no Rain

slight chance of a pop up shower - chance increases to - morrow

Sun and pale blue sky , there is a high pressure system that may push some rain this way.


The day slipped by. highlight or lowlight ( depends ) was the Netflix offering ' Spooks - Good or Well '. An espionage type movie , where in MI 5 ( Brit Secret Service ) is in big doo doo.
The spooks have lost a prime prisoner and the Americans blame the poor organization of the service.
A senior operative is set as the scapegoat and seems to kill himself ( NO , of course not ) and a fired operative is brought back b/c of a personal connection to save the day.
People are shot and suspected and set up. S.N.A.F.U. - in the ends the good guy ( what ? , no you're right , no good guys here ) the semi good guys make it through and the baddie is punished.

Rating would be a 0.40 out of a dollar.
Real approx $0.35 , what w/ download cost and Netflix per diem

189 Days

is the new record for tenure as a donald Chief of Staff

The guy lasted 6 months which is the new record

Weather : pleasant is coming

The finger situation has the nail growing back in quick fashion - and now we face the problem of what the nail does as it returns

Rise of the Superbugs

the antibiotic resistant strains are here

Their names are acronyms mostly , PKC , NMD - 1 but what these bacteria have in common is high resistance to treatment.

The onset can be as simple as a wound or scab pick presenting an invasion site. Commonly thought to thrive in hospital settings , these new strains are being discovered in playgrounds and open sources of water.
However , once started each proves difficult to impossible to halt.
often aggressive amputation or transplantation is the ultimate end.

And when that is done , the patient is advised that a recurrence is highly likely.
The source of this information is Frontline on PBS.

The day is sombre and definitely expectant - something is going to happen. Slightly , cool -ish and gray. Wind seems to be down

The weather straightened out and sun and a touch of humidity dominated the afternoon

I'm trying Kefir , a yoghurt like product that is really high in probiotics.  Supposedly low in fat and sugar , kefir is touted as a digestive aid and overall health food.
It was on sale 30 % off for quick sale w/ a best before date of Aug 8. Figured I'd eat it all or toss it.
First taste was good. I mixed kefir w/ peaches - tasty and complimentary

Opening w/ Rain

more rain

Day has quieted down w/ sprinkles and thats about all

In Dreams

the song title by Roy Orbison

Well , I'm sitting w/ a long time reader , face to face

The blog didn't even come up as a topic

Oh well , I can seek fame some other way

Fame ?  Do you think , oh yeah

Sleepy day for me , not quite charged w/ energy , it seems

Sun came out in full mode but we clouded over as the early afternoon started.

Why Do They Call

it , Vineland

Someone saw vines , sounds inviting or that s the industry.
OR a timely segue from CBC , Science and Tech news

AS IT HAPPENS Scientists have created a robot tendril that grows like a vine

The day began cool , gray and damp. And in transition went humid and the wind built until the air is clean and sun beaming. I would've said blazing but that is negative sounding , it it negative ?

Positive is the medical news. Despite the negative press , the finger has healed. Pain is minimal w/ the occasional 'ooh' but I think we have success.
I'm not sure what happens to the nail that was cut back. How does it know when to stop growing.
' Stupid ! ' it didn't stop before , so obviously the nail has no idea about appropriate behaviour. We will need to train it.

Sunny Day

everything will be OK
When you find your way to Sesame St

Hey , not my fault. I never watched SSt as a young'un. I know SSt as a cultural touchstone.

The day looks good from in here. I think that we are going to be in the back end of a storm front. Slightly higher pressure and cooler by a smidge

Heal Thyself

its what I say to my finger

Progress ?  Still ' Ouch ! ' when the finger hits something
However , I think its closing up a bit
I'll magnify the view and check

Weather : gray and dull
Showers are likely for 2 days
We didn't get much rain , sprinkles , I believe

Finger looking better but sensitive
There is hope

Sun popped out for a visit , damp feeling still

Living Up to the Billing

w/ a gray , dull look out there

Medically speaking. Ouch !
I tend to get curled fingernails that dig in to the finger. Normally , I tuck a piece of thin cardboard under the nail and wait a day.
This past week , nothing seemed to work. I dipped the index finger in alcohol and used Polysporin for Wed on in the week.
Finally , Fri , I went to the clinic. Yep , ingrown nail. Yep , infected.
Yep , the Dr cut the nail back.
No , don't use alcohol. 
Keep the finger dry and clean < meaning , don't use the finger >
( Thurs fishing was a real ' no , no ' , then )

I have a prescription anti - biotic ointment

Still , ouch !

The finger is still sensitive , I hurt

All its done is spit a bit

Stanley Steamer Pt 2

haven't been out but thats the forecast
and then wet for the week end

I played ' Survivor : fishing '
Thursday was my second day of fishing this week
We were drowned coming home for upriver and needed to dry off.
I needed rest.

Fishing went much better
I threw a mouse all day. Yes , a plastic floating mouse.
You fling it out there and the bass surge up from below and inhale the mouse.
I had been outfished by the mouse so decided to join the enemy.
First strikes were small and not productive. Then a smallmouth bass devoured the mouse and - fight on. A real battler.

To be fair , it can be a long time between hits but the mouse sits there , doing nothing but darting or wiggling or ' who knows '
A do nothing kind of fishing until  BANG a fish is there

A friend fished a frog - yep , green plastic frog w/ rubber fringe legs and it moves over the surface , waiting for inhalation

Stanley Steamer

not needed to - day

Hot and muggy thats the call , folks , all day

We are getting too old for slugging. A long time friend asked for help moving books and magazines. Approx 50 boxes.

We are way too old for stuff like that
Wait , OK , I'm too old for slugging

All that is gold , does not glitter
Not all those who wander are lost
Deep roots are not touched by the frost
From the embers a fire shall be woken
Reforged the Sword that was broken
The crownless again will be King

This poem was penned by Bilbo Baggins for Strider , as referenced in the ' Fellowship of the Ring ' J.R.R. Tolkien


Yes , I'm reading ' the Visual Companion to Lord of the Rings ' and watching ' the Return of the King ' , quite a mish mash , really

Fishing Report for Jul 17

outfished , again

As a pattern develops , one can begin to despair. I was second in # of fish and weight. And second , only maybe , it was real close.

However , I finished first in excitement production. I got the biggest snag , oh yeah ! And a rockbass swam up to the boat and grabbed my Jitterbug - exploding out of the water. I almost peed my pants.

The day was high UV and temperature. We were saved in the morning by cloud cover and then a brisk wind that really cooled us down. Toward 1 - 2 PM the heat built , thus we went in for lunch.
At 5:30P we went out again and the heat was a weight sitting on you. I ( yes , me ) suggested a stretch to fish and knew we could find some shade. Glorious shade for 1 1/2 h plus a breeze.


To day is bright and sunny w/ no rain predicted

Slug labours. I recorded and organized the internet sites and passwords using Microsoft Word. however ,the new and improved Microsoft system turns your documents into PDF format. In PDF , it is much easier to manipulate data. The cost -- yepper , there is a charge to use Acrobat document manipulater. This switch will save you re - typing data to use later.
Crap on that. I found Google documents. Signing in to Google , you can save and use documents for free.. But I had to re - type the data for internet sites.

Bright Day

looks good so far

We are off to socialize to - day. A summer get to - gether w/ family.

Day brought cloud and drops - not rian , yet

Walked the property , did some weeds etc
Checked the paper wasp nest. I bombed the boys last night w/ One Shot Wasp spray. Shoots a stream 25 ft. Got spray in the entrance.
They are done , I think !

Also , changed light bulbs in the kitchen ceiling , its cathedral and I need a 8 ft step ladder to reach up there.
I will vacuum out the skylight b/c leaves and debris blew in
And I washed the glass inside of the skylight

We have 300 W blasting down form the lights
All clean up there

Day stayed muggy and mostly sunny but a deluge happened around 3 - 4 P

Dinner at cousins was great
Company outstanding , we laughed about 60 % of the time

Of Glass Salad

bowls

M is hosting , to - day , school friends from her teens. She needs the ' tall ' person to get a salad bowl down from tier 3 shelving.

Thats me , looming giant

Weather is a mixed bag. A little gray but signs of hope.

The dessert  , is a cake but the inscription is " Go , Roger , Go '
b/c one of the ladies is a Roger Federer fan and Wimbledon is on.

The hosting day went fine. Eveything was a success except that I spilled water on a guest's plate while taking out the main course wearing oven mitts.  I was forgiven

Duller than

a knife cutting concrete

Overcast and miserable looking out there

I did a walk around the property w/ my trusty saw blade on a handle. I bought a hand pruning saw at dollarama for $2. I stuck the blade on a handle and can de - weed , saw and otherwise abuse the blade. And , no kneeling and minimal bending ( very important )
Its my new get up and do regimen as well ass tidy up program
Always inspect the back forty or front forty , as it were

Muggy like crazy outside. Temperature is relatively low but damp.

In light of the electronic trouble w/ the new truck , I thought ahving spare fuses would be smart.
Being Japanese , they would be called ' mini fuses , low profile '
means that they cost more
However , at the first parts place that I went to - the guy rummaged around in drawer and if he found some - they were free : Nope

On line guys had been complaining about the new plastic smell that never goes away in the truck.
I went pro - active and bought Febreeze , Vanilla and Cream scent
hopefully , to mask or better kill the odour.

I Get All .......

. the news that I need on the weather report

sang P Simon

Gosh darn , he was predicting the advent of CNN
the channel that I love to hate

Weather itself , gloomy w/ threat of rain ( natch ! )

I've recovered enough from fishing that I'm looking forward to going again
So fickle , that I am

Rain did come
We were cool - ish all day , didn't top 68 F

Gone ( went ) Fishing

About the third fishing trip of the season.
caught 2 largemouth bass , for a good experience
Two of us fished the morning , and a third came on board in the early afternoon.
Weather conditions were favourable. Winds kicked up a bit , some cloud cover and except for sunburn possibilities , not bad at all.
FYI - I fish in long sleeves and full hat.

The event took place at the Q or whatever the new owners call it.
in fact , #3 person was an owner.

Around 6:30 PM , the trolling motor died. We opted for a look see and maybe repairs.
At 8:00 PM we had a fix. Actually , one of us had a fix. I politely nodded my head and acted as ' gofer '. Yep , up and down my favourite hill. FYI - knees are dead  alive but angry , real angry at me.

In my favour , though , I kept a multi meter or electronic ' tester ' for Voltage and Amperage in the Q , itself.
W/out the multi , it would have been lots of  ' plug it in - did it explode ' type work.

Analysis of the day , go fishing w/ friends , these guys are way too young ( they're like supermen ) and attitude is everything.
One guy , as I started to apologize for the breakdown of equipment , says ' its expected , stuff needs to be repaired , stuff breaks down '

Thank you  , all. 

Keep popping the Ibuprofen , buddy

Pain is subsiding
Officially , declared - recover form fishing day

Rain came late in the day
but a hot muggy blanket for the balance

prime Day

as in ' Amazon Prime '

Purportedly , ' primed ' to take on the world. The be all and end all of shopping.
Amazon has a stat that says that once signed up for Amazon Prime ( premium service ) users do not comparison shop. The shipping is free.
In the Far North ( Iqaluit e.g.) diapers arrive at a cost of 1/3 the price of regular store purchase.

Off fishing

Pay the Piper

is the expression

I ache all over. Could it be kneeling down ? Lugging those 45 # bags of crush and limestone ? Lifting 80 bricks ?

Easy day to day. I promise
Anyway , gray out there and rain is forecasted

First test of the patio job , it will settle a bit b/c I didn't compact the fill
It was stone anyway , mostly
When you think back to the way the patio was
- anything is an improvement
I've decided the the situation is better than before

Took it easy , shopping

Fuses : The new ride had electronic trouble and is healed
but I thought it wise to check on fuses
At CanadianTire , there are lots of fuses , labelled w/ ' mini ' ,  ' flash ' , ' low recess ' but not what vehicle it fits

Crawled under the dash to see the fuse box , fuses look cute - that was not one of the labels.
Tried the hood , and checked the engine compartment fuse panels.
Fuses looked cute there , as well.
The manual , yes I read the manual , says ' locate fuse in question and using the fuse puller remove necessary fuse.
No fuse puller around. Tried w/ my fingers , you'd need to be a bird of prey to lift that fuse out.
Ready to give up , I flipped over the lid of the fuse panel
Yepper , spare fuses , fuse puller and key for locating fuses.

The manual didn't say , ' look in the lid ' .

Alls well

Hello World

how's it treating you

Sunday in the city. Same old , same old here.
A cup of warm water to start the day
Weigh in is due this AM

Weather is iffy , cloud and dull is the order so far

Construction boom 

Post cottage , I decided things needed doing around home
This AM , looked at the patio again , in a corner near the house , b/c it has sunk
Took up the interlock , carefully ordered them ( very important ) and cleared the sunken area.
I back filled w/ 1/4 in crush stone and finished w/ limestone screenings. Limestone will pack as it gets wet.
Normally , people laying interlock  level the entire area , smooth and put down the stone. But I wasn't doing a new area but replacing existing stone into a stone pattern that was still there.
Thus , I started at the near end and row by row ( almost ) replaced the stone. Levelled to the existing edges and tried not to leave stuck up edges.
Part way through , I'm holding a brick that I'd been using to measure depth. Oops , why is this brick here and where did it go ?
Nope , odd brick out. nothing to do but continue
I finished but had funny shaped openings to fill w/ what remained
Just had to say , heck and do the best w/ what I had.

My career in stone masonry has come to an end

However , the sunken area is fairly flat and ( hopefully ) runs water away from the previous sunken area and not toward the house

Rain threatened and drops fell but that was it

To - morrow , ' the Great Wall '

Kidding , really !

on Carly Simon

I listened to the interview from ' Here's the Thing ' hosted by Alec Baldwin or the donald as he is more popularly known

CS talked about performing and her on-going stage fright.
She started out writing songs and doing demos , so that other singers would hear and want to do the song.
Then she was asked to opened for Cat Stevens or Ali Akhbar or whatever he's called.
NO , no way
but if Russ Kunkel agrees to back me on a demo , I'll do it.
Russ Kunkel , drummer for James Taylor
Uh huh , you can see it now

I mentioned her lyrics , last post

then got to thinking about ' Anticipation '

the line

' for these , are the good old days '

and no matter what its true

Day is fine , cloudy but elements seem to be in control

A new game plan involves me getting out everyday - even doing garden clean up - working at something
moving , the key element

This above strategy is gleaned from a CBC item on long lived people. They live in what are termed blue zones around the world.
They key , low stress. They live in communities where imprecisely 
they need to move. Simple things , such as walking to the corner grocer , visiting friends , tending the garden etc.
These activities need not be strenuous but can be hiking to their herd of goats.
They move , approximately , every 20 minutes , they are required to be active.

Thus , my attempt.
So far , its lasted 2 weeks

This morning , I weeded the shrubbery , trimmed the front tree and dumped vegetation waste. I finished sorting out the ' crap ' that came out of the used to be second vehicle which was transformed into a truck
That truck is a whole chapter unto itself

' Comin' Around Again '

" Baby sneezes , Mommy pleases
Daddy breezes in
So good on paper kiss the folks good bye
So bewildering ...."

Carly Simon

She wrote of home. And I thought this song was cute.
Carly's father was the Simon of Simon and Schuster Publishing.
Mom slept w/ the tutor

Family guests included Albert Einstein and Jackie Robinson.

Married to James Taylor , her idol , and divorced

Hi good to see you still drop in to monitor my therapy

Thursday weigh in was # 169.6.
The Chia Pet project is on going. The formula is 3/4 C  ' Coconut Dream - chocolate drink ' w/ two heaping teaspoons of chia seeds. I drink or spoon down 2 - 3 teaspoons w/ meals. The batch lasts about 3 days.
Painless and effective
Vat else !

Weather : looking good , patchy blue and warm ( 70 at 7 AM )

Clouded over around noon - 40 % chance of rain
Hasn't rained
But humid

Full Sun

hot and muggy

Its break out the sangria day

No Sangria , apparently - Crikey , was sure that I bought one
We went for veal cutlet sandwiches instead or b/c
don't know

anywhoo , great sandwiches from Calabria an Italian bakery / restaurant / take out place.  M said the sandwiches were enormous

The sandwiches can come w/ sweet peppers & / or mushrooms
the Kaiser rolls are way above normal sandwich buns and certainly not the hamburger bun cast offs that often are used

Listening to : Ennio Morricone 

he wrote the music for ' Cinema Paradiso '
and the love theme or ' Profumo di Limone ' is / can be a soaring

by Nexus Chamber orchestra arr. by 
by Seunghee Lee , clarinet

Yes, all these

and his , ' Gabriel's Oboe ' or Nella Fantasie from ' the Mission '
by Tim Thorpe , French horn

And destroying Income Tax returns from past years
voluminous stuff that accumulates

1736 posts , to date

A fifth of July

I know , I know ... title lacks originality

sounds like a quantity of booze

Weather good

to quote P Simon ' I get all the news , I need on the weather report '

And , it seems that getting by or hanging in b/comes absolutely essential
However , it doesn't feel like getting ahead at all
and maybe , the realization is , life isn't always charging ahead

To - day has been a day of no gain , same old , same old
I'm right where I started

Not to sound too dismal but I recall a meeting of care givers for patients on the 7 th floor of the LongTerm Care ( my mom's place )
The group made sure to say that they would gladly help anyone having difficulty w/ their loved one or difficulty period.
I remember saying that w/out context , the offer sounds like throwing out a life preserver to those in need.
I finished by saying , really the image has to be that we                    ( caregivers ) are treading water and will teach you how not to drown.
And , boy , was I right

This is grim

smile !!!!!

to morrow , I'll write happy

Independence Day

............. A Yankee Doodle Dandy !

I started watching the Lord of the Rings Pt2 ' the Two Towers ' then realized , no , it was the 3 rd part.
Dumbo , here mis - read the graphics. In my defence , quite similar.

Weather , bright and beautiful , supposedly only warm and dry

Found the ' Two Towers ' , betcha , its the one that i'm not super fond of

Always , like that
Go figure !

Day was terrif ! Sun and dry

Sunday weigh in was # 170

but who's keeping score ?

Right

Sun's Up

........... and out !

Looking Back

is the theme to - day

I'm rewatching ' the Hobbit ' , all 3 parts. MovieTime has a marathon going on and it is a marathon. One segment that recorded was 3h 30 m. ( w/ commercials , probably w/out commercials if they didn't edit )
Gandalf saves the Dwarven ( don't use that word much , do you ) company.
Thorin the leader says ' Where were you ?
Gandalf ( wizard ) ' Looking ahead '
T:    ' How did you know we were in trouble ? '
G :  ' By looking behind '

I've mentioned this interchange before ( but looking back , see ! )

And at the same time , while ellipticking downstairs , I'm watching the boxed set of ' Fellowship of the Ring '. For the first time , I'm watching ' all ' the discs including ' making of '. The disc is 3 1/2 h
.... thats right , the length of the movie that I mentioned above.

Did you know that a Weta is an New Zealand insect. Give you a clue , the heaviest insect in the world. Yepper , its big.
Weta is the name of the digital effects studio in New Zealand

Time for brekkies and finishing the Hobbit Pt 2.

Stay real

P.S. ' Battle of the 5 Armies ' is raging on - 45 min left

Sun is out and wind is stirring the trees
Summer magic , for sure

five armies : dwarves , elves , men , orcs
and
pick'em : bats , eagles , Beorn ( bear guy ) - an Army of One ( US military motto )

seven armies ?

the 150 th Anniversary .....

........ of Confederation
Everybody sing
Canada , one two , three
We are Canadian

I cheated. The words are paraphrased from the Centennial song by Bobby Gimby , in 1967. That info mercial or whatever was on TV , at least three times a night.
that guy was too happy for his own good

Rained , last night. The worms are rowing home on their Popsicle sticks , and bailing like crazy.

From the TampaBay Times:

Rat lungworm: The brain-burrowing parasite is spreading through Florida By Josh Solomon, Times Staff Writer The rat lungworm is detected in five counties, including Hillsborough.