It's Saturday!

Or,  as my oldest brother was forever saying,  "Every day is Saturday".   And that was because he has been retired since....I think it was back in the 80s some time.  I'd have to do the math.
So ya,  in our case as well,  "every day is Saturday".   The major exception in the case of the weekends used to be that we would never set foot in a store,  as we had no desire to be out and about with the working folk.  Back in the days when I was working,  and had to venture into a store after work hours or on the weekend,  I'd get ever so slightly annoyed at the Seniors in there,  mostly in the damn way.  Just all I could do to keep from trampling someone's Granny. 

But, we don't want to get off on any kind of a rant here.

We're getting a little bit of rain today,  and the temperature is hovering around 4 degrees.  (Celsius,  what else?)

I was going to have a wee bit of a pity party yesterday,  as both my back and my front were aching like a son of a gun,  after having transplanted that Rose of Sharon on Thursday.

The weather prognosticators were calling for rain,  but in typical fashion,  they were wrong.  It rained somewhere,  but not here.

So it was just about perfect weather for working outside,  with the temps up in the low teens.  Something like that.  Almost "shirt sleeve weather"  for the average Canadian.  Although,  I find that we are typically more willing to step outside and brace the cold after the winter,  than in the fall,  when we've just come through a hot summer.

I'm not entirely sure that the Rose of Sharon will live,  but I wanted to give it a shot.   There was a certain amount of grunting.  Or "peckin' and snortin' , as one of my other older brother was wont to say.
On the other hand,  the ground was considerably softer than it would have been in the fall.   We have clay here,  and it gets to be just like rock.  Digging by hand is,  shall we say,  problematic?

I had to remove one of the fence panels to get in close enough to dig the thing out (I didn't take a before picture,  silly Bunt)  so while I had the panel removed,  I decided to dig out a strip of sod/dirt and put in a row of bricks under the fence.  I still have a fair number of bricks hanging around.  There was an assortment of random building materials here and there on the property when we moved in.
 At the base of each pillar out front for example,  there's roughly the equivalent of a half skid of random cinder blocks that were in the basement.

Three different sizes,  just to make things interesting.

Don't forget,  my late father-in-law was a contractor,  so I guess there were some things left over from time to time.   The story goes that he originally wanted to build out in the country,  but T.C.'s Mom,  (my late Mother-in-Law,  whom I never met) being that much wiser,  wanted to be in town where there was the possibility of public transit.  A wise choice,  as car maintenance wasn't necessarily one of his strengths.   Won't elaborate.


Plus,  back in the day,  there was a "Lakeshore Bus"  operated by Greyhound that my wife's siblings and she would take to get in to Hamilton to go to the only Catholic school around for miles.

The Lakeshore from here is maybe a block away?  Well,  a fairly large block.  Like,  a "Texas block".

And of course,  Greyhound stopped the Lakeshore bus years ago.  Progress.

We finally had brunch around noon time,  and now each of us will go off to our respective "hobby rooms" for the afternoon.   T.C. has her sewing room,  and I my shop.   Did I mention that we have an intercom?   We don't bug each other with it,  but once in a while it comes in handy.

Thanks for stopping by.

Keep your stick on the ice.

And stay inside.

It sure is quiet out there.

My life as a recluse continues.  I'm sure the money that we've saved by T.C. not going to get her hair or nails done has helped offset the money we've lost on the market.

But only slightly.

Thankfully,  it's all just numbers on a screen,  as we have these wonderful things that the kids these days don't have called "Pensions".
Ya,  you can mock me all you want,  you Millenials,  or Gen Xers or whatever you're called,  but just make sure you start saving your cash. 
It is indeed unfortunate if your entire pension income is dependant on returns from the market,  but I've never thought that that was such a good plan to start with. 
That's all I'm gonna say on that.

At some point in the morning,  when I'm starting to melt into the couch,  I muster up my strength to step away from the computer and actually go and DO something.

The sorry thing is,  by the time mid afternoon rolls around,  my energy level is starting to wane ever so slightly,  and I start to have thoughts of  "mañana" .   There's always tomorrow.

I do have this one particular Rose of Sharon that needs to be moved.  I'm not looking forward to that.

There was some discussion in the fall about moving it,  and I really should have stuck to my guns on that one,  as the recommendation from several websites recommend doing so in the fall.   T.C. had other ideas,  so here we are.

I'll probably kill it.  Which would suck,  as I quite like the thing.  The trouble is,  it's right where I'm going to eventually put a fence post,  and if that happens,  I'd kill it for sure.

Supposed to rain tomorrow,  but maybe Friday?   We don't go to the Pub on Fridays anymore,  so it's not like there's some sort of time line during the day that I'd need to adhere to.


Admittedly,  the ground is going to be a heck of a sight softer than it would have been in the fall,  but that's hardly a consolation.   I was younger in the fall.

Well,  I see T.C. just emerged to cut herself a piece of Strudel,  so I think that might be the plan for the afternoon.  Then maybe a little snooze,  and then "we'll see".

Thanks for stopping by.

Keep your stick on the ice.

Home again, and there's gonna be laundry.

Actually,  not all that much,  but I thought that was a catchy title.

T.C. and I took a little jaunt down to Kingston for a few days to visit with her sis and hubby.  And no,  I mean Kingston, Ontario.  Not Jamaica.
Been to Jamaica,  might go back.  Not sure.

Anyhoo,  the weather wasn't really stellar,  as it rained all the way there,  and rained intermittently the whole time we were there.   Looks like the weather here cleared up,  and it also looks like I just might have to fuel up the mower and start cutting grass in very short order.

Kingston is a neat little town,  and sis-in-law and hubby bought a place that allows for walking to almost every possible amenity.
Of course,  the downside is,  they have to park on the street.  So that kinda sucks.  You can see here where I've parked the truck behind their vehicle:

It's the grey one with the green shutters.  Apparently,  Sir John A. Macdonald once lived there way back when he was more of a drunk than a politician.  Although,  he may very well have been both at the same time.   If you do happen to go to that article,  about half way down,  there's a picture of the house before it was divided into two residences.   So sis-in-law and hubby live in one half.  Kind of like a condo really,   except really old.

The place is 70 feet from front to back,  with a skinny little back yard to boot.  Oh,  and there just happens to be a ground hog hanging out back there as well.

Not that having a ground hog in your back yard is anything to be too proud of or anything.  I'm sure he's mostly harmless,  although I do recall that (back on the farm)  we'd go out about twice a year and dispatch as many groundhogs as we could find and fill in their holes,  so the livestock would not be stepping in them.   I suggested sis-in-law might get herself a 22,  but discharging a firearm in the city is kinda frowned on.  It's Canada and all.  We do have guns, but there are a few little rules, and we certainly don't hunt with an AR-15.

So where was I?

Right.  Well,  there was a lot of eating and drinking,  so I think I'll be giving my liver a rest this week.  I mean,  it's not like I got blindingly drunk or anything,  but we didn't exactly have "afternoon tea" either.

Took a little jaunt over to Gananoque for lunch at one of the many touristy spots.  I don't think I've been in Gananoque in over forty years,  as the last time I was there was with my parents,  and we took one of the 1000 Island Boat Tours.

Oh,  and for the unsure,  it's pronounced "Ganan-AWK-way".   I think that works.

Of course,  as cute and cool as this place was,  the food was somewhat average,  and I find that having pretty average food at outstanding spots seems to be a little something that I have discovered on more than one occasion.  

It was the The Gananoque Inn and Spa,  by the way.  Just saw how pricey the rooms are.  

Yikes.  

Won't be staying there.  Especially as we have a great spot to stay just down the road in Kingston.  Where the food is great,  by the way.

Our intrepid hosts.  Both quite talented in the kitchen.  I may need to fast for a few days.  Just saying.

Hubby is a retired architect,  but I think he could have done extremely well as a chef.  Sis-in-law is an artist,  and just about every piece of art we have in our house is something she has done.  Ranging from portraits to earlier work when she was doing illustrations for Hallmark Cards and such.

Well, getting close to time for tucky-tuck,  so I think I'll pack it.

Thanks for stopping by.

Keep your stick on the ice. 

Time passes.

I wanted to start out with "Chronicling Life",  but I wasn't even sure if that's a word.  And yes,  time sure has a way of passing.  It's December!  Carumba!

But of course,  there's always something to do.  Or fix.  Or dig up.

Well,  I've officially finished with that whole "digging up" crap.  I wanted to have a certain amount of the new water line in before it got too cold,  but also didn't want to wait until spring when it would be too mucky.  Been there,  done that.  The mud gets every where.

So I basically followed the pipe I had set in the ground with the control wires for the sprinklers,  and added a new water line.
I naively thought I had left some way of going under the concrete step.  Um,  not really.  I just decided to go in front and make life easier.





Figured I had best stop right there,  as there's a plant (more like a tree actually) that Travelling Companion wants to move in the spring.  So I'll dig the rest of the way after that happens.  And I guess there will be mud after all.

There is/was a water line already there,  but when we were living in The Netherlands,  and in spite of some rather detailed instructions on blowing out the lines,  something went awry,  and that didn't turn out. Not naming names.  My own damned fault really.  When we knew in the spring of 08 that we'd be moving overseas,  I never should have charged the lines in the first place.  Silly me.
So fine,  it's a 'do over'.

 Oh,  speaking of 'do overs',  we got a recall notice for our somewhat new dishwasher.   I installed a new dishwasher back in 2014 I think it was,  as our faithful Miele lost its mind after 15 years and refused to pump out the water. 
Bob doesn't bale.  Unless it's on a sinking boat,  but that's another story.

So,  apparently some wire or other would heat up,  and we were to "Discontinue using the dish washer immediately!".   
Riiiiight.   Bosch didn't exactly offer to send someone by the house every night to wash the dishes,  so that wasn't happening.

Anyway,  service Dude shows up a couple Fridays ago,  and I had already removed the kick board and the contents of the under sink cabinet,  so his job was pretty easy.  When they shipped the machine, it was to be hard wired.  No big deal,  as I've hard wired many a machine over the years,  but the previous machine had a plug and so I had put in a GCFI protected receptacle under there.  I simply ran a cord from the new box to the plug and plugged the new one in.

It would seem that,  some folks who may have done something similar had gone ultra cheap (or something, it was never explained to me),  and the wire would overheat.  I'm not sure why a wire rated for the proper amperage would overheat,  but People Be Dumb.   So Service Dude replaced the cord with one that we simply plugged in.  Should have been shipped that way in the first place. Rolling my eyes here.

Only thing was,  when he put the machine back,  it was kind of cock-eyed,  and I resolved to take it out AGAIN and see what the hell was causing the problem.
Not really a whole lotta fun,  as it involves hanging around on my hands and knees and being generally uncomfortable.

Turns out the opening in the side of the adjacent cabinet wasn't allowing the drain hose to be out of the way,  and the machine simply wouldn't go in all the way.  After a little bit of hackin' and hewin',  I got it sorted.  So it was more of an old problem,  rather than a new one.

Lemme see.  What else?

Not too damned much actually.   Oh,  I did change the oil in the generator on Sunday.  I chose Sunday,  as that's the day when it does its weekly run to keep it in working order.  I wanted the oil to be if not hot,  at least warm.  Hot oil comes out heaps easier.
 It wasn't exactly the warmest day,  so that was kind of important.

It's funny because,  when I'd check the oil,  it looked OK,  but when I drained it,  it did look rather gross.  And yes,  I disconnected the battery so it wouldn't accidentally fire up on me.  We don't really have random power outages,  but one never knows I guess.  There's gobs on info on the line if you're really not too sure what to do.

I fired 'er up for a few minutes afterwards just because that's what you're supposed to do,  and everything seems fine.  Until next year.


That might be it for December,  I'm not sure.  If I get struck with the need to say something,  I'll be back. 


Thanks for moving your eyes back and forth.

Keep that stick on the ice.

Fighting with the wasps.

By that I mean,   the little "yellow jackets" that are out in full force this time of the year looking for...whatever.   Sweets?  Nutrients?  A date with a flyswatter?



Anyway,  I managed to harvest the remainder of our grapes yesterday.  Not as big an offering as we'd like,  due to the incursion of the little masked bandits,  but we (well,  I say "we",  but really mean T.C.)  can make a few small jars of grape jelly.

At least at this point I've figured out what measures I need to take next year in order to keep the critters on the ground.   I'm hanging on to a couple of the contraptions,  that I'll simply re-install at the appropriate time next season.



Then it was time for nine holes of golf with T.C.

That's actually my "happy face".   No,  really.

We didn't completely suck.   I only lost one golf ball,  which is typically the means by which I measure my success or lack thereof.   It's those damned water hazards.   Some sort of mental block.   I did manage to nicely shoot over one hazard on the way out,   only to plunk one in to the adjacent pond on the way back (sigh).


And considering I found a pack of three brand new balls on that course a couple weeks back,  my golf ball inventory count was actually on the plus side.

This is how we measure success.  Lame,  I know.


That's it for today.  Short and sweet.

Thanks for stopping by.

Tomatoes on everything.

This is not a bad thing,  but we're ever so slightly being over-run with tomatoes.  There's toasted tomato sandwiches (or,  for a "fuller menu",  add bacon!)  tomato chutney (or whatever the heck that was that T.C. made the other day,  and of course,  we're bagging them up and giving them away to any takers.   Once in a while,  I'll just be passing through the kitchen and pop one in my mouth.  *drool*

Such a problem!

I guess I could say it's been a bit of a busy summer.  They always are.  Mind you,  there haven't been any days when I've been pining to go back to work or anything.  I mean,  are you kidding?



I had counted on trying to finish up at least one outdoor project today,  but we're getting a wee bit of rain it seems.  No complaints.  We can certainly use the rain.  I get tired of trying to water the plants,  and then eventually had to start watering the lawn.  It's recovering,  but there's still a few dead spots.


One of the little projects is a pergola that I'm building at my sister-in-law's place.
For many years now her grape vines have been leaning farther and farther over,  and we decided to do something about it.

It was a little bit more involved than she initially figured I'm sure,  but had I been entirely candid about the lengths to which I was willing to go to make something,  she probably would have told me to not bother.
My benchmark is,  "it shouldn't look like it was constructed by monkeys".   That's the standard.  Typically,  I can manage that.

I still have to put in pieces along the side adjacent to the grape vines in order to train them over onto it,  as well as a cross member for bracing on the near side.  I have those pieces at the ready,  but they're out there in the rain.  And I'd rather not be.

Some of the material I already had,  which was left over from the project we did at the front of The Ponderosa.  Minus the profiles,  of course.
I had three 16 foot two by eight lengths of cedar wrapped up under a tarp,  so I did have to go out and pick up a fourth piece.

Now,  I said "I",  but really,   my nephew has been a huge help.  First of all,  he has the pick-up truck I sold to him back when we moved to Europe.  That's always handy.  He was right there when it was time to put all the pieces together plus,  he and his son dug the post holes for the posts.  That's just nasty work.   I "helped".   But they did all of the heavy lifting.   And that's not just a figure of speech either.   I was going to hire someone with some sort of post hole digging gizmo,  but he insisted that they could do it.  OK then.

Anyway,  these are some of the things that tend to occupy my time.   

Not that that's any excuse for not blogging.  I'm just mostly apathetic in that regard.  

Oh,  I did go to my first ever NFL game a couple days ago.   Jets at Buffalo.   Did the whole "tail gating" thing.  Had a good time.   Probably could have done with some earplugs.   My memory is a bit dim,  but I don't recall ever being at a rock concert that was that loud.   Holy moly!

This pretty much sums up the extent of the activities leading up to the game.   I stole this one from my buddy Steve.    Thanks Steve.

The idea is,  get there plenty early,  at a predetermined,  relatively close parking area,  set up "camp",  eat, drink,  etc.   and generally discuss all things football.   The parking has to be far enough from the stadium to make it easier to get out of there when the game is over,  but not so far away that walking to the venue is a problem.

As we had arrived in plenty of time,  we got the choice spot over under the tree.  It was indeed sunny, and unless you had some sort of temporary shelter,  you'd fry.

As it is,  between that outing and golfing yesterday,  I think I just might have overdone it in the sunshine department.  Feeling a little "funky" today.

Friday golf outings have been a bit of a thing lately.  Just have to make the commitment to GO,  and plan your life around that,  otherwise the summer slips by,  and the clubs sit there in the closet.

We had a newby come out with us as well.  (Like we're not newby's!  Ha!)  That's one of my sisters-in-law Betty,  who had never golfed in her life.  She did make good contact a couple times.  I'm certainly not one to give lessons as,  truth be told,  I should be taking lessons,  but I suppose I might have given her a couple hints.   I could see that there was a very good chance that she could hurt herself,  judging by the way she was swinging the club.  Sure enough,  she was a bit sore later.  She's pretty tough though,  didn't complain.   But I've 'been there, and done that' in that department.
Not too much anymore,  so maybe I'm doing a couple things right?

Hey,  I actually parred one hole.  One.  That's it.

Meh, I guess that's it for a while.

Thanks for stopping by.

Oh Boy.

And I don't quite mean,  "OH BOY"!,  but more like the way Fred Flintstone would say "Oh boy",  when he wasn't too thrilled.



I'm talking about this.

And it was my idea.  Truth be told.

Fool.

Took us a couple years to empty the last one.  Not sure what I was thinking.
Anyway,  nothing all that new and exciting here at the Ponderosa.  I've been meaning to write...

Shameful,  I know.  There are so many fine upstanding bloggers out there who,  in spite of slaving laboriously over a well worn pair of hiking boots, (or whatever busy activity they've filled their days with) are still able to sit down at the keyboard and spout off about it.

Or other things.

I find that,  as the evening wears on,  I become more and more inclined to say,  go to bed.
Or sit like a lifeless lump.

In my defense, I have been keeping myself somewhat busy.

One of my sisters-in-law had a 65th birthday,  so I made her a little cedar planter,  thus:

I thought I had a better picture somewhere,  after I installed the little base,  but I guess not.

She was happy with it.  I mean,  what do you get a sixty-five year old person?  Especially one who has an abundance of plants?

Then,  while I was in the mood (like,  really)  I thought I'd make a planter for out on the porch for Travelling Companion.   She's been eyeing the "store bought"  plastic things,  but there was no way one of those was coming home with us.  Oh right,  buy one ugly plastic thing for a hundred bucks,  and get a second ugly plastic thing for "half off".   Now THAT'S tempting.

Not.

So this was my substitute.   

I offered to buy something to put in it,  but it seems that Mother's Day is coming up, and one of the offspring will be expected to sort that out.   

Whatever.   So it sits there empty.   For now.

In case you were wondering,  this whole post is going to be about "sh*t that Bob has made".   Just so you know.

'Cause there's more.

There was also a request for a little item for the sewing room.  Seems I can't make the room any bigger,  even though that would be kind of awesome.  So,  we have to make the best use of what's there.

Started out as a small project,  but then morphed into something a bit more than that.

Any guesses?

How about now?

And by the way,  it took me a couple tries to figure out how to make the jig that would allow me to drill holes at a 10 degree angle.  Oy.


This last one should let you figure it out.

There had to be enough room on the spindle for both the thread AND the accompanying bobbin.

There's more,  but now even I am getting bored just talking about it.

That's enough of making you move your eyes back and forth.  But hey,  thanks.

Later.

Nice to go outside.

Without shivering and shaking “like a dog….”

Well,  as an exercise in propriety,  I won’t finish off that expression.

Although,  today there’s a bit of a breeze that tends to make it at least jacket weather.  But whatever,  it was pointed out to me this morning at breakfast that it seemed that I had gotten a little more sun?
Which is not to say that I was out lounging in the sun with a book in hand.  You just have to out there.   The “UV index”,  which I rarely pay attention to,  has been pretty high these last few days. 

Allegedly.

Of course,  it may have something to do with being out at my sister-in-law’s place for all of the afternoon yesterday taking down a tree.

Now don’t get me wrong,  I was only there to help.  You know,  pull on a rope now and again. 


That kind of thing.

Me,  "at the end of my rope”.

And yes,  I do wear some sort of safety gear.  My brain is going to mush as it is at an alarming rate,  

I certainly don’t need to speed up the process by getting bonked over the head.

Anyway,  that’s my nephew Dan up a tree there. 

Naturally,  his Mom really didn't want him up there,  but I did remind her ever so gently that he is indeed a fire-fighter around these parts,  so rappelling and scaling things isn't beyond the scope of his abilities. 

Plus,  I had a tree service type Dude come to our place and do some trimming while we were away in Maui,  and that was a thousand bucks.  I did negotiate the removal of our sick and dying plum tree that used to be on the corner of the property for that price,  but still,  an entire tree? 
We’re talking several thousand here.

And it’s not like out in the woods where you can just cut ‘er down and yell “Timber!”. 
These be “city trees”.

She has a couple more that are looking not too well,  including an ash that looks like it’s been set upon by the wrenched Emerald Ash Borer.

Anyhoodle,  while the boys were off to the transfer station with all the narly limby bits,  I fired up the chainsaw and cut up the remaining pieces.

Yes kids,  I can still operate a chainsaw. 

Preferably while firmly planted on the ground.

Probably should have left my hat on.  But the compressor makes quick work of errant sawdust on the pate.

Anyway,  it was a hickory tree,  and once we get the wood split up at some point in the future,  and it dries out of course, it should make for awesome firewood.

I didn't seem to have any problems sleeping last night. 

Funny about that.  

Not really surprising.  Also somewhat surprising was that I didn’t really have any aches and pains this morning.  Maybe that comes tomorrow?  I guess I’ll find out.

And that’s all the fun that can be had here at The Ponderosa.

Oh,  and I did get some news back for the good folks at Amazon.  They had refunded the money I had paid for that receiver as of Monday,  and I checked the bank account today,  and that amount has been duly credited. 

Good for them.

Now I have to shop for a new one.  Gah.


Thanks for moving your eyes back and forth.

Can you say, Nematodes?

Up until not that long ago,  I had no idea what the heck a Nematode was, but apparently they’re kind of important.

And,  you can put them on your lawn.

And,  you can do that by putting them in a bucket of water. 

And, it’s best done when the lawn is wet.

Well,  it was raining today, and I’m sure I was an interesting sight out there with my watering can and umbrella.  “We can do up to 3000 square feet”.

Really?

Fun times.

Of course,  we have no idea as to just how effective they’ll be against grubs, or whether or not the whole thing is just one big ruse.  I mean, you can’t exactly see them,  although my flip-flops were starting to get a bit slimy at one point, so I guess there must have been something going on.

No worries,  I rinsed off my tootsies before coming into the house.

It wasn’t like,  slimy having walked in cow dung, (not that I would have ever walked in cow dung in flip-flops, mind you)  but it was definitely not just water I was spraying on the grass.

We’ll see.

Actually, *thinks*,  we won’t.

 

Anyhoodle,  I figured I’d mention one little project that has finally started to get down to the bitter end,  and that’s the gas insert that is now hooked up and basically ready to go.

 

And yes,  I have the slate at the ready to cover the bare concrete hearth.  That’s next.

 

Had a “gas Dude” in yesterday to get it hooked up,  and most everything went as planned with only a slight snag.  The opening for the vent pipes that I had put in was just a little bit too far towards the back of the previous firebox,  so I had to get in there with an air chisel and do some surgery.  Now that was fun!  Not.  Had to work at that from a prone position,  which of course meant having concrete raining down on my face.  I’m pretty sure I’ve washed most of it out of my hair. 

This is what we’ve been looking at for a quite while now.  Glad that’s over.

Oh,  and did I mention that I had to build up the firebox so the thing would fit properly?

Just so happened that I had some random bricks hanging around.

Probably not something I should readily admit. 

Here I’ve been snapping pictures all along,  and not sharing.  I’m sure you were just dying to know what had been going on here all along.

 

I’m still in a bit of a quandary as to the placement of the “fire logs”,  but Gas Dude and I lit the thing up using the arrangement that we came up with,  and it works fine.  The only slight wrinkle is,  there’s one piece that just doesn’t seem to have an obvious spot.

 

This is what I got:

This is what’s left over:

I sat there in front of that arrangement studying it for way too long today.  Nothing happened.

Naturally,  the diagram in the instruction manual is for a completely different set,  so that was zero help.   I’m going to stop by a local retail outfit and pick someone’s brain tomorrow some time. 

I took pictures.

Managed to transfer them to my tablet.  That’s a whole other story.

It hasn’t been quite cool enough to have the fireplace on,  and I’m in no hurry to get to that point when we’ll be so inclined.

Sadly,  the forecast looks as though we’ll get to test it out in the next week or so. 

Bah.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

Keep it between the ditches.

You can never have too many nipples.

And I’m not referring to the dog that Daughter Number Two felt sorry for when we lived in Puerto Rico.  There were a lot of dogs running around,  and there was one who had many,  many large “protuberances”.

Poor “Nipples”.  I wonder how she’s doing.  Probably passed on by now.  She’d be over a hundred in doggy years I’m thinking.

But where was I?

 

Actually,  I’ve come up short in the nipple department.  And I have no desire to run back to Home Despot tonight.  It’s just not that important.

See,  I’ve been mucking about with my “air system” in the shop.  Er, garage.  Depending on whom you ask.  If you ask T.C.,   it’s a garage.  According to me,  it’s my shop.  My sanctum sanctorum.  The place where time evaporates like nobody’s business. 

No, really.  The “time” part I mean.

Hey, there’s a beer fridge. Coffee maker,  sink with hot and cold running water.  And in the wintertime,  it’s heated.  Oh ya, baby!

I seriously considered installing a urinal back in the early days,  but couldn’t quite work out the logistics.  Just needed a little bit more room.

That would have been awesome.  I’d never have to come back in!  Well, except for you know,  “the big one”.

We’re seriously slipping down a hole here. 

Pardon the pun.  Or,  terrible metaphor.  Whatever.

 

Today I received the two additional regulators that I ordered from Amazon.   I wanted to hook up at least one of them to make sure it would hold air.  Kind of important.

See,  they’re all made in China,  and these were just about half the cost of the ones offered at Home Despot.

Note:

Actually,  I stand corrected,  this one that I found on the HD website is made in Taiwan.   

Tomato, Tomahto.

Not sure what “Porter Cable” has to do with it.  Just a name.

 

I’m guessing the Sears models that I initially installed some twenty years ago were made offshore,  even though it clearly states “Made in USA” on the pressure gauge.

 

I have my doubts.  Maybe the paper on the label was made in the USA? 

 

Anyway,  as they are just about all the same,  I figured I could order two,  have them shipped directly to my front door for free,  and basically pay less than what I would at HD. 

Again, note:

 

But here’s the thing.

Wherever they come from (Whence they come?),  they still need to be put together.  And that’s where the nipples come in.

*That* is a nipple.  And oh look,  they even sell black pipe fittings on Amazon!

Unbelievable.

 

That’s kinda nuts.  I think I’d just as soon go and pick out my own nipples from the bin,  thank you very much.

Besides,  I need the teeny weeny nipples. 

Don’t even go there.

 

I guess I could have titled this “Much ado about nothing”,  but that one was taken.

I’ll see how it goes tomorrow.

 

Oh,  and I forgot to mention.  I think I need a big ole sign in the garden to remind me just how I should not be mumbling under my breath every time I have to water or weed.  Who me?  Complain?

 

Case in point:

Toasted tomato sandwiches.  Fresh from the garden.

“Vine ripened”.  And all that.

I don’t quite end up with canker sores in my mouth during tomato season,  but I’d do it.  I don’t care.  They’re that good. 

 

Keep your hoe in your row.

 

Thanks for looking.

Just a fabulous week.

And I’m not being in the least sarcastic.

Even though the days are getting shorter *sniff* and the nights are definitely cool,  the weather this week has be simply awesome.

No humidity to speak of, and temps right around “room temperature”.  You can interpret that any way you’d like.

Of course,  it did rain like crazy just in time for Tuesday nights sail.  Which did NOT happen.

You know, bolts of lightening,  big tall metal thingy on the boat?  Not a good combination.

There were three definite fronts that moved through,  the first of which had passed by around 5:30 p.m., and the second of which we could see was going to hit right around 6:30.  Normally the Committee Boat goes out around six,  but there was nary a sign of any Committee Boat. Or any other boats for that matter.

So fine,  we all went below,  ordered pizza and broke out the libations.  Taking cold beer TO the boat and then simply taking it back home again unopened?    That’s just crazy talk!

 

Plus,  I was introduced to something called a “Dark and Stormy”. 

 

Here’s the recipe, if you’re remotely interested.

Which was appropriate,  considering just how hard it rained.  We were pretty snug,  except for one tiny leak.  Directly over me, it just so happened.

And considering just how hard it rained,  that was more or less a reasonable expectation.  I don’t think I’ve ever been on a boat that would keep out all the water, whether from below or above.

The leak was a tad annoying for the Skipper,  as he and I had removed ALL the screws for the windows,  after which he had gone around and resealed them all, in addition to going around the parameter of each window with fresh caulking.  

It used to leak a whole lot worse.

But,  the leak was dutifully reported, and he says he’ll deal with it.  Best of luck, I say.

Anyway,  since I’m in the mood for posting pics of things that aren’t necessarily good for you,  I thought I’d put up the pic of the deep fried Mars Bar that the four of us shared the other night.   Not on the boat.  This was at a place in Oakville called,  The Gingerman.  

T.C. and I met up with Daughter Number Two and Hubby for dinner. 

Dinner was really great, and we don’t normally eat dessert,  but figured we’d splurge.

Trust me,  a deep fried Mars Bar needs to be shared four ways.  There’s no way I could have eating such a thing by myself.  Holy Moly!

And I’ve been known to wolf down copious amounts of things like Danishes and Sticky Buns, but not so much these days.  I must be getting old or something.

Or a little more sensible.  But that’s a stretch.

Of course,  silly me,  I didn’t get a picture until after it was cut up. 

Oh well.  I think you get the idea.

It was really good.  But my Gawd,  talk about rich!

 

We chose to dine with Daughter Number Two and Hubby.

Had a good time.  The food at this place is really great,  and these two are in there often enough that they know all the staff,  the owners,  and at least half of the patrons it seems.

It so happens that Daughter Number One is away at a cottage this week,  which of course means that our morning “garden duties” now consist of three different locations.  The Ponderosa here being one of them. 

Everyone is coming home this weekend,   so I’m looking forward to handing over the hose and the sprinkler,  let’s just say?

Mind you,  the tomatoes are looking mighty fine,  and the beans that we’ve been picking have been awesome.  Can’t complain.  Well,  not too much anyway.

But,  I’d just as soon not have to haul my lazy arse up the street every morning to try and drown 50 or a hunnert Japanese beetles,  and water a bunch of stuff. 

The novelty does wear off. 

At least I *think* I’m getting ahead of the beetles,  but that’s probably just wishful thinking.

 

Tomorrow it’s back to the Nephew’s place to finish off that kitchen.  They got the replacements to the broken cabinets the other day,  and I’ve been updated by way of text of the need to get things wrapped up in order to order the counter top.   Thankfully that’s where I step back from the precipice. 

I’ve installed “post form” countertops,  but it’s been a while.  I’ll just leave that one to the pros,  thank-you very much.

 

That’s it,  I’m out.

 

Thanks for stopping by and all that.

“Man, that sun is just evil”.

Which was one of many thoughts I had just now having come in from out of doors.

It’s not a complaint.  Just an observation.

After our somewhat lack-lustre month of June,  a little heat is not a big deal.  Although, I am definitely thankful for air conditioning.  It did feel a little dry in the house this morning, but it was all good.

T.C. and I were out in the garden this morning at 7:30.  Could have been even earlier,  ‘cept I don’t have that big a desire to beat the heat.  Or haul my lazy arse out of bed.

The bugs that are chewing away at sister-in-law’s grape vines are considerably more dopey first thing in the morning.  All the better to knock them off into a bucket of soapy water.   I’d wager I’ve drowned several hundred over the last few days.  Bastards.

They’re some sort of “Japanese Beetle”.  And they seem to be quite prolific.  However,  they tend to do some sort of “free fall” before taking flight,  and that can be their weakness.  I make sure they free fall into the bucket.  They swim a little while,  but that’s about it.  Something to do with a few drops of Dawn dish soap that you add to the water.  Takes care of them,  and totally non-toxic.

It’s been a busy few days.  Went out on the water last night.  It was an awesome night.  The thing is,  about a kilometer off shore,  the temperature drops by a good 10 degrees.  We didn’t have enough crew to safely go racing,  so we just went for a sail of a few hours.  Worked for me.

The sunsets from offshore are most always pretty darned nice.

My Nephew and their crew have been away at a cottage for the past week,  so there hasn’t been any updates on the kitchen installation. 

Just as well,  since the knobs who supplied the broken cabinets will need to get their act together.  Not sure what the latest is on that situation.  Got a text this morning from the lady of the house asking about flooring.  There will be some head scratching shortly I’d imagine.  We’ll see to it.

Had a great day on Monday out on the golf course,  although it was a wee bit of a scorcher.  Had a bottle of water in my bag, and then we stopped at the club house before going out for the back nine to suck back some liquids. 

Managed to hand the camera off to one of the golfing buddies to snap a pic of yours truly.  I didn’t completely suck,  although I really need to work on my short game.   Mind you,  I only seem to golf about once a year.

When I teed off from the first tee,  that was the very first ball I’ve hit so far this year.  (and it stayed on the fairway!)

Hopefully not my last.  It was suggested to me that,  rather than spend my time on the water,  I should have been spending my time on the links.  Not sure I’d ever do much better than breaking a 100 though.

I think that’s about it.  There were a couple visits with nieces, but I’ll not bore you.  It’s totally worth the effort to try and connect/reconnect with the relations.   Facebook has helped considerably on that front.  Otherwise I’m not sure how I’d track anyone down?   I mean, once upon a time the library at McMaster University had phone books from just about everywhere,  so I guess that was the “Old School” way.  But that too was before mobile phones.    I still have letters from folks with whom I used to correspond.  

Yes,  actual letters.  Probably should turf them out,  but can’t bear to do it.  Remember writing letters?

 

I’m starting to ramble.

 

I’m out.

 

Thanks for stopping by.