end of days for 2024

 DE 31 at 3:40 P

and the world is well into New Year s festivities e f. Auckand NZ..

✴ December 30 2024

  ✴... Alison Krauss sings ' Get Me Through December '

coming at you from the window view of our street
and I see glistening pavement and gray
seems to be our theme background for the last few days
plus a rumbling, roaring sound was heard all night
hope your hat didn't blow off

... its been a good life
but I still ain't made my showing
all I know, is when that train whistles blowing
thatsa my song   ....   Carolyn Hester

🧶 pull a thread

 🧶 ... or don't
I believe that I am a thread puller.

the view this AM

👙 slip sliding away ....

 👙 ... on DEc 28 
my phone is announcing, 48 F today w/ light rain showers
meaning it looks grim out there
very English - y. wet and drizzly

 

🐾 what tracks .....

 🐾 .... we leave in the sands of time

just to say that we were there. 
to bring joy to the ones who follow
as those will also, mark their way
it is the way, the only way, my friends

sending to the ether

the ' boro is gray with hints of light
not expecting much 

My view from the computer 

my inspiration 

my hope

🏮 we call ....

 🏮..... December 26, Boxing Day. Origins of Boxing Day is reputedly from Ol' England.

Thus, we have Boxing Day sales even Amazon has a Boxing Day

' boro is damp ish and gray. Not frigid and certainly precipitation is possible

🎄 on Christmas day in ....

 🎄..... the morning
Alrighty. up and typing. not too early. coffee and ....

the view is white trimmed but gray ish in the main. very quiet on the street.

temperature is near freezing

so. prezzies will be later this morning

Well. I asked for and found ' Midway ' version 2022 ( ? ). I'd seen the 1980 s version numerous times. Love it

Now, plenty of clothes were in the bags under the tree, as well

Dinner was my choice. I'd seen ' Techniquely w/ Lan Lam ' on cooking a steak.

The method is termed cold sear. And I had never started a piece of meat in a cold skillet 

I bought a 2 piece package of beef tenderloin for $ 20. Each chunkette was smaller than my palm 

Crikey! That is beef. However, I told M. ... that no matter what. this was the best steak ever. 

Experiment was a gustatory success. The Metro didn't have pre - made Yorkshire pudding. I chose McCain breakfast pockets as substitute.

Turned out - smashing 

Cold pan? Really. Yes 

🌧 is over

 🌧 yesterday tho ', morning was damp ish. then came snow for eight hours. slow at first and steady Eddy as the day went on

parts of our street are cleared. funny b/c it is a strip near the curb. in the middle the snow is noticeable. I think the big plow forgot to come
oh. plus the sidewalks got plowed out

we need to get out to a Dr s appointment after lunch. M .. is all concerned. and I'm like comme si comme ca
que sera que sera

we shall see said the Zen Master

Oh. Happy Xmas Eve. all the stockings were hung with hope s .....

🪆 duh !

 🪆.... " hey, you're kinda busy " I query
Saleslady " it is four days til Xmas ! " Yeah. Duh, it hit me

I guess that I shopped Xmas stuff early. I was picking up some groceries

The saleslady said ' I was all done shopping on Nov 30 '
She beat me by a week and a bit

sunny. cold. wintry. quiet

life in the ' boro

chores. coffee and typing. kidding
I have to grab the paper. shovel off the deck. I use a board w/ handles to push snow around. no lifting.

🌧 messy out there

 🌧 ... the ' boro has - yes - a mess. Sloppy. cold and grim
oh ! great words to start the day

we are catching the lower end of a storm track. called lake effect added to a blast of air coming East.
the Great Lakes are warm. thus, moisture is carried Eastward [ mostly ] to us

at a lower to mid elevation, we will catch some precipitation 

I turned on ' Chilly Philly ' the lawn penguin, as a beacon for the street.  a pretty lonely sentinel, let me tell you

follow up report. messy for sure, but more visual than physical. however, flakes continue to fall sporadically, it is getting colder tho '
ice is coming to the road surface

🧊 yepper

  🧊 ... sun and cold or SUNICE

someone once asked me what does ' SUNICE ' mean in Japanese
My reply ' ? '

later we passed a girl wearing a skijacket. " hey, that's the label ' SUNICE '

I said " sun ice " maybe

🔖 ... and I am a material girl ...

 🔖 ... sang Cyndi Lauper
I re - phrase and say

... we are living in a digital world  ...
and I am not digital. a dinosaur

however. I sit in the driveway and ..... set the house alarm, open the front door and open the garage door
oh, adjust the thermostat --> from the Pixel 6a [ phone ]

plus I can watch the street from my phone

but

so far behind.

the ' boro. dull and expecting rain not cold

🦃 not this Xmas

 🦃 a big switcheroo ! for the first time in forever, no turkey for the 25 th
we will do a roast beef instead

now, we did do a turkey some weeks ago, sort of mid way between Thanksgiving and Xmas

the ' boro is grim looking. mild and damp but no sun
you gotta take what you can get

🌈 not a chance

 🌈 the ' boro has a wet and grim day ahead
we are warmer tho'

🍱 closing in on ......

🍱 ... another year closing

w/ sun in the ' boro and cold. we went to a Italian themed restaurant for dinner Fri nite
two children Am .. and He ..... [ marvellously well behaved, oh, that was me ]

the whole story. Chilly Philly the inflating Penguin has been out on night duty for three weeks.
Philly is surrounded by a Zoo on the West.
we are talking the width of the property in lights. reindeer, candy canes the whole show

on Philly s East side. are icicle lights and reindeer

we like to think of Philly as subtle. we do subtle very well. coming home last night. Philly looked like a sentinel. on guard. doing his best
and out competed
sorry Philly

🏮 ' sunshine came softly .... '

 🏮 .... through my window today ..... ' Donovan

I see blue hazy sky, must mean its cold out there

we are starting the rev up to Xmas. It's supposed to be quiet but still we have events

Tonight, its dinner w/ A ... and family
then Sunday, we host an intimate pre - Xmas lunch w/ M .. s long timish friend

Unfortunately, discovered that a friends sister [ both grads of Leacock C.I. where I taught has passed at 60 y.o. ] So that's 2 in three weeks

🌬 shiver me Timbers !

 🌬 a reminder that this is the Great White North ish.
Sub 32 for the day and a bit. We do warm up here in the  ' boro come Sunday

From 5:30 AM power flickered. Then 6 something the power went out for six minutes
JUST LONG ENOUGH TO PANIC and calm down

our Xmas tree popped on. clocks went crazy in the kitchen. stair lift needed reset

life goes on

🪆 so 11 of the XII

 🪆so what's coming

weather. mild today but damp. yet precipitation is headed this direction followed by cold.
we have had fog or mist for two days but this morning broke clear
thus Thursday, is icy and treacherous [ on the roads ]

this morning. out the door at 8:15. up the street about 2 miles. a local shop bakes and sells bagels. reviewers commented on ' hard to find this shop'.
many years ago, I remember visiting a Swim Store [goggles etc] and said the same thing. Yes, that's where Simit Bagels was.

reviewers mentioned high quality and price. I paid $ 5 for 6 bagels. and they taste great.

this was a preparatory run for DE 24. we plan on bagels and smoked salmon. Ah, the monkey wrench in the works is .... Simit is closed DE 22,23 -  24
Now, the plan will be to freeze some bagels for the 24 th. I will continue to source bagels for the 24 th. However, there will be some bagels in the freezer if all else fails

I bought 4 sesame seed bagels and 2 raisin bagels. Raisin bagel was delicious.

Further, I dropped off womens pants for shortening.

my morning so far

🔖 IX of X11

 🔖 you can mark this day

rainy and gloomy however as announced the temperature will be 40 give or take
today its take

🤳 on Dec 8

  🤳 and the ' boro weather is grim looking
dampish for sure. but we will start to warm. in fact, we go to 40 F sometime this afternoon

the week is wet and rainy but 40 + or -.

lately, as part of neighbourhood watch [ the Whatsapp group,  here on our street ] I've been posting photos of the street
and due to the snow accumulation on the roof, I powered the de - icing cables on the kitchen roof

well, I had the selfie stick out to photo the roof [ don't need a ladder just hold up the camera ]
AND I gently tossed the selfie stick to the driveway. NOT gently enough. the plastic frame for holding the camera cracked.

did I tell you that I hate plastic, b/c you can't repair plastic [ easily or at all ]
this all happened on Tues last

thus, three days of planning and fiddling produced - a set of ideas and some wood strips approx the size of the selfie frame

yesterday, I drilled the wood strip to take the female bolt that allows the frame to pivot in four directions [ up / down and rotate ]. I had glued two strips to create some thickness b/c 2 screws would be the vertical supports. screw away.
I cut off the excess plastic from the frame to leave the plastic upright posts of the frame

next, it was wire the frame to the screws [ so the posts were fixed ]. the frame posts are spring loaded to raise and lower to accommodate different size phones. that's why those posts needed to be salvaged

now, this is where you have to imagine 30 minutes of cursing, muttering and pricked fingers
BUT done. Last step. take shrink tubing and cover the posts and screws

SO what have you got. mostly, a good facsimile of the original. 
looks not bad [ 8 out of 10 ]
function [ 7 out of 10 ] b/c I used the same size wood strips as the plastic base BUT the posts are now slightly middle of the strips [ you cannot screw too close to the edge ] and the holding ledge is a touch narrow
I expect that I'll add an elastic to secure the phone 

BTW, I could have bought a new selfie stick for $ 8.

🧥 Dec 6 in the ' boro

  🧥 plus a hat and gloves [ for sitting in the car ]
20F out there, half hour ago.

Chilly Hilly is steady b/c the wind has died

🧶 tugging at a thread

 🧶 has caused so much grief

but I do. I'm a thread tugger

brilliant day in the ' boro, the wind died down. our poor Chilly Philly, the penguin ornament is still there. Chilly is still tilted. some medical help is required

yes, full sun, post stormy conditions for 36 hrs

🌬 December 4

 🌬 ...... when the wind is blowing in your face ..... [ like today ]
            .... and the whole world is on your case ......   Bobby Dylan

Chilly Philly, our penguin, on the lawn was tilting East due to the wind.
Snow and icy little things flying horizontal [ mostly ]

I ran my snow clearing board down the driveway at 10 AM or so.
Now, 11:20 there is no sign that I was there

🌈Dec 3

  🌈 not happening BUT we can hope

starting to brighten tho '
are ' boro weather is 32 F plus or minus single digits
thus cold but not bad for the Great white North

🧊 - y Monday DE 2

 🧊 cold. Sharp is the word.

December says ' hello ' watchmen now

1 h 30 minutes N of the city, you could find 30 inches of snow. Major roads were cordoned off.

🏮Dec uno

🏮  " ..... get me through December .... "

sings Alison Krauss

so me too

At the Giant Tiger in the AM. I hooked up the electrical to the heater cables on the kitchen roof. Hopefully, the warmth will keep snow ridges from forming

We shall see said the Zen Master

🎭 Novem 30

 🎭 or the XXX of the XI 

the ' boro cold feeling and sun / cloud mix - right now cloud

ah. yesterday was ' football post Thanksgiving ' or Kentucky Fired Chicken, pizza and dessert. We watch College games.
the tradition is over thirty years and still going.
seven guys has now dwindled to 5. Age range is 84 to 60 something

catching up and catching on

confession time : on the recumbent front. The same nut has fallen off the left pedal three times

balancing, wrenching the thing too tight and then of course, not tight enough

🌍🌎🌏 the world

 🌍🌎🌏 on November 29. yes. closing out the month

the ' boro is gray w/ a patch of light off to the South, stuck back there

yesterday
a report. travelled North past Toronto and into Markham.
Pho is Vietnamese for ' Noodle ' AND A .. and I visited a Pho for a delightful meal.
fresh and tasty and lots. well, felt healthy

I was able to dispose of 3 cu ft of styrofoam and accompanying box leftovers from the recumbent bike

a trip to Costco to buy a 58 " TV. Plus $ 180 in groceries

then. step up the TV nearby at A .. s moms house. Again, we accumulated more styrofoam

back to the office to help a lady get started on applying for Community Care   [ gov't sponsored ]

and in traffic managed to reach home
quite a day. all in. AND I mean "all in "

🦃 Novemborous # 28

 🦃  for American customers only [ we had ours ]

the ' boro today.sullen and cool to cold

a strong possibility that Xmas lawn decorating is over. Chilly Philly w/ his garland of blue kaleidoscope lights.
and a 'Welcome ' reindeer

Thats it. Subtle [ our term for our efforts ]

🚞 no 27

  🚞 This will be a sombre day. a former student and friend made the decision to seek medical aid in passing on 
AT 11 am

she was 67. Stage 4 colon cancer and expecting future pain episodes as has happened already

' boro weather is sunny and chilly to cold 

I comprehend the intellectual sense of this
but I'm still troubled
somehow, at some level in doubt

the day was slow rolling. fiddled w/ some chores. Low key breakfast. Started to prep for my exercise. 

I slept in afternoon. Rather long ish but when you retire - Guess what ?
you are allowed

🕸🧶 on Novemborous 26

 🕸🧶 in the ' boro. rain fell overnight. wind is stirring the lower branches. my phone says today will be 4 degrees warmer than yesterday. yesterday was a mean son of a gun.
biting wind and damp followed by rainy mist

And the sun came out to dominate the day w/ rain in the forecast 

I got out and did the preparatory work for Winter de - icing,  the back roof and gutters. I blew out some stray leaves in the gutter out.

The problem started as water damming and the only solution appeared to be de - icing cables on the cathedral roof. The consequence was water ( and ice buildup in the gutters there 

Lat year, I added de - icing cables in the gutters BUT maybe this year, I can mostly use the existing de - icing cables already available from the extra cable not on the roof

We shall see said the Zen Master 

🍱 November 25

 🍱 sunny in the ' boro but cool ish to cold. " frost on the pumpkins '

and on the roof.
a truly fall type day. BUT a wintry blast is coming. To quote the Accuweather dudes '  a low pressure system is sicking Arctic air toward the Great Lakes basin '

We surround all men and all forms of life with Infinite Love and Compassion. Particularly do we send forth loving thoughts to those in suffering and sorrow, to those in doubt and ignorance, to those who are striving to attain Truth; and to those whose feet are standing close to the great change men call death, We send forth oceans of Wisdom and Compassion. .

these words have been on my mind for days. thinking a friend who will make the Great Change

🧁 NO 24

 🧁OR

20242424 in digital

Well sunny and cold in the borough. Nice day but still sunny and cold.

 this afternoon. D .. , the neighbour came over and helped me blow out the gutters on the back side which is two stories.
Unfortunately D ..  insisted on getting up on the ladder and then on to the roof. I mean really.

 It's a fall, like we're talking 22 ft and I was worried the whole time. But high gutters are swept clean

 Then I went over and helped and we changed the tires on his two vehicles from regular tires to winter tires

We were never in danger of falling 

actually, upon arriving, the wheel wouldn't detach from the hub. Stuck fast.  I suggested and Googled an answer. Ready ? Hit the wheel w/ a rubber mallet. D .. didn't have a mallet. I went and got mine. Finally, I was some help.
Nexr. Use a wire brush and clean the bolts. D .. s steel brush was too big. I went and got my Dremel motor tool [ w/ rotary wire brush ] Yes. Success

I stayed and helped for another 1 1/2  h. Quite satisfying all in all

🚲 the ' SeaBees '

 🚲 the nickname for the Construction Battalion of the Army
motto : Can Do. Will Do. Did

thus. yesterday between 1:30 P and 4:30, nextdoor neighbour and I took 40 pcs of metal and plastic - > and created a recumbent bike.
Ordered from Walmart, shipped From LA [ at least, I suspect the Far East too ] and struggled thru a delay to arrive here .

the 100 # puzzle arrived on Wed and sat for two days - looming in the front hall

one review stated that ' my niece and her husband spent 4 1 / 2 h putting the bike together '

the recumbent bike is advertised as half elliptical / half bike.
since I own an elliptical, I would say not really.
close but no cigar

I am sore in the legs [ and elsewhere ] sitting on the floor became necessary which entailed getting up, too ! 
there were some fiddly bits. and there is a chance some noise could develop b/c a few diagrams were less than illuminating when it came to washers [ and where these washers actually belong ]

We shall see said the Zen Master

well, if you own an elliptical !  ????  M .. used a recumbent bike at Rehab and found it comfortable. Very little balance is needed and back strain is minimal. as well, the recumbent is supposedly much easier on the knees etc
thus, I will consider incorporating the recumby into my workout program
warm up etc

🪆 November in the ' boro

 🪆 we are dreary, wet and cool ish.

looking out - dark and glistening

🌇 sombre notes

 🌇 such is life. 

Buddhistically, Life is Dukha [ suffering ] 

we accept all, respect all

yesterday. a friend and I had a last / farewell virtual chat w/ someone who is MAID
they have decided that next Wed will see a Dr and nurse and family say goodbye to the MAID friend
painlessly [ b/c pain is becoming a serious issue ]

the virtual was 45 min of reminiscing and some laughter
way better than I could have ever imagined

sobering moments, tho '

further. the MAID friend is a former student. in fact my guest was also from the same graduating year

🧿 get me thru November

 🧿 coming out the other side

I cheated. the song is " get me thru December " as sung by Alison Krauss

dreary in the ' boro. however, life seems to be flowing thru the gap

an uneventful day ? a scam call from? the CIBC [ bank ] to question ' where is your Bank card '

I refused to answer. Called the branch, and was told CIBC will not initiate a call

a real ' fishing expedition '

ah, our society in full play AND I reused to play
Still irritating

🍱 Novemborus 19

 🍱 dreary looking out there
but we will take it

The weather is starting to turn.

 it's damper and the winds picked up but I still got out there. I used my apparatus to clear out the  2 and floor gutters. To reach effectively I stood on the ladder. Two steps up and success.

 blew everything out in the eaves trough 

The sense of accomplishment made my day

it's the doing and succeeding

🌌 away in the night sky

 🌌 for all to see

' look up, look way up ' the words of the Friendly Giant [ CBC kids program ]

today s program
1. change the sheets. air the blankets

2. after much delay and procrastination, clean the living room carpet
the system requires vacuuming, sifting the powder on the slightly moistened carpet. scrub w/ a brush. let sit.
vacuum the debris

success

🦃 indeed

 🦃

Saturday was Turkey Day. we cooked a 14 # turkey, stuffed and gravy

we missed Thanksgiving dinner [ turkey, I mean ]. saw a turkey in Walmart. so.

 M .. helped quite a bit. but her fingers and back flare up and hurt

anyway. success. Actually, I envisioned stacked plastic containers w/ bird
not so bad afterall
we have leftover turkey but more in the range of 4 containers

now gravy. M .. is very consistent when cooking. Thus, when she gets it right once
yes. everytime is a winner

she made a quality of gravy. Meaning. I can have rice and gravy for many meals
Rice and gravy is a food genre - all of its own. Some might say the best of West and East

my favourite rice, currently, is Nishiki brand. Japanese short fain rice. Tends to cook softer than long grain and plumps up

 

🕸 its a sign of the times

 🕸  sing it  Petula Clark

A good weather day  in the ' boro. Bit of gustiness, sun and a slight bite in the air

🦃 coming at you, hot

 🦃 and I don't mean the day. not bad 

cool to cold. Wind was up and then died way down

Tranquil is the ' boro

🦀 novemburus 14 in the ' boro

 🦀 sunny, windy and cool [ like November ]

this AM. I contacted Walmart. We had ordered a 🦀 recumbent bike.
Shipping from the Far East. Via LA, CA  onto Richmond, BC. And stuck in BC

Walmart advised that Walmart is not in control of the package. Call Purolator and say ' return to depot / pickup  ' I .....
called Purolator.  " your wait times is 30 minutes. Then,  later ' your wait time is over ten minutes. '
' your wait time is over ten minutes, do require a call back ' Yes

finally, a real person called back. ' What do you need ? ' Cancel the order !  
oh, you mean return to sender '

as in the Elvis song

AND Purolator did ' halt shipment and return to Walmart Depot '

naturally, the wait is 5 - 6 days. maybe, Walmart will refund the money in 10 days [ ? ]

valuable lessons : Walmart is not Amazon
we've grown accustomed to a level of online retail [ five packages in 1 week ] from Amazing Inc

🐮 facing the cow

 🐮 and other short stories

... and don't feel sad
cuz two out of three
ain't bad

the late and sort - of - great, Meatloaf.

in the ' boro dull as ditchwater [ or dishwater ] w/ a slight wind moving the branches

raw is the word. a bite to the wind and damp. 

🌌 return to sun

 🌌 our future forecast is temperate and mixed
last night, the medium showers turned into 15 min of gushing rain

and wind as well

figure many leaves scuttled down into the yard

and those leaves are in the gutter, well, I did a manual clean out - not much fun after the blower job

🍥 11,11,11,11

 🍥 a solemn day.

' boro is dark still. no coffee yet. typing

my drink is ginger and lemon in warm water. beginning hydration

weather here. 45 - 50 for the week w/ bouts of showers

🧁 lunch out

 Nov 9 we travelled to A .. s for a simple and delightful afternoon brunch

the ' boro, today. headed for 50 F and perhaps some rain

debating whether to break out the ' gutter ' assembly and give the old blow out try

The week bodes well, mostly sunny and 50 ish

We can see the wall 🧱 w/ way less leafage

Further to this AM notation 

blew out the gutters w/ the extension tubing

beat the rain 

thank you muchly

💤 better

 Well. Yes. I've set a trend - 2 nights sleeping right thru

Cooler days and nights. We start at 33 F this morning.

💤 all night

 💤 ... sleepy time gal won't you come out tonight .... 

she did. must have been 8 h right thru til 7 AM 
now I was tired. And slept poorly two of three nights

still. not quite w/ it yet

Bargain. at Costco. 2 for $ 29, smoke and CO detector [ 10 year battery ].
Took down the old smoke alarm.

new one is activated and ready. it starts chirping intermittently. OK

tried the next one. Yepper. chirps.  At Shoppers Drug Mart, buy a smoke detector only.

Remeasure the holes in the ceiling. The ' faulty ' smoke / CO is in the kitchen ...
and ' it ' chirps in the hall. M .. was there and says ' its behind me '
OMG. it was the carbon monoxide detector from before w/ the other company

Egad. So. The new smoke / CO detectors work just fine thank you.

Oh. I did not drill the new holes yet for the smoke alarm. 

Sunny in the ' boro. love typing that

🎭 a comedy tonight

🎭  Costco sells booze now. the province loosened up the alcohol sales laws

I would say that I avoid cream ales [ too bland and tending to sweet ]

BUT

Muskoka Cream Ale at sale price in a mixed case

Good

' boro weather. warm ish for November. sun in a jumbled bag of damp, wind and blue skies

🌤🌤 a real anomaly

 🌤🌤 Nov 5 and we will be 67 or so degrees

bonus

and exactly as promised. I managed to pat h the driveway

However. always howevers. I didn't cut back the asphalt [ ideal solution ]
I'm not sure that I want to be pounding or disturbing more of the driveway
The consequences are that although the ' holes ' are filled. There are low places still remaining
The remaining work is to diminish the unevenness and hope that the temporary fill that results will not wash away

we do what we can

🌤 in the 11 the month

 🌤 managed to sleep thru to 6: ish am. Quite the achievement. Dim and cold looking out there on the street.
our temperature will be warm for this time of year.

🐠 our clocks went back

 🐠 yes, we are on ' non ' Daylight Savings Time 

or Eastern Standard Time [ EST ]

still groggy. is this standard ?

bright sun beaming thru '
We are estimating leaf coverage at 70 %. Except. We can see a lot of sky thru the canopy.

And the ground is thick w/ fallen foliage.

Beginning s .. .

and  .... endings

our tree was in fiery glory
a week ago. fading now and diminishing

" I play for Seasons not Eternities
.... says Nature, laughing on her way .... "

Tricky treating last night. Quite subdued

Discovered via Neighbourhood Watch
we missed out on some nifty costumed folks

well ...
we did get many cute ones

🍥 circling round the drain

 🍥 goes October

balmy w/ threat of rain today.

Tomorrow is a cool down by half.

🎴dark is the street

 🎴 porch lights are on, sun not up [ or cannot be seen ]

Coffee and typing

🦃 OC 29

 🦃Walmart had a bin of turkeys 3 - 5 Kg for $ 17 
and 5 -7 Kg for $ 22
no small turkeys. thus $ 22.

M .. says these are leftover from Thanksgiving. well, we didn't do turkey on Thanksgiving
I suppose we will do it in November
Thus, we having leftovers from Thanksgiving - but not cooked yet

rain is coming and we get falling leaves and drops

summary of changes in the house

Dropped a Telco and chose a new thievery system

we no longer have a landline [ actually for 4 yrs, its been VoIP tied to the internet.] So, what the hey .... cellphone or VoIP - no difference to us

plus I have had a cellphone # here in Canada for 10 yrs. Now, Thru electronic magic
.... we ported our home ph # to a cellphone [ SIM ] 
now the phone that I carry is the house phone #
M ... keeps her cellphone #
and yesterday, we ported my ' longtime cellphone # to a backup phone '

our personal phones have talk / text and data.and hopefully my latest cellphone plan which had international calling is still the same for the ex - home phone #

the backup phone is just that, my old cellphone # but the plan is pay as you go per minute
still have answer service and we expect for a while that we will get calls on each phone by 'mistake '

if you can't keep track - no worries. Any number that you call will get us - EVENTUALLY b/c the backup phone will sit in the basement
as emergency [ separate provider, yes, two providers in case ]

alright. yes, we are paying more for phones.BUT prior to yesterday, we were paying for a landline that during this year was out of service for 4 days worth of time
cellphones that were pay as you go w/ no data outside the house

today, the sum would be $ 30 more for phones / month

BUT the new Telco has the new alarm system ' apped ' to our phone. I control arm / disarm, door open and close , garage open and close plus the thermostat from that app

🫧 write your own ticket

 🫧 and what would you write

acquaintances have used those words to describe a job offer

not me

🧿 OMG OC 27

 🧿 a wonderful day is waiting to show itself

Mr Fix it. NOT. However, yesterday for over an hour, I was.
At the Q, there are 2 ShopVacs and the one that I bought a decade ago - stopped.
Yes, nada.
A .. sent me home w/ the sucker along w/ instructions ' play w/ it '
After some disassembly, I find that the exhaust port opening [ filtered so dust etc doesn't escape the Vac ] was blocked 
we are not talking impeded air flow BUT no air flow

Following much difficulty. Small opening that is protected by a couple of struts [ for strength  ? ] I find a release for the filter assembly. And eventually, the catch gave up and the filter assembly was pushed out.
OK. the blockage wad was thicker than the filter. Washed the filter and then played w/ how to repair the damage that I had done.
The fins that support the filter were broken in three places. That's 5 tiny bars that needed replacement - not gonna happen. Instead, I cut two wooden skewers to size and jammed them in across the filter assembly. The skewers could break or fall out but b/c this is outflow, more than likely the skewers will blow out the port.

Ah, a working ShopVac. This unit will sit in the garage from a while. Not likely to reach the Q' for months. Oh, and A .. gifted me w/ a large kitchen / office garbage cylinder [ for the Q ' of course ]. That's me, storage central.

cool temperatures. a slight wind. leaves blitzing down

🧁 a mouse man

 🧁 was that an attention grabber title

actually, both people in this house are ' mouse ' people
for our Chromebooks, we prefer using a mouse vs the touchpad

M .. has a friend who is ' only ' a touchpad person. She is very good as well.

Follow up. I reported that we had ' kittens 't rying to start the outboard motor. 
We used a power station CAT and supposedly the CAT can start a 6 cyl diesel engine.
On YouTube, 4 videos describe ' using the CAT, to start a car w/ battery issues '
2 suggest that the CAT charges a battery and not jump start [ what we needed ]
and of course
there were the videos that say ' jump start a battery '
Well, the instruction manual says ' jump start a car '
the one difference is that the procedure is to hold the key turned for ' 5 - 6 seconds '
I might not have waited long enough.

⛽ " slip sliding away ....

 ⛽ ... the closer your destination 
           the more you keep slip sliding away ...... " Paul Simon

and October is sliding away  ..... 

I'm prepping for a ' put the bass boat away day '. Luckily the boat does not move. Its home is the boathouse - year round.
That being said, very little can be left for the late fall, winter and spring.

MICE [ and squirrels it seems ]. The critters run everywhere
Eat into everything. Rope, cloth, plastic and insulation.  In that vein, I purchased mouse bait this morning.
Last year, I was not there for ' open the boathouse day '. The guys found a dead mummified squirrel that had the evidence in his paws - yes, mouse bait. 
BTW, the squirrels also eat into anything left.

Day clouded over and dimmed the view

the list : lifejackets ,fishing gear, boat accessories .....

Yes. in previous years, I have found shreds of plastic bag, nests made of rope. Tarpaulins that could double a mesh netting material.

Everything is taken inside

🥙 Octoborous 22

 🥙October 22nd and I'm doing it again. I'm dictating the blog on the phone and later.
 I'm going to edit and translate and correct all the mistakes that occurred.

Anyways, it was a nice day today sunny. Actually it was quite warm. A little bit of a breeze but definitely a wonderful day. I went for lunch with friend and it was a good day

🥙 as October glides on

 🥙 sun and fine

we drove home. I did exercise. 

🐠 coming

 🐠 Octobering 20

Well coming to you from the quarter mile. I tried to get online but the computer couldn't get a strong enough feed from the phone. So the idea was the phone would be the tether. It would supply the internet service and then I'd be able to use the laptop. Oops didn't work well. 

Today was a fishing day. Sunny windy like crazy when must have been blowing? I don't know 20 20 km an hour. Probably probably gusting to 30 every once in awhile caught 10 perch got 10 sunfish. Good day, boat ran well. What else could you ask for? Okay, this entry will need to be edited because there are so many errors but that's all right. I'll do that tomorrow. Okay? This is the blog from the quarter mile on October 20th

🍱 on the 19 th

 🍱 of October

our fair fall conditions continue. and will keep on [ a little up and down ] but essentially warm

some odds and ends were solved. e.g.handles on a plastic bin for M .... 
actually a second go. first was mediocre
new revised edition, solid and hokey but functional and not dead obvious

and a wooden spatula. well worn. too worn.the edge had no edge
solution. angle cut the end and reproduce a sharper [ much sharper ] scraping edge

" I know in my heart
I've been here before "

from ' Going Home ' Mary Fahl

🎭 both sides now

 🎭 coming at you.

on the 18 th of October, in the ' boro

errands and hairdressers. meal out. All good.

🍥 the 10 th month

 🍥 and day 17.
in the ' boro it is / was sunny and pleasant. A cool wind is the defining factor

last night a ' window ' appeared on the phone. " critical low battery ".
thus, 5 days in and the thermostat reports a ' critical ' 
upshot:  called the Telco and 48 minutes later.  < well, it likely the batteries were old >

Telco, is sending new batteries b/c I used 4 of my own AA batteries

🎴 octoborous 16

 🎴.... I couldn't get back to sleep.....

thus up at 4:30 ..... a little coffee and English muffin

the curse of the aging .... what wakes us up or keeps us up

' boro weather. cool and sunny

my thoughts turn to winterizing the bass boat. We have a date and pray for good weather or at the very least warm

🛻 octoborus 15

 🛻 in retrospect
I was invited for a cottage weekend at the Q '.
The theme seems to be " how to eat the most '. I seem to fit in. Sad

Only the holiday weekends. 
Each person volunteers for an item. I do dishes. Yet. I reasoned that a little something extra was required, thus I gifted everyone w/ a coffee card from Tim s.

Say thanks. and do not add to the food menu

🕸 OC 14

 🕸 the TElco Blues. this is not a song
Ready.

Four days. well. mostly 4 days

Couldn't figure out how to access My Smart Home app
OK. I can get into the My Telus page.

THEN .... everything stops in re : Smart Home

Tried many different strategies.

Called in to Telus, Nice guy walks me thru the trouble shooting manual

AND 20 minutes into the search. I had to ask ' how many passwords for the two sites ? '

Answer: one. Yes, the same one for both sites E  ..... gad!
there I was re - inventing the wheel trying for distinct passwords

XXXXXXXXX Ooh !  Ouch Gad Dang  [ and other phrases too ! ]

weather has cooled. leaves tumble indiscriminately

Oct 13

 not from the ' boro.

Fishing is relaxing but fish not playing nice

The ETec has been faithful

however. A ... may have trouble shot the problem 

There could a parasitic electricity draw on the battery. The trick then is to disconnect the positive terminal when not using the motor 

🥃 Oct 12 from the ' boro

 🥃 half full

mostly full

fishing from the dock got us 5 bass

🌌 Oct 11 an Episode ends ....

 🌌 .....

maybe
we are switched  Old Telco - > New Telco
the difference
disruption in spades
angst ditto

in the end

better TV screen appearance
remote entry [ door is pad or phone controlled ]

' boro is sunny, warm to comfortable .... however that wind is not summer variety
that is fall coming on

🦀 October 10

 🦀 feeling crabby cuz'

I've spent the day dealing w/ Telco s

the one that I am leaving : hours on hold and then listening to why Telco1 wants me to stay

sunny in the ' boro, windy but autumn glory

The upshot. Cheapest solution
.... I am going suspended for 6 months x $ 10 then in April + I pay $ 40 to cancel
all in $ 100 in fees for leaving early

🕸 the October the ninth

 🕸 big changes here

switching Telco s. And all the angst that brings

We shall see said the Zen Master

🐕 Octoburus 7

 🐕dull and quiet

⚡ OC 6

 ⚡ from the land of the Senecas

actually their Casino 

In the Allegany Forest

🐠 A fishing Day

 🐠 snuck away.  a warm, dry ish, slightly windy day.

and the fish decided to play

.

4 largemouth and a crappie
the crappie was bigger than the bass

🍶 Octoburus # 2

 🍶... its dark and lonely in the deep, deep night ...
I can see Paradise by the dashboard light ...Sing it Mealoaf
the man - the legend

" And I won't do that "

Awake and typing. Sad, but true

🛞 OC # 1 in 2024

  🛞 " all my life s a circle ....

sunrise to sundown   .....

there s no straight lines make up my life  ...

and all my roads have bends ...

lets go round one more time  .... sing it Harry [ Harry Chapin ]

dull in the ' boro
well. we needed milk for cereal [ her not me ]. thus, $ 23 later - we have milk
and noodles and mayo and onions and turkey slices and Almond coffee milk

go figure. 

news. I cleared the cache or data history for YouTube. YouTube doesn't like this move.

B/c you start all over and YT doesn't pump out - trump news, recipes and bloopers and trump bloopers [ what I was getting til now ]

So what happens. I started fresh. I had no history. I typed in ' Morricone NNJO Califfa ' and hit Go

Right now. I get to hear a joyous celebration of two of Morricone s fab creations 
La Califfa [ from the Lady Caliph ] AND the love theme from Cinema Paradiso 
{ Also named, Perfumo di Limone and   Whispers in a Dream ]

🛻 the 30 th is here

 🛻 yes. closing out the month

got out fishing. Sunday and early Mon. A tale of woe and no tails

except a smallish pike. however, managed to get him using 6 # test mono. that is a feat

At home, the situation is improving where I believe that I can stay away for a day.

weather is hanging in - warmish and fair

We shall see said the Zen Master

🍶Septembrinus 29

 🍶 calling all, who sail the sea [ not me ]
I toss my cookies, leaving the break wall.

in the ' boro. dull, and grey. temperature about 65 and going for 70

🌤 28 the of Septembrusky

 🌤a sleep in type of morning. Coffee and typing.

looking out over the spread [ front lawn view ] Slightly overcast and no call for rain

For about a month, I've been consistently, drinking warm water and ginger plus honey. A morning hydration and nutrient scheme. Does it make me joyous .... Nope.
But its a good step in overall health

The Neighbourhood Watch, Whatsapp feed, is bursting w/ news of our mangy, renegade coyote. The brute roams the street and camps out on quite a few lawns. The City has a ' hands off ' policy for wildlife. Meaning ... " we don't touch them and neither should you "

🎭 SE 27

 🎭 

It's a sunny day in the borough
just had breakfast kind of a late day but any day is good where you wake up. That's what I think. Let's see. Folded laundry got breakfast, banana and yogurt. I was really looking forward to something .... I guess softer a little bit sweet and moist

shopping at Walmart. Just the essentials plus slippers.
Ah, you say. I've been getting by w/ sock slippers. Comfortable but disposable and not a sound environmental choice. ' George ' the Walmart house-brand had soft, full foot slippers for $ 17. so, what the hey !
at checkout the machine rang up 15 instead

On a whim 8 days ago, I ran out used up cans of stain and painted the bad [ weathered boards ] on the deck. My Goodness. The difference. Water beads on the stained boards [ not soaking in ??? ]

Well. Why not finish the job. At Home Depot, stain is $ 55 / gallon. The cans that I used up said ' walnut '
Oh, yeah ! No " walnut " Saleslady goes " so many walnuts "
Baloney ! every shade but ..... 
Alright bring the sampler home. Between the both of us - we got it down to three likely choices.

How hard can it be for them to make ... WALNUT ... and not change all the names

SE 25 Rainy Day Wednesday

 ⛵ our streak of wet goes on

w/ some end in sight - say 2 days more

a slow day unfolds here in the ' boro
zero motivation. still in robe

slept in. mega. and drowsy still

🎴 SE 23 in the ' boro

 🎴 ... hello Sleepless in Wadsworth
not me

a day of fishing and a full sleep til 8 AM [ still tired ]

we are in a rain pattern. off and on for days 

🛞 SE 22 of '24

 🛞 " ... some say heart is just like wheel ...
               sang the McGarrigles [ one is left now ]

the ' boro. dampish and grey. we are in for a spell of wet

three days ago. in a rush of  .... we don't know. I said ' you've been looking at the back deck for two years and noticing the rubbed and bare spots on the wood.
In fact, I had made contact w/ a service bloke to give an estimate for re- painting the deck

Methinks that he forgot. Back to the ' fit '. I figured there was left over stain. Since, I seem to buy either redwood or walnut colour --- well ! it had to match one of the three colours now on the deck.
Yes. this ' fit ' has happened before
so. out w/ a broom and garden hose [ to scrape loose stain patches ] and the leaf blower. A quick once over

and roller the ' walnut ' stain on. I covered only the damaged portions [ mainly outside the overhang ] Yes, there are three colours showing. But. the bald spots got covered. I used up three part cans of stain.

Thus, cleared out stuff from the garage and covered the flaking spots. Good job, no. but the eyesore is less eyesore.

🌌 SEP 21

🌌 in the ' boro. a change in the feel out there. Yes, cloudy but the temperature has swung down. Eleven days of dry is about to end. We transition into wet fall conditions in a day or so.

Yesterday, met w/ our tax guy. We discovered that ' we ' had failed to take advantage of health premiums. Thus, our nice tax guy suggested re - submitting for several years. I requested four years and the tax guy said that I should have gone for more.
Anyhoo. Tax guy did the figuring and I took receipts for proof.
Ah. Missing one. I had the credit card slip but not the actual invoice. I found the required invoice and discovered a second. One for the deposit and the other for the balance. A difference of $ 1 000.
Eek. Except while in the office waiting - I hear ' arrears of $ 50 000 plus penalty '
I'm not even in that kind of league of mistakes

  

🪀 on the 19 the of September

 🪀 in the ' boro
we have dark still. coffee on the window sill and typing on the Chromebook 311 by Acer.
I have been saddened by the change that is coming to my nostalgic favourite Chromebook.
The Dell 5190 was the first Chromebook in the house. Well travelled in the States and the UK. The Dell was not fancy but was reliable and easy to use.
The downside has happened b/c I must choose :

a) use the Dell w/out updates [ security etc ] 
b) accept the extended updates but w / most apps forbidden

The truth is that this Acer is as good or better than the Dell - nostalgia aside. 
The machine is more powerful and the keyboard is comfortable.

AND we are discussing a $ 300 investment back in 2019 that has lasted til now

⛽ SE 18 from the ....

  ⛽...' boro 
our ' hot streak ' goes on. There is a drop in temperature on the horizon

🛻 SE 17 in the ' boro

 🛻 the ' boro is above average by 5 degrees. Sunny and slightly humid

M  .. has got my cold and is having a much harder time than I did. BUT she can be a real trooper.

Still I feel bad for passing it along

🛥 boating news

 🛥 SE 16, Monday

this weekend, E .. volunteered to help [ once again ] make the E Tec - GO !

Success.
I took the wrong tool box from the workroom. E .. and I were making sure that we connected the starter the right way.
While I was gone to get the tools, I figured out the setup. By the time, that I made it back down to the boat. E .. had also figured it out and just needed to snug up the bolts. Whew !

E .. asked if we should leave the cowling off so that we could see the moving parts.
I said ' if it doesn't work looking is useless.

First crank, E Tec purred to life. We went fishing

the ' boro. Warm and sunny. hardly a breeze

M  . got my cold. I'm still coughing a bit

📤 XIV of Sep

 📤 from the  ' boro
  very inviting day. sun and breeze and it s a Saturday
my day s far. At the Tiger for ginger ale for M .... I have given her my cold [ bad me ].
As you can guess, I bought more than ginger ale. There was one piece nightgown [ in flannel ] which was cute. Then a box of chocolate assorteds [ amends for the cold thing ]. I found salad and coleslaw on sale. Two bags of kettle chips [ essential ]. And a bag of peanuts.

I cleaned a burner cover. The food splatters etc and sometimes, the blackish marks are hard to remove. I started w/ soapy water [ hardly any difference ]. Next was baking soda [ sometimes a winner, not today ]. I tried a wooden scraper for force [ no ].
Then my idea was ' nev'r dull ' polish. A solvent based cotton batten thingy. and success. I suppose that the seat of the stain is greasy residue, so, the solvent lifts the black. I used a broken chopstick as a scraper.
Then I hand washed my hat. Yes, the washing machine might do but the spinning sometimes deforms the hat. Really, the function of washing is to dilute the sweat and minor stains.
While ' to and fro ing ' downstairs.
I realized that the furnace filter was overdue for a switching out.
And the flurry of activity culminated in exercise.

Lunch of coleslaw and rice w/ chicken and gravy. Watch some telly and a nap.
And here we are

🐺 SE 13 of 30

 🐺 yesterday was areal trial of whether I had recovered from the ' cold '. Whatever I had needs re - classification. I've read the stuff about hoe to categorize your illness.
I have hybrid illness. I get it all

Yesterday. Overall, I did fine. To hospital and moving through the halls. I dropped M .. at the front doors and went to the parkade.
Oops! My 5 day pass card was invalid. I took a paper tix for pay as you go. Next was the respirologist s office for the X Ray requisition form.
I met M ... at the main registry [ no record of X Ray appt was showing ]. The assistant typed in the X Ray # and got a hit. All was ready.
M .. and I travel to the Imaging Dept. I leave and head back to the lobby and the tix machine.

The office is actually in the parkade. There a nice reception person validated the pass  and then, takes my paper tix and gives me a second paper tix to cancel the first in the machine.

M .. was all ready when I returned. Next was the respirologist office and the actual appointment. Short wait and the appointment was an all clear.

To celebrate, we visited a pub and had a pleasant lunch. Shopping at Walmart turned out to be fairly problem free.

I was sweating after getting  home as it was a warmish day. I figured that the sweat was a reaction to the exertion and temperature.

Slept a bit and got up and did a subdued exercise routine.

⛴ whoa.missed a day

 ⛴ the story

When I get overtired [ fail to rest when I should ] which happened last week, say, SE 2 - 5, I get sick as in mega cold etc

thus Saturday working on the outboard [ a coolish day w/ wind ] THAT did me in.
vicious cold began on Sunday

Monday. I needed to rest [ no ! ]. the night was tossing and turning and waiting for judgement day

Tues. a disaster. heavy lungs and cotton batten head 

back to Monday.
feeling lousy but I was up and busy. I was trying to find a new starter for the outboard.
A .. was helpful and we tried several places [ phone and on line ].
A .. had mentioned a site called ' Total Parts '. While he was running over to Central Marine, he said give Total a try.
" do you want a call back instead of waiting on hold. " Yes. I was patient but after 1/2 h I called back. In the process of dialing, the message window said ' call waiting, Total '
Of course, ' duh ' how do you switch to the call waiting.
Again. Call back. This time I got a fellow ' Sorry. part not in stock '. Here is the Amazon reference.No joy there.

 A .. and I decide to contact Central Marine and just order the part / bite the bullet etc.

However, A .. kept saying ' Total Parts on line says ' 5 in stock '. So, on my phone, I hit the order button. Name and address / credit card AND the system says ' in process '

Call A .. and say don't go to Central. Well, figuring there was a system flaw - we waited for cancellation

NO. emails arrived 'here is your invoice ' , ' shipping label created ' etc

The starter came Tues at 11 AM

🗼 9 0f 9

 🗼the struggle as I use the Duet as a tablet

thus, I've got a cold. Slightly lethargic and chest is heavy

' boro is dampish looking today. plus cool

I will stay home and cmmiserate w/ myself

🏨 the eighth of the 9 th

🏨  the ' boro reports
weather a fine autumnal day. me, I've got a cold
crap
follow up. Friends

A .. gave up a Saturday and we tried to install the newly repaired starter. We got spinning but no engagement to turn the flywheel assembly.
We brought the offending starter back home. And then bingo bango. E ,, calls and we arrange that he should pick up the starters [old broken and new broken, as it were ]
Our overall thinking is - buy a new starter. These mechanisms are not renowned for longevity and break on whim it seems.

Thus, we begin anew w/ trying to repair the Etec

First, great guys around me.  And I acknowledge their help

the daga continues

🌆 its Sep 6

 🌆 in the ' boro [ BTW, just switched from Duet keyboard to the peripheral one

thus this morning, the Duet has functioned w/ headphones, TV and keyboard plugged in via a dongle [ multi port hub ]

cost. I've mentioned the Chromebook roster of laptops and Duet. Well. all, 3 Dell 5190, Duet and Acer CB 311 equal the cost of my first Dell laptop [ PC ]

downside. yes. I've discovered that still Garmin for example uses the Microsoft interface [ Windows ] that is a pain

now. I could add Windows as an extension. 

weather. the ' boro is damp and still darkish to dim

🎰five days in to the Ninth

  🎰 and the ' boro is sunny but fall is on the horizon. night temperatures are much lower, now.

a quietish day here. no appointments [ these rule our lives ]

decidedly, typing on the ' Duet ' which is the combo " laptop and tablet " is troublesome
This typing is on the straightforward Acer CB 311 laptop. Nothing fancy. Reliable and easy to use.

Thus, I have made provisions to use an external keyboard when using the Duet. The advantage to Chromebooks is how easily they accept peripherals e.g. keyboard. As well, at the computer station [ yes, it is a real computer corner table ] there is also a 19 inch TV connected to the Duet.
Admittedly, this arrangement can be involved but if I'm sitting for a time or typing a piece         e.g.' blog entry ', certainly worth the effort

AND I adopted the system, quite a while ago. Unfortunately, I was in the habit of using the Duet propped up in the spare bed downstairs  ....
NOT good for my back, for sure
Lately, then, I've concentrated on using the computer station in the ' den ' or computer room in our way of speaking

When I purchased the Duet, I was joining the tablet age. The YouTube channel that I often watch is ' Chrome Unboxed '. Two years ago or so, the channel lauded the breakthrough that was the Duet.
Up to that time, tablets failed or were less than robust at handling android apps. In essence, the Duet was equipped w/ a ' ARM ' processor. The processor could easily handle Android apps and allowed multiple peripheral connections.

As well, I was anticipating the End of Updates for the Dell 5190 [ then, my go to laptop ]
It turned out that Chrome OS extended the end of use by at least three years.
Wow ! quite the bonus
Except ..... many apps were not suitable for the ' added ' updates to Chrome OS.
In the end, the Duet became essential.

Septembrus quaternis

Post # 4211

 Okay I'm going to try dictating  this blog entry . Spoken into the phone and translated.

 So in the ' boro we have Sunny. Seemed cool this morning and I think the day is going to top out somewhere on 75 F which is actually pretty good.

 We've got nothing much on tap,

 Margaret's got Falls Prevention clinic.

 Other than that pretty quiet I would think. Well, sort of quiet. 

I'm off to exercise right now

blood pumping and lungs lunging

plus 💦 sweat

Notice: yes dictated and translated 

BUT there was judicious editing

Falls Prevention went well

We are at a pub ' the Working Dog '

A treat on the way home

🚁 ever been in ....

🚁 a heliocopter or helicopter

M .. s sister and daughter did the Las Vegas ride to the Grand Canyon

in the ' boro. sunny, starting cool and headed for seasonal at 70 - 74 F

M .. is getting an endoscopy to verify that her ulcer is healing

 

⛽ Hiawatha makes you smile

⛽ the gas was 15 cent cheaper than the city

today was recovery day, from the Q ' and Saturday / Sunday
I was sore and tried to figure why ?
huh, you're old

everything hurts 

scary part, I took it easy [ real easy ! ]

🚣 then comes

 🚣 Septembrus primus

Thus, the Etec had a fit and stopped .  for about ten days, the engine was balking on the start. 

The guys helped ( they did it all ) we visited the neighbour  [ boat rep and lots of contacts ]
we received some trouble shooting advice from a mechanic by phone

Found the problem  on inspection, I noticed a ring piece hanging on [ very suspicious ? ]

we re - connected w/ the mechanic and discovered that we had half a ring and likely a part of the starter assembly

Sure enough, after some disassembly, the starter had jammed against the flywheel [ b/ c the ring had broken ]

And we'll attempt to expedite the work.  Which entails repairing the starter. E .. had called his uncle and uncle said ' bring me the two starters ' [ faulty starter form last year and this one just taken out ] 
Uncle will try and cobble a whole starter out of the two

🚏 st Septemberis

 

🚏1 of the X

{{ Short entry 

from the Q' }} I was using the phone. And it was a long day

Foggy damp turned sunny humid

the afternoon

I did not much but stood around. the guys put together a 6 ft x 10 ft pre - fab shed. Yes, you could sleep inside and stand as well. {{  Thus, I'm cooling down }}

the morning.

the bassboat decided not to run. Worrisome b/c there was no sound.

Fishing was slow to moribund

Welcome September

📶 its the 30 th ofVIII

 📶  ' boro today. warm not H / H doable conditions
but rain threatens

we were out hopefully nearing  an end of appointments as follow up from the hospital / rehab
time

progress. is such a tricky concept right now. M .. is doing quite well.Today, e.g. her heart seems to check out fine.
on the near horizon is a evaluation endoscopy and a respirologist consult

M ... is much more mobile than 2 months ago and confidant,

We shall see said the Zen Master !

💨 rushing to the end

 💨 ...... of August
yes. its here or closing out the calendar month

Finished a fiction offering from Steve Berry, called the ' Columbus Affair '.
the premise : Christopher Columbus was a ' converso ' Jew.

the Spanish Inquistion forced the migration of many peoples, the ' us or them ' scenario.
are you Catholic / or not
as you can tell many folks converted to Catholicism rather than die

1492. Financed by Jews. a mainly converso crew. carrying the treasures from the Temple Mount [ actually # 2 ]. seeking a 'new ' world for Jews to settle

💫 when you wish

 💫...... upon a star ......

' boro conditions. sunny and patchy to broad cloud cover
yes. we have warm still. perhaps soon to change

we attend another Falls Prevention session as part of the outreach from the rehab facility
obviously, we get out of the house, get professional evaluation.and there is a record from the in house physiotherapists at Rehab

👸 when you're smiling

 👸 chaplinesque

' boro is hazy sun and patchy white

" in politics and war, you don't need to waste time looking for treachery and conspiracy 
if stupidity and incompetence will explain the disaster "

the untold story.
 over the years [ some 21 and counting ] I've been asked about retirement.
I relate the problems that I had in ' accepting ' retirement. or more correctly, adjusting to the retired life
in therapy, much of that angst was centred around  father. ....
to this day, I have trouble w/ ' not doing ' ...... anything.
I obviously, do not relax well
M  . figured this out way before me. she was ' onto ' my problem from the get go

I mention it in this post, b/c that was my morning. I unloaded the dishwasher, played on the Chromebook and folded some laundry and ..... there it was
' what did you do ' 
see.

And we are not poor. its not the money or
it is the money but that should not be factor

🐟 away fishing at the Q '

 🐟 M ..  has been anxious that I get to fish. Thus, Sunday, we drove up and found a warm to very warm cottage during the night

I took the boat out twice [ late evening and morning ]. I caught fish mostly, sunfish and rockbass. I purposefully, started w/ smaller jigs and the little fishes cooperated. After a bit, I switched to bigger baits

A bass and pike came to my rescue.

A break. 

🔖 on the XXIV of - VIII

 🔖 dim light in the ' boro
coming onto September
and the days are noticeably shortening up

full sun for the day
cool breeze tho'

The last three days have been slow [ as in I've been slow ]

We did have appts M - W and Thur / Fri and  today appear to  be time out days

chores get done but I'm not looking for jobs

♈ on the 23 rd of the VIII

 ♈ c'est victoire, n' est-ce pas ?

sunny in the ' boro w/ a return to summer - I mean the A / C has barely run for the last 6 days

♿ Aug 22

 ♿. What is desperate 

is desperate reusing your old pickle brine.

 Apparently you can use it, once for cucumbers and twice for things like carrots. The idea is that you don't want too much water diluting down the vinegar and the spices and the salt. Oh my goodness. Reusing pickle brine

well. recycle, reuse is the thing these days

☝☝" white up pointing index "

 ☝☝ really. thats the description for the emoji [ character ? ]

' boro is sunny

we have an appointment w/ the memory clinic re: Parkinson s diagnosis

🌞 ' boro has sun

🌞  cleat and cool

💙 240819

 💙 a life measured in fish .....
a slightly disquieting thought

' boro is damp and dreary
likely sun ahead

Augustus XVIII

 Cooo,,,,kieeee 

so simple 
so fattening

loaded w/ calories

' boro is wet and going to get wetter. T.O. has flooding. ' boro is high releative to 70 % of the city. Eglinton marks the old shore line of L. Iroquois. Thus, we get snow and south of here stays wet - ish in winter. 
Floods are rare except on our property. 
Somehow we drain poorly

Update, plumbing DIY

not good, spun the cartridge and ......  Spun

That's an OOPS! Ended up calling the plumber

No sweat. Two ticks and out

" Sorry your bladder is split"

Thus. not my fault but $$$ to replace 

August the XVII

 strange days and .......

Found this hooded sweatshirt at the Tiger. Complete w/ authenticity tags.

Not a fan but have seen the first episodes

seems to suit the times that we live in

' boro. sun is out but cloud deck is significant. Rain to follow bUT after fairly mild conditions plus sun

🏪 August 16 2024

 🏪 in the month that lionizes Julius Caesar, himself

sunny in the ' boro but T storms and rain due much later

and
about to start a troubleshooting project : a leaking super flusher toilet 
yes, a running sound
three things to check
and its easy

We shall see said the Zen Master