🌨 🌨 yes, the over riding story-line
not buried but easily and inch or more. Wet and sticky [ like rice ]
wind is moving w / gusto
Oh, quite the success last night. laughter w / great food. Everyone got plenty and leftovers especially, rice and mash potatoes.
BUT everyone got fed
💢💤For November 29th, cold cold cold. That's the word.
We're having people in for a little turkey dinner or a turkey dinner, not little. I went and picked up the food. It's nicely done. We're going to have appetizers. Sushi and a vegetable tray for dinner. We're having the turkey stuffing, mash, cranberry, and gravy.
I'm also cooking rice and there's going to be fried shrimp. These are the ones that come already cooked. You just have to warm them up and. you know make them brown
and should be a good little gathering. You know maybe eight nine people and two kids. So we're looking forward to a very good evening.
but it is cold. Let me tell you
Interesting factoid. On Friday, the annual football - KFC extravaganza was 6 people and 4 graduated from Bloor Collegiate
Saturday night, the Leacock connection was one former teacher and three grads
🎩 ' boro is sunny and cold. off chance of flurries in the city proper and more so in the outlying areas
Actually, I may have got that weather forecast a little bit wrong. Not just little flurries but a dump in some areas north and east of the city proper. I don't know about us in Scarborough. We're sort of on the edge. We're called GTA but I don't know if the weather really cares about that. We do get a little bit more snow than in the city proper. Well, I've decided that I do like dictating. It may not be exactly as when I type but it's convenient. So here I am using AI and glad whatever taking advantage of whatever it offers
🏬 🎰 have a great Thanskgiving Y'all
boro is cold and windy.
Today was take the old guy to lunch day friend A .... decided that today would be the day
we did some shopping at the Chinese grocery store. That's always interesting and our Magic Noodle lunch was really good
Th saying in Japanese was ' if the dashi isn't tasty the noodles are wasted ' - the dashi is the stock
🏨 🏩 ...lyrics of Joe and Eddy from the self same title
not true. I will go a meeting of former students and staff. drop in and come as you may
First though we did shopping, it's our semi-monthly trip to Metro the grocery store and we spend our habitual $250, $260 this time it hit $275.
What do you know? Had a little nap
then headed out to Scarborough Town center and specifically the food court where Chipotle has a stall and we met up as two students and two teachers. It was a very pleasant evening.
🚂 a dullish looking day so far in the ' boro
I had a Tim Horton s meet and greet for this AM. Former teacher friend and the Meetup went very well, old friends gathering. It was very, very pleasant.
so this afternoon we had to look at the possibility that we could have ninja dual air fryer deep fried chicken without deep frying.
Okay. So the secret to this is a buttermilk marinade for about 4 hours or overnight then a dredging in seasoned flour and you're even allowed to make it a sort of crumbly. That's the word crummby coding because that gives the little bumps more like deep fried.
I did all these things, I'm set to go and according to the the YouTube video I was to set the temperature of the ninja for $400° F and 20 minutes,
except there is a warning in the instructions for ninja that says " if you use both baskets at once please allow extra time " so I didn't need.
We needed a little bit more time and also unfortunately I crowded the chicken pieces so a little slower to brown, cook etc.
And it ended up more like 30 minutes instead of 20 but the product was reasonable. Good taste. Maybe could use a little more browning.
first try not bad
🖲 ' boro is sunny. the view is blue sky, still air
instant coffee. I wasn't sure of the BB date, thus better check this out. OK its April 2026
we make coffee on Day 1 and if there is residual brew. its kept in a thermal flask [ for next day ]. this is a thermal flask day, anyway
exploration ' boro style
Discovered the Stone Cottage Pub. actually quite close AND will not drive again [ its likely been there 30 yrs ]
Uber from now on.
tipple of the day ' Hazy Days ' by Cowbell Brewery. Discovered that Cowbell cannot register their logo a ' bell '. Bellwood Brewery claims copyright
Good brew tho '
🗼definitely in a holding pattern. warmer , more humid air. and cloud cover. threats from storms small, it seems
so, for yesterday, I began the blog in early hours typing and coffee. later I dictated the bulk of the entry. edited right after
I have stated that I always have kept diaries [ tending to be short lived, and non momentous ]. However, ' two sents worth ' now called ' sending to the ether ' is the longest lived attempt.
so, I like to write, it seems. or type
BUT over several tries, I enjoy the dictating
of course, this likely means that I actually enjoy, blathering on, apropos of nada
sad. creative.
we are all different creatures
and I don't think the dictated versions is all that contrasting to the type only attempts
we shall see said the Zen Master
Further. another Amazon order went in
yes, more ' that's what more means '
So today Amazon dropped off on time. Of course, a bait bucket aerator and if you've been following along, you know that this is going to create bubbles in the humidifier and instead of micro blasting particles of water and everything into the air, it's just going to be natural evaporation of water. I hope that the bubbling increases the amount of humidity by releasing a little more water
as well. I decided this morning that we need a ninja dual basket 10 quart air fryer. I've seen a lot of examples of cooking using such a device. It seemed to be less caloric because you use less oil.
It seems to be faster and I thought that might mean that food would not dry out as much and it seems as though you have a little bit more control over the conditions under which the food is cooking.
One drawback to using an air fryer is size. These are big devices but the rationale is they're meant to take the place of a big appliance such as a oven or a toaster oven. Or you know some kind of broiling apparatus which are rather big. But I think that for us two people size really isn't a problem in terms of the cooking basket. So hopefully this will work
🚎 up early. woke and couldn't fall back. Typing and coffee
Dark. and warm for the day [ or should be ]
All right that was this morning. This is now 6:00 p.m. at night. Just waiting for dinner.
the day blossomed it was sunny warmish. It was actually a freakingly good day for fall. Just thought I'd let you know.
Oh and apparently we're burning the Amazon midnight oil. We've got packages coming day after day after day. The last one might be the winner. I ordered a bait bucket aerator with rechargeable batteries
Okay, why an aerator. well last year and the year before we had humidifiers they were the kind that vaporize or I guess the word micro - vibrate the water and stuff into the air but it leaves a white residue on all the furniture. I don't think this stuff is healthy for you
so in lieu of this I'm going to use the containers, the humidifier containers but I'm going to put an aerator into the water and it's going to create bubbles. And of course this is going to mean more evaporation so it would just be like humidifier and we aren't going to get poisoned by the white powdery stuff that comes out
Rechargeable batteries and hangs on the bucket
And if this fails then we have a way of keeping bait alive
Plus everything but the opening sentences were dictated and edited
much better
🧑💻 not apropos of anything
The name is the dollar store or Dollarama. not so, my friend. To wit, I took the plunge and replaced the Garmin GPS. I'm pretty sure that it dates back to 1999. BUT promised life time map updates. And that happened.
Ah. There is no backup storage and the download take an hour. The 12 V charging cable frayed and was close to useless. I purchased a ' Garmin ' like power cord. Did the job.
This year, I tried to turn on ' traffic assist '. Oh, I discovered the FM antenna was the Garmin power cable. Uh oh !
And w / age for my eyes, the screen was much too small. I suppose there might be enlarge functions on the Garmin. Time to change.
The knock off Yi brand, was 1 / 2 the price. The big change and I mean bi, was a 9 inch screen. And it suits nicely.
The mounting instructions incl. ' choose a place on the windshield not blocking your view '
Excuse me - at 9 inches the GPS is the view if placed under the mirror.
Dollarama. In electronics, I found a non slip [ low slip ] pad for an I phone. There is a notch on either side to accept the edge of a cellphone. Well, guess what, it also takes the bottom edge of the GPS. I still use the windshield mounting bracket and suction cup but as a balance behind the GPS.
The YGPS sits on the dash, not sliding and seems stable. A tad higher than the Garmin b / c you see the Garmin was on a bean bag support base. Maybe an inch difference
Observations. The screen is beuti ! The woman s voice not so. I can see the streets clearly.
Not fine, The YGPS sends you where it wants. To get to Port Union and # 401, taking the # 401 makes sense. The Yi - GPS, wanted me to drive thru the city. Nope. Now, it did ' re - calculate ' and I got there. But you need to check your route.
To be fair, I haven't read all the instructions for ' customization '
So ......
Turn down the voice [ a lot ]. Read the broken English blurp.
OK. As well, the Dollarama had a ' mouse pad w / wrist bump '. There was a groove between the pad and wrist bump, aha ! ' would it fit the bottom edge of the YGPS. Obviously, a non starter b /c I got the cellphone pad to work. However, I'm trying the mouse pad and the worst bump does work. There is a sharpness to the desk edge and the ' bump ' covers that edge, thank you.
Oh, both items were $ 1.75.
🧢 sunny in the ' boro. wind has been rising for the daylight hours. air feels dry and actually, quite comfortable if you are Canadian.
the week will warm til Friday, and then a drop BUT 50 F is the Friday temperature
Leaves are own to about 30 % coverage on the trees.
🥍 ... yet so much more
I do pick up the stick during the workout and cradle and flick the ball around. silly. no, a touch of hand and eye and manipulation. just some motion
' boro is dreary. still. cool ish to cold ???? So it's a bonus day the landscaping company dropped by and they blew out my gutters which is hard for me to do by myself. They also deleefed the whole front and back and like like for me it'd be like 4 hours 4 and 1/2 hours work. But for them you know they are here 45 minutes. Yeah give or take but there's three of them with really good leaf blowers. So I mean that's you know that's a bonus for us. Anyways, I wanted to talk about the thought that I think the old philosophical idea was a life unexamined isn't worth living and today I had an interesting morning. I went on the computer and I went to YouTube and the one channel that I saw was on how the Japanese live life simply and better and it was very interesting because they said eating rice is much easier on your digestive system and it helps you relax or it helps your whole body. You know a tune itself. I thought that was very interesting also, and I've heard this before eating pickled items can aid your digestion because the pickling process releases vitamins that you wouldn't normally get rather interesting, huh?
🏨 okey dokey. Nov 17 in the ' boro
cold. dreary. and has the look of a expectant sky.
actually, we might have dodged a snow streamer that may have crossed 1600 km from L. Superior to the Atlantic
no snow just cold. AND I managed to slip and strain my left [ already gamey ] leg
🍱 sunny and hopeful. wind seems up but sky is 85 0/0 clear
BUT temperature dropped no cloud deck to hold the heat
Alright. I complain that the internet WWW was supposed to be free. OK.
to be fair we called England on WhatsApp using the internet
so, how did I pay for the call
does WhatsApp track my data [ so cynical ?????? ]
🇨🇻 for real. chrissymas in 35 days
overcast in the ' boro. definitely, a gloomy vibe going on
Coffee in hand and typing
oh. as well, sitting at the desk [ cushion on the chair ] relieves the ache from the hip
I watch the street. not much doing. and reflect [ try to wake up ]
Day held on, til late afternoon. rumbles of thunder and rain in large amounts. Thus the apttern is set for the next four or so days. AND we should miss the snow that will start up fairly soon
🗼.... take this or not
mustard in coffee to remove bitterness
yes, tried it this morning. I thought the coffee was a bitter over the while. I recalled the add mustard to the coffee grinds [ from M ... s father ]
I thought that it cut the bitterness
on line, however, the opinion is ' not worth the trouble '
of course, I will not stop. I'll give it a go, again
weather will hold. cool ish and damp w / overtones of colder and uglier depending. A storm from front moves in over the weekend. Depending on locale, a major disruption is possible
here in the ' boro, not so much
🎩 ...... Nov 12.
News. M .. gets her Pixel 6 a back this AM. The battery was replaced gratis. Pixel 6 a developed heating / charging issues
my Pixel w / new battery is behaving solidly, no glitches
damp and unfriendly but milder and tolerable
ran some chores - donation to the local Salvation Army. And the phone [ works fine so far ] and we wanted to test a pub for food [ size and quality ] perhaps for an upcoming entertainment evening
🇨🇦 try to remember and we should remember
sloppy is the word. temperatures above freezing. rain , sleet and who knows
actually, blustery and raw. sun came out in the afternoon
we ran errands. Pixel 6a was dropped off doe battery replacement. Shoppers Drug Mart, CV 19 booster for the fall
⚵ is the symbol for Juno. I am referencing Juno Beach Of D Day.
snow fell and stayed [ at least most of the stuff ]
alrighty. not a bad day. sloppy I the overall verdict
attended a teachers get together. pleasant and rewarding
🇦🇽 for Nov 8
a quiet day. stayed in and recuperated from the adventure out. However, banking got looked at. Did some wash.
Plus, I have decorative lighting that trims the sidelight windows at the front doorway. Its been six or seven years, that I've tried for accents at the entranceway. For approx, three to four months the LED tube lites have been dim. [ right side only ]
So, fiddling seems to indicate the straightening the feed wires that are coming out of the light tubing can make the tube lites re - power up.
Aha. over time a kink has developed that impedes conductance. Yesterday was the day. I fiddled w / the wire. Nope.
Thus, testing was required. I took down the tube lites from the sidelight window [ right side only ]. After some trial and error. Yepper. I had tube lites as bright as the left side. I figured that if I re - positioned the tube and wire at the junction point as I replaced the tube lites, maybe the realignment would stay as needed.
It worked. Success. Jerry - rigging for sure, but success.
Today, the ninth, we will get snow flurries / rain / sleet - basically, precipitation thru the day, varying types w / temperatures. Hello - winter
And the snow is sticking to the road. started accumulating after noon
🧭 on this 7 th of XI
three nites away. a change
however, changeable weather meant rain on one day while in PEC
then driving home. drizzle followed by a down pour as we neared home
dribbles as we got to within a mile
lessons learned. M .. needs a booster step for some beds. will work on that
actually, likely would help here as well
we were unsure of what to pack
Worries galore. Only one came true. Of course.
' Many a problem will fade away if you just go fishing 🎣 '
( or so ) Olin Miller
Cold at 39 F. Brilliant sun 🌞
Follow up : 3 nights and I packed one pair of sweats ( ????? ). Oh well, enuff socks and underwear 🩳
sadly, I can announce that we ventured to the Casino
She won. I lost a tiddle ( for me ).
Overall then, success
Plus dinner was at Pounders ' local
pub and restaurant, first try for us
M .. had steak and I chose Chili con Queso knowing that I get some steak
📺 ' depending on the undependable '
" where do you get your news "
who to trust
solution : watch five minutes get the headlines and change channels
weather is dismal. foretelling rain
Rain. buckets.
Follow up : there are pay for service unbiased ( or known bias ) channels ( ? Or search engine s ? ) esp. Science topics
🖲 in the ' boro the weather for the week is dicey. not ugly cold but damp and cool
plus rain is likely as least twice before Friday
Still on the S. Ontario scale for fall - we are doing not bad
🎰 in the ' boro. warmer than yesterday. we are overcast and rian is in the offing
I can see the wind whipping up leaves and debris
follow up. approx. three years ago. I began a re - model of the ' computer room '. I re - tell this attempt for background. The room is south facing and views the street. not a great angle, but the angle shows the southern arm of our street [ a crescent ].
I see cars moving to and from onto the street. plus, the ' autumn Blaze ' maple is left centre in the frame
At the time, the computer set up was a small laptop and monitor. AND a desk approx 4 ft by 2 1 / 2 ft. plus a slightly smaller computer type desk There is a pull out couch, which converted filled the room width and blocked passage
I began to minimize the ' desk ' [ particle board mostly ] using saw and determination w / some small success. I removed one desk [ smaller ] and made that desk into a shelf.
the whole affair was haphazard and rather disappointing.
THEN. across the street, on the curb was a pile of metal tube and such - a corner desk ! I hauled the sucker home. The ' desk ' is three by two or so. The frame stands 4 feet tall and has 3 levels. The top two shelves are recessed by a foot and a bit. I added a top shelf by taking the foot rest level and mounting it as a shelf
Convenient, w/ a great view. And yes the couch pull out can be used as intended. not a optimal layout but serviceable.
the morning routine, includes a session at the Chromebook, watching a TV screen w / the mirrored screen. the street moves and I watch the weather and the day arrive
" go ahead, make my day " and it does
💤 woke up to blazing sun. yes, we are in EDT [ daylight savings ]
cool but tolerable after all
its our fall
sublime and ridiculous
did my workout, burned 400 Kcal
then ate Kentucky Fried Rat for lunch
call it a draw ? or close
🏩 the sun is beaming in the ' boro. overcast sporadically. however, this seems dry compared to the last three days. A good day for anything. We were indoors.
We did monthly finance checks. Vetted the Visa bill. Internet transfer of the monthly mortgage cheque.
Further. we made reservations for a 3 day side trip to PEC. And , potentially, our favourite INN.
potentially ? well. We tried the same dates and others before by phone. And were told ' NO '
This time on line, they took our money and sent confirmation. ??????
left hand, right hand who knows. We shall see said the Zen Master
Quite the day and never left our chairs [ well ,house ]
Oh. also paid for the deck job
