And then I get tired.

I've just about cleaned up my pile of left over wood that was left behind by Tree Cutting Dude.  Well,  actually by his two minions.  Which was OK with me,  but the way,  as it all burns.  

There's something about that whole bending over with the chain saw that does tend to tire a feller out.

Although,  after a bit of lunch and wee sit down,  T.C. and I did go up to her sister's place and rake and blow more leaves.  Oy.   She has a *lovely* back yard,  but that also means there are literally heaps of leaves to deal with.  Having said that,  T.C.'s sister is 84.   AND,  she was out there with us raking leaves like nobodies business.

(Now on to Tuesday)

Went back this morning and finished off her yard.

We're pretty sure she "won" that contest, in the most leaves department anyway.  Not that it's a competition.

It had rained a wee bit in the night,  which didn't really help.

They're here!   Or at least on our street.

Some years it starts snowing before they can get all the leaves,  which means they sort of get left.   Those trucks that are being used to haul away leaves are needed for snow removal.
It's coming.   There were a few flurries this morning,  as we were raking leaves.

We try to tell ourselves that it's "good exercise". 

Whatever.

So,  just another fall Tuesday.

Thanks for lookin'.

And we both howled.

So,  you've no doubt gather by this point in time that I do tend to sit and watch an NFL game from time to time.  Like,  Sunday,  Monday Night,  and Thursday Night.  I don't do college Football.   Just can't get into it although,  as a side note,  if I were to go to a College game,  I'd go see the Ohio State Buckeyes.   It's not that far to travel,  although an overnight would be the only possible way of doing it.



Anyhoo,  last night was the Pittsburgh Steelers and Caroline Panthers.    I didn't have any vested interest in the outcome,  as getting my submission in to the pub would have meant stopping off there at some point prior to game time,  as the young lady who is currently running the pool has been having some email "issues", shall we say?   I'm just not going to even go there,  as I can already feel my blood pressure going up ever so slightly.   Put it this way,  if the owner of the pub isn't running the pool next year?   I'm out.

I'm trying to think of exactly when what I'm about to tell you all took place,  but suffice to say,  T.C. and were on our way from Vienna to Birmingham,  and I definitely recall noticing these four rather "sketchy"  looking Dudes,  who were set to board the same flight as us.   This was in Vienna,  and we had a stop over in Frankfurt (I think).

So,  sketchy looking Dudes get on the plane in Vienna,  not sure where they sat,  but basically I sort of forgot about them.  (Kind of like the way I'm having trouble recalling the whole thing btw)

On that leg of the flight,  T.C. and I got to sit together.   Yay!
Then we get to our stop over,  the second leg of which would take us on to Birmingham,  and who is also getting on the plane?
Sketchy looking Dudes.

THIS TIME,  T.C.  and don't get to sit together (who knows why?)  and who is sitting next to T.C.?  One of the sketchy Dudes,  who proceeds to start up a conversation with T.C.   showing her his adorable kids,  wife etc.  Actually,  I think he was a bit homesick and was looking at their pics on his mobile device,  and I think maybe T.C. noticed or something?    Anyway,  I was later told that they had a lovely conversation.   Nicest guy ever,  etc.

He and his sketchy looking buddies had been on tour it seems and they were making one or two  more stops and then going on home to California.



OK fine,  we get to Birmingham,  and the Sketchy Dudes (and there is a fifth guy,  their Roadie I presume) are in a bit of a panic,  as their luggage is somewhat MIA.   It did turn up,  but the reason that they were getting a little stressed was,  their costumes were in their luggage! 
It turns out that they were a musical group (a loose definition of "music" by the way) that call themselves Steel Panther.   And their "shtick" is something called "Glam Rock".

And no,  I had never heard of it either.


If you don't care to go to the website,  I'll stick a photo in here real quick like:

Well,  first of all,  it seems they have a huge following,  AND they're still at it.

See,  I don't usually tune in to all the "NFL Pre-Game"  nonsense,   but at the last minute I tune in to see Michael Strahan and company,  and whom are they talking to?   Well,  think about it.  Pittsburgh Steelers and the Carolina Panthers?


Ya,  those guys!   I just about came off my couch!

I had to run upstairs and tell T.C.!!   Oh man.  Too funny.

Oh,  and by the way,  there's only one of them who has his own hair.   The other three with the bandannas are wearing wigs.    That's the biggest reason they were freaking out when their luggage was MIA.   Those Dudes are like....bald!

You just never know whom you're going to see in an airport.  Or...whom you sit next to.  Or what different kind of "entertainment"  there is out there!

Can't make this stuff up.   Honest to God.


Thanks for stopping by.

Just running around.

And I've been home now for... a time (too embarrassed to say),  and I still haven't done a damned thing.

There was the weekly breakfast,  and then a side trip to Crappy Tire for some clear plastic totes for more "stuff".   Gotta store your "stuff"  properly.   Mind you,  this is my sister-in-law's "stuff",  but never fear,  we've got our share too.

Then it was off to the clock store/jeweller/whatever,  to drop off a mantel clock that emerged as a result of sorting through the "stuff",   and then on to Costco for a propane refill  (it's like...13 bucks,  as opposed to something like 19 at the gas station!)   and then a quick visit to the local "Liquidation Warehouse"  to look through their "stuff",  and then finally a side trip to Dollarama for well,  "necessary stuff",  like hand soap and such. 

The "highlight" of the day was renewing my membership at MEC.

So,  lemme 'splain.    Mountain Equipment Coop is a supplier of all things outdoors.  Camping,  hiking,  biking,  skiing.  You name it.

Now,  once upon a time,  they were a "mail order"  type of outfit,  something like L.L.Bean,  or at least the way L.L. Bean used to be.  You can order from any of them on line these days.

Back in the day,  you filled out the form in the catalogue,  calculated the tax and shipping,  sent off your cheque with the said form,  and waited for your package to arrive.    MEC had the one and only location on King Street in Toronto way back when,  but now of course,  they're all over Canada.

Note,  I said Canada. 

I seem to recall ordering a rain coat that I kept and used until something like 2001.  I kid you not.  Good value.

Anyway,  as strange as it may sound,  you have to be a "member".   I'm sure there's some sort of legal mumbo-jumbo involved that allows them to call themselves a "Coop",  but the thing is,  I became a member sometime back in either 1975 or 1976.   (Oh wait,  somewhere it says,  "owned by its members".  OK then,  I'm a part "owner".  *snort*!)


 The start of  the conversation with the young lady at the counter went something like,  "Back in the days when your parents were still in school and quite possibly hadn't met yet,  I became a member of this coop."

The trick was,  where exactly was I living when I signed up?   Oh by the way,  the cost of membership?  Five bucks.

I was actually willing to cough up another five bucks if we couldn't find me in the data base.  The membership never expires,  and all of the paper records had been transferred onto computer at some point.   The young lady was pretty certain that I was in there.

We tried a few different addresses.  Hamilton, Dundas,  Burlington.   And she found me.  Dundas!   It was my last year of High School,  and I was paying room and board in Dundas so I could finish up my final year.   The rest of the household had moved to Burlington,  but I wasn't about to tag along.   That's another story.

Anyhoo,  I suppose I can once again buy camping stuff.  Not that I'd be doing a whack of camping.  Or if I did,  I'd be on my own let's just say?   Plus,  half the time the deals on Amazon are somewhat better but hey,  Christmas is coming,  and at least one of the Daughter Units likes to car camp,  so who knows?   Well,  she and her S.O do go skiing too,  so that's also a possibility.


Hope ya learned something.

Thanks for stopping by.

And remember,  keep your stick on the ice.

I think I got them all.

By that I mean, clocks.  *rolling my eyes here*.   I think I now only have to change the time in the truck. 
T.C. mentioned already this morning that she had changed the time in the car.

Why do we do this again?   I like "daylight saving time",  or at least that's what I think it is,   and switching back to "normal" time,  or whatever it's called,  just means that the poor working stiffs mostly now go to work in the dark, and will ultimately come home in the dark.  That'll be towards mid December I realise. 

That was one of the few things that I enjoyed about working afternoons once upon a time.  At least I went to work when it was still light out,  and came home in the dark like everyone else.  No matter what time of the (school) year.

Anyway,  doesn't matter too much these days,  unless there's an appointment say,  the first Monday after the change over. 


Oh and,  I read somewhere (OK well,  on the internet,  where else?)  that the EU has voted to do away with changing clocks.   So unless the higher mucky mucks can't agree on following through on the referendum,  they'll be keeping it on "summer time"  all year 'round.   Sounds like a decent idea.

I was going to put in a link,  but the one I found had too many annoying things on it.  You're welcome.


I guess that's it,  really.

Back to watching football.

Thanks for stopping by.

Sticks....ice.  You know.

A moratorium on dish soap.

It is not permitted,  for the foreseeable future (or at least until the end of 2019 I'm thinking) to buy any more dish soap. 


Oh and,  a belated "Happy Halloween".

Whatever.


So here's the thing.   Once again this year,  Travelling Companion and I leave the house in darkness and go out to dinner on Halloween.  I'm sort of on the fence when it comes to giving out candy.  I don't really mind,  but it usually ends up with me ignoring the doorbell,  and T.C. jumping up to see what little goblin or whatever is out there looking for a hand out.

Plus,  a couple years ago,  I had to dash off to the store to see if I could scare up anything else to hand out,  as we were running low,  and I do seem to recall in previous years having so much candy left over that I'm still struggling to shed the extra pounds that I put on.
So why do this??

Anyway,  for what we spent on dinner,  we probably could have just HIRED someone to give out candy.  More cost effective.
Plus,  T.C. was saying that she felt somewhat nauseous in the middle of the night,  and we're not sure what that was all about.  I slept like a rock.

Maybe next year we'll stay home?  We'll see.

The slight wrinkle was,  we both had an appointment at the dentist at three,  and then a whack of time to kill before our somewhat early dinner reservation at 6:30. 

What to do?

There was a stop at Indigo (overpriced books and stuff)  and then on to "Winners"  where T.C. did find a pair of jeans at a decent price.

This,  by the way,  is at the newly revamped "Burlington Centre",  which used to be simply "Burlington Mall".  It's not the centre of anything,  but whatever.
I don't really go there,  except to go to Derringer's once in a while.   They've moved from their previous somewhat inaccessible location to what is now a huge spot the now newly renovated mall.

Next stop,  Costco. 

Well,  I think you know where we're headed.

See,  whenever I stop in at Costco,  which is about every six weeks or so,  I rarely take a cart.  I dash in,  pick up the two or three items that I *know* we need (coffee comes to mind)  and book it for the exit.  Well,  I pay first,  but you know what I mean.

This time,  we took a cart.

Oh boy.

T.C. had her smart phone out,  with it set to the calculator function,  and was dutifully checking to see if it was a "good deal"  and all that,  but now of course,  we have at least nine full containers of Dawn dish soap.   See,  you have to buy a packet of three,  not just one.   And I guess I had bought a packet of three at some point in the last six months,  even though we still had two or three tucked away already. 
I'll be using it to bathe in I guess.
So if you're looking to buy shares of Proctor and Gamble,  I'd say it's a good bet.



I should mention that the Boys and I did our annual pilgrimage to an NFL game on Monday.   Turns out,  it's the first Monday night game they've had in Buffalo for 10 years.

I think the best word to sum it up?   "COLD".

It threatened to rain,  which thankfully didn't amount to much,  but moreover the *wind* was problematic,  shall we say?

Here we are,  somewhat huddled around our campfire.


Which of course,  meant that I had to wash everything that I had been wearing "around the campfire",  as it stunk of smoke.

I had to tie our shelter thingy to the truck to keep it from simply lifting off.

Gotta love the portability and reliability of the Weber for this sort of thing.  Those too came from Costco.    Good eats!

We did have an enjoyable time,  but I did admit at one point when dropping off my passengers that,  there were a couple moments when I was pining for my nice warm couch in front of the fire,  which is my usual NFL game protocol.

The Bills lost,  which was no surprise.  Their quarterback situation is a bit of a clusterf**k,   and in typical fashion,  the Patriots come out after half time,  once they've gone over a few things that they see going on with any opposing team they face,  an proceed to basically crush them.

I also tend to think there's more animosity in the seats than on the field, and the notion of "rabid fans"  did come to mind. 
But I guess that's the nature of that particular beast.

We didn't see anyone getting booted from the proceedings this time around.

For a couple years now,  maybe longer,  they've had a sort of "fan snitch line" prominently displayed for all to see,  and I guess it's been used enough now that the rowdier knobs know where to draw the line.

I guess.   Or maybe it was just too f**king cold to throw the gloves off,  so to speak.

I suspect that if/when we go next year,  we just *might* pick a game a bit earlier in the season?
Either that or I need to buy some mukluks or something.  All of me was toasty warm,  except the feet.  Not completely frozen through,  but borderline uncomfortable.

Sure glad the heater in the truck is a good one.


I suppose that'll be it for me once again for a few days.

Thanks for moving your eyes back and forth.

Keep that stick on the ice.

On a bit of a roll.

I wanted to say,  "on a tear",   but that's a tricky word.  There were no tears (weeping) involved,  but it's the same word used to rip something in two.   Sometimes I feel bad (actually, "badly" but that doesn't sound right)  for those whose Mother Tongue is not English,  and who then have to try and figure it out.   That word "tear",  is not only a homonym,  but are heteronym. 

OK,  confused yet?   I knew it was a "homonym",  but didn't realise there were different types until I looked it up.   Isn't the internet wonderful? 

Well,  mostly.

Anyhoo,  I got it into my pea brain yesterday morning to do a little maintenance around the joint,  and started off by changing the oil in the stand-by generator.  It wasn't due for an oil change,  but I wasn't keen on the look of the oil,  and I have this thing about changing oil in a machine at least once a year anyway,  whether it needs it or not. 

You can see there that the oil looks kind of gross.  I even flushed some fresh oil through the thing,  just because I could.  Oil is cheap,  basically,  and I have damned near half a case of oil left over from when I used do oil changes on the motorhome.   And no,  it wasn't about the money.  Just the inconvenience of getting the thing out of storage,  taking it to some place that had a hoist that was capable of lifting the thing.  The final straw was when the dizzy...whatever at the counter forgot my appointment,  and well,  that kinda turned me off going back there.   Bought a creeper,  a case of oil at Costco,  and picked up filters at Napa.  And that was that.

But I digress.

Oh and by the way,  yes I unhooked the negative terminal of the battery.  If it were to randomly start up due to a power outage (really?)  that would be a definite "no bueno".

As I was in the mood,  I figured I'd do the lawn mower too.  And yes,  I know,  changing the oil in the fall is kinda dumb,  but it's been a while,  and....oil is cheap.

The blue mat is for my ageing knees.

What I have done in the case of each of these thingies is,  I write right next to the oil drain plug the size of the wrench I need.  A "Sharpie" works great.
The generator is 13mm,  the mower is 10.   So much easier than fumbling around.
I think I saw that tip way back when,  in the pre-internet days of "Popular Mechanics".  You could glean a certain amount of useful information to help you do your own stuff.  After having sifted through all the flotsam of course.

Kind of like the internet,  actually.  The flotsam part, I mean.


Now I just have to use up or drain the fuel in the mower and the weed whacker,  and that'll be it for the season.  I *might*  need to cut the grass one last time.  We'll see.

And....if the weather is anything like it is today for our trip to Buffalo on Monday to see the Bills game,  it's gonna kinda suck.

We're having some sort of apocalyptic rain and wind today,  and it ain't pleasant out there at all. 

Having a bitch of a time with grabbing a screen shot with this f**king Windows 10 that I have.  Crikey.   But here's what I got:

We'll see what Monday brings.

Thanks for stopping by.

Watching the "show".

Now that we're both "pensioners",  (love that term),  Travelling Companion and I like to sit in the living room in the morning with our coffees and watch the world go by.  There's the usual assortment of basketball bouncing boys on their way to school, mixed in with the dog walkers.  Dog poop picker uppers (we're watching you!)  and others.

Well,  this morning we had a special treat,  as one of our neighbours had a little "off leash"  incident with what will soon become yet another annoying dog in a long line of annoying dogs that they've had over the last 20 years or so.   Maybe longer.

Now,  the dog had a leash attached,  but of course,  didn't know enough to come when called.  Travelling Companion went so far as to say,  "That's a bad dog!".   But, as the dog is really just another pack animal,  and has no idea that the two lunk heads calling her are supposed to be the "alpha dogs",  she just figures it's play time. 

So,  just a "bad dog" in training.

I did have the camera at the ready,  but couldn't seem to capture the hilarity as the two idiots tried to coax, cajole,  threaten the dog to come to them.
And you know,  after having two previous idiot dogs,  you'd think they'd realise that they have no clue that they have no clue.
It's one of the latent human characteristics like,  talking down to someone.  Or,  being stupid and not knowing it.

There's a German expression that comes to mind.   Something about "knowing that you know nothing..."

Wer nichts weiß und weiß, dass er nichts weiß, weiß mehr als der, der nichts weiß und nicht weiß, dass er nichts weiß.

I'll let you look that one up.


Oh and,  in defence of the dog?  She's probably a sweetheart but,  to quote a gentleman I once met in Ludlow, New Brunswick,  "She ain't go no larnin'".    And yes,  if you draw a more or less straight line from The Appalachians on up into the Maritimes,  you get my drift.


Anyway,  life goes on here at the Ponderosa. 

Masts have been stepped.  Boats have been put up.   Leaves are getting raked (well,  blown really)  and gardens are getting ripped up.
T.C. and I have yet to plant some garlic for next year,  and that may happen today or tomorrow.   If you've never had home grown garlic,  you have no idea what you're missing.  See reference above.

I suppose I could relate a little bit about the "fridge saga".  Yes?

See,  back in August,  just before Travelling Companion was to go off to first Paris and then on to Kenya,   our "GE Profile"  fridge decided to take a little holiday as well.
On the plus side,  we did made some discoveries concerning mystery items that had been left in the freezer compartment,  and thankfully we have a full sized fridge downstairs.   And you know,  there had been talk of "getting rid" of that fridge,  but thankfully that never happened.   Plus,  right now it's full of bags of apples.   But I digress.

At the time,  especially  as T.C. was going away,  I figured I would just get by as I wasn't about to go fridge shopping in her absence.  Not prudent.

I brought in the small bar fridge that I have in my garage/shop,  which was handy enough for a few things like milk and cream for our coffee,  along with whatever else I could squeeze in.

Then of course,  after taking a gander on the internet,  somewhere I read that,  if you unplug the thing for 24 hours,  it might work again.  And it did!   For a time.

This time of course,  I had placed a thermometer inside,  as I was having some trust issues,  and sure enough,  along towards the first full week of September,  it started to fail again.  It had to go.


I'm just going to jump ahead here and point out that,  this is the new one:

It's got that whole "bottom freezer"  thing going on,  which is pretty cool.   However,  we do think it's a "stupid fridge".  It doesn't seem to have the room of the previous one,  and one of the drawers for cold cuts or whatever,  can only be accessed if you open BOTH DOORS! 
Right.  Stupid.

Oh and,  you'll notice that there are no doors on the cabinet above? 

*sigh*


This,  was essentially what I had to do to fit in a new fridge.

 You can see the old one sitting out there in the hallway.  Even though the fridge body is the same size,  the doors at the front,  and the hinges to which they are attached,  are a couple inches bigger/taller/whatever.

So ya,  that was "fun'.   I'm trying not to curse right about now. 

You're welcome.

The short story is,  we ordered the wrong size fridge since,  unbeknown to us,  the salesman didn't really know what the f**k he was talking about,  and it was only the delivery guy who pointed out that,  even with the doors removed,  the "LG"  that we wanted,  wouldn't make it through the doorway opening leading to the kitchen. "They don't include the stuff sticking out at the back in the dimensions".   Huh?
 I had to go back to the appliance place and purchase a "counter depth" fridge.  I think that's what it was called.

Now the good news was,  it was about five hundred bucks cheaper than the LG however,  we really wanted the LG.  Not another GE Profile.  *sigh*     The GEs are now made in China.  The LGs are still made in Korea.

No bueno.

We'll see if this one lasts as long as the previous one,  but I have my doubts.
  Oh,  and the other thing?   The new fridge was on back order.  We had Thanksgiving here,  with no fridge in the kitchen.  But hey,  it just means one has to be flexible.  Or something.

The appliance place had offered to send us a temporary fridge,  but we didn't really want that,  as then they'd have to take it away again of course. There's always the chance that something is going to get scratched or bumped. 
Nope,  we would just wait it out for the one that's going to stay.

Interestingly,  when T.C. asked if they would charge the fifty dollar delivery charge for the temporary fridge,  they said "no".  So that begged the question,  why did we get charged fifty dollars for a fridge that we didn't receive? 
Needless to say,  T.C. got our fifty bucks back.    Apparently it comes out of the commission of the stupid salesman.   I was quite content to hear that.



I think I had better stop now,  as I'm already on a rant about stupid people.

At some point I suppose I'll have to make some new doors for that cabinet and turf the old ones out.  Just not really looking forward to it is all.

Again,  *sigh*.

Thanks for moving your eyes back and forth.

Keep that stick on the ice.

And keep smiling.

Give peas a chance.

That one got a groan from Travelling Companion. 

See,  I had a hankering for a "hot turkey sandwich",  and I don't know about how you do this,   but I'm pretty sure it comes with peas.   If they're frozen peas,  that's fine.   She couldn't find the peas.   And that's not the way things usually go.  Typically,  I'm the one who can't fine things, but our little chest freezer is a wee bit on the full side lately,  especially with Thanksgiving and all.  Since well,  we didn't exactly eat all the stuff that had been prepared and frozen ahead of time,  "just in case".
Because,  even though just about everyone brought a dish,  we were without question,  going to starve to death.  (That's sarcastic font,  by the way.)

And by the way,  I started this last night,  but got interested in a thing about the Ringling Bros. on Public Television and didn't come back.

Of course,  as it was the first day after Thanksgiving,  there's always going to be turkey left over,  and I'm just about at the end of the line when it comes to turkey sandwiches and such.  I think that the "hot turkey sandwich" will be pretty much the end of it.   I'll try and polish off some tomorrow  today for lunch but then,   I'm out.

This year we decided to forgo the trip up to The Kawarthas for Thanksgiving,  as we were not able to find a decent place to stay (too crowded at my niece and nephew's place)  for a half decent price.  The one place that's not too far away is something like nine hundred bucks for the weekend and well,  the owners really need to do a little sprucing up on that place.  So,  when offered,  we had to decline.

Besides,  for a few years now after coming back from Europe,  we've been doing the Kawarthas thing,  which meant that Daughter Number Two and Hubby wouldn't be there,  as they have two dogs and a cat,  and are unable to be away for any length of time.  I have no opinion about that. I'm sure any one of their pet owning neighbours would be quite happy to look in on the pets/walk the dogs/whatever,  but there's some sort of "separation anxiety"  going on there.  I think.

So this year,  we had seventeen for dinner,  including both daughters and various other relations.  No pictures.  Well,  none for the internet at least.

There hasn't been too much else that's been overly excited since you last heard from me.   The sailing season is winding up.  We have one more "thing" this coming weekend called the "Die Hards",   and if it were to happen today,  for example,   we'd be wearing our shorts and sun block.   We're having a couple days of record setting heat here at The Ponderosa.   It's kinda crazy actually.  I know it can get warm in October,  but this is a wee bit nuts.

I don't mind.   But I refuse to put on the air conditioning.

Speaking of Daughter Number Two,  I pressed her into service to help with some grunt work on Friday,  as I had been wanting to split up all of the firewood that I ended up with after the two remaining ash trees were cut down.

So,  from this:

To this:

And no,  we didn't split by hand,  I rented a gas powered splitter from The Home Despot.  It was about 80 bucks (taxes in) for four hours.  Well worth it.

Similar to this:

I'm not entirely sure I'll live long enough to burn up all the firewood that has been produced,  but I'll give it a good try.   Some cold weather would be helpful.   Not that I'm wishing for winter or anything.  Just saying.

I mentioned Travelling Companion earlier.   Did I also mention she took a trip to Africa?

I'm not kidding.   First to Paris for an overnight,  then on to Nairobi,  where she and her sister went to a wedding.   Then a safari run by the Maasai Tribe
Then back to Paris and down to Lyon,  where the two of them stayed for 10 days with friends of her sister in a little place called Barberaz.
Anyhoo,  she was gone from August 14th until September 6th.   Had a wonderful time.
Glad to be home.  I soon realised that life on my own kinda sucked.  Especially at meal time.  "Cooking" for one is a challenge.  Note the quotation marks.


She was going to take a cab/limo home,  but I chose to pick her up at the airport.   Not for the faint of heart,  as their arrival or trip through the airport was somewhat delayed.   You might get onto the ground on time,  but if there's some other issue with baggage handling,  or customs or whatever,  you're still going to be late.   This time it was baggage.  I think.  I don't quite remember.
My arm was getting tired from holding onto the roses I had brought.

Hey,  some times I take pictures of "stuff",  and I have no idea what to do with them.  So there you go.

Now,  don't be fooled.  I normally don't do this sort of thing,  but it was a long trip,  and she likes flowers.  So what the hell.  A feller has to score a couple bonus points from time to time.
They lasted over a week.   And that whole "lasting" thing is the reason I typically don't buy flowers.  At least not roses.  They're expensive,  and they're gone in no time it seems.

Oh,  and by the way,  "Valentine's Day"?   Never.  Not even a box of chocolates.  We just don't go there.


I'm sure there were a few more things that happened,  but I suspect you're eyes are getting tired from moving back and forth,  so I'll pack it in for now.

Thanks for stopping by.


:)

Got yesterday's forecast, today.

I usually check one of the radar sites any time we're about to head out on the water and of course,  today I didn't bother,  as I only had in mind to cut the grass.

Nope.










Um,  ya.   We're right in the line of fire,  so to speak.   Sure wish the folks out west were getting this rain.  I mean,  it saves me from watering the grass, which I'm never keen on doing anyway (it's GRASS!   It'll grow back!)    But we certainly don't need it as much as the folks suffering through wild fires.

Anyhoo,  had yet another "weekend on the water",  as the Yacht Club that we sail out of had it's annual "Bronte Rocks Regatta"  which consisted of three races around the "cans" on Saturday,  and then a point to point race on Sunday.

Saturday night,  the club puts out dinner and pitchers of margaritas.  Dinner was what I thought good value at 22 bucks,  while pitchers of margaritas were 25.   I'm not overly keen on margaritas it so happens,  although I did sip on about a half a glass,  just to do a toast.
The club does well selling pitchers of margaritas,  but for some reason they closed down the sale of pitchers by about 8:30.   We were late coming in off the water,  so I'm not sure why they thought to stick to their "schedule"  if in fact,  they had one.  Like I say,  selling pitchers of margaritas makes bags of money for the club.  No idea.
 Dinner was a combination of "cuban" food (can't for love nor money figure out how that was a thing,  but whatever)  and was very tasty.   Often times food served out of a chafing dish at these things can be bordering on horrid,  such as was the case last week at Newport.  And that was thirty bucks a plate.   Dry.  Tasteless.  And with the most useless plastic cutlery you could imagine.  Gawd.
So,  kudos to the team at Bronte for a well put on spread.  AND,  they had decent sized plastic cutlery. 
Hey, it makes a huge difference.  Gotta get it into your mouth somehow!



There were a couple minor,  let's just say,  "issues" on the race course on Saturday,  firstly as the race committee decided to delay the first race due to lack of wind.   Now,  we've experienced "lack of wind" before,  and I have to say that,  there was in fact enough wind to move the boats.   So we couldn't figure that one out.   Plus,  again for some frustrating reason that made no sense whatsoever,  they chose to change the direction of the coarse due to a slight wind shift.   We just figured,  "Know what?  It's wind!  It might shift!"   Sailors can usually figure that out.  If you can't,  well then maybe next time?


The other issue was,  we tore the sh*t out of one of our spinnakers,  and by "we", I really mean "me".   Pissed me off to no end.  The worst part being,  there was nobody to be pissed off at, other than just well...me.   Sucks when I suck.

Not sure if that one can be fixed.  I'll not bother you with details.  suffice to say,  Old Guy here must be having some cognitive issues or something.  I keep saying I'm "too old"  to work the fore-deck,  but our much younger and more agile Fore-deck Guy was unavailable for the weekend.  So that left it up to me.


Like I said, it was pretty much the latest we've ever come in from one of these around the cans type of deals,  with the time approaching 5:30.   I really wanted to get home and take a quick shower before heading back for dinner,  and dinner was supposedly schedule for six.   Just crazy.   I figured dinner would have to wait,  but it turned out that there was boatloads of food to go around.  Is that a pun?
Not sure.



And Sunday?   Much better.  The race was a "point to point",  and we only had a sprinkling of rain,  even though the weather prognosticators were calling for much worse.  Actually,  as I sit here listening to thunder all around us,  an electrical storm was what they had predicted for Sunday a few days back. 
Didn't happen.
I really sometimes wonder about the reliability of some of the weather prognosticators.  It's the only job I know of where you can be dead wrong,  and still keep your job!

Oh and,  Muggins here didn't manage to rip anything. 

I did take a few less than stellar photos,  and a couple of them are actually worth sharing.

At this point,  we had been on the water for well over an hour I would think,  and I was struck by the fact that these three boats managed to end up within the same 200 square meters of water.   I mean,  there were boats spread out over an area maybe a third the size of Rhode Island?   They're all heading for a derrick out in one end of the lake,  which was the turning point.

Lake Ontario is kinda huge,  but you knew that.

You can see that we're at least two thirds of the way to the Hamilton Lift Bridge at this point.  Just found this kind of incredible.


Here's the CCIW "spider" out in the Lake.   (Canada Centre for Inland Waters)   They use if for monitoring water temperature and stuff.  (like I have a clue.)

It's kinda hard to explain where this "mark" is,  and we typically put the coordinates into the onboard GPS,  and then know what landmark to look for when we're sort of getting within sight of the thing.

Point to point racing is heaps easier on all concerned,  so I wasn't quite so beat yesterday afternoon when I got home.   Still nice to get into the cooler air in the house though.
The thing is,  it's ALWAYS cooler on the water,  but then as you head back to the slip,  you're hit with this wall of hot humid air that's just bloody stifling.   For example,  Tuesday night we actually had to put on our jackets,  it was that cool on the water.
Yet murderously hot inland.

Today is the last day before some of my still working teacher friends have to go back to work,  although they've all be in their classrooms setting up over the last week or two.  Mostly in non air conditioned schools.   Bleah!
We have a tradition of getting together at the pub to toast those who are about to set off on a new school year in the morning.

There's really only going to be a small percentage this year,  as there are more and more retirees every year.  And sadly,  the one friend of ours who was one of the co-conspirators regarding this tradition passed away a couple years ago.   We still miss him.


That's it for today I think.

Thanks for stopping by.

Dealing with boneheads.

It so happens that,  I get maybe three or four phone calls in a day from a number that I do not recognise.   Or sometimes it's a "Private Caller",  and I figure why would I answer,  when they clearly want their privacy?
So,  a lot of calls go unanswered.   If your name and number are in the in-house phone system,  then it will come up after a couple rings.   Or,  if somehow your name is attached to your number,  it will come up. 
Hey,  I might answer.   Maybe it's someone whom I've called and they're calling me back?
Could happen.
Most times,  the number has been reported as some sort of Robo call or scam.  If, that is,  there's any way to find out more about the number.
Let Google do the work.

And don't get me wrong,  I *appreciate*  if a credit card company calls to tell there's something up with the card.  I do,  really.    However....

This morning,  as happens from time to time,  there was a phone call.   Number didn't look familiar to me,  so I left it.   Next thing I know,  there's a "voice mail"  message,  and so I check it out.
Sometimes those "voice mail"  messages are just a click,  or someone telling you you've won a cruise.

Riiiiiight.

Turns out,  the lady leaving the message claims to be from Canadian Tire.

First of all,  they call themselves,  "Canadian Tire Bank",   but they are not a bank.   So I'm not sure what the heck that's supposed to mean.   But anyway,  I call the number that she left,  and proceeded to sit on hold for 20 minutes.

Twenty f**king minutes!   That was my limit,  so I hung up.

"High call volume",   which tells me that you need to do some hiring.   Or,  possibly so many people have had their cards messed with that,  maybe there are a lot of folks callin' ya??

Either way,  answer the damned phone!

Since it was the "fraud"  line,  I figure I had better pursue this,  so I call the number on my statement.

Now,  you have to understand that,  I owe a whopping $13.54.   It's due September 6th. 

I check my online banking situation and,  sure enough it's due to come out the day ahead of time,  so I'm still not sure why the heck they have decided to waste by now a good half hour of my time.
I had called the number that's on the statement,  which was a *different* number than the one that the lady who left the message quoted.
Had to go through the usual "press this" "press that"  to then get put on hold.

Well,  turns out somehow when they issued the new improved "Triangle Master Card"  I *guess*  there must have been some information that got out?    There was no admission of this, I'm just making this up.  The thing is, there were purchases made that had nothing to do with me.  And coincidentally,  this transition just took place a few weeks ago. 
I'm not a big believer in coincidences.


And I don't get it.   Each and every time I use that card (and it ain't that often, trust me,  thirteen bucks,  remember?)  I have to put in a four digit pin.  Not my house address.  Not my phone number.   Not numbers that anyone is going to guess.  But maybe if you order sh*t on line??   Maybe the pin isn't required?

Don't know.

I don't use that card for anything on line.

And that's a good thing.

So no,  I didn't order anything from "Brother"  (a printer maybe?)  or whatever that other thing was that she mentioned.  I forget.  Didn't care.  Wasn't me.
They needed my email address in case they have to send me an affidavit.  Right,  somehow I suspect another deluge of junk emails.

After I cut up my card and cancelled my account,  I was asked "is there anything else we can do for you today?"  I hate when they ask that.  Are they just *trying* to aggravate me even more?
First of all,  all that you've "done for me today" is piss me off,  why would I want to keep talking to you?

 I simply asked first of all, "Is this recorded?"  To which she replied in the affirmative,  so I said,   "Then record this,  if you call me and ask me to call you back,  don't make me sit on hold!".  "Answer the phone.  That's all.  Just answer the phone"
 And really,  it's not the fault of the poor unfortunate simpleton on the other end,  so I was civil. 

No,  really. 

Surgery sweet almost.


That's it.  I feel better now.

Thanks for moving your eyes back and forth.

Oh,  and when they send the new card?  I'll probably cancel that account.  I don't think I can trust "Canadian Tire Financial" or "Canadian Tire Bank"   with anything more than maybe keeping the lights on and the air condition running.

Keep your stick on the ice.

The final application.

I hope.

I was actually starting to write "The final solution",  but that has a whole other meaning.  Not a good one.

Although,  we are talking about...  extermination.  But I'm only talking about wasps.  Honestly.

Man,  I'm digging myself a hole here.


The other morning,  I was out on what was then the shady side of the house knocking back the weeds,  and I realised that the hoe I was using had just the right shape that would allow me to pry off the top area of the trim without getting too close to the wasps.

So,  yesterday morning,  before they got too active,  I did just that,  which allowed me to see just what the heck was going on behind it.


Can't see much,  actually.

The ones that have survived are still going in and out of a tiny gap in the foam up there at the top.






This evening at dusk,  I got up there with a step ladder and sprayed in another dose of Wilson's "One Shot".

Even though really,  it's taken more than just the one shot.  Hate to say it.  I guess you're supposed to be able to get this stuff directly onto the nest,  but like I said, these guys are up in behind the foam insulation somehow.  No bueno.

I'll see if there are any dead bodies in the morning.   There were a few yesterday morning after I removed the trim,  but when I went back out to take another look,  they were mysteriously gone.  Maybe blew off?   Dunno.

Did a little more prep work on the painting end of things today.   I'm on to the next colour,  so I had to go back to one spot where it looked like I had a bit of a thin spot and put on a wee bit more.
Hate when that happens.

Wednesdays can be a bit of a wasted day for me anyway,  as I go to breakfast with a bunch of other old farts and generally complain about whatever is bugging us at the moment.  Right now it's the number of high rise condos that are being built in our downtown core.  Which is one of the reasons that Burlington has slipped way down to number 31 on the "livability"  scale that some group or other put out a while back.  We were ninth in 2017. 
Don't get me started.

Not sure how accurate it is,  but if they use the same criteria year after year,  then I suppose there's some credibility to the study.  Some magazine called Money Sense.

*****

Saw these suspicious looking characters wandering up the street yesterday.  This is what happens when you're painting with no window coverings and the camera is close at hand.

Think they're Jehovah's?

 Maybe Seventh Day Adventist.

    It's been a few years,  or I dare say *decades* since we've had anyone come to our door selling their particular brand of piety.  I think I've got the message across.
I won't elaborate.

Well, except that,  there was this time,  and this was the first summer we were here in 1992, when  two ladies came up the driveway and wanted to "chat".    I said I didn't mind,  but as I was cutting the grass at that very moment and it had to get done,  and they had interrupted the proceedings,  I simply asked which one of them wanted to keep doing the work?  You know,  so I could sit and "chat".
I *love* to sit and chat!

Hey, it's what I was doing this morning at breakfast!

However,  neither of them thought they were up to cutting the grass.  Lazy Bastards.
They looked fit to me.  I mean,  you do all that walking around lugging a bible or whatever,  you have to have a bit of stamina.  Don't you think?


All I know is, I've certainly never shown up at some stranger's door *uninvited*  and asked if we could "chat".   Like,  what are you thinking?

I realise that,  back in the Depression,  when men were truly down and out,  they might show up at a stranger's door asking if there might be a little food to spare,  but times have changed.  And those interlopers across the road look pretty healthy.

I think I'm getting off on a bit of a rant here,  so you can fill in the rest.  Or join in,  if you wish.

I suspect that's it.

Thanks for stopping by.

Here's hoping for a bit of cooler weather.

Weekend on the water.

Which means,  the painting was put on hold,  but I finished another wall today.
I can't say exactly that I'm as enthusiastic about painting as I once was?   Or maybe,  I never really was.
I had thought,  that the last time I painted,  would be the *last time I painted*.   But no.  We don't like that colour anymore.

Anyhoo,  I took along my somewhat beat up Canon G16 which,  as it turns out,  still takes good photos,  even though it's gotten wet on at least two occasions.   *sigh*
The first time it happened,  I dried it out,  and discovered that the built in flash would no longer work.  So fine,  I bought a flash for the hot shoe,  and that was the answer to that little issue.  Carry on.   Then,  earlier in the sailing season,  I managed to get the poor thing wet again,  and this time it seems that I can no longer use the viewing screen.  Thankfully there is a range finder lens that at least allows me to compose a shot of some sort.   The problem is,  I have no idea what I'm taking a picture of or how it turned out until I upload it to some sort of other device (like this computer) and see what I got.   Kind of like back in the old days when using film.  We never knew what we got until we picked up our prints or a contact sheet from the lab.

This particular regatta was held at a yacht club/marina community not far from here called "Newport" where it would seem that a developer was allowed to scoop out a marina,  then build condos all around and create this little community.

Once you buy a place though,  you don't automatically get a slip,  as the slips are deeded separately.  Plus,  there are way more dwellings than slips.

So,  I did manage to get a couple shots in,  but it was a wee bit windy for the first two races,  and I was busy.   Our Fore Deck guy was having an issue with one of his eyes and couldn't make it,  which meant that Muggins here volunteered to do Fore Deck.   I keep a set of knee pads in my sail bag for just such a contingency.

I'm getting just wee bit long in the tooth for doing Fore Deck however,  and I'm feeling a little bit of discomfort here and there today from essentially thrashing about on the front end of a boat.

Now,  you might be wondering just why I used the term "weekend",  when the regatta was only a one day affair?   Well,  we ferried the boat down there Friday night,  sailed Saturday,  had dinner there,  listened to the band,    and then the skipper was going to simply motor the boat all the way back to Bronte on Sunday,  and I offered to sail it back with him if he'd be willing to drive me back afterwards to pick up my vehicle.   So that was the plan.
And as it was,  the wind on the Sunday was somewhat better than the Saturday,  as it was a very nice 10 or so knots out of the West.  Realistically,  they could have had a two day regatta,  but maybe that's just not realistic.

Bit of a before and after,  although I should have looked at the first one,  as I screwed up the angle.

And,  if you make your own millwork (trim etc.)  then you can also make it so you can remove it for painting.   A couple of those pieces are from the kitchen,  since I want to touch up the finish on an area just above the range.

Needs to be cleaned,  sanded and refinished.  Of course,  I have to take down that metal rod.

Thus:

I unhooked the little puck lights and shoved them up into the cabinets for now.

Such exciting stuff,  yes?

I'm out.

Thanks for stopping by.


Here's a video posted by Newport Yacht Club:

Click on the link.

The boat that's "getting close"  is us,  TARDIS.  I'm in the yellow shirt.

Just click "not now"  when it asks if you want to create a new account.   There you go.

Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger!

Sorry,  but if you didn't spend your Saturday late nights watching the late John Belushi and his wacky interpretation of a short order cook who only knew how to cook one thing,  then I'm truly sad for you.

I tried to find a clip of Belushi, Akroyd and Bill Murray doing that skit,  but it so happens (and I certainly didn't know this) that the skit they did on SNL was based on an actual restaurant in Chicago,  where they've been carrying on with this sort of spiel for many years now.

Anyway,  a few days ago I had frozen up some burgers for future consideration,  and thought maybe I'd cook up a couple on the grill.

Kind of a lousy picture actually. 
I had picked up some lean ground beef at one of the local "Deli" type places here in town  (Denninger's if you must know)  made up a few burgers,  froze them individually,  and then shrink wrapped them in this 'food saver'  shrink wrap thingy that Daughter Number Two gave us.

It's kind of awesome really,  but that's a whole other story.

The curious thing was,  they had different trays of burgers that they had made up,  with the simplest version called "gourmet burgers".   So,  since I'm essentially lazy,  and was considering  just taking a short cut and buying a few,  I asked one of the clerks just what was in these "gourmet burgers"?
Well,  it was only ground beef made into the shape of a patty! 

Right. 

My burgers a just a wee bit more involved,  with chopped Onion,  Worcestershire Sauce,  Bread Crumbs,  an egg,  salt and pepper,  along with another secret ingredient. 
Ok fine.  Not that much of a secret really.  It's Steak Spice.   I've never had anyone complain about my burgers being bland.
Once in a while I serve them with fried onions,  but this time I decided on some "American Cheese".
By that I mean,  those plastic wrapped cheese slices that are really only good for burgers or making grilled cheese sandwiches.  I'm pretty sure it's cheese.

Cooking them from a frozen state isn't too much of a problem.  Just have to make sure they're cooked is all.
I didn't manage to take a picture of the ensuing cheeseburgers,  as by then I was getting kind of hungry and scarfed them down in about two minutes flat.

Along with that,  my sister-in-law had called to ask if I could please come and pick up some beans,  as the garden is just going crazy.   The garden that she has at the back of her place (huge pie shaped lot)  is sort of a joint effort for a few of us,  with me being in charge of fencing and putting up whatever structure required for the pole beans and cucumbers. 
Oh,  and I installed a sprinkler/soaker type of arrangement,  so that she only has to hook up the hose to the one end and turn it on.
The garden is maybe 20 by 60?  Haven't ever really measured it.


So I spent some time blanching and freezing a basket of beans.    Divvied them up into the proper amounts for two or four servings.

The cucumber she gave me was perfect.

I like it cut up with just a tiniest bit of salt.  Yummy.


Mind you,  no need for the elaborate sprinkler/soaker system lately,  as we've had our share of torrential downpours over the last few days.   Didn't sail Tuesday night,  as there was the threat of lightening.  Never a good idea to be on the water with one of them pointy things (called a mast,  hello)  when there's the chance of an electrical storm. 
We went up to the clubhouse for dinner and beer.

There's been a nice break in the weather as a result,  and last night it was actually cool enough that I could keep the bedroom window closed,  and avoid being woke up by the annoying dog next door. 

I swear,  I'm going to have a tee-shirt made up with "How do you like my chainsaw?"  in big letters on the front,  and then right under it in smaller print it'll say,  "I don't have a barking dog to annoy you,  so this'll have to do".

Too much to read I realise,  and I'm sure I'd be the only one to see it anyway.  Maybe a big flag on a huge flag pole?


Well,  that's lunch.   Back to painting.

Oh joy.

Keep those sticks on the ice.

Thanks for stopping by.

I caught him!

For years now,  and I'm talking decades here,  we've been getting someone else's mail.   Not every day,  mind you.   Just once in a while. 
It all comes down to one number.  Our address contains a "3",   the recipients of our prodigal mail (it does come home eventually) are down the street and around the corner.
So,  a week ago yesterday,  there was a package left on our front doorstep from some place called "Well.ca".   Didn't look like anything I had ordered. 

And as a matter of fact,  I have nothing on order.

Of course it wasn't ours,  so I hopped on the bike and made the delivery.

Oh,  there's a bit of a 'back story'  to this.   See,  once upon a time,  the folks at that other address were Mr. and Mrs. Helm (no relation to "Matt") 

I recall Daughter Number Two telling me that,  when she and her hubby were living here during the time that we lived in Europe,  Mr. Helm would come by from time to time to deliver our mail.  They'd do an exchange,  as we likely had some of his as well.   Usually "Chatelaine"  magazine that Mrs. Helm had on order.  Don't judge.

Sadly,  I remember her telling me one time that,  poor Mr. Helm was getting really old and weary,  and was having difficulty even getting out of his car, let alone making it up our front steps.   Then,  a couple years ago by now I think it was,   Mr. Helm passed away,  and Mrs. Helm was the only one whose mail we were getting.
Then,  a couple months ago,  I couldn't help but notice a "for sale" sign on the front lawn,  and now there are new owners.

I don't think they realise that it was me who delivered their package last week?

We'll introduce ourselves at some point I'm sure.

Anyway,  this morning there was a knock on the front door,  at which point I raced to the front door thinking perhaps my sister-in-law,  who lives up the street and around the corner,  might have got caught in the rain or perhaps needed to use the facilities.

Nope. 

It was "Delivery Dude",  who is under contract with Canada Post,  and he had left a package from Amazon.   Of course,  didn't have my glasses on,  and he had darted off before I could wave him back anyway.

Sure enough.  Not for this address.   But I thought,  "Dammit,  I'm gonna race off and see if I can catch him".  Figuring that,  even if I couldn't track him down,  at least he went in the direction of the proper recipients,  and I'd drop the package off anyway.

And like I just said,  it was raining like you wouldn't believe!

And I saw him!  He was just finishing up another package delivery on one of the side streets,  and I think as soon as he saw me,  because maybe he recognised the vehicle,  he came right to my window.  We had a little chat.  He was apologetic.  He was also getting soaked.  I tried to be brief.  I didn't quite go to the point of trying to explain the difference between '3' and '4',  but he got the idea.

I suspect that,  as long as he's the guy delivering the boxes around here,  I won't have to make any more deliveries.

Now,  the actually postal workers?   That's a different story. 

I've managed to chase down the odd one in the past,  but it's tricky.   They're too surreptitious.  And by the time I've sifted through the dregs of junk mail to see if I actually got anything,  they're long gone.

*****

In other "news",  I thought I'd try one of those copper BBQ mats again,  only this time to cook a couple eggs.

Meh.  Still not the greatest.   I know that when it comes to using a frying pan,  I like to cover the eggs,  which allows them to start to skin over on top before getting crusty on the bottom.

I'm not overly keen on that crusty bit.

I even tried another couple eggs later in the evening,  figured maybe I'd cover them with the lid to a pot.  The only one that I had that would fit over the eggs was this glass thing,  and it started to make these cracking noises, which was freaking me out, so I took it off.  Breaking one of the lids to our pots would be "no bueno".

So,  those eggs in that photo above look really perfect BUT,  they stuck to the surface (not supposed to)  and were way too crusty on the bottom when I was trying to flip them.   Just a mess,  really.  Edible,  but sad looking.


Maybe it would work better on a BBQ,  as opposed to a grill?  I give up.

I'll stick to using the cast iron bit that goes over the grill for anything like bacon or eggs that I want to cook outside.

Meanwhile,  I've finished yet another wall,  and have two (?) more of that colour to go.   Of course, with it being so overcast and rainy,  I may have to bring in one of my gazillion candle power work lamps,  which I'm not keen on using due to the amount of heat given off,  but whatever.

Gotta get at it.

Um,  it looks like two different shades,  but that's just due to the flash.


Thanks for stopping by.

Just about the toughest part.

Once I get this section over the stairs done,  the rest is easy peasy.   Well,  depending on your skill set,  of course.
Just because painting isn't something I totally love,  doesn't mean that I don't know what I'm doing. 
Put it this way,  I'd sooner "cut in"  than waste a bunch of time fooling with masking tape.

First was the bit up and around the air conditioner.   Tried as I might,  I couldn't find any directions on the line as to how to remove the cover.  I took out a couple screws,  but knowing that the top section was 'clipped in',  I got nervous.

Chose to simply cover the top with some newspaper.

Next is the somewhat nerve wracking part right over the stairwell.

Thankfully it's not a full set of steps,  but it wouldn't matter if it were seven steps or twelve,  getting out there on that plank over the 'abyss'  doesn't really make me a happy camper.

Plus,  after I had put that board out there,  and even after I had cut off the more rotten ends,  I decided I didn't want to use it.
So,  off to Home Despot for a two by twelve.

The best looking stuff they had were the 16 footers,   so I picked one up and cut it in half.

I'm having fun with the self timer on the camera,  by the way...

I could probably make those three into some sort of short "stop animation",  as the camera will take three shots in rapid succession.

Anyhoo,  that's better.

And that's the first coat.

I see that the next area to take that particular shade is in the living room,  so I'll be moving on.

Oh,  and the Nairobi thing? 

One of T.C.'s sisters was invited to a wedding there,  and was looking for someone to travel with her.   Seems a work associate from Nairobi met someone over here (also from Nairobi,  or maybe somewhere else in Kenya?)  and rather than entertain the thought of getting their family over here somehow,  it was easier to go back there to get married. 

Got a note from her today,  the wedding was quite "traditional".   I don't know if that means,  "Kenyan traditional"  or "North American traditional".   I guess I'll find out.  The email I got was rather short and cryptic,  with promises of further info.   T.C. is using her Ipad,  so I totally get why she didn't get too carried away in terms of lengthiness .   Typing a note on one of those things is pretty much an abomination as far as I'm concerned.

After the safari they're going on,  as well as a visit to a "Giraffe Centre" (?)  she'll be heading back to Paris,  and then on to Lyons,  where they'll visit with some friends of her sister's for a few days.

That's all I got.

Back for a second coat.

Thanks for stopping by.