Only the Good News

in the world

Well, the world still exits
The ' boil off ' of our atmosphere hasn't occurred

See, positive only
And here in Ontario, our gov't is fighting the Federal carbon tax b/c they ' the Conservatives ' are doing a great job according to them but no on else.
They dismissed the office of  financial oversight 
which reported that the Federal carbon tax was effective combined w/ the Liberal policy moves.
And they cut those initiatives by the Liberals.

We are flying the flag - well its on the pole but won't fly or flap < not like in the pictures on TV >

A Sunny Start

to Canada Day, the long weekend

Looking back at an isssue of Woman'sFirst - the magazine that I pick up standing in line at Shoppers Drug, I noticed a banner ' Lose 22 lb in a week '
W/ the caption ' the Kelly Ripa way '. 
And I thought thats what KR actually weighed - the 22 #

Mr Woo's a window cleaaner, now 
The lyrics to a 1940 's or so, popular English song

So am I. I did outside yesterday and today the insides
I bought a ' Canadian made ' window washing set, wash bar w/ soft outer sleeve and the squeegee plus pole. So far, I've replaced the rubber strip for the squeegee but its been 20 yrs that I've used the set.
This year, I used the wash set inside as well. The only change is that I wrung out the wash sleeve by hand in the bucket - so that there would be less water to drip.
Fast tho', c.f. a windex paper towel jobbie

1 st Long Weekend

of summer
H/H hot and humid

And naturally, it means very little to us
Retired
Losing track of the days

Clouded over, the last few hours
and darker of, course

We Got Sun

and I left the skylights open last night

The skylights vent the heat in the kitchen. We had the oven on and I figured to cool the room

A sunny, breezy day

I read on the CBC website under business that Canadians love loyalty rewards programs. We use AirMiles. A review of programs lists several criteria for these loyalty jobbies.
For us, its the optics - AirMiles is air miles not points for miles. As well, our shopping choices make AirMiles a fit. Groceries ( although Metro is supposedly expensive ),  the liquor store ( drinking is not good for you )   and gas  (  the buggers are all alike ).
I even found a lumber store that gives air miles.

We are renting a car w/ AirMiles and paying $180 in taxes which I thought was going to be the price of the rental. Oh well, free is almost free.
However, we have flown free 2 x, got a gas BBQ and 2 TV s. We also used AirMiles to fly M s cousins around Canada. ( we paid the taxes, great deal for them )

Comedy in Life

yes, my life

The bassboat was incommunicado during the shore re-build at the Quarter Mile House. BTW, I think that they have renamed the Q - " Riverine ".
The bassboat has been out but needed a cleaning. Last fall, we hurriedly put the boat away. No fall clean out.
And no spring clean yet.

Thus, I thought a cleaning was in order.
They say if you can't find comedy in your life then you are doomed.

The vacuum cleaner. I took a spare vacuum cleaner to the Q. The model is old and replacement bags hard to find. I finally, located similar bags at Canadian Tire < this would be like Walmart but no groceries >
At the Q, I reshaped the cardboard that attaches to the vacuum port. Step 1. Flipped the lid over to seal the bag to the outlet hose - the rubber seal fell out. This seal makes the connect from bag to outlet hose.
Out comes Gorilla glue to save the day. Yeah ! it works.
Down to the boathouse. The power head doesn't turn and smoke comes pouring out. Water must have gotten into the rotating head.
No problem. We had a Dirt Devil stain spotter which scrubs and vacuums. Never could find the real Dirt Devil solution in the store. I substituted dish soap.

Now, I realize that b/c of the shoreline re-build there is mud not grass all around the boat. And you'd track all the dirt back into the boat. Off come my shoes.
In minutes, my socks are soaking wet.
Working diligently, I do the cockpit, move to rear deck and finish at the front. Kaboom, lightning blossoms over the east hills. I frantically, put away all the electrical cords and vacuum and Dirt Devil.
Aha ! boat gets into the cover of the boathouse to stay dry. 
Then I realize that the tarps the cover the boat while in the boathouse are out drying ( were drying ).
Yes, the boathouse leaks but thats a given - all boathouses leak.
While all this is going on the temperature rose from 68 F to 80 F. And yes the humidex went bananas.
I was pouring sweat the last half hour.

Lastly, in the boathouse, I finish wiping the boat fibreglass surfaces. A very superficial go through but I'm telling the Yum Yum Brothers that I fish w/ that they are cleaning the fibreglass surfaces.
I'm a tough task master

Dinosasurs Gather Here

segue is:

On the weekend, we met a fellow / family that has dropped cable TV. The house streams all shows via Internet or Apple box through an i Pad.
I'm not sure what it all actually entails but suffice it to say that they are not paying $90 for cable TV per month.
We < she > still wants the comfort of simplicity of sitting and one button service for TV programs.

The weather is : last night rain
today mostly sun w/ rising heat and humidity and yes the weather folks are saying HUMIDEX every broadcast.

Lets hear the ' dinos ' roar

" OUCH ! , ouch   , ouch " 

Humidex on the Rise

for the first time this season

The weather people are mentioning the humidex. Yes, its always there and is included daily but now the number gets a special nod.

And, of course, the A/C is running a bit more. As well, b/c we have an open stairwell, last year, I started aiming a box fan across the stair opening.
 The thought was to create an air barrier across the gap.
Thus, keeping the cooler air ( actually, that would be ' the coldest air ' ) from sinking down the stairs.
At least, partially forced along the floor in the hall.
Does it work ?
Dunno but it must be cheaper than running the air conditioning ( if the hack actually works )

Boom, boom

boom, boom
gonna get along w/out you now '

Heard the song yesterday and 
have been
boom booming
all day

Sun and rising breeze

Summer Days

all 4 of them

Sun and blue sky over that period.
The breeze is cool, thus gorgeous days

Kipling, Victorian balladeer wrote of Kamal and we met a Kamal to-day ( a lady )

The Ballad of East and West

" East is east and West is west

   and never the twain shall meet "

: Kamal is out with twenty men to raise the Border-side,

6And he has lifted the Colonel's mare that is the Colonel's pride:

King Rat

or the fishing mouse

At Bass Pro Niagara, there were no mice except for xtra large and King Rat. King Rat is a model by Strike King lures and not the size. The King Rat is mouse sized.
The guys have been complaining about the lack of mice in the fishing stores or the exorbitant price thereof.
The frogs were $12 - 16 which is fishing for the Rich and Famous prices. The xtra large mouse was the $16.
King Rat was $3.69 which is reasonable
and watch this blog, b/c I'll get yelled at for not buying 20 or some huge ridiculous number.
George Segal was not pictured on the packaging

Weather is scrumptious w/ big sun and fluffy skies.

Full Overcast

and portending rain

I saw the clock at 6:16 AM. Started thinking bout marine railways ( mine ) and how to re-level the rails.
Recall, that the base of the ramp is now cement in bag shapes. Hopefully, solid enough to last a fair while.

The next project is the levelling and filling process. I've started using the word ' organic ' in the sense that the process is evolving as it goes.
Definitely, organic here.

The problem or hitch is me. I would prefer the solution be ' dissectible '. I mean that as I build up the ramp or level that I would want the physical objects to be adjustable or re workable.

No rain yet - still mega cloudy

Same Old, Same Old

after I moaned ' I can't catch fish '

M says ' you say that every year < 32 now > '

Lovely day, sun and blue sky w/ hint of white fluff

Yesterday, it was M s job to register the refrigerator and I was to order a ' free ' bypass plug for the water filter in the fridge.
M is on line getting frustrated b/c the website won't accept Toronto as ' dealer home ' place.
I'm getting bounced around from agent to agent at the GE < Mabe company >, parts outlet and finally warranty services.
At warranty services, the gent says ' I can't send you a part til your registered '
ME : oh
WS: I can register you now
WS: asks all the questions
WS : all done
WS: here is your reference #

One and done
M just looks at me as in, why didn't you do that first
Gimme a break, shouldn't you register first
My life

Oh my

Errands today after weeding and trimming the hedge. My kind of gardening - give me a chain saw.
Next trying to find obsolete vacuum bags. Got lost and stopped at the pub.
Came home w/ plastic stick baits ( on sale and the worms change colour w/ water temperature
Hey ! seen that before, you guys ?

Also, got a Canada T shirt for M ( on sale at the Tiger )
Sour worms ju jubes as well.
Frozen fruit ( on sale at the Tiger )
Vacuum bags that won't fit w/out some tinkering but they can be fitted.
Oh, and 196 anchors for drywall, brick and wood

Everyone has heard a recorder played by your son / daughter etc
I'm listening to a recorder ensemble play Pachelbel's Canon. The group is a teacher's recorder ensemble. Never going to think of the recorder the same way again

Dull

and 60 F out there, this AM
the birds started chirping at 4 AM

we are socked in by green w/ visibility at 60 yds at most
why we bought here
on the ravine

i'm typing 1 handed b/c there is cream cheese on the other
our MP s ( here, read House of Representatives ) have passed a motion  <  climate change is a national emergency >
nothing will happen  but good on them

and watch the movie ' Clara ' its an emotionally rewarding effort not loaded w/ schmaltz 
Clara gets my rating of not bad
which beats the dickens out of ' why did they make this movie '
fanciful and a bit thin, still the movie holds together and feels 

The Man Who Couldn't Fish Str8

Play on the title ' the Man Who Couldn't Shoot Straight '

Well, fished for 2 days and caught mosquito bites

Weather cooperated but the fish didn't. Two different partners and partner #2 took home a largemouth bass.

On the plus side, boat ran fine and the trolley worked well. See, not all bad or poor.

I Love a Parade

not really

Thus, given the choice a) parade b) fishing
I'm fishing Monday while the Raptors parade in town

Weather is grim / overcast.
Rain is iffy but possible. A cell is hanging, mostly south of us but is big and could deviate N a bit.

Bass season for us opened 9 hrs ago. The boat is ready and seems the trolley is functioning. Except for some little details - I'm a go for Monday.
Look out Mr Largemouth.

Raptor- mania

deservedly, the city is in turmoil

The last championship in the big smoke was in '93 w/ the Blue Jays.
2019 is the NBA Championship for the Toronto Raptors.
BTW, I think the lacrosse team has won the MLL Cup at least once and the Soccer TFC has also won a league title

Nicely warm and sunny

We get our replacement refrigerator, this afternoon from the Home Depot. Our current fridge is having cooling issues and is believed to have a refrigerant leak.
We were told, do not buy a Samsung or LG b/c of repair issues or difficulties.
We bought a GE.

The Season Starts

Fishing to-day

The positives : boat went up and down the rails like it was on rails

the engine kicked over first click
the trolling motor battery held on 
We fixed the boathouse door

I cooked lunch to rave reviews


The negatives : the wind blew us upstream as fast as the current

No fish for me

The boathouse door fell apart

No fish for me

Rain came at 10:30 A and stayed all day

Yes, fishing starts

Dentist and Me

w/ the same guy for 45 years

And he filled and smoothed a snaggle tooth ( popcorn disaster  ? )

Sunny, sunny day w/ a breeze.
Rain to-morrow, tho'

Eye of this Tiger

yes, by the Chinese zodiac, I'm a Tiger

Approximately, 23 years ago, I had laser eye surgery to correct my vision and lose the glasses.
Unfortunately, I began a 4 month battle w/ corneal erosion. Some eye specialists would not treat me b/c there was a chance that the laser surgery caused the problem and was not covered by provincial health insurance.
However, the original laser clinic, quite famous, would and did see me regularly over that time. The epithelium over the eye would tear or lift. Painful.
The solution from the clinic was a pressure bandage til the eye healed in approximately 3 days.
Then it turns out that the clinic started to realize although this old and tried treatment was good for some, for those like me who couldn't control their 2 eyes independently, the bandage was as much irritant as cure.
At the four month mark in the saga, an assistant eye care Dr, saw me in the waiting room and came over.
The Dr was interested in why he kept seeing me in the waiting room. I explained the history.
Now, the clinic was owned and run by two father - son teams. I had seen the older doctors repeatedly.
The assistant asked me to stay where I was and wait for him.
The assistant went behind the glass door and conferred w/ the younger owner. They pointed at me occasionally and finally the young doctor / owner came to talk to me. I confirmed what I had said before and he asked me to follow him.
We went over the whole history while he looked up my records.
He turned to me and said ' what we need is a solution not a band aid ' . Here are your choices a) re- laser the whole eye surface ( both eyes ). Recovery would be a week, a bit of sore and blurry vision.
b) wear disposable long term contacts for 3 months.
I chose contacts and by Xmas the irritation was almost gone.

Not the end. A student who had left the high school dropped in to visit in February, their reading week, she mentioned her brother a 2 nd year optometry student and how the brother had inquired about my eye problem.
She gave me a business card for the university eye health clinic ( out of town ) and a referral if I needed it.
I went.
Only to discover, that the diagnosis now included a condition called Blepharitis. Bleph is a build up of dirt and oil. Sneakily the culprit is either not enough tears or not enough oil.
The eye specialist gave me a regimen of daily eye care. I faithfully performed this treatment for about 16 or so years. And very few if no occurrences of pain.

My current optometrist is quite up-to-date on eye care in the profession.
My latest routine includes twice weekly eye warming, followed by a slight massage of the eyelids and a wash of the eyelids.
The routine has undergone a evolution over 5 years.
The latest has included a eye mask ( microwaved ) and krill oil supplements.
Well last week. The current optometrist has observed radical change in my eyelids. The meiobium glands which produce the oil that your eye needs to clean and lubricate, line the lower eyelid. As we age, the glands plug up or fail to yield the meiobium oil.
Last year, on average 6 - 8 glands opened on pressing by the doc. 
This year, 15 - 17 glands opened in each eye. The doc was astounded. He expects a small improvement if treatment goes well. The only other case where this occurred was a patient who bought an eye warming machine ( $600 U.S. )

The weather is summer optimum

Rain and Raptors

and what it doesn't do

The tailgate party is an American staple.
Here, there is Jurassic Park that translates to - a square where Toronto basketball fans gather to watch the Raptors on the Jumbo Tron and screaming is mandatory.
The reason for the title to-day, is that 100 plus fans are lined up and have been over 12 hrs in front of the gates to the fenced area of JP. In fact the gates will not open til after 6 PM. A duo of liner uppers is from Ottawa. They drove in, the 6 hrs to witness and be a part of the experience of JP.
And b/c of the success of the Raptors and JP, around the region, 2 more Jumbo Tron parks have begun.

The bars and restaurants are doing incredible business throughout the whole of downtown Toronto. Our local pub ( well, 3 miles away ) is hosting a Raptors party w/ special menu and liquor deals. I won't be there.

Toronto is on the verge of being renamed ' Kawhi Town ' or  ' Leonard City '.

From Brett Anderson at Accuweather :

--A wetter-than-usual summer is expected across a large portion of Ontario, as showers and heavy thunderstorms will be common. I also expect a more humid summer with plenty of biting flies and mosquitoes (this includes cottage country). This may also lead to an increased threat for tornadoes over southwestern Ontario.

--Lake water levels throughout much of the Great Lakes are expected to remain well above normal into this summer, which also increases the risk for coastal erosion and property damage during storms.

Yepper, the skeeters were already vicious enough - they'll get worse ?

OMG, he says

Raps, lost by a point - Boo !

A Working Model

at the old QMH, shoreline restoration meant disassembling the marine railway for the boat.
Last week, May 31 to Jun 2, the major work was done.

However, the boat was trapped in the boathouse. This Saturday, a friend and I remedied the problem.
The boat made the water and started.
The fix was not pretty. A make do affair w/ whatever was at hand. But working !

The first launch had us pushing the boat in the boathouse, at least 5 ft, it grudgingly moved, hit the down slope and made the water.
B/c in taking out the rails last week, some shims under the rails were moved or removed, the whole system in the boathouse needed re-jigging.
Launch #2 was a dream come true.
Unfortunately, my regular crew of helpers wasn't there and I failed to relay all the proper instructions to my helper, we snapped off a guide post on the marine trolley. The post was thin wood and the door frame solid and the post gave ( TG ). A simple fix.

Beautiful weather there, marred by pesky mosquitoes in the morning ( shady, thats why ) and good breeze and sun.

Overall, a 89 % rating for work done. The missing 11 % is for ugly which couldn't be helped and impermanence b/c we are still trying to figure out a useful way to shim and backfill

#2343 and growing

Saturday in the Park - the Cowsills

Round 2 of restore the shoreline
This session will hopefully build a framework or underpinnings for the rails if not the rail themselves.
The last part could be a little ambitious
There will only be 2 of us
2 people took out the rail but re-assembly may be harder
Always is - sort of a corollary to the Peter Principle

Weather looks to be grand
Breezy and tops out somewhere near 70

Michael

Hah ! Got you. Right
Where does he go from here

Pie, pie, oh me oh my  sung by Andi McDowell in the movie " Michael "
The group, including the archangel, Michael, stop for a bite and find ' pie heaven '. Yes, they try every kind.

Well, a devoted reader, maybe my only reader, ventured into Amish country Ohio for pie day.
Strawberry pie and ice cream.
In the great order of events, a momentous episode.
B/c I'm not doing all the negative news in the world.
I'd be third rate at best after CNN etc.
My take has always been that ' 9/11 ' made CNN.
The worst of the worst brought to you all day, the CNN speciality.
OK, B , you got your shout out
Hi, M

Weather is blissful

They are so good at bringing the bad

Brothers Marathon

all day yesterday

Band of Brothers, the HBO 10 part series played all afternoon. Very realistic w/ excerpt interviews w/ vets including some of the names that feature in the show.
PTSD - I can get it watching the show

Weather : broke fine and stays that way for days

Recovering Nicely

or that is the plan. Sleep helps the recovery and no stress

Isn't there always a plan

Weather is damp, cool and pregnant w/ rain

The situation re: my construction week at the Old Quarter Mile House. The shoreline needed to be done. Cost was always a big bugaboo. While I was owner, I couldn't see a way to get the restoration of the water front done.
The boat rail system was always a balancing act, shimming the rails on each visit b/c the paving stones were sinking and shifting. Even after selling b/c I use the marine railway into the boathouse, I was constantly worried about what would happen next e.g. collapse of the whole support for the rails etc.
Thus, the work done Wed to Sun, fixed the two problems.
However, w/ time a crucial factor, the rails were not put back on the pavers. In fact, the pavers were not put back. One more trip to replace and level the pavers and then replace the rails.

HOT Zone

a three night mini series

As Ebola the virus lands on American shores circa 1988, the authorities hem and haw. However, Ebola couldn't jump the species barrier at that time. 
To-day, Ebola made the transition as in Africa, previously mentioned in this blog.

The Ebola virus must be Marine Corps at heart ' adapt and survive '


A spat of inclement weather bringing cool to colder winds and rain

30 Movies or

where have you been Mr Blogger

Just that 30 movies.
Well, the truth is that our former cottage needed extensive shoreline repair or rejuvenation.
Problem : b/c the property is on a hill w/ the shoreline down below ( of course ), the cost of hired services would come in around $70 K.

Starting Wed w/ prep work for 3 days
              Sat drudge time
              Sunday finish and restore shoreline

What was done - a trench 30 in wide was dug out along the shoreline behind the existing timber construction.
Next, 230 bags of mixed concrete was hand delivered to the 55 ft of shoreline ( each bag 66 # ). The bags were laid length wise in the trench overlapped for a depth of 3 to 5 layers of bags. The bags were covered w/ landscaping cloth and recovered w/ fill.

The great pyramid of Giza had nothing on this ' great wall '. At times, I despaired at the sight of what was and thoughts of what was to come.
And the guys took it easy on me.

The premise was that the bags would get wet and harden right there as placed. The bags would form a rock wall behind the original timber framed shoreline.
This process would be tantamount to placing boulders or cinder block behind the timber framework.

So far, the bags hardened like rock. Amazing !
Long term would be will the cement wall stay.
The effect is like walking on paving stones.

My part : as a previous owner ( and current user ) of the cottage, I knew where everything was ( or used to be ). I was right about 90 % of the time. In essence, the ' step and fetch it ' man. I did carry 3 3/4 bags down the 45 steps and then gave up. During the day, I helped when guys got stuck and needed to whittle down a growing pile of bags at their station in the human chain. All in all, I handled approx 30 bags and feel like it was 300.

The change : around 85 % better b/c some work remains - is a job such as this ever done ?

" when Thou has done
Thou has not Donne
for I have more "

John Donne