Re - Newed

 our optimism.... CV 19 case numbers are holding at the lowest level in a year. The dark spot is that in rural Manitoba, ICU s are filling w/ patients who claim that they cannot have CV 19 syndrome b/c Covid is a ' hoax '. 
????????? 

This story is rooted in distrust of government going back decades.

And simultaneously, is an announcment of a mass grave believed to hold 200 + bodies of Indigenous humans < many or mostly children >.
These would be people whose deaths were not reported or reported as escapees from Government residential school. The Catholic run school was the source of rumours among the survivors of the school of missing friends and relatives.

For us, Age 70 + bracket. The schedule has been moved forward a month < give or take >. Originally, Jul 21 was our 2 nd dose - now, we could book for Jun 14 on based on availability

a Returning ' friend '

 somehow I managed to come in contact w/ an allergen. I've got bumps in a few places. I'm taking anithistamines < 24 h kind > and applying the magic salve < Betaderm >. But it has been a week, and still bumps are showing. I took the antihistamines for 3 days and then stopped. Now, its been 2 days, we shall see said the Zen Master. P.S. this allergic reaction is a yearly event ( or 2 x a year )

Weather. Sun boomed out of the gate and we are headed for 70 F and thats 6 days if the meteor - guys are right. Wind is up and shaking the ' darling buds of May '.

For Ontario are numbers are in the 1000 case range c.f. 4500 about a month ago. I read that Vietnam has found a variant that is a cross from India and ?????. " Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle " time -
Turtle Power !

Whew !

snow. never lasted but fell for an hour or two Hey ! its like we turned on the A/C for Eastern Canada

The magic date is Jun 14. W/ some luck, the province begins to re - open but don't too excited.

The term phased re - opening has been used 3 - 4 times here. Crock of ****. Now, our Premier has gone all ' I must consult the experts '. Been there and he's ignored them.

#1 should be CV 19 numbers that favour critical care beds and the staff that have busted their nuts for 19 months.

Next protect those in precarious situations - working on site, taking mass transit and  living in tight circumstances.

School. What a mess. Teachers are not vaxd yet. They are next in line and due to be vaxd by August. The pupils could be vaxd by Aug also. BUT experts are calling for immediate to near future return to schooling as early as NOW.
Whoa. Let me get this straight. Staff is not vaxd and pupils are not vaxd. Let s roll the dice. NO. The premier already did that.            Snake eyes !!!!.
BTW on the come out ' snake eyes ' is not good.

The Long Range from Brett Anderson at Accuweather. Thnx BA
May 24 - 30 wetter for the Great Lakes environs. High pressure to dominate and lows mostly trapped in the South.

May 31 - Jun 6 wetter in the Upper Great Lakes and drier going south of L Ontario

Jun7 - 13 drier for most of the Great Lakes especially S of L Huron

One thing thats hard to grasp. Two days driving will barely get us to the Lakehead or Western L Superior. But when I quote the term Great Lakes basin or region, I make it sound like around the corner. Some corner. Done the drive - last in 1978, epic is the only term. 48 h and you still see Ontario license plates galore. In Europe, 48 hrs is 6 countries.

Turned on the Heat

 yes. new A/C is ready to go

But we need the heat on. Its May 28. Temperature was 67 F on waking. And the high today might get to 46 F. Cloudy and it rained at night ........ Oh well, I've noticed that there is a setting on the thermostat for full ' auto ', guessing that means ' set it and forget it ' or either heat or cool will come on depending on the room temperature.
I'm ' full auto ' this morning

Our CV 19 numbers are unbelievable if you compare to a month ago, except for critical care beds, you can divide by 4 to get current numbers c.f. a month ago. And you can multiply by 8 if comparing vaxx s. 

Segue to ' turned on the heat ' - authorities question the W.H.O. report that cleared the Wuhan Virology lab in the CV 19 outbreak. Does China tell lies. You bet. Something like the boy who cried ' Wolf ' too often. Maybe you shouldn't issue a 300 page report that only says ' that the Virology Lab in Wuhan is an unlikely source 'and that CV 19 came from outer space. Sorry I added the last bit b/c it was just as good a guess as the WHO report

SNOW fell in Scarborough

Deliciously Homemade 🍰

 is good

We cool down today, on A/C install day - figures ? right. Well, I don't think that we have seen the last of hot days.

In the news < or olds > for today. Re -opening in 4 provinces ( and we are one, hurrah ! ) but w/ warnings. Vax choosiness. The stock markets here in Cda, reach new milestones < or kilometre - stones >.

I am slug - a - bug in bed. Tired from yesterday s QMH run. The owner needed help w/ chores. Re - hinging an aluminum door that fell off in winter. Clearing the roof and gutters. Some small electrical jobs.
I didn't do a lot. I was an extra pair of hands which is important in some tasks. As well an advisor that most probably saved 1/2 h. However, the real value of me going - I know how the cottage works.

When I go for tools, I have a large chance of finding what we needed. Largely, the tools there, were left when I sold. And then, there is the safety aspect. Someone watching in general. Prior to the trip, I cut and sized the replacement hinges. The hinges worked a charm.

I will update at 6PM or later, to detail the install

A/C guys came on time and are surveying the trip downhill

the Cost of Doing Business

 or running a house

is a common saying - closely followed by ' you can't make an omelette w/out breaking a few eggs '

Short story long, we own a house.

Our day starts overcast and remains either cloudy or fraught w/ rain or drizzle or .......

A mixed bag kinda day. Cloudy. Sun poured through. Drizzle. Spits of rain. Downpours in spots. Wind kicked up.

Anything ⚡💧❄🔥

 4 icons today - be ready for anything

No A/C again and no date for install has appeared but ..... this was a long weekend and business is just starting to gear up for the week.
Temperature is predicted at 90 give or take

We are negotiating for new or replacement skylights b/c we detected a leak on the left window after we noticed that the right gasket was failing. The upshot is $ 4 K for A/C and $ 4 K for skylights. However, we need to remind ourselves that we are talking about a house price of close to 1 M < or more depending on the buyer> Thus, upkeep is expected to be expensive and we don't need a skylight ( s ) but what the hey. 

All settled. Contract extension w/ the Heating service co. got cancelled for A/C.
The A/C repair guy s co. got back w/ an estimate and date. And it is Thur as promised < well, it went ' maybe Tues but more likely Thu ' >

The skylight contract came as expected and at price quoted.

Then we get true confessions. Alright. We had this clock in the bedroom < fairly pricey for a bedroom clock > that lit up nicely ( so you could see it at night ) but lousy at keeping time. I took it downstairs and about 6 months ago decided to use the clock in the spare bedroom. I attempted many times to correct the time but it would go back to the wrong time.
I said it couldn't keep time and it kept getting further ahead. Starting at 6 min fast etc
It was 14 min fast this AM. I decided to go to the internet. Punched in the model # and saw ' how to set time on a Sony bedroom clock '
Aha, not only me.
First comment that I see ' who sells a ****** clock that you need to input calendar date and time zone to set time of day  ??? Obviously this one
Now I know what those first flashing digits are .... the year s last 2 digits. Right, not the whole year just the last two digits. And so far so good. A funny story if it weren't so sad and pitiful.

' Most men lead lives of quiet desperation ' is the quote. I always thought that it was a fairly bleak peek at the world. Then comes CV 19 and life in lockdown - well, might be true

Lighting Solutions 💡

 from Lehman s

A magic day of sun and cool w/ light breeze

Out early, washing the backside windows in the shade. Later, the other ground floor windows < also in the shade >. I purchased a window washing kit, say 20 yrs ago comprised of pole, wash rag attachment and squeegee < from Lee ValleyTools >. Over the years, the squeegee needed replacement but other than that the rigging is used repeatedly during the year. The pole telescopes to 16 feet.

Another day, no A/C but cooler weather predicted.

the ' Dandelion War '

 a daily torching is keeping the lawn looking virgin - puff balls and yellowheads are doomed.
But bet on the dandelions. However, the lawn matches the neighbours who go out on hand and knees and yank out the verminous weeds.

Warm and humid is the standard for us. And the A/C quit. Our usual service people got us a appointment for June 21 - a month out. I called an alternate vendor and the guy came yesterday dinner time.
Sad, sad the A/C died. Actually, its the compressor not functioning but labour and parts are 1/2 the cost of the unit and we get a 14 yr old piece.
Thus, new A/C coming in. In days, not a month. The Reliance contract dept isn't open this weekend < holiday > The upshot is we may get a new A/C on the same day we cancel w/ the Reliance service.

The CV 19 situation, sitrep. Numbers are in a downward trend. BUT this is May long weekend and the                  ' unofficial ' start to summer. Picnics, fireworks and getaways upnorth are the events of ' May - two - four ' as it is nicknamed. Please note that  ' two - four ' is the nickname of a case of beer.
Warnings went out that even though some restrictions have eased, care is required. WE SHALL SEE said the zen master, in a soft voice.

And medically, I've had a bump akin to an insect bite on my neck. Friday irritating and today Sunday inflammed. The thought is that my general allergic reaction to irritants has kicked in. To that end, I popped a 24 h anithistamine and am treating the bump / rash as if it were a plant allergy < which it could be, likely ' dandelion fever ' >. 

🌻 Lehman's

 loved the flower
Well, for one day, there were no dandelion bits poking up over the grass. Thats correct. No puff balls or yellowheads. And a did you know fact. Bees love dandelion flowers.

Great, one video said to leave the dandelions when the yellow flower shows for the bees. Can't the bees get the dandelions in the compost pile ? Besides, driving around the block, I saw whole lawns covered in puff balls My lawn is an amateur effort.

CBC online yielded : Canada Opens Up.

Do You Have Post Pandemic Hesitation or Pent Up SuperParty Vibes.

Kryptos Have a Bad Ride

Re - Opeeeeeeee......n ... i..n..g

 yes, that long. A drawn out affair w/ ifs and buts scattered throughout. Basically, I might / perhaps have a haircut by August 15 < can I get in, though >

Upside news, boats can launch this weekend. I believe they mean that I can be in the boat at the cottage.
We shall see said the Zen Master

Yepper, went through CBC online. Exactly, as stated above.Words that stood out -      ' phased ' , ' science driven ' and ' 3 week interval '
For the record, our Premier has used all those terms before then went out and proved that he really needs a dictionary that has those words defined.

And a beach community, posted this :

" Grand Bend says Stay home ". A lauded beach area on the L Huron coast has asked visitors to stay away. Recall boating may be allowed and outdoor acitivities w/ appropriate distancing is recommended. The province used the term ' boat launching ' for the weekend.

All is not well in the 'Trillium " province

Hold Your Horses

 keep your pants on ...... etc
Bruce Arthur was the only columnist or source that got super excited about the summer. The Province announced that it will announce a slow re - opening. Everyone else thought our case counts were showing a slowing trend.
But in all the lack of hoopla, came the inforamtion that many businesses needed to plan the summer a month ago. Thus, for example, Summer camps had to re - jig their preparations and went w/ offering family vacations in lieu of the normal children s summer camps.

The CBC online check shows ' moderate optimism for CV 19 free summer '. Nothing seems to indicate much news on the re - opening front.

Weather remains well above seasonal norms.

The dandelion war continues. I'm water jetting them out of the ground and hand pulling the roots. Yesterday, I said ' p*** ' on this and burned off the ' white puff ' balls and flower heads off the dandelions. Not efficient but I thought at least this bunch won't seed < or not easily>

Excitement. Today, was take out Chinese from the Skyland hot table. The combo, $7.99 for noodle < oodles of noodles > sweet and sour chicken ( also called hunt for the meat > and BBQ pork. And some sushi for balance
Thats it folks ! Hope you do better

the Metaphors of Covid

 as in
- light at the end of the tunnel
- turning the corner
- flattening the curve

or ' a brighter summer 2021 '. The pundits are daring to use phrases in this vein
What will it look like as summer begins.
?????
CBC online doesn't have glowing story lines re : Pandemic recovery. I borrowed the ' brighter summer ' line from the TorStar above the fold by Bruce Arthur.

Obviously, as the day goes on, there will be confirmational stories if BA is correct.

Thus, we discuss humour. A cousin G from Edmonton has kept a flow of jokes surging at my G mail inbox. And I think that humour is the only way to deal w/ CV 19. Thats not to say that there has not been tragedy.

But ' hope is what rebellions are based on ' < StarWars, ' Rogue One ' > and it seems, surviving lockdown. In films, the standard appraisal of aborigines is that they do not do well in jail. They cannot envision not being there. Their reality is here and now.

Well, I've been getting my fishing tackle organized and drilling out dandelions < more out of guilt b/c the neighbour works so hard at hers > still I'm trying.

Catch you on the flip side - catchy little line from the early 70 s < ? >
Aha, research yields - "A New York City listener wonders about the origin and literal meaning of the phrase catch you on the flip side. It's a reference to the B side of vinyl records. It was popularized as part of truckers' CB lingo in the 1970s

Colloquially, it means ' see you tomorrow or see you later '
Please note that my songs are digitized - so catch you on ' 01101110111 ' thats binary for hasta la vista

Alrighty. Confession 101, entry level guilt. Hope. Correct ? Thus, I ordered from Amazon. All purpose draining outdoor shoes. In essence, running shoes w/ drainage holes. Designed for barefoot wearing while doing outdoor sports. As well, the shoes are flexy more like a slipper.
Upon reading the reviews, owners said that the shoes fit  1/2 size smaller than normal. The toe box is wide < wide enough for me ??? >. Not a road shoe or hiking item. 

My shoe - ettes are for boat use. Something grippy and lighter. And besides Amazon delivery guy hasn't been in a month - he'll feel deprived- I'm sure.

All the World

a stage ?          There is an act going on in the Middle East. In truth, Middle East should be renamed, Bomb-ania or Retaliation - ia

Here we duck and weave for CV 19. Mostly, in Canada, there is improvement.More vax and vaxxing. The U.S. and U. K. are opening up and their numbers for CV 19 dwarfed us. These countries were bigger in all aspects, cases, deaths and vax.

There needs to a reckoning when modern states w/ seemingly top notch health care lead the world in disease cases.

But wait ! India is catching up and it may change the way we see epidemiology.

We are in the warm going warmer phase and relatively dry to boot.

Our stair lift was doing its ' halting ascent ' act - again for the third time. The lift would stop every foot or so. Previous service calls concentrated on the batteries and their replacement.   This time round < a paid service call > got us a rigorous look see and cleaning of electrical elements. As well, the tech left us w/ regular maintenance tips.
Alas, we are not sure that these tips would have been any help previously. The tips involve wiping down the electrical contacts < dust and oil build up >  b/c the first incidents happened in under a year from install.
We shall see said the Zen Master

And bingeing continues. ' Elementary ' is in season 3. Jigsaw puzzle is at the juncture where I need to change the settings to ' harder '. For now, I'm doing the 35 pc image in 4 minutes per image. To be fair, this time range just about covers my attention span.
In other binges, ' Word Wow ' has me at level 180. Best tho', I haven't paid for ' bombs ' or get out of jail passes < the bomb destroys letters  that block your movement down the letter scramble >.

Puzzle Me This

 the latest binge is jigsaw puzzles online. I've mentioned these before. Still at the infant stage. 35 pieces and aligned in their proper attitude. I'm not sure of the procedure of flipping or rotating w/ a mouse. Touch screen maybe.

We've hit the warm of May. CV 19 numbers are sliding down but our goal is well under a 1000 cases a day and we are at 2000 and a bit. Vaxxing a lot of people.

' Take the bus and leave the driving to us ' - a truly marketable slogan. That is gone. " Greyhound " , the company and not the movie is packing up. A combination of diminishing ridership and the distancing dilemma for businesses < and isolation > added up to a non existent business model.

And bingeing, the epic, continues w/ " Elementary " based on Sherlock Holmes in present day < 2012 or so > New York, New York. ' So nice, they named it twice '. As in ' shabu shabu ' or fish head stew. Got ya' w/ that one, right ?
" Elementary " is dragging me along into Season 2. Character development and relationships are blooming.
I get a kick out of recognizing the names of people and places referenced from the original Conan Doyle writings. Maybe, nostalgia ? or glee at having known the seminal versions.

Back to ' puzzles ', sort of. I've Googled the topic of knots on YouTube. Two videos in particular are important. The story. I've always been interested in knots. A Boy Scout growing up in the United Church, I needed ' knot lore ' and tying to advance in Scouts.
And after camping and presently owning and using a boat < 18 ft > knots are a necessity - especially good and solid ones.
A while back, M gifted me ' paracord ',  thicker woven cord. There is ' knot macrame ' for want of better wording. Many utilitarian objects can be created. I started viewing the YouTube items on the ' monkey ball ' a decorative and functional use of paracord.
By chance a video popped up under suggestions in YouTube. Conveniently, the title was ' 5 knots from one basic form '. The demonstator started w/ the ' marlin spike knot '. This visual got my attention. A marlin spike is a seaman's or outdoor worker's tool for picking out tangles in rope or chain and much more. 
I practice yesterday and can now tie a ' marlin spike ' knot in about three seconds.
Yes. I'll go back for the other 4 - soon. The video is bookmarked. I'll tie one right now. OK. Done. See about three seconds ! Da da.
Tied another msknot.

Of course, there is guilt b/c I've kept the paracord and    it s unused. < 4 Xmas s ago ? > Thus, I'll break out the paracord and start the knotting. B/c I'll soon know 5 knots.

Actually, one more knot.

This AM approx 8:30, I decided that the stump, marking the site of the late umbrella tree, was too obvious. In truth. about a week and half ago, I started the lowering job by cutting verticals approx 1/3 in from the edge of the bole. The slices went approx a foot down the stump. 

Today, it was time to go horizontal. I used a sawsall to start. Figured take out big chips and that I could worm my way down. Nope, got the axe stuck after the first bit.
And I ended up going horizontal w/ a bucksaw.

The results are a stump that rises less than a foot above the ground amongst boulders that are 8 - 14 in. tall. Meaning the stump is nigh on invisible. Soon, holes will appear in the stump < drilled at intervals > to speed the decay process. On YouTube, the next step is to pour oil into the holes and the oil soaks approx a month. Then burn the stump flat.
That won't happen here. The holes will do their work over time. Rain, rot and fungi can do their thing

And the end result. A much cleaner looking frontage and the elimnation of a tree that was difficult to maintain, blocked the view of the street as you turned out. As well, it was a marker that told the snowplow drivers to pile the snow there. The first pile wasn't too obtrusive but each additional pile mounded the packed ice 6 inches higher and encroached further over the drive - again blocking the street.
Plus, never liked that tree anyway.

This winter, however, the ice pile never got above 2 ft.
Maybe, my re - design did the trick or maybe less snow was on the road. I did notice much snow stacked across the way, spanning 60 ft or so. New snowplower ? b/xc there was a lot of snow, over there.

P.S. the city did plant a deciduous native hardwood two years ago < three years ago but that one got a disease or failed to root >. A much nicer tree.

marching into Summer

 or summer-like times in LOCKdown
Whats next ? What will itlook like
Technically, we come out of isolation on June 2 < as at now >

All values for CV 19 are lower not lowest just lower
a glimmer of possible
While our southern neighbours are a tickle away from travelling

the Bathouse

 Lehman s says get rid of pests

Lee Valley Tools shows how to build a ' bat home ' where bats can make a roost and become insect eaters i.e. mostly mosquitoes
Now, you have to admire any critter that thinks mosquitoes taste good

Wait ! the mosquitoes are full of my blood. Do mosquitoes like gin or brown ale ?

The day ahead will be stellar. The sun will be out

' tell the yellow sun in his jealous sky ' from " Fields of Gold " by Sting
' when we walks in fields of gold '

The story. Binge watching ' Elementary '. I have been a Sherlock Holmes fan for as long as I have been a reader. I own several books that are Holmsian. The collected works of Conan Doyle, many short stories and a sci-fi fantasy paperback that is a contnuation of Holmes type stories by various authors , following in Holmsian style. I bought a DVD that is a Holmes Classic, ' Hound of the Baskervilles ' w/ Basil Rathbone.
Back to the binge. Thus far, 2 episodes have been new or I can not recall seeing them. M has been forced to watch < of course > I'm sure from her point of view, ' Elementary ' is tolerable as compared to science fiction that I would favour.

extension Time

 our lockdown goes on - at least 2 weeks more
numbers are trending downward
But CV 19 cases are relatively high

A warm and sunny day is here. Cool at night but the day will warm quickly. Branches are still. Leaves quiescent.

' He's a politician ' - is there a worse description of a human 
I guess
Right now, a pretty low epithet.

Bingeing. I discovered jigsaw puzzles on line. You pick a picture - even your own, and the system turns it into a jigsaw puzzle. I'm at level, simple and ' monkey do ' easy. However, this is on a Chromebook 11 in. and I can't envision the pieces being much smaller.
My level is 35 pieces. And the program allows ' ghost vision ' w/ the actual image faintly as a background. I've gone from ' ghosting ' all the time to ghosting to help.

The actual image is visible for 30 seconds at the beginning. But otherwise, ghosting is all the help you get. As well, the pieces are lined up in the right margin, oriented correctly, i.e. not jumbled. I guess that you realize 11 inches is a small screen or work area.
I guesstimate that I've done near 20 puzzles.
You gotta figure that soon, I'm going to hit the ' pay for view ' puzzles. ' For $3.99, we have super solver ' - break out the credit card

' Elementary ' is in its second season and I'm still manfully hanging in there. 7 seasons left. ' So many episodes and so much time ' < to kill >
Hey ! thats perfect.

Bingeing and / or Binging

 on ' Elementary '. There are 9 seasons on Amazon. I'm at Season 1. But thats in 3 days of watching

Many Chefs 🍳- is from Lehman s advert.

Another sunny day that promises to be normal May warm. Maybe w/out the wind as well.

CBC health news is reporting :Mixing different types of COVID-19 vaccines for two doses can hike the chance of someone having mild or moderate reactions like fatigue, headache or a fever, according to early results from a U.K. study, which is being watched closely by health officials in Canada and beyond.

The study was a small test subject trial but registered short lived reactions.

Ran out to do chores:

1. clear the gutters. Yes, the trees shed crap. Leaves, buds, flowers and who knows. Not a lot but there were little twiggies that were catching debris.

2. filled the  holes that jetting dandelions caused. And, saw the new dandies flouncing their way in the breeze

Binge - ing vs. Bing - ing. Both are correct usage and spelling. However, it seems that somewhere in the ' 80 s keeping the ' e ' as in   bingeing, became more popular.

Le douzieme de Mai

 closing in on the Ides of May

Sunny in Scarberia, and headed for normal heat. Wind is up w/ branches in motion all up and down the woods.
Buds are greening and plentiful.  It seems that I have a new buzz word ' plentiful '. 
Once, an associate teacher < mentor > while I was practice teaching taped my lesson. In a 45 minute lesson and class work, I counted 60 or so ' All right ' s. That worked out to 1. ? 'All right ' s in a minute.

I still use ' all right / alright ' but not in the plentiful realm.
M will know my new ' all right ' or cover word or bridge term........ my ' ahhh ' or whatever.

M didn't have a new ' alright ', she said maybe ' OK' 
So, OK, when you're in doubt, clean the rug. Previosuly, our old rug looked beat up. Nice tuft but old looking. We responded by buying a new area rug.
Before it went downstairs < beware, when we send you downstairs, you're not long for this world > I used sprinkle on carpet cleaner. Now, I thought sprinkle on was what a dog did ! Apparently, some on these like ' Capture ' < thats the powder's name > work. That rug looks brand new. And is comfortably living in the fireplace room < you can survive down there, it seems >
Still had some left and the new area rug takes a beating, I mean, we eat in the living room < three meals, typically > - thats a beating, in anyone's book.
Nice afternoon, thus took the area rug outside for sprinkle and brush in treatment of Capture. After a 1/2 h, whacked the rug w/ a broom to loosen the powder. Brought the area rug in and vacuumed the whole thing.

Rug clean.

Eleventh of Mai

 not sure of the language, but what the hey !

Sun is out and predominant. Not seeing tons of movement up there in the trees

Ala Annie < the musical >, tomorrow !
We cross into the realm of normal - for temperature. CV 19 not so much.
And the hints are out there. The Gov't here in Ontario is making announcments that they are getting ready to make announcements re: lockdown.
" Folks, I hate to do it but I have no choice. My science advisors tell me that the numbers can only come down if ........blah "
he'll call me friend
tell me his sad little story

there will be money for businesses or workers

Sadly. We will learn later that he ignored or glossed over medical advice. This deflection of responsibility is his trademark by now.

Swept through the CBC online. A criminal gang threatened an Amercian pipeline. WHO says Brazilian variant of CV 19 a concern. Michigan ordered Line 5 closed but are getting a fight.
If you find something let me know.

What is so great about Amish-Made? 👍 - unique and well made

Deco de Mayo

 or the 5 th day after Cinco

Sun is bright out there and we waarm up gradually from the below normal temperatures. Reminder May 9 of 34 yrs ago was over 75 F

Betting says that our Provincial lockdown continues past the May 20 announced time frame

At Accuweather blogs, incl Brett Anderson the maps have changed

For May 10 - 16 wetter for the Great Lakes

For May 17 - 23  looks to be drier

The seasonal norms for T.O.

MonthHigh / Low(°F)Rain

---

May66° / 50°7 days

---

June76° / 59°8 days

---

July81° / 65°7 days

---

August80° / 64°6 days

---

We'll not make the average May temperature today... but cam e close

To while away time, I've gambled a bit on Ontario Lottery and Gaming. The have many slot time wasters < and money eliminators as well >. I figure during the pandemic that I'm down about $ 300 give or take           < mostly take >.
Today, I thought ' give it a go '. I was doing middling to poor < mostly poor > and at Chinese Firecracker < not the real name but thats what it looks like > I was playing $ 0.88 and gradually slipped up to $5.76. I hit the triple pagodas - ten free spins. I won about 12 dollars until, during free spin, the pagodas came again for ten more spins. It seemed as though that I'd won $38. I cashed out and saw that my total was 40 dollars which seemed wrong b/c I had more than 30 when the pagodas arrived. Oops ! that wasn't 38 dollars but 380 dollars.
I decided to celebrate and went out to jet out dandelions. I did poorly there as well. A lot of broken roots which is not good.

Nap time - perhaps, I'll do better in bed. Never can tell

Nono de Mayo

 or somesuch <hey, on a roll here >

Gonna be a bright day, sun is close to up somewhere. Still rain chance, weather people are predicting instability

Hop ended their season by taking a 2 goal lead into the 4 th quarter and gave up 5 goals to UM. 

' we play for seasons not Eternities
so says Nature laughing on her way '  George Meredith

the real poem:

I play for Seasons; not Eternities!’
Says Nature, laughing on her way. ‘So must
All those whose stake is nothing more than dust!’
And lo, she wins, and of her harmonies
She is full sure! Upon her dying rose,
She drops a look of fondness, and goes by,
Scarce any retrospection in her eye;
For she the laws of growth most deeply knows,

Well, Mother Nature lost a whole whack of dandelions before their time. I water jetted them out of the ground. The holes are deep but thats how far the roots went down
Ancient Chinese saying ' when digging weeds, dig deep '
Looks just like a ' gopher ' convention hit town

The best part of jetting is that the grass stays.

I'm soaking wet. However, I utilized the quick connect couplers as well.

There was a term when we were learning biology, called ' autotomy ' which meant that a crayfish could cut off or lose part of the body in trying to escape a predator. I am doing ' autotomy ' or self surgery for an ingrown big toe nail.
The books never said if ' autotomy ' hurts the crayfish. My ' autotomy ' is plenty painful. Sadly, I am getting real good at the cutting bit. But it still hurt.

On the plus side, when I get it right, the pain from the toe nail digging in goes away in minutes to an hour. Daub on the Betadine and ' Bob s your Uncle '
or first cousin twice removed

Octo de Mayo

 drove out early to see the sunrise. Go to Rouge Park but it was overcast and dismal.

Driving home the sun burst through and it was a glorious moment.

From the Lehman s advert, the icon : Your Woodpile 🔥
Segue into wood. The umbrella tree at the foot of the driveway came down this winter. I chopped the sucker down. The last 3 days, I'v gone out and attacked the stump. I made a vertical cut w/ a Swede saw through the stump off centre. From that point, I'll hack away at the stump til its gone.

The cake was a marvel. Tasty and decorative. The young lady has a website and my cake is the best looking thing up there. Its Instagram and I need to figure out how to comment or compliment her.
OK did the Instagram. I can follow Christiano Rinaldo < soccer player > or the Rock < n' roll ?, kidding > I left a nice comment at  ' Dr Sweet_tooth ' md and then googled how to log out. Yes, special instructions on how to log out.
I must have offended Mr Gram b/c he sent an email ' apparently, you logged out - did you mean to ? ' Well, yeah

Follow up. I blogged that in YouTube vids on cleaning - grout, floors, toilets and shoe bottoms  < kidding ? > you should use Dawn dish detergent and vinegar. I've started using Dawn and vinegar to clean the shower and sink etc. On TV, I saw an ad for a cleaner that lets you unleash the power of vinegar < for $ 6 a bottle >. Too late, there - I unleashed the power weeks ago.

Oooh ! nachos day. M is making me homemade nachos. We bought the black beans, black olives < talk about racially motivated, kidding ? > and Tostitos chips. We had leftover cooked cabbage roll meat stuffing and we'll chop that up as the topping. I couldn't get Monterey Jack cheese but substitued marble and old cheddar b/c they were on sale at Giant Tiger.

I'm yawning here while typing away.

And the laptop is saying its 50 F out there but windy - the leaves and branches are waving away

Septo de Mayo

 hey ! we got a theme going here

We are below the average temperature for this time of year. In fact, we were married 34 years ago < almost > on May 9. We remember sweating while the photographer took his setup pictures.

Wow ! 33 y and 11 months and 29 days ago. Who woudda thunk

BTW, the number 24 th team beat # 12 last week. Last night the # 20 team beat #6. The Blue Jays must now be ranked something like 14 th as they prepare to meet #1 Maryland < undefeated >. Their record is 4 - 8 which does not sound impressive, however, in the B1G they played the #1 team twice, the # 6 team twice and the number 12 team and got one win during the season.

Go Jays !

The Lehman s icon :Enjoy 🎲 < games >

The day is gloomy but not cold - cool and a bit raw

My commision Birthday cake arrived. A neighbour does

cakes for special occassions

What could be more special - trapped by CV 19 and getting older ish Enjoy ! So, we ate it right away. Delice - ush

The plentiful situation in the workroom is resolving
Next problem. There is a pile of plastic tackle boxes that were the storage devices last year < maybe, the last years > for plentiful. 
Of course, I was always looking for these boxe on sale. Never seemed to have enough. That problem got solved.

My idea of a swap meet among the fishing guys is sounding better and better. Except for me, I'll need to practice give away as well.

Sixo de Mayo

 or whatever. We are doing nachos on Saturday, apparently w/ red wine.

FYI - there really was a ' Nacho ' person that gave their name to the snack

Zamboni is a real family name as well.The brothers invented the contraption in S California to tend the ice. Well, I hear there really was a Reagan from there too !

Well, we are still cool but the sunburst out and wind seems calm.

Dandelion patrol was a losing proposition. Used a water wand to uproot the enemy w/ roots about a foot long. My lawn is so overgrown that the neighbour asked permission to dig up dandelions close to the property line. I got 30 of the buggers w/ tails and all. 
Dandelion root is medicinal - ground up it prevents cancer or ruins your apetite

Cinco de

 May.  Oh good ! another reason to celebrate

At home. Alright, we'll do takeout. Post Script, we ate from Vienna Fine Food - goulash soup and ham and cheese sandwiches + cherry strudel

A dismal looking day but we've been told to expect a bit of clearing up for at least a day

We've been in Baltimore and found out the bar was hyping Cinco de Mayo < of course > w/ specialty drinks - we dove right in

OK. Looked at the floor in the workroom. It s junky but I might see a way to remedy the slight mess. REALLY the problem is that this remedy entails not including more ' plentiful ' in the tackle bag. More streamlining is needed.
Obviously, an on going situation. And you'll recognize that here, our season begins w/ open all year panfish to  walleye, starts to include bass as June arrives. Our choice of tackle similiarly goes through an evolution especially in size < as well, as type >

If you've been following the thread, you'll say wasn't your purge of equipment based on ' beginning bass ' fishing. Yes. And now, to that ' plentiful ' situation. Most of the remainder is smaller spoons, spinners and attractors. I'm thinking of a supplementary tackle bag for that smaller size lot.
For reference, last season ended and I brought home 90 % of the tackle in the boat. That amounted to 3 - 4 tackle bags worth of items

However, a portion of that tackle related to using the boat for fishing as well.

Segue. I perhaps mentioned the ' fairy ' lights < LED minis > that arrived for my Birthday ( four days away now ). Here is a try at the video

the 4 th Be With You

 and you
and you

the gray and humidity are still here and last for at least 2 days

Alrighty, for today
1. creating a lighted area for my worktable. Got a plan.
P.S. its late and yes, the new flourescent light is dynamic

2. tackle box is getting lighter and today will be lighter still
    I took a peek at boxes 3 and 4 < hard lures etc >. The ' system ' has 4 labelled boxes. Basically, its a media trick to make it seem that, a ) I'm organized and b) the paraphenalia is tested and reliable. OK. So some of that is true. I betcha that I've caught fish on at least 1 / 2 of the stuff. However, some lures have catchy names and look real neat

I don't have a ' whopper plopper ' which is getting a lot of press in fishing vlogs. Purple lizards are called ' purple lizard '. And they are purple and look like a salamander. Yes, the lizard is a salamander replica. I guess bass eat salamanders. I fish frog and mouse replicas.
And indeed, a few bass have gone for the mouse. And frog.

P.S. its late and the work is contnuing b/c there was a lot of plentiful many items were organized and compartmentalized. The 4 tackle boxes are slotted into the carrying shoulder bag. There is more space that could be fiiled
Except the stuff outside is plentiful - very plentiful. Thus, some selective culling is now required

In the news. Who to believe is the headline. The media has been quick to publish every tidbit that it finds or is released. Thus, you could find the following :

-  not all vaccines are equal or yes the vaccines are equally efficacious

- the authorities or those who have an anacronym. NACI is the national advisory committee on immunization is the chief source of out of date information. NACI, a panel of specialists specializes in getting out news releases based on data that is approximately, 3 weeks to a month or 2 out of date. NACI carefully weighs scientific publications thinks about it a while then makes sure that their collective asses are covered AND as today, confuse the poulace. In your local coffee shop, you could get the same piece of information.

NACI ranked the vaccine types that are available. Oh, beauty that.

To recap, my work table is illuminated. Chock a block w/ fishing paraphenalia - for now.
Much was stored w/ labels and the floor looks like children dumped their toys and left.

TG, there is another day

' the sun will come up tomorrow

tomorrow, tomorrow
it only a day away

Oh, its slowly dawning on me that my popcorn, nut and brittle food days are over. I'll need to safeguard my teeth.

Oops ! We have a miserable looking view

 longjohns ? OMG  

Wind howling away-   shakey ,shakey.for sure 

I'm trying the cursive feature - write on the tablet w/ a stylus

"Learning is slow and painful. Just discovered., my finger is better by far

the translator does not care about the size of the script that it sees 

and capital letters. Come after periods mostly

and options Pop up in the bar above

why are you doing this?

Dunno 

Back to the keyboard, a tad easier
You see, the handwriting on the tablet was supposed to be more creative. Spontaneous, effervescent

Nooooo. slow and sloppy. A long learning curve

Under the topic - what did you do today
1. Dug out weeds but more importantly filled the holes        where weeds came out < yes, hole > and added grass      seed. Weather should help as rain is predicted for 3 days.
This action is cosmetic. The weeds grow like topsy and are everywhere. But optics are important. The neighbour see me trying.

2. Slipper repair. The plastic sole split across the ball of     the sole and I appled cabinetmakers glue and                   weighted the inside of the slipper. 24 h and we will see. Of course, the plastic flexes and the trick is will the glue harden and flex as well. Likely not. But try is all you can do
' when you get caught between the moon and NY city '

3. A follow up from yesterday. A fisherman s tackle box     is as personal as a fingerprint. However, the one               guarantee is that it is chock a  block w/ bits. These bits are useful, fanciful but plentiful.
On YouTube, I watched    " getting started in bass fishing ".
Vol 1. What you need < notice ' NEED ' >. I thought ' why not ' at least go back and see what is bare minimum.
The guy was informative. Hooks, size 3 / 0 and 4 / 0.

I checked. Yes. 3 and 4 s. However, there were 5 / 0 < huge > and 2 / 0 and 1 / 0 and size #1 < smaller >. To streamline, I kept the 3 and 4s and some 5 s but essentially condemned a fistful of hooks to the alternative storage < are they travelling ? Don't know yet. >

For weights, he suggested bullet weights < hole through the middle > but I tossed in some split shot, b/c you never know. If one thing gets your tackle box full - its you never know. And ' never ' is the operative word

For lures, he trimmed it down to plastic worms - simple ones called ' trick worms '. The plastic lures < that go onto the hooks > are useful, fanciful and plentiful. In overall thinking, the trick worm is middle length and middle thickness. I found different size worms, frogs, lizards, grubs and minnows. Trick worms. A few. No, a bunch but not near the top < had to dig them out >. The rest gets consigned to alternative storage. But you never know !

For colour. Despite useful, fanciful and plentiful, he recommended pumpkin and black. Yes. the blues and reds and greens and pinks and sparkly silver got sent to alternative storage < you never know >

Note. The tackle boxes look empty. And the weight is down by 1/2.

For jigs. My primary fishing method. He got me down to 1 / 8 oz and 1 / 4 oz. Let me tell you, a whole lot of lead got re - assigned.

Spinners. Only 3 got to stay. The rest were 2 to 3 times the size of the mini and small ones.

Next is rods and reels

for the Birds 🐦

from Lehman s banner

And the birds are back. On a cool, gray and rainy day + Thunder

Alright about yesterday s entry. Come on - three paragraphs on connecting a hose ?

Look. It kicks the s**t out of complaining about Doug Ford < our Premier >  Or
Covid fatigue Or
the weather. 

Just think. A solution was found for a problem

Articles were re - used and not tossed holus bolus. Sure the hose is a major pain in the bottom
I've talked to people that bought cheapy hoses and received crap.
I know folks that paid an arm and leg for  ' kink proof ' hose and got tangles still
It demonstrtated resourcefulness - wasn't easy getting those clamps off the hose.
It was cold yesterday - thus, a thermos of boiling water was needed to warm the ' kink resistant ' Flexo Gen to get the couplers in.

What a boring life you lead - thats what you're thinking !

and Guess What Comes, First of May

 from the BeeGee s ?

all around the N hemisphere - May brings spring < or maximum spring if you're not in Canada >
We have a bonus day < before crap comes > sun is big and wind is mostly down.

Buds are out and the dandelions are epic. Sounds like spring to me

JHU is in the playdowns to see who gets to be waxed by Rutgers or  Maryland. Hop takes on Penn St in Penn. Next comes Maryland #1 ranked

The day held on. Cold to uncomfortable, however the sun made the day

A busy day of sorts. The major challenge was to prep the outdoor hoses. Yes, they were connected. Some years ago, I bought Flex Gen hoses, kink resistant technology. Alas, well built and heavy.
So, when you are buying garden hose, 25 ft costs $ x but a 50 ft hose is comparatively cheaper. You got it ! I bought the 50 ft one. What a pain to take out.
As a remedy I bought a second 25 ft Flex Gen.
It turns out that the 25 ft hose is much easier to uncoil and recoil. But too short to reach the far end of either lawn.
Thus, a whole lot of dragging and humping goes on if I need to water.

Lee Valley the Canadian tool supplier < garden, woodworking etc > offered a quick connect set for garden hoses. The plan cut the long hose and add an extension when needed but each hose is 25 ft to start.
The adapters screw into existing male / female ends and snap in. Further, the water can stay on while you do the exchange.
With the lockdown, its easier to use whatever you have at home to do the conversion. I took old hoses and cut off the metal end couplers < 1 female and 1 male >. The companies to save money and hassle clamp the fittings on under pressure < won't leak at all >. I needed to cut the metal joiners.

However, now done - 1 30 ft and 1  25 ft hoses are in the hose racks and a 20 ft extension is in the garage.

During dinner, I watched the scoreboard as a resilient Blue Jay team dominated the higher ranked Nittany Lions and went on to a 15 - 8 win. Their reward is Rutgers next Thurs < not Maryland as stated before >
To complete the topsy turvy day #5 Michigan beat #4 Ohio St. That means that # 5 and 6 won and each went into today at 2 - 8.