Ice and Fog This Week

Early Monday morning (22 January), I woke up to find the street, driveway, and walkway covered in ice. This was from an overnight ice storm that hit the Metropolitan St. Louis area. I gingerly walked on the driveway early that morning and I had to be careful not to slip on the ice-coated concrete. Seeing that the subdivision street which goes up towards Forder Road and would be a hard drive up in my vehicle with the ice on the road, I told my supervisor I had to wait to leave the house for my safety. He understood this and asked me to stay safe. Thus, I did not leave home around 6:15 AM as usual.

I waited until about 10:30 for road conditions to be good enough to try to go into work. The roads and driveway were still icy, but I was able to carefully leave my house and head to work using low gear on my car. After about 30 minutes, I was able to arrive at work with no problems. 

Monday mornings are usually the busiest at Enterprise, due mostly to people getting into their loaner cars while their vehicles were in the repair shops. However, this morning was different due to the ice. It was slow when I got there and there was not so much business as many customers postponed their service appointments. It got a bit warmer in the afternoon, allowing me to get vehicles cleaned up and spotted on the branch parking lot.

Yesterday was much better with the ice melted away and work went well. It was fairly busy much of that day.

Off work today, I woke up to fog that covered the metro area this morning. It would be here all day and night, with the fog continuing tomorrow.

I did venture out mid-morning in the fog, driving carefully to St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church in Ellisville. The mother of my college friend, Cindy (Pollvogt) Hensley, had died late last week and the church hosted a visitation before the funeral. I came to pay my respected to Cindy's mom and to Cindy herself, who I have not seen in person for some years now. She was most happy to see me come and I told her I really felt I had to be there for her. Cindy told me she is holding up well under the circumstances. A few of our mutual friends from college were also there, and it was great seeing them, and Cindy introduced me to her son, who told me he was happy to meet me and glad I could come to this visitation.

After the visitation, I ran some errands. This included shopping for socks and ice melting crystals at Target in Town and Country, a car wash and fuel stop at Mobil On the Run in Ballwin, purchasing lacquer thinner for my scale modeling workbench at Lowe's in Ballwin, and lunch at Popeye's in Oakville. I was back home early this afternoon to finally take down the Christmas decorations and to do my laundry. Back to work tomorrow morning.

Later.

Websites of Entiries Mentioned in This Post:

Enterprise Rent-A-Car: Car Rental with Great Rates & Service | Enterprise Rent-A-Car

St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church: Saint Clare of Assisi | Ellisville, MO

Target: Target : Expect More. Pay Less.

On the Run: On the Run - Your Neighborhood Convenience store

Lowe's: Lowe’s Home Improvement (lowes.com)

Popeye's: Popeyes

2023 Mardi Gras with Julie

Midday yesterday (18 February), yours truly drove to Julie's house in Florissant. We had lunch featuring jambalaya and king cake for dessert. It was very nice.

After watching much of a Serie A match on TV (Inter vs Udinese), I drove us towards Soulard for the Mardi Gras celebration. After driving around for about 30 minutes and unable to find a parking spot amid the large crowds present, we parked at the garage just west of Busch Stadium and walked towards Soulard. Julie and I came across large crowds along Broadway near Soulard Farmers Market. 

We soon found a food stand, where we got a shish kabob, a funnel cake, and a cup of lemonade. Julie and I shared these items as we stood and looking upon the throng in the streets. We then walked up Broadway and Julie asked a firefighter about the evening parade that we had come for. He told her that parade is Tuesday night, not Saturday night. (There had been a daytime parade earlier that Saturday.) Disappointed, Julie and I walked back to the garage and returned to her home. 

We watched an animated film, "Turning Red," that was streamed on her TV. It was a fun movie to watch with an uplifting message about self-acceptance. Thus, Julie and I made the most of our day even with the original Mardi Gras plans upset.

The next morning, we had breakfast of bacon and donuts, plus cafe au lait. It was most delicious and a great beginning of the day. I left Julie's house late that morning, as Julie was getting ready for a friend's party. I headed home, stopping by Target to get some undershirts and Schnucks to get today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch, with its special St. Louis CITY SC preview section. The season begins this Saturday. I can't wait.

 

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

Serie A: Lega Serie A | Home

Soulard Mardi Gras: Contact Us | Soulard Mardi Gras 2023 | St. Louis, MO (stlmardigras.org)

Target: Target : Expect More. Pay Less.

Schnucks: Home | Schnucks

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | Breaking News | | Read St. Louis, MO and Missouri breaking news. Get latest news, events and information on Missouri sports, weather, entertainment and lifestyles. (stltoday.com)

St. Louis CITY SC: St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)

IPMS Gateway Meets at Calvary One More Time

Tuesday night (17 March), I was at Calvary Presbyterian Church (http://calvarypresbyterianchurch.org/) for this month's IPMS/Gateway (https://sites.google.com/view/ipmsgatewaychapter/home) meeting. It was the club's last meeting at Calvary, before moving next month (we hope) to Affton Elks Lodge 6235 (https://www.elks.org/lodges/ContactUs.cfm?LodgeNumber=2635). Concerns about the current coronavirus outbreak limited the meeting's attendance to 14 members--usually attendance is closer to 30.

Early in the meeting, club president Rick Keasey presented my mother Joan Delaney with a $50 Target (https://www.target.com/) gift card, in appreciation for her work opening the Fellowship Hall for the club these past few years. She was pleasantly surprised by this gesture, and thanked us for the card.

After discussing other club business, we had Show & Tell. I told of my T-34/85 model taking a Bronze in Armor at KC CON (http://www.ipmsgreatplains.org/KCCon2020.aspx) in Kansas City, Missouri the previous Saturday. There was some other interesting items shown off by a few of our members.

After Show & Tell, Jim Triola, with assistance from Jim Victor, presented a demo on photo etched (PR) metal parts. They used ship models they are working on--Triola, a 1:200 scale USS Hornet (CV-8); Victor, a 1:200 HMS Nelson--to show the PE parts installed to this point, and the tools, techniques, and adhesives they use. It was quite an interesting demo and welcome by club members not experienced at all in PE parts.

The next day, word came that the Affton Elks Lodge is closed for now, which means we may not meet there on 21 April as planned. Hope to hear back on this soon. Already, several IPMS/USA (http://ipmsusa.org/) contests have been cancelled or postponed, and many chapter meetings have been cancelled due to their venues being closed due to the coronavirus outbreak. It's the right decision under the circumstances, though not welcome for those who worked hard to get these shows on and to meet their fellow modelers.

Stay safe everyone.

Later.

Hawaiian Party with Enterprise

After work this past Thursday night (25 April), I drove to The Caramel Room at Bissinger's (https://www.caramelroom.com/) in downtown St. Louis. A party was held there for Enterprise Holdings (https://www.enterpriseholdings.com/en/index.html) employees in the St. Louis area. This event had a Hawaiian theme, so most attendees--including myself--wore Hawaiian shirts. I bought mine the day before at Target (https://www.target.com/) just for this event.

Though I had a full day of work before this party, I did have a fun time. I chatted with many of my colleagues and enjoyed complementary food and drink. Each attendee received two drink tickets--I had two beers--and there were buffets for tacos and burgers. Plus, there was free chocolate treats from Bissinger's (https://www.bissingers.com/). Overall, it was a wonderful time.

Later.

Volunteering Double Header

Yesterday morning (6 April) found me at Benton Park (https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/parks/parks/browse-parks/view-park.cfm?parkID=17&parkName=Benton%20Park) in south St. Louis. There, I joined other Enterprise Holdings (https://www.enterpriseholdings.com/en/index.html) employees and Forest ReLeaf of Missouri (http://moreleaf.org/) to plant trees in the neighborhood. This was done in cooperation with the City of St. Louis' Forestry Division (https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/parks/forestry/).

After a breakfast of doughnuts and fruit, we split up into five teams and began going to our areas to plant tree--including dogwood, oak, and red bud--in the green strips between the streets and sidewalks. My group of about ten went north of Benton Park. In about three hours, we were able to plant about 50 trees. I had not planted a tree in years, but after a short course by the Forest ReLeaf people, my fellow volunteers and I were able to dig holes and plant the trees. Forest ReLeaf loaned us the shovels and pickaxes we used, and provided the tree saplings they had grown on their CommuniTree Nursery at Creve Coeur Lake Park (http://moreleaf.org/learn/nursery-tours/). Forestry Division personnel brought the saplings and mulch over to the planting sites.

I did have a bit of a mishap well into this shift, as my belt broke and my pants sagged. I was able to use my rain jacket threaded through my pants' belt loops as an improvised belt and it was good enough for the rest of the shift.

After the trees were planted, we went back to Benton Park for box lunches from Subway (https://www.subway.com/en-US) and the thanks of Enterprise and Forest ReLeaf for our efforts. I was certainly happy and proud to have taken part. I trust the residents will appreciate the new trees on their streets, especially when the trees grow towards full size.

After this stint, I headed towards Pattonville High School (https://phs.psdr3.org/) in Maryland Heights. After stopovers at a Target (https://www.target.com/) in Brentwood for a new belt and a library to change my shoes and pants, I arrived at the high school in the early afternoon. Pattonville was hosting a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineers, and Mathematics) event aimed at school children and their teachers. The Missouri Aviation Historical Society, or MOAHS (https://moavhist.org/) had a table there with information on the group, and on the upcoming Spirit of St. Louis Air Show and STEM Expo (http://spirit-airshow.com/) this September. Joe Gurney from the Society asked me to relieve him that afternoon, as he had to leave for another event, so I agreed. In addition to promoting MOAHS, I also promoted the Gateway Chapter of the International Plastic Modelers' Society (https://sites.google.com/view/ipmsgatewaychapter/home). I brought in some models and IPMS/Gateway flyers for the table, and there were a few visitors who showed interest in our club and picked up our flyers.

Most visitors had left by the time I arrived on site, but I stayed until mid-afternoon when the other groups were starting to pack up. One of the fair's organizers thanked me and my groups for coming, and I gave her an IPMS/Gateway flyer.

It was quite a busy, yet fulfilling day for me.

Later.

New Toothbrush

Coming home Wednesday night (24 October) after a book event in Richmond Heights, I checked my mail and found the package I ordered the week before from Quip (https://www.getquip.com/). This is an electric toothbrush which came out two years ago. It is sold directly from Quip's website, but is now also available at Target (https://www.target.com/) stores.

I found out about quip late this summer, when my friend and former Enterprise (https://www.enterprise.com/en/home.html) colleague Melissa Needles got a job at Quip's headquarters in Brooklyn, New York as a customer experience associate. I checked out Quip and found it worth buying. Melissa recently gave me a discount code and I placed my order through Quip's website last week.

After receiving the package on Wednesday, I read the enclosed instructions and gave it a dry run in my mouth. The toothbrush's electric motor is timed for four 30-second brush vibrations--enough for the front and back of both sets of teeth to be adequately brushed. It is small, easy to hold in the hand, and easy to store and transport. Every three months, quip sends out a new brush head, so you have a good brush head every time. (They also offer toothpaste for purchase.)

I have brushed with my new Quip a few times and it has been going very well. I greatly appreciate the timed brush vibrator; I have been too hasty in brushing my teeth with my previous electric brush. I highly recommend Quip, and thank my friend Melissa for bringing this to my attention.

(On a somber note, I heard on Thursday from Melissa's mother Theresa that Melissa's aunt, Deborah Kuhlmann, had died this week. My condolences to Deborah's family and friends. I made a donation in her memory to St. Louis Ovarian Cancer Awareness [https://www.sloca.org/].)

Later.

Somehow, Spring Has Arrived

Home on Sunday (18 March), I went to service at Calvary Presbyterian Church (http://calvarypresbyterianchurch.org/). Afterward, I headed home, stopping by St. Louis Bread Co. (https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/home.html) in Mehlville for a coffee and pastry. I then relaxed at home the rest of the day and night.

Back at the rental branch early the next day, we had our usual busy Monday morning. However, everything went well. Same for the next day.

Right after work Tuesday night (20 March), it was off to Calvary for this month's IPMS/Gateway (http://www.ipms-gateway.com/) (https://www.facebook.com/IPMSGateway/) meeting. I helped get the Fellowship Hall set up for the meeting, and took down notes as Secretary. Afterward, I helped to get the hall cleaned up and locked up for the night. It was a good meeting, with our Model of the Month "Beauty Contest" and a slide show by Gary Chambers of aircraft, military and civilian vehicles, and watercraft he photographed during a visit to Moscow last summer. Very interesting.

Spring arrived late on Wednesday morning, but you would not have known it from the chilly weather. High temperatures this week were in the range from 40 to 50 degrees F (4 to 10 degrees C). Hopefully, that will improve in the coming week or two.

Off work yesterday, I used the time to do a bit of shopping (for body wash and for printer paper), and doing my laundry at home. I also checked on a couple of matters regarding IPMS/Gateway's newsletter, The Arch Scaler News, which I edit. Otherwise, I chilled out at home.

Thursday night, my mother and I went to the Kirkwood Public Library (https://kirkwoodpubliclibrary.org/) for the launch of a new book. "Slaying in South St. Louis," by Vicki Berger Erwin and her son Bryan Erwin, tells the story of a 1963 stabbing murder of a housewife by a juvenile delinquent and how he escaped justice due to legal technicalities. My brother Rick edited this book, which is published by The History Press (https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Navigation/Series/THPSeries). Mom and I really found the talk most fascinating and she let the co-authors know about Rick's work. Vicki Berger Erwin told us that Rick was really good to work with as an editor. The co-authors signed my mom's copy, and I bought a copy for myself. This event was coordinated by Main Street Books (http://www.mainstreetbooks.net/).

Back to work this morning, I stopped by Krispy Kreme (http://krispykreme.com/) to get some doughnuts for my colleagues. The day was rather busy, but went well. That morning, the cargo pants I was wearing developed a rip. I was able to make emergency repairs using electrical tape, but went to Target (https://www.target.com/) during my lunch break to buy a pair of cargo pants. I changed into them just before going back on duty, and they worked out well.

Later.