Tack Hunting
This weekend didn't go quite as planned, but it wasn't bad. ealdthryth and I ran trains for visitors at the museum in the morning. After lunch, she toddled off to the Co-Op, and I stayed to help install track on the new modules for the portable layout--the show is less than two months away, so we are trying to work quickly. There's a model of a container ship that will go on one of the new modules, and now that the main loop is in and working, the next step is to place all the yard tracks for intermodal service. That one section alone will keep an operator busy, so when we set up and run the layout, we'll need a number of operators. I think ealdthryth would be fine running something continuously along the mainline, but we'd have to get her up to speed on yard and switching operations (which is the next "big" thing the club wants to focus on).
I'm not sure what happened to Saturday evening, but Sunday was...unpredictable. At first, we were just going to go to the cookie exchange party at Den & Shannon's, so I got up relatively early and made gingerbread cookies. At some point we added helping someone set up their Christmas decorations, but then ealdthryth figured it was a women's group thing and we decided I would stay home. Once that plan got scuttled, I increased the tack factor of Ealdercote. The new mulched areas presented a new challenge in terms of lighting. I didn't want to puncture our ground cover with the stake lights, so the alternative was to run them around the perimeter. But, we didn't have enough "candy canes". I decided to go quasi-random. Candy canes interspersed with penguins, snowmen, and Santas. It doesn't look half bad, and ealdthryth likes it.
ealdthryth came back home close to dark, so she got to see the new tackification lit up. Alas, a couple of items have already burned out--and I'm a little peeved, because I tested everything before hooking it all together. Sigh On our way to and from the Cookie Exchange, we got a little bit of tack hunting in, and saw a few neat things along the way.
Alas, we ran late enough that we only got to see one other Cookie Exchange guest before she left. Everyone else had arrived and departed in the afternoon. That made me a little sad. I wanted to see our other friends, too. But we had a nice time chatting with Den & Shannon, and all the kitties put in an appearance, allowing us to get plush kitty endorphins. I guess they know cat people when they see them.
Homemade vs Mix
Normally, I'd make cookies from scratch, but considering that ealdthryth and I don't really make and eat too many baked goods, it didn't make much sense to invest in supplies that we wouldn't use up before their sell-by date. After a slightly heated in-store argument, we settled on picking up a box of prepackaged gingerbread mix. A quick perusal of the Pillsbury box met with our approval in terms of lack of unidentifiable chemicals.
I can see the appeal of using a mix except whoever decided on the ratio of spices in the mix doesn't like their cookies to bite back. I added a few dashes of my preferred spices to liven it up, but apparently, it wasn't enough. For the sake of visual interest, I pulled out our cookie cutter collection only to discover we have no Christmas cookie shapes. Animal shapes? Check. Halloween shapes? Check. Train shapes? Check. I must have thought my mother gave us cookie cutters when they dismantled housekeeping, but I was wrong. Shrug. So we ended up with moons, kitties, duckies, and railroad car-shaped gingerbread cookies.
Next time, from scratch.
Mine! Fu
AElfgifu doesn't really want to share the tower. As previously noted, I've found her on the top tier and Ignatius in the middle tier when I came home from work. AElf' has discovered that if she occupies the middle tier, Ignatius won't attempt to get on the tower. Selfish girl!
I guess it is OK for now. Ignatius likes hanging out under the Christmas tree and doesn't seem to mind if Kiera snuggles beside him. They think they are the Bestest Christmas Presents Evah. Apparently the segment of the Internet that has seen ealdthryth's MyLiveFaceDiaryJournalBookLandWitter photo agrees (or at least likes the fuzzy picture of the fuzzies).
52 Card Pickup
I've finally started in on the holiday cards. ealdthryth agreed that we should send out a few cards, and found some cute "sustainably sourced" cards with a discount. Frugality and environmentally friendlier choices achieved. Time to work on the annual epistle....
I'm not sure what happened to Saturday evening, but Sunday was...unpredictable. At first, we were just going to go to the cookie exchange party at Den & Shannon's, so I got up relatively early and made gingerbread cookies. At some point we added helping someone set up their Christmas decorations, but then ealdthryth figured it was a women's group thing and we decided I would stay home. Once that plan got scuttled, I increased the tack factor of Ealdercote. The new mulched areas presented a new challenge in terms of lighting. I didn't want to puncture our ground cover with the stake lights, so the alternative was to run them around the perimeter. But, we didn't have enough "candy canes". I decided to go quasi-random. Candy canes interspersed with penguins, snowmen, and Santas. It doesn't look half bad, and ealdthryth likes it.
ealdthryth came back home close to dark, so she got to see the new tackification lit up. Alas, a couple of items have already burned out--and I'm a little peeved, because I tested everything before hooking it all together. Sigh On our way to and from the Cookie Exchange, we got a little bit of tack hunting in, and saw a few neat things along the way.
Alas, we ran late enough that we only got to see one other Cookie Exchange guest before she left. Everyone else had arrived and departed in the afternoon. That made me a little sad. I wanted to see our other friends, too. But we had a nice time chatting with Den & Shannon, and all the kitties put in an appearance, allowing us to get plush kitty endorphins. I guess they know cat people when they see them.
Homemade vs Mix
Normally, I'd make cookies from scratch, but considering that ealdthryth and I don't really make and eat too many baked goods, it didn't make much sense to invest in supplies that we wouldn't use up before their sell-by date. After a slightly heated in-store argument, we settled on picking up a box of prepackaged gingerbread mix. A quick perusal of the Pillsbury box met with our approval in terms of lack of unidentifiable chemicals.
I can see the appeal of using a mix except whoever decided on the ratio of spices in the mix doesn't like their cookies to bite back. I added a few dashes of my preferred spices to liven it up, but apparently, it wasn't enough. For the sake of visual interest, I pulled out our cookie cutter collection only to discover we have no Christmas cookie shapes. Animal shapes? Check. Halloween shapes? Check. Train shapes? Check. I must have thought my mother gave us cookie cutters when they dismantled housekeeping, but I was wrong. Shrug. So we ended up with moons, kitties, duckies, and railroad car-shaped gingerbread cookies.
Next time, from scratch.
Mine! Fu
AElfgifu doesn't really want to share the tower. As previously noted, I've found her on the top tier and Ignatius in the middle tier when I came home from work. AElf' has discovered that if she occupies the middle tier, Ignatius won't attempt to get on the tower. Selfish girl!
I guess it is OK for now. Ignatius likes hanging out under the Christmas tree and doesn't seem to mind if Kiera snuggles beside him. They think they are the Bestest Christmas Presents Evah. Apparently the segment of the Internet that has seen ealdthryth's MyLiveFaceDiaryJournalBookLandWitter photo agrees (or at least likes the fuzzy picture of the fuzzies).
52 Card Pickup
I've finally started in on the holiday cards. ealdthryth agreed that we should send out a few cards, and found some cute "sustainably sourced" cards with a discount. Frugality and environmentally friendlier choices achieved. Time to work on the annual epistle....