The Cool of the Fall

 #3137 of 3137

Be careful what you wish for, the old saying. But we will have moderate conditions for about 5 days.

The deck is the project, however, I cannot find a big crowbar around the house or garage < cottage for some reason  ? >. I do have a splitting head for logs < a twisty wedge and maybe ???? >

This job is the bane of all professionals. Trying to retrofit or replace a couple of boards. I know that they would rather go in and tear down. It can be fiddly work trying not to damage adjacent pieces < like the rest of the deck > This deck is 23 ? y.o and looks not too bad. 

the real test is when I get the boards up. if the cross pieces are sound underneath - thats good

In basketball, there is a saying ' no blood , no foul '. Well, there was no blood this morning. A hatchet fell on my arm twice < hatchet was a wedge to pry boards >. The method was hammer in a splitting wedge < used to split logs etc > to get the boards lifted a bit. I used hatchets to pry further along the deck board at the next cross piece. 
Trial and error showed that a hatchet dropping from above hurts. Thus, I refined my technique and dropped the hatchet on the ground.
Overall, the wood of the cross pieces looked not too bad but I am making scabs < extra wood plates >to reinforce some cross members.
I celebrated w/ a beer.

Afghanistan And Our Election

 Ooops ! You don't plan for barn burners. But get them anyway. " Canada has abandoned interpreters and local aides " reads the headlines

A rainy day is shaping up < at least it poured overnight - thunder etc >

Gray conditions out there w/ sun starting to peep through.
I began the process of replacing deck boards. The deck is approx 23 yrs old now. I've replaced two rails and 2 deck boards. This damaged area is where there is no overhang from the roof and I guess takes a beating. This next stage is 5 deck boards. Hoping, of course, that the frame members are still solid.

Okay. Step 1 - accomplished for $ 50. Boy, 16 ft is long - the one board overhung the tailgate by almost 3 ft.

I reconnoitered the deck situation and practiced by taking out a short deck board. I'm mentally calculating how to repalce the 5 boards. Obviously, different lengths and how to save cuts etc. BTW, I was sweating jsut doing the small board piece.

Closing Out the Season

 ... of course, its been a different kind of summer. 

A very tentative start fraught w/ doubt and worry. Expanding opportunities came along w/ more openings and we finish out w/ rising CV 19 # s and kids going back to school. Meaning ??????? Dunno

Last afternoon, we sat out w/ the neighbours and bemoaned our fates. They have kids, thus it can be very interesting. The daughter was off to SkyZone for trampoline and other activities. Son had a dinner party at a pub. < the gang doesn't drink - they're approx 26 y.o >

A bright day and still winds mostly. A quiet day ahead ???

" Stuck in the Middle w/ You

 lyrics from 

B/c a coolish yesterday is giving way to H / H back again for 4 days. The air really was drier w/ warmth and a breeze. We have rain threatening today.

CV 19 is the ' Never Ending Story '. Covid is mounting a miltary operation coming in waves [ ashore ]. Our Ontario # s are up well over 600  a day - and school starts in 2 weeks, sending a million unvacinated victims into classrooms which cannot handle the heat let alone a virus.

BTW, re: CV 19 # s. We were down to 100 + a bit at our lowest. Thus, we have a resurgence.
The day is mainly overcast and the ehat hasn't built in. We hosted a backdeck get together w/ next door people and now get a return invite to their place - snacks and drinks.

Twice in a Week

 A friend E. had the week off and we went fishing. First. HOT and sticky. However, a little breeze kept kicking up. Morning was slow and then we found a deep - er spot < maybe 8 ft > that was holding fish. This event occured after fishing weed patches and stumps for an hour.

Logic says ' fish the cover '. On occassion logic sucks, big time

 We moved and went to a dock that has rocks in front. Yep, bass were out there away from cover and hungry. I needed help w/ the first largemouth as he dove for the weeds. The bass came to the boat wrapped in 4 # of weeds.
Finally, we headed back to the dock. The trolley had balked going down the ramp in the morning thus we greased the wheels. I soaked my shirt just doing that

Then we did what is always a bonus when up there. We ate in an A/C restaurant 3 miles form the cottage. Old Railroad restuarant was open. Really tasty food and tremendous service. AND cool.
So, back the furnace and a nap.

We did inside clean up watching ' Captain Marvel ' and went out at 6 P. Still smoking hot out there. One fish but a 3 lb smallmouth. OK home and a bite to eat. Shower and hit the road.

Oh, did I say it was hot and humid. I did. Well, it was hot and humid 

Today, recovery. Re - hydrate and rest.

Supposedly

 its a tranquil day. No big plans.
We shall see said the Zen Master

Follow up. The Duet keyboard < or spill victim > is dried out and working. And it is a tad uncomfortable. Thus, I'm glad that I obtained the larger keyboard < of course, I'd say that - I bought the thing 

The hot and sticky day was spent inside - A/C rules. However, the kitchen got a surface clean - counters, floor and mats shook out < debirs from the window install was everywhere >. I washed the truck windows of bug dirt in all its glory. I managed to reinforce a typing slide out board under the computer table top that was getting used as a support for M as she stands . The legs needed bracing to ensure that the legs stay upright and not kicking out to the side.

a Fishing Day

 and a whole lot more ( Aug 23 yesterday )

First, great breeze out on the river.

Some cloud cover

Then the sun came out -eek ! Plus one of the guys gets a request for a 5 person conference call re: a possible breach of contract < building sales >. One and 1/2 h. 

We < 2 > went out and fished close to home barely beating the downpour. Lunch

Some days are devoted to a specific task. Tuesday was ' oli change ' day. Wow ! just that ?
I guess that you expected something more - so did we. BUT
Oil change it was. Scene 1. We drive 20 min and drop off my truck. Drive home. And 1 hr later, yep - go pick it up. $90
Scene 2. Drive 12 min and pull into the bay at " Oil Changers < franchise >. Watch as he changes the oil and filter, lubes the doors, checks all fluid levels and the air filter. Plus the car wash is free. Yepper. $ 90
< P.S.  we were sheduled for an appointment at the young guy s place but had to cancel >

I'm trying to build a rapport w/ a mechanic that we can trust. Young and personable. Worth the drive ?
Dunno. That was our day AND it is a smoker out there H/H like it was Toronto

Chores were on tap < yes, in the full sun >. I was sweating, standing and holding the drill. Finally, we got out together for some evening fishing
But success. Some largemouth and rock bass were eager 

Still H / H out there today

" so Good to Me ...

Monday, Monday " sang the M and P s.

Hot and sticky sing S Ontarians. Our usual and expected conditions for August. Not like Greenland 

Sunday Aug 22 in the year 2021

 # 3129😎

OK we awoke and said ' coffee ' or we migrated toward the kitchen and the coffee thermos

Migrated is very apropos. An unspoken need to move toward   ' java ' < not the country >

The day is sunny and predicted to be H / H

Yes, it  is. Totally, summer  and Toronto for  sure

I've watched two keeper Netflix movies. " Love and Monsters " looked to be sad but got much better. The premise is that mutated reptiles, amphibians and insects dominate the earth after an UFO encounter. An awkward lad hides underground w/ a colony. He sets out to retrun to an ex - girlfriend in another colony.
His path is marked by creatures and some friendly fellow wanderers. However, he does arrive. Arrives to find a colony about to be saved < not ! > Its a setup to victimize the colony. Our hero saves the day and returns to his parent colony to liberate them. Slow start but better ending

" Lancaster " is a WW II flick. A re - tread Spitfire pilot is tranferred to Bomber Command. Overcoming psychological isssues of himself and the crew , he leads a mission to bring the war to Germany. Not quite, ' Memphis Belle ' but similar.

Gray ish

 start to the day

From Environment Canada - a heat alert

Hot and humid conditions expected to continue today then possibly into early next week.

Maximum temperatures: 31 degrees Celsius, with humidex values 36 to 40.

Minimum temperatures: near 22 degrees Celsius.

On the highest summit of Greenland - there was rain < not snow >

So what ? warm is every where EVEN on a mountain top its not freezing

The day was a warm one. Threatening rain part of the day but maybe sprinkles.

Skylight III

 kidding !

As stated, new skylights seem brighter < white frame vs wood tone > AND the surface is a bit larger

We opted for the crank by hand ala pole vs solar. The new crank system is a little more awkward b/c the angle of the frame means that you need to hold the butt end of the crank pole up a bit more.

C'est la vie

Warm - ish out there. I made a run to SuperStore for supplies. Almost empty store and no one lined up at checkout < a real person not a scanner like I usually do for self checkout >.

And the landscape co. delivered an estimate for a part re - grassing of the front. Take up some interlock under the bay window and re - plumb the downspout

 " Yes,there is a meeting here tonight " sang ' Joe & Eddie ' < years ago >
The meeting was not religious but poker related. Joe and Eddie meant Gospel

Skylight II

 well, yesterday, after arriving ' oops ! ' - the window curb package was missing. One of the installers drove 45 min to meet the courier 1/2 way from the yard. And of course, the guy took off w/out leaving the extra tool bag w/ the shingle cutter.

And it drizzled 

Nice guys and they come back to finish the job

Humid and partly sunny BUT no rain predicted < 20 % chance til afternoon
Then a thundershower may test the skylight seals

Wowzers ! that is a sweating kind of day. The skylight guys got it done. New look through the roof. Wisely, I used the leaf blower both days after the work truck left.          I found a shingle nail and a screw < before they found my tires > - one each day.

The day won't cool off much this night plus humidity

Skylight Day

 if the rain holds off as predicted. We have a steel roof and the roof people are coming to do the job

yes it s cloudy out

The crew is here - on time. They said most of the day

And trouble in ' River City ' ala the ' MusicMan ' . The skylights won't come out !!!! More news at 11 

RAIN ! - amounted to drizzle

However, delays all around thus Day 2 is now booked

Brighter feeling w/ the new skylights

A Long Process

 ends. I have a replacement tooth. Time was 5 months. discomfort was discomfort

But its in.

day is cloudy and warm and damp. Anything could happen

I'm turning to blogging for comfort. Why ? Dunno
Its a blah day. In the news, highlights " Barry, the barred owl in Central Park died. " And Canada is in Day3 of the 36 day election cycle < shortest period allowed by law >. TG. 

Afghanistan in turmoil - again. 

Sun broke out and brought some cheer

Oh, celebrated ' new tooth day ' by getting Chinese takeout from Skyland - nothing good for me but noodles, s/ s chicken, BBQ pork, shu mai, and sushi

Aha, new skylights come tomorrow - weather permitting

When Catching .....

... a fish would have ruined a beautiful boat ride

NOT but I tried and failed miserbly. Fished the likely culprits and went where I wanted

NO   NO

Shut out !  Nada !  El Zippo !

Wind gusted a bit, sun shone a lot - very few boats

You realize that this is how inferiority complexes begin

Ruining the Economy < post #3122 >

 Amazon has informed ' your item has shipped ' [ in one day ]

FYI, a wireless mouse and keyboard - yes, it replaces the wonky keyboard from the spill. Yepper, somehow liquid got into some circuit.
This new keyboard is shorter than the one that I've been using - it will pack better for travel - and the present keyboard doesn't fit the carry case that I use in the house to organize the Duet computer stuff.

Sun is bursting out aujourdhui. Drier weather has set in.

Ruining the economy - b/c Amazon et al w/ free delivery and same day shipping etc - raised consumer expectations and horizons.
The net result, is the demise of local vendors < how do you compete w/ free delivery and low prices >. And the ultimate poorest combination is instant delivery and small purchases < i.e. one item >

However, I wouldn't know where to go to match the Amazon assortment or price. Now, this keyboard could be crap. Reviews are better than average and for $ 30, I'll take a flyer.
I was going to wait and find a keyboard where I could see it etc.

However, since the wetted keyboard is definitely not coming back, time to bite the bullet.

The day is warm and dry w/ a compensating breeze

Delivered on time by Amazon.

So, review. Pre-charge both keyboard and mouse via USB cable [ beware that mouse cannot charge on high power i.e. over 0.5 A whereas a lot of chargers put out 2.5 A at 5V ]. Keyboord and mouse are re-chargeable { good and bad - easy but more things could go wrong }
The keyboard is smaller w/ no numeric pad and some weird shortcuts.
But as stated I've got used to usiing a keyboard w/ the Duet [ as opposed to being in tablet mode, handier but not for me ]

My evaluation is - good choice

However, seems like a good feel and spacing. Mouse is low profile and comfortable.

Reviews state that the charge lasts a good while. So far, touch wood, the charge time seems to be approx 2 h. The comapny is called Inphic and their products seem dependable and as advertised. AND, in the Amazon description, the colour was ' rose - gold ' not my first choice and I tried changing the colour in the picture - nope. In the end, Inphic or Amazon sent a slate gray on silver keyboard -happy here.

And yes, the compact Inphic keyboard is easy to use < I even make the same mistakes that I make on the full size keyboard < this is a good thing ? >

At the Tiger, got crumpets and beef /pork burgers < traditional blend > and the cashier asks ' will you donate a dollar to Children s Help Line ? '
' sure ' then she hands me a ballot and says ' you're in the draw for a gift basket ' - neat. But I donated just to donate. Oh well. I cound always give the basket to the Cedarbrae Community Church < Salvation Army affiliate >

Somewhere II

 ... my love waits for me " lyrics from the Tymes

somewhere beyond the sky and sea "

Indeed, the air began to change last night or early evening. The wind had a bit of crispness - way less humid.

From the CBC : CV 19 mandates are coming, our planet is in trouble and big business and marketers aren't helping < oh ! imagine ? >

For good news -> go touch some grass < the green stuff on your lawn >, hug a tree

Reality. I often forget how lucky that I am.

 From 1963 to 1977, the family owned a cottage on L Chemung. " on " is an euphemism, for access to the lake. A cut or channel ran from in front of our property to the lake. It took 6 minutes at troll speed to reach the south end of L Chemung.
We ran  a 14 ft aluminum and 9.9 HP Merc. We ' owned the lake ' in our minds '. My dad saw that our cousins sold their cottage < same road, same cut > for an absurd price. ' we can do better than that '
AND he did. But I lost ' our lake'.  

We knocked around for two years or so. Using an Uncle's cottage and renting in S. Ont.
In 1980, I bought a house. So, what do you do ? You go looking for a cottage. 

I chose Wasaga Beach and the Nottawasaga R < walleye and trout >. High on a bluff, w/ a ' one a day ' hill to climb, we accessed ' Ontario s rainbow highway < steelhead trout >.

We were veteran fishers. We missed opening weekend. However, the first weekend that we could - dada !. Brother goes out and catches 6 trout and I got one. Following week, disaster!
Skunked all day Saturday. Brother sleeps in, on Sunday. I went early. By the time brother walks down, I'm releasing # 5 rainbow. 
Yes. the boys were back ! This was April < last 2 weekends >

Reality. We went fishless all of May and first week of June. We watched a friend w/ buddies head upriver. We took our boat and followed. They stopped, we stopped and fished. Finally, their boat headed home. We slipped up to where they had been fishing and....

each got a steelhead. W/ great humility, we motored home. Thus, for 15 years, the cottage was a getaway. But in 1996, my brother passed away form heart complications.

I kept the cottage. Never the same again. Not sad memeories but wistful, for sure. In 2006 - I gave up and sold the place.

Well, in 2008, late in the year, M and I bought the current cottage / house < it was never a cottage til we bought >. Nirvana, once more.

I used to laugh when I heard or saw ' buy this condo and get a docking spot for your boat ' < in Fla etc >. The most common comment that we got ? ' he bought a place where he can put his boat.

.We don't own the place anymore but the boat is still there.

The story then is - I've owned or used a cottage for 58 yrs. Spoiled ? you bet and often forgetful. I've been able to fish many summers and since 2003 - well, anytime. " Sometimes a fool gets lucky " sort of......

"Some fools get lucky

The first time out, take a chance on love and they win
But some fools like me, they never learn
They keep on playin' the game
And it turns out the same
Oh, when will it ever be lucky me?  "

the real lyrics to  Anne Murray song

A warm ish tolerable day - definitely summertime

Somewhere

 the sun is shining ..... but not in Mudville

b/c Mighty Casey has struck out " from the poem, you know

Unofficially, Canada has entered wave 4 of CV 19. I'm not sure who makes it official but hospital Senior Admin says ' Yes '

I wear a Tilley hat, same style since that weekend we were married. We each took $ 100 from our gift money and bought something. I saw the Tilley down at the waterfront market and bought it. Cost $ 25. Tilley Co. replaces the hat free of charge. But if the hat is lost then you are out of luck. Yes, I've lost a  Tilley twice now. The last replacement was $ 80. 
In total, I've paid $ 165 to wear a Tilley for 34 yrs. And I mean 34 yrs. The Tilley travels, fishes, toils and protects my head.
First loss was in 2008 when the Tilley flew off my head in Lake Chemung< that was # 3 >. Next, was 2015 < # 4 > when the Tilley got left in a cab. No luck in ' lost and found.

The day is smoker - heat and humidity w/ slight wind

Oh, its official - 4 th wave CV 19 is here. Medical Officer of Health said it on TV

Many areas of Canada are walking back on some openings for CV 19
e.g. mask removal - not happening

Alright, why the Tilley talk. Well, Tilley Co.used to let you keep the worn out hat. The clerk put an ' X ' inside your hat - for returned. Thus, you kept the old one and got a new one.
I wore the old hat to rags. I was gifted a ' Field and Stream ' similar hat but it was too small. I tried opening it up a bit but not a success.

Today, I cut the top off of ' Field and Stream ' and sewed the top onto the rim of the old Tilley hat. Not pretty but its a spare for fishing and working.

Better than wasting that 'Field and Stream ' hat.

Awake or Pretending

 And I've found a new TV series thats not bad. Quirky but not bad.

It is an English detective series. ' Professor T ' has as its plot : a young detective sergeant recalls peculiar lectures from a Criminology prof. Insightful but different.

Prof Tempest is called in to help. He appears wearing surgical gloves, prim and neat. Prof T is - well, OCD, socially tolerable < mostly > but very observant. I believe that Tempest has other psychological quirks but these defy naming.

Sweat is on tap today and tomorrow cooler air is forecasted for the coming week. Last night driving home, the CBC had a segment where a former meteorologist was explaining the system that has settled over the West < especially for her B.C. > I'm sure that she dumbed it down for the listeners, still despite the fact that the explanation made sense -  hard to get the all the points.

The long range from Brett Anderson at Accuweather for the Great Lakes basin especially L Ont and L Erie

Aug 18 - 24 hot and dry

Aug 25 - 31 hot and drier

Sep 1 - 7 drier and very warm

These predictions are for the whole Great Lakes region, tho'

[[ This portion is typed on the ' newly ' re-dried original attachable keyboard for the Duet. I've been slowly drying the keyboard w/ the heat gun. Last go round, the keyboard was alright for a few hours and then went bonkers - doing repeats and stray numbers. Trouble is that I've really developed a preference for the bigger keyboard. Never dreamed that I would resnet the smaller keyboard called 3 / 4 X. The bigger keyboard is a 1 1 / 2 X or zone. ]]

Now, I'm back to Mr Big keyboard. Funny, exactly the same typing mistakes that I'd make on the smaller keyboard.

Bass Surrenders

 to my charm. OR the Yum Dinger that I threw out there

Tres hot and humid - sticky as warm toffee

or sweat lodge for everyone to cleanse the soul and shakra the spirit

Actually, except for the gusting winds out of the SW, being on the water was comfortable. Inside the Q - different story. I slept downstairs for the first time in my history at the Q.
It was cool.

Song Tuning

 or arrangements

That song ' Gentle on My Mind ' was almost bluegrass / country in the original. Many singers use an uptempo version and almost verging on pop status.

I discovered the ' Peterson s ' video on YT and this styling is slightly uptempo but sounds more than country and a tad bluegrass.

Also success ( ? ), dental adjustment went well. The upper pre - molar has taken 4 visits < some discomfort and angst > but yesterday - maybe success. The dentist managed to shape the anchor and build up cement to make a post for the crown. XXXXX fingers that next week the crown goes on easily.

The weather was a real T.O. smoker. Typically, we'll get 5 - 6 days of H / H to prove we're Caandian or somesuch.

This current bout of ' sauna ' style conditions is set for 5 days.

The long range weather, ala Brett Anderson at Accuweather

Aug 5 - 11 seasonal

Aug 6 - 12   ( hot and muggy ala my blog )

Okay. Definitely seasonal out there - H / H

Ran out for double sided tape

' forever you are gentle on my mind .......... [ post # 3116 ]

 the lyrics of John Hartford

R.I.P

From the CBC, not recent but on-going problems : vaxx hesitancy, the West is dry and coping post - lockdown.

And we are hot and humid in the ' six '. Summer plus, but tolerable aorund here.

Destination - toth repair central at the dentist or the penultimate in taking care of an upper left pre-molar

Taoist Tales

 What happened to the Zen Master

I thought that it was a real story  ......

Well, mostly real.

Overcast day, and I don't need to see the CBC online feed. " Fourth Wave fears ", " delta variant danger "
" Olympics Lose Money "

Thus, our dinner was from Dairy Queen, last night. The burger was tasty < salty to me, M loved it > and the fries were ordinary but cheese covered and gravy dabbled.

The best part was - a short drive as in 4 min whereas the                        ' 6 Burger Bar ' is 20 minutes. Lazy is as lazy does

And only drive thru is allowed there. I not a fan of drive thru - but last night, perfect for my mood. Slam, bam and thank you ma'am !

Yes. sometimes an alternative is presented and you say ' what ? ' but it works out. Hopefully, though, we will not ' dine ' ala DQ, too often

Sunday, is or was a tradition at Giant Tiger. The CV 19 situation disrupted the routine. Okay, GT doesn't have the best prices necessarily. Some products are slightly less than elsewhere. But compact is the word.
The stuff that I habitually buy found in a smaller store < sic, GT is the size of the produce dept at RCSS < superstore >. RCSS is like a military campaign 
- you have a battle plan and execute. Survival is the game.

GT is a stroll - look at this, look at that. Buy my coleslaw < lower price, for  this > cookies and sausage < 1/2 price today >- the bare minimum, you see.

What more could you ask ? AND I got L s Birthday present. Let s see, this will be the 51 st year that we've exchanged BD gifts. In GT, I saw a corduroy backpack - stylish and functional < if L doesn't want it then I'll use it >
<< oh, right that will jive nicely w/ the 8 other backpacks that I have >>  <<< useful and quirky, all of them >>>

Backpacks: 3 yellow w/ Cheerios logo, 1 canvass from 1968 or so,

1 orange from 1970 bought for camping, 4 assorted smaller rucksacks - b/c they are handy, every ten years or so. Others too.

The main culprit is a Regatta backpack. While en route to England, 4 years ago, I notice 3 younger fellas w/ handy medium size backpacks. Oh, mine was big and heavy. 

The black beauty is a computer carrier. Meant for a 17 in laptop and accessories. It has pockets galore, a metal lined pocket for film or X Ray sensitive material and padding plus a pocket tarp to cover the whole shebang. However, while in a gardening/ home store, I looked over and saw ' 1/2 price ! for 24 L Regatta knapsacks '

$16 all in. yessir ! snapped it up. The story doesn't end there. our hosts went w/ us to the Island of Jersey. Out on main street, the first day, T disappears and pops out w/ a matching knapsack to mine. He had been watching for 10 days and said ' right size for me ' 

The never ending story, 

Oh, boy its the 7 th of August

 ... what does that mean

Dunno, a year since last Aug 7

The day is bright and fairly still. Likely another warm day.

An update on the ' new ' lite workout < no exhaustion, really is what it has meant > The only change is really that I'm not super tired and I have less percentage in the ' hard ' category for BPM. Makes a lot of sense.

Do I sweat less - NO 

We shall see said the Zen Master

How it all began :

There is a Taoist story of an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit.

"Such bad luck," they said sympathetically.

"We'll see," the farmer replied.

Of course, my reference is the segment from " Charlie Wilson s War "

And dinner was DQ < Dairy Queen > 

Swiss Mushroom burgers and poutine

All of the major food groups were consumed - except anything healthy

julius Augustus 6 MMXXI

 or close to that

If you need to know - yes, I'm up at 4:45 w/ coffee, typing away.

Since, the last entry above, I went through the CBC online categories < weather > hot and humid < health > the delta wave and unvaxxd populations < science > climate change and wildfires < business > financial aid b/c of CV 19 will end soon
Well, what did you expect ? - its " all the crap that fits to be printed "
Oh ! through the lens of some writer - forgot the spin part - rather spin on spin

Oops ! we have a problem - the attachable keyboard is doing ' funnies ' which are repeats of letters and adding ' 4 ' whenever it wants

perhaps a little more dry out time is needed

A warmish day w/ humidity and a goodly breeze to help

" You're a Steely - Eyed Missileman

 or somesuch - is a quote from ' the Martian ' as they try and get an astronaut back to the mothership. The innovative types that solve problems are those ' steely eyed ' dudes and dudettes

V I C T O R Y - the keyboard has dried out. 6 days but the keyboard works < for now >

However, I'm still using the keyboard attached < magnetically > and the ' big ' keyboard < USB > wireless mode. This setup is overkill
I guess that I got used to the big keyboard - so much easier to type.
In total, the experience has made typing easier at home, plopped on the sofa. Thus, I guess that we are talking ' alternatives ' to the status quo.

When I was researching the Lenovo Duet, the convertible nature of the device < both table and laptop - detaching the keyboard was easy > and power b/c of  ARM technology. At the time 3 yrs ago, ARM was usually limited to smart phones < very handy and powerful >. Putting ARM architecture into the laptop build expanded the App readiness of the laptop so the device could rival a smartphone in adaptibility.

The keyboard - functional not brilliant - was an acceptable make-do situation. The ARM build did mean that docking and dongling was going to be wide open. The ARM was said to run 6 plug in devices < screens, Harddrives, keyboards, mouse and everything simultaneously.

Thus, the keyboard plug in that I'm using is really not much for the Duet. And as mentioned, carry the keyboard and use the setup when convenient. Otherwise the attached keyboard is handy and protective for the tablet sceen. BTW, I cannot get used to the tablet mode.

And for years, the English relatives kept saying laptops are so passe. However, I also heard sentiments that went ' tablets are cute but they are not computers per se ' more like glorified phones. The Duet was an acceptable compromise. BTW, this Duet is a generation at least out of date. The followers have been just as versatile and way more powerful and utilitarian. But then, its hard to keep up w/ the onward progress of computing devices

To be fair, I never understood the ' foo-for-rah ' about cell phones until we bought those Moto G8 s. As mentioned, my exercise regime is recorded and monitored by my phone, and the house alarm system < and the home phone message app are phone driven.

The day is sunny and H/ H < wnet out for 10 minutes and came back in > TOO hot 

The Patio Day

 for us. M s friend A will meet us for brunch - since Dec 2019, our first meet up

On a sunny day, w/ humidity ? < we shall see >

a Day Away

 at the Q. Fishing, baby sitting - the usual

What ?     Well, A and his wife H were there w/ two baby girls and me.

Quite the experience - I survived .... obviously

Lovely day, a little warm but sunny and breezy

One rock bass. Good get away

Ah, ' Adventures in Babysitting '

Still Drying

 out the keyboard. But the replacement regular keyboard is a big win. Clunky but easy to use

Up at 5 < so what, thats old news >, went back to sleep for 2 h. Tired but not exhausted.

Swept through the CBC online. My quick take: delta variant a problem, employers can't find workers, wildfires are a climate change problem

See. The regular drivel

And another go at heat drying the keyboard. FAIL !

I am pricing out new keyboards. Haven't found the exact replacement at Lenovo yet

And hope is fading for a recovery from the spill - sayonara keyboard.

Marvie day, a little of everything but rain. Called Ohio and re - connected < very important >

Suundaag

and haven't a clue about what tomorrow is called in Lehman - ese

Up and typing at 5:15 AM. Can't fall back to sleep
Hey, we've heard this before

Oops ! spilled some Benadryl lotion on the keyboard of the other Chromebook. I wiped it up quick but later the typing didn't match what was on the screen. Anyway, I can still use the thing as a tablet AND worse case - I can use a another keyboard on a docking pod < dongle >

And still no joy w/ damaged keyboard. Thus, plenty of practice in tablet mode. 

And I need the practice, or baby fingers

OR. You take a full size wireless keyboard from downstairs and plug it in.

Bonus: the keyboard sits on your lap or wherever. The original laptop / tablet keyboard is minature. When you went to type it was kinda scringe down to type anything longer than a sentence. However, you need to carry the bloody full size keyboard w/ you.
But I likely would get by w/ tablet mode. Or carry the keyboard extra and break it out when fixed in a place - lets say Florida.
Meanwhile downstairs, I got out the heat gun and gently started to dry out the keyboard that got wetted. I'm going real slow - as in stages.
XXXXXX fingers for this.

However, this new plug in keyboard thingy is GREAT

Like Tony the ' Tiger ' " says,  its GREAT "

Thus, I will explore ' Amazon ' style for other keybaords that plug in

BTW, yes the mouse comes w/ the keyboard < first thing M asked when she saw the new setup >

Amazon offers wireless keyboard and mouse for $ 40