A visit to see a Big Boy

 

The Big Boy was at Steamtown for 2 weeks, and we decided to visit the site on the third to last day it would be on site.  There would be a long drive ahead of us, but this would be our last chance to see the last operational Big Boy before it leaves for Philadelphia to celebrate America's 250th birthday.

But first....

RQS and I decided not to go to church today.  It would be a no-brainer for us, as the church is not air-conditioned, and we wanted to be as comfortable as possible before arriving at Steamtown.  Waking up at 9 am, we were out the door by 11:30, knowing that we'd be on the road for 2.5 hours.  It would be an exhausting drive for me, but I didn't know it before I started out.

Normally, I avoid the "Goat Path" (a twisting mountainside road near me) leading to the Bear Mountain Bridge.  Today, I had to take this road to the bridge, and then take a long, boring drive along the Interstate to reach Scranton, PA.  There are very few landmarks between Middletown, NY and Scranton, PA, and I was driving with only 5 hours of sleep.  It was an effort to stay awake, as I needed to walk around to keep my blood flowing and make sure that I'd have the energy to finish this 125 mile drive.  But, we made it to Steamtown by 2 pm.

One can usually enter the park without reservations, and unlike many Federal Historic sited, without an admission fee. (Steamtown's management decided NOT to charge admission fees, as 85% of these fees would go into the collective Federal budget.  Instead, Steamtown gains revenue by selling excursion rides on steam trains, where they get to keep 100% of the ticket sales.)  I remembered to buy tickets ($1.00/pp) for this event, and I was able to drive into the park after showing my ticket.  And then the fun began....

I was a little over dressed for the day (wearing a shrug to cover my shoulders) so I was very warm while at the park.  Since there was a 300' line to go inside the engineer's compartment of the Big Boy on permanent display, we decided to first go to the main building and see the exhibits there. Following that, we went outside to see the Big Boy that would be here until month-end.  We spent 90 minutes at a museum to see a living relic, a machine built in 1941 that was brought back to life by a corporation who wanted to preserve its heritage.  We consider ourselves lucky, as this would be the only time in my life that 2 Big Boys would be in the same place at the same time.  Sadly, this might be only time this great locomotive might get this far east, and it was well worth the effort to get here to see it being prepared for its next move.

Around 3:45, we were back on the road again, and I heard a weird noise coming from my car.  Could something have gotten stuck in a tire?  Who knows?  But it was Sunday, and I didn't want to call AAA for roadside help, and then have to make it back home with either a "Donut" (temporary use tire) or by other means of transit.  Instead, I kept my car in motion for 2 hours until we crossed the Hudson river.  The noise had thankfully gone away on the trip back, and we were able to fill up the gas tank and stop for dinner before driving the final 30 minutes to my house.

It was a long day, but well worth the effort to get out of the house. 

 

Big Boy Cab Tour

 

PS: The song for today is Harry Chapin's "30,000 pounds of Bananas."  Anyone who has driven in to Scranton on one of the long hills coming in to town will understand why I bring up this tune. 

 

Summer's here, and I'm sort of ready for it

 

Well, being ready for summer depends on what one means by being ready.  For me, I have all of my summer dresses on hand, and I'm ready to wear them throughout the Summer.  In my case, I have way too many dresses in my closet, and I have to prune them to have a more manageable collection.

- - - - - -

Years ago, my late wife was a compulsive buyer of clothes.  They were packed in the closet so tightly, that she didn't need a clothes rod to keep them off the floor.  As much as I'll always miss her, I don't miss much of what she brought into my life.  We had our problems, and I don't miss any of them.  Whether or not our marriage would have survived had she survived her cancer, I'll never know.  But I do know that my instinct to freshen my wardrobe causes me to be aware of how much I have in my closets, and how much I have to prune from them.

Now that I'm out and about as Marian, I occasionally wonder what my late wife would think of me.  Would we be sharing outfits?  (We were the same size before her cancer caused her extreme weight loss.)  There is no way to know this.  I hope she's be as accepting as RQS has been of me.

- - - - - -

Once the Orange Monster is gone from power, I wonder what the US government's policy will be towards transgender people.  Will the next government continue his crazy policies if the GOP is elected?  Or, will the Democrats be able to erase all of his transgressions against civil society as a whole?  Either way, I intend to go back to traveling as Marian again, and to live my life as my authentic self.

Game Night (a short post)

 

When I was young, I loved playing Monopoly.  Although I haven't played the game in over 50 years, I still have an affinity for the game.

- - - - - -

Tonight, it was my first trip to Yonkers for games in at least a month, and I had a great time.  Although the games we play are modern, and not any of the ones I played while young, I am glad that I played this game as a child.

Am I good at these games?  No!  It's hard for me to play with any strategy in mind.  That part of my brain has withered from lack of continued use.  If you don't exercise selected skill sets, they become weak.  today, I'm more of a tactician than a strategist when playing games.  It's just as well.  It's not like I need to be a good game player when there are so many other things I must spend mental energy on.

 

What was interesting about tonight was one comment made my evening.  One of the gang who has seen me a million times paid me a compliment for wearing the above dress.  It is very comfortable and hides many of my worst "assets".

Although I have the same dress in two different prints, I'm glad I have all three in my closet.  They all make me feel good, and make me glad that I "outed" myself to be able to live the life I want to live.
 

Politics - Poli = Greek for Many, Tics = Flesh Eating Insects.

 

I don't care what they have to say.  It makes no difference anyway.  Whatever it is, I'm against it.

- - - - - -

Groucho Marx was an interesting comedian.  Although he died almost 50 years ago, and his heyday was in the 1920's,  his anarchic view of the world still is an influence in my life.  Only Groucho could say: "I once shot an elephant in my pajamas.  What he was doing in my pajamas, I'll never know."  It's that weird way of looking at things that still help me to think out of the box.

Lately, I've been watching the news and wondering why news reporters don't hold the Orange Monster to account.  And I realize that they are so afraid of the monster, that they let him get away with everything.  Yet, in about 20 years, I'll bet that someone does a comedic take on the monster and his cronies.  We are way too close to history being made for anyone to satirize the monster the way Chaplin satirized Hitler in The Great Dictator. With this being said, it's a shame that Groucho (and his brothers) aren't around anymore, as only someone like Groucho could put the monster in his place with witticisms coming too quick for the monster to deflect. 

Slowly, we're seeing some Republicans start pushing back against the monster.  But not enough to show that the dam will break, and they will actively push him out of power.  Until this happens, things will keep getting worse before they start getting better.

- - - - - -

Now, we're starting to see the Democrats finding ways to take the offensive.  Recently, they worked with the GOP to get a housing bill bassed with veto-proof majorities.  Yet, just before the bill was to be signed, the monster decided not to sign the bill.  Assuming there is no veto, the bill will become law, and the Democrats will have a cudgel to beat up on the GOP.

Politics is a nasty game, and this is the worst I've seen it in my lifetime.  Ideally, the monster will die of "natural" causes before January 20th, 2027, limiting Vance to a single term in his own right.  Even better, I'd love to then see the Democrats hold up ALL federal funding until Vance were to then resign.  In this case, if there is no GOP VP confirmed by the senate, guess who then becomes president?

Well...  Keep your fingers crossed.  I hope not to need my "Letters of Transit" like those from the movie Casablanca. 

 

OK, I did plenty of nothing, and just a little bit more.

 

For the most part, I knew today was going to be a nothing burger of a day.  Yes, I had a Zoom scheduled with RQS and our Texas friends.  But I didn't have the energy to do anything else until the afternoon came.

- - - - - -

I awoke around 7, and fell back to sleep until 10.  Since the sun was out for a change, I knew that I'd eventually have the energy to get moving.  (Rainy days tend to drain my energy level, and not because the rain depresses me.  It may have something to do with the change in air pressure.)  By noon, I was up, and by 3, I was out the door thinking that I might go to Lane Bryant to buy a new slip.

On the way down to Lower Westchester, I stopped by a deli I used to go to when I was working at the imaging firm.  No one was there that I remembered, in part because of the time of day.  When I paid for the sandwich and a bottle of iced tea, I was $15 poorer.  Boy, prices have gone up in the past few years!

At this point, I changed my mind about going to Lane Bryant, as I'll be in lower county tomorrow for game night.  Instead, I went home for a while and relaxed before starting up the Zoom meeting.  Surprisingly enough, our Texas friends were more animated than usual in our chat.  Yet, they didn't bite when RQS mentioned that we could visit them close to home.  No big deal.

Once the Zoom meeting ended, I ran off to CVS to pick up some quick dry for my nails.  (I screwed up one finger's polish during the zoom.)  By the time I was back, it was 11 pm - and the only thing I had accomplished was a zoom meeting.  And that only involved me setting up the meeting.  Plenty of nothing, and just a tad more. 

I didn't do much today, save for add to the donation bag. (A short post.)

 

This was the second day in a row where I didn't feel much like doing anything.  Today was very different, as my lack of energy had to do with my body as a whole, and not just what was going on in my head.  So, I expect that this will be a shorter post than usual. 

- - - - - -

Today would be a jammie day.  Often, I sleep in a comfortable slip or nightie.  The last time I remember wearing anything from my male wardrobe to bed was when I had my last sleep test for renewing my CPAP machine prescription.  Yet, I'll bet that some of the stuff I wear to bed may look a little strange on my body.  But comfort and self image are the most important things - especially when no one is going to see me in my bed clothes.

- - - - - -

Recently, the second of two watch bands broke on me.  (Two different watches, the second bought as a replacement for the first.)  I have a third watch I wear as a backup, although the band is much worse for wear than I would like. (It needs a new battery.) Sadly, Timex doesn't sell this watch (and band) anymore, so I can't replace it.  I am old fashioned enough to wear wristwatches both for telling time, and for adornments on my wrist.  A watch is the one piece of "jewelry" which is practical and serves a purpose other than adornment, and I'm used to wearing the same watch whether I am presenting as a male or female.

- - - - - -

Thinking about things I wear, I decided to take some clothes out of my closet and put them into a donation bag.  I have way too many things I bought in Universal Standard's "Mystery Boxes" that I didn't wear enough to get my money's worth from their purchase.  But pruning these things from my closet makes it possible for me to buy new things that I will wear.  (I'm no longer fantasizing about going to work again, so why keep the 50% of a wardrobe that reflects a pre-retirement image of myself.

- - - - - -

I thought this would be an even shorter post when I started it.  Yet, it's nice to think a little about the things I wear.  Hopefully, I'll be able to keep looking appropriate in whatever I pull out of my closet and jewelry chest. 

Rain, Rain, Go Away.... (A short post.)

 

After doing much of nothing yesterday, my normal inclination would be to put on a nice dress and go outside today.  Well, the threat of rain and thunderstorms put the kibosh on that plan.  Yet, I had to go out and restock my refrigerator, so what to do?  Stay inside until just before dinner time, of course!

- - - - - - 

Although the early part of the day was relatively dry, the rains came early and created a dreary atmosphere.  It wasn't the best day to go out and shop.  But it made perfect sense to do so around dinner time, as the rain was due to end sometime in the evening, and it would likely be a lighter rain when I drove to Trader Joe's.  So I got dressed in a tunic dress and leggings (this was not the day to go out in a summery dress) and drove to Trader Joe's.  On the way to TJ's, the heavens opened up a little, and then stopped when I got there.  After picking up my foodstuffs, the rains stopped for a few minutes, and did the same when I got home.  Now, I have enough "fresh" food in the ice box to last me to the end of the week. 

Could I have done a load of laundry?  Maybe.  But that task can wait until tomorrow. It was simply nice to be able to get dressed as Marian and present myself as female for past of the day.