Flash Sale ! Your last chance to save on words
Yeah ! like there was a hope
Blather unlimited..... and proud of it
Our arms are a little tender but M might have a reaction to the shot - chills etc. Soup time for sure, today
Rest and hydrate
Me too, if I'm smart
is a character in a SciFi or alternately, Fantasy. BUT
There is Sarah Silverman. Irreverent and feisty might cover her schtick however she is different.
Her comment on Christmas, ' all the best Xmas songs are by Jewish writers ' , we grew up w/ a Hannukah ' bush ' so that we wouldn't feel so left out at Christmas. I think she makes me re- evaluate what comedy can be.
Snow on the ground b/c it is cold out there. We are talking 26 maybe going to 32 but it will be tight. Sun is out thus melting is possible today.Blue sky through the trees. The paper landed 10 ft from the porch < in a baggie >. I know that this isn't horseshoes BUT hey dude ' a little closer !
A day of sun, we got our third Vax today. Thus, in 2 weeks our CV 19 protection is up-to-date. We can party all night and party all day - yea, if we don't fall asleep, first. Which is really the best likelihood, always the best possibility.
Let us see. Well, the homemade bread sitution. We have almost finished that ' practice loaf '. Granted - not the best or second or third or ....... mayyyyybbbbbeee, 6 th place. Edible and fresh tasting - not memorable.
Actually, to quote, Nigel Starling in ' the Ghost and the Darkness ', " the struggle is the glory "
He was trying to convert non - believers and I was trying to convert flour to ' mannah ' or somesuch.
Knew it - shoulda gone for the wine from water
snow falls in Ontario. Yes, we are white. A layer of snow is now warming the gorund b/c the air temperature is 28 F plus a wind chill b/c you can hear the wind
How do you spell ' FIASCO ' - well fiasco
NO
NO bread. I'v been saying ' bake bread ' and yesterday, was it. On YouTube, I watched ' never buy bread again - make it ! ' E Z PZ recipe. One bowl and 45 minutes.
Right. Everything gets measured - OK
Then. Add hot water, oil to the dry. Mix well.
A ball of dough forms. Ah, but was the water too hot < kills yeast cells >.
Time for the rising of the dough. 20 minutes. Nope, nada. Read some articles. Rising can take 2 hrs. Yes, hours. So, wait. Wait. Wait.
Oh - did the dough get bigger ? Huh ? Maybe.
Knead again and let rise. The riginal recipe calls for 10 - 20 minutes. It takes at least 40.
Good. Pop in oven for 20 minutes. Of course, it doesn't work. Thus, another 45 minutes later - a ' creature ' resembling bread emerges.
The loaf was smalish but tasty.
Egad. 4 1/2 hrs all in. They built Giza in less time
Chalk it up to - life......... experience and CHEAP
Cheap ? An article that I read emphasized. Try bread. Make mistakes and keep going. Its only flour. You have a bag. Thank you - Mister ????? but thank you
or
I'm in Walmart on Black Friday - HELP !
I drove M to the doctor yesterday. The plaza shares the parking lot w/ the Medical Suites building. The closest mall entrance was, yes, Walmart. The situation was normal until I saw the people' s eyes. Frenzy.
Definitely, frenzy.
I escaped and sat in the car. I jotted some notes while safely harboured in the Subaru.
life in the wire - is a Google Doc now. Ramblings really
And how different from this blog
Likely not. Alternately, how could it be
Alright, Football crazy day ' day after Thanksgiving ' get together. Kentucky Fried Rat was the mains, supplemented w/ macaroni salad and coleslaw. A slew of desserts, primarily cake, b/c the host is a hope to be diabetic.
Fair. A pleasant afternoon. The talk was banter and never serious ecept when it turned to hockey b/c this is Canada afterall.
And while trunk diving - in Denis s car boot, I got a Team Finland hockey sweater < slightly dented > that reads, of course, " SUOMI " Always wanted one
... I tell myself that I
am so lucky to be loving you ' ala Margaret Whiting circa 1940
OR Cyndi Lauper ' Lying in my room ...... and think of you '
'Flash back warm nights ......
Suitcases of memories ...... '
A fall day in all its glory -cool to cold, dampness in the air. A suppressed day, waiting on......
The annual Football after Thanksgiving Day gathering, occurred. A big success.It turned out that, it was also a high school re - union as well.
We ate Kentucky Fried Rat and pizza plus a wide selection of desserts.
All healthy and nutritious - ahem.
....who sang the blues
and I asked her for some happy news
but she said the music wouldn't play " D McLean
I was ' blew ' myself
I blew leaves out of the gutters, yesterday aft. < cute segue, eh ! >
Actually, based on other experiences, I anticipated a failed attempt. Surprise !
Easily a 9.5 / 10 job. There were stray dribbles of leaves but not packed in gobs < as I've seen previous >. I celebrated w/ a Carling Ice 5.5 % beer. AND pizza, leftovers. Dynamic.
Of course, I'm < overly > proud of my ' system ' to de - leaf the gutters from the ground < OK, I need the step ladder for most parts, b/c I'm too short >
However, the betting says that a 2 ft fall beats a 14 ft fall every time.
Truth to tell, my tape jobs on the lower hoses was a poor try - 3 times the air blasted the hoses apart. I have a 'Echo ' brand leaf blower and a ' Stihl ' brand pipe assembly. Those two are cylindrical but the have slightly different contours, hence the tape.
We surmise that we need a) better tape
b) better tape - er person
c) or both
But we are stuck w/ what we got
Also, it was " apple cake " day. Naturally, the ' more apples than cake ' is / has become a regular feature here.
And it passed the ' the proof is in the pudding ' test. Voila !
.... we are de - leafed. Official
W/ full gutters as well
Sun is the day s featurew/ a cold wind - not cool, cold and damp
and deeper in debt "' goes the ditty -- ' I owe my soul to the company store ' or Amazon as the case may be
After whining about ' not a disease ' my right knee aches like a sprain or twist ..... and I'm innocent b/c I didn't do anything.
right Dr Jeff, not a disease
just torment
you weenie
Colder today w/ a 6 degree wind chill
our fav show ' Dr Jeff - Rocky Mt Vet ' has the doc quoting " old age is not a disease "
Por Favor, el doctor - yes it is. I'm living proof. I recall throughout my life hearing ' hey, you better get in better shape ! '
And this is when I was 165 # and running 14 miles a week. I finished 320 something out of 3 500 runners at the Vancouver Sea Wall Run. " you need to get in shape "
Old age is breakdown disease. Heck, my exercise has the goal of maintain. Maintain what ? A creaky old body
Right ! Guess I'm in one of those moods.
Yeah, we can celebrate standing
walking....... breathing
Amen...... amen
as in all great battles, some individuals are lingerers. One tree that we look at is 80 % leafed, greeny - yellow but looking summery. Everywhere else you have a bare look. I imagine some readers are thinking ' don't they have naything better to do than report on leafage
You are right and wrong. This view is trees and we watch the scene change from a leaf screen and wall to a sightline across the ravine < and the back of the plaza comes into view - not our favourite image but its only the roof line above the treeline . >
A report form our medical officer of health for Ontario highlighted the difference between Ontario and our cross border nirghbour Michigan
Ontario w/ a population a third bigger than MI has 700 cases as a rolling average daily.
MI is coping w/ 7 000 cases. I think the guy was trying to say ' that you should re - consider running across the border, even if you didn't require a molecular CV test to return to Cda.
in the trees are now in the minority.
Today has promise - no rain and sun. Still cool out there FOLKs. I ventured out tres early and visited Walmart. I was trying something different.
Store was sparsely filled w/ people and aisles open and friendly.
is an upcoming Netflix original.
My version is ' Re - inventing the Wheel '. 3 yrs ago I decided that a mail slot in the side door of the garage wasn't the best. Thus, I cut a slot in the aluminum garage door front.
That left the original mail slot in the garage door. I patched the opening w/ tape and hope. The fail happened about a month ago. People could see the tape falling down and a gap in the door. Now, the door isn't much. I figure its an inside door that someone thought would be ' OK' or barely serviceable.
The door has the integrity of a pablum. But its my door. Thus, I re - patched w/ spit and tape - will it make the winter ? kinda repair. It is a better patch but in the same vein of - anything beats tape falling down etc.
We shall see said the Zen Master.
Apple Cake ala more apples than cake is in the oven
We shall see said the Zen Master
The leaves are 70 % down for sure.
I wish. Count your lucky stars. Or I should.
Temperature is mid - 40 s for the day. Overcast and gloomy w/ rain
We went to Pickering Casino. I lost -- M won - same old, same old
A day for long underwear
A YouTube channel rates restaurants, fried chicken shops etc. I get it, someone saves you trying 12 different chains for fried chicken.
Then I see ' frozen pizza ' rated from worst to best. Holey Schmokins Jose....... best frozen pizza ?? who would care. Lets see cardboard layered w/ cheese and tomato like sauce.
Fried chicken had Popeyes come out on top. Well, close. The others are not Canadian. Church s was 5 or 6th. And KFC < Kentucky fried rat > was # 11 or so.
or fall leaf. The cascade goes on, as yellow orangy colour floods the lawn. My guess - timate is that 30 % of leaves remain in the trees.
The day is predicted as cool ish and damp - showers possible anytime and frequently.
And rain did arrive. A sombre look out there. Slight breeze.
Our afternoon was spent w/ the bank advisor. We followed w/ early supper at Tara Inn. Tara was a favourite - oh, perhaps three years ago. M flet that the chef had changed for the worse - mainly, the soup went from grand to poor. Thus we stopped attending.
We did catch a TV interview of restaurant owners and Tara was featured. And jsut down the way from our bank we stopped in to the Inn. The food was tasty and hot. We were satisfied. But no soup.
is what it s called. What is it ? The pattern of rain over Canada s West Coast interior < inches of rain per hour, causing mudslides and flooding > is caused by a water laden formation of air. Obviously dropping the rain in certain areas.
I just thought it was a neat sounding name. BTW, this is close to the areas that were exposed to a heat wave this summer w/ forest fires as well.
The day is damp ish and windy. Actually, great working weather. I did some chores. Then, I went to the ' Butcher Shoppe ' for burgers. Since, we missed on Saturday, I figured ' Tuesday is Burger Day ' in our house.
The BBQ got hot and the prime rib burgers were appropriately done. High quality and a good deal
Back to the sparkly wreath < BTD, bit the dust >. At Canadian Tire < sort of Pep Boys meets Walmart .... yes, its incest > I tried to buy a spike socket w/ 6 ft cord, cost $19 and said NO. In the Xmas section, there was a Kaleidoscope projection light, $ 15 w/ stake and cord < its a useless stake ..... a metal rod, really >. Last night, I used the silver insulator material and it looked OK. I thought to widen the insulator for a better effect.
Well, I took down the silver insulation piece but forgot to bring it in for the add on. What the hey ! I plugged in the kaleidoscope light and MAGIC - the effect that I wanted.
Boy Genius strikes again ! On base by error
the front of our house is in full bloom - that is if you like blue or blue - ish. The TV light strobe is mostly blu - ish but traces of reds, etc ... its a TV glow afterall.
However, as the name implies, the TV light flashes those colours - and I turned the face around to illuminate the shutters. This strategy throws more light up on a white surface and gives a showy effect.
In the same vein, sparkly wreath is more or less ...... less
alright but not up to expectation
a) when I built the Great Wall
b) or when I thought up the wreath idea
M says just string lights across the sides and edges
Oh, no. What toss the hose away ! I think the hose is a goner for sure. I have one idea left.
BTW, the week is fraught w/ rain and gloom - sun in short supply. The beginning of ' hunker down ' time - methinks
we did. Niether of us was in the mood. Got by w/ leftovers. I made chow mein from bits and bobs. Quite good really. I overdid the vegetables < smart move >. Onion slices first, then zucchini, spinach and cremini mushrooms` . Also a touch of garlic. I used leftover beef stew for flavour and noodles from a Chinese food meal.
Bingo ! Dinner served w/ leftover rice. You can see the theme was ' leftover '.
Lovely day going w/ sun and a goodly breeze stirring the trees and dropping leaves like rain now.
Follow up. A thought came to me. Why not use the mini strobe light in the front bay window - and I did. The strobe was a fake TV light. It mimics the light pattern from a TV. Alright, it wasn't the greatest but not bad. A few tweaks and the strobe can stay.
We shall see said the Zen Master < that is one patient guy >
Well, shopping at Giant Tiger < my store for therapy >. Things got out of control and $80 went in a blink ..... but I bought colouring books + crayons for A s kids < in case ? > and ----- Surprise a ' blue LED ' desk light < that is bound for a window out front for the blue effect, vat else > and a gallon size can of diced peaches, < I love canned peaches , always - always >..... Oh ! grapes were on sale < love red grapes >.
I was reading on the box for the Inphic keyboard < that I'm using right now > has a ' scissor foot construction '
What ? thus, I looked it up. Scissor construction is how the keys on the keyboard are supported and attached. Okay. Better, dunno
We saw blue sky early but forecast said 60 % chance of rain. Now, cloudy and less bright. We get take out tonight for dins. Burgers from Burger 6
" Get your fix - at the 6 ! " its their motto. Recall, T.O. is often called the ' 6 ' by locals. Howeve, their address is ' 6 Chelwood ' < how I remembered that now is nuts - couldn't think of their street name to save my life, this week >
My Amazon account is getting a workout. Yes, something else from the mega monster.
the sparkly wreath blew down. Yepper, I guess chopsticks stuck in the brick gaps isn't good enough. I went out and hung the wreath w/out the insulation shiny thing. It looked about the same - maybe a tad better.
Something about the mother of invention
Another step in the visual creation for Xmas. I ordered ' blue LED ' bulbs from Amazing Inc < free delivery >
Behold the ' look ' or what motorists see as they approach our house. ' I'll have a blue Christmas without you ' sang the King.
We are headed for a ' blue 'Xmas, too.
seems rainy out there. And it s showers that are predicted for three days ' off - on '. However, today was to be the last of the warm - fall days. At around 60 < not bad > the fall off is down to 45 F or so for the following week. This 45 is called seasonal.
I blew out the gutters, yesterday. Amazingly, in one go. I've had times where three run throughs were needed to clear out the troughs. NOW, this situation may be that the leaves haven't had a dedicated de - leafing yet. I'd say we have 70 - 80 % leaf cover. Most years, leaf cover would be in the 20 % range as at now.
OK. this is the street view of our Xmas subtle treatment < BTW we are first to decorate of our local group on the street > Subtle and first !!
one last kick at balmy. The air will warm to barely shy of 70 - then - oops ! you mean its 45 out there
Forecast for a sunny day, and its bang on it seems.
The saga of my sparkly wreath goes on .... I backed the lights w/ a silver coated insulation blanket. The surface is supposed to really reflect sunlight ..... they didn't say sparkly light which is obvious now.
In reality, which always sucks - I invested nada in the sparkly wreath, an used garden hose and lights that fell off the garage door frame, last year.
I watched the " Great Wall " last night while sweating away. Nothing like those cute girls in blue armour to raise the quality of the workout.
Did you know the movie ' Great Wall ' was a close to failure at the box office and got pretty critical reviews as a poor mix of talent and overall effectiveness. Let s be blunt - on the Netflix scale, GW would be a 10.7 for sure.
P.S. M revealed that she thought GW was not bad. She is not a ' sword and sorcery - hack'em up ' movie fan, either. Thus, GW must be not bad < hows that for a movie review " Not bad ", never gonna see that as a promo comment.
Out in the front, I strung reflective blue lights under the bay window. UNDER ? Well, it s hard to attach the lights anywhere else w/out screwing into siding or the aluminum of the windows < never ! >. However, underneath is the deck for the window and that is wood.
We shall see said the Zen Master
Follow up. The front looks quite glitzy. A very subtle effect. We go for subtle b/c it usually costs less. We are surrounded by a zoo - both neighbours do polar bears and reindeer, icicle lights etc. We have to be subtle b/c we can't compete.
< as in the company not the river > must be lazy or
these folks have tried on line and found.
One time offers for free delivery. Just sign up
Oh, item not available in stores. order on line, plz
Selection poor to non existent
Yes, 4 picture frames plus a DVD < that one > are shipped and coming
Arrived on the helipad or doorstep. Pictures are framed and ready to go. DVD is not BluRay. No matter, I wanted a copy and ..... yes, in my grubby little hands
Day started sunny and has now degraded to gray
Call me lazy. Go ahead. I've got stuff coming
to the time change. Now, you'd have thunk that getting an extra hour would be easy to get used to.
My sleep is off for ure. However, one has to then ponder ' off or normal '......... see its a close call. But 6:30 AM < dark > I've got a coffee already and doing ...... this
Story : I went looking for the ' Great Wall ' DVD which I assumed that I had bought. NO. Not findable. Thus, I went used discs and orderd a copy for $11. Next day, its broadcast on Showcase TV. M says if you have PVR recording will you cancel the used disc. I said ' no '. Today, an email says that the disc was sold before my order went in.
Drats ! Yet, you see that I do have a copy. Cute warrior girls in their blue armour swinging away at their drums - ah, joy !
A windy day trying to ruin the blessed sun and relatively dry air. Nope. Still a bonus day
the clocks fell back - And I'm up at 4:30 AM which is really 5:30 but makes you feel that your insomnia is worse
OK Coffee in hand and typing away. My thoughts turn to my sparkly wreath.
Now, using a garden hose to make the form of the wreath is economical since it was basically lying on the ground for 10 years. However, I think that I needed to prepare the hose properly to do the job. Thus, I have some mods to try. Oh, 'mods ' is short form for ' re - inventing the wheel ' again....... what else
and me. when the workers dug up the front to remove the interlock , now known as the Great Wall, there was a surplus of limestone screenings. The guys piled it up on the far median. In case, the median sunk again, there would be stuff to fill the hole that would pack nicely < sand better and cheaper, BUT >
The screenings came out soaking wet and HEAVY !. I've been gradually drying out about ten buckets and using the screenings around the back.
E.g. , the interlock not only made a wall but a border for the tree stand. W/out engineering the project, you end up w/ spots where its hard to flush fit the interlock. The limestone finishes the edge and grass won't grow in the limestone. First, b/c its limestone and second it packs in like cement after a while.
Sun blasting out this morning, into the chill but still air. throw on a sweater and ' Bob s your uncle '. Ready to putter.
I YouTubed ' dust elimination ' :
Tip #1 Change your bedding frequently
Tip#2 Use a dehumdifier and change the filter often
Tip#3 Use blinds instead of drapes
Tip#4 Use an air purifier
Tip#5 Vacuum....... vacuum .............. vacuum - the only way to effieciently remove dust
Uh - oh. We have some work to do
thats Scarborough. ' boro ' is the nickname for Middlesbrough UK < site of the virtual funeral >
Full sun. Good. B/c the newly laid sod can grow some. Sun up at 8AM and down at 6PM < ~ >. We have no big plans for the day
Lunch < 2 PM ? > was a veal cutlet sandwich from California Sanwiches.The sandwich is bIg, M and I shared one and there 1/3 left over. Plus in a fit of a fit - I added poutine or french fries covered in melted cheese and gravy. Yes, there were calories..... and grease. And yes, there is some leftover poutine
The sparkly wreath was raised up a little on the wall and the bulbs aimed toward the centre - lights on at 7 PM. I put the set up on a push button remote.
" success is counted sweetest by those who ne'er succeed ' - ah, the sparkly wreath....... yes, an improvement
But really doesn't have ' POP ' - what were we expecting from a garden hose and light set. Sorta looks like a star - not a circle. However, star isn't bad
P.S. that quote is Emily Dickinson
The lag was 3 h from when I lit the sparkly wreath and M noticed the change < as per today >
the wall " sang Pink Floyd or Maggie Doolittle
Last night, I put out a red LED lantern on the wall. Great. M didn't even see it. Truth. The lantern was not memorable
Re - do. I made a wreath from an old water hose and the sparkly lights from last year, that basically fell down. The plastic holders split on a bunch of the bulbs and were drooping badly. This year, w/ the wall - let s try a wreath of those sparklies.
Testing. Testing is tonight
Crikey, I may need to electrify the wall.
We shall see said the Zen Master
As well, our first virtual funeral, in England. M sister s husband passed from complications of everything. Pretty standard. Maybe, the exception was the closing curtain on the casket. Here, the norm would be the casket lowers or slides into the wall.
We only recognized 5 people of the 40. And if one guy hadn't been introduced - we wouldn't have got him either
Dinner. Tonight, I made southern oven fried chicken. I recall during a travel show, the chef made veal cutlet < wiener schnitzel > and stated never deep fry. Pan fry and finish in the oven.
The chicken thighs were opened to take the meat away from the bone < for faster and even cooking >. The process was flour the pieces, egg wash and finish w/ bread crumbs. As stated, pan fry to brown and into the oven to cook through.
Well, delicious - moist and tender. Perhaps, a little more salt but you can add salt.
And follow up. The wreath of sparkling lights. OK but lacks a splash. Too small, too far away ???
It is 3 1 / 2 ft in diameter - still its 60 ft to the wall and there are still leaves on the dogwoods < interfering ? >
at ' more apples cake '. Yes. You're tired hearing about this. BUT I'm pleased. M likes the cake. I'm using frozen apples and I am not sure how much bettter / worse the cake is. Seems OK. Unfortunately, the jury is out on how much time it saves < effort etc >
How can a news item be so sad and hopeful - at once. Elon Musk has been quoted " show me how $ 6 billion can solve world hunger and I'll donate it "
Really ? It can't be done
' If you build it, he will come ' from Field of Dreams. And I did. Build it. I created a wall from the interlock blocks. The wall is shoulder height and 8 ft wide. The blocks were up against the house wall on the lower walkway. I wanted those blocks out and away from the wall. Usually, its not advisable to place weight that will cause the area near the house to sink. Those places have a tendency to sag anyway.
SO.
Move them. But I decided that I always wanted a wall in the backyard to project lights for Xmas.
Bingo ! Not quite.
Those blocks got heavy and heavier. I'm using muscle rub and Ibuprofen to mnimize discomfort. Success. So far, exactly what I had hoped for.
Army may take the homeless candy that we have left over from Sunday. They'll call me back.
Rain perisists for at least one more day. The clearing trend is coming but the next few days may be iffy for rain. We shall see said the weatherman
candy. Yepper, 20 - 30 kidddies came to the door last night. Let s see that leaves 90 or so candy bars. Ugh ! A few OK but ninety ......
So, November weather arrives which means cooler and wetter. In Svalbard < I watch Cecilia s posts from the island on the edge of the Arctic Circle > last night was the last sunset for 4 months. TG, we'll still see sunsets etc. Correction that should read 4 months a bit
The sun decided to do a full show. Almost makes you want to venture outside.
I tell this story quite often BUT tough you're stuck w/ me
My first couple of years teaching, I was scheduled for Grade 9 Science. On Halloween day, the students asked ' are you giving out candy ? '
Me: I won't be home so I'll leave out a bowl w/ the candy. You'd only take one, right?
Class : yes
Later, as the group was leaving, a girl from the back stopped and said
Girl : Sir, you shouldn't leave out the bowl. I'd grab as many as I could, honest
Yepper, 47 yrs later and that memory remains. Likely why, I stuck it out reaching.
Since the workers left the interlock blocks, I decided to use them. Yaears ago, I used a cheapie garden hose and created a border around the stand of silverleaf dogwoods and pine that marks the property line as distinguished from the table land belonging to the park. I trimmed the outline w/ limestone < white on green garden hose > for an embroidered effect.
That look has disppeared but not the garden hose, now, much worse for wear. I took the different blocks and created a stone edging. As I worked, I kept saying ' looks like a dog's breakfast '. However, M got home and said ' amazing what a great effect ' < later when she s had a chance to think it over, I'll ask again >.
I admit from up top here in the living room that you can't see the dog < kidding Looks quite striking !> BUT I am sore. They were only interlock but I guess 200 blocks is 200 blocks. As well, I started building the Berlin Wall at the edge of the property. I've never had a wall that we could shine a Xmas light effect on < that you can see from our living room > Maybe, this year !
AGAIN. I find the attached keyboard of the Duet laptop - a real pain. I switched to the plugin keyboard.
