Coffee 12-20-14

FFred.... Welcome back! Glad you made it home for Christmas.

Rick, I'm glad your Dad has some family for a while. Any diversion get's us a little further into the future and time does help.

Coalkirk.... welcome anytime!

JPete.... yup, tell the wife to follow orders carefully. With just one slip it can be easy to set herself back 4 or 8 weeks. Been there, done that. I had surgery at the same time as a friend of my sister. For weeks my sis & I emailed. Every week her friend "is doing so much better than you". Then, just as I was starting to come to the front she emailed "It seems he went back to work a bit too early and now he's hurting.". Long story short.... I was better long before he was. He missed 6 or 8 more weeks of work because he pushed it too soon.

All of you.... thanks for being YOU!

Hey Freddy, sad to hear you are a bit 'blue'.. not really a surprise, I don't enjoy Christmas very much, just reminds me of all my friends who have passed on, and are not around.
I'll make a suggestion: just like you chronicled the last months of Marty's time on this earth, maybe you could write something about the previous Christmases you and Marty had together. Having been at your place and enjoyed your hospitality, and listened to your friends and seen and experienced your humor in person, I've got to believe you have had some fun, funny and quite special Christmases at your home. Or maybe you went to south camp or north camp sometimes??
I think it was the grief counselor you met down at the harbor on Mt. Desert Island, that said to write something to celebrate Marty's life? I'm sure Marty will guide your fingers over the keyboard.. and if it's too personal or painful to share, at least it will help YOU..

Lets see: Last week, I had a few boxes on the 2014 'to-do' list that didn't have a check in them yet. so I got up early on Wednesday, and headed to Buffalo NY, I had the extra parts for the 1927 Pierce Arrow 2dr I sold in October to a guy living just south of Buffalo. I delivered the car after the Hershey AACA swap meet was over. But I still owed the buyer a bunch of parts he bought along with the car, from my inventory here in Michigan..
So, a mini-van load of parts, and a quart or two of coffee, I made it to Lakeview Ny, and delivered the remaining Items I owed the guy: one more box is X'd !! I also met with his machine shop/engine mechanic, discussed the work needed on the engine of the '27 engine, and it's few idiosyncrasies. I feel very good about the mechanic, and his understanding of the old engines etc.. The car is in good hands.

On the way back home, I stopped for two days just east of Cleveland, where I assembled the engine of a '28 Pierce arrow, that I had removed the cracked and corroded cylinder head from in late July. I was able to get the aluminum head welded and leak tested to my satisfaction here at home. So I put in new Stainless Steel reproduction valves, cut and lapped the valve seats in the block, reinstalled the cylinder head, and test drove the car yesterday, on friday about noon, with snow fluries and drizzle,, YUK, not nice weather for a test drive in a roadster with no side curtains..
Then back to his shop, let the engine cool and retorqued the cylinder head, and it's good to go.
ONE MORE box with an 'X' in it !!
So now It's down to my few remaining 'boxes' for 2014.. and they will get done by the 31st. The above ones were major jobs to get done.

So the tree is up, and decorated, I still have some gifts to wrap, but, for the most part, I'm ready for next week.

FreeTownFred: take care of yourself !! I'm real glad to hear that you are back home 'on the Hill'.
I'm wondering: do you have an affair going on with one of the hospital nurses?? Seems like you were pretty quick to get back in the hospital???

Everyone else: Please have a safe and wonderful Christmas with your family and loved ones..
And as Freddy says:
HUG YOUR LOVED ONES !!

Merry Christmas !!

Greg L.

Good afternoon folks just a little late today,The kid and I had to finish up the shopping for Christmas this morning I just need one more thing and I'm done .Well the oil leaking ICP sensor on my truck finally sent the computer into default this week giving me low power and shitty fuel economy so I changed that now It's as good as new and cleaned the inside of the wife's "rolling garbage can" oh I mean car today so when we go out for Christmas Eve I don't have to get the shovel out before I get in!

Freddy and Rick,The first few holidays are hard to deal with after the death of a loved one but just remember all of the good times that were shared in the past plus I'm sure they would not want you guys to ever be sad and just remember that time will heal but you will never forget them .

Take care guys and have a safe week . Keepaeyeonit

Today's Coffee House strikes me as one of The Chief Reasons for It's Creation,and for It's Proprietor-Namely a Guy named FREDDY ! Everyone brings something to the Table here. We get it all,The Good,The Bad,The Thought Provoking,and,The Commonplace. We make time for it all,and each other. It's one of the Best Places in The Mayor's Little Town known as The Coal Board. I've noticed that we Blaze Trails here. Whooda Thunk that something waiting for us in the ground for a long time before us could bring all of Us Together here. Life's a Long Path with Everchanging Topography,Hiking Partners,and Interesting Passer's-By.....Take The Time To Feel It All....Try to not let the rotten parts of the Trail consume You.....I've got the Belief that you can't destroy a Soul,just the vessel it used to be in. I feel I've been granted the Extreme Priviledge of having all those Souls with me,here,there,on this Trail of my Life.....Sure I sound like a Psycho,but I'm Your Psycho,right here in one of the Best Places on The Net....Freddy's Coffehouse......Enjoy The Trail,My Friends,And Merry Christmas,along with Bustin' Out a Happy Hannukah.....Oh,Yeah,I almost forgot...Pick Up A Phone And Make A Call When The Blues Strike 'Ya ! It 'aint a sign of Weakness,It's Simply a Little Warmth For The Human Condition....Trust 'Ol Ham ! :discuss:

LsFarm wrote:the grief counselor you met down at the harbor on Mt. Desert Island, that said to write something to celebrate Marty's life?

Yup, the advice was to write down good memories....even if you cry while doing so. Then each time in the future that you go back and read it, it will hurt a bit less. I've written some, but mostly just in my head. If someone mentions something that hurts....GOOD! Grief revisited is grief acknowledged, and grief confronted is grief resolved. For some reason grocery shopping is (was?) tough. I have tears every time, but the last couple of times it wasn't as bad. Once I even made it through without a tear.

I guess last year would be the Christmas to mention..... for years we've had an artificial tree. It's a quality one & does the job, but, for some unknown reason last year.......2 months before we learned she had cancer....... Marty came home with a real tree. Who knew that would be our last Christmas? No one! And I'm sure I mentioned Valentines day.... 4 hours before her X-ray that showed the cancer, I gave her a dozen red roses. The FIRST time ever. Yup, we were cheap.... she was lucky to get a card on Valentines day LOL.... some years I'd buy her a single rose, but, why a dozen last year? No one knows.

Back to work I go.... I have one upholstery project that was promised for Christmas. One more hour....then I'm off 'til Santa flies!

Hamilton Bob.... and Souls.... Charlie Chaplin's last words..... as he was dying a priest said "May the Lord have Mercy on your soul". And Chaplin replied with his dying words: "Why not? It belongs to Him!"

Thas' Right,Freddy !! We're gonna drive this
Life '
Like We Just Stole It!!

Freddy, Memorable CHRISTmas's......... my recall brought 2 of them up quickly. 1- 1971,we were dairy farmers,that yr besides other gifts which usually were things like new gloves,stockings,coats,a book or two,we,all 5 of us children had a treasure hunt note . The note directed us all to a location in one of the barns,then to another barn,finally to the covered back of an old '46-49 Ford stake body truck. In the truck was 5 sleds,brand new,i still have mine,it is still in good shape,that was a big splurge of gifts that yr.!! 2 - 1973 , Sept.11, 3:30-3:45 pm,our father was killed in a farm accident,i was 16 yrs old,what a rough time !! That CHRISTmas many churches & various folks gave us MANY gifts , my favorite is a flannel shirt made by the Yorke Co.,i never wore it for work but wore it for going away ,etc., I still wear that shirt every CHRISTmas yet,it still fits me altho a bit tighter than when I was 16. I know that I have had some great CHRISTmas times since,these are the ones that my recall brought up today in light of your sadder moment in life. Merry CHRISTmas to all,enjoy your time with loved ones & family,next yr may not be with all the same folks present. I have to stop or I will be crying.

windyhill4.2 wrote:Memorable CHRISTmas's.....

Thanks for sharing!

Another CHRISTmas to remember !! This yr.,CHRISTmas 2014,we aren't quite there yet but it just struck me...........Last yr we were still feeding the OWB & worried sick with trying to find enough firewood & pay for it & wondering when the next leak would spring forth,maybe even one so big as to end the stoves life.We wished & prayed so hard for any coal stove to stick in our house,thinking that we could have the coal stove take some of the load off the OWB which would have allowed us to get a longer nite of sleep. Our prayers were answered during the summer with us purchasing a Crane 404 for $100 which we installed in our house & fired Nov 1, 2014. During the spring & summer we also set the wheels in motion for financing our boiler project which we then installed & fired on Oct 10, 2014. Here we are,warm,content & very happy to be heating with coal,have so much less work associated with heating. Now if there are any last minute questions about what to get us for CHRISTmas, we can just tell everyone to give us coal,nut or rice size This will certainly be a very memorable CHRISTmas for us Merry CHRISTmas to all.

Thanx,Windy...! I've enjoyed the CHRISTmas Memories here on 'Da Coal Board! I wonder if The Great Frederico's going to do a Special Christmas Coffee House Smash Session for tomorrow a.m. ? Only Freddy,and his ever capable Kitchen Crony Freetown Fred know for sure.....! I don't know if a Christmas Stocking full of dripping Sausage gravy is appropriate,but these Breakfast Professionals know best ! :discuss: