Well, that was depressing.

Ever since the day this house was built,  it’s never been anything close to “maintenance free”.   Actually,  the idea of maintenance free probably didn’t come along until not that long ago,  but still. 

 

I’ve stuck in a picture here that I took way back in March of 2008,  at least I think that’s when it was.  It was still winter conditions,  so if the house looks “sad”,  then we’ll blame it on that.

There’s no longer an elm tree out front, since it had to come down in the summer of 2010.  We weren’t here for that one.  Just saw the pictures on the Book of Face.  Felt bad for that elm tree, as it had managed to survive the “Dutch Elm Disease”,  but then packed it in much later.  Maybe the same disease,  I’m not sure? 
It did a decent job of shading the house too,  but was also a ready access point for raccoons. 

We won’t go there.

The story goes that,  the cedar “veranda” on the front of the house there was really quite lovely when the house was first built,  but of course it being cedar,  and the fact that the previous owner did nothing to preserve it meant that it was already pretty sad looking when we moved in here in ‘92.  In all fairness, it’s an overwhelmingly large amount of work,  and he (this would have been my father-in-law) had other things to occupy his time.  Like trying to make a living to feed his seven kids.

 

Anyway,  I won’t go into all the reasons why it was built that way, except to say that,  in Bavaria, (Germany) Tyrol, Salzburg (the province) Vorarlberg, Carinthia (all in Austria) down into Slovenia,  you will indeed see homes with this chalet type of look about them.   And you know what?  That’s just fabulous.  I’m happy for all those folks who have to treat their cedar every few years.  Probably all the while wishing they had stucco or vinyl siding. 

Let me just cut to the chase here.  We had a visit on Friday with a Dude from a renovating company,  and I’ll simply paraphrase the results of our investigation.

“Why sure we can fix up the house to be maintenance free and look fabulous.  All you need to do is simply give us every last cent you have.”  

Well isn’t that special?

I actually woke up early this morning out of an already fitful sleep wherein I was dreaming about this proposed renovation.  And draining our bank account.

So we have to make some decisions,  and we don’t want to use someone else’s money,  and my suggestion of five gallons of gas and a match wasn’t one of the choices.

Besides,  there’s so much stonework,  that probably wouldn’t work anyway.   Plus, I did do all that work on those new windows.  And the sewing room.  And the washroom,  and the office.  Let’s not forget the kitchen, dining room….

OK so,  forget about my “solution”.

 

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Now, for some other depressing news,  we discovered yesterday that the football pool at the pub had been shut down.

What?

This football pool is an annual thing that happens at a number of watering holes in these parts,  and the word is that,  “you gotta give the money back.”

For my part,  I’ve never really had a huge desire to get into the football pool,  mostly since it always seemed to me to be too much like “homework”.  You have to make all those picks,  and then you might like to watch a game or two, to see how “your team” is going to make out.  I don’t like that kind of commitment. 

I mean, I start to get a bit antsy half way through a formula one race,  so hanging in there for two or three football games over the weekend?  Too much pressure.

Hey, maybe that’s why I like drag racing?  It’s all over within a matter of a few seconds, and I can go back to being semi-comatose.

Just the same,  it was fun to offer unsolicited advise, which is not a foreign concept for me.  I’ve been known to offer my “help” on the curling rink, when the fact of the matter is,  I don’t have a f*cking clue.    But hey, on that particular outing,  we came in second!  I mean, c’mon!  Cut me some slack!  And there weren’t just two teams either!

Have you ever tried curling?  It’s not as easy as it looks,  trust me.  And no, I don’t curl.   I’d like to keep my hips “unbroken”,  thanks.   I fell once.  Had to wear the “tiara”.  That was enough.

 

Oh,  and you’re probably wondering why, oh why does the pub have to “give the money back”?   Well,  *ahem* running a football pool in the Province of Ontario is not quite legal.   And you know,  I always wondered about that. 

Apparently, there are “inspectors” going around from the LCBO,  or maybe it was the LOTO Corporation?  There were conflicting stories. 

And here’s the thing, it’s going to take a bit of “cypherin’” to figure out who gets what. Just to sign up a team at the beginning of the season was a hunnert bucks. There were something like 140 teams,  plus a small amount to put in your picks every week.    Um ya,  that 14 grand!  Just for starters.

Oh, it’ll be interesting.

Further to this saga,  the story is that there was a “clamp down” about 20 years back,  at which time the LCBO simply confiscated all the loot.  Bastards.

So at least this time around,  everyone gets their dough back.  Well,  it was either that or the pub would have their license yanked.  Not much of a choice there.

Oh man,  when the “revolution” comes!   Not sure whom we’re going to line up first.

 

So I guess we have an “it’s all about the choices” theme here? 

Well no, between that and “depression”,  I think I’ll go with depression.

 

Enjoy your weekend. 

Keep it between the ditches.

 

Thanks for stopping in.

 

 

 

 

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