🎬 its a wrap, as at today

 🎬   April, come she may ..... [Simon & Garfundkel ]

we had three deer appear in the yard, browsing on buds and wary of dogs in the ravine

neat.

misty as evidenced by the photos. threatening rain.

And Kapow ! full sun and clear but no deer

🚜 closing out the ....

 🚜 .... the fourth month. and its been eventful
overview. the driveway [ front aspect of the house ] has improved by a quantum factor

aha ! its called curb appeal

so, for us, driving up is a pleasant view

🤯 mind over .......

 🤯 .... water  or ...... everything ....... or matter

Thus. for two exercise days, I started early, like in 8 or 8: 30 AM
Friday, I was going out for the day, just thought ' get it over ' then not worry about could I squeeze the exercise in.

today. why not. Usually, its 11 AM or such when I start
BUT more importantly, its mindset.
People go for daily walks. Walk the dog.
Me ! its
rowing machine plus elliptical and free weights and callisthenics

I track my workouts for  Av BPM and Max BPM and elapsed time and Calories
as in : 113 / 128 BPM, 44:50 min and 503 Cal
I'm thinking [ always dangerous, that ] this is my walk. Way more vigorous and varied and a sweat maker to boot

So, done. And maybe, this early bit takes the whole exercise thingy down a notch.
I have been trying to re - jig my thought process re : my exercise
This re - think is formatted by several items :
I'm older. And I've been relentless and thorough in pursuing a fitness regimen
Next. I am not getting stronger or faster or anything more than I can be
So, I'm making my workout akin to a walk or 5 000 steps

And you are thinking, of course, but it's taken me about three years to re - jig. It is hard to come down from that ' go - go ' manner of exercising.
sort of stronger, better, faster  

👠 if the shoes fit

  👠 or shoe
well, I decided that today is a write off
went out and inspected the front 40

since last summer, the interlock on the East side of the driveway disappeared. Topsoil was layered in its place.
I spread the seed and grass grew. Overall, its a success over there on the East side

This last bit. The West side of the drive. The neighbour agreed to contract to remove the curb work [ ugly, old and I didn't like its look ].
Well, this work left a narrow strip of [ basically ] nothing.
Thus, neighbour contracted to beautify and remediate the area.
A miracle worker.
The West side looks as though someone cares and thought about what they wanted [ not me, him ]
Pleased. 

Howver, its dull and wet. I have designated this as a write off day.

Bacon and tomato sandwich. Sat and watched Prime Video. Started on my Yeungling lunch early. [ never too early !!!! ]

Tough love, tough luck

follow up or not. The bacon was a marvel. In essence, the Tiger has this brand of bacon. It looks good in the package BUT usually, its a marketing ploy w/ fat layered all over the bacon.
This brand [ Butchers  ..... ] does have fat but you can lop off the white strips.
Today, pan fried the bacon. Turned out a treat.

Yeaungling is the treat of the week

🍱 vol 2, going for lunch

 🍱 much further, this trip.
approx 1 1 / 2 h. and the venue is less welcoming or the nature of the day is less welcoming
We [ a posse of 4 ] are visiting a nursing home to say hello to a former student. Yes, 8 yrs younger than me

needs must, as they say. and you gotta care and you gotta try

the person is stage three cancer nd coping well
unfortunately, at her age there is no appropriate company in the nursing home

however, L .. has very specific interests [ TV is not one them ] and luckily has a lake view [ and balcony ]

thankfully, it wasn't only me going 
spread out the load, so to speak

🍱 going for lunch

 🍱 .... yes. this is ' take a senior to lunch ' day
A .. is a former student, friend
we'll go for lunch and maybe Costco. kinda retail therapy

" you've got your troubles, I've got mine "
naturally, A .. is about 34 yrs younger or approaching 3 cycles of the Asian zodiac

re - watched the ' jingle ' scene from the ' Coca Cola Kid ' circa 1985

credits to Tim Finn

Don't want to go Where there's no Coca-Cola You've got Life by the throat When you're drinking Coke Choke back the tears When there's no Coca-Cola You've got Life by the throat When you're drinking Coke Under the hot sun When the day is done And you're dying of thirst There's only one drink It's universal Don't want to go Where there's no Coca-Cola You've got Life by the throat When you're drinking Coke Choke back the tears When there's no Coca-Cola You've got Life by the throat When you're drinking Coke Life by the throat When you're drinking Coke Life by the throat When you're drinking Coke Keeps you up 'cause There's nothing like Coke

Magic Noodle, magic. Thursday special is ' Magic Beef Noodle ' bowl. the guys all, drain the bowl and I leave the soup part. no way can I hold the lot
still excellent [ if you are a ramen type fan ]
FYI, ' ramen ' the Japanese term for a bowl of noodles, is derived from the Chinese.

Google search yields ....Although ramen takes its name from lāmiàn, it did not originate from the hand-pulled lamian noodles of northern China, since the noodles used in ramen are cut, not pulled.
And at Magic, the noodle Chef whacks the noodle ball and stretches til it makes our noodles - ah, might just be  lamian

🏄 all downhill

 🏄 from here
or so they say
or want you to believe

why is it that the path of least resistance, is so bad for you

falling in love can be good
falling for it .... not so

dreary out there. we stay moist or wet or damp

the sun burst thru. yes, cool ish but bright out there

🇹🇴 Tonga, tongue, tundra

 🇹🇴 tumult

sun is the story
beauti
the story : a slow start but a bread making day
apparently, I haven't done the pan bread for a while

read the first line of the recipe. okay. then ' what ? '

OK re - group. re -read the recipe

began to get the drift. finally, the steps made sense
first rise. good
second rise good

browned nicely and bread is tasty 
' nuff said

idea for dinner is salmon and cream cheese on bread [ home made - it seems ]

and its noon. sum up your AM .... bread and put away the groceries 

🧶 sunshine is the theme

 🧶 when you're having a ball

it s all there

supposedly, write about what you know
the sun is out and that's good enough for me

say no more. sunshine in a bottle

Update : the Kings of Spring. Well, not quite. The Johns Hopkins men s lacrosse team is ranked # 3 in the country. They posted their final B1G win by smothering a Maryland team on Saturday. Undefeated in B1G play and first w/ a bye into the B1G championships.

Their losses were to Navy, Denver and Syracuse

Go ! Hop.

Update : sun was a constant, today. Cool ish and gusty winds but a doable day

accomplished : exercise.
BTW, decided to take it easy - er. less reps etc. AND the BPM Av and Max were about the same

Ah, but how did I feel ? definitely less tired. Sweated the same
All s good.

💯

 💯  X 40.84 ....    =  4084 posts on this blog  Undoubtedly, the most non read blog that is out there

events. made a run to the Q '. fishing. electrical maintenance. lunch

blustery. blustery. miserable 
so good to get out

75 HP ran well. after electrical intervention. And when I went to prime the gas flow bulb after the engine balked on initial start. Got to remember that priming bit. 
I replaced the feed lines last year. Somehow, this new house system needs a couple of pumps on the feeder bulb to get the fuel started
well, I can accommodate that. especially, when the E Tec fires right up

all good.

HEY ! what is that  " 100 " icon

Dunno. It was there under ' emojis ' in red
so. bingo Bango I hit the icon

⛑

 ⛑ men in safety hats

the ' boro. the day is brightening BUT to what ..... 80 % chance of rain

↹ any which way

 ↹ you can

the ' boro is dull for weather. gray and damp - mostly uninspiring

coffee in hand and typing to the ether 
or where all words go
BTW, Tom Hanks is a writer now.

🇬🇪 Georgia .....

 🇬🇪  .... Georgia
the whole day through .... "

' boro, weather rain and gloom plus its miserable feeling

not all is ticked y - boo ! I ran a self test on this laptop
the battery was rated at 60 %. This level is called a ' pass '. Recall, that the updates for 5190 end this summer. Maybe, its a sign of the age of the machine 
BTW, Chromebook s are notorious for no '  battery replacement '. There is a whole whack of glue and plastic to open up to get to the battery
not for the faint of heart or talent

And I've been expecting this moment of redundancy for 5190 ' she's been a good ship '

the day is not as blustery or cruddy feeling. still no sunlight

🧧 when the weather gods

 🧧 choose you
well. 

tale of the tables. we are gambling in the Southern Tier [ NY - eese ]
my fav is the craps table. four trips to the rail and four wins
nothing grand but a total win of $ 100
and I lost $ 20 maybe at slots
I issued $ 140 as a stake. Then if I get up to 160 - 180 - that's a good profit. The trick is to get out before you lose the stake.
Better to walk w/ a gain [even 20 % b/c not everyone can walk away ]

back home. the sadness is that the worse part of the trip is exiting and entering T.O

we met more cars edge of T.O. inward then all of the way to the city boundary

anyway. home

🍄 like a toadstool

 🍄 w/ a red cap and stipe

lets applaud : those who  say ' peace' and mean it

let me tell you that includes no one that got elected, it seems !

plus. the news people, papers and media personality, really need to re - think, how they use the ' term ' government

like shouldn't a government promote growth and stuff
- the silk road

- Northwest Passage

-

puddles on puddles

 Yepper. taking a bath in the  ' boro

another emoji pix form the utility [ search --> shift / space keys ] from Chrome OS

my dad said ' water is great until it moves ' then watch out

it stopped. yes. at roughly 10 or so. no rain. cold to cool and damp then sun. a bit raw but still sun

🌀 " you spin me ....

 🌀 ....... round, right round ....."

gloomy in the  ' boro. worms drowned for sure
dandelions are gathering in the thousands

the day begins .... are you ready ?

on your mark, get set [ non ..... no   ...no ]

exercised got done. and I survived
the sun actually popped out

🥃 the glass -half ....

 🥃 full

just another sip
enuff to  ' dip your beak' 

a tasting as it were
not the dregs, yet
a portion

' boro weather - dismal. rain. cold ish [ wore my winter coat to get the paper

" lovely, Rita meter maid " comes today. Say what !!!
not exactly, but the gas meter is switched out for a new one
30 minutes and done UNLESS, the guy condemns your water heater or furnace

Oh, joy !

did you know ? that ' Sound of Silence ' Simon and Garfunkel was a folk song

further : Sara Bareilles wrote a protest song for the record company s desire to direct here career - ' Love Song '. got a lot of press for the sentiment and kitsch manner of her protest
Well. Years later, Ben Folds, producer etc, presented ' Love Song ' w/ the National Symphony Orchestra, back up singers and arrangement by among others Caroline Shaw.
Wowsers ! joy in a can - as they say

follow up on meters

all done. out [ meter out there ]  then inside for 10 minutes. Check all appliances running.
the guy even turned on the fireplace pilot light - thus fireplace works

🏄 coming on the 11 the of the Month

 🏄 oh yeah, five in the AM and I'm typing w/ coffee on standby

rain now and today
rooted out four dandelions. right. 4 of about a hundred - I bet

there is no movie ' Invasion of the Dandelions '
sheer terror / ancient enmities 
I can say, ' drudgery and hopelessness ' play a large role in the effort

basically, " life will out "
life finds a way ...... and way and ..... way

yes. Peter Townsend was almost first up on YouTube

then Fievel, sings ' Somewhere Out There '

followed by ' Heart Like a Wheel ' ala the Mc Garrigles
and of course, Linda Ronstadt in Rochester NY for a performance

' boro weather. rain and cool [ perfect dandelion weather ]

BTW. the emoji - fest going w/ the blog -the colourful picx, are from the Chrome ' call up an emoji ' feature. 
hit the ' everything ' key [ search ] and then ' shift + space bar ' --> bingo ! sheets of emojis appear. unlimited choice

I've been thinking about this -
the device that I'm using is a DELL 5190, Chromebook.
Student model. drop resistant. spill resistant. basic machine
a rock star of laptops.
the bad stuff. 
well, its been powerwashed [ factory reset ] at least three times. Mostly, I believe because of the Virtual Private Network, Nord. Somehow Chrome OS and Nord, hate each other. And aren't afraid to air their dirty linen - in my face.
its not a powerful computing device but 5190 doesn't know it

The good stuff. Dependable. Keyboard is - well suits my fingers. BTW, I do type w/ two hands and eight fingers + two thumbs 
never did well in typing class [ fundamentally incompetent ] however, w/ spell check. auto correct or whatever
Do just fine thank you
5190 has travelled to England, Scotland and the U.S.

AND coming soon, no more updates and security patches from Chome [ called AUE ]. Then, I suppose the 5190 is mothballed. Oh, I could continue using the 5190 as a Linux [ base computing machine ] but I'm not good at Linux system usage

To that end. A replacement is in use, right now. I figured get the CB 311 [ Chromebook eleven inch, of course ] And the CB 311 has some quirks
mainly, that apps treat the CB 311 like an android phone. You see, Chromebooks are as close to an android phone that you can get.
the bonus is - attache or connect ' peripherals '
as in hook up a monitor, headphones and mouse - NO problem
you see that's why these CB s are meant for

weather update : Noah must have called in a favour - buckets coming down
worms are using popsicle sticks to make rafts
AND - the first test of the new edging work b/c this rain will collapse the overhang. We will see what results
good or bad or ugly [ please not ugly ]

🦪 a pearl of a deal

 🦪 or oyster stew for you

a thought ! this AM, listened to ' Let My Love Open Door ' sung by Peter Townsend
could anyone ? be depressed listening to this ditty - ish song

thus, I'm thinking - why not play this each morning 🎵
great way to start the day
now, the lyrics are open to interpretation [ hopeful or yearning ]

the weather report : balmy, light wind = sweater conditions
as in spring going to summer

deal with it

 

the ad was titled
what is your lawn language - elves, gnomes etc

a better day - today. no eclipse. sunny and warmer

keep the faith, amigos

its hard to concentrate looking at the comic gnome

I contracted for more work on the front edges adjacent to the driveway. N ... across the street [ young lad ] wants the work, has the equipment and ideas.
thus, he will edge the driveway w/ plastic garden edging and create a mini rock garden at the foot of the driveway [ no use trying to grow grass there ] and haul in mulch to cover and decorate [ mostly cover ]

feel like, I've done the work already

" when you're dying of thirst
choke back the tears when there's no Coca Cola 

life by the throat when you're drinking Coke

there s  is only one drink, its universal "

from the ' Coca Cola Kid ' circa 1985. Starring Eric Roberts and Greta Scacchi

the lyrics :

 Don't want to go when there's no Coca-Cola -
 you've got - life by the throat when you're drinking Coke.
Choke back the tears when there's no Coca-Cola -
you've got - life by the throat when you're drinking Coke.
 Under the hot sun, when the day is done,
and you're dying of thirst, 
there's only one drink, it's universal.

OR / see it & hear it : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ml0TURpHRuw

did you know :

there is a Mc Donalds division at Coca Cola
that the Coke formulation for Mc Donalds is proprietary

⛵ Life .....

 ⛵..... and all who sail in her

⛵ reflections on reflections 
is that an echo

we did our taxes yesterday, meaning the Tax dude finished up the proceedings
we get money back
BUT only b/c we paid so much in pre - payments [ required by the tax - y computer system ]

yes, they ding us ahead of time in case we croak in that tax year. this way they don't need to wait for probate and all that legal fooforaw 

my phone says that today is cooler by a lot. AND will get cooler during the eclipse. the ' boro and us get a 99 % totality

🥰 going to a bright, bright sun shiny day

 🥰 been out there already

a great doing day [ pre eclipse ]

so. I exercised indoor [ what else ] . However, I am running an errand this afternoon - thus, I'll get some fresh air

lunch was chicken pot pie. A ... [ M ..  s friend ] brought us her version of feed the homeless only it s us. 

🌀 swirly, dippy

  🌀 do
our weather is settling for a few days - warm and sun and less turbulence [ please ???? ]

yesterday. report. I asked the neighbour across the street to take down a low block and cement curb on the West side of the driveway.
last year, the interlock on the East was removed and grassed over. [ doing well, BTW ]
there was damage to the cap stones and the repair and repaint or whatever - would achieve more of the same problems and appearance
so. out w/ the curb. he suggested one day
and did it.
OK now what. Humph ? we have ideas. we have time. we have the money.
Lets do it !!!

the upshot of the whole deal is to take away the elevation between driveway and lawn. The hope is that eventually , by design and default, the grass edge on the East boundary will be a gentle slope and not a cliff.

We shall see said the Zen Master

🍶the aftermath

 🍶 ...... maybe. We are in a lull between two weather systems
the wind is stirring and the sun not up - a bleak day and .... ?

🌧 🌧 🌧 of rain

 🌧 we needed a good soaking and are getting the water. Now, where will it go. Hopefully, rivers recharge and a somewhat normal spring happens for farmers

I'd say - pretty ugly out there

Gusher. Swamp. Noah.  words of the day.
All Quiet on the Western Front

🦄 🦄 🦄 And the breakfast club

 🦄 got more members

we had a deer browsing next door w/ a friend one more over

grim day foreboding tumultuous weathers for 2 and 1 / 2 days. Rain, wind and then snow ???? possible

Amazon order is in for battery terminal connectors [ broken tip on one wire from the bilge pump ] and also the leading candidate for broken connection on that post. You see, we never tried the bilge on Sunday. But that ring has been missing a piece for 7 months now.
the culprit in our start problems ?
I've read that w/ out continuous contact improper current flow can occur

Also, coming days later is a ' connector spray ' that cleans and inhibits oxidation [ $ 20 a can ] but apparently is a saviour when your not sure what your connection problem is. 

🦓 a funny thing

 🦓 OH ! April 1 st

dig that. know that. be that. see that 

or do your own thing

sunny but cool ish BUT hope is in the air

yes, on the cool side but fair in almost all other ways
spring in Great White North

Alright. A story. On Saturday at the Q', three of us brought down the equipment to the boathouse. Batteries installed and safety stuffs stored. Cross your fingers !
The boat ran down the rails, a bit straggly, and plopped in the water.
I turned the key and ..... burble, slight roar and the engine caught

We fished a bit, froze a whole lot but got to fish the river

Switch  to Sunday, A .. s two daughters had been waiting for a ride. Bundled up, we got down to the river. Loaded the kids and ...
yep. Dead. The engine clacked but that was it.
We decided to wait for the afternoon and give it another go.

We dragged down a spare battery, testing meters and hope.  I was least hopeful. Re - connect the wires and check for current flow. All good.
OK. Key gets turned. Burble and the slight roar. Really, E Tec caught right away.

OMG. Yes, we got to fish that afternoon as well.

Best guess. A connecting wire loosened, just enough to cause a problem, in starting

Thats my story, for the Easter Weekend