🫘 on the 18 th of VIII

  🫘 ... beans you say. This morning check in. Watered the wild flowers. Coffee and typing outlook on a sunny, slightly humid feel

Much to do w / seemingly plenty of time - always dangerous that bit.

Sun is dominant under the Eternal Blue. The Swedish have a traditional saying ' you can't slide in here on a shrimp sandwich ' - meaning denying privilege 

Lunch today was a ' East coast Nordic Shrimp Roll '   - flavourful hot doggy bun filled w / baby crustaceans blended in mayo and crisp veg / seasoned by Old Bay ( just like at home )

🏞 XVII of the eighth

  🏞 sitting in the window seat at a gray world w / streaks of sun flickering and flashing thru

tea in hand, trying to wake up
more later

a slow rolling morning, ended at 11 AM. Breakfast call at the Magic Noodle. Oh, yea, won ton soup and gamo. A bit different, but very Asian. I met A ... for the purpose of transferring a fishing rod [ from the Q ' ] to the Subaru for possible fishing

Sorry. Sunny day w / built in humidity. The prospects certainly picked up from 7:30 A

🧑‍💻 airwoman of VIII

  🧑‍💻 ... what is the title ? I mis typed and the auto correct offered ' ........ ' you got it

I will look it up onAI

Slow start to the day. Rice, fish and cabbage for brekkies. Beer at 11:45 AM
Did manage a run to the Tiger, for $ 58 but ...... I bought a XL light tan cotton mix over shirt for summer as a cover up [ anti sun and anti bugs - b / c the bugs have been nailing me, especially, below the hat line ]

On fishing. Spring and into June brought work on the marine railway. An estimate for hiring out the job - started at $ 7 K, and that was lowball calculating. Real number more like $ 10 000.
Using friends and A ... as the erstwhile foreman, the cost came down to $ 3 000 and some hundreds { ? }. There is a problem of the used lighter rails and trolley [ might be of some value. That was always going to be an extra

I figure July 15 was my first fishing trip out. Since, maybe, 5 trips. All short - leave early / come home early. WL says August is always a tough month - I figure most months are tough

5 bass and shut out the last 4 trips.

💎 15 augustus

  💎 ...the Ides of Augustus, is upon us. Well, sitting and re  hydrating. Clouds are gray and threatening.

barely awake but should make tea ? n'est - ce pas ......

on sleeping culture or habit .... I was finding myself, alternately warm ish and then cool. Wearing a robe to bed seems to be the solution

revisio. sunny day / winds gusting. fine summer weather

exercise on schedule. hit the benchmarks

🍣 on the 14 th of the VIII

     🍣 ... is this part of the ' blogger-verse ' ? or more

Sitting and typing ..... casino app 201 and ochazuke
errands are Shoppers and oil change at Speedy

the morning report : Speedy. mechanic said that he was glad to see the car in good shape. Cost, all in, oil change and quick once over $ 120.

Shoppers was quiet and in and out accomplished. Detoured by the Liquor store. As a reward, naturally.

Thus, both vehicles are reliable and the Subaru hits the road soon 

Fishing. Dad took us fishing at 6 y.o. or so And three score and ten later, still doing it and looking forward as well 

🍑 13 th of the VIII

    🍑 .... sitting and sipping hot and sour soup. the view is sunny and still. Rain ? likely hanging round. As mentioned this is the El Nino pattern for the summer. 

Sleep was knockout city. Tired of what

follow up : the standard system for my Boat and ETec, does not connect the primer circuit to the engine. Thus, pushing in the key would not prime the engine. BUT, there is a note saying to pause before turning the key - aha, a pause, as in ' push twice ' 

🌀 ...Summer Wind ....

  🌀 .... came blowing in .....

August 12 mixed day. Up at 5:15 A On the road at 6 A. Coffee and BLT ( sad, w / egg and no mayo - dry and mediocre)

Bass boat launch was trouble free. Engine balked and caught. Fishing was meager. Not super hot. Breeze intermittent and refreshing.

Now. The hiccups. On the stairs down to the river, a shed size tangle of branches semi obscured - everything after a tree limb snapped! After fishing we cut a path. ( not me, b / c I was phone trapped explaining the mess to A ... )

Starting the ETec 1. Today, I turned the ignition key, waited for LED s to cycle and turned the key ' On ' .... pushed in the key in twice. Engine caught, purred )

The conundrum : the written instrxns  mention that the ETec is self starting. But IT doesn't! That move is called ' priming '

Instructions are not correct. The start up needs the prime action

Over the years, I have waffled back and forth ... but now, I think the engine needs the priming

Live and learn

🚙 XI of eight - imous

  🚙... dreary in the ' boro. Cuppa and looking out on gray, cloud cover high 90 %

predicted T storms, I believe. While I sit and wait for an oil change and check. This business, Speedy, is new but reputedly, reliable

We shall see said the Zen Master

How an oil change turns into $ 1 100. B / c the shop suggested, change the spark plug and drain and refill the transmission. Further, details, in fall 2025, I opted for 2 transmission fluid drain and fills. The math says that approx 1 / 3 of the transmission fluid is in the engine parts and doesn't exchange. I did 2 transmission exchanges to clean out approx 80 % of the transmission fluid.
When the shop today, said the transmission fluid needed an exchange, yes, good timing.PLUS, the hop suggested changing the spark plugs. And, since I cannot recall, changing the plugs .... well, likely time ? right !

there you go, $ 1 100

And the Subaru goes in Friday

Dinner was throw together but delish. Potatoes pan fired til golden. Scallops wrapped in bacon, mixed veg

🛺 X of eight MMXXVI

  🛺 .... shady out there [ no Eternal Blue showing ] Tea and typing .... looking out on the street

A day of errands. License and Health card renewal s. Easy and quick. Them. Lunch out at Tara Pub
Rare afternoon outing. Quite successful. Best of all, it helped build  M ... s confidence

🫘 IX of VIII

   🫘 .... sitting and typing, 2 day old coffee. Sun and the Eternal Blue. Still got that the humid feeling as we are in that loop or cycle [ storms etc ]

And I am getting bit [ as in insects ]. Watering the wild flowers this AM, right on the calf. Poof, just like that

Sunday rituals incl a trip to Giant Tiger. And coleslaw, breads and eggs

The day is sunny and humid. Breeze is essential

Exercise completed. Nothing outre to report

Dinner was  M ... s chili and garlic bread

🛵 eighth of the VIII

  🛵 or 26 / 08 - 08. Late getting to the blog. We were readying the house for the NCL and I was playing w / the ' new ' foyer light up lantern. Bigger and brighter, very deco

dreary outside. rain is around and about

sun popped out. still humid as all get out

House is cleaner. All floors on the first done plus the kitchen
Well done. I mean the house feels like someone cared, always a comfort. 
Yes, we need help maintaining the place.
c.f. moving out or seniors residence. easier but then you are paying someone to walk and do things

🚕 7 th augustus

  🚕..... sitting and typing. Tea and rice cooking

Long day, Wed. Up at 5:15 AM home at 8:30 PM
Hot and humid day, broken by clouds and sudden downpours BUT we were in the boathouse, each time. Plus, the work was all to make recovery of bassboat simpler

How are you feeling tired but up. Weren't you supposed to sleep, like - forever, guess not b / c I was up at 7 AM

Visited the Speedy garage not  " Muffler, anymore "  recommended by the neighbour. A competent advisor addressed the need for an oil change etc. Going in next Tuesday.

Walked in to Princess Auto, $ 48 late - I escaped. Some fishing jigs ( $ 6 for 10), re use  owels and gloves plus string lights.

the string lites are LED and programmable. In the front foyer, seasonally, there is a welcome to " Las Vegas " flashing sign. The sign is 7 inches tall. Soon to be replaced by a 30 inch tall lantern cage [ glass sided ] and yes, string lights - suspended in the glass sided enclosure.
Stay tuned for the latest pix

🀄 augustus 6 ieme

  🀄..... a day away. Fishing for two hours and a bit. Then we worked to make the bassboat dock in the cradle - more easily
success, the jury is out
 a long hot and humid day. not back breaking ,but tedious and relatively useful
We shall see said the Zen Master [ yeah, one of those

🚏 aug 5 in the ' boro

  🚏 sitting w / coffee but weak tea first. Sunny is the view, Eternal Blue. Wind seems fairly still.

A .. will come today and take  M ... to the hairdressers. And fish and chips for lunch [ ???? ]

Project projection screen ..... rating a dismal pass. WL ... gave me a full size projection screen. The frame sets up as 6 x 6 ft w / a base framework  that goes back 3 1 / 2 ft. Downstairs, in the fireplace room it looks like half the room is screen.
Thus, I used half the poles and no base. The frame could sit on a console. The screen needed to be cut down to size. 
I ended up using double sided tape [ very stick and a pain ] to fold the screen over the pole s and tack the free end down. There was a bit a looseness in the surface.
The trial projection was alright but likely 80 % of true appearance on the laptop. Further research verified that the brightness and reproduction would be limited. The projector is rated at 300 nits and for reference that 300 is barely adequate for a computer screen.
Well.
In summary, not a tragic loss. The screen came free and the abridged setup can still be used. The projector is fully portable and I do have ideas about uses

The plans fell thru/ I drove M ... to the hairdressers. 
After. I zipped up to Chartwell Plaza and Yogi s Noodles. A 35. Beef noodle and wonton plus Chinese greens and soya milk. There is Bak choy in the soup as well.
My new favourite. It is food court style eating but 13 dollars. { keep the soya milk please

Next was Bestco [ Asian food store ]. At the hot table area, I bought inari                         
 [ aka ' suitcases 'from our growing up ]. Chicken pot pies [ on the sweet side ]. Frozen corn and dessert

🫖 augustus IV MMXXVI

  🫖 .... truck is back. Woke up at looked out and Ridgeline was in the driveway. A .. back form the airport run.

Ahead ..... ????  Full sun and Eternal Blue. Sitting and ochazuke AND Mc D s coffee first in the driveway

Buy a new TV !!! says M ...
instead, I fiddled for two hrs to produce ' a wavy screen ' for the projector. Analysis : the bristol board was superior
YouTube videos did emphasize that screen irregularites was a big bug a boo. Even expensive screens show the waviness along the edges

So, off to Michael s or Staples for a type of board  that is slightly relective or maybe even matte

🧥 augustus 3

  🧥 ... dreary and sitting tea this morning ... hydration is key

yes. rain overnight. part of the cycle that we are in Ah, El Nino, as predicted, cooler and rainier

on retirement. how can you tell ? Firstly, A ... has my truck for  luggage portage to the airport. BUT air crew strike cancelled flights - with the chance of re- booking, ' tomorrow '. He left his sedan.
While waiting cor news this AM, we began watching ' Pan Am 103 ', the Lockerbie 747 crash [but becomes bombing after 20 minutes ]. Sat and watched
meanwhile, I was exploring screen setups for the projector project in the fireplace room

🥭 🥭 080226

  🥭 🥭 ... peeled my 2 nd mango in 76 yrs. This last was smaller at tangerine size.

sitting in the window seat, tea and watching the rain pelt down. Precipitation was expected      [ part of the swirl around pattern ]
TG, the view is dominated by silver leaf dogwoods, pine and maple

I accomplished the Giant T. run. Slippers and ice cream bars were the target and I spent $ 42 all in. Actually, more or less essentials.

Rain is alternating between threat and buckets - the crash of thunder too !

My latest project is an ' alternate to buying a new TV for downstairs '. That Sony wasn't hooked up to cable and I was using a laptop [ HDMI or Chromecast ]. So, using a projector would be the same. Indeed, the projector was purchased 2025, acknowledging the age of the 2 Sony TV s.
I purchased a 50 inch screen [ tabletop, ?? ] but in the meantime, WL .... offered a full size projection screen.
I spent time on Friday and Saturday, trying to jerry rig a setup. This afternoon, I taped a bristol board to a picture frame. The image produced is better than the screen.That s b / c I can take the flex out of the bristol board but the screen floats on the edges as assembled.

💬 080126

  💬 .... sitting in the window seat ..... at a gray world. we are in an up and down system, rain and such
still a pleasant view
... from ' Dr Strange ' [ the sorcerer ], the quote,   " the bill comes due, the bill always comes due ...."

Yep. feeling the fishing days, ooh, groggy this morning. Well, that was two mornings up at 4 or 5 .... ' ah, the struggle is the glory ... [ from, the Ghost and the Darkness ]

ncl [ neighbour cleaning lady and reconteur ], did the bathrooms and upstairs floors.

from WL .. a projection screen. Full size - half the room. I'm re jigging and using half the aluminum bars and connectors. Picture as projected,  80 % the quality of the TV.
I did move the console out of the way BUT now, I'm thinking suspend the screen from the ceiling [ less bars ] and bring the console back

🐟 073126 ... what you learn ...

  🐟 ..... or should know when you go fishing ..... like today. Full sun and Westerly wind [ began that way, swung S or SW ].

obviously, not in the window seat. However, friends came fishing to the ' bee.

Alright. boat launched w / little hiccups [ very small ]. Engine ran and purred. Even on a Friday, long weekend, out early w / light boat traffic. Friends daughter [ 6 yo ] likes fishing.

Not much doing so she read her book, fished ,read her book.

OK. lessons learned. good people are fun to be with.   Duh !!!!
Pleasant day up there. No pressure [ no fish ] laughing and getting sunburn [ not bad ]
Only out three hours, came home for noodles in N Scarborough. Fell fast asleep while on the computer. 

🛢073026

  🛢typing and ochazuke. summer morning. motorcycles and lawnmowers
Eternal Blue ....

slept thoroughly, feel groggy but can function

🥭 0729 2026

  🥭 getting the fruit out of a mango ... .

Sort of got it right ..... messy..... inelegant at least  .. best done over the sink 

fishing was excellent but shut out again [ sunfish hit a spinner, TY mr sunfish ]

yes. tiring. up at 4 ish AM. D  ... drive and then WL. No complaining.

🐂 ... the week of the .....0728

  🐂 ... if you cannot follow along w / the theme of the blog .... thats OK
serendipity comes to mind or .... worse

 a phone call this morning, informed me that again, I am a pack animal or the Ridgeline is.
" it won't fit in the car !, we'll load into your truck "
this is SOP [ standard operating practice ] for the Q '
... transportation central or ' gofor ' QMH [ go to ?? ]

typing and coffee w / the view which is not uplifting - gray and expectant. rain bucketed last night
I broke out the ladder and cleared the gutters or the downspout opening [ clogged w/ leaves ]

when you come to realize your value, it comes down to ...... THIS ? handy or useful or last gasp

bringing back, good stuff ... 0727

  a repeat .... b /c it looks good

we' ve been enjoying the new location and display

the view : hazy and large chance of rain .... Tea on hand and typing 

Apparently, the TV and Bell system don't sync or forget after some minutes. E Z peasy until, there is no sync. We'll keep trying. Annoying but fixable [ again ! ]

Co ordination between TV and Bell system better

🎢 jul-ly 26

  🎢 ...... Eternal Blue has scattered and fluffy cloud / sun is out.  a pleasant AM

coffee and typing viewing the world from the window seat

Morning goes smooth. M . ... s friend A ... Dropped by ( from Whitby ). Casual chat, re telling travel stories etc

THEN. No TV. Cable boxes light up. Front power lights go on - blink and go out 

After many un plugs/ power drain s and full power drain s. Nope

Advice says that the blink rate indicates a LED backlight strip that is faulty or the power module is toast. Either way, no fix'em, keemo sabe !

We ended up calling neighbours and bringing up the downstairs TV

Alright. After re sync, situation normal

Minus a TV

🇩🇬 julius is 25

  🇩🇬 ... sitting in the window seat, typing and ochazuke [ green tea version ].

cloudy Eternal not Blue. Rain ? nice and cool tho ' and not stuffy humid. Watered the wildflowers, or soaked them b/ c I got right down to the stalks and soil, not watering over the top

I was thinking [ always dangerous ] while talking to the neighbour cleaning lady [ ncl, from now, that you need to invent or create, constantly. To wit, we were looking at a cardboard drawer stand that I made. Not pretty or even all that useful but a cardboard box with slots for beer flats [ Eagle IPA, of course ] acting as a file structure. Now, I expanded the cut outs to open the storage up

Always be inventing.  follow up. this room, ' computer central ' is being tinkered with  .....

..... a small metal rack, originally was suspended below the shelf arm to the left of the desk on the upright post. Likely, for CD storage? It is now re positioned above the shelf [ tacked w / tape ].
... we shall see said the Zen Master. The rack can hang spare charging cords and pads etc

I brought out a cork bulletin board that was squirreled away [ hidden ? ] and might be a photo display board [ we shall ... .... ... ... Master ]

reporting : the day exploded into sunshine and patchy clouds

Besides re organizing the world, we got out grocery shopping and left $ 200 at Metro. All essentials, batch

Slept after a wedgie snack w/ my coleslaw    ( coleslaw green s, Mayo, fruit cocktail and raisins ) and vitamin G ( aka Guinness).

🏞 24 th of julius

  🏞  ,,,,,,, ochazuke in hand and typing. the view ; high Eternal Blue and sun. Prediction say mid to high 70

but ochazuke is green tea base today. for a switch. milder [ of course ] quite refreshing. Quickie meal Add 2 pork ribs, yep, the leftover s that were re BBQ ed and warmed by micro. Not everyone s choice but me, yes

A little change up today, the neighbour is doing Friday clean not Saturday 

🇦🇶 23 rd of Julius

  🇦🇶 .... in the window seat and the view is ... high Eternal Blue / full sun .... temperature likely mid 70 s today. Black tea and typing. Both coffee and rice brewing / bubbling

reporting.... night time adventure. Leave the house at 10 :10 PM bound up the street to gas station row [ approx 6 ] for gas price reduction time. Shell station was chock a block at $ 1.60 per L. Noope ! Further on the king of the low price, Pioneer, was $ 1.62 / L BUT 4 cars for 7 bays.
I settled for the 162. 52 L in all. Checking this AM, Pioneer is listed at $1.79. Calculating, gets me $8.50 savings. First time, last time ?

the tale of the fishing trip. enjoyed the day [ or half ]. Fishing from 7:30 to 12 something. 
The upside. We had time for sushi lunch, check. I got home in time for exercise. check. And tired but survivable. Slept extremely well. check

On tea. I find it more re - hydrating or refreshing. Now, hype or real, both coffee and tea are caffeine sources, one is better than the other ?

Anomoly, breakfast was rice ( fresh ), check, and re BBQ d pork ribs. From Bestco, the ribs were FATTY so I figured re heating would render out fat 

Not too healthy but good, satisfying 

sitting and typing w / a coffee. thinking about fishing. For two weeks, I tried to make the new cheapie baitcaster work, no dice. 

I am resolved to get back to basics, using the old dependable three rod carry in the boat. I was attempting to lessen the clobber in the boat. B / c two of the guys bring five rods apiece, nope, three

🐟 jul 22, anomaly in full ....

  🐟... the boro, but reporting,this AM at the Q '. Rain showers and sun w / wind at 12 MPH out of the West mostly and swinging to north in the 11 AM time slot/
I got skunked w/ one probable. Turns out that I have the best average but inconsistent effort 

great day. now, the weather. cloudy to gray skies that showed sun in gaps but allowed rain to sprinkle down

lunch was sushi. fair to good. Rice was soft and wet, fish very good

🌂 21 days in and ....

  🌂 ...... Kaboom ! summer T storms are here. copious rain and yes, the rumble and clash of ' gods bowling '.

tea is steeping and coffee from yesterday ... the morning begins

⛱ twenty days in .....

  ⛱ ... the ' boro from the window seat ...... high Eternal Blue and holding. does not appear hazy ... however we are still part of the cycle of winds carrying the particles

ochazuke and typing --- coffee on the brew

the outbound trip to N Scarborough. The Plaza is called Chartwell. 3 chunks, one is an indoor mall cum food court and 2 outdoor access pods. A long time favourite in the food court is a kiosk, Yogi s Noodles. 
Thus, lunch was at Yogi s. Beef noodle soup. Egg noodles, tasty broth and chunks of meat [ maybe beef ]. The bowl comes topped w / bak choy. The noodle are firmer than at Magic, less bulk and broth comparable for sure. OK. Compare. Yogi s suit me better. I can barely finish the amount at Magic [ and probably should stop ]

Across the parking lot is Bestco. A huge Asian market w / bakery and takeout food offered. I picked up sushi, roast pork ribs and bananas. Pork irbs are fatty and disappointing BUT I realized that I could cook them again and render out the fat [ lots of fat ]

🎌 Julius XIX

  🎌 ...... the view from the window seat. Eternal Blue has scattered clouds w / big sun and mild temperature.
woke late after a 6:30 A interruption for tea. And fell asleep til 10
Now

typing and ochazuke but already had a coffee and went to the Tiger. [Oopsy, forgot ice cream bars - bad, bad omission ]

Yesterday was a school track re union, for former people that we coached [ F .. and I ]

convivial and expansive

🍆 julius XVIII

  🍆.... or the eighteenth coming at you. the view from the window seat, Cloudy and overcast but I think the smoke is back. as in I can taste the aair

on tap is a track re - union for Leacock athletes most are in their 50 - 60 s

🪩 XVII of VII - much clearer .....

  🪩 .... the view from the window seat. Eternal Blue has patches [ rain is possible ]. I think the hope is that some rain may wash out the smoke particles  ... however, the supply of particulate is large and circulating.
might take some time for the air to return to previous quality

not much planned. so far, ochazuke and typing is the order of the day. sleepy.

above the bass from Wed fishing. enhanced by AI or Google photo edit [ I think, the bass looks good the guy not so }

 

All right, we're reporting

 accomplishments today include trimming the dogwood out front. It was running rampant, bushy long, obstructing the path so I thought I should do something about it. It felt good,to you know, just get something done

. I managed to take apart the $10 baitcaster reel that A ,,,  had bought for me and I managed to bird nest it up and render it useless in about 3 minutes last Wednesday out on the water.

 Well it turns out I could not have fixed it there because the line had actually gotten behind the spool onto the spindle and there had to be 20 wraps so it got wound up pretty tight.

 I managed to take the offside cover apart and put the spindle and spool back together again and .......  it still works which is kind of amazing

🕌 Jul 16

  🕌... air in the ' boro is much improved. not out of the woods yet. smoke and haze can cycle around and be on us. the Jet Stream has picked up this ' cloud ' of smoke and is porting the whole shebang - hither and yon

sleepy and doing the ochazuke thing, wake up and hydrate. coffee is brewed and sitting
it seems that my body and mind doesn't respond well to a 3AM start to the day

unfortunately, fishing was so successful - yes - we might do the early fishing shtick again

I can taste the air today

exercise completed

Lunch date at Magic Noodle. .... follow up, Shrimp Won Ton and noodles - excellent 

🧶 ...smoke on the water ... 15 / Jul

🧶.... or the scene, this day on the ' bee. Wildfires are sending their signals south to us. Hazy and slightly orange or reddish. sunlight muted and distant
.... fishing ' on fire ' sorry - bad pun. We began slow, [ for 5 minutes ] then WL .. got a 2 - 2 1/2 lb er. D... followed minute later. Me, nada ... .til a baby pike 20 inches grabbed my chicken rig.

w / , WL ... having success w / a plastic stick bait,  I switched to a pink Strike King stick.

For the next 20 minutes, I pulled in three largemouth, the biggest 3# +.
we managed some little stuff for fun

an hour later, I had two more hit, maybe a # er and another lm at 2 1/2 #

the new trolley arrangement balked twice and we had anxiety issues aligning the boat and trolley  . however, 3 guys got it done

lunch was at Starr Burger, not cheap, but ' oh, so tasty ' - thankyou Whitby !

🏪 14 th in VII

  🏪  .. yes, the month creeping along til, today, month half gone or half still to come
Last night, we picked up Kentucky Fried rat and french fries, in c.f. my air potatoes are good

in the window seat observing the ' boro, Eternal Blue and sun and hot

typing and ochazuke w/ coffee in the thermos

the heat peaks today

fiddling around. means creating a prop for the laptop. C 14+ is a larger baby than the others.  C 14+ is fanless and dissipates heat by radiation, therefore I figured if possible tilt the C14+ getting the bottom off the table [ better angle for the keyboard as well ]. Til this morning, I was using a thin flat strapping board to do this. But instead, I turned the board on its side and braced the board [ now the taller edge is raising the back of C 14+, even higher ]

As well, A .. gifted me w / a Chinese knock off baitcaster [ $ 10 Cdn ]. Well, to get it fit the lock mechanistic on the rod, I bent the cast lip of the reel. Yes, its cracked [ a bit ], so, this morning I gorilla taped the reel on further. Very Red neck sort of repair. BUT if it helps - good

🌋 hot time ..... Jul 13

  🌋... not today but coming to a region near you ....

... there'll be a hot time, Santiago tonight ..... [ re worked lyrics from, ' There 'll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight ' for the Spanish American War ]
yes, we are on the cusp ....
 ' boro view, high Eternal Blue and sun, very humid as the heat preps for a three day run

our schedule shows an appointment this aft. OK. Typing and coffee [ M ... made it early ] however, rice is cooking, And ochazuke did not disappoint

we are in pending mode. awaiting this appt in the aft. A non exercise day and fiddling w / chores. The spare FOB for the truck failed to work, two weeks ago, yepper, finally, replaced the battery and tested fob.
Gathering clobber for the run up to the Q ' e.g. the towel that I borrowed, three weeks ago. Wisdom would say, take your own this time. Added the fillet glove [ steel mesh, anti cut] and new fishing line.

  

🌅 .... window on the ' boro

    🌅....... the Eternal Blue tinged w / white and full sun in the view
the window seat, ochazuke and typing

excitement was formed by England v Norway, and the Three Lions victorious. Not Easy but done

expecting raving heat in 36 h. thus, today should be a quick run to the Giant Tiger

follow up, did get coffee. but the tea / rice is so comforting, as hydration and easy to digest meal.

Tiger news. Cinammon buns, not on anyone s diet but M .. covets them. Plastic garbage bags, coleslaw, rinse aid for the dishwasher [ vinegar w/ food colour ] and bananas

Yes. hot and revving up for the week, it seems. In spite of that, we have a fishing run planned. The boat hasn't run yet, this year. Always, a question mark. And the boat euqipment is all over.
Safety especially.

exercise accomplished. AND I forgot my weight was # 174.4 on Saturday. Holding the line so to speak. Best part is that I am not suffering or deprived

🕯XI of VII Julius, n'est pas

  🕯' boro, now, Eternal Blue and sun. looking very crisp out there
typing ans coffee [ two days old ] the new stuff is burbling out there

the neighbour cleaning lady [ must be a nicer way of describing the arrangement - helper - yes, our neighbour helper ] is coming again.

On the pain control front. Using a cream on the knee. today, a massage and cream on the thigh - result is much lessened pain or discomfort. a tad of disbelief really but if it works . ....... Bonus !

our neighbourhood helper arrived and is on bathroom duty

follow up. we've dropped the monthly cleaning service and will go w / helper system. obviously, a trial and see process

🏭 tent of the VII

  🏭 ........ in the window seat, coffee and typing w / ochazuke steeping

patchy blue and sun. Thursday is getting the recycling out to the curb and Friday is waiting for the pick up process

ochazuke it is. satisfying.
I thought it best to note or mention, chores accomplished, to wit :
register the C14+ w / parent Co., Lenovo. Since I registered, the Duet [ laptop and Tablet ], I was in the Lenovo system.
As an ongoing preventative step, I sprayed Ant B Gon at the patio door entrance to the deck off the kitchen. 

exercise was scheduled, and despite some thoughts of problems, the numbers matched those of the Jul 6 session. Coughed a bit, otherwsise - all went smoothly

lunch was potato chips to finish the evil things - all gone. And soup from broth and leftover Chinese.

 

⛵ 26 / 07 - 9

  ⛵... hello in the  'boro on a sunny morn showing the Eternal Blue [ slight haze up there ]

typing and tea steeping [ soon to be ochazuke ] coffee is on as well
tummy warming start to the day, tea and rice

a lazy morning [ more than most ?  uhm, NO ]

on the agenda. a trip out for some needs, lean ground beef   [ smash burgers coming up, tonight ], Shoppers for M ... s scrips and gift bags from Dollarama and envelopes

shopping over amid the three downpours between 10:15 A and 11:30

reporting. the cold / cough episode seems to be waning. Phlegm in chest, for sure.

However, feel able to do things

🪃 eight and VII in the ....

  🪃 ..... ' boro. Ochazuke and typing.

sunny, going for fairly warm to hot. quiet out there. And I was late getting up.
fighting this cold / cough affliction.
Trying to lay off the cold / cough tablets, the stuff dries out my mucous membranes. Not particularly healthy to stay on the drying out meds too long.

I am feeling better w / the cough hanging on still.

I did take Robaxacet / Acetaminophen tablet, thru the day . And fairly sure, I will try the 12 h night tablet, so, I can sleep thru

🛋 seven / seven two six

  🛋.... in the ' boro, fighting a cold. I'm using the 12 h night and 12 h day cold / flu tablets

well, helped me sleep last night, knock out time

weather is damp and humid w / full sun

sleep time was a full 9 h or real close.

no plans for this day

coffee and typing replaced with , yes, ochazuke, again [ misspelled ocazuke and spell correct caught the error ]
why ? comfort, throat was dry and raspy 

Update: throat decidedly less irritated. However, sneezing a bit. Trying to relax and calm my system w / less food. Tea is soothing. Oh, had a beer ( w / lime slice )

dinner featured small chunk potatoes done in the air fryer. Peel, cut in chunks and soak in cold water. Dry thoroughly, douse in olive oil and sprinkle flavouring items as well. Aha, then bake for 10 minutes and finish w / the air fry setting to brown. getting quite practiced

on the sixth day of .....

  repeating the image

the ' boro from the window seat is
hazy and green. the rain has freshener the landscape

coffee and typing. welcome the day

and again, ochazuke [ tea and rice sans savory ] I enjoy the warmth and reminiscences that it brings
fighting a dry cough. solution stop post nasal drip. saltwater rinse at night

Been out for the Tiger 🐯 weekly trip. 1 st Monday is Seniors 15  % off . Very popular 

Skyland was all set out for takeout 

a disquieting afternoon. nap time. nope. couldn't settle in. read. wandered. filled in a rough area of wallpaper where anchor and screw failed to hold. Plaster was very shallow or the backing was close to the surface and hard. Other places had a rock like feel below the surface

🎋 the fifth of the seventh .....

  🎋....... or hello from the ' boro. Leacock peeps a shout out !

coffee , tea and typing ... from the window seat. we see gloom and rain is due. long bouts for 24 h. reporting a quiet Sunday

Breakfast was tea and rice, went to AL and asked for ' ochuskei ' and got corrected mega !!!!

" Ochazuke is a traditional Japanese comfort food consisting of cooked rice partially submerged in hot green tea, dashi, or broth, and topped with savory ingredients. It is an incredibly fast, customizable, and light meal commonly enjoyed as a late-night snack, a hangover remedy, or a quick breakfast "

all is good but the savory part - b /c not knowing any better ... I had rice / tea in fact, this morning, I used Irish Breakfast from Twinings c.f. Tetley s Orange Pekoe from Costco [ 1000 bags per container ] Irish is better, deeper flavour but not 1 000 bags for $ 20. 

I am experimenting w / lighting. In the upper hall, the ceiling pot lights are variable bulbs and some are on their last legs. We need light in the hall. BUT why or how important are the O / H lights. I recently, took down fake accent lighting from the living room. Basically, small spot lights like sconces [ slightly uglier ].
Hooked to a timer, I hoped, light aimed down the floor from a small table s platform would provide good visiblilty. The timer has an app and I can control the off / on via phone.

a good day weather wise. rain stayed away. sun came out

further updating. the wall hanging has migrated to a narrow wall adjacent to the bathroom 

might be the right place - fits nicely. colourful. previously, the purple hung on the wall going downstairs.
now, the location may be more of a focal point [ notice more ]
never can tell, we are experimenting. M ... approves
downside. the spot that was left vacant, now, has a small framed fish litho. Much too small  for the space, given that the purple sash is 3 1 / 2 ft

🛣 4 th of the VII

 🛣 ...in the ' boro. cloudy and gray. Heard the rain gushing down o / night. Some traces of wet

Coffee and typing. in the window seat

now, 8:44 AM and I've been on YouTube for 50 minutes. Mostly, the content was ' crabbing ' as in catching crabs or the dude that does crabbing and selling.
tiny bit of military from WW II. 
Off to breakfast.

the neighbour cleaning lady or ........ ????? ' K ...girl ' is doing kitchen counters and the floors from stem to stern on the first floor. This action is the result of the Monday get together here. B / c I didn't do anything really thru the week for clenup

🗺 III of VII

  🗺 ....sitting in the window seat, the view : green and white tinged Eternal Blue.
there is still the heat warning from Environment Canada. Now, yesterday, the day cooled off by 7 or so, quite pleasant. Apparently, tho ' the heat will build back in

very little planned. dinner is up in the air. a work in progress if thinking about it - is progress

Highlights so far : breakfast was tea and rice. Apple sauce and banana w / yoghurt 

Tea and rice. Growing up ochaske ( Japanese) was my main meal for months 

I'm reverting. As we all do. Home. Familiar. Safe

takeout tonight was roast beef dip / fries. quite a treat.

sadly. news is confirmed. a passenger in a recreational 17 ft boat [ approx ] fell overboard as a result of wake wash. the body was recovered approx 6 - 7 h after the incident was called in,
alcohol might have been a factor in the attitude and or / positioning of the passenger

this event was on the ' bee near Peterborough, quite a bit N of any water that I would travel on. the body was recovered at Bensfort bridge which is a locale that I might visit twice or so in a season.

🇨🇦 II of VII

      🇨🇦 ... marking the height of  summer for us
the view is, sunny and the Eternal Blue is hazy up there WARM and Humid w / a break tomorrow.

we look forward to garbage day. and some shopping for essentials

Oh. coffee and typing

Exercise happened and I survived however trying to lower myself to a bench - the bench moved sideways.. . Ouch !

dinner was microwave and air fryer [ crisp and brown finish ] Left over shrimp and small potato pieces. I'm getting good at the timing for crispy potatoes

🇨🇦 🇨🇦 🇨🇦 🇨🇦 🇨🇦 Le Jour du Canada

  🇨🇦 🇨🇦 🇨🇦 🇨🇦 🇨🇦  🇨🇦 🇨🇦 🇨🇦 🇨🇦 🇨🇦  🇨🇦 🇨🇦 🇨🇦 🇨🇦 🇨🇦

typing and coffee [ 2 days old ] looking from the corner seat ....
sunny, humid [ b / c they said ] and Eternal Blue is slightly hazy

nothing on tap today.
Oh. an ongoing problem, how to hang objects on the walls in this house. Specifically, yesterday. Two days ago, one of the adjustable clothes racks fell down [ or pulled off the wall ]. And not the first time. The failure was that the plastic wall anchors pulled out of the drywall.
Yes, when I looked, there were two other holes where this failure happened previous. This hangar rack is fastened to the wall by a round plate and the actual adjustable arm is perpendicular to the plate and wall.

YouTube suggestions called for toggle bolts. These metal fasteners have two parts, a winged foldable piece and the bolt. The folded wing goes into the wall attached to the bolt and on entering a void, pops open to form a brace that can be pulled w / the bolt against the wall. Easy, peasy.
Nope. I goofed or ....... ? By shimming the plate, I finally, got one side to grab [ the other was no problem ]
Now, I cannot look to see what happened behind the wall, The whole apparatus was too loose. I used a preexisting hole [ maybe too big ??? ]
Upshot. The rack is solid. As stated, this difficulty occurs all over the house.

ah, the joys of home ownership. 

the day is as advertised. hot ans sticky, rain threatens

🥍 # 30 it is

  🥍..... ' boro is getting a wetting. Not torrential but steady. Typical, hot steamy turning to rain

Last night, the girls promised that I wouldn't have to deal w / masses of leftovers. Almost everything got ' doggy bagged ' and taken. We have a veggie tray, shrimp and rice.
The rice was my fault. I cooked it late and forgot it anyway.
Well, I love leftover rice. [ I suppose if I don't say that, it would be worse ]

OK coffee and typing. And listen to the pouring rain.

last night, warmth and rolling laughter. Stories of Leacock , a bit. Mostly, travels and work.

exercise is done. and so am I.

 Sunday was rail moving day [ I did try and be useful ], dug out stones and grass. Fetched tools, shucked corn and prepped the steaks. Rode shotgun on the trip to replace bolts that failed on the rails.
and yesterday on the go from 9:30 AM 

Veg tray VG. Rice ditto. Cookies ( came w / the cake ) a pleasant touch

🚜 say, Hi, 29 days in

  🚜 ..... or bye ....

back in the window, sunny and the Eternal Blue. Summer warmth is settling in w / 88 F coming at you

Re furbished in the front 

The decision has been on going, we need help

Can't do it all. Shouldn't do it all. Ask for the help 
Ah. Sounds easy and it isn't. We are slowly and reluctantly wrapping our heads around the whole package

From the real world. I'm watching a ' lady pilot in Viet Nam ???? ' run her cargo boat. Crikey, it s all sub titles. She picks up rice and transport s it down river. Give me a break !. 
BUT its tranquil and a work a day job. Could I do it. In your dreams !!!!
I doubt that I could walk down the side of the boat, on the gunwales, as she does

Back to life here. Tonight we host, a finale or celebration. of the Chipotle people or the Leacock grads that come and meet  thru the year at Scarborough Town Centre from Sep 2025 to May 2026

We offer the chance and you come. 

I'm slowly learning. The gulf between what you think that you type or message and what gets interpreted. Startling and terrifying
B/c this type of interaction makes the business world. Or not 

Grand evening. Everyone helped and made the evening so simple

🚢 closing out the month

  🚢 ... that ship has sailed. Sunny and the Eternal Blue, all day

Up at the Q ' on the ' bee. big doings. I drove up w / two friends. My bassboat was outside   [ all winter ] sitting on a trolley and able to move on marine rails down and to the water then up to land 
At 4:30 PM, the bassboat was sitting on a trolley and able to move on marine rails down to the water then up to land
BUT
this was inside the boathouse .... so, the rails and trolley moved from outside where they have been for 28 years ..... and now reside in the boathouse. 4 guys and me [ doing not much ] did this work in one day

Kudo s all round.

Thank you  

🛍 27 th of Jun

  🛍 .... the ' boro report. sunny and Eternal Blue w / chance of rain very low [ I think ]

typing in the window and coffee just finished burbling

and the test is in the testing, a 7. 

I slipped out for party food. For Monday, fish sticks, veggy spring rolls and appetizers in crust.

Not the whole shebang but a start

Read a review of C14+. The keyboard was judged better than average.  Back lighting. Yes. Screen pops yes.
and some limitation of ability to run apps [ games ? ]

my exercise app, has been updated, approx 7 months ago. The Wahoo app now asks you to categorize your workout. Hard, easy ......... and add the comments to a log. I answered once but stopped at logging on.
so. today, the workout was tiring mentally. I chose between a nap and workout. I am guessing that I did the minimum but made the 35 min and the 400 Kcal, goals. Actually, I exceeded both.
Finishing w/ half a can of Kostrizter, Edel Pils. BTW there is a double dot over the ' o ' .

I await the arrival of new slippers. No, there is wear left on the current ones but I think that they smell, not nice either. I decided that washing might work BUT Amazon Prime day had 35 reduced to $ 25. Yeah, sucker here

follow up.
the day was entirely as advertised.
the coffee was at least a 7
fish sticks are tasty
slippers arrived and are magic. wide toe box, cushy insides

the neighbour lady de weeded the front ' flowerbeds ' [but there are no flowers ]. Later she will mulch. Normally, she works indoors tidying and cleaning the house. But the cleaning service comes on Monday. Thus, we offered the outside work which she had agreed dto. Her son runs a landscaping service and there was / is a chance that one of her part time jobs besides us would be landscaping. 

⮔ XXVI of VI

  ⮔ ...... the view shows muted light and a sky that is cloud. not bad for work. rain chance should be small
coffee and typing in the window seat. coffee is from the thermos, so 1 day old

today s symbol is arrows in a counter clockwise motion

 another slow day, wait, do we have fast days ???? slipped out for beverage and vitamins
what a combo.
joined another club or store program at Healthy Planet, where an attendant came over and asked if she could help
yes, please, Answered all my vitamin questions. slightly expensive products but ..... the right stuff

💸 the 2 five of jun

  💸  .... and reporting rain, overnight and a cloudy view out the window, early day for us, coffee is burbling  .... and typing to the void

I hope the brew is a winner. My morning method is to microwave a 1/4 C of water.
The coffee goes in the filter w / the hot water mixed in and waiting a bit, turn on the coffee maker.
Otherwise,  the coffee maker sends that first water thru as it is beginning to warm. Then the coffee grounds sit in lukewarm water and the first bloom is weak. 
What proof that the change works, none.

Ah, coffee is stratospheric ! 

a compromise. rather than go for a ' powerwash ' on the Duet, I opted for a ' safety reset '. Last night, frustration set in w / the Duet.
Duet was slow and glitchy [ or I was, never can tell ].
Safety reset does what - " if your device is acting up, you can use the built in system menu '

So. Better ? I'm going to say yes, b /c I'm a coward and also hoping for the best

We shall see said the Zen Master
back on the C14+ typing, and its not fair to compare. but the Duet was less troublesome after the ' safety reset '.
Important b / c it will be the backup machine til 2030. 

Interestingly, both machines were hyped as ' ARM' devices, better able to handle Chrome OS or Plus and running MediaTek Companio processors [ the cat s miaow ]. The Duet never caught on here. 
C14+ however, boasting of the MT 910 chipset, did / does.

💒 two 4 Juin

  💒 .... tea for two ... or ... twofer and yes June is slipping away.

coffee, Si senor. Typing, aussi Si Senor. outlook, beauti. Green outside and sunny and the Eternal Blue Sky 

I want to say that there has been a shift in the running of the house. not subtle but more people are coming to the house. the PSW s are here, Tues thru Fri, one hour but here. the neighbour is scheduled for 2 - 3 h on Saturday. Plus the new arrangement for weeding and mulching

and I am much more relaxed ... except, I cannot imagine ' me' relaxed. I tend to wound up more or less always. I over think and then overthink .... the overthink

a bit of grocery shopping after a pedicure - thank goodness, that guy can bend over my toes. He doesn't even hesitate, clip, clip. His eyesight is better too, right.

🥻23 of Jun

      🥻 ... coffee stopped just now, the view is sunny and the Eternal Blue. summer scene out there

alright coffee it is
rate the coffee ..... we have an eight
shortly, out the door to buy bagels at Simit, up the street. Wholesale bagels [ they do large orders and sell the rest to peeps] We have a guest dropping by and lunch is bagels and fixings

and much to my ignorance : there is a new more adaptatable method for calculating Heart Rate Zones
the old traditional way was 220 - age and multiplied by 70 % or 80 % [ the typical boundaries for Avg Heart Rate ] during a workout.
the new improved estimate is 208 - .7 [ age ] times the 70 % or 80 % boundaries

much to my chagrin, the ' new ' way raises the values. 
however, my ultimate decider was always ' a good sweat ' 
that will not change. 

Bagels were a hit w / all. And the price is remarkable as well - 6 for $ 5

Oh. Or new house helper will do weeding too.

Not my favourite job.

👔 XXII of VI

  👔 ... this is the ' boro 2.0. or whatever you want
early, up at 5 AM and awake.
coffee and typing. looking out on a quiet, gray scene

re arrange the ' re arrange '.
our new cleaning helper, swept and wiped the floor in the living room / cafeteria / entertainment hub [ alright, we do everything in that space ], on Saturday.
she centred the area rug and centred the plastic rug protector and the round table. harmonious and aligned.
BUT the original arrangement allowed the plastic protector to align w / the rug edge, then a separate mat butted up to the protector, hence crumbs etc would fall on the plastic / mat. saving the area rug
yep, back again to the way we had it. It was a tryout and did not do the job

I'm trying to get by w / 1 1 / 2 cups of coffee as c.f. 4 or so. We had a guest and there wan't s much coffee in the thermos. instead, I'll try tea

I decided to garden, by trimming the front bush. Massively overgrown. Hedge trimmer and lots of raking - likely 20 lb of branches, twigs and greenery. However, the result was satisfying

don't think that this is an everyday event. Likely, on the order of monthly - maybe.

🏓 XXI in juin

  🏓 ..... sunny, Eternal Blue is all. beauti morning

I'm mobile today. C14+ is on my lap. I'm in the living room multi tasking. Airing sheets, breakfast, doing a small white load, watching ' My Life is Murder ' and typing. Coffee and tomato on toast - the backyard is a woody glade

Also, a visitor is due in 40 minutes. Quite the start to the day.

airing the sheets is really the comforter and cover. recall, the actual duvet is silk filled and cannot be machined ' anything '. Air and fluff, do not beat or scrunch or the silk will break up

on the theme.  how is the Nordic individual duvets going. the jury is out. sort of making it work. not real solid on the long term possibilities. The temperature fluctuations are difficult to figure each night. e.g. last night was ideal, the duvet was warm and convertible - the duvet is light and comfortable

follow up, small white load is based on a white shirt that was $ 3 on the rack, its a formal dress shirt cufflinks and stud holes on the front. I am getting it ready, in case, our visitor will iron the shirt for me.  Live in hope 

Yes. Newer white dress shirt is ironed, cuffs and all. A ... claimed that the dress shirt was an easy iron and felt good 

and sitting, typing in peace. exercise is over.   it s not horrid, as you know, much reduced in intensity - simple goals Avg BPM 111 - 116 and 400 Kcal plus a good sweat. I'm reading / learning that much of the handicap of aging is range of motion e.g. if you don't reach out as in max then your muscle memory is the limit that you settled for .

Truth is once that you have limited your motion - stretching out is tough 

👑 score for june

👑 ... I meant Jun 20 th, its a score right [ 20 ]
in the  'boro we see the Eternal Blue and 60 ish. A day w / promise. I promise
the basics, coffee [ from the thermos ] typing in the window on the street, C14+ [ doing its magic ]
this is season 5 of Clarkson s Farm. Last night, the word was modernize to stay relevant. Of course, I now apply that to the C 14+. Except there is no profit. The gain is psychological or prideful [ we don't tell anyone ? so  ?].
Last night, M was signing on to the C14+ for the first time, and comments ' what is the writing on the stickers, on the laptop '. Simple answer : ' all the keyboard shortcuts that I keep forgetting '.
Yes, the Chromebooks before were ... well, Chromebooks  ..... this is C14 PLUS *, the plus means more headaches if you are a slow learner [ calling it like it is ]

And Saturday, now in its fifth iteration, a neighbour has cleaned / re organized the house. Did I mention that this is psychological [ mental health support for me ] and hopefully re affirming
perhaps not expressed properly, but needed 

🚇 IX teenth juin

   🚇  hello ! Leacock peeps. A shoutout to the ' orange and blue '

' boro is fine. leftover damp and wind is noticeable. the Eternal Blue is in full glory

Reporting the second night or so that I awoke at 4 - 4:30 A and needed to read or as today, grabbed a banana and sips of water. Typically, used drops to moisten the eyes.

again : " .... I don't expect to sleep thru the night  ...... " sing it Paul.
..... the cross is in the ballpark ......

AI advice for dogwoods [ red stemmed ] prune only 20 %. Well, this AM the front dogwood got bushwhacked by the big loppers. As per usual, the doggy was hogging all the space. In fact, you can barely tell if I did any pruning

Garbage picker is not a sought after sobriquet. I was at it again. Recall, this corner computer desk was from # 21 across the street. So, today, I scavenged planks that were shelving. Straight boards, pretty much unmarked. Yes, destined to be re- purposed as my shelving

💄 eighteen it is

💄... the ' boro, a wonky nite. the sound of rain was like a snare drum, several times, when I got up. At 4:30 A couldn't get back to sleep.
But coffee and typing in the living room b / c the CB311 was here. 
slow as all get out. Really I am spoiled and expect  SPEED, baby !

Rain is the call of the day. Temperatures mid 70 s for a while

and ... the rain was not over, a blast dropped by for a 1 / 2 h. Now, big sun. Damp feeling but clearing quickly

Back on the CB 311. The C14 + is here but  M  ... got her hands on it and won't let go
Thus
back to the root question, do we need two laptops. likely, the answer is ' under most circumstances - one or the other of us, on the internet, not both '

I took advantage of the price reduction one year out from release and thinking strategically, where there is a rumour or promise that certain Chromebook + machines will be allowed to upgrade to ' GoogleBook ' status. Hoping that a premium machine [ Lenovo 14 C plus ] is in the mix

GoogleBook status ? a much hyped Operating System for Chrome but not called Chrome - yeah right, eh 

 

I believe the real question is how long ' can I keep up w / the changes ' or care. 

Well, back on the C14+,  M .... relinquished the new baby. I accepted delivery to compare the difference.  Ooh. not even close. 

The big decision daily is ' what s for dinner ' like a 60 s bygone kitschy thing

Choice is meat pies, broccoli and air fryer fries. Not Gourmet but terrif !

For a do nothing day, a bunch of typing going on here. BTW, this is C14+, doing the job.
A big hit in this house

📽 seventeenth of jun

 📽 ... in the ' boro, cool for June 27. Rain in the offing. 60 F out there

Sun and patchy Eternal Blue.

No coffee yet. Now.

This machine is the CB 311. And we remarked, slow. Today, the message window said ' cannot load app launcher ' The Google suggestion is to ' powerwash ' the system and re - acquire the Google Play Store.
Nope. We'll bring the C14+ up here and introduce it to the ' window seat ' sooner than expected

However, I may play w / the CB 311, Nothing to lose and the experience of ' powerwashing ' could be intstructive later down the line.

" .... somethings happening here .... what it is ain't exactly clear .... " Buffalo Springfield "

The C14+ is now the corner desk - view of the street machine.
The CB 311 needed a TV as a monitor [ 11 in screen ' but the plan is to test out the 14 in screen, alone.
Initial feel is good. Of course, types beautifully and the screen ' pops '

TESTING C14+: positive reviews are coming in. Bonus is the keyboard. Backlit and smooth.
C14+ does have a ' headphone ' jack. And USB A on one side.
Oh, quirky thing, yes, USB C on both sides BUT left jack is power delivery port.
We like. 

Time out for shopping. The basics, coleslaw, tomatoes, toilet bowl cleaner, borax, beans, canned oranges, chicken stock, bread - sourdough, light rye and dark.

Back at the keyboard, continuing the test run for C14+. Decided to play music videos. Sound and picture check. Good to gooder
Naturally, headphones are the best option.

Ah, a TV as before  ?????? nor sure AND not sure what to do w / the TV [ the real problem ]
hey, if this is worth the anguish NO, of course not but nice to fiddle

Further fiddling in the ' den '. I noticed that the WiFi signal was classed as  'weak ' by the laptop. I brought a signal booster from the basement and - now, Strong is the description.

" oh my, my - can you boogie and you slide ... ' Ringo Starr ?????

🎒 on the 16 th of Junius

 🎒 .... the topic is seduction

' boro is sunny and on the cool side w / rain due for days

Seduction. Certainly, it will take time to adapt / adjust to the C14+ , however, one aspect jumps out - speed. The C14+ loads and displays almost instantaneously. Now, typing on the CB 311, one goes ' Oh my, I have to wait '. Whereas, seven days ago, life as normal

And then, the ' Amazon fever ' syndrome. Why is my parcel taking 2 days. 2 days ! it might have come from the West Coast [ don't know for sure ].

OMG. the expectations that I now have for laptops and deliveries.

And I repeat. Expectation should bring joy and not angst

Well, Amazon is delivery is likened to Christmas. The C14+ ? Haven't a clue

the afternoon agenda did not include ; sweating, reaching and cursing. covered in leaf detritus [ hope thats all ] BUT I cleaned the eaves - all 3 sides. The long back run [ 2 stories ] swivel hose and extended blower pipe apparatus.

the back East and East side front  by shortened blower hose. And the front, by hand. I was sitting and then - get out there, 10 minutes and you're done. Not quite, but done. Last rain jag the back eaves spilled over. 

The rain is coming. Wind is gusting and the air temperature dropped.

Apparently, the T storms are spotty but powerful 

Now, Wed afternoon thru Thursday early AM rain will happen and some areas may experience accumulations 

🦽 fifteenth Juin

 🦽 ... sunny and pleasant in the ' boro
well, yesterday, a lot was accomplished re : the boathouse and rail swap. The ' project has gone from ' hunh ' to ' I can see the possibilities '
not done or is anything easy but anyone can see the steps ahead

in essence, the delivery of gravel and finishing mix to lay a base for the rails, occurred. Then on this past Sunday, the overall spreading was done. However, someone got the idea that since, we removed paving slabs, and that the slabs were there - arrange the slabs to help support the rails as well.

the plan became, find a height for the rails and lay the pavers on the gravel as a road. The finer finishing mix falls into the spaces between the larger gravel stones and binds the the layers. That leaves some parts of the boathouse floor spottily layered w / gravel.

OK. 

I'm monitoring my upper leg. I made sure to administer Robax in case

Last night, was a tad concerned but seems relatively in good shape w / no limitations on mobility and comfort

Figure that once a year, washing the car is a sound idea. This is the Subaru at 12 yrs old. Only used to transport M ... to appointments. Its HER car, and I wash it

👗 XIV of the VI

 👗... the ' boro, overcast and signs of rain from overnight
yes, coffee and typing in the window 

we are making a run to the Q' for day III of the boathouse make over. 

Survival is a goal. Scoring goals - good

I did little, still beat. Much accomplished 

Thnx to all .

🏩 its the big 1 3 of Jun

 🏩 in the boro sun and humidity building. Chance of Rain and T - storm s. But the Eternal blue is up there

This segment of my blog is typed on the CB 311, native keyboard and trackpad. Comfortable and intuitive

However, now, you can compare the C14+ and this Chromebook. C14+ is lightning.Chromebooks were touted as fast loading and Android friendly.
And I have discovered that the C14+ syncs all the laptops. 

I noticed that the ' wallpaper for ' homescreen ' was the same UK theme on the Duet and C14+. Yesterday for fun, I chose a pattern wallpaper from the choices on C14+. Well, its here on the CB311

Household news. This Saturday is the fourth in a row, when a neighbour [ way younger than us ] is coming to help keep the place clean. In point of fact, this new routine is psychological in the main. Giving me the feeling and support that I need not do everything by myself.
Plus the house is kept tidy and swept and dusted.
I wanted to say ' cleaned ' but ...... oh well.

Done and terrif!

🤔 🚇. ... the new era in our house 12 th of Jun

  🤔   🚇 ..... really, so dramatic [ ? ]

alright some exploring on the keyboard needed but this blog portion is all Chromebook plus, using the trackpad [ sans mouse ]

usually, this morning typing is done upstairs, at the desk. the new shiny machine was here in the basement, so, i look out on the backyard thru the sliders

sunny, humid w / the heat building in. predicted high is 77 F

the machine [ C14+ ] is offering me ' Gemini ' to aid in all things wordy. i'm still saying ' Np ' b /c after the free period comes the $ 7 per month.

We shall see said the Zen Master

overall, all functions and ' doo - dads ' appear copacetic. suddenly, realized that the backlit keyboard ' didn't '.  but online AI, was right on the money. Obviously, some learning needed

And the backlighting is super useful. 

I am still caught between, eye glasses and no eye glasses. So, magnify the screen or wear glasses. realizing that the larger screen often cuts off the page at the edges

 

🗿 XI of VI the ' boro

 🗿... sunny but windows are drip covered. I'm in the basement, looking out of the patio sliders

this Chromebook, Acer CB 311, was the second Chromebook to the Duet. Under $ 300 not powerful or smancy but a workhorse. M .. s favourite machine but due to come to end of Automatic Updates in Jul.
Yes, still useable and secured but cannot run Apps e.g. gmail and YouTube.

On the Chromebook plus front, latest news has the box in S Ontario, in the shippers hands and fairly close. Supposedly, I'll be notified via text re : progress [ BTW, only text said ' arrived ' ]

Already checked about ' what to do ' when your Chromebook arrives. Pretty sure that I knew the drill but good to verify

I want to say that the Duet is my favourite b / c the Duet was $ 500 AND the best example of what a 2 in 1 machine can be [ laptop and tablet ] EXCEPT that neither of us finds tablet mode easy to use. We are mouse people [ not track pad users ]. 
Fair. The Duet was powered by a MediaTek, ARM enabled processor. Supposedly, the device was as close to a android phone as possible.
Truth, we did not quite get there. OK but not fantastic.
The big factor is how easily the Duet accepts peripherals e.g. printers, monitors keyboards and mouse AND it better b /c the keyboard never was suitable and the trackpad,a dark mystery

Everything typed above was on the CB 311

Back to the Duet and the master keyboard

Definitely, I have ' Amazon induced ' anxiety. The order for the laptop was registered 3 P on Jun 9.
I have been on the Best Buy - find your order page. Now, I am using UPS s page. Delivery is ' end of day ' today.
Of course, I am antsy like all get out. See - Amazon fever 

However, exercise is finished. My weight was 175, up a tad from Apr 29 [ ready for travel weigh in ] then I can blame the gain on ' celebrating ' not going to UK or sadness dieting or feasting

Anxious moments ended

As package arrived ( 4 minutes after I left for Scrip pick up )

Ah, safe in the hall. Picking up ' fission ' chip s

the CHROMEBOOK 14+ now is on deck. charging and ........

Ah. a laptop that is on my lap. nice fit, Lenovo Chromebook 14 plus . keyboard is a joy. The screen jumps out at you bright and sharp. [ spell correct is a dream, folks ]. 

however, for me, to wear ' glasses / no glasses ' border is here. w / glasses - way to big ::: no  glasses blurry ish. Solution for now ' magnify screen ' to 125 %

The setup. fumbled around w / turn on WiFi and pair,  nope. scanned the QR code thingy and the pixel 6a and the Chromebook sync ed in seconds.

Now, realize, that this house will not quite utilize all the benefits / abilities of this machine. However, happily we will be ignorant and innocent.

' love, love, love ...... all you need is LOVE .... '

The Chromebook 14 Plus ... is everything that was claimed on " Chrome Unboxed " and other YouTube channels. Lightning fast, the visuals are stunning ... come on stunning ..... yessir
AND then realize we [ the house] will not come close to using its full potential

Discovered '  keyboard shortcut for enlarge the page ' - beauti 

🛣 X of the VI 'boro

 🛣 .... and dream about the pictures that I play ... changes -  ala Gordon Lightfoot

' boro outside, dreary, rained overnight, wind is stirring and potential thunderstorms for 36 h

changes. a new laptop.
 However, online yesterday was frustration mega. The Site was Best Buy, electronics etc. Sure, I hemmed and hawed but finally pulled the trigger or so I intended.
The rigamarole began. Add to cart, check. Review choice check. Payment, a blank screen.
OK. options, blank screen.
Finally, in desperation ' use PayPal ' was offered. I needed a new password, knew that going in. No problem but verification etc.
Finally, pay now. Window appears, successful purchase, you will be notified when BestBuy ships your order.
Ah, but nothing from Best buy. I go to the help section at Best Buy. Lady operator says ' I can help '. Except when I go to copy the model # etc, the help window blocks the details. So, she hangs up b / c I took so long.
Next go, copy the information first. Now, type to the next agent. Bankit by name.
Can I have your full details. Wait 3 minutes. ' I found your order #  xxxxxxxx, all is in order '

At first, Best Buy had no information on their site. However, an hour later, the full order appears. No shipping date but full description of item and details of purchase.

In like Flint.

Changes. The screen is 14 inches. Thus, the current setup, dongle and 19 inch TV connected, and external keyboard may be redundant.
Bonus, the Chrmbk 14 has 4 ports USB C and USB A plus a headphone jack. The Duet has one USB C

Of course, I have recently acquired 2 more dongles on sale. 

Waiting like at Christmas or Amazon [ relly, like Xmas ]

and  ... Lyrics

By Stevie Nicks Now here you go again You say you want your freedom Well, who am I to keep you down? It's only right that you should Play the way you feel it But listen carefully To the sound of your loneliness Like a heartbeat drives you mad In the stillness of remembering what you had And what you lost And what you had And what you lost Oh, thunder only happens when it's rainin' Players only love you when they're playin' Say women, they will come and they will go When the rain washes you clean, you'll know You'll know Now here I go again I see the crystal visions I keep my visions to myself It's only me who wants to wrap around your dreams And have you any dreams you'd like to sell? Dreams of loneliness Like a heartbeat drives you mad In the stillness of remembering what you had And what you lost And what you had Ooh, what you lost Thunder only happens when it's rainin' Players only love you when they're playin' Women, they will come and they will go When the rain washes you clean, you'll know Oh, thunder only happens when it's rainin' Players only love you when they're playin' Say women, they will come and they will go When the rain washes you clean, you'll know You'll know You will know Oh, you'll know

🚏 IX of VI

🚏 ... bus stop, bus stop .......

' boro, now. Sun and cool w / the breeze significant. Portending rain as the air is heavy

watering this morning, the grass seed patches and the wildflower s. I purposefully placed the wildflowers under the bay window as a ' window box ' treatment.
Little realizing how ' rain sheltered ' the area was. Thus, I need to water the guys. And since this campaign began [ a week hence ] the ' wildies ' are blooming in fine fettle

anticipating rain, I over seeded the lawn where patchy. Should get growing off to a start

on the electronics front. Ordered a Chromebook. One year out on the market. Garnering rave reviews from Chrome Unboxed last year. The device is a Lenovo Chromebook + 14 in. 
Whats up ?
The ' plus ' notation is to represent a powerful processor. The beast is a MediaTek Kompanio Ultra 910. Along w / that comes 12 G Ram and 128 G storage [ c.f. this current machine at 4 G / 64 G. And fanless and silent
Alright. The skinny. No, we do not need 12 / 128. The thought process is, AI improvements will drive home computing [ no matter how simple ]. The end date for service is 2035. 
The gamble really is, in light of the arrival of Google Book laptops which will begin at 8 / 64 bare minimum, how long will the machine stay relevant

Now, waiting a year, allows glitches and failings to show and then price. The list for Chromebook 14 + is $ 1100. The purchase price is $ 550. Recognizing that, there is not a touch screen [ the machine is touted ' tablet ' like performance ] 
"" the display is a 1920 x 1200 OLED screen.
the weight is 1.17 Kg  [ 2.5 # ] 
To be sure, I raved about the Lenovo Duet [ MediaTek powered too ]. The Duet was a great tablet that we never [ rarely ] used. AND the Chromebook 14 + w / touch screen is said to be a good tablet as well.
And M  .. is not enchanted w/ the Duet. I use the external full size keyboard. She makes do w / the compressed Duet keyboard. 
I often go downstairs to sue the ' other ' laptop connecting to the TV screen via HDMI
So, 2 machines is a luxury and we deserve it

We shall see said the Zen Master.