Wed, December 31, 2025

[cuse]

I needed to memorialize this day...if the lawyers will just stop dipping their beaks and we get this done - today is my retirement day. Not technically - as I own a medical clinic and some regulatory stuff won't finalize until February...but today we sign and, starting tomorrow, I don't show up any more   ...it ain't done til it's done, but LET'S GO!!

Mid 30's here this morning, but for the sake of avoiding any jinxes, I'm sticking to routine...heading out for my 5 mile walk, brief workout followed by cold plunge. It's not often that the outside air is colder than the tub of doom.

Tonight, fam heading to the Japanese steakhouse and, I hope, a quiet (maybe even early) night celebrating our plans and hopes for the New Year.

I booked the NNGC hotel for Minnesota...my wife is possibly even coming along this time. Some really nice home layouts and exceptionally nice people in Minn. I was there for a previous NNGC and I spent 3 weeks there at "DQ U" learning how to make Blizzards when my partners and I bought a Dairy Queen a few moons ago. 

Hope everyone is getting or staying healthy and making ambitious modeling plans for 2026.

[KentuckySouthern]

Excellent news!  Best to the new venture. Ease into it. Enjoy!

Cold and slushy in midMichigan. 23 on the truck dash. 

Just left the credit union, they froze my debit card and gave me a new one. Someone was trying to cater a party for .$500 and triggered an alert to me last evening. So now head to the house and call the two legit businesses that use that account.

Staying in here tonight, not going to freeze to sit up. Hoping for the new year to be better than '25

Be well, stay safe.

KS

[GPdemayo]

Morning all.....y'all have a fun and safe New Years Eve.....

[Zephyrus52246]

Afternoon all,

Congrats, John!  Hopefully you'll now have more train time.  I'm thirteen weeks from being finished, as well.

My youngest left yesterday.  After coming in 24 hours late due to weather here, the toilet valve was frozen on the plane, so she got out an hour late.  Fortunately, her connection in Denver was the next gate over, and so she did make the flight home.  

My son should be arriving in an hour or so.  

Hawkeyes are up at halftime in their bowl game.  Hopefully they can hold on to victory.

Jeff

[Orionvp17]

Good Afternoon, All!

Holiday greetings from the northern mitten, where the temp is 23, the wind chill is zero, the white gifts from above are on break for a couple of hours, the roads are slick and "those people" are still trying to drive like they do in mid-summer (yuck).  The county plow just went up the road with a lovely spray of WGFA, so that should make things easier on some folks for a while.

Best wishes to The Judge for a speedy, complete, permanent recovery.  I'm still hoping the cortisone works for a couple of months, and hope the doc finally decides that it really IS time to replace the hip like he did for the other one years ago.  I want to go back to my railroad!!

Make it a great day, All, and stay safe!  May 2026 be better for all of us than was 2025.

Pete
in Michigan

[S&S RR]

I stopped by to wish everyone a happy New Year!  

Congratulations John!  I know this has been in the works for a long time.  We will celebrate at the NG convention.  It sounds like Dr. Jeff will be celebrating with us.  Congratulations Jeff.

I'm praying for a speedy recovery for the Judge,

Happy New Year!

John

[ReadingBob]

Congratulations to both John and Jeff on the impending retirement. Next time, John, lunch is on me. Heck, I'll buy Jeff lunch too but he has to come to Central Florida to collect.  

I did manage some workbench time yesterday.  I'm feeling better even if I don't sound it. Hope for more workbench time tomorrow. 

Have a great one!