage open and told me he used to work on it for the original owner. I told him I was second owner and it had only been dealer serviced bedore that and I was picky about who wrenched for me. Then our previous business became apparent to both of us. I'll overpay a good mechanic if I can. A tip, usually $20. He never forgot and said it "saved" him a few times...so he throws his junk that I can use my way for free, and drops off cars he thinks I "need"
Brian, So you aren't building a loco to fit the box???..
...I'm confused .
