Good morning.
Stefada - that is amazing. That kind of detail, effort (and expense) is one reason my trains aren't on a large layout like that. I did have a 3 track layout in progress back in the '90s but had to take it apart to make room for other things. I'm working on getting a shelf installed around the den so I can have 2 running around the room. No fancy details but at least I get to enjoy my trains. Guess I'm going to have to learn how to maintain my locomotives as all the people around here that did that sort of thing have either stopped or passed.

Little Mermaid - glad your health continues to improve. I consider myself healthy but if I had to go through the regiment you're going through I'd probably have a stroke.

Well, off to work I go. Open house for the campers this weekend....and it's supposed to snow...AGAIN.

Good Afternoon Base Campers!

Little Mermaid - glad your health continues to improve. I consider myself healthy but if I had to go through the regiment you're going through I'd probably have a stroke.

Well, I am tired of the third degree. But I get wiser all the time.
To see me talking about myself to this degree must make visitors to this thread think I’m awfully self centered.
And they are right
But I hope you may learn something.
Now, most of those coming here are men. If there are common traits between men in Denmark and men living in other parts of the world whether it’s Europe or America, anywhere, chances are you procrastinate visiting a doctor as opposed to women who seem to have a closer relationship with their bodies. Who can speak Bodylanguage, so to speak.

If you are married – to a woman – she hopefully loves you sufficiently to do the battle necessary to get you to the doctor when she senses something is wrong. She will in all probability make an appointment on your behalf and get you there with her angel personality and if that doesn’t make it, the devil one.

Again, communication is important. But you need knowledge to communicate sensibly about your body. Is it you kidneys? Your duodenum? Your bladder? You need to have a rough idea of where they sit. It would help if also you know what the duties of your organs are.

I’m no expert at all, but I knew enough to know that I had a blood clot that night in spite of the confusing signal of BOTH arms hurting. It’s because I have read about it and because my father had one some 40 years ago when treatment was at a stoneage stage compared to now.

We have wonderful resources on the internet that were not available just a few years ago. It’s important to be critical. Choose reliable websites. I have found that in English, the Mayo Clinic gives the information you need in a short understandable, yet professional way, enough to proceed to the second class if you want. But you need to know that your bladder doesn’t sit where your diaphragm is. You can find books at the library, if biology in school wasn’t your favorite subject.

I prepare for each consultation. Write down my observations and questions. I have the luxury of time to do these things, which is not allocated all of you. This, I find, make for very good conversations, and even as I’m haughty enough to think I know all, I always learn an awful lot of new things. It’s my impression that the health people I meet take me serious and appreciate I have done some homework.

We have to realize that health workers today are so specialized that they know next to nothing about the next field. You are the hub, the one who has all the information, the one who remembers what ailed you, the one who must explain what your current problem is so that THEY can understand YOU.

Yesterday I learned (among many other things) that part of my fatigue comes from my body having been under a stress that will mark me for months.
Isn’t it interesting to know that the body you think you know has a life of it’s own solely designed to make sure you survive?
The autonomous nervous system.
The one that works underneath the surface, makes you breathe, and a lot of things you take for granted and never notice. And when push comes to shove it unfolds all its magic. No wonder it needs a rest and you get tired.
I lived for 72 years before I met this marvel work at its peak performance.
The autonomous nervous system
We should praise it, the unnoticed part that saves us if need be.

Good Morning Base Campers!

Heaters - I think all the campers come with gas heaters and the larger models even have a fireplace.

When I saw a camping bus parked above Shoshone Falls with the midsections in both sides folded out, I thought I had seen it all. They might have had a fireplace as well. Who knows. But in Denmark small is good

Every day is a fairy tale if you wear your fantasy glasses.
We Europeans changed into Daylight Saving Time at 0200 so we’re synchronized again with you left-ponders who made a head start. In the Association Against Daylight Saving Time we held our annual general assembly on the internet between 0200 and 0300.

My buddhist friend had hardly noticed that correction of our time and called really early.

She ended up talking me into participating in a meditation meeting with guidance.
Why not? You should try as much as possible at least once in your lifetime.

I had a concert ticket bought a long time ago. I usually walk to that place. It turned out I had to make a detour.
The bridge that use to cross the double track railroad was demolished
Luckily this was my childhood stomping ground, so I did some climbing wire fences, up the bank to the railroad, looked carefully
trains have become so quiet since I was a girl
and crossed, continuing up and down many interesting hurdles.

You may just motivate me to work out more than the exercise I get at work.

If so something is gained from my chatterboxing.
You should have accompanied me today, acpartsman, a good Borg scale test. Six miles with hurdles - believe it or not: It seems as if the reduction of the dose of beta blockers has made me breathe normal and walk fast without need of stopping for catching my breath

Well, time flew, and when I was almost there and grabbed for my phone in my back pocket it was gone
I would be delayed, but my phone had priority. Returned.
Man said: ”Bridge is closed ”. "I know; I just crossed the rails."
He offered to phone my phone – had actually worked with the mobile phone systems with our monopoly phone company, but I knew exactly where it ought to be, and after reversing the hurdle track we were reunited Saphir12-Natalie and me
She’s a white phone. She can be spotted from a distance. Since I was late anyway and had to wait to get in for the second half I took the time to interview that friendly man.
It was kind of upsetting to see that old bridge where I had played and made acrobatics in the railings gone.

The second half of the concert with Ana Silvera was excellent. She is of Sephardic Jewish descent and sang one song in Ladino. It occurred to me that it might be the Sephardic answer to the Ashkenazi Yiddish, which she confirmed. It has a sprinkle of Arabic and Hebrew.

Are you buried in snow acpartsman?
Good Morning Base Campers!
It’s gray/grey, it’s cold, the summer is far away, so I decided to make a headstart for Mexico and joined team Cahuamos even as the SeriousCrunchers chain of challenges are still ongoing.

Cahuamos? I wonder what it means? Will I ever learn to write it?
Do any of you speak Spanish?
It would be really good if you did. I have a nagging feeling that something went wrong with Hungary because of the language.
I know a few words, and it’s surprising how willing a Spaniard is to understand you when you fling out your arms, shrug your shoulders and say ’non vivo aqui’ when he comes to check the gas meter and walk directly to the kitchen in your borrowed Andalusian apartment. Did he listen at all? Didn't he just know where to find the meter?
And when I tried to buy huevos, café, leche, pan and butter
I had to point – I didn’t know ’mantequilla’
in the very local store where the goats stop to be milked – that’s how I liked to think about that herd of goats, anyway

But it would be nice with some proficiency in Spanish. Please come forward
I’ll pick up you hotel check in return for language skills.

Talking about hotels. I have decided on the one in Mexico City. It’s in the Historic District, and it will be easy for us to remember the name – even to pronounce it and hope to be understood:
Hotel Historico Central – remember to lisp a little and limit yourself to an aspiration of the 'H's for a more authentic sound
And now I’m sold already.
If I’m not mistaken, the structure is built around an atrium – so fascinating how architure adapts to climate.
The atrium will create a chimney effect and provide some natural cooling – but don’t despair: We will have indvidual A/C in our room.
It’s centrally located for walks in the old, historic part of Mexico City.
Would you believe it? 23 million people live there!
We'll have a hard time getting to know all of them - even to say hello

I have tried to contact NAP2614. He’s not well for the time being, but if he feels up to it, I hope he’ll think about a badge, and I wish him well and a speedy recovery.

Officially I aim at this Cuahamos/Mexico trek to begin on April 1 – no fooling – and last until April 10.
I think we could try a spike on April 8, where those of you who have other important business chip in with whatever you may be able to spare and earn a badge in the process.

The Maine trek will not be until after April 20, because the trek master will visit Flensburg in Germany in real life with her German class. Come to think of it acpartsman has shown unparallelled leadership skills. He could be a trek master with either hand tied behind his back. Or both.

Please Base Campers scattered around the worldwide WCG, please get your gear ready
– we look forward to see you all – and even more – on April 1 at Hotel Historico Central, Mexico City. The code name is Cuah .... what's it called

Team Cuahuamos has no team thread - an no other members so a very lonely captain cjlsman is of course welcome here as are adriverhoef who's teamless as well - and whose captainhood I recall with such delight.

Good to see you, acpartsman, and to know that your weather improved.
Sunny? What does 'sunny' mean? And is the ’y’ a vocal or a consonant in this instance?
Good Morning Base Campers!
I saw a movie yesterday at my 'Narrow Movies' club. It was disturbing. I cannot shake it off.
It was a documentary about the author and activist James Baldwin.
Very disturbing.
It deals with a field where my knowledge amounts to next to nothing –
Kathryn Stockett’s ’The Help’ and the movie based on it, a few more books, bits and pieces about the Buffalo Soldiers at certain museums, the newspapers in my childhood.
And Carlton at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Perfoming Arts, whom I still feel I let down.
Very disturbing.
As with the former Yugoslavia, I suppose you need to live there as KLiK does to fully understand.
The same with the theme of this documentary. Most of Mr Baldwin’s points of view were sombre.
It’s not because I didn’t concentrate. I did. Very much. Trying hard to understand 400 years in 102 minutes.
Was so still, that my ’watch’ chalked up 66 minutes of sleep.

I'll definitely join you on the 1st and the 20th of course.

Thank you for your letter of intent – now we have a backbone ready for having ribs installed

but I've actually never been much of a leader.

You come across differently on my side of the pond.
Do you speak Spanish? Does Dave? Urden? TLD? mike047? You will notice I have high hopes for your company – also if your command of Spanish is rudimentary. We’ll manage.

We could also hope for our host captain to assist if needed. You see, not far from our hotel is Central Alameda Park – well, a couple of blocks – some 800 m/2,500 feet – where you can raise your tents and park your campers if you prefer the outdoors. I’m afraid I need the creature’s comforts at a hotel, cockroaches and all, but I’ll be happy to join you at the campfire any time.
No doubt some Mexican park police will try to get you to move … well, you can handle that, too, and that's exactly here I think it would be good if captain cjslman .... he speaks, writes, and reads Spanish

I’m almost afraid of looking at the attractions in Mexico City – not to mention the rest of the country.
Some travel agency might just get a customer …