Well, at least now we have a better understanding.

Or,  "how I learned to stay in the car".

I didn't take any snazzy pictures,  so you'll have to be satisfied with a few words.   I'll try to be punchy.

Anyhoodle,  a decision was made to make an excursion to a particular butcher/deli kind of place about half way between here and downtown Toronto.

Now,  I should say that,  our impression is, that Toronto has been somewhat hard hit by the Coronavirus,  but I don't have any actual numbers to back up that particular observation,  so you'll have to take my word for it.
Suffice to say,  in a similar fashion to most any large city,  the occurrence of COVID-19 is considerably higher than most any place in suburbia. 

Well,  unless it's a meat processing plant,  but that's a whole other clusterfuck.

I'm referring to the "Family Meat and Deli"  on Brown's Line.  You can look it up if you give a rat's ass.

But here's the thing.

There was some talk about "needing some meat",  both on the part of T.C.'s older sister (she'll be 85 this summer, so we prefer to get her stuff,  rather than have her go shopping)  as well as a few things that they carry that we like.   I'm referring of course to kranjska klobasa. 

Our first clue should have been when T.C.'s sister called them a couple days ago,  and the word was,  "Oh sure,  the two of you can come in,  or you can order ahead of time."

Didn't register.  But that should have been a red flag.

Now that we think on it,  there are no deli type of stores that are just allowing folks to "come in". 

The one we have here in Burlington was trying that a few weeks back,  by only allowing two people in the store at a time,  but when I was there,  I could see that it clearly wasn't working. 
The thing is,  once you go into this type of place,  you really need to stand in one spot,  and not ramble around trying to decide what you want.  If it wasn't for the fact that I would have had to touch the guy,  I really wanted to clobber this one fellow who simply couldn't seem to figure out what he wanted without wandering up and down the display case.

In the meanwhile,  that particular store (J & G Meats)  has very astutely realised that having customers in the store simply doesn't work, and have gone to "curb side" shopping.   We all know what that is,  so no need to explain.

So,  back to "Family Meat....".   And this is all I know from the report that I got back from T.C. 

They haven't a clue.

After she donned her mask and went in,  I saw two more people go in,  (without masks on, I might add)  and it looked like there were already at least two or three in the store.   And this is not a big store.  About as wide as the average townhouse. 

Not that wide.

So,  T.C. is trying to keep her distance,  getting somewhat hassled by other shoppers,  who don't know where to stand,  and then?   They're calling out numbers!

She bailed. 

Apparently,  there was only one lady behind the counter,  and just how she was supposed to be cleaning anything (including the number thingy)  was unclear.  (like,  impossible)  Plus,  there was no protection for the cashier,  like the sort of screen that mostly all of the retail outlets have installed.  Just a disaster waiting to happen.


So now we know.   We know why the numbers are so much higher in a city like Toronto compared to say,  Burlington. 

It's not just the stupid people.  I think it also has to do with a sense that,  even though there might be a ticket in the offing,  the by law officers are so few and far between,  that there's no worries about anyone putting up a fuss.

It was a nice day for a drive.

Which is to say,  not a nice day to be outdoors.   We had snow.  It was maybe one or two degrees above zero when we got up.  Not sure what to say about May.  It pretty much sucks so far.  Naturally,  I've already switched out the winter tires. 

On the other hand,  the Marinas aren't opening,  which means the boats won't be going in the water any time soon.   But in light of the crappy weather,  that seems to be an OK thing.   Who knew?

Still unclear how the whole sailing thing is going to pan out this summer. 

We'll see.


That's all I got.

Thanks for moving your eyes back and forth.

Keep washing those hands.

I see dumb people.

What was that movie where the little boy kept saying,  "I see dead people"?    "The sixth sense",  as it turns out.

Anyway,  today T.C. and I had to go out.  Not to be taken lightly,  but there was need for a few things for the weekend.   One of the stores that we have around here is a place called "Denninger's".   It's actually "Denninger's Foods of the World",  but we only use the shortened version.

There are only five locations around these parts,  and they have their own manufacturing facility where they make a lot of their own products,  such as sausages etc.

Most times I think one pays a little more than maybe at a regular store,  but the quality is always there.

I naively thought she was going on her own,  but I was sadly mistaken.   There was the possibility of calling in an order and having them bring it out to the car,  but that would have meant that someone on the other end would have to pick up the damned phone. 

Besides,  T.C. said she wanted to pick out her own stuff anyway.  So fine,  I waited in the car,  and in she went.   And by the way,  that whole "I waited in the car and in she went"  protocol would be exactly the same whether there was a pandemic or not. 

Just wanted to let you know.

I shop,  or she shops.  We typically do not shop together.  Just...a thing.

Interesting arrangement.  The store that is. They had squirrelled away most of the carts,  so that there were only enough carts for as many people as they were going to allow in at any given time.  What that number was,  I have no clue,  but I was quite surprised that T.C.  didn't have to wait outside,  the way it seems to go with most places right about now.  There was a cart available,  freshly wiped down,  and off she went.

Then of course,  I get to watch all the clever folks coming out.  Some wore masks.  Some wore masks and gloves.  Masks I'm OK with.  You want to wear a mask?   Go for it.  Just don't touch it.  Don't touch your face.  So there's this one old guy (OK fine,  maybe he's my age,  but I'm sure he was older)  He comes out with his bags of stuff,  he's wearing gloves and a mask.  And I'm thinking,  "Well there you go,  good for you."
He gets in the car after putting his stuff in the back seat,  and THEN takes off the gloves,  and takes off his mask.

And you might be thinking,  "Well,  so?". 

See,  once upon a time,  when we were trained on cleaning up blood and "blood products" (not sure what the hell that was supposed to be,  but whatever)  we were trained in a special way as to how to take off gloves so as not to get the contaminant on your person.  There's a trick to it.  And,  if you're NOT wearing gloves,  you need to wash your hands or use sanitiser BEFORE you touch anything.  Or get into your car,  touching your steering wheel,  and so on.   Alternatively,  you take off the gloves before getting into the car etc. 

Not only that,  but then he proceeds to touch his face.  Like,  wipe his nose with the back of his hand.  And I'm just sitting there shaking my head.
I managed to not yell it out,  but I'm sure I said,  "Dude,  you just missed the whole point!" 

There were more examples,  but I'm starting to get really agitated here.


In other news,   T.C. saw a "bug".    Well,  really it was some tiny little moth like creature that was flying around up in the office,  but somehow it was in our food. 

Some how.


I heard this...rustling and crinkling of plastic,  and thought maybe I'd investigate.

Right.  Everything had to come out of the pantry. 
 
The good news is,  we did get rid of some Couscous and Quinoa from,  I don't know,  years ago.  Along with some other mystery packets of rice.   Oh and,  these tiny little packets of gelatin.  Gelatin?  Huh?

And? No bugs.

You have to understand that,  one cannot simply dismiss this sort of thing.   Best to go along.  I made sure I was checking the cereal as instructed.  It too was bug free. 

I'm reasonably certain that the little moth like flying thing has more to do with springtime on the way,  and not something we brought in from a store.    Or that is lying in wait with his multitude of friends,  ready to take over the house.

Hope y'all are staying safe. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Don't touch your face,  until you....

Wash your hands.

And of course,  keep your stick on the ice.

Well, I had to do it.

Go out,  that is.

I think there was a slight welling up of panic when I realised that the coffee container that I was about to empty was not the second last one,  but the last one!

Gah!
 
Gotta step up my game when it comes to knowing what I have in store,  as I thought I had a spare.  I always have a spare.

So,  I sucked it up and went to Costco.   And I must say,  they've figured it out.

First of all,  I did have to go out early Monday morning,  as we were getting down on the bread end of things,  and the store down the street had an hour set aside for "old folks"  from seven to eight.  AND,  unlike the store where T.C. had to go to last week,  these guys had a security guard at the entrance way,  sort of eyeing everyone on their way in so as to make sure they were in fact seniors. 
Apparently,  I qualify.   No need for I.D. 
Not sure if that should sadden me or not.
And it was not crowded in the least.
I made sure to profusely thank all the employees for being there that early.

Anyway,  Costco also has an hour set aside before they open,  from eight until nine on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for seniors but unfortunately,  I didn't get that memo in time,  so I went for normal hours. 

Not a huge deal.

I naively grabbed a cart from one of the corrals to take in with me,  but that wasn't needed,  as they were sanitising all the carts just as you went in,  so no need for the gloves or wipes on my part.  AND,  they had two distinct areas/lines set up,  divided by piles of skids,  so as to separate those going in,  from those coming out.  We did have to line up,  with everyone far enough apart for proper distancing etiquette.   Plus,  there was a bit of a wait,  as they were only allowing a certain number of shoppers in at once.  I read somewhere that the number was 50,  but don't quote me.

Then it was pretty much easy peasy from then on,  as they had everything that was on my list.  And no,  I didn't need toilet paper,  although I did see that they had boatloads. 

Then,  coming out,  there were two distinct lines to get up to the check out area,  with hash marks on the floor as a reminder of proper distancing etiquette once again.  It was very orderly.   Didn't have to put my groceries on the belt.  Had a spot to stand as it was being rung up,  the cashier scanned my Costco card from about six feet away (a bit of overkill I thought)  and I only really had to come in contact with the payment terminal,  which her assistant had just wiped down.  I had sanitiser with me and gave my hands a going over after all that as well.

Oh and,  they didn't do that whole checking off your crap against your receipt thing either.  I never did understand that.  Like they're able to tell if you've got all your goods?  Really?  Or that you somehow miraculously were able to slip an extra huge bag of flour onto your cart?

They had removed one of the terminals at each end of the line of terminals in order to make extra room.  This was a welcome change from the way it had always been,  where your cart goes one way,  and you're forced into an area next to the other member behind you.  I never did like that.

And,  as I said to the cashier,  I've never liked it when fellow shoppers get too close to me anyway,  so I was completely good with the whole situation.    Like,  beyond happy.   Thinking up catchy T-shirt captions,  that sort of thing.*

I think I first started to notice folks being too close to me when we lived in Puerto Rico,  as fellow shoppers were forever getting well into my comfort zone.  Thankfully,  I'm taller than most Puerto Ricans,  so I never got any of the head colds that always seemed to be going around.  That's also probably where I really started to become a bit of a Germaphobe. 

Or maybe even before that?   Not sure.


Oh,  speaking of which,  and this was the only time I actually spoke with another shopper,  while standing in line,  I couldn't help but notice what I think was a lady who,  for what can only be due to paranoia,  was basically covered from head to toe in plastic.   She had plastic bags on her feet,  some sort of plastic bag on her torso.  Plastic bags on each leg.  A mask,  and the obligatory plastic bag on her head. 

I so wish I had taken my camera.

Oh and,  she was lining her cart with newspaper!   Newspaper!

Because apparently them spraying down all the carts just before they give you one wasn't enough, and somehow you can get a virus through your feet?
The floors were so clean you could eat off them.  And I dare say,  as a result of some of the over the top efforts of just about any place you can think of,  floors in public places these days are probably cleaner than most people's houses!


So,  the guy in front of me saw this at about the same time as me,  turned to me,  said not a word.   But I had to say,  "OK,  there's being prepared,  and then there's being paranoid."

But hey,  whatever floats yer boat.   I mean,  you can cut up an onion,  put it in your bedroom,  and as long as you never leave your bedroom,  you'll never get sick. 
True.
It probably works just as well with watermelon,  but they'd need to be in season.

No plans to go anywhere for a few days again,  as I'll head to the wine making place to pick up our new supply on Tuesday.   I was going to go today,  but let me just say,  it's surprising just how often one relies on one's back muscles for the simplest things?

No big deal.  I've done this before.  Just happened to bend down the wrong way,  and ouch!
I'll be better by Tuesday I'm sure.  Just...putting on socks this morning was....a chore. 

Annoyingly,  I have a few things in the house that need shifting around,  which normally T.C. and I could manage together,  so that's out the window.  Plus of course,  I can't even call on one of the Daughter Units or Sons-in-law to come help,  as we don't want to have anyone come to the house. 


Thanks for stopping by.

Keep your stick on the ice.

And wash your hands.



*I'm thinking of a caption like,  "Now I can say it.  Get the f**k away from me!"

Food... my favourite.

Well,  it's that time of year again.  And no,  I'm not talking about football,  American Thanksgiving (always good for football)  or even "Trench Warfare".

That was originally going to be one of the titles I was going to use,  if I ever got around to actually saying something.

This has been a little "project" that has been occupying a bit of my time in the last little while.  I kept thinking I'd rent a machine,  but with the ground being wet,  and not having any particular deadline looming,  I just kept digging by hand.

Way back in the day,  my nephew and I had poured a concrete walkway around the garage side of the house,  and I chose to have the downspout feed into a clay pipe that we installed underground.
Of course,  prior to having the work done in 2014 (Soffits,  fascia,  troughs and gutter guards)  all of the eaves troughs were subject to getting filled with crap every year,  and Muggins here had to go up on a ladder and clean them out.
We don't do that anymore.
Meanwhile though, my handy little culvert ended up getting plugged up after some 20 years,  and when it really came down hard,  I was getting a wee bit of water coming into the garage.
No bueno.

So,  I had to dig 'er up. 

With a combination of pressure washer and wet vac,  it's all cleared out,  new weeping tile has been installed,  along with a whack of gravel,  and the hole has mostly been filled in.

Oh,  the patio stone there is only so nobody steps into the trench between digging episodes.

I'll continue to dig a trench along where those lines are in the pic above,  as I need to install a new water line out to the shed.   There was an "incident" when we were away overseas,  and the old line is somewhat buggered.   It ain't below frost,  and that's all I'll say.

Mind you,  and I didn't take any more pics of this,  I now have a bit more dirt left over that I'll have to deal with.  Weeping tile and gravel take up a certain amount of space it seems.

  *groan*

It can sit there for a while.

The reference to "Food" above is due to the fact that,  for the first time since dinner time Tuesday night,  I can eat again. 

See,  on my Mom's side of the family,  we have a certain 'history'.   She had a colostomy for the last 15 or so years of her life,  and her brother Ernie (Ernest is my middle name,  he and Dad were best buddies)  also ended up with a colostomy for the last days of his life.  He passed away in the spring of the year I was born.

Not something to be ignored.   

So,  you can probably guess the rest.  No food.  A vile liquid.  Staying mighty close to the loo.   Ya,  like that.

This time around,  the nurse must have given me a primo dose of the requested knock-out drug,  'cause I don't remember a damned thing.  And that was exactly the outcome I was hoping for!

Bad enough you have to go through the "prep",  I'd just as soon not witness the rest.  

Travelling Companion stuck around to drive me home from the hospital,  and then it was time to eat.

Now,  there's a "word to the wise"  here, and this comes from having done this a few times, (hey,  I seem to be able to grow polyps like nobody's business)  the vile medicine that's in  your system to make it all *happen*,  is still lurking around later in the day after you get home.  What that means is,  (and I'm speaking from experience here)  don't just think you can scarf down everything in sight.

Moderation kids!   

Otherwise,  you may just have to excuse yourself half way through your very expensive Chinese dinner and head for the nearest Euphemism.   It's a little vexing to crap out forty bucks worth of Chinese food,   let me tell ya.

Your mileage may vary,  but I'm just saying.

And that's the lesson for the day.

Keep that stick on the ice,  and thanks for stopping by.

Cheers.

I got three years.

And no,  that's not a sentence,  that's a reprieve.

See,  since the early part of 2014,  I've so far had three "visits" involving a certain "procedure",  for which one has to do something referred to as "prep".
Any of you who have had this lovely experience will know exactly what I'm talking about.  It's something everyone should start doing after about the half century mark,  but of course,  I procrastinated just a tad, and then there was that whole European thing,  and I didn't really want to get started on something in Austria.  As it was,  I did have another issue investigated when I was in the Netherlands,  and that diagnosis was somewhat inconclusive.
But that's another story.
And this ain't a "medical" blog,  so that's enough of that.

Anyhoodle,  there's much more than a hint of a family history of colon cancer (Mom had a colostomy,  my Uncle Ernie had a colostomy,  should I go on?)  so needless to say,  these "visits" could be considered somewhat life saving.  At least in my case.

I don't mean to be overly dramatic,  but really,  them polyps can eventually kill ya.
Just saying.

Last Thursday was the day of my "visit",  which was scheduled for eight a.m.   The instructions direct  you to take the second package of that nasty powdered stuff at five,  but (and this is where past experience comes in)  I decided to get up at four and get that started.  It really blows to be feeling somewhat "stressed",  shall we say?  on the way to the procedure,  or looking for a bathroom when you're waiting to go in.
And again,  for anyone who has done this,  I ain't just kidding when I use the term "blows".
Wakka wakka!

*Ahem*

Anyway,  the Doc did say he found three little guys,  but depending on the pathology,  I won't need to go back for three years.  Oh ya,  baby!  Under the category of,  "what makes you happy?"   That one's right up there.  That and beating the spread in the football pool,  but hey,  if I suck at making my picks,  ain't gonna kill me.


Meanwhile,   T.C. and I put the truck to use this week,  as we headed in to Toronto to the "Tile District"  for lack of a better term,  to fetch all the tile I'll need for my bathroom reno.
When it became evident that I had a truck,  we were asked to hang out at the warehouse door for a few minutes while they put everything on a skid.

I suppose this is the first time T.C. has ever been with me in a truck when something somewhat heavy is loaded into the back,  since she was ever so slightly wide eyed when I got back in after checking over and signing for the skid.
I did a little quick arithmetic, knowing that each box of tiles weighs at least 50 pounds (52.5 actually) and came up with a conservative load coming in at 1100 pounds.

So needless to say,  the truck did "squat" ever so slightly,  which was just enough to freak out T.C. just a tad.

Initially,  we put it all in the garage,  but over that last day or so,  I've managed to bring it all inside and stack it in the room across from the bathroom where it'll eventually end up.

The only other little job this week was to put in a couple shut offs for the tub,  so that I can isolate the water when I rip it out.

 The shut off with the green handle is for an outside hose bib.

This is an area that is in the garage ceiling,  so it's entirely doable,  but a bit of a tight spot just the same.  You'll notice my "heat shield" up in there.  Burning the house down wouldn't be good.  I also keep a spray bottle of water on hand,  and give the wood a bit of a bath after I'm done.   It wasn't easy getting all the water out of the lines to get the brass up above its "kindling" temperature,  but the valves are in and tucked up out of the way.


We're still waiting on the rest of the components to come in,  which means I'll mostly only be working at taking out the old tile.   We'll use the bathroom for as long as possible,  and then "move" downstairs to the basement.  The bed in that bedroom is the one we had in Vienna,  and I'd dare say it's better than the one we sleep on now,  it being a King size and all.

Stay tuned.

And thanks for stopping by.


.

It’s been a bit blustery.

Not talking politics here either.  We’ve had a bit of a “blow”.   Not enough to cause any damage though,  although I think there was a bit of flooding here and there.  There were dire predictions.  I guess it mostly went around us.

Anyway, we’re muddling along here.

Had another couple visits to this place.

Oh, that’s Oakville Trafalgar Hospital.  Not that you could tell from the picture.

Nothing serious.  Had a “Bone density scan” on Friday,  and then a CT scan on Tuesday.  Was supposed to be on Monday,  but the machine was on the fritz.  I think they tried to call me,  but the Hospital comes up as “Private Caller”,  and those calls are blocked on our phone.  I’ve since unblocked it, (I think) but if I start getting too many phone solicitors using the “Private Caller” ruse,  I’ll just block it again.  Didn’t realise it until I checked,  but we have 28 different numbers that are blocked.  I just find it tends to discourage the annoying solicitors or worse,  the annoying robo calls that try to get through to ascertain whether or not anyone is home. 

Bastards.

Anyway,  had a young technician of Friday who was trying to find a vein.  OK so, I have this very naive/biased/old man type of idea that anyone named “Tiffany”,  shouldn’t be handling a needle.  After I was starting to turn into a pin cushion,  she gave up and asked “Daisy” if she’d do it.  Daisy was successful. 

And no,  I’m not kidding.  Her name was Daisy.  Who names their kid Daisy??

And I mean,  I could SEE the f**king vein,  but she was trying to be a hero.  Or something.  I don’t know.

I was nice.  Really.  I know that seems out of character.  But why would I be mean to someone who is about to poke me with a needle full of stuff that is being stored in a lead container?

So,  the whole “scanning” thing isn’t terribly serious, or at least that’s my take on it.  I’ve had this “pain” in my side off and on for a few years now,  and nobody seems to be able to pin it down.  Probably nothing.  Comes and goes.  The “serious” stuff is when I have to do that whole “prep” thing,  and then go in for the anal probe.  No aliens involved.  You know what I mean. 

I’m hoping to get maybe a two year reprieve after the last visit.  I mean,  c’mon!  

Shouldn’t complain. 

In another era,  I’d simply get cancer and croak.  So, I’ll shut up now.

Oh,  and the reason for the “finding a vein” thing?  Well,  I’ll be radioactive for a few months methinks.

No immediate plans of crossing the border into the States, thankfully.  Otherwise the alarm bells would be going off.  Or something.  I’ve heard stories.

You can read a bit about it here. 

For the return trip on Tuesday,  I requested that they put a lead collar around my neck.  I think I’d like to keep my thyroid functioning for a little while longer if possible.   Too many x-rays can’t be a good thing.

 

Couldn’t help but notice that our neighbour has decided to get their driveway paved.  Talk about parking your big assed trucks where nobody can actually get through!  Mind you,  they weren’t there long.

Wonder how long it’ll take for the paving crew to come back and finish it.  I’ve seen some driveways sit all freakin’ summer after they’ve done the prep.  “C Valley Paving”.  I wouldn’t hire them on a bet.

 

Um, lemme see.  Anything else? 

This is when you know you DON’T have too many clamps. 

I’m making up some trim for a window “stool” in one of the upstairs bedrooms.

A little tip,  the “sill” is on the outside,  the “stool” is on the inside.  Just sayin’.

It’s only been missing the trim for, oh I don’t know ten, fifteen years??  Just one of those little *things* that got left behind.  Decided a few days ago to get it sorted.

That’s it.  I’m empty.

Hope all is well,  where ever you find yourself.

 

Keep your stick on the ice,  and thanks for stopping by.

And here it is, Monday again.

It’s been a bit of a busy week,  I guess I could say.  T.C. is at the moment off to Grand Bend for a “Lady’s away”.  Can’t call it a “weekend”,  as none of the participants are working.  Why go on a weekend?  Every day is Saturday.

Anyhoo,  it’s just me here.  My sister is gone for the day for a bike ride.  Well,  sitting on the back of a Harley.  She won’t be back until late.

The first newsworthy thing is,  Eldest Brother came through his surgery just fine on Wednesday.  We went up to see him which of course, he didn’t remember.  If you’re not quite prepared for all the ways and means that a patient is hooked up,  it could be a bit disconcerting.  They did a quadruple by-pass.  In three hours!   They had said “four to six”,  which seemed reasonable.  St. Mary’s in Kitchener is known as a heart and stroke hospital.  I’m thinking they have it down pat.

 

We took a little ride up to Kitchener again yesterday to see him.  Huge difference.  In a room,  no longer in ICU, or CCU (chronic care unit?). He was sitting up when we saw him.  They give every heart patient a pillow to hold across ones chest in the event that you might have to cough.  There was coughing.  He’s hoping to be out tomorrow.   We’ll see.

Problem is of course,  he’ll need some help at home,  since his wife is not capable of dealing with any issues he might encounter.  It’s been his deal to look after her for the last twenty years or so. 

She has Scleroderma, which is basically a death sentence,  but she’s hanging in.   That’s a whole other story.

 

I did get out on the water on Sunday and Monday.

 

I only committed to two days of this week long sailing event put on by GHYRA.   The best we did was third,  and that was on the Tuesday I see.  I wasn’t on the boat.  All the better for them.

Anyway,  I put up that photo above,  since the first race on Sunday was “around the cans” in Hamilton Harbour,  and there was no way of knowing what the course was until it was posted on the transom of the committee boat.

 

 

Even then the wind was as dead as a fart, so they had to change it.  Which meant everyone had to file past the transom of the committee boat again.

The “SI’s” or Sailing Instructions for the week,  was like a small novel. 

 

There was also something to do with the judging of mermaids. 

 

I got nothing.

 

So, nothing much else too exciting.  I found the logistics of the race week a bit of a chore,  so that was the reason for only a couple days.  Plus,  no matter how much sunscreen I slather on,  after a couple days on the water I start looking too much like Lobster Boy. 

 

Evening sailing works better for me.  We’re back to our regular Tues and Thursday nights from here on in.  I’ll only be doing Tuesdays methinks,  as we’re hoping to free ourselves up for a couple visits here and there.  I only committed to Tuesdays,  but had been going out both nights to get schooled on the new boat.

 

That’s it.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

 

Try to keep cool.  (it’s a tad warm here today)

If you have a feather.

You could knock me over with it.

For the last couple of days I haven’t had too much to say except that,  I really should make sure to re-read previous posts before even opening Live Writer, since I was just a wee bit repetitive recently. 

I beg your indulgence.

I was just now out in “the shop” mucking around with the end cabinet, installing shelf supports,  that kind of thing, when the phone rang.

Much easier done if it’s on its side.

 

Having that handy dandy “call display” out there is certainly the way to go.  And who was it?  Why, it was the yet unnamed dealership where the defective part was installed.

Some lady.  Said her name.  “Leslie”?  “Lucy”? 

Doesn’t matter.

Had some paperwork in front of her.  Wanted to know if I would prefer to come and pick up my money,  or have a cheque sent to the house? 

Yes, I’m not kidding.  They came through.

I do recall reading something about the boss wanting to change their “corporate culture”.  I guess it’s started to trickle down.

Of course,  since I’d really rather not have to go back there,  I opted for the “send it to my house” program.  I did have to eat the extra cost of the tow,  but that was my choice.  I suppose I could have pressed them for the 27 bucks,  but sometimes you just need to call it a day.

She also mentioned in passing that the “regional warranty manager”  was by,  and had given the “go-ahead”.  See now,  this is why it costs you so much to go to these places.  How many freakin’ managers do they have?

 

 

So I’ll be checking the mail. 

 

Bit of an interesting day here at the Ponderosa,  weather wise.  Had some thunder and lightening,  along with a couple torrential downpours.

I hear they had a great night on the water last night.  I wasn’t out. 

Instead,  T.C. and I had stopped by St. Mary’s Hospital in Kitchener yesterday afternoon to check on my oldest brother who it turns out,  had had a mild heart attack some time towards the end of last week. 

 

 

Hard to pin it down in terms of when exactly things started to go south, since the symptoms were at first rather vague.  Not feeling quite right,  but then some pressure in his chest.  Took himself to the emergency in Goderich,  and they kept him there.

The heart Doc basically said,  “Usually when guys have that situation,  they keel over.”   I’m paraphrasing of course,  but that about sums it up.

Anyway,  that’s where we spent our afternoon.  They had him there for an Angiogram,  and it turns out that he’ll need bypass surgery.  Luckily enough,  even though he has a couple nearly complete blockages,  there was no damage to the heart muscle.   They put him on Plavix and ASA right away,  and he’ll have to stop taking that five days before the surgery, so it could be a couple weeks. 

Nothing much else new here at the Ponderosa. 

Well,  I did take care of a mouse that came out from under a cabinet in the shed the other day.  Gave me a bit of a start.  Hate when they dash out like that.

I have zero tolerance for them.  They crap everywhere, chew on things for no reason that’s apparent to me anyway,  and could very easily stay the hell outdoors.  It’s nice out!  What are you doing in my shed? 

 

That’s it.  I’m empty.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

Lying in tubes.

It’s quite peaceful, actually.  With the exception of the guy somewhere behind me being quizzed about the tightness in his chest,  I very easily could have had a nice little nap.

See, today was “bone density day”.  Although I thought it was only going to be a “morning”,  it was more like a day. And as luck would have it,  my regular GP had scheduled a conflicting follow-up to the last time I was lying in a tube a couple weeks ago for a CT scan.  That’s the one where you drink a whole bunch of water first at home,  and then another three tumblers full of some mystery juice when you get there.  Takes time for the liquid to get wherever its supposed to go,  and I guess that’s the same deal with the today’s fun and games,  except there was some mention of an injection and gamma radiation.  There’s a pretty good summation here.

Anyway,  as it was neigh on impossible to get through to my GP on the phone,  Travelling Companion and I decided to just drive up there,  and I’d walk in and tell them that I wasn’t going to be there for my 11:20 appointment.  Especially since I had to be in Oakville for my 11:30 appointment.  I didn’t think it wise to try and much around with the Hospital appointment.  That would be a tad foolish.

 

T.C. trying to figure out why her Bluetooth doesn’t want to cooperate.

 

So,  we’ll see what the outcome is.  I didn’t turn into The Hulk,  since the Gamma radiation has a half life of something like six hours.  That procedure is certainly less annoying than an MRI,  that’s for sure.   But that was last year when there was a plan afoot to see if there was anything in my head. 

They didn’t find anything.

I suppose I could just go along and have this little annoying pain in my side for the rest of my days,  but it doesn’t seem to be willing to simply go away,  so I figured maybe some investigation was in order.   It’s like going down the rabbit hole,  since one thing tends to lead to another.  And in the end,  who knows if they’ll come up with a diagnosis?

I've been repeating this today.   I can’t seem to embed YouTube videos lately,  not sure what’s up with that.  Just click that link. It’s only 10 seconds long.

 

Hope everyone had a fine Easter.  Ours was awesome.  There was a bit of snow,  but it’s gone again.  No big deal.

T.C. was much more relaxed with any and all preparations she wanted to do,  mostly due to the no longer actively working program.  Seems to make all the difference.  There was Potica.  Best to read the description here,  if you're not sure what that is.

I think I have a pic.

 

I’d like to say I helped,  only because I did grind up some walnuts. 

I don’t seem to look too happy in that pic,  but that’s not really the case.  AND,  it’s not really “grinding” as much as “rasping”,  since that meat grinder looking thing (it’s really not) is actually a type of rotary rasp,  which works beautifully for rasping up a bunch of nuts. 

There’s probably a squirrel joke in there somewhere.

Let’s just move along.

It’s that time of the year again when it’s a good idea to get the bikes all spiffied up. 

That’s a word,  right?  You’ll notice that these bikes have rather elaborate chain guards? 

Seems they’re also pretty effective at keeping the chain clean as well.  Thing looked brand new. 

I’m going to see if I can get T.C. out on the bike when the weather warms up a bit.  There’s no particular place to go mind you,  but we’ll tool around the neighbourhood. 

 

Just noticed this on the way home today.

 

Talk about optimism.

Or maybe they think they’re betting on a sure thing?

The Jays are off to a good start,  but let’s not get carried away.

 

Here’s hoping for some warmer weather.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

And what did the bone doctor say?

 

I actually started writing this yesterday,  but then I sort of lost my “mojo”.   But I’ll throw it in here,  just for shits and giggles.

 

But first,  here’s a helpful tip:

If you happen to be wearing snow pants, and during half time of the Super Bowl on the previous evening you happen to have had a bowl of chilli,  you may *ahem* discover some lingering effects?

Snow pants do a wonderful job of keeping out the wind.  But they’ll keep it *in* too,  it seems.  Nasty business.

This is all hypothetical of course.  No actual snow pants were injured during these particular *ahem* occurrences.

This little disturbance hasn’t quite worked it’s way out into the atmosphere just yet,  so I’ve been mostly keeping to myself today. (this was yesterday,  today I’m all good) I was getting particularly nervous about sitting in the waiting room at the Bone Doctor’s office.  Could have been dicey.

There’s a segue in there for sure.

 

And now back to the present…..

 

Anyhoodle,  the Bone Doctor said all’s good.   Well,  I’m paraphrasing of course.

And if figures that,  this time I made sure to take a book along to read,  since on our previous visit we were waiting there for over an hour to get in to see him,  but due to the inclement (is that the right word?) weather,  the waiting room was certainly not as busy,  and we only had to wait about 20 minutes.  I still got some reading in though,  which is more than I can say for my night time reading efforts,  since I can never seem to get past one or two pages and my eyes are starting to cross.  This is something that has plagued me for many many years,  and made it somewhat difficult to read all of the wonderful items on the reading lists when I was in University.  I managed.

Considering that I’m presently reading a biography on Dickens, at that rate it could a couple years.  I need to pick up the pace.

 

OK so, now back to the knee. I don’t recall all of the details,  but there was some hint that she might be “overdoing it”.  Which is why the knee gets a little puffy from time to time.  But other than that like I said,  it’s all good.

Possibly,  possibly there will be a call in about a half a year or so to sort out the other one.   The idea of the surgery and all that to do over again is a bit of a daunting thing to even think about,  but the difference in the amount of pain (now essentially cut by 50%) to endure at the end of it all,  is the underlying impetus to get it over with.

We’ll see.

 

That’s all I got,  folks.

It’s snowing here again in the Hinterland.  But it’s February.  It’s Canada.  It snow.  We suck it up.

 

Keep yer stick on the ice.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

And the days go by.

Not too darned much happening these days here at the Ponderosa.  Of course,  I have any number of projects that I should be tackling,  but being the procrastinator that I am,  you can guess the rest.

In my defence,  I’d like to have most, if not all of the hardware on hand before I start the next big one,  which will be a built in cabinet at the end of the dining room.  I haven’t quite finalized the design just yet, although I did drop off a part of the dining room table with a piece of birch plywood at the local Sherwin-Williams,  with instructions to match that stain, and to “take their time”,  since I want it to be right.   And no,  I didn’t cut out a chunk of the dining room table,  each of the leaves have hinged aprons.  I removed one.

This one will take me a little while,  and I’ll likely post some nonsense here, just for something to do.  Plus, sometimes it’s useful (if that’s the correct term) to be able to go back and look at the these kinds of things.

‘Cause you know,  I got CRS.

For example,  once upon a time I replaced the countertop up at sister-in-law’s place.   Do you think I remember ever doing that?  I was reminded of that little deed a few months ago,  or maybe it was at Christmas. I don’t remember.  My answer was, “I did?”   And I thought to myself,  “Well, at least I did a half decent job”.   There were a couple mitre cuts involved, I do seem to recall doing that. 

Oh,  and speaking of sister-in-law’s place,  today was the day that Travelling Companion thought she’d take her turn at the wheel.  She hasn’t been driving since her knee replacement,  and figured she might just try driving a short distance, just to see how it went.  She just returned home after a visit of an hour or so,  and it was fine.  I’m now no longer the designated Chauffeur although, whenever there’s the two of us in the car,  Muggins here is usually at the wheel.

Lemme see.  What else?

Well, we did have some practise chilli the other day.

This is in light of the upcoming Super Bowl festivities.  Or something like that.  We won’t be the ones supplying the chilli,  but I suppose it’s good to know just what kind of *ahem*, results one might expect after consuming this sort of food.  The results for me were a tad on the smelly side,  but I think that was because I had had a sandwich earlier in the day,  and maybe the meat was starting to turn? That’s my story.  That’s all I got.  When we had it the second day, (because you can see that we’re using the big crock pot,  and not the new little one) I didn’t experience the same sort of, *ahem* “issues”.  Which is why I’m going with the meat story.

Remains to be seen if I’ll have any friends left after the Super Bowl party.  Stay tuned.

 

Oh so,  I rambled off topic there for a bit.  I wanted to mention one of the things I had to do in prep for the next project,  and that was finding a place for and moving the curio cabinet.

 

Just over to the other side of the first floor. 

Eventually all the crystal will end up in the built-in,  and that curio will find a home elsewhere.   I made it a number of years ago,  and basically it was beyond the skill set that I had at the time, the result of which is,  I really don’t like it.

From this distance it looks fine,  but there are so many issues, it’s not funny.  I don’t want to even go there.

 

I guess I should mention that T.C. bought herself a new gizmo yesterday.   She was playing around with it this morning.  I may have to fabricate a new table top for her.  We’ll see.

 

It’s pretty awesome.  There’s a website here.  

Anyhoodle,  she had a serger,  and was considering the purchase of a second machine that did some additional function, (something to do with a “wave stitch”)  and instead traded her old one for this thing. It does both functions.  I think the lady at the store was somewhat pleasantly surprised that we still had the original box, and had packed it up before bringing it in,  but we’re kind of funny that way. 

And I should confess,  I briefly had the thought that I’d throw that box out at one point after we moved back from Austria,  but I was overruled.  Fine.  Sometimes I get a little carried away with throwing sh*t out.  Plus, I figured we were “done” when it came to buying sewing machines and such. 

How naive.

 

I guess that’s it.

Hope winter is being kind to you.  We’ve had absolutely no snow here, and I’m not really missing it.  So sorry for all you skiers and your ilk.  You’ll need to go farther north. 

 

Thanks for stopping by.

It was bound to happen.

Our guests all flew the coop in good time this morning,  and that was a good thing.  The report back was that,  the nasty weather was avoided,  with the exception of the last half hour or so just outside of Ottawa.   Well,  really it’s Osgoode,  but let’s not split hairs.

The “nasty weather” I’m referring to is this cold wet snotty business that’s presently falling out of the sky.  I’d like to call it snow,  but it’s just warm enough to fall in big gobs.  Kind of like someone hanging a Loogie off the roof,  over and over again. 

Only cold.

That’s kinda gross, but at least that way you get my true meaning.

I decided I’d best get out there and clear off the slop,  before it decides to freeze again,  and make it worse.  Winter is such fun,  innit?

Not really.

We (well,  some of us) were reminiscing as to just exactly where we were at this precise time last year. 

 

I don’t want to talk about it.  It involved flying and airports after all.  Although the result was well worth it.  There’s a good chance we’ll get back to Maui again some day.  Probably not before T.C. gets her other knee fixed though. 

Speaking of which,  she’s doing quite well.  I mean,  the Christmas season seems to be fraught with an increase in activity that one normally should avoid when convalescing from surgery,  so that did mean that it would “get tight” more often than maybe it should have,  and she’d have to elevate the knee and apply ice.   She’s at the point now that she sometimes forgets where she’s left her cane.  In this house, I mean.  

Like that.

 

I’m only going to show one other picture I took within the last few days that will more or less sum up the activities.

 

Which is probably why we were each quite happy to mostly forego anything remotely akin to “dinner” this evening. 

Put it this way,  I received a really nice pair of jeans for Christmas,  and I’m very much tempted to take them back for something slightly bigger.  Chances of me getting skinnier in the very near future are pretty slim.

Erp, does that count as a pun?  Not sure.

 

With that I’ll bid you all a fine weekend.  Short but sweet.

 

Keep those sticks on the ice,  and thanks for stopping by.

 

.

Muddling along.

I had a couple other titles in mind,  but that’s all that surfaces at the moment.

I was going to say,  “A sad day”,  but I didn’t want to cause a panic.  I only had that thought when I felt compelled to toss out one of my favourite t-shirts. 

I do realise that it was starting to get a little frayed around the collar,  but that was hardly a reason to ditch it.  However there’s a line, and holes in the armpits is somewhere over that line.

At least according to T.C.

I failed to take a picture. 

You’re welcome.

 

I’ve been sticking pretty close to home base since Tuesday,  since that was finally the day when Travelling Companion got released from the hospital.  Yes, there were some issues.  Had to do with blood thinness, or lack thereof.  That of course, means they won’t release you until they think you’ll be OK.  The operation itself was fine,  there was just that other issue.

I’ll not divulge too many other details,  as that wouldn’t be prudent.  She’s fine.  Getting around with her walker at this point and using the cane to get up or down the stairs.

Suffice to say I’ve learned a few things about INR, something called Factor X and a bunch of other stuff that I barely remember.

Anyway,  the very nice flowers above are just one example of a few items that came come this way in the last few days. 

I’m pretty much doing the “Chief Cook and Bottle Washer” routine,  which was a roll that I had been able to at least half ways relinquish once T.C. retired.   That too is not a big deal,  as the only requests I’ve had this week has been for chicken soup.  Home made of course.

There’s boatloads of things squirreled away in the freezer, so we won’t starve.

 

Meanwhile, a decision was made to replace our aging phone system.  No complaints really,  since I don’t even remember how many years its been since we started out with the previous set.  I think it’s about 14 years,  which is a long time for cordless phones to last.  It’s usually the batteries,  but we noticed that one of the handsets would simply cut out.  And by they way,  when you’re on the phone with your Doctor? 

That ain’t good.

Canadian Tire had a set of four phones on for a hundred bucks,  so that was that.  Hopefully they’ll last just as long.  I haven’t quite figured out what to do with the old set,  since I’d really like to have some sort of call display out in the garage.  I have a phone out there,  but it’s an old corded model from pre calls display days.  I’ll figure it out.

I guess that’s about it.  If I think of anything witty or clever to throw on here,  I’ll be back at some point.

Meanwhile,  my brain is pretty much mush.

 

Keep those sticks on the ice.

Thanks for stopping by.

For the peeps.

So I’ve been sending out emails,  making phone calls.  Texting.  But there only remains the blog.

T.C. came through her surgery yesterday morning just fine.  She opted for a version of a local anaesthetic,  even though she was fearful that she’d hear some sort of “chain saw massacre”.  However, the Doc assured her that they’d mix up a nifty cocktail that would either put her mostly to sleep or erase the entire event from her memory.  Seems to have been effective.  Plus, then she didn’t need to have a general anaesthetic which,  as we all know, can present its own set of issues.

Anyhoodle,  I’ve been hanging around the hospital for the last couple days.  Yesterday (surgery day) was a bit of a long one,  as we had to be there by something like 6:30 a.m.,  and the only thought that I had was, any time we have to be up and out the door at that hour or earlier,  there’s usually a flight involved.  Preferably to some place warm.  We only got to go to the hospital. Bah!

She has a “pain pump”.  I think that was the term they used.  It’s a method of injecting a morphine derivative directly into her IV.  Seems it only really takes the edge off,  and she hits that sucker about three times an hour,  or depending on what little event might be coming up,  like physio,  then it’s about ten minutes before any moving about. 

I mostly sit and read,  just to be there with her,  since the pain drug tends to make her sleepy.  That’s kind of a good thing,  as she was able to sleep the entire night through last night.  I don’t think I’ve ever made it through the entire night when in hospital.  Mind you,  it’s been about 20 years since I’ve spent a night in a hospital, so I’ve forgotten most of that experience.  Probably just as well.

They’ll be punting her out tomorrow afternoon,  providing that she can demonstrate that she can manage at least a half dozen stairs.   That’s her passport out.  And that’s only because we have stairs here at home.  Why did we let that slip out?

So I’ve got the cane,  the walker,  the various other gadgets.  I think we’re good to go.

And really,  using a walker?  Probably something that should be practised ahead of time.  It’s like rubbing your head and patting your belly.  It’s a certain skill set, with a very steep learning curve.  Just my two cents.

A walker is provided for her in her room, as she did have to use it a couple times to shuffle into the loo.  Well supervised I understand.

 

 

No pictures today.  Nothing of interest to photograph.   Did you want to see more snow falling??

I didn’t think so.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

Cookies for breakfast.

I actually considered it.  For at least a few seconds.

But considering I woke up at some time after 2:30 this morning with just a wee bit of heartburn, most likely from eating too many cookies last night,  I decided to maybe have something else for breakfast.

A couple nights ago I had been rummaging through the cupboards for something,  anything to snack on.  There’s usually at least one cookie to be found.  I’m not big on chips or popcorn.  Can’t eat just one chip so I don’t even start,  and the kernels from the popcorn tend to get stuck in my teeth, so that doesn’t work either.

Of course, *thinks* I did drink maybe a couple glasses of red wine.  Right.

Red wine and chocolate chip cookies = heartburn.

At least in my case.

 

Anyway,  as I was preparing our salmon for dinner last night,  Travelling Companion thought she’d bake up a batch of cookies.  Alrighty then!

 

Here’s the salmon,  by the way.

 

Hey,  if I bother/remember to take a picture,  it’s probably going to appear here.

The deal with the salmon is,  grated garlic and basil mixed in with some olive oil,  which gets basted on top of the salmon,  then approximately twenty minutes an inch on the BBQ.  It also tends to cook in the olive oil.  Pretty damned good.   Of course,  the salmon has to be fresh, at least for us anyway.  No “fishy” smells.  And it was.  Bought it earlier that day at Boffo's in Oakville.  Who now finally,  and partly thanks to our daughter,  have a website.  Gotta have an on line presence!  Couldn’t convince the previous owners of that,  but that’s a whole other story.

 

Not much happening today here at the Ponderosa.  The original plan was to head off to Kingston for the day for a “confirmation”,  but we started to think about the possibilities of T.C. picking up something from some snotty nosed person somewhere,  maybe in church,  and we just figured that wasn’t a risk we were willing to take.  Heading in for surgery while fighting a head cold?  Probably not advisable.  We’ll stay home.

There’s one last appointment with the Doc who did the “Stress Test” last week coming up on Tuesday,  and then Wednesday is knee fixin’ day.   We have to be at the hospital all bright eyed and bushy tailed ready to jump on the gurney at 6:30.  Um,  not me.  Just T.C.

There’s no word on any hint of a cancellation,  so I’m guessing this one last appointment is some sort of information thing.  I think we’ve already pretty much signed everything we have to.  I even had to sign up as the “Caregiver”.   Ya, I’m in.
What ever.

 

Oh right.  I did do one little thing up in the “Veranda” the other day.  See, it’s all done on the outside,  but I have a ways to go when it comes to getting it all spiffed up on the inside.  But that’s OK,  I can just plug away at it.

There will be some milling of trim over the next little while.  And it’s not exactly anything I can go to the local lumber supply place and cart home either.

This was kind of a two day deal.  Mill the piece to fit,  put on a couple coats of finish,  stick it in place with some really good construction adhesive,  and there we go.

 

Needs to be under pressure until the adhesive cures.

 

I guess that’s about it.  Not sure what’s coming up for tomorrow.  If I want to start on the next big thing,  I have to sit down and draw up some plans.  Gah.

Not my favourite thing,  that’s for sure.

 

Supposed to warm up a bit this week,  but we’re not on the flood watch like our neighbours (or maybe “neighbors”?)  just across the border. 

The snow is already gone around here.  I’m not the least bit heartbroken.

 

Keep those sticks on the ice.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

Decided today was the day.

I’ve been putting off a little chore for way too long,  and figured I’d better just do it.

Of course, it could have been just a wee bit warmer today,  and that wouldn’t have bothered me one bit, but it was fine.

Meanwhile, a couple other little tidbits.

Travelling Companion and I had to go to “class” on Thursday in light of her upcoming knee surgery.  I’m considered her “care giver”, so that meant I get roped into these things.  It was at Joseph Brant hospital.

Was there something in the marriage vows?  My memory’s a bit dim.  I remember that “until death do you part” business,  but I don’t remember the part where I had to sit through two painful hours of the worst dog and pony show I’ve ever had to witness in my life. 

Oh, just a sec.  Maybe it was that whole, “in sickness and in health” part?

But I think that’s a stretch.

Anyway, I know I muttered something about “Antiques Road Show” at one point,  when I saw the old TV, VCR and (oh my!) a DVD player that was going to be part of the “presentation”. 

That got a bit of a chuckle from the ladies in front of us. 

Other than that,  I tried my damnedest to keep my mouth shut.  For the sake of Travelling Companion.

So there was a nurse,  a pharmacist and a physio-therapy type person.

All three walked into a bar.

No wait,  that’s another story.

Never mind.

They proceeded to explain things to us that we could all see written down in front of us.  The only part that was of any use was measuring to see what size walker would be needed.  And that was at the very end.  Could have just blown in for that one,  and saved on parking fees.

I have to say that, towards the end I began to realise painfully, the real reason they felt the need to have one of these sessions is,  folks be stupid.

That’s all.  No more,  no less. 

There were a couple rather obvious examples in that room. 

I mean, when the professionals who are a part of this whole ordeal are there to offer their advise?  Take it.

Or better yet, shut up and take it! Gah!

You’re perfectly welcome to do whatever the hell you want, but that doesn’t mean they necessarily think it’s a good idea.  I really wanted to blurt out,  “Would ya just shut the f**k up,  so we can get this over with?”.

However,  in deference to T.C., I abstained.

That was my “inside voice”.  Sometimes there’s a whole bunch o’ yelling going on in there. 

Just saying.

 

So now we have as good an idea as to what is going to happen as we did Thursday morning, before the “class”.  The only difference is,  it cost me fifteen bucks in parking fees to find out that I already knew stuff.

Yay.

 

 

 

Yes,  those are two random pictures,  having nothing to do with boredom at a hospital.

From time to time, Lee Valley Tools have a “free shipping” event. 

Well let me tell ya.  I do seem to have a few items sitting in my “wish list”,  just raring to go. Yup.

Plus,  for birthdays and such, there have been a few Lee Valley gift cards. Perfect gift for me. And perfect combination for ordering on line.  I rummage through a couple cards.  I punch in some numbers,  and Bob’s yer Uncle!

What amazed me was,  I ordered late Wednesday,  and the box arrived Friday.  Yiminy.

Anyway,  it was a moment of fun,  so I thought I’d mention it.  And the “honing guide”? 

Well,  I’ve been meaning to get one of those things for quite some time now.  I have to swallow my pride and admit that I kinda suck at sharpening.  It’s that simple. 

I can get a pretty good edge on a chisel or hand plane,  but it seems it never happens on the first go.  So I’ll see if this thing helps.

Can’t hurt.

And I also wanted to point out how they include a “return shipping label” in the package!  If you don’t like it,  you just send it back! There’s no back and forth.  No, “we have to issue you a special number” type of crap.  This is why (I think) they do so well.  Just my humble opinion.

 

 

And now you can see what the little chore was that I’ve been putting off.

The generator is now bolted to the pad. 

I didn’t realise that bolting it down was the thing to do, until the other day when I had a sparky type Dude come by to take a look,  and hopefully get back to me with a quote on installation.  He tells me they’re not that hard to steal. 

Really?   That sucker is heavy.  Like,  we’re talking over 400 hundred pounds.

But no,  it seems it’s doable.   Cut the juice.  Shut off the gas and cut that line.  Two bars,  four guys and a pick-up and it’s gone.

The thing that I had previously been fretting about was the clearance,  or lack thereof that I’d have next to those steps.

 

I think I’m pretty close there.

 

I really should have taken one last photo,  but it was just about dark when I was all done,  and I was thinking more along the lines of heading in for dinner.

The steps are back together,  and I’ll now see to installing a handrail.  I have no issues with not having a handrail,  but that’ll never fly. 

There’s “domestic tranquility” to be considered.

 

And on that note,  I’ll bid you all a Good Night.

 

Thanks for stopping by.