A visit to the Danbury Railway Museum

 

The weather forecast for the day was for a bit of humidity and for 90° (or more) thermometer readings.  Ouch!  And yet, RQS and I figured that we'd venture out to the museum and see what they had to offer.

But first....

We woke up to an alarm  that didn't want to stop.  Both of us were shouting at our "Smart" (?) device to stop, and it took 5 minutes to do so. After this, neither of us were in the mood to go to church as we had originally planned. So we chilled until 11 am, and then prepared to go out.

Both of us decided to get dressed in blue dresses today, and drive over to the museum.  We left my apartment around 12:30, and reached the museum shortly before 2:00.  Neither of us were really prepared  for the heat outside.  We had to air out the car a little before getting inside the car.  Thankfully, the AC worked at full speed, and we had a comfortable ride.

There were many artifacts in the museum building, including a couple of miniature railroad exhibits.  Yet, if it were only the model railroad stuff, it would not have been worth the visit.  Instead, there were other artifacts from the golden age of railroading that were worth looking at.    

But the real value of this museum came from the short ride through the rail yard, followed by a tour of the museum's rolling stock.

Our tour guide told us about the history of each of their pieces of rolling stock, as well as the history of the yard in which the museum's rolling stock is stored.  We also got a chance to take a ride on the yard's turntable.  (You'll note that there is a woman in a blue dress in 2 of these pictures.  That's as much of RQS as I want to show my readers for privacy's sake.)  The last stop of the day was the rail car in the last photo.  This was a treat, as it was an early example of a rail car used on the 20th Century Limited, the New York Central railroad's flagship train which ran from NYC to Chicago and back.

A little bit before 4:00, we left for home.  On our way back, we stopped at a local Chinese restaurant for dinner.  Neither of us realized how drained we were from the heat outside, so when we got home, we passed out for a couple of hours before regaining consciousness.

Almost Matching Dresses

 

Both RQS and I set alarms for us to get out of bed, get dressed, and go to the Danbury Railway Museum. However, one thing got in the way - the 10:30 alarm I thought I had set didn't go off, and RQS didn't get out of bed until 11:30.  By the time got moving, it was too late to go to Danbury, as the museum closes at 4:00.  So we watched some videos, and relaxed most of the day.

Once we decided to get moving, RQS decided to wear a red floral dress.  I figured that I'd join in on the same theme and wear the red floral dress I bought from Amazon last week.  Given the 80 degree weather outside, this would be a perfect choice for me - and it was.  To be safe, I brought my denim jacket (which I didn't need), but who knew how quickly it might get cool after dark.

Our first stop was at Pepe's Pizza in Yonkers.  Both of us were hungry, and we hadn't had their pizza in a while.  It was nice to be addressed as a female by the staff, and no one took notice of my less than feminine features.  (Having worked on my voice and my presentation over the past decade and a half helps me blend in as female when I need to do so - especially when I have to go to the loo.)  After we finished our meal, it was off to Lidl for some shopping.  And today, I got off almost as well as I would have done at Trader Joe's.  But then, I wasn't planning on buying much.

Going home as the sun was getting ready to set, I took an alternate route back to my house in order to avoid the harsh setting sun burning my eyes.  Taking the "scenic route" back home, I was able to take a path where my eyes were protected from direct sunlight. 

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Tomorrow, we're planning on going to church and then to the railway museum.  I hope we get to both.

The start of a weekend with RQS

 

It would be the last cool day for a while, and yet, I wanted to wear one of my summery dresses.  But first, I had to get things in order for RQS to spend the weekend.  So, I got most of the clutter off of the chest at the foot of the bed (there's much more to do in the bedroom), and started finding homes for the clothing that was dumped there.  Additionally, I finally found the time to put folded laundry into my dressers and closets, as well as taking several bags of trash out to the dumpster.

I was expecting to talk to our co-op president today, but one of her appointments likely got in the way.  So we'll talk after the weekend is over.  I figure that we need to communicate better with our shareholders better than we have in the past - even if that means being a little uncomfortable while delivering a message.  No one cares enough to volunteer and do the job.  So why worry about the consequences of telling an unvarnished truth to our shareholders?

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RQS arrived at the train station at her usual time, and we spend the next hour trying to find a specific arts and crafts store that carried some of the goods she needed for her crafting.  And then we went to the diner for dinner. Once done with dinner, we did a little shopping at the supermarket, then decamped for home. It was nice to be able to get out in my new dress, as now I know that I have the right dresses to get me through the coming heat wave.

We're still not sure what we will be doing tomorrow.  But it will likely involve driving somewhere and paying a ridiculous price for a talk of gas.

 

 

My knee is reminding me of yesterday's injury (a short post)

This morning, I woke up and noticed that my knee was bothering me. It's not a throbbing pain, but an ache I'm aware of when I put weight on both my feet. So, I'm paying attention to how I'm walking and taking it easy to give my knee time to heal.

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When I finally got out of bed, I decided to make it a jammie day, and relax at home.  Given that rain was expected, I wasn't in the mood to go out.  Instead, it was time to clean out some of the mess on my side of the bed and make it a safe path for walking.  This didn't require much walking, and it forced me to start tossing more things that have been taking up space - including a pair of boots whose cheap "leather" (if it did come from an animal) was falling apart.  One thing I know is that I am buying a better class of feminine clothing than I did a decade ago.

Once I made some headway with the mess, I started to look at the mess on the chest in front of the bed.  That will take even more work, as I have to sort things out and find places for all the things that I'm keeping that found a temporary home there. 

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PS:  Given that I am out and about and presenting as female most of the time, many of the things I write about are everyday occurrences that both trans and cisgender people experience.  What would you like to know about being transgender that breaks this mold?  Please let me know, and I will answer all questions if possible.

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch under a Gazebo isn't so safe.

 

Today, MSJ and I planned to have lunch in town.  I made the mistake of getting dressed in a nice summery dress, but not wear a top that could keep me warm.  But I digress....

We agreed to meet at the local bagel shop.. So I picked up a sandwich there and waited a few minutes for her to arrive.  Once she got something to eat, she suggested going to the pack to eat our food.  And that's where the "fun" began.  After sitting down, I got up to retrieve some napkins that had blown away, and I tripped getting off the park bench.  I had a mild scrape, but had a little bit of a time getting up due to aching a little from my fall.  At least, nothing was broken.

Once back at the bench, we got to talking.  MSJ and I talked of family issues, as well as the commonality of being a caregiver to an ailing spouse.  People in our family backgrounds were never taught to use therapists or to participate in caring groups.  Yet, we both found that overcoming our backgrounds was something that we had in common.

All too soon, we had to part.  I went home for a while, and then it was off to BJ's for some retail therapy.  I ended up bringing back a Seafood Boil Bag, with snow crab legs, shrimp, sausage, and corn.  For $22, it was a bargain compared to what I'd spend at a Cajun place for something similar.  Yes, it was messy.  But the food was tasty.  Did it replace what I could get at the restaurant?  No.  But it was something that sated my craving for this kind of food.

Tomorrow, if the weather is warm enough, I will put on a different dress and go out again.  Where I will go, I do not yet know. But I intend to get out and do something while the weather is nice.

Another long board meeting.... (another short post)

 

Ah, if we could have called on Batman to deal with our problems.  We would have gotten a much faster response from the parties involved in our board's previous crisis.  But now, all we have to do is keep our co-op running as it is for the next few months, and we'll be able to end our shareholder assessment early. Now, we have to shift from crisis mode from ongoing pain mode for the next few months.  It'll be a relief for us to be able to think about the future again.

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This morning, I had no plans to do much of anything.  So, when I finally got up, I decided to cook some eggs for a change.  (I haven't cooked any in a long time, and the associated diet change may be part of why I've noticed some changes in my body.)  And then I took it easy most of the day.

There is a mess in the living room from yesterday's return home.  I couldn't take the time to put things down neatly when I got home, as a much needed bio-break had to take place.  With the urgency gone, I wasn't in the mood to neaten the place.  That'd be a task for another day.  And today, I started that task.  First on the list was folding last week's laundry - a basket full of underwear, etc. awaited me, and I knew it had to be done.  

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Around 5:15, the board meeting began, and we started the long, arduous task of interviewing 3 applicants to buy apartments.  About 2 1/2 hours later, the real "fun" began - we had to review financial issues and catch up on things that the interviews kept us from doing.  By the time 9:30 came abound, we were all  exhausted.  But I still had more work to do.  I had edits to make on the house rules, the quarterly newsletter, and the meeting minutes.  Although I wasn't going to finish everything this evening, I got a good start on the process. 

Finally, when my eyes began to cross, I called RQS and then fell asleep shortly afterwards. 

Will we ever return to what might be called "Normal?"

 

Will we ever return to "Normal?"  That is a question that keeps coming to mind.  I used to be able to listen to the news and opinion channels without getting sick.  Now, I can only listen in small increments, as the news is so depressing.  The Orange Monster was tricked into making the one mistake which could (and probably will) destroy the American empire and its Pax Americana.  And I fear what will happen next.

America is no longer a beacon of freedom to the rest of the world.  The xenophobic policies of the orange monster have scared away the very immigrants we need to keep our country as prosperous as it has been.  What will that mean to pensioners such as me?  How could this affect my bank account and investments?  Although I have a potential exit route out of the USA if we become an authoritarian republic, most Americans do not have a "Get out of Jail Free" card in their pockets.  What will happen to them?

Our currency is losing its value, and our national debt is going up.  The "Leadership" in Washington is claiming that the increase of credit card usage is a good thing.  Yet, this is a lie.  People are going into debt in order to buy food - that's never a healthy thing for a society to experience.  America is heading for a financial collapse triggered by the orange monster, and I wonder what will be left afterwards.

What is happening to our justice system?  In the past, the Department of Justice (DOJ) used to be an independent part of the executive branch of government.  Now, it is a tool for the monster to extract revenge against his political enemies.  He does not distinguish between the people who were really out to attack him vs. the people whose jobs were to impartially enforce the laws he broke.  Couple this with the ICE "Gestapo" and America's system of legal "due process" becomes meaningless.  How many people will be destroyed in his pogroms?

Normally, our elections would be a safeguard against government overreach.  But now, with Gerrymandering wars going on, I'm not sure if the will of the people will have any power anymore.  Can we check and balance the power of an abusive government.  I'm not sure anymore.  Yes, there will be a few areas of the country that will be able to resist - at least, for a while.  But I am concerned about what America will look like when this ability to resist is worn away.  Will we look like a Christian Nationalist version of Iran?  Who knows?  But this would not be the kind of America I'd want to live in.

Yet, I still have hope for this country.  Soon, I plan to travel to a place where I've avoided travel for a while.  Although I expect no problems, who knows what will happen.  I'm hoping to see the seeds of normalcy being sown this autumn.  But if not, I have an exit plan, and hope to have my "letters of transit" for two by then....