♎ Novembritius

 ♎   on it last legs

coming to the close of the month

do we look back in awe
or disappointment

big booming sun and cold
a YouTube weather dude ' has predicted ' warmish Dec for the Great Lakes Basin '. He didn't actually, say GLB, we got lumped in w/ the ' East ' He figures the Polar Jet Stream stays N ish of the GLB

the guy is ' Ryan y'All ' And today, well , he got it right. We crossed the 40 mark and kept going ....... Windy but so comfortable. Now, I wore a fleece vest and leather coat [ gotta knock the win down, step one ] 

on the telecom front :
yesterday. the internet and thus everything was off. In fact, 4 times in two hrs or so. In between, I tried to use the ' chat Anna or AI assistant ' to explain my problem and the internet went down. I called a live person [ in Halifax no less ] and he carefully checked and explained and gave me tix #. Hrs later, I got a text ' all is good ' 

Today. The internet went out intermittently b/c the crews were working. I called a live agent [she understood ] then the internet went out.
After an hour, I called and explained to new agent. I started w/ ' say that I get a credit '. And she did. The neighbours have been getting $ 5 and such BUT she started w/ ' how about $ 40 for down time ? '
I'm a wimp and took the credit

Yeesh ! And the problem isn't solved b/c our phone [ natch, is VoIP ] thus no internet = no phone. 
There is going to be a radical re - think re: this internet situation

❄ on the rooftops and

 ❄    sugared the lawns, overnight

' snow covers the fields we used to know .... ' Harpers Bizzare
Harpers Bizarre was a vocal group circa 1980 { ? } 

their trademark was the close harmonizing. the album that I know is    ' Anything Goes ' and yes its Cole Porter ala HB.

" this is smiling Eddie Fatootsie coming to you from high atop the Altoona Motor Hotel. Bringing you the soft and lilting tunes from yesteryear. Songs to twinkle your toesies and ..... " 

thats how I remember the sound

OK cold to uncomfortable for the day

been out to Princess Auto [ Pep Boys etc c.f. ]
Superstore [ Halal Chicken BBQ ] salads were on sale
as well, Superstore has a store brand potato salad that is superior
Plus Skyland for sushi and salmon bites [ dinner add ons ]

Note : its still bleeding cold and grim

another exercise session is logged and written
yes, I enter each workout.  today was an average BPM of 113 and max BPM 136 over 47 min. I did sweat and drink about 400 mL. hydrate ....hydrate

that leaves 13 bouts of heavy breathing before the New Year
I can hardly wait

🌬 Wind from the West

 🌬  fishing is the best

I saw our indicator flags and figured that we had a South wind. The CBC weather site has the wind from the West. A South wind would bring fairly warm temperatures b/c the lake is warmer than the land right now. BUT also rain

Wind from the East
Not fit for man or beast

Wind from the North 
Wise fishers goes not forth

Wind from the West
Fishing s the best

Wind from the South
Blows the bait in the fishes mouth         Anon. or lousy poet

called Ohio this AM, and we left a message and didn't get a blocking message - this is good

AND the wind is westerly, brisk and westerly

Amazon got another order from us

I bit the bullet and ordered a massage gun for deep tissue massage. There were a plentitude of options from $ 30 to 300. The mini [ reviews say' good powerful massaging ] was $ 60 after a discount coupon. The ' Brand' was " Bob and Brad " who do YouTube segments as physio experts.

We shall see said the Zen Master

🎇 this is November 26 in 2023

 🎇  November 26 is the 330th day of the year (331st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 35 days remain until the end of the year.

35 days til the big change

a sunny, cold and welcoming day [ if you are a Scarberian ] or penguin

the shop at Giant Tiger yielded 9 cans of Campbell tomato - veg at $0.87 per can. Dole coleslaw and gardensalad at 20 % off. Unfortunately, an apple pie and banana loaf, magically appeared in the cart. 
This afternoon, late, I did chores for the outside - no heavy lifting or slave labour. Little jobs that were better done in dry conditions b/c sprinkles began at 4 or so [ as predicted ]

Whenever, I offer a review for Amazon, I feel that ' as promised ' is a fine accolade [ especially, right now ]

the apple pie is good b/c the apple chunks are recognizable but the crust is average to dry.
no one ever left my mother s pie crust. In fact, remaining pie dough became tarts [ strawberry jam filling ]

yepper, my mom s lemon meringue pie was a legendary thing

🍚 Novembrus creeping out

 🍚  refreshing ?

tangy, brisk ----- Cold as a ......s  heart

a quiet day ahead - he hopes

Prime Minister is breaking the rules : Hope is not a strategy

Almost any budgetary process is an exercise in optimism. The federal government hopes it can hold the line on program spending. It hopes the global economy is on the road to a better place. Mostly, it hopes things don't get worse.

In a world awash in uncertainty, that can be a risky bet.

🦃 cluck norris captured

He picked up several local nicknames, including "Cluck Norris" and "Gobbles McFeathers," but Turkules — which rhymes with Hercules — is the one that really stuck. 🦃

reported from West Orange, NJ

after months of habituating the town, chasing things that moved and people - Turkules was captured and PARDONED and reputedly released far from town

after a sub freezing mark night and vague hopes of above 32, we start the day in part sun. likely to fool you into believing that you don't need thermal underwear.

If you read the packaging certain oddities arise. A common treat in England is ' Jammie Dodgers '. JD s are shortbread cookie rounds w/ strawberry jam for 🥧 filling

The motto reads : no nasty stuff, we are Jammie enough

🦃 his day to shine

 🦃 apparently, this is the pardoned turkey for the year 

the day should be calmer and more reliable, cool tending to cold, bit of wind, bit of sun

a busy morning. physio lady came to help M ..
our Instacart delivery arrived
besides, I got a slow start this AM

for my exercise session. I watched a fellow drill and fit steel beams. Wildling Adventure is a UK er refurbishing a catamaran in Netherlands - long range goal, sail to home. Then cruise the world
his ' boring ' video exactly matched my workout.
low skill and a grind

My thought was to start a book [ or shorter item ] w/ the title
" after Bunty Bailey " 

notice the verbiage ' my thought '
thinking is always dangerous [ esp for me ]
as well, ' shorter item ' is an open invitation to get lazy 
.... and do it in three paragraphs [ as per usual ]

🚱 22 of XI

 🚱   reporting another month slipping by

cool and wet out there - not frigid slightly ugly
to wit, turned on the Xmas tree for a spark of lightness

well, we tried to get rolling
and seems to be happening

⾡ this is Tues NO 21

 ⾡  do the walk of life
w/ all the trouble and the strife

a true November day, chance of drizzle / rain and 35 

makes you glad that you did outside chores - yesterday

admittedly, not a lot was done today
we accept that this situation is part of the run of life

the day was as predicted and maybe a little rawer

ah ! does it make the other day s this week - seem a bit nicer

we shall see said the Zen Master

🌚 blew in the face

 🌚  a taste of 32 out there

sunny is promised but much colder than yesterday

final pre - winter chores are on tap
maybe a gutter blow out [ if not frozen up there ]

we shall see said the Zen Master

a synopsis : I decided to get my butt in gear at 9:20 AM
E ... was coming over to help blow out the gutters
Firstly, I got up to the gutters that I could reach w/ a ladder just to see how much ice and stuck leaves there were [really cold last night ]
Yes,  pretty iced up at the bottom of the gutters

I built an igloo to protect the electrical set up for the roof heating coils. I used plywood that the neighbour had left out for pick up [ I picked it up ].
I knew that the leafblower would be easier starting if it was warm. I brought the leaf blower into the front hall. Really, 35 F vs 70 F - not even a contest. Of course, the leafblower would start better.

E.. came over to help. However, E ... has been constantly willing to help. Recall, his uncle did the starter repair on the E Tec. Just in case, I used the coupon for a bucket of chicken [ 20 pc ] and fries at Kentucky Fried . 

E .. came over as promised and we did the gutters [ I held the leafblower and he did the work ]. The plan was that I would take E .. for a meal after as a thankyou.
Aha ! he was going fishing after the gutters
Perfect. Handed him the bucket of chicken - he was happy. A snack before fishing

Good planning was all

So, mostly, ready for winter

🙊 the sad truth

 🙊    or our version. last night approx 8 P, the cable went out
the duration was 1 1/ 2 h we were not desperate. frustrated but not angry

we managed to discuss several key future events
mainly, the Fla trip. perhaps we ironed out some difficulties                  [ imagined, of course ]
if we don't pre - worry the whole trip - WELL its not us.

what we missed ......   NADA
we had a recorded show [ English crime show ] BUT b / c of the PVR system if you set the record feature THEN once the show begins, you can hit ' watch ' and it takes you back to the beginning
even while that show is still recording

the day will be cool sub 40 w/ a small chance of rain ... for sure the de - leafing process is 85 - 90 % done

on the good news front. North Carolina State [ the Wolfpack ] pulled off a three - peat in NCAA Cross Country. Down a star and a half [ one runner medically scrubbed and the other not up to par ] the Pack won the team title by 1 point. Maybe, a slight underdog going in, w/ 1 1/2 runners in trouble, that was an effort worthy of the record books.

OK what has this to do w/ anything. Nothing. But this world goes on. and good news is good news
the girls are not pros making big bucks [ except for Tuohy who does have a promotional contract ] thus it s a pleasant feeling when they do well

the old college try. I suppose

here at home. I'm giving the  ' 1 hour cycle ' on the dishwasher, a go. Typically, we use ' normal ' [ 3 hrs ???? ]. However, someone forgot to run the beast overnight THUS try the one hour cycle [ maybe, b/c these machines use a different time universe, it seems ]

So, thats the un - report
OH ->  and it will not be any better tomorrow

indeed. the one hour cycle is ' 1 hr ' 

a pattern. Finished my elliptical and free weight session for the day. To be clear, this month - I'm  working out on odd days of the month. Hence, 19 is a workout day
yes, I'm on the  'clock ' so to speak. My 'Wahoo ' device, does track, Average HR and Max HR plus calories burned. For example. today 108 BPM was average and 121 was max. Calories burned was ' 480 '

translate into words. please.
 my workout was primarily ' aerobic ' and much above what a similar aged person would get if walking.
as well, free weights, are essential to maintain minimum muscular strength and tone.

Sadly, my whole life, physiotherapists etc used terms such as ' below average ' agility, strength and flexibility

however, in the last ten years
I've heard ' much above what we expect ' for flexiblity and strength and balance 

Egads !!!! I wait 70 yrs to rate ' positive ' comments

Really.  for 60  yrs ---- ' You need to get in shape.
 F *** You !!! 

🈹 bringing you the un - news

 🈹    of the world OR
                a simplistic view of life

dullsville, really

comsumerism. my new bathrobe or housecoat

longish, gray w/ patch pockets and a hood [ however, 50 % off ]
this would be bathrobe # 4 here in the house
# 1 is blue thick terry and bought in 1995 - still serviceable
# 2 is cream terry [ thinner by a lot than # 1 ] purchased in 2008
# 3 is cotton and plaid pattern [ really thin ] circa 2005. its primarily for after exercise and cool down

so for now # 4 is a walk around the house bathrobe or house coat

our weather is 40 - 50 ish clear sky this AM but we do get rain through the next two days

what constitutes a successful day
well, you log in to a gov't website AND
get what you want

we had our new passports
however, the new information [ passport # etc ] has to be recorded on the nexus website [ bunch of Letters e.g. CBP, ASCP, GOES and TPP ]
turns out what we required today was   .....
login.gov

1. enter your email and password [ we had 2 for  ???? who knows ] none were correct
2. we requested password reset
3. turns out we really never had a password at login. gov

Oh, well. We do now

Finally, logged in and info updated

M .. was keeping track. that was just shy of an hour [ for both ]
crikey !!

' success is counted sweetest
by those who ne'er succeed '  Emily Dickenson 

🌠 you will be my shooting star

      🌠 or not

your good deed for the day. I had some paper for recycling and ran out to the curb to add to the recycle bin. the neighbour forgot to set his bins out
ran over and made it by a minute ! Boy Scout indeed
then neighbour and I talked about rain chance for today

A good day yesterday. accomplished much

Oh, forgot. The Xmas tree went up on the dining room table. Plus, a sparkler light shines on the front porch
Front porch ? well, the cord only reaches that far. I'll wait til the leaves are totally off in the lawn before choosing a likely place. Still some stragglers up high

workout day. or so they say
sorta, laidback, do the deed and accept the result. No push no drive
satisfaction is in the doing
its over, its good

really, even five years ago
never would have said that
it would have been set the goal [ s ] and perform

Oh, yeah - the good old days

🌛 shine on

 🌛  shine on
Harvest moon

TG for sun. makes the day start a treat.

a slow go this morning. going to the loo in the early morning my back spasmed as a I reached for a towel. Ouchy !
took my Acetaminophen early and that seemed to help
what happens when the meds wear off [ ?????? ]

the nearest trees are 85 - 90 % de - leafed. So, a eavestrough blow out is due

all s right when the sun is out, breeze is cool but gentle. Wow ! many jobs were attended to
1. cleared the dead scrub form the wildflowers [ neaten the mess ]

2. aligned the snowblower parts [ took it apart for transport ] However,decided that I'm taking it to the local small engine guy ] to make it start
to be fair, its been 3 yrs since A .. tried b/c he borrowed it back then

3. banged in the 'WELCOME ' reindeer post for Xmas. And still haven't decided how much Christmassy decorations will go up.
We always claim that our display is subtle [ which means sparse and cheap ] We sit between two Xmas zoo scenarios

4. made the downspout runoff ready for fall / spring rains, to get the water far away from the wall

5. as well, the garage door opener ' went on the fritz ' on closing the motor hesitated and moved approx 8 inches ' lights flashing ' and 'STOP '
Yessiree - straight to YouTube. " Does your Chamberlain door opener balk " YES !!!! And the solution ? Realign the sensor lights. Done

See - a fantastic day 

🌎 Coming to America

 🌎   the blue marble

on the 15 th of the month and closing in on Dec [ too much, you think ] Time does march on

recycling :

I have a backlog of boxes. The supposed idea is to re -use them. Thusly, I have used these boxes inside cupboards to stack goods and items. Nothing fancy - just plop the box and its side and put in the items. OK - so how many boxes are we talking about.
I estimate 10 or so [ different sizes ].
I'm using the wine boxes and dividers to store T shirts in the slots and shoes or slippers [ slippers and flip flops fit best ]

Success ? all I can say is ' I didn't toss the boxes out '

Weather. Right now we have 36 F and it heading for 53 F. Likely, one of the warmest days this week. Time to get out and do tidying up.
I started yesterday by taking down the support poles and string that propped up the wildflowers.

the wildflowers are a success story. one packet, distributed under the bay window, three years of flowers

I started the monitoring setup for the roof - ice thawing coils

👾 like a ' purple people eater '

  👾 just what you need to start your day : UFO -  ians

Slept through except for a washroom break at 2:30 AM 
refreshed ? no. but better than last night

slowly, I'm prepping for winter. I drained the outside lines to the hoses.
I've organized the gear that is needed for the melter coils on the backside roof

one last chore after a eavestrough blowout. The downspout run off needs a slight extension. for the fall - early winter I want the water firing out over the lawn. so, most of the runoff is further out from the walkway

Commentary : the internet and YouTube

I've mentioned searching for items on the internet
critiques of the internet abound

however ! today, I searched for ' roof coils ' in Google and YouTube. Helpful advice ? not really, interesting, yes

most importantly - I AM NOT ALONE lots of folks have questions about their gutters [ American or Eavestrough for us ] and ice damming and freezing gutters

kinda nice knowing that your roof troubles are not universal but at the very least common
this was everything you really did not want to know about your problems

 bought an used DVD, ' Gods and Generals ' re: the American Civil War. My original copy has massive glitches [ jumps and pauses etc ]
Chatted w/ Cliff the manager, always interesting. He's a young pup [ 50 y.o. ] So, we discussed aging and getting older problems.
Next across the parking lot is ' Chapters ' an arm of Canadian retailer, Indigo Books. The business news has Indigo in the throes of a re - brand or re - purposing. I decided to explore after all Xmas and all that.
I found a cotton bathrobe, gray, longish and hooded w/ a sale tag, hanging. After much back and forth, it was determined that the packaged robes were also on sale[ $ 40 not $ 79 or regular ] however, there may been fleece lined robes that were still that $ 80.
Of course, I went cheap.
Realizing, fleece is comfy but that you still need to wash and dry the sucker. And fleece, I'll wear a scarf for warmth - or not.

that was the afternoon roadtrip [ in the ' boro ]

 

♎ coming on to the Ides

 ♎   this is the 13 th of the eleventh of 2023

the sun is blazing away in the cool and cooler breeze

people have invaded our house  Merry Maids and Personal Service Worker are due for different jobs in here

🥀 lest we

   🥀 forget. And so sad that the news-feeds are full of reminders of people hating people

sadly, I always wondered how religion could be so divisive [ world history and now ]

I suppose that I am like Snoopy ' I don't get it '

🎪 coming to a theatre near you

 🎪 or not o near, nowadays

we had a local theatre. Saturday was 3 movies for a dollar.

our prelude to winter continues. leaves in the trees but our nights are reminders that heat is leaking out 

our visit was peaceful. the Rehab Centre is clean and orderly
the mood was restrained but conversation varied

glad we went but not a fun filled afternoon

sunny and fine til the wind really kicked up in the early afternoon

9 ♎

9 ♎ 
a sad but true tale. I broke down and bought a cordless, high [ ? ] suction vacuum. In essence it is a knock off for a Dyson. Now, Dyson wanted $ 700 and Bu Ture $ 169. Guess ?
Yep. Went for the knock off.

great reviews. sad ? b/c it was like Xmas !!!!!!

I opened the box w/ care and there it was. Surprise [ No, but still ]

OK the nitty gritty. The Bu Ture came w/ instructions on the lid. All pieces in their own compartments. First charge the battery. The Amazon review said 3 - 4.5 hr - and yes, 3 h and a bit.
All the parts snap together.
Light weight [ more than our $ 60 Dirt Devil ] and a third of the weight of the HOSE for the Beam built in vacuum.

And works a charm - I vacuumed the front room scatter rug just this week after the rug shampoo job. The JR 700 got lint and dust off the rug

Yes. We have real fall leading to winter. 

The JR has attachments for crevices, furniture and stairs. All the attachments connect w/ the wand [ for long reach that is adjustable by 20 inches ] and the vacuum assembly or body. Neat

I will pen a flattering review for Amazon of the JR

8♎

 ♎♎♎♎♎♎♎♎

this is the Libra sign or Zodiacal symbol for the month

Sunny in the ' boro and F ....... ng cold. I'm not sure if its 32 F but its doing a superb imitation

on the agenda. we get assessed by the Home Care and Social Services for the city. We have used their Occ and Support person. Thus, we need to be assessed for needs.
Never thought that we would be needy. Or needful. But here we are ..... at this place in life
we were going to get there
this soon ????

Yepper. 

The assessment. We are in need. We might qualify for the minimum service hours of ' 4 '. 
Good of them. But its free [ kinda free ]

At least, we qualify.

 

7 ♎

 ♎♎♎♎♎♎♎ - a week into November

weather forecast : hovering around mid 50 s for most of the day. however, the temperature falls as late afternoon comes. in fact, we will get close to 32 overnight.

6♎

 6♎

this morning lying in bed, I dictated an email to Ohio by voice - no alterations or changes
* SEND 

neat. 

Well, the last of the red hot mamas - metaphorically speaking
our temperature goes sub 40 or thereabouts and thats all week. Friday the expected low could be 30 overnight
oh, yeah, frost on the pumpkin
               and the little girls are jumpin' [ Joan Baez ]

WE hopefully travel to Fla in late Dec. Our passports were expiring in March 2024. We took ID photos and I drove 18 Km to Ajax [ a smaller city Canada Gov't office ]. I was the line at 9:00 AM. In Scarborough City centre, Canada Services, 9:00 AM makes you # 56.

The agent said that ' we aim for 15 days from reception to passport arrival '.
Now, this is the gov't and the Canada Post. I said thank you.

Friday, 15 days since, M .. got her new passport. Today, day 16, mine arrive

Oooh ! gov't services that work

The agent did say that as long as the passport was valid for days of travel, there wouldn't be any problem. Thank you -- but this agent likely never dealt w/ U.S. Border services 

Kaboom,the skies opened up w/ buckets. Lord Thunder and Lightning [ alright the curtains are pulled but the boom was like explosions ]

♎♎♎♎♎ novimbrotus

♎♎♎♎♎ Booom- a - rama Change the clock [ we went back }
AND the sun bursts out.

Blue sky and sun - terrif !!!

there s your good news

and it stayed sunny and wrm ish. Wind was up a bit
but the best of fall was on display
our time zone changes to Daylight Losing Time or some name that is meaningless
unless you work. then you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark

we have a rectangular rug under our living room table. This table is dining area, post office, TV credenza [ love that word, but is it ? ] and collection agency,
the rug therefore is bombarded w/ detritus.
and needs cleaning. today, I vacuumed this rug, hung the rug on the back deck railing and beat it w/ a  wooden paddle.
then out to the garage to dampen w/ a rug & upholstery solution, brushed into the fabric w/ a rotary brush attachment to a drill.
dry for 3 h and re - vacuumed.

good deed, NO don't you think!

♎♎♎♎ of novembritus

 ♎♎♎♎ OK the day is sullen in this 'boro

                            boughs hang heavy and low

                            the flags are still, w/ a droop

                            the neighbours dog had a  ..........

good news. I woke up. No rockets or bombs, we didn't get flooded. Theres grub in the kitchen [ not grubs, I mean food ]

a touch of cheer [ ? ] well its something

visitor for the yard

yes, hung around for 15 minutes, then wandered off to the right

♎♎♎ tritium de novembrus

 ♎♎♎ kinda made that title up

awake at 4:30 or maybe 5 AM 
sadly, I up and played 3D Match on the phone
truly, even a year ago
no way, that I'd be on the phone - playing Match
Margaret does, YouTube and such for news etc

today in the 'boro. The lawn guys came. Using 2 leaf blowers, they cleared the back in 15 minutes. However, they had just started and I saw that the leaf debris pile was past their calves. As they went on, of course, the heap grew like topsy. TG the gutters got done yesterday.
My neighbour said that it looked to be about 40 % leaf cover had fallen.
Yes. One more go for sure. BUT you can't always wait. One or two cold nights and there is leaf-sicles to try and move. And once the leaves freeze in there then you get layering of litter

I did 45 min on the eliptical plus some light weight work and stretch and flex. Truly, uninspired. You need to accept that not every workout is ' joy and light '.
Ha !! it is workaday / ordinary grubbing, mostly

♎♎ secundus novembrium

  ♎♎    blue cloudy sky ? [ dawn is just here ] guessing a lot 

a quiet day ahead - dangerous that [ cuz who knows ]
I meant very little planned. Highlights could be Shoppers Drug Mart. Thurs is Seniors Day and 20 % off. The blue rinse set goes wild [ well, they come out in droves ]

... well , I didn't want to bring her 
I knew it would make her worse ...

as I look out on forever,
it sure looks nice down there ....

Edge of the Universe, BG s. My fav line is 
' they call me Shennanadora in the ai...ir '

Been to the CBC online. I'm saying nothing. Get your good news elsewhere is the caption.

I watched a video on increasing the rear door opening on my truck. Basically, adding 5 inches of opening clearance 

Maybe. It is tight getting boxes in the back. Yeah. Once.

Did some checking. The ' fix ' is to use a front door hinge door stopper
or door check. Obviously, the front door tends to open wider than the back on a mid size truck. Thats the trick here.
Oh, BTW, this process is to unpeel the back door panel [ plasticky cover over the door frame ]. Take out the speaker in the door. Then you can reach inside to hold the nut while you loosen the bolt through the door frame. 

Gonna think this one over a bit

♎ primus novembrus

 ♎   sunny and bright w/ rippping breeze, today

what does the month hold ?

We shall see said the Zen Master

neighbour came and we [ he ] blew out the gutters for me. Actually, I meant for us to use the hose assembly. Nope ! He says ' there is a place to stand, I can do it quicker from up there '
I won't be asking him again. WAY too scary

however, anothe chore that niggles while waiting for it to be done