Knowing when to say when

Wow! It's six months since my last entry! I supposed you're wondering where I've been. Well, I'm going to tell you anyway. For one thing, having a three and five-year-old means when I have the time to work on the layout, I don't have the energy. Conversely, when I have energy, I don't have time.

On top of that, I'm just getting kind of bored model railroading. Most of the layout is done now. and I'm just not motivated to finish the remaining project. Mostly I just find myself running the trains. Throw in my writing and my newly-acquired 1965 Chevy Corvair, there's just not much time for trains anymore.

 

 

 

Go ahead, ask me if I've read Ralph Nader's book. I dare you!

And now, onto the real subject of this blog post. We've all been there, it's late at night and the locomotive you're trying to install a decoder in just won't run. You know the darn thing is hooked up right, so why won't it go. You're tired and part of you knows you should call it a night. But you wonder when you're going to have the time or when the house will be this quiet again. So you keep on fighting, getting nowhere. Then pop! The decoder smokes, you fried it.

Folks, I can't tell you how many small problems I've turned into catastrophes because I didn't know when to say "when." It's easier said than done. When you're frustrated, you want to fix it right then and there. But, more often than not stepping away and coming back to it later can give you a fresh perspective. You may find a solution you couldn't when you were tired and frustrated.

So that's my two cents worth. I'm sure I'll be back to work on the layout at some point. I just don;t know when.