Saturday 31 October 2020

32 is the Temperature

 on the back deck - Brrr !
A Cascade of leaves this morning. Like a snowfall.

We Miss You! 😊 FOR A LIMITED TIME Get up to 20% Off Your Next Order!

Ah, isn't that sweet. But they forget about the bowls of free chips that I ate. I started to look like a potato chip

Sun boomed out and highlights the falling leaves

Tonight, we turn off the outside lights telling people we are not giving out treats - our province asked Torontonians not to do ' candy giveaway '

Friday 30 October 2020

#2831 Coming at You

 Topic : riddle me this

how to be happy, fat and old

I' m proceeding quite well with one of the three

in fact, I think two are likely < mostly b/c I couldn't stop them >

so #3

ah, #3 - the elusive #3 < pardon the rambling ; it's barely 6 AM >

I recall a quote, ' malt does more than Milton ' 

Say, for what were hop-yards meant,
Or why was Burton built on Trent?
Oh many a peer of England brews
Livelier liquor than the Muse,
And malt does more than Milton can
To justify God’s ways to man.
Ale, man, ale’s the stuff to drink
For fellows whom it hurts to think.

A good excuse, I would say

BTW, I switched from ' tablet ' to ' laptop ' mode. I connect the keyboard by snapping the two pieces together. The thigmajiggy inside the processor goes over to laptop system, by itself.

One catch is that the tablet is too heavy and needs the kickstand support or it falls flat. Really a minor hiccup. As mentioned the reviewers noted ' the tight spacing on the keyboard ' but if you have small hands < no problem >. In fact except for the multiple symbols on some keys < e.g. one key off to the right has 4 symbols ( I guess you hit some other key of hold down the ' caps  ' key for 2 seconds ' to switch.

All this by way of saying, I like tablet mode, slightly better now. Yes, I poo - poo ed the idea that I needed / or would like a tablet. Seems that I was wrong. Of course, you realize that I cheated b/c I can swap modes.

I think that using a mouse rather than the track pad would make me lean more to the laptop mode. The mouse is hard to beat when you've been use to using a mouse OR

mouse and tablet

confusing but it works - mouse and touch screen - like a hybrid

This part is all Chromebook, 10 inch  screen and attached keyboard plus mouse < not the trackpad >

Alright, fat and old - got that in sight. Why fat ? Fat people are jolly. Yes. No. You see happy may not mean content.

I've never been content. Probably, would never know if  I was or have been. Crikey ! 

I think that I'd like to be content.

I'd settle for happy






Thursday 29 October 2020

Undeniable Warmth: Discover the Satisfaction of Wood Heating & Cooking πŸ”₯

 getting better at paste and copy

on the good news front, one day after sending proof of purchase to Lenovo, a support person replied. All's well in warranty dept and I can check in a day to verify my warranty.
An interesting aspect to the purchase at Best Buy, the associate didn't try to make me join ' Geek Squad ' extended warranty. The premium would have been 1/4 the purchase price < 3 yr variety >

not for me

Cool and gray out there. And this was predicted. Cold is coming in 2 days followed by rain then warmth

Wednesday 28 October 2020

simply soap

 Simple Soaps: Get Clean with the Good Stuff ✨ < Lehman s >

S Ont reports no ' Trump ' sightings but part sun and cool

You know trump rails against mail in ballots BUT he's got a mail order bride

go figure

Last summer, we attended a 100 th birthday celebration.

Today , that uncle passed. An avid gardener, he kept immaculate flower beds and food crops.

And this morning, I went to Amazon and had this photo turned into an 11 x 14 in poster. Colours need some adjustment but overall alright.
I imagine that you guessed that the scene is on the river < Otonabee R > or the river that I fish 🐠. Photo was taken second
 week of October. 
Propitiously, it's the moment when I said ' hey, the boat gets winterized this afternoon ' ( the engine is warm - I am warm, it gets colder from now ).


Tuesday 27 October 2020

Tuesday when the leaves Fall

 And much much more

Like

an explosion of flavour

cherry bombs burst on your tongueπŸ‘…

Say what ? 

However, once again, took out the leaf blower - 2 nd story assembly for gutters and blew out the eavestroughs.

I'm getting better at arranging the equipment. How hard can it be < you ask > ? All things are possible but some setups are better. Still, what a blessing - on the ground and doing the job. My neighbour goes up on the roof and M freaks out ' look at him up there '

Story. At a family gathering, someone mentioned roof maintenance. My dad offers this tidbit ' L < me > ties himself off when he goes on the roof '. My father meant it as a poke at me < being timid > and two guys came back w/ ' hey ! I should do that '. My dad walked away.

' Drive thru, roll out ' ? Thats on the screen right now. The International group is modernizing ' drive thru s '. Starting w/ some Popeye's outlets. Looked funny up there.

Monday 26 October 2020

Delicious Homemade - bakingπŸͺ

 Delicious Homemade - bakingπŸͺ

I can't copy / paste yet w/ the tablet - thus, I'm faking Lehman s banner

Day is gloomy and air seems still.

" Deliciously Homemade: Discover the Joys of Baking 🍰"   Lehman s

Aha! I did it, see. Lehman s had a slice of cake not a cookie.  I can learn. SLOWLY but doable.

Now ,for the other 2o things that I need to solve.


As well, the side arm sprayer on the kitchen faucet   set  locked in the ' on ' position. Water flew everywhere until i could turn off the tap. I pried out the stuck piece on the spayer assembly but that left the sprayer deceased.

 Today, at Home Depot I bought an OEM replacement sprayer + hose + fittings. You see, sprayer costs $15 < generic part > and the hose would cost $18 < generic >. The whole assembly OEM was $38. However, on inspection ' well, generic is generic and looks it.

Get home and try out the parts. First, the hose clamping attachment is a different size from the old one. Thus, the clamp needs to come off the hose. Aha ! its held on by a ' C ' clip that is fitted by an ' elf ' w/ teeny teeny hands.
Finally, got the little P.O.S off. Of course, the new clamp base is fitted to the new hose < which I don't need yet >. Another ' C ' clip to remove. BTW, each one took 10 minutes to maneuver out of that little groove.

In the end, yes, the new hose clamp will fit over the old hose < still attached to the faucet assembly underneath the sink >. Then screw on the new sprayer, and it works.

Upshot, fixed sprayer and a hose and fittings in reserve when that rots out. And I look forward to removing        2 ' C ' clips again

Sunday 25 October 2020

Delicious Country Meats

 from Lehman s < apparently there is a trick to highlight and copy >

Alrighty, something new to learn

day is cold but still     the freezer is starting up.      the colours are obvious and everywhere

The day darkened relatively late afternoon thus a pleasant day. I did Sunday shopping < bread, eggs, gherkins and toilet paper > the essentials. Oh, cookies too !

Whoa, homemade lasagna was dinner, plus leftovers like Marie Callendars frozen entrees

Is there a saying like ' last to the trough, is still OK '

b/c I'm watching ' the Sound of My Voice ', a documentary of the life and music of Linda Ronstadt. By accident, I looked up the TV listings for Sunday. At 9 PM was listed this ' the Sound of My Voice ' - Linda Ronstadt. 

I feel lucky to be watching it. Even tho' I'm a year and half late

Wow ! or Wow

Saturday 24 October 2020

Come Saturday Sunshine

cool and breezy but big sun 

Aggro plus ! as they say in Jolly Ol' England

I tried to register the new ' device '. And discover that I have no warranty b/c I have not registered the purchase.

Say what ? Apparently, the store needs to tell the system that they sold the machine.

Or I have to

I'm taking virtual lessons on using a tablet. Children can do this ergo I can ? There are swiping gestures for tablets - and also gestures for Chrome < of course I know neither >

If there is a saving grace for me, it's that this ' tablet ' comes w/ a keyboard. The conversion is simple and I can use a laptop.
   However, this 'Duet ' was purposed to be a central part of a desk assembly  - Chrome tablet / tablet connected to a monitor  < 17 inch >  via ' dongle apparatus ' and if M wants a full size keyboard < a real luxury >
Turns out that the current Chromebook would do a better job b/c my Chromebook has more ports eg. USB C and A, SD slot and jack for headphones. Overall a better connectivity device.
The new tablet is a more powerful machine and better Android device 

Ah, we need to be flexible here < my middle name > 

I'm discovering that this Chrome tablet has a facile onscreen keyboard  - I'm making mistakes but improving rapidly < w/ minimal cursing >

Friday 23 October 2020

Off-the-Grid Lighting: No Power, No Problem πŸ’‘ Inbox

 yepper, hurricane lanterns etc

one problem, nowadays, houses are so air tight - internal combustion inside is a concern. Fireplace lit and lanterns aglow < candles ? >, a lot of combution gases are accumulating

The term is ' Indian Summer ' - here it is October 20 something and the temperature < for 1 day > will hit 75 F. Enjoy it Bro' b/cuzzin it won't last.

There is new electronics in the house - a chromebook tablet. Aha, you say ' you've seen the light '. Not really the light has seen me  < so to speak >. For years, manufacturers have tried to make a tablet that runs Chrome OS. Basically, an android phone that acts like a tablet. Until this year, a smooth running tablet in Chrome was not available. Why not ? Chromebooks run android apps < in fact they are good at this > BUT tablets ' NO '.

Let get this straight. I bought a $400 < Cdn, 299 US > tablet. This device runs android apps - you mean like a phone, yes >. The Lenovo Chrome Duet is a tablet powered by ARM architecture ( Media Tek ). ARM is android based and easily runs android apps. However, in the Duet box comes a keyboard < attaches magnetically > thus the tablet turns into a laptop and also you can attach a kickstand platform to prop up the tablet or laptop.

The processor is not top of the line in speed but it doesn't need to power a laptop - just a Chrome system or very light machinery. The processor is 128 Gb which puts it near the top of memeory capability.

What do you carry - a 1 lb tablet. OR the keyboard and / or kickstand.

In this house, a long time ago there was a PC - a powerhouse 32 Gb processor. Seeing the future, I bought a Dell laptop - slightly more powerful than the PC approx 3 yrs later. Eventually, the Dell took over computer duties. The Dell laptop was to be portable. And was. However, an eight lb laptop is a horse.

Thus, an eMachine came along 10 inch screen, under powered but 3 lb. The baby travelled many places. BUT slow ! Slow. Originally 130 dollars, upgrades brought the price to $ 400. Nothing helped.

To the rescue came the Chromebook. The big laptop still churns away upstairs in the den < M s favourite device >. The chromebook is ultimatley more versatile and is the travelling choice. That same $ 400 bought the Chromebook

AND now basically, the Chrome tablet. BTW - the big laptop was 1400 dollars way back in 2000.

And this is typing - done on the attached keyboard. A teeny bit small but I've got teeny fingers < get it - teeny fingers / teeny typing

Thursday 22 October 2020

Thursday is Done

 the follow up from yesterday  despite the trouble the burner grates turned out beyond expectation

the grates < enamel covered as a roasting pan > are CLEAN - grease free and mark free

We shopped today for drug store supplies < its senior's day and 20 % off > plus grocery shopping and 2 people spent $ 220.

Rain fell intermittently, throughou the day

Wednesday 21 October 2020

65 Days Until Chrischdaag…Shop Early! πŸŽ„

 Karumba ! the world is ending !

w/ a Xmas tree explosion

Here, in S Ont, controversy has erupted over Hollow - weenie. Experts are clashing over the Provincial decision to recommend that no ' trick or treating occur in C V 19 partial lockdown areas < which means Toronto > '. Currently, our region is in phase 2 + < invented just for us >. In the real world langauage ' we are to social distance and mask up < almost everywhere > '. Restaurants can serve customers in a patio w/ limited patrons. c.f. 8 days ago, indoor dining was allowed < smaller numbers of tables etc >. Gyms and cosmetic services were asked to close. One Hamilton ' spin class ' gym was the source of 70 cases of C V 19. A super spreader event of unknown cause.

Provincially, reports indicate approximately 700 cases daily of C V 19. The population is approx. 5 million ( ? ). These are way above our best during the early summer of 140 or so new cases a day.

In the lousy weather < which is improving, as in just damp and windy >, I cleaned the burner covers and grates for the stove. Porcelein covered, and always stained or marked. Pots scrape the surface and food gets burnt on. Thus, I sprayed w/ E Z Off - let stand and scrubbed a bit. Results are good and way less scrubbing and cursing than usual < meaning baking soda and a wire scrubber > BTW, thats what passes for excitement in our house.

Further, on CNN a doctor type expert is announcing ' do not lose hope, next year will be better come fall '

FALL ? as in 12 months ? But it will get worse from now til then. Worse ? R U kidding, worse ? People are falling like ' nine pins ' < did I say that right >


Tuesday 20 October 2020

Suppertime Savers! Make Serving and Storage Simple. 🍴 Inbox

 cook and transport food - all in one

Yes, we are STILL hibernating w/ C V 19. Waiting for version C V 20 < which will be a hum dinger > However, Mother Nature said ' toss it all, here have a lovely day '. Colours are exploding, and the rain washed everything clean or cleaner.

That means loads of leaves in the gutters - damming the run off. I'm trying to self blow out the gutters w/ my blower - extender - made - at home - do hickey.

Well, it took a chair < a chair ! >   and a ladder   < ladder ? >. Really, guy ? The chair held the leafblower off the ground < a bit of height > and the ladder allowed me to reach the second story < or I needed to hold the very end of the tube section, hard to hold like that >.

The result was 95 % success. The gutters were cleared w/ some leaf debris < the leaves are still swirling >

But second story gutters done and the highest off the ground that I got was 3 ft < step ladder >


Monday 19 October 2020

# 2820

 in the series and from Lehman s : 

Chop It, Stack It, Store It πŸ˜„ Prep Your Woodpile Now for Cozy Heat Later 

we have a wood wagon, a log ox and a wood splitter

Rain is the order of business for Mother Nature

And of course, you discover leaks and such in the rain. Our skylight < has water dribbling down  > BUT it is not the skylight w/ gasket failure < crazy glue repair, some months back >. Figuring on 4 - 5 thou for replacement

Sunday 18 October 2020

Simple Living Sunday: Holiday Shopping? Order Early! πŸŽ„

 mole chasing windmill ? really, and gets rave reviews


Gloomy in S Ont, bright colours and winds are up. Overall, for fall, this is good. Most, importantly, the boat is asleep.

Some folks, may go ' give me a break ! But at least, it is a worry solved for the rest of the year into March. And its my baby.

You see, first boat w/ a big engine, as in 75 HP and fibreglass and its a BASSBOAT - live wells < seldom used > , fishfinder < seldom used >, trolling motor < not really, its a position holder >, a fishing platform that is fantastic - wide and stable < guaranteed to stay level, in the ads and on YouTube >

Plus, it goes almost 40 mph < not really b/c the speedometer will be rigged to read faster, helps them sell the boat > BUT lets say it does 35 mph < that is fast > b/c thing go flying past. Especially, if you run the river. Trust me, everything flies past at 300 yds < b/c thats as wide as the river is >

I've had someone say ' if you ever want to know how much L likes the boat - watch him as he heads for home from upriver '. Not me, someone else said that.

And - yes, its true LOVE running home



Saturday 17 October 2020

Soothing Solutions 😌 Get the Comfort You Need

 make homemade elderberry syrup for vitamin boosting

We have sun and wind. Pretty day.

And finally, all Moto cell phone owners - have been anticipating the update to Android 10 system. Promised, promised - delivered.

In Espanol ! Our international phones - display in Spanish. Gotta find a way to change Language of choice  ' Si '

The classic - now you got it so what. Checked out Android 10 < delayed delivery from Moto >. Sigh ! not much. Swipe moves - don't care. Everything else runs in the background e.g storage

Friday 16 October 2020

Simple Food Ready to Eat πŸ—

 peaches and sauerkraut, and I bet it s good

A big sun day, looks like. Big colour as well 

Under the category of ' I told you so ' comes the comment of my neighbour. I put up the Xmas garage lights by screwing the plastic tabs to the aluminum of the garage trim. The neighbour said what happens when the lights fail ?

Well, the lights are good but the plastic tabs broke < not  but enough > and the lights were hanging down. Well, time to move them anyway. The lights were reflectors and got overpowered by the garage carriage light and the large area to cover.

I moved them to an alcove adjacent to the garage. Great place but we are not sure how visible the display will be from the street. We will need to be content that we put up lights. Habitually, we have the smallest < but unpretentious > Xmas display. Actually, we get humbled by three other houses in our section. 

We don't have : a Santa, or reindeer, or snowman, or polar bear. No icicle lights, or decorated trees.

Last year, we did have a  light bulb Xmas tree in the backyard < lit green > Sort of our display.

Thursday 15 October 2020

Stocking Stuffers πŸŽ„ Toys & Treats to Hang in Your Stocking with Care

 as in wooden toys and puzzles AND a porcelein toast plate

for toast

Wet and gloomy 

as opposed to

wet and wonderful < like never >

Wednesday 14 October 2020

Discover the Perks of Using Cast Iron 🍳

 and you never wash them. I saw ' Emily in Paris '. The up and coming chef, chided ' we never wash that pan '. The flavour !  Flavours ( ? )

A full sun day, dry and slightly breezy. Perfect for outside jobs < of which I have done not much >

Our chairlift was giving us a ' halt - go - halt ' routine on Sunday < after a single hesitation on Friday >. We called and Stannah offered us an appointment next day. Apparently, when the power goes out, the owners should < should > turn off the stairlift if you don't need the lift. This information was a surprise to us. However, it raised all sorts of subsequent questions e.g if we were away what happens or should we turn off the chair before a holiday trip etc.   ??????????????????? 

Our favourite saying is that ' something in the house is charging ' all the time - phone, laptop, e reader   ->

and there's only 2 of us - in a house of 4 people ????????



Tuesday 13 October 2020

Games Everyone Can Enjoy 🎲

 or not

We wouldn't. Not big on games here

M's damaged finger ( s ), you see really only one. The splinted finger is surface healed but the tendon needs to rejoin itself.

Monday 12 October 2020

The Holiday Season is Near! 🎁

 yeah but first we push through a supreme court judge - we have time don't we ? Sure, we got 2 days, right before Amazon Days

from our AAA < CAA > Larry, ready for a little wanderlust and travel inspiration? NO !

Sunday 11 October 2020

Cook Like a Pro: Gadgets That Make Mealtime Easier πŸ”ͺ

 a mincer chopper at Lehman s

We cook a turkey today. With the restrictions getting restrictier, we will cook a 17 # turkey for 2 of us and send 1/2 to our neighbour < family of 4 >. They saved Margaret s fingers in the fall.

Mayhem is the kitchen today. The kitchen is mayhem

cooking for 6 in 2 different places < meaning we are doing take out for the neighbours >

Eek !


Saturday 10 October 2020

Work or Study...from Paradise!

 think condo world needs me back ?

notice that its not from Lehman s today ?

Big sun and swaying branches

P.S. 2 PM brings dark and foreboding

When you make a genius move - you crow < ooh, not nice > On Thursday last, while bobbing around on the river, a thought came to me ' warm, sun out, the outboard is running and it will be warm. Winterize the engine today ! ' I did.

 Whats left to do can be done in the boathouse, and naturally, wet weather would not be good but things will be doable. AND Totonto went into modified stage 3 which means ' esential travel is allowed ' but otherwise stay home, y'all. Unfortuantely, draining the lower gear case would go better in warm. A good plus, is that if drained - I could close up the lower gear case. Not the best - but at least the lower gear case would have nothing in it to freeze.

There is strong consensus that there will be little in the way of widespread, sustained cold air across North America the rest of this month. Much of this is due to the fact that we will see a strong Pacific influence of air across North America, which will keep most areas fairly mild. This will also deliver several storms to the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia, which should signal the demise of the fire season in those areas if it hasn't already.

Friday 9 October 2020

Low-Tech Laundry ✨

 yeah, like a mobile clothes washer plunger ! A plunger ?

This is Indian Summer for S Ont. Warm going sub - hot and bright everywhere.

Wednesday 7 October 2020

Keep Your Hearth Burning πŸ”₯ We have the Tools You Need

 gloves, fireplace tools

The wind ' she is a blowin' '. Foul weather gear required.  I can hear the wind or rain or both.

10 AM and we have sun and wind

AND we are not going out today. Or fishing.

The wind is supposedly going to gust at somewhere between 25 and 40 mph. As you might be able to figure, I'm running out of days of fishing. The bass season is open til Nov 30 but the boat will be winterized w/in about 11 days < all being as planned >                               I have a battle order and a list of essentials that includes mouse bait. The ' micies ' go crazy in the boat and boathouse feeding and sleeping < hopefully thats all they do < ? >

P.S I did drive out to the store or Asian supermarket b/c it was ' take out Chinese ' day. Couldn't help it - had to go.

I order from the hot table and they package the ' combo ' < rice / noodles and two entrees plus soup du jour >. As well, I order the steamed rice bundle < meat mixture inside > and the shrimp dumpling for variety. Taste is good and drops to fair for the dumpling ( price is way down there - all in $ 14 ). And that order becomes three meals - bonus

Hello, Netflix. We celebrate ' Enola Holmes ' and ' Emily in Paris '. No guns, well, not yet. Bloodshed was in short supply. Torture happened in our home.

Monday 5 October 2020

Customer Favorites πŸ˜„ Top-Rated Products for Lasting Quality

 croquet - bees wax polish and chain mail scrubber

Saved you reading the whole advert  from Lehman s

That is a segue into the topic for today - Ads on YouTube. YouTube has successfully managed to make me watch their ads. It is getting harder to bypass the ads. My response is less youtube < lower case, notice >

Next door has a small pony masquerading as a dog. Big bark. But wags his tail while barking. We are not sure if it is happy barking or angry barking. Ha ! try sneaking up on our house now.

My next door neighbour has a fall to do list. I do not. Yesterday, we went shopping to buy supplies to run the water from the eavestrough down the lawn away from the house. That s when D revealed that this job was on his fall list.

Do I have a fall list ? Kinda but all of it seems to run together - fall - summer - spring ... the big difference is the amount of crabgrass. Thus, this AM, I got out there and blew out the downpipes < D suggested it last night >  all pipes clear !!

M and I went grocery shopping together. Normally, this is not good. I'm impatient and undisciplined - shopping.   Often, rancour develops in the store - between us. I'm so easy to get along w/ - no doubt                                       Today, good. Mission accomplished. Survivors for sure


Sunday 4 October 2020

All Set w/ a positive weather report

 and it rained. Not bad - kinda drizzly


In the world. some president is teaching all of us how to infect our friends. Textbook process and very effective.   Its like a pro infection course

Saturday 3 October 2020

Deliciously Homemade 🍰 Baking Supplies We Can't Live Without

 bakeware of all kinds


October is here w/ colour and cool  < cold winds, not hip >

Today is mostly clear looking w/ slight overcast. Stepped out for the paper and it was cold. Still air but right away, you could feel the air


Thursday 1 October 2020

Sun Blasted Through

a fishing day got turned into ' deal w/ the downspout on the gutter ' AND the wind was going to be howling, anyway. And I can hear the wind in the trees right now.

When you're fishing and you can hear the wind - not good

Here is Lehman s banner :

 Sweet Treats: Candy Everyone Can Enjoy 🍬                       plus order early for Xmas