Lazy, Hazy days

One of the disadvantages of being on the River is that stuff floats by --- and stays. Typically, its logs or branches. I've inherited a post. Its metal and heavy or stuck to something. Obviously, we're talking part of a dock or fence. Guessing here b/c its in ten feet of water.

Last year, I thought to bring it in. Wrong. It was heavy and barely moved but it got in too close. Yesterday, I tried to move it out deeper, hoping it would be on its way. Wrong ( if you're keeping score, I'm not doing well ). Its out there another ten feet but I think I'll need help or dynamite.

Fishing is slow which means I'm not as good as I thought or think I am. I keep track and the sure bets from May - Jun aren't working. Well, who else gets to wake up, walk down to the boathouse and put in an hour ( or 3 ) on the water.
To wit,  last night, lousy , but a muskrat thingy ( b/c I'm not sure I'd know a muskrat, except for the song about ' M____  Ramble '. Mr M came out on a fallen tree and ran off into the bush ( do muskrats bush ). The loons were out ( not the fishermen, real loons ). There were 4 or 5 , some smaller, so a family.
Except that this is the first time I've seen them out to-gether. The most I've seen is Mommy loon w/ a chick. There is a solitary loon, male ? , but he never gets near the others.
So, fish, no fish, no matter, I'm there.

This AM putting in the boat, I realized how easily accidents can happen. The steel cable on the winch jumped the spool and jammed. I wasn't sure what to do. I thought of bringing in a second winch but instead, I pried the cable over the spool edge and the cable flipped over. I kept my fingers away from the pry and wore leather gloves ( always, when using the winch ). still, on the way out to fish , I got to thinking,  what if ?

A doozy of a thunderstorm rolled thru about 2 PM and the road disappeared twice but everyone slowed down and kept their distance, so we just motored on.

Priller the driller ( my dentist ) had at me again. two minor cavities. If you keep score, cavities 2 - L nothing. He is an excellent dentist. He makes sure your numb and keeps checking.Bingo, bango out of there.

Maeve Binchy died. Irish author of M's favourite genra, something, I don't know.

CA who does the cryptic has me scuppered this week. well, I've got 3 days to figure her out.

Update 2012 8-1
To-day, I've got sore muscles and this is bad b/c I don't have a lot of muscles to start with. All right, OK, the post won. Never had  chance it was glued to the bottom.

A Loss and wins

Yesterday, the Hammy Nats lost to the Denver Outlaws, big time 21 - 12. The score is indicative of the dominance of the other guys.
The Outs. cut hard to the net from behind and took their cover D past the net and turned back. they used goal line extended to stretch the defense. They took more face-offs, dropped the ball less and out ground balled the Nats.
The Nats never got composed. Their passes inside were dropped or cut out by a fairly solid defense.

The Outlaws got solid goal tending from Jesse
Schwartzman ( ex- Hopkins ) . Js wasn't spectacular, stood his ground, took his angles and the Nats shot right at him. 

We went for dinner at Joya ' Korean Japanese Restaurant '. Burger joint front, very neat inside. Food, dynamite. I had tempura udon. This dish is usually flour noodles ( fat ones ) in a broth w/ say green onions. Normally you'd get 2 battered shrimp and a battered onion ring or green pepper or a zuchinni or sqaush. What I had was a superb broth, tasty noodles. They added kamaboko ( fried fish paste, like a cake ) many flavouring vegetables and a panko topping. The side was 3 shrimp ( big shrimp - yeah it sounds dumb - big shrimp ) , 5 pieces of battered veg. I didn't finish. BTW, the soup came bubbling to the table. I was sweating the whole meal. The soup is served in a stoneware black bowl, pre-heated so the soup doesn't cool down. 

The son from next door, Colin, does our lawn along w/ his sister.  he asks questions all the time, the whole trip.

My mom is in a nursing home. On Saturday's visit, I went into the sun room to see her.
She was wearing a tie, not. She had vomitted over her front. I called the staff and they got her to her room. the nurse was very concerned and tried to keep me informed. It turns out that I end up holding the garbage can while mom tosses her cookies. If your an avid reader, you know now that I come by my throwing up , honestly, I know too much information.
I left when I realized, the nurse was working to keep me informed and tend Mom, so I took off.
Mom has been at the long term care, since Feb 2004. The official description of her mental state is dementia, Alzhheimer's type. Without an autopsy, everyone is guessing, what level of dementia Mom has. Actually, all the residents on the 7 th floor are different in their diablilties.

Mom is polite and likes to talk, to anyone. She is one the few who can listen to another patient and even tries to help. she's useless but tries. she loves to count - cars, poles anything. the staff speak of her fondly.

The dichotomy here is that I see a frail, old women and what she can't do. So, I try to see the situation from the staff point of view - but wow,  I still come home looking for a martini.

I know, talk about personal info in a blog. Oh well, now you know.

Trim crazy

Went out with the best of intentions, do a little clean up.  3 hours later, bushes down and everything trimmed down. The front tulip tree needed a spruce up. And the spruce, which actually looks like a scarecrow tree, was shabby, now its not. Hedge got neatened.

Watching the Olympic opening ceremony, so far, Lebanon won't train beside the Israeli team.  3 countries got bullied into allowing women to compete, think what the next 100 years brings.

Played poker last night, and we joke that there is a homecourt advantage but no host can win.  Well, I won little bit - $ 75 - yeah, and it barely covers the cost of food and drink. Any win beats losing.

To-morrow, we drive to Hamilton , approx 45 min away, to watch pro lacrosse. The Nationals were a T.O. team for 3 years and then got sold to a promoter out of the area around Hamilton.
 The Nats cannot qualify for the play-offs. I feel obligated to go once a year to support the sport. The hype, music, in game contests, T-shirt throwing, kiss cam ( well they may have finally stopped that, along w/ pole dancing, using a lacrosse stick )is distracting.
I had season tix for the Nats here in T.O. They won a championship here.

The teams are the cull of the college ranks in the states and some Canadian Jrs and Srs. The on field product is world class. you get to watch the legends of lacrosse play every game.

I could be one of the few who go to the game w/ a printout noting the college team for each player. And of course, there is a small chance that I've seen these guys play for their college. Two years ago, I might have seen way more b/c I went to non - Hopkins games a lot more. Last year, I saw 2 games and this year it was hit and run, 3 days, 1 game and gone ( and we lost ).

Actually, if you watch Hopkins, Princeton, Syracuse and maybe some team such as Delaware
you might recognize 70 % of the players.

Dentist visit

They found a cavity. Bottom edge of a filling.
The filling is bigger than the tooth thats left

If I had complained of pain, root canal and crown would be covered by insurance. So, now we submit a claim and hope its approved. A root canal isn't worth the cost of a crown.  Dentist says " lets not be negative , you still have 1/2 your life ahead " GG another 1/2 to go, someone should have warned me. He's been my dentist for 36 yrs.

No one killed in T.O.last night.

just Another day - not

So, we're at the QMH in cottage country. M says she heard a phone sound - I check the cell phone and a phone call was recorded.I call back and surprise its the dentist. Reminding me of my dentist appt. ' Did you know ? ' " No " thus, we're home.

Batman visits Aurora, Co. however, he is representing only himself not the Movie studio or producers.

Fishing was poor. I tried my best but two fish in three hours. The old reliables fell through. Spinnerbait - no.  stick bait - 1 little guy  Drop shot - 1 bass about 1 1/2 #. This morning nada.

BTW  - no profanity is allowed on this blog
       Damn , some of my best expressions are swear words. I learned to swear in Rovers ( 1 step up from Boy Scouts ) friends said they never heard such crap and that I swore pretty good before the Rover crew got hold of me.
However, Ivan and Bobby were originals, what an eye opener it was in that Crew.

Finalizing

The cheque came from trailer's r us. There was subdued elation in the house. bear in mind that the cheque still has to clear. Negative, aren't I ?

So, on any scale yesterday, was a mild success. Presents bought for someone who always poses difficulties. He wants unusual.  To wit - you could buy some people a shirt that says ' Penn State ' or 'Notre Dame ' well maybe not ' Penn State ', I mean they took down the statue. Instead, this friend would choose ' Louisiana Lafayette - Ragin' Cajuns ' - and wear the shirt proudly. 

GT also coughed up a rechargeable shaver. Its an Emerson maybe like in the tv manufacturing company. The shaver was $10. Yeah, I know who buys a $ 10 shaver. I bought a $ 70 Philishave and inherited a $ 130 Philishave.
Both work well, but the foil and blade replacements cost $ 50. So, I thought I'd replace the whole shaver, for $ 10. Talk about disposable technology.
The Emerson then - it shaves, it buzzes and is no where near as good as shaving w/ a Mach 3 blade razor. When I cleaned the blades the inside looks like a food processor system. So ,I guess that I used a mix-master on my face.
Apparently, it takes a while for your face to get used to a shaver. I only use the electrics once or so a week, to give my face a rest from blade shaving.

Well, the problem w/ blogging is that it gets personal or you tell stuff  that is personal.
' A life unexamined...... ' and all that, I guess

Yesterday ,did set records for H/H. We're supposed to cool and dry down for 2 - 3 days.

Apologies, reading faithful

Please note the correction, from the ' T.O. the bad ' post. Last night murder # 31 took place, not the #40 or so I quoted in the post. T.O. is on track for our normal 60 killings.
To-day, the powers that be, namely T.O.'s mayor whose motto is' no more Hug-a-Thug programs '
and the premier and appropriate cabinet ministers meet to discuss the wave of violence sweeping T.O.

H/H is back for at least one day, humidex will reach 41-2 and we will set a record aussi.

The plan, as in ' Captain America ' - " he's a man with a plan " or in " The Wind and the Lion " - ' a man, a plan, a canal, Panama ' ( this is an example of a ...... , reads the same backward as forward )
I'm not up on U.S. history but in " tWatL " Teddy Roosevelt sure seems to take credit for the ditch digging.
Oh, my plan, get out early. Return bottle empties. In On. we pay a bottle deposit for beer / liquor and return the empties for a refund. I think this house is primarily funding the whole program................ kidding, kinda.

Also, a trip to ' Giant Tiger ' is possible.
GT is a chain of small department stores, by reputation a clone of dollar stores, but GT never says that. GT doesn't really advertise. Everyone sees the smiling Tiger in yellow and black and everyone knows what it means. Probably, one of the most recognized shopping symbols in On. The ' reckie ' list would include Canadian Tire ( Crappy Tires ) to some- a multi-multi venue retailer closely rivalling Walmart w/ less food and clothes.
Tim Horton's ( the coffee / donut empire ) - there is a Timmies in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Walmart, Costco etc. No place has the bargains or rep of GT.
M thinks I dream of going to GT along with the Tractor Store - TSC. In my defence this will be my second trip to our local GT in 2 years.

Back to Tim Hortons. To give you perspective on the popularity and promiscuity of Timmies ( I call it TimToms - ???????????? don't know ) Ontarians mark their routes with TimToms outlets. As in " there's a Tims up ahead or turn at the Tims in town or if there's a Tims we'll stop " So, of course, I go out my way to miss Tims.
' Krispy kreme ' tried to make a go here but lasted a couple of years. There is no rival for Tims. It is not a monopoly but it might as well be considering its popularity.
Tim Horton was a hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL. He started the business, succeeded and died. The company was sold to an U.S. firm but came back to us a few years later. here in my part of T.O. the staff is always East Asian and I'm sure the owner is too, probably.

No cheque, yet.

Update 2012 7-23 1:43 P  Spent 58 dollars at GT. however, in my defence, this price included a BD present for a friend and a Xmas present ( same friend ). Thus, if you recieve a Louisiana Lafayette, Ragin' Cajuns shirt , it was purchased at GT.

Sat in T.O.

In the news, 3 people thrown from powerboat that had just fueled and pulling away. The folks flew right into the air as the boat exploded . Considering there was a fire, airborne probably saved their lives. Sometimes fumes can built up in the below deck space w/ an inboard. You are supposed to vent or blow out the fumes.

We don't think they shot anyone last night in the city.

My mosquito bites have started to itch ( its been 2 days ). I went out w/ Nick next door and we left about 7: 45 PM and came home after 9 PM . The mosquitoes came out to chow down on fishermen.
As soon as I got home, I took an anti-histamine. Then, I used a spoon dipped in hot water and applied the spoon to the bites. About 7 places on me. I had trouble w/ the bite on my elbow, basically, I couldn't find the bite location, kinda everywhere itched. Found it now tho'.
The hot spoon heats the site and denatures the anti -coagulant that the mosquito injects into you. Its the anti-coagulent that irritates your body.
Don't say you don't learn anything here.
I have a heat pen that does the same thing but it was at home.

So, to the morning inside the walls. I made applesauce, by mistake. Usually, I like the apples browned and its more candied apples than applesauce.
However, near QMH there is Farm Store , thats its name, ' the Farm Store '. Three Roads Farm Store. tFS is on the way into the QMH. yep, we stop almost every time.
They are associated w/ a chicken farm. tFS has a hot deli for lunch. tFS has frozen food. I've been having trouble getting good apples at a reasonable price. I bought apple slices.

This morning, I used the apples straight from the bag ( frozen ). Butter in the pan ,apples on top, heat and wait. the apples gave off so much water that I had applesauce. So, I added raisins, cinammon and honey ( too much actually )my normal recipe.
Results, very good. Now, unfreeze the apples and dry them. Use less honey. Tweaking the recipe is important.

fish tayles

I only have to write about 100 more of these to hit 365 posts. Bet you can't wait.

Brit. couple land sturgeon 12 ft long and 1100 #. The headline from the Nanaimo newspaper ( British Columbia, Vancouver Is ). The sturgy was reputed to be the biggest fish caught this year in N.A.

So, my two bass from Fri morning, don't seem that impressive. Except, I didn't have a guide and I wasn't using some smelly bait such as chicken liver.
My fish ate plastic. Oops, my fish don't sound so bright. Now it was colourful plastic and the plastic was presented nicely. I layed out that cast right to the fallen log.

Weather at the cottage was splendid. The day was slightly overcast and temp hovered around 24 C ( 75 ? F ).
Oh, on the time and temp board, you can see from the highway, I noticed that 16 C and 61 F seem to be the same. So, you reverse the numbers.

We are multi-temperature scales in our house. The news gives us temperatures in Celcius but our house thermostats read F. The tech who installed the thermostat suggested F,  b/c you can more easily adjust temperature in the house. Celcius would cause bigger swings in temperature.

Back to QMH weather. The temperature at night went down to 8 or 9 C so the place cooled beautifully through the night.

However, we are due for more sticky weather. I would say we expect three to four stretches of hot / humid in the summer.
Last year, we may have had one H/H.
The lawn at the QMH looks like the African veldt, when the poor animals are migrating to find food.

This morning, I caught a perch on a spinner bait. To properly picture this, imagine a wire contraption whose dimensions span your hand ( well, my hand actually ). And the fish was ten inches, colourful but ten inches. This story doesn't end well for the perch. Perch was breakfast. Pan fried perch and an egg all over home fries w/ sauteed leeks.
Oh, I am desperate to use up the leeks. Bought a bunch b/c these chefs said that leeks are so versatile ( and expensive ). Well leeks and perch were pretty good. the egg was for the other 6 inches that the fish wasn't.

Perch are my favourite food fish up there.
The perch can be very aggressive and strike most baits. The perch are real suckers ( ha ha, piscatory humour, got it right ) for spinners ( these are smaller usually 1 - 2 inches long, lets say ).
In fact I used to have a perch lure. Sort of guaranteed to catch perch. Haven't thought of that lure in years. I should rig one up.
Another invention of mine was a fly that I made for fishing. Now fly tying is an art. The creations can be strikingly beautiful and materials costly e.g. deer hair etc.
One day, I noticed my mother throwing out a J - cloth, pink in colour. I grabbed that J - cloth and shredded it to act like fly tying tinsel. I made a J - cloth fly. The fish couldn't leave that J fly alone. Unfortunately, you can't patent creations made from used J -cloth, something about Proctor and Gamble having prior proprietary rights. That cloth must have  absorbed all kinds of foods and oils and salts. And I still have trouble finding pink J - clothes.
Maybe, P& G, found out what I did and stopped making pink ones. I didn't think the fly was that good that I would stop production.

T.O. the bad

Unbenounced to the rest of the world, T.O. , has sunk into depravity. This week, 4 people have been shot in three separate incidents. Two victims at a open air party, and two in single gun deaths. There will be a meeting to analyze what went wrong.
The open air party site is 2 miles or less from here.
These are likely murders # 27 or so. Fifty-four was last years number.

In other news, the weather is coolish to-day, cloud cover with threat of rain, drops only so far. We are in need of rain and none is coming in the near future. I even watered and then two days later the sky opened up, thunderstorm of the gods. Summer torrent. I figured at only Jul 11 or something, it was wrong to let things go to hell so early in the summer. I'll water once more just to save the grass.

Tiger Woods is close to the top of the leader board at the Br Open. Do I golf, NO, does M golf ,NO, but we watch golf if Tiger plays. Go figure, we are fairweather fans or fairway fans under the right conditions. M says it's a carry over from my Dad, big Tiger fan. Did I say, Dad and I are both ' Tigers ' by the oriental zodiac.

OK Filled some space and I feel better. Blogging is so therapeutic.  I get to blather and no one gets hurt.

P.S. no check yet from the trailer people

P.P.S. got to use M's Kindle while she took time off from electronic reading as advised by the eye doctor

Update 2012 7-21 They killed two more people in T.O. apparently, we're like the vitamin - one a day.
Pls note the change in murder #s As at 2012 7-22, T.O.recorded 31 murders. We are on track w/ last year. 40 was M's guesstimate, b/c believe me, it felt like 40. The Aurora, Co. shootings added to the perception, I'm sure

By the # ' s

the temperature 36 C the humidex 41
5 people at QMH
hwy 401
1 1/2 h home
Thats it we ran  We are cowards.  We came home to  A/C
In Farenheit, its hot and sticky, you fill in the #' s

Caught five bass ( in 2 outings ) tho' this morning, the biggie was 3 1/2 lb and there is a pic proof coming. I actually, had someone in the boat to net and photo ID the catch.

write more after a cool down period

Items of no interest

So, how is this entry different from the others ? I don't know. I'm always trying different titles.

I found the Aquarium Channel, yep, it shows an aquarium. They play Baroque music in the background. Apparently, AC is only on during the day. Is AC replaced by the Fireplace Channel ?? Very high quality picture, Nemo swims by and other assorted piscines.

Whoa, we got up at 10. Put coffee on. There was no doubt to-day. If this keeps up dinner will be an eight o'clock event.

The topic of moving came up. My fault. Two homes to keep up and winging back and forth to QMH. Our house is a two story condo. Actually, it would be described as a back split ( w/o from the basement ) 1 + 3 Bdrm
2 1/2 baths. 2 car garage.
I'm not an apartment fan or a condo fan. My two apartments were ground floor. Not many people want them. I've never been in a condo that I would want to live in. They're often pretty and great views but 6 floors up in an elevator is not me.
Our view is private and I don't often see a comparable view when we visit people.

See no items of interest, perfect title.

P.S. I'm reviewing past entries and updating.

P.P.S. see no items of interest

saturday at Casa Matsuba

Confessions. The folks here got up at 11:15.
We weren't sure what to do or what one does at 11, we made coffee.

Pourquoi, you ask ? Well, I played cards two nights in a row. Fri ( Thur game ) I was in bed by 3:00. Sat ( Fri game) it was 1:30.
As well, my Vancouver Aunt needed a ride to the airport Thur morning ( real Thur ) at 5:30. Suffice to say my bio-rhythm was off-key, a lot. I don't do well on no sleep.

I bought leeks b/c on the radio these chefs said they always have leeks available b/c leeks are so versatile. so far, the leeks have replaced green onions in fried rice and sliced thin in a salad. The chef dudes said a myriad of uses. I'm short a whole myriad, it seems.
So, to rectify the situation - we will do pork chops wrapped in foil w/ vegetables incl. leeks, of course. The foil packets will go on the BBQ ala Boy Scout style or ala how I remember Boy Scout style. We used to fire the foil packet on the campfire embers. This resulted in well done food. As in really, well done food, OK slightly blackened ( blackened is trendy-in nowadays ).

We are trying Weight Watchers diet plan or M's version of Weight Watchers ( we're not sure this is legal usage of the name ). We are debating about the starting date. I suppose its how desperate you are.

Unbelievable ?

Last night, listening off and on to CBC 0vernight, I hear " Immigration needs controls. Foreign workers are taking advantage of our affluence. These workers are bringing family after a few years.  They are using us as a springboard to the U.S. "
The accents of the officials were Asian-ish.
The speakers were from Singpore.  Apparently, the birth rate in Singapore is lower than the death rate. The Singaporians need foreign workers but are subsidizing these workers too much according to the populace and the officials. Who'd of thunk it.
The major problem according to one official is that business people are buying subsidized housing spaces and re-selling them at a profit.

I killed two fish this week. I was slow on the switch or something and 2 bass swallowed the hook. I should haave cut them lose but I thought I could get the hook out. This represents terrible skill on my part. Oh well, I'll be more careful now. the upside is that M gets her bass dinner early this season. A bright side for everything.

Bonus, we think. We didn't get a call from the trailer park. Does this mean things are OK ? Who knows, but it feels good. Oh, so naive, aren't we ?

If you're reading this trailer news and are wondering if we are crazy, we're not. These management types are frustrating, mega, at Baileys Bay.

Clash-es

I understand that one of the dangers of this blogging business, is that much like other social media, there is a tendency to give away personal information. Oh well.

I use an elliptical machine regularly, up to 6 times a week, less in summer. My routine is a 40 minute session on " fat burner" program. Don't you love the name,fat burner, just meant for suckers like me. The FB program is set to no addditional resistance and angle. I ride ( elliptic ? ) for three minutes ( M3 ) jump off the machine and do a set of push-ups, M3 and jump off and do curls w/ free weights... M3 / standing press ups, M3 /lat for arms, M3 / punches , M3 / wrist exersize, M3 /rowing w/resistance bands, M3  / leg extensions w/ resistance bands, M3 arm side raises w/ resistance bands, M3 /  - arm and leg extensions , M3 / diagonal arm swing, M3 / leg raises. Cool down.
If you had asked me fifteen years ago, I would have replied " not enough " cardio or sweat. Well, the bottom line, I can do the above routine. If I walk or jog/walk I'll need to rest my knees every third day at least. My physio guy and the ortho surgeon emphasized " keep the knee moving, when it hurts stop and rest and ice. " Ta Da - I found a way to obey their advice.

While I elliptic ( this is now a verb ) I watch DVDs. My current DVD is " Clash of the Titans " involving the hero, Perseus, the babe, Io and the gods Zeus and Hades. Some of my best lines come from this movie, as in " I'm tired of being grateful for scraps ".

My favs seem to be " the Missouri Breaks ", "the Good Shepherd ", ........................

" Clash " has Liam Neeson as Zeus ( and Hades ? ). There are giant scorpions, Djinn, the kraken, pegasus, the 3 fates and brave warriors. Perseus doesn't get the princess, Andromeda but he does get Io, who is immortal or close to it, and a babe.
M says,  " Clash of ... " is right up my alley - swords, killing , noise - its rough when they got you figured out.

I called the trailer park on Fri afternoon and SURPRISE ! talked to our sales lady who was sitting w/ the " new " owners. Saleslady said " consider it sold ".
In the movie " Big Trouble in Little China " w/ Kurt Russell as " Jack Burton ", almost hero, there's a monologue, in which, Jack says " When an 8 ft tall monster puts the back of your favourite head up against a bar room wall and says ' Have you paid your dues ? '. Remember what Jack Burton always says 'Have you paid you dues , Jack . You bet, the cheque is in the mail."
 Well, the cheque isn't in the mail ----it comes in 15 days - we'll celebrate then.

Blows to the Church

Normally, I enjoy seeing the embarassments of the Catholic church. However ,since Katie is leaving TomKat ( their couple name ), the Church of Scientology is in the news again. Actually ,as in the case of the RC church ,its the establishment that causes the problems. I mean defending the undefendable ( the abusers, cheats etc that will populate any group ) is hard work and dirty work.
Heck, even the BoyScouts are getting their knuckles rapped over sex abuse cover-ups.
Who knew what and when, its called "
Applegate " ( here in On, the BS sold apples to raise money ).

Its pouring rain, this AM, clearing out the humidity ( maybe ).

In the Tour de France, yesterday, a massive crash took out 20 -30 riders. The mayhem was such that the annnouncers spent twenty minutes, tracking who was hurt / out of the race or coming back into the race. Canada lost Rider Hesjedahl.
As in past years, we're getting back into the lingo. We become experts for two weeks. We do not take any performance enhancing drugs tho'to watch the race. Maybe, we should. We're old enough to need the help.

Sins of Omission

On reporting yesterday, I failed to mention that the hot dog eating contests have a ten minute time limit. Last night at the poker table, I mentioned hot dog eating contests. Apparently, these important details should be emphasized.  The eaters dip their food in liquid and fluid squirts out of their mouth.
The Canadian winner is a petite lady, she's famous. they often barf after the contest. I'd barf. my first physical reaction to travel sickness is ...... In fact, my first reaction most times that I'm sick or tired is .....

OK to-day. T.O. will set new records for temperature and humidex readings that have stood since 1988. My aunt is visiting from Vancouver , B.C. ( temp on Mon . in B.C.was 14 C ) and as a ex-pat T.O. type she expects the heat and humidity. She hates it.

Our lawn is looking like the high chapparal on cowboy TV. I refuse to water. My thought process is, its grass. The roots live and rebound as fall approaches. The other half thinks I'm nuts. As in , the lawn is terrible looking.
My point, the origin of lawns is the pasture in front of estates , for sheep and cows. Having neither animal, the grass can get a little dry. Its the great cycle of life. The grass is resting. Ave ! nature

Vive la Difference

This blog originates in Canada. The bulk of my readers, heck, my readers, are American. Therefore, I feel obligated to remember to include both cultures.
Here in Can. we celebrate Jul 1. In the U.S. the 4 th is holiday. In Canada, the coney island hot dog winner ate 45. In the U.S. the winner of the hotdog eating contest ate 56.  Clearly, a superior nation. We kill off about ten Canadians on the roads during our long week end. In the U.S. approx 160 deaths are recorded on the roads. Superior #s for sure.
Please be aware, I accept no reponsibility for accuracy. The bulk of my info comes via CBC radio overnight. The feeds ( usually, not Canadian ) are Radio Australia, BBC, Deutsche
Vella and Radio Poland. I'm half asleep trying to " listen " myself back to LaLa land.
So, if I get facts wrong, please feel free to correct the blog.
This AM finds us watching the Tour de France.
We know absolutley nothing about bike racing. After 5 days, you'd be surprised at the sophistication of our dialogue here. We know " drafting " and peleton and " yellow jersey "and King of the mountain.

Drive a Lexus

Here in On, it is against the law to drive and use a cell phone ( exc. hands free ). I watched a guy in a Lexus do a one hand left turn and he used the two lanes to complete the turn. Apparently, a Lexus has a wide turn ratio.
That beat the dickens out of the young girl who barely made the left lane she was turning into and had to brake to miss the curb on the right.

This day is humid and very warm. Sultry is not to-day. This is mean and vicious. Unfair etc.

Well, I have a confession.  We were closet trailer owners. Yes, we had / have  a trailer. We bought the 44 footer about 4 years ago. We've been trying to sell for three. Hopefully the white elephant will be off our hands come fri. PLEASE. The outfit that runs the trailer park, is a multi armed leviathan. Talk about the right hand doesn't know about the left. I'm not sure the right knows waht the right is doing.
It was a flyer buying the thing, an experiment.A lousy experiment.
You are expected to make a similar confession. Its good for the soul.
OK. --- Confess.