Little Christmas at the Legion - Dec.
23rd
Wow – we had a large crowd today – some people I haven’t met, even.
There were
nineteen of us, neck to jowl, around our usual three round tables. The
kitchen staff were working hard toasting loaves of bread for our club
sandwiches. Coleslaw and fries rounded out our plates. The servings
are still generous and we appreciate it!
Next week, we
will be treated to hot pork sandwiches, gravy and fries. I am rapidly
turning into a blimp! Bring on the end of my house extension so I can
bring in the new treadmill!
Be prepared to
risk life and limb is you need to go to the LCBO on Montreal Road.
Generally, this one is quiet while the one on Rideau/King Edward is insane.
Naturally, everyone that goes to Rideau/King Edward went to Montreal Road this
week. Ah, best laid plans of mice and men!
I was tooted
today! I had the light and was heading over to our Legion. This big
SUV was indicating a right-hand turn but I wasn’t having any of it. It
tooted and just as I was turning around to give it the good old English salute,
it turned out to be Stan. So, I just grinned at him as it had been a nice
friendly toot.
Little
Christmas. If anyone has ever been to Scandinavia on this date, you will
always remember the huge celebrations that go on there. There’s lot of
feasting, imbibing and celebrating. I spent this holiday in both Norway
and Finland. In Norway, the breath-a-lizer police start testing drivers at
7am as they are heading into work. Now, that’s just grinchy.
Attention
shoppers – tomorrow is Christmas Eve and fifteen degrees! For the first
time in many years, I will be out there, too. After all, why should late
shoppers have all the fun of pushing, shoving, cussing, sweating in those huge
line-ups and that’s just at the grocery store.
I was
listening to a program on the CBC that addressed grinching re having front-door
wreaths being stolen. One lady called in to explain that in her community,
everyone gets together for the annual potluck. She did the turkey and
finding she didn’t have enough room in the fridge, put the stuff in the
backseat of her car. She said that she slept all day the next day.
(I gotta find out where she lives – that sounds like a great party!) She
got up the day after the big sleep, and hit the fridge for those delicious
left-overs. Not there – oh, yeah – the car. Hmm – not there,
either. She checked the front entrance. Not there. The candle
lit up – she’d been robbed. Someone ate well that Boxing day.
Grinched!
My son and I
are going out for Christmas lunch – no hassle, no dishes, no oven to clean, no
melt down when the turkey lands up on the floor, the gravy is lumpy and the
cranberry sauce burns. By the time the guests arrive, you are stressed,
cranky and exhausted. And then, there’s always something that gets
broken – normally it is the broom over your spouse’s whatever. Ah –
nothing like having to get a new broom, though.
Lou got
“caned” today. As we are all aware, he is very kind to help us out
when we have something that could possibly be of value to his collections.
I was down in the utility room and found a copper grounding 6-twined wire left
by the electrician. Hmmmm – so, the head table supervised Dr. Dee and I
as he turned it into a copper candy cane and I had to attach the bow.
Thanks to Chuckie’s supervising, it was done in a thrice. I’m just
sorry to say that I forgot to bring the duct tape instead the normal clear
stuff. I thanked him for his advice and he said something about being full
of it. At least, that’s what I heard.
Merry
Christmas everyone!
December
16
Scared
yet? Only eight more sleeps before the Big Red leaves you something in
your stocking. Let’s hope it isn’t a lump of coal!
Scuttle-butt!
Again, the pretty older lady in a white apron showed up at the Legion sitting at
“that” table. As bold as brass, I asked her name. She returned
my smile and said “I’m Monique and I’m a friend of Noel.”
And
– ta dah! The numbers. We were the Fantastic Fifteen today. And
all fifteen of us looked askance at the new seating arrangements as we didn’t
have our usual three round tables. We had special tablecloths and
candle-holders. All the guys got white “candles” while mine was dark
pink. Their candle batteries worked but not mine. Wah! And
here I was looking forward to all that flattering glow.
Show
– n – tell:
Dr.
Dee brought in a photo album he received from Eleanor Ryan. It had
belonged to Ester Gardner. I remember her from when I joined the
department back in 1975. I didn’t know her too well as she went off on
another one of her zillion postings and I was stuck in Ottawa as I wasn’t 21
and postable.
Stan
brought in a special on/off switch containing two circuit boards that are
WIFI-enabled. Remote-makers beware! Our smartphones are taking over
the world. (Just a hint forward to Pinky and the Brain.)
Black
Friday. Red Thursday. I wonder who’s next? Those sales are
unbelievable. I went off to meet my little 6’4’ son on Red Thursday
with an idea my wallet was going to take a big hit. I looked for him at
Best Buy and missed him, thank God. (He was TV shopping and wanted me to
help out because he just needed to have a LED smart TV for his new apt.) I
headed over to CanTire and knocked around there for a bit looking for wax paper.
Ka-chunk! I spied a sign that said 73% off. I snuck over there
hiding behind the camouflage gear and there she was. A $2000 treadmill
going for $499! So, caught up in the moment of having a bulging wallet, I
scooted up to the sales counter and got it, with taxes, storage, delivery and
set-up for $650. And the guy beside me was buying a box of nuts and bolts.
Poor him because everyone was buying huge amounts and he would have been just
trying to get to work.
The
next day, my son and I went back to get the treadmill mat I had forgotten and on
the way home, we hit Loblaws. We were reading the flyer - it was a
no-tax day! They also had three smart TVs on sale. So, I wound up
buying a Westinghouse as the other two were RCA’s. So, I guess my home
gym is nearly done. Now, it’s just a matter of a DVD player and a big
expensive date with Rogers for the drops before the drywall goes up. The
chief architect says there’s no problem with the treadmill weight – even
with me on it ;))
Next
week (Little Christmas in Scandinavia) we will be having club sandwiches and
fries. Roly sends his best wishes to all for Christmas – he is getting
his knee looked at and his teeth pounded. Or may-be it’s the other way
around.
But
speaking of these professionals, such as optometrists, dentists, etc., they keep
booking you for all these appointments for extremely expensive services.
Excuse me for being such a pessimist but I see this as they see us as wealthy,
with a limited live span and are going in for the “cream”. Also, I
wonder if they ever set up their private pension plans. If you remember,
you had to sign on the dotted line that you will pay for your govt. pension the
moment you started working or else, no federal job.
So
– shall we start taking bets on whether we will have a green or white
Christmas? According to Ian Black (who used to work for Environment
Canada) it will be an un-usually warm Christmas day. Forgive me for
sounding like a Grinch, but I hope we don’t get snow between then and now
because if we do, it will turn out to be very messy and, for the most part,
drivers in Ottawa don’t care how much they spray pedestrians.
And
speaking of Grinch’s, one lady called in to a radio talk-show and described
how they had a prized Christmas wreath stolen from their front door. It
was prized to them, at least. However, they have a video security system
and the husband checked it. Sure enough, they see this recording of a
well-dressed woman stealing their wreath at 2am. The wife then posted the
video on Facebook and now there are over 2,000 views of the thief’s
highly-visible face being shared. Man, oh, man – what does it take to be
a good honest thief these days?! Please let me know at shirleygillette@yahoo.ca
and be sure to leave lots of Christmas baskets including surveillance systems,
etc.
Soon,
we will see the absence of our Snow-birds for a while. Some, up to three
months. Their company will be missed but the silver linings are still
there. Less cars on the roads, Hydro will be all ticked off with less
income, house-sitters will make money, we Ofarts will have more food –
maybe even dessert. Ok – time to stop – they might come back before
time!
Static
cling season is upon us. I had the monthly cut and came out all fluffy.
I got back home looking like a greasy Harper playing a judge in Murdoch’s
Mysteries. Dr. Dee and I have a running commentary on Harper’s wig.
He’s the no guy and I’m saying yes to the wig. Heck, anyone can add
grease to a wig.
The
Duffy trial is on but I took a day off so I am missing out on some of the drama.
Talk about a great script including him bringing in words from Jim Flattery, who
unfortunately passed away last year. Mr. Flattery contributed a lot to his
family life with a special needs child if not two of them. That being
said, he isn’t here to refute or salute Mike Duffy’s statement of “this
effing bunch ……”.
The
Trudeaus are Canadian Royalty – all over the world, according to Vogue.
Trump
seems deemed to be president down South. Personally, I’d like to see Hilary
get back into her old home. After Justin did it so she should be able to
sleep in her old bed. But, back to Trump, are my senses deceiving me or is
he toning it down a bit? I used to think he was the (rich) theatrical
outrageous moneyed monkey in a suit with a really bad comb-down but now?
Yah – still.
Gotta
jump
S.
The
Ninth of December, and all through the house …..
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Today
was fabulous – the weather was above zero – again! Just an actual
fact, Ottawa hit 116 years in record-breaking warm temperatures – according to
Ian Black. Hey, that makes me a very happy lady as I am going into a
winter build of my two-floor extension on my house.
We had a
magical number of 50 show up today to enjoy and mingle with each other just
weeks before Santa Claus shares milk and cookies with us.
Some
faces were new – some faces were old – mine, of course! All the rest
of you looked like newly minted dimes.
Noel did
his best and that tourtiere was to die for. I complimented him on it and
his reply (he is a shy man) said I did what I could but meat is getting so
expensive. So, I am so glad that Stan decided we would pay over and above
what Noel deemed for the meal.
There
was some discussion re Xmas music – personally, I would liked to have heard a
real-life rendering of some on an old-fashioned squeeze-box, but may-be that’s
just me.
My
elf’s hat is off and tipped towards Donna, Stan and mostly to Dr. Dee for
getting this organized!
Dave –
that was an outstanding job you did. All of us thank you for getting us
together and I finally got to see the wives for a change!
Gotta
jump….
Shirley
Dec.
02
Today,
we straggled in, we arrived early (some of us!) and some of got there a bit
late.
We
carried in tools, toys and good memories. And we were sweet sixteen today!
How much better is that.
Next
week we will be approximately 50 for the now annual Xmas lunch. Noel will
do us proud with turkey, tourtiere, ham and all the rest. All we ask is
that you bring a crisp $20 – that will take care of the lunch and the tip for
one person.
As
usual, many conversations abounded – Barrie asked about attendance for his
planned Xmas lunch. Please get in contact with him asap if you wish to
attend or not. The food in this restaurant is excellent and it fills up
quickly so, I’m not exaggerating re plans. This restaurant has been
recommended by Guy and Alison Lebars – so that is really saying something.
For
the very first time, Noel ran out of his lunch special. Lou had to have a
pastrami sandwich but Cookie made sure he had lots of extras. That being
said, Roly nearly cried because there wasn’t any dessert in sight.
Oh,
before I forget – there’s been some talk about Xmas outfits for next week.
Bring your cameras, all, as I heard that Bill Neelin will be wearing an outfit
with the top down to there and the skirt up to there. Sailors, you know.
Aren’t
we the lucky lot with such wonderful warm weather! I just listened to the
weekend forecast and they said we might get a bit of a dusting. Time to
get out that Xmas wreath.
Projects
on the go. Barrie is putting in a new sink in the kitchen. Stan
brought in a snazzy-looking jig saw with 3 blades for him. Strangely
enough, I am also replacing my kitchen sink but it will be done by Pearl.
I really don’t want anything fancy – just something that my last tenants
didn’t ruin.
So
– next week we get to meet and greet! How did Xmas get here so quickly?
Our very own Dr. Dee (almost still a real red-head) has done a great job of
organizing us. We already know what Bill is wearing so those of you with
socks and matching ties will do well! We ladies will be outstanding, as
usual.
Got
to hop!
S.
October
28th
A
day off today so I headed over to the Legion. I had on my long leather
coat, gloves and woolen hat. I nearly went back for a scarf but always
being the optimist, it wouldn’t be needed.
Got
to “church” a few minutes before the 11th hour – there were
already 5 attendees seated and I’d missed the show-n-tell.
Slowly,
our numbers were increasing and then B.Y. walked in! He’s only in town
until Friday am – I’m sure he came to enjoy our storm that is hitting
downtown pretty hard right now. Like Cuba doesn’t get a lot of storms of
the hurricane nature!
Seriously,
this is the spin-off of Hurricane Patricia and although my bus-stop is only 3
blocks from the Legion, my feet and ankles were sopping wet because the drains
couldn’t handle the rain coming down. And that rain was very cold!
And it was sneaky. Just as the rain would douse your glasses so you
couldn’t see anything, a great big drip would manage to get down the collar of
your coat. Smoley, and it isn’t even Hallowe’en yet. I need to
put in a grievance to hold off the cold white stuff until December.
Who’s going to join me?
Oh!
Before I forget, we are having ribs next week.
There
was talk around the table about the success of the menu at the RA Retirees’
luncheon. There was fewer choices of stodge but we were all very happy
with rice and glorious mashed potatoes to accompany the gingered pork and coq au
vin. I heard that the desserts were great with gluten-free being offered
at no extra cost. I wish I had had the time to check them out but had too
many things to handle at that time.
Numbers
– oops – almost forgot. We were more than a bakers’ dozen – we hit
fourteen today! That’s not bad for such a grey miserable day when you
just want to do all that stuff around the house with great gusto.
Time
to renew your Legion membership – this year it’s $55. And, they like
cash but will accept a cheque. I never carry a cheque book or cash anymore
so it was a miracle to see some twenties in my wallet to get my renewal.
And
now we will see a senator not taking up a bed at the jail – Paul Brazeau,
after what the judge ruled on today. I wonder who will take over from him
as manager at the Bare Fax in the Market.
Speaking
of time and money, the date of the Ofart’s Xmas Lunch has never changed
from December 9th. There is some sort of rumour going around
that it had. Not so, old bean. And, today, the price has been
finalized. You will need a crisp $20 and I would advise you to get your
name in asap to Dave Smith.
Take
care all as the end-result of Hurricane Patricia passes over us. According
to the Weather office, tomorrow will be bad with wind gusts but I don’t think
that it will beat this early afternoon today. That was awful. On the
up-side, the radio reports were coming in with less/less accidents than normal
for a storm like this, thank God.
Meanwhile,
enjoy the rain of leaves as they flurry by.
Gotta
jump.
Oct.
7th
I
haven’t been ignoring you – I just have been flat out with things happening
on Wednesdays.
What
a gorgeous autumn day we had today. The colours are just starting to
change in the NCR – such a beautiful time of the year.
Ouch
– I just heard that we might have a touch of frost tonight. Please no.
I want to get my house extension started well before the frost. However,
there has been movement from the final major obstacle – Enbridge Gas.
The final part should be finalized by this Friday once their Parliament Hill
client is over.
And
now for the numbers – only onze as Brother Lou was mia. Time to dig up
the Late Book for him to have to sign next week!
OC
Transpo is the total epitome of insanity. I’m so glad I bought downtown
as I can avoid them whenever possible. Rideau Street is becoming a
nightmare, as well and I read that the City is suing the company that paved the
Cummings Bridge for not using the proper material for the paving. 2017 is
going to be very interesting once all this dust and jostling settles down.
Show-n-tell
– a book by General Grant of CFRA hit the table today. Dr. Dee brought
it in and was quite chuffed that Ken Grant had personally signed it – who had
even added that he didn’t recognize Dave with his clothes on. These
sailors tsk, tsk.
Chairs, chairs, who are in the chairs. I was asked to mention this but as no coin greased my palm; you will have to rely on who sat where from the pic taken on Stan’s Eye-phone.
So,
how was everyone today? The boys were their usual selves – full of
comments, questions, information, suppositions and the usual ribbing. My
2pm got cancelled at 10:35 today so hey, I hopped into Sneakers and raced out of
the door to get to Ofarts. Of course, the boys said “what are you doing
here – don’t you have somewhere else to be?” Hey – how much more
welcoming can that be? Just for that, I stuck around twice as long.
Just
in – there’s more talk about development for the corner of St. Patrick and
King Edward. The rumour is that it will be a nine-story Holiday Inn with
the first two floors dedicated to the retail industry. Please, God, be
kind and tell me that a mini Costco or Rona will move in. I have so many
projects to try to get done before I go to the Big Walk in the sky. But,
to get back to reality – it makes you wonder about the local effect on
traffic. Those big rigs are just starting to slow down as they hit St.
Patrick after leaving la belle province.
More
and more of us are starting in on home projects – there is even talk of adding
an elevator or just a platform. At one time, I thought of an elevator but
with 900 sq.’ of living space, nope. Besides, once the concrete is
poured; that’s less 26’ of weeds that can grow in my backyard. And
these are super-weeds, believe me! However, at least one metre down, I
didn’t see any bodies down there in the sand after the gas guys were here.
Code,
code everywhere a code. Those of us getting into extensions/renos are
coming to hate this 4-letter word. And, it is starting to spread
through-out the industries. I was haunting the windows/doors section at
Rona on Monday and the chap and I swapped horror BILL stories. He wants to
change over to Bell for some reason and they are quite happy to accommodate him
for a mere $6000. I had already greased Hydro’s massive paw for $5000 to
attain the ugliest 400-amp box in the world and had my front yard torn up
several times. Just yesterday, an extra bill for $3,244.83 showed up from
them. Code and more code on you, buster!
I
sent out an email to several of you regarding insurance companies and your
satisfaction with them. I’ve had only one response but of course, no one
is obligated to answer it. I’m just trying to recoup some money
somewhere after shelling out more than $8,000 to have my brand-new 100-amp 2015
ASE-coded fuse-box recognized by the insurance company. All this agent
kept parroting was – your house was built in 1926 but you have copper wiring
through-out which is reflected in your insurance policy. If you wish to
see an agent, you will have to go to Milton. Or, we can send in an agent
– for a fee, of course. Code you, Aviva.
Tomorrow
is a day off from having to be at home until OGC takes over on behalf of their
trade people. FYI, services such as Hydro, Enbridge or your phone company,
ISP, etc., is your responsibility. I’ve been lucky in that they
are helping me co-ordinate meetings. That being said, Hydro and Enbridge
will not deal with them so it has been a huge deal to chase the utility managers
down. If you need the names of those I’ve dealt with, please just shoot
me an email and I’ll help out but be prepared to wait as the big construction
companies are ahead of us little guys. Or, you can become like me and
rattle their cages with close to 8 calls/emails a day. After that, I think
they might call it skulking or something like that. Who cares.
For
those of you wondering why this has been on the go for over a year since the
City variance was granted, we (OGC and I) decided for safety reasons, it would
be better to wait out the sale of the house next door. For six years, that
owner suffered from PTSD and had two un-secured rifles in his basement. He
also physically leaned in and threatened me “you cause one crack in my plaster
and I’m coming after you!” So, we played the waiting game. I
still shudder when I hear the door slam next door even though he is long gone.
Changes,
changes, they are a ‘Comin’. Changes happen every day and every week.
And then, there are some we are totally sick of. Politics and more
politics. Especially when you live in the NCR – I’m so fed up with
hearing this bull – I’d rather hear more about the RV values of the new
windows, walls, and doors. Not to mention, lock systems and exterior light
systems.
But,
back to the attendance today….for the first hour, there were more CM’s than
EL’s. To this remark, Gary L. said that the El’s always were social
climbers. Chuckie said that he could always swing both ways.
Gotta
hop and comparison shop!
S
Sept 30th
Pork loin and mashed potatoes
Sept
09th
Today,
we got a bit of a break from the heatwave, thank Heavens. I first went out
around 5:30am and it was gaspingly heavy with heat and humidity. I
adjusted the a/c to a screaming 20C degrees so that it would off-set somewhat
the time I’d be without electricity today. (The disconnect and reconnect
for the new ESA standards that HYDRO now demands before you can even start on an
extension/reno.)
The
first team (electricians) showed up ready to roll at 8:00. Smoley – what
a lot of equipment! I scooted into the kitchen and got brekkie started at
8:30. Normally, my home cooking goes down and tastes like a lump of coal
but today I was so nervous it just went down a lump of steel.
Hydro
showed up at the stroke of 9am so the electricians could go full ahead.
Yay! If you are going to start a nightmare, the sooner it starts, the
faster it finishes. So I’ve heard. Thank God, it kept getting
cooler outside. The outside guy was quite happy about that as he really
had a lot of drilling work to do as my foundation is a foot and a half wide.
And his drill bit was more like 8”. The builders back in the ‘30’s
didn’t fool around in those days.
And
thank God for smartphones! Home-wise, I lost access to the internet, my
home phone and total power. Good old Costco came through with their
incredible prices as my little Red Cross flashlights came into service at once.
That being said, the outside guy must have bat-like capabilities as he just
thundered up and down my totally dark basement stairs without a flashlight!
My
new OGC program manager came over around 10:45 and we did a thorough
walk-through of what needs to be done. In case you aren’t aware,
everyone in the construction industry is stealing anyone that has a good rep and
is good at their job. I guess I haven’t been lucky in getting
“useless” OGC managers – that’s two of them that are now off into
different work situations that they could not turn down. My re-action is
one of – ENOUGH! I connected with the new program manager who turns out
to be one of the owners and he said that he can’t be lured away as he is fully
committed to the company.
Next
week, I will get a schedule and the new program manager has already selected the
head construction manager. The next obstacle: Enbridge’s gas meter has
to be moved. This will be even more complicated but at least the new
electrical panel has a lot of room for expansion as we may have to stick in an
electrical water-heater in the interim. I’ll send the photos to Stan so
you can all see the latest “fashions” in 2015 ESA coding.
And
speaking of fashions, my backyard will be festooned with a Porta-Pottie! I
was asked if I wanted to spend a hundred smackers a month to have one on site or
have 8 or so guys use my bathroom every day. Multiple times.
Back
to the goings on at the Legion. A few of the regular faces were out to
attend other things, a few of the rare faces were there. There was lots of
chatter going on, and the food was starting to pour out of the kitchen. We
– all the eleven of us – were treated to fried chicken, ribs and fries.
Yum!
Apparently,
we had a 3.something earthquake in the near area of the NCR. I didn’t
feel a thing in my neck of the woods but both the Legion and my house are very
old buildings and are probably on bedrock.
Windows
10. Wow. How aggressive is that? Some of my settings had been
changed in Windows Update – much disconcerting! Thank God every update
had failed as I don’t want to switch out of 7 yet. What really ticks me
off is that they really don’t do so much as fix all the problems with the o/s
but change the heck out of the references such as – “go to the ribbon and
click on ….”. The ribbon. Really? Let me see, one of the
first helping devices was a stick. Then this became a cane. In time,
names have changed. I just call it a whacker and I’m sure it’ll beat
the heck out of that ribbon.
The
email and phone invitations are now going out for the RA retirees Oct.16th
luncheon. Better hurry – those spots are filling up fast! This
year, the price has increased. The menu has been changed up to coq au vin
and pork stir-fry – but, I had to promise to marry the chef in order to keep
the price at $20 a head. Gosh – please tell me he’s a hunk – or at
the very least, he is a he.
Ok
– I have to hop it – time to start calling people for the luncheon.
It’s so weird not to just send an email but there are good parts, too.
For instance, I called Helen Scott last night and we caught up on each other’s
news after more than 30 years – we had a great time! She is doing
wonderful, by the way.
Gotta
jump,
Shirley
(I don’t want to get married!! whahhh)
Sep
2nd
Amazing
that our twizzler of a summer has nearly left us. This winter, we nearly
froze our tukuses off, just got a great gasp back on life in that all-too-brief
Spring and then Mother Nature threw us into the dust of Summer. Well, not
being such a shabby lot, up we got, dusted off our duds of choice and just threw
it back! Lots of it – we are so involved in our projects that we forget
to slow down sometimes. Grab a cold one, put your feet up on the new
porch, or the old one – who cares. And, if you’re really luckily, that
old tire swing in the backyard is still reliable. You hope.
Today,
we trickled in. I was in a bit early and got my nose to the grindstone of
my scratch tickets pdq. Gotta win a lot of money, you know! At
10:59, in strolled Chuckie and Stan. Drat – they didn’t have to sign
the LATE book.
And
now, the numbers! The Fab Fourteen hit the tables and chowed down on hot
turkey sandwiches with stuff. Our golfing friends stayed until just
minutes before we all folded our tents to leave. They’d already tee-d
off this am in anticipation of today’s predicted heat and humidity.
Smart men.
Chuckie
is looking great and has taken that illness down to the mattress!, if you’ll
excuse the pun. It aint coming back anymore. Good on him.
I’ve missed my next-seat pal and his special sense of humour.
Donnie
came in with Jim today. I couldn’t hear too much of his news because
Barrie was sitting beside me. Need I say anything more on that subject?
Really, Barrie, we do love you.
Barrie
brought in his special lens for his camera – unfortunately, he’d dropped it
and as nature would have it, it just got “hurt a little”. I picked up
the carrier bag to hand over to Moe and was shocked at how heavy it was.
Then I nearly dropped it and Barrie had a mini conniption. I did say,
nearly, didn’t I?
Roly
and his house are still going through changes – and whose isn’t? With
all of these programs now on about fixing your city/town house up to flip on the
market – who isn’t buying in? What I find interesting is where the
houses are popping up on the “for sale” sheet. I’m a walker so I
head out in whatever direction my sneakers take me. I also live in
Lowertown North so I get to roam around a lot of the External Affairs’
ghettos. Lately, my sneakers have been taking me towards Sandy Hill – in
particular towards King Edward. Ottawa U continues to expand their campus
over on my side of King Edward. Relentlessly.
Interestingly,
today, the CBC did a property survey of Ottawa and here is the result:
-
Unsurprisingly, condos are
over-done and the market has dried up.
-
In order to correct this, the big
companies are now changing it up. If you buy one of their condos, they
will go out and search out a tenant for you – preferable a Carleton student,
one of the companies has stated. Sounds aggressive (desperate?).
-
On the good side, finally the
construction will quieten down this autumn.
-
That being said, they are tearing
up Rideau before the Cummings Bridge again!
I’m
starting to feel like I’m living in London W1 again. Every damn week
those Brits tore up the street to do whatever. And my phone line kept
getting worse with cross-talk. I was so happy to leave that country with
all its problems that they had at that time. Which were practically
nothing now when you look at the world today.
Alors!
Time you saw something truly butt-ugly.
I
tried everything possible to avoid this but Hydro is the only game in town and
they know it. The guy I dealt with was arrogant, nearly belligerent and
didn’t even do me the courtesy of taking off his sunglasses. In case I
had to i.e. him in a police line-up?
The
good news? See that tiny little tomato ripening? It turned a
gleaming red just yesterday and my neighbours likened it to a beautiful bulb on
a future XMAS tree. I think I have been blessed with good and patient
neighbours. I lost a lot of perennials due to this dig out but next year
if anyone has any really tall ones like Delphs, I’ll gladly give them a
home! That 200-amp box needs a grand disguise!
We
were musing about the lack of beer-brewing sites and after about ten minutes,
decided it had to do with all the craft beers being done in Ottawa. Has
anyone every taken stock of how many there are in Ottawa.
A
new phrase hit the table today. Butt-dial. Hmmm. Ask your
grandchildren – they will up-date you.
Ah,
the wonder of email. After today’s delightful lunch session, I got home,
grappled with key and lock and broke into my house. Phew – keys –
Gimme back my punch-key system! That wasn’t the worse. There was
an email from some company that said they are coming over tomorrow to do the
disconnect and reconnect of my electrical. I nearly freaked because Hydro
has to be on site so that everything can be inspected and then the reconnect can
go ahead. And Hydro isn’t coming over until next week! And the
worst part was that they hadn’t included OGC in this conversation! I was
all over that in three minutes plus a call in to Josh. PANIC! I then
sent out another email telling this company they are not to do anything without
OGC’s blessing. All went quiet and then Josh called and said – it’s
all been re-scheduled but I’m bringing in some other project managers tomorrow
to meet you. Handlers? Should I get out of town? Buy a lead
vest? Joking. Yes – they will be handlers for the contractors and
their employees. I’m still La Bossetta (if that’s a word).
Sadly,
we lost another loved one in the Telecommunication’s section. Ron
Savard, the great prankster, left us shortly. And, so, let us take a
moment or two to think fondly of him and his surviving family.
I
gather that the Miata venture went well and had a lot of attendees.
Marvellous. But, and there is always a but – Barrie was a spare and
found himself leading 16 cars when he inadvertently got lost. Now, if that
was me, and if we were near a pub, as a woman, I’d avail myself of the
locals’ perfect knowledge of the area. Perhaps, a few liquid helpers-on
would be good but within limits, of course.
Thunderstorms
are striking and I haven’t changed into my hob-goblin attire – gotta rev up
my broom!
Fly
time
And
who wants to believe that date! Smoley. I was in a store just
the other day (Loblaw’s) and the Hallowe’en treats are already out. Smoley
squared!
Alors,
there is more movement. I now have a tremendously ugly huge power
connection box in the front of my classic brick Lowertown house. It’s
purported to be good to 200 amps to be “up to code” for 2015. Why, oh
why, didn’t I do this in 1995? But, who are you going to argue with?
I’ve already done that and both of us acknowledge that they are the only
game in town. Originally, they wanted $10K before even thinking of
starting. After a few emails, I sent them a paper cheque for $5K. Then,
they started checking into stuff. Man – did we ever work in the wrong
jobs!! All he did was stroll over in a very lazy way, wearing a hazard
hat, a neckerchief and sunglasses from eyeballs to naso. For
some reason or another, that got my back up.
Anyway-
on to better things! We were ten Celebs today! Noel and his crew
made sure we were well taken care of. I really envy the boyos that can
pack that much food away – it ensures our big eaters that they get enough.
Hey – mark this one on your calendar – Roly only had one dessert
today. (A first!) Hey Barriet – you lost out as there
were three free desserts on the table. Guess who’s going to be
there next week with bells on.
I
had to leave the house this am pdq – it was getting insane as they were
drilling through the brickwork to start getting ready for the disconnect and
reconnect of power sometime soon in the future. Given this is the start,
Sneakers will have some travelling to do before the snow hits. And,
we are looking forward to it!
We
missed Chuckie today. According to his wife, he wasn’t feeling all that
great but was having a good kip.
We
spoke of many things – we ate well, we enjoyed the great company. What
else can you ask for?
Gotta
Jump!
August
12th
And
just when you thought you were getting older, yep, here comes the confirmation.
We are pert near into the most beautiful fall month of the year – September.
As
I age, I guess we sour as the mossies don’t attack me so much anymore.
Yaaa! And soon, we will have the stingless wasps kicking butt out of the
emerald ash borer. When I read the article, it reminded me of that old
song, “and she swallowed a frog to eat the ….” But, what do I know
about all of this things – my head is stuffed with hardware store items
re with faucets and toilets and shower sets and trying to locate lost measuring
tapes. Smoley. But, and there is always a but, I found a wonderful
German-made Grohe “Sway” solid-steel faucet with a life-time warranty
with steel and ceramic parts on sale for $111 – and that with tax
Including feed-Harper tax.
I
slinked into Preston Hardware yesterday to check out the pocket door hardware.
Wow – they have a great selection and the young gent and I lost no time in
accommodating my swollen arthritic fingers with a larger fitting. And!
At a smaller price tag. A whole dollar less, at that. Ask for the
round security hardware for the pocket doors.
Okay,
yah, it was may-be a dollar cheaper but remember when you were a little tyke and
how much a nickel bought you of candies? I so recall my mother giving me a
quarter and off I zoomed lickety-split before she changed her mind. A
whole quarter! I got back home with what felt like a huge bag and we ate it all
up and giggled like twins. Ahh – sugar.
Today,
in we came – eager to sit at our tables. Preferred liquid was bought and
then we were down to business of finding out who was up to what. Dave
brought in a solid copper pipe with a problem and some plastic wheel nuts.
Just when it came to show-n-tell, there was so much static coming from an
I-pad at the other end of the table so I couldn’t tell you what it was about.
The
golfers came in late but still got their steak and choice of spuds. We all
chowed down with forks flying and knives at rest.
I
heard that Lowell Green,
that old badly-informed ogre has re-surfaced. Why on earth would you
want to besmirch yourself yet again, Lowell? But, as the old adage goes, once an idiot, ….
Gotta
jump,
S.
August
5th
Yaaa
us! We survived liver and onions! We survived massive servings of
meat macaroni! Only one person opted out of the choices and I wish I had
done so. I hate leaving that much food on my plate but as a consolation
– someone’s cat or three will eat well tonight.
And
speaking of cats, it always brings to mind about the cats of la bella citta da
Roma. After every meal, the Romans would set out the left-overs in bowls
on the sidewalks for the cats. And the cats ate very well, polished the
various bowls and meowed their thanks. They even yowled in a different
accent than our North American cats!
And
now for the numbers. Drum roll, please! We blew in the door and
numbered the Elfish eleven. Many, many conversations were going on and it
was very different to be put in the “hole” of the second table, for a
change. We engaged in conversation mostly related to travelling around
Canada. None of us are slowing down and that is marvellous.
I
got there late but had a good reason so I didn’t have to make up the time. J
OGC and Hydro came today for the 11am meeting. Things have been going well
but are slowing down again. The reason – this is holiday month and city
desk holders still have to stamp their stamps and Hydro is under-manned this
month of the year. However, the city side-walk cut-in has been done.
Of course, they did the cut-in on the wrong segment of the sidewalk so that they
did this on OCH property so now we have to look at jinxing the piping over on my
side using copper-clad piping. As that will cost me $15 extra, I’m all
for it as eventually I want to put up a fence and don’t want to have some
back-hoe hitting my electrical line by accident. The Hydro guy told me of a
nightmare scenario where a tenant of OCH was ordered to remove her fence – she
was only trying to circumvent the local kids from bouncing their damned
basketballs against her wall. Her fence guys dug and her days went dark,
dank and hot even though they had followed the “call before you dig” .
Now, he may just have been fooling me, but I instructed both OGC and Hydro to
pull that line over on my side of the property. It was interesting to see
how they reacted to a woman telling them what to do – OGC was cool with that
but not Hydro. Hmmm.
And
speaking of different treatment, I think that it is time you guys filed a
grievance against the Legion for unfair treatment. Reason? How come
that today’s waiter doesn’t get as close to your lips as he does to mine!?
Human rights grievance!!
I
thought I would be kind to my neighbour and inform him about the
“deforestation” of the back-yard. However, my next door neighbour sent
me back an email that if he has any cracks in his communal wall, he will be
coming after me. So, I will be stomping over there with my new camera to
take around a million pics of his wall just to get him off my case. I
don’t react well to threats – they get my back up – just like you.
Some
of you may have seen the pictures of my backyard in April after the crew had
been in to take down the weeds. They brought it down to actual sand and
pulled off the back porch. Wow! The light pouring into the kitchen
was amazing! Well, I took pictures yesterday of the weeds – most of them
are around 5.5’ high – I can only gauge their height by my 5’ fence as I
cannot get into the backyard whatsoever. The Scottish thistles easily
measure over 6’ todate. And the bees love the thistles which is very
heartening so something good comes out of this. I showed pictures of my
backyard to the gang, today, and Stan actually yelped and my BB nearly hit the
10’-high ceiling at the Legion. Which would be as high as the Manitoba
maples. And, just to re-iterate, this growth has only been since
April of this year. However, my next door neighbour sent me back an email
that if he has any cracks in his communal wall, he will be coming after me.
So, I will be stomping over there with my new camera to take around a million
pics of his wall just to get him off my case. I don’t react well to
threats – they get my back up – just like you.
Ron
C. was telling us about his travels out West. Also, that he and his wife
made it to his brother and sister-in-law’s joint birthday celebration.
They rented a girl-guide camp and their daughters went all out in organizing
daily activities for a crowd of 80. Eighty! Smoley. There were
movies for the kiddies, meals for those many, yoga and Pilates, and even good
old-fashioned “tire on a rope” jumps into the lake for the 80-year olds.
Ron mentioned that there were many RV’s all nicely parked off to the wayside
but as there weren’t any hook-ups, the families had to stay in the barracks
provided by the camp.
Lou’s
eyes lit up and he told us about his brand-new RV that he and Marg will take out
for a jaunt sometime in the near future. (Gosh – I wish I had one!)
Then, he shared some knowledge with us about what the newer RV’s have on
board. Two kitchens! Granted, one is a mini one so that you can do
the cooking, eating and washing up outside but still! How many houses have
all of that unless you are looking at the standard bbq, picnic table and the
garden hose? Obviously, I don’t travel in the proper circles. J
Variances
and new ownership hit the table, as well. As Jim told us months back, now
when you buy a property, there are those must-do’s. You have to have an
inspection done – ok – that’s good. Hey, that should protect you but
I seem to remember in the past, we had these inspections done before you bought.
But, what would I know – just being a – how did Stan put it – I’m
looking rather haggard. And that was after doing my hair twice – TWICE
–today. (Somebody we know is so very dead ..…) Ok – back
on-line. Several years back, I was reading up on city taxes and after
working it out, decided that my house is not in what the city refers to as a-one
condition. My house was built back in the 30’s and there are 5 items
that affect an a-one condition. My electricity had been up-graded from the
30’s. My plumbing, ditto. My doors, ditto. My windows,
ditto. Also, my furnace. Those conditions, once ensued, (Off
the top of my head) this then “down-graded” my house status to less than
a-one condition. Ergo, my taxes would then go down. Man, these city
politicians and their fancy double talk.
Back
to RV’ing, I remember my last trip to Florida back in ‘06. I was
in a diner and shamelessly eaves-dropped on a table of elderlies beside us.
They had taken their luxury RVs from Florida up to Alaska and back. One of
the old geezers cackled and said, in a Jimmy Carter-like accent – “We had a
great time but our timin’ was lousy. We paid out for gas like nobody’s
business. Even when we cut thru Canada.”
Finally,
some relief from that record-breaking temperature last week. It was insane
in Lowertown. With the two heavily-travelled big streets of King Edward
and St. Patrick, the temperatures and car emissions are over-whelming. For
instance, when the Weather channel announces that it is a mere 16 degrees, I now
resist the urge to open the windows. That 16 degrees is measured at the
airport – that is where most of our weather offices are physically located so
that they can take the readings to ensure the safety of the aircraft. Yup
– I do miss my weather office days but not the shiftwork.
Gary
Langille made a rare appearance today. It is always a pleasure to see him
although we’ve never worked together. May-be that’s why it’s such a
pleasure! Sorry, Gary, I just could not resist that little poke. J
Gary and I love to “flame” each other on Facebook but in a good and friendly
way. But! And there is always a but – he made a confession today about
his opinions. I’ll leave it at that except to say, just perhaps, just a
good chance, he’s a closet NDP’er. Come out, come out, Gary, where
ever you are!
Yup,
I’ll pay for that one. Bring it on!
Gotta
jump.
Shirley
July
22nd
Arrrggh
– we are a month past the summer solstice – can you believe this! It
seems like you barely do the laundry, wash the car, re-pave the drive, clean out
the gutters, get the roof checked, kick the tires, press your pants and we
are heading past the middle of summer.
Might
I suggest in the future you require pressing skills so your summer will last
longer ))
As
I wrote that emoticon, it reminded me that yesterday’s CBC spoke of a new app
that Apple is promoting one that will evaluate the “emotion” of your text or
email. Tres cool!. However, even the great Apple is running into
financial problems re phones so for us, it is great that they are starting up
something enviable for a change. As most of you know, I am a devoted
Blackberry user and I don’t use it as a piece of bling.
Ok
– numbers and the drum roll! Onze. We have never had onze before
so today was very special. We also had a special Brussels postee join us
and there were lots of memories brought up from Chuckie and his side-kicks.
We
ate way too well today – as usual. Noel certainly takes care of us and
our plates are always over-filling. The boys attack their plates like
there’s no tomorrow and he’s very happy about that. I just wish I
could do the same but I’ve been suddenly a 5-forkfull eater – just
like when I was a kid. May-be House addition stress?
I
woke up at 10:29 this am after napping from my original time of 2:30.
Yikes! I hopped it pdq and managed to slide into MY chair at 10:59.
A few of the boys were already there ahead of me – smoley.
Fries
with that? We had smoked meat on rye – unadorned but there was a pickle.
Pickle is a vegetable, right? And then there were boiled fries with that –
Stan got mine, too.
To
bore you further, as I was bursting out of the door, I noticed that there were
guys spraying my sidewalk! Being miss bossy-bee, I cast an eye. “
Water” said one sprayer. Another happy looking chap just kept spraying.
Off I dashed.
So
today, we started talking about these colours and Jim brought up blue being the
colour that hydro uses. Well – after telling him that the only colours
in front of my place were pink and green, I found them to be added with blue.
So,
Jim you are right!
Gotta
jump
July
15th
What
a beautiful day – no humidity, no mosquitoes and no hassles going on with the
buses, for a change. And with the middle of the month in mind, it started
me wondering when the Mid-summer’s day’s date occurs. It turns out
that we have already celebrated it. Did you know that the Celts had a
13-month calendar but, obviously, we don’t follow it.
Okay
– and the numbers are! We were the lucky 13 today. We were served
a wonderful meal of salad and lasagna. Salt was needed so we are being
served healthy food – so tell that to your doctor.
Back
to the Legion’s kitchen issue – it is shocking to hear that our cook, Noel,
suffered a stroke last week but was back in the kitchen just on Wednesday to
oversee our roast beef meal. I managed to ask him about it and here is his
explanation: he pointed to his head and said that a vein got blocked but then
the blood started to flood almost at once. He added that if it hadn’t,
he would be a vegetable now. Phew! We are very, very happy that the
vein unblocked. He’s a good man and takes care of us so very well.
Lou
showed up late! We were all checking our watches because he always
screeches in a few moments before noon after hanging out at Princess Autos or
Lee Valley Tools, for instance. Sometimes he and Marg might even be
planning a trip out of town. Well, I guess they are getting ready for one
as he bought a 2011 brand-new 28-foot trailer today. Smoley. Maybe I
should just toss out the extension idea and buy a trailor! If memory
serves me correctly, the slide-out on his trailor goes out 12 feet. So –
I guess we will excuse him for being late as he just finished the sale today.
Wow - that isn’t something that you or I do every day!
Roly
brought in his souped-up camera to show all the work that has been happening in
his back yard with landscaping. Its looking super. I asked him what
kind of flowers those were and the highly technical answer was PINK.
Barrie
and Paul swooped into the Legion late-ish. It appears they’d partaken of
beverage in the Market which was why they were edging in on being late for
lunch. The Market is great but the cost of parking is getting out of
control. I’ve noticed that some businesses have moved out. Sassy
Bead was the first to go.
Barrie
brought up a page from the past. I was popping back into Ottawa during a
posting and the boys decided to drag me out. So, naturally, they decided
on the Bare Fax and off we went. Thank the Gods I got a seat with my back
to the stage! Anyway, as time wore on, the beer went down well and snack
time was well overdue. As I looked around, I saw a pizza being delivered
to the table beside us. How to steal this pizza – what a dilemma! It was
soon solved as the owner passed out – right into the middle of the pizza.
Rats.
A
few of us are into the sellers’ market. Apparently, it has flattened now
after the Spring. I was checking out the ‘hood and cannot believe how
much money is out there!
I’m
very glad not to be into that – Hydro is coming on board and my approximate
date is between 1-2 weeks. They are out-sourcing to a contractor – God,
who isn’t these days. Then, comes the move of the gas line. No
work can really be done (spades in the ground) before this is done, obviously.
The good news is that isn’t going to cost me $9000 just on the Hydro side and
it was going to take 6 weeks before my extension could even start.
Now, after a phone call, I might be getting money back from Hydro but it will be
happening much sooner, one to two weeks. Personal contact still works, my
friends.
I
was checking out my chequering account today to see if Hydro had devoured my
initial payment – sure enough, it was chunked down. Then, I saw
something I’d never seen before – a $4 rebate labeled “seniors rebate”.
What the heck? I’m just a youngster at 61. And $4? Who makes
this decision regarding the monthly moola? I’m off to the bank to see
the impact on my type of account and it sounds like they owe me back-pay.
I’m with RBC, btw. I’ve included some items you might find
interesting.
Why
is the Seniors' Rebate eligibility age changing from 60 to 65?
We’re
changing the Seniors’ Rebate eligibility age to 65 to be more consistent with
the age that most seniors’ benefits generally apply (for example, many
government programs offer seniors’ benefits starting at age 65). If you’re
under 65 and currently receiving a Seniors’ Rebate, you’ll get to keep that
rebate for as long as you keep a Seniors’ Rebate eligible account.
“What
is Visa Virtual Debit?
Virtual
Visa Debit is a smart and safe way to pay for online, telephone and mail order
purchases by debiting the funds directly from your banking account. This payment
option is ideal if you make online purchases and don’t have a credit card, or
if you would prefer to use debit for your online, telephone or mail order
purchases.
You can request to receive a Virtual Visa Debit Reference Number by calling
1-800-769-2511, sending us a secured message through RBC Online Banking (your
full mailing address must be included), or by visiting your local branch.
When using Virtual Visa Debit, your primary Chequing account will be
automatically debited at the time of purchase.
There is no annual fee associated with Virtual Visa Debit. In addition, any
purchases or recurring payments made with Virtual Visa Debit will not count
against your monthly debit transaction limit or be charged a per-transaction
fee.
Finally,
Harold did us proud with that photo he took when Stan ordered us up for the
photo last week. What a great job!
I
am meeting with my new OGC team on Friday - I hope that work will
start on the extension by the middle of September at the minimum. They
have alerted me that I should move out for a few days because stuff will get
messy. Messy? They don’t know foreign affairs, do they?
Gotta hop!
July
8th
Yesterday,
those of us in Ottawa coped through a steam bath of classic July weather.
Mid-evening, we had a storm come through and then our temperatures dropped down
to 13C. No one complained about the drop as we had a beautiful, beautiful
day today. Perfect temps, perfect wind, and most of all – no mosquitoes
in downtown Ottawa.
Mosquitoes
are plaguing our friends in the West-end of the city. It’s a very mean
problem as the kiddies have to be kept inside which means the parents are going
bonkers trying to keep them entertained. Yesterday, in all that heat and
humidity, Barrhaven lost their power for a few hours. Talk about trying times!
Lunch
today – something was up! Our tables looked different, our chairs
weren’t in their right places and the three-some were further away from the
door. Being such creatures of habit, we all commented on it. I moved
around a couple of chairs and when Stan and Chuckie arrived, they sorted out
their chairs. Phew.
Drinks
of choice hit the table, toasts were made and we listened to Stan and Jim tell
their vacation tales. Roly brought in a wonderful Lee Valley household
item for show and tell and we all had a bit of fun pushing this and that.
It was a manual doorbell and we managed to drive the other side of the room nuts
with all the clanging we were causing. Well done, Roly, for allowing
us all that fun!
And
the numbers are! Fifteen, and then, wait for it --- Bonnie joined us and then we
were sweet sixteen. I would also like to point out that today was a very
special day for ofarts – we were 4 women instead of just me. Yay!
The boys were on very good behaviour - as they generally are.
So
– today was different because we had ladies in the kitchen, too. We
don’t know why but there was also a different fellow back there, as well.
Noel came in around mid-meal while we were eating his usual delicious
roast beef lunch. Once again, we have nothing to do with the running of
the club – we just support the Legion in any way that we can, financially.
The general thought of our group is that we are on the better end of the stick
with the treatment that we get. We get great fellow company (well…..)
and good food at such a reasonable price. But, Stan didn’t get his fries
today however, by the time I left, he wasn’t complaining about it.
Okay, we were ordered up for photos today. Roly gave Harold, our pal from the “other” table, a crash course so up we hopped onto the stage. Lou said that our group photo would be all around the world by 18:00 EST and I’m sure it will. John K.’s wife took a back-up photo just in case. Always a wise thing to do. Harold did great and we think he should join our/our tables after the ribbing he took today from his cronies.
We
broke up early today – wow, I was out by 13:00 – everyone is getting busier
and busier. We are either improving our living quarters, moving, selling
or modifying something on a large scale. We are not part of the
“slow-down” generation, that’s for sure.
Barrie
has quickly arranged a Lime Lunch at the Stagecoach Inn for Thursday the 16th
– please contact him directly. If he isn’t in your address book,
it’s barriet@rogers.com. The
food is great.
Okay,
you guys, my hat is officially off to you. Hydro has snookered me because
the line has to be moved to bring it out of the way of the extension. They
are the only game in town and certainly know it. That being said, I did
bring in my donation hat today, and guess what, not even a thin dime hopped into
it. Got spare change, spare fully-operative LED lightbulbs, anyone?
Hey, I’ll even take a working back-up generator – maybe even a bag of
low-sodium pretzels avec une bottle of red-wine? I’m not fussy.
Ok
– you know that I’m only joking. There is a further smile in this
story. I was writing an email to my project manager and said: “ ok –
let’s move on this now as the interest is eating away at my line of credit
without any results. Advise at once.” Within minutes, I got an
answer back from Hydro from the guy with the same initials as my project
manager. “Yes, ma’am!” while he kept avoiding speaking with my
project manager. What I didn’t share with you is that I did send Hydro
an email earlier with a moan about they had me over a barrel and were holding me
hostage to their pricing! And that as a retiree, it isn’t like I can
work over/time! I also contacted Metro newspaper’s reporter that did an
article on how Hydro is making millions but didn’t hear back from her. The
up-shot is that he will try to circumvent a lot of City desk-to-desk which
should save money and time. I certainly hope so!
Time
for another good whinge! Given the cost of living, it is time we started looking
at it. The weather hasn’t been kind to the farmers and we cannot expect
them to operate without a profit. But! And there’s always a but,
someone sure is. I bought fruit, etc., this am at Loblaws just down
the street from me. One banana, one orange, one peach, a pack of bagels
and one Portobello mushroom. Just under $9.00 for the total. Whaaat!
The bagels were the most expensive, naturally, but – and here’s the but –
the peach cost over $2. And we seniors are the cause of expense this,
I’m sure. Somehow, we have become their target – more than likely,
because we are the largest growing segment of Canada’s population. Well,
Harper – guess what – I plan on living for another twenty years at least –
just to be a pain in your who’s-it. But, then, what will you care –
you’ll be living in a telephone booth.
Funny
stuff? Not too much. I checked out the ‘hood around 7am.
Smoley. Lots of money being spent on upgrades to housing. I spotted
a SUV Porsche sitting proudly on one of the home driveways. Our Mr. Myers
came to mind, right away, as I remember him saying that one of the things he
always wanted was a Porsche. And he did it. Good for him – we are
all entitled to those dreams that we worked for. That being said, I’ve
no idea where Gordon lives but I don’t see him and Jayne wanting a SUV.
As
for me, I’m still working on a peach!
We
were Lucky 13 today! People trickled in and looked at the head table with
surprise. New faces were sitting in old chairs. Three of the
regulars that sit there were MIA today. I lashed myself into my regular
seat with grim determination. Our Mr. Cooke was happy to not to have to
sit in his usual spot in the “split”.
The
Lime Lunch will be very well attended this Friday – the numbers are up to 19
so far. That’s a big crowd, considering we are into holiday season.
It should be a lot of fun plus Barrie has plotted a route through the scenic
backroads. I heard that Gary and Maureen are going to be a part of the
sweep team so none of us meander off the route.
Our
normal topic of Rogers versus Bell came up yet again today. Together, we
are going at them 19 ways to Sunday to get our monthly cost down while getting
the best performance possible. Personally, I just got another $5.00 off my
bill – the home phone, this time. It originally started with me getting
emails from friends saying – initiate your answering service, idiot!
Wahhh? Why is this happening? Some over-zealous young chap had discovered
that I was paying for Rogers answering service and clicked on it. This
started a conflict betwixt Rogers and my Vtech base unit with Rogers knocking
out the Vtech-base answering unit. Alors, out goes Rogers answering
service and also their call display popping up on the TV – voila - $5 gone.
It’s amazing what we get charged for and what today’s phone systems can
provide us with for free. That being said, I stuck with the
“essential” service so as to keep my 500 N.A. minutes for “free” with
Rogers.
Then,
feeling all flush with victory, I called my cellphone service to ask about
how to get my prices down. I got an agent with a sing-song accent that
told me if I were to sign up now, I would get all sorts of great things that
would cost me a mere $90 a month. What a waste of time as that is almost
double what I pay now. I quickly hung up before she got it into her head to
start programming my Fido account!!
A
surprise visitor today! Frank Arsenault delighted us with his company. We
never know when he will appear but it is always a joy to see him. He made
a comment about how much greener Ottawa is than his hometown in New Brunswick.
He attributes it to all that fertilizer coming down from the Hill.
Cars
took up much of the conversation along with stories of being flagged down by
speed traps and OPP. From these stories, we gather that Barrie was born
with a horse-shoe up his who’s-it.
Stan
would have been very disappointed with our meal today as no one was given a
choice of mash or fries. Some of you may have received a delicious looking
photo of a family-sized serving of golden fries. That had been ordered by
his daughter and Stan is very much the proud father.
Lou
is the owner of a new GPS. Some of the guys had a lot of fun is trying to
figure out how to reset the language from what-ever to what-ever and of course,
his GPS display is coming up in the Cyrilian alphabet to boot. How
frustrating! But, at least the boys found a local phone number to call to
get them to do a reset. All of this makes me very happy not to have to
cope with yet another device to drive you around the twist.
Summer
travelling also hit the table and some of the hare-brained schemes we are
getting up to. Yes, we are older but just more adventurous – not wiser. J
And who wants to be wiser when we are having more fun!
The
gang broke up early today – just after 1pm. Perhaps it may have had
something to do with our huge lunch! Noel really outdid himself – and us,
today. We got ½ chicken and two scoops of mash each! It was
delicious, to boot. There was salad and even dessert. I counted at least
three doggie bags heading for home.
My
eyeballs are colliding … nap-time.
S.
June
10th
A
blazingly beautiful day morning! Dry, windy, no mosquitos – wow.
Who can think about housework or even gardening with weather like that.
Sneaks and I tore out of the house directly after making a huge mess in the
kitchen frying up eggs and chips.
I
cut through the UofO campus grounds and saw lots of young kids scurrying off to
their classes – most of them on their bikes carrying their daily supply of
joe. I went over the “new” pedestrian bridge Somerset East to Somerset
West. There are so many locks on the bridge railings – it is amazing.
This, btw, is how the young students exchange their vows these days. Yep,
it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than a friendship ring. And you don’t
have to ask for your lock back.
And
now for the drumroll moment!! We were the Dirty Dozen with 14
conversations going on re cars, brass plumbing rods, etc. We missed
Chuckie today – you can count on one hand how many Old Farts’ lunches he
misses in the past three years I’ve been attending.
We
were served a nice piece of fish with chips that resembled macaroni. I
remember Noel telling me that the fryer is acting up – what a pity as these
fries weren’t the frozen type.
Once
again, the perennial subject of Rogers/Bell/Shaw suppliers came up. We
must be all on the same wavelength because I spent ½ hour speaking with Rogers
yesterday. I was very upfront with her and told her that Bell has made me
a very attractive offer of everything for only $90 per month. She said
that yes, they are very much aware but to keep in mind that this rate was only
good for 3 months AND Bell increases their rates 3x a year versus Rogers
increasing their rate only once a year.
I
had (again!) a very helpful young lady that trolled through my bill with a
fine-toothed comb and came to the conclusion that if I changed over to the new
offer, I would save $9 over three months but I would lose my substantial
discount on services that sunset in Feb. 2016. Dr. Dee let us know his
greatest woe that he is locked into because he doesn’t get cellphone service
at the cottage. Donnie has decided to go to war with Rogers and is going
with ComWave. Dr. Dee turned us green with envy when he spoke about his
son switching over to Videotron; hence, saving lots of money but/but getting to
deal with real people that are sitting in a real office.
The
EggMan brought in 2 cartons and they were snapped up. He mentioned that
they had lost 2 young-uns so far but are getting ready for when the laying
season starts. So, just before your recycling day, please don’t heave
out your empty egg cartons – bring ‘em in. That gives you a great
excuse to show up for our next lunch.
Jacques
shared some interesting info about horses. It’s the oldest mare that is
the matriarch of the herd. She decides who is going to be accepted or not
accepted. Gee – who knew that this type-A high-school practise came from
such a source!
Lunch:
we were served a nice piece of gentle pan-fried fish with chips that resembled
macaroni. I remember Noel telling me that the fryer is acting up – what
a pity as these fries weren’t the frozen type so he did a lot of work with the
peeling and cutting which we really appreciate.
We
quietened down a bit during lunch and dove into politics and who the heck to
vote in. The general consensus is that Harper is smoked, Peter McKay is
mapping out how he will take over the party once H has to resign or get kicked
out as leader of the Conservatives. Or not – maybe he will go the way of
my old classmate – Brian Tobin. He put his family ahead of politics
(probably because Jodie told him so) and couldn’t be lured back to lead the
party – take over from Mulroney, that is.
We
also discussed the $23M audit that has been done on the Senate members.
Barrie brought up a scary thought – when will they audit the Commons.
Oh
– before I forget. We got cake for dessert – much to our surprise.
However, being us, we started a rumour that this was a member’s birthday cake
but he didn’t quite make it to celebrate. I passed on that when I cut
through the funeral’s parking lot next door, it had a lot of cars.
Gotta
jump!
Shirley
June
3rd
What
a gorgeous day! Finally, we are hitting spring temps and everyone is in
the midst of holiday plans. Thank God we are not one of those “gotta go
visit Auntie in blip-blip before she pops off” groups. We may have a few
or three gray hairs, but we are still on the ball. At least enough that we
can still feed the mossies and black flies for those that wish to camp.
Speaking
of camping, Barrie mentioned his RV’ing days when you bring everything with
you, go anywhere, have all the comforts of home with a double-wide with a
queen-sized bed, and a small living room. Heck, even pop-up campers offer
you so much. The funniest part I remember about that particular camping
incidence is that my old boyfriend always kept a frying pan just beside the
door.
We
had a special visitor today – no, not a wandering bear. But, a man that
loves the pure language of math. Our group was quite taken with him
and he even has a personality! He brought in lots of goodies and so did
Lou. It created quite a buzz around our tables – so much so that I
forgot to do the count.
And
the drumroll, please…..we were 14 today! I have to offer my apologies
for being late And! Lou was there before me so we know that Princess Auto
must have been closed today.
Show
and Tell – wow – there was much to see. Some Australian stuff, some
Brit stuff. This fellow is quite a collector!
Chuckie
and Donnie are duelling it out as to who has the best memory – it’s a dead
heat. That leaves the rest of us in the dust.
Induction
heat hit the table as a topic. Jacques and I are in perfect agreement
about how quickly the cooking is done. If I wish to boil water, I just
slap on a saucepan and it boils in seconds – leaving the electric tea-kettle
sitting in the “out-the-door” heap.
LED
lighting – how are we doing with that project? And the dual cooling and
heating blinds? Cleaned those cupboards? Got the weeds under control
and the spray system for the garden colour? And – you thought with being
retired, that would be done in no time. Time is now 4 to the power of 16
– it proves that you are enjoying yourselves as it should be. And if you
need a power nap – super! And, sometimes, in my case at least, a power
nap equals a full sleep. Hey, more time to work on my Union projects!
My
personal big project is now starting to move ahead in anticipation for late
August early September. My biggest disappointment is to find that the
senior project manager is moving on to corporate work – read Big Bucks.
Also, my senior architect has been snapped up and cannot refuse that kind of
money. That being said, I was at OGC for over three hours yesterday and
revamped the plans. They listened to my ideas – not that I am a pro –
but it just saved me nearly 11K as we aren’t doing the basement extension
anymore. Which I am glad about on both accounts. Its dark, down the
steps, and spooky. And it has a washer and dryer that says “Feed me”.
Oh well, at least it doesn’t say “spare change, spare change”. On
the up-side, my computer and desk is there but who uses one of those these days?
I haven’t rebooted Spot in a year or so.
S/050
May20th
I
guess we blinked . As Art would say … what the ______?
I
decided to test the extremes of acting like an idiot box and went to Costco on
the Victoria Day weekend. Smoley. Huge flats of plants were doing
the yo-yo between the agri-centre and the cash. Us almost-normal shoppers
were in mortal danger with all those hanging plants, various grasses, looming
over us in the cash line-ups. It was an interesting experience.
Yesterday,
you could have wrung the hot water out of the air at 8 am – today, it was back
into long pants and a good warm jacket! The wind will get even stronger
this evening and it is supposed to go down to around zero. Cover those
plants!
Numbers,
numbers. We were sitting at the odd number of fifteen and just as we were
getting comfortable with that, in strolls Dan Kenny. So he brought us up
to sweet sixteen. Any one want to design a nickname for him?
We
had cabbage casserole today – well, mostly everyone. Noel is kind enough
to keep a few back-ups for us and does a great bowl of fries. Something
you should keep in mind but here’s the deal – let him know about a ½ hour
before our meal.
Soon,
our capital is going to have to be known as Windy Ottawa! I was raking the
other day and by the time I got the leaf bag out, they were gone. Yay!!
And that black material you put down to deter the weeds – well, I’m down to
hard black earth with nary a dandelion. Yay!! On the negative side,
my mulch is drying up very quickly but the bamboo that Gary gave me is thriving
because the squirrels can’t hang on to the new thin branches. The
squirrels attacked the bamboo so badly last year that I didn’t think it was
going to come back. Now, you know you live in a rough neighbourhood where
even the thieving squirrels are starving!
Both
Barrie and Roly were mia today. They missed out on the desserts.
Bonnie
showed up today and unknowingly sat in the parking lot until 11:30. So she
missed out on our company but now is up to snuff! I got there, late, too,
at 11:03 and my spot at the table had already been swiped by Moe the Finger.
Dave
has been bringing us up to speed with his eye problem. And his crazy
ophthalmologist. After hearing his tales of woe and undertakings of
expensive tests to no avail, perhaps Stan has the answer. Just put
Vicks’ Vaporub on the soles of your feet before going to bed. Hey – it
is said to cure everything! I know that it seems to be the only thing
helping with this infernal cough!
Posting
season is upon us – or, I should say them. The date is June12th for
those that are interested but I still don’t know where they will have it.
I’m hoping that it will be at the Irish Village – they didn’t kick us out
last year so we should be good to go.
An
NDP govt in Alberta, snow in late May there, too. PAFSO postings under
attack, AS’s transiting into PAFSO positions without riding the FS exam.
I’ve already had a concerned CS asking if this will be in our future. I
think not. Things might be a little different if one were to see them
stringing wires, defending the demarc site, the telephone room, and doing
everything else on the daily list of 175 tasks. There you have it, the
reason why we all look so happy to be retired.
We
were talking about bathrooms today and what they are like in so many of the
hotels we have stayed in during our TD’s around the world. They have
ranged from pretty bad to outstanding. The best, by far, I have ever
showered in is right here in the Hilton Hotel at Lac Leamy. Not every
floor has been redone yet but if you do get one, you will know it. The
tubs are extra deep and roomy – ahh – what a great soak – I hadn’t had a
bath in years. However, when I had to get out – there lies a whole
different experience!
Opened
up the mail just on Monday as our friendly postman delivered those love letters
(bills). Then he came back with another one and we laughed. I
didn’t recognize the return address so it just went into the “later” pile.
It turned out to be from the Ontario Breast Cancer Society. Now if that
doesn’t give you a shock but the good news is, they very quickly tell you that
you are breast cancer free. All of the rest of the print just swims in
front of your eyes. I very much hope that this letter’s contents go out
to everyone we know. Please be vigilant everyone.
I’ve
been flippant about it because we don’t have breast cancer in our family
history but we do have horrible memory thingamabobbers’ stuff. I think
it is called idiot-box-it is. But, we’re not too worried as the rest of
Canada has this – up to 99.9% -just like the Pill’s effectiveness. My
aunt took the Pill – she quickly had twins and then another set a year later.
And that is a true story.
So,
we all went green when it came to consumption of water and now what is about to
happen? As Dr. Dee says, we don’t seem to have consumed enough so now,
we have to pay more because we didn’t. And, I ask you, why are you going
to sit down for this? And then, what’s next? Enbridge and Hydro
will start shaking the trees, as well. Better watch those apples!
The
golfing boyos left early today. I wonder what you call it when the wind is
this strong and you are trying to tee off. That must be some form of
mini-baseball or another.
The
wind seems to have dropped – yay – maybe the furnace won’t come on
tonight.
Gotta
go check on those apples!
Shirley
May
13th
So!
I’m not going to ask if you are having fun yet – instead – what are you
doing to have so much fun! My God, we paid for it and we saved for it –
now is the time to get out there and take advantage of what you did to
deserve this!
Today
was beautiful – cool and and the Wind spoke. It blew away those damn
mossies, that’s for sure.
We
saluted Stan on his cheerful arrival to his 73rd – Happy Birthday
Stanley!!
We
were Onze today. Everybody is very busy – Spring has been very versatile
and is testing us in our projects. I still have to get started with the
kitchen cupboards and then onwards and upwards. Today, my house, and as
Pinky and the Brain says, as they slink away, TOMORROW, THE WORLD! I love
Pinky and the Brain. I also love the coyote and the road-runner. I
love the coyote and beep-beep to you road-runner!!
Okay
– and just because I feel the pressure – Elizabeth May – oh, did I get the
spelling right? May-be that was just too much wine on my part. Nuff
said. And my spell-checker agrees so all is well in the world. I
mean – hey, if MicroSoft is wrong in all of those tests, who are we mere
humans to disagree?
Well,
to change the subject – the doorbell rang just as I got into my ugly before
taking shower. No way I going to answer the door and hopped in.
Poofff – I scrubbed a-rubbed-dubbed and I figured I passed the D marcation
line into normal. I shimmied into my ugly old pants that still fit
– then had to look for my next ugliest old shirt that fitted. Oh, crap
– I’d already put the shirt in the dirty laundry bag so I had to go and
check into the “Charity” bag. Yay me! Clean sweater to the
rescue! (Did I mention that I’m a wee bit busy?)
Finally,
up to snuff, out I trot. Kleenex, comb, little black book, yeah, I’m
good to go.
So,
off I scoot, EARLY, to the bus stop, togged out in my regalia, and finally, the
flipping 12 comes along. I get on, take out my Presto pass, and just as
I’ve waving it, the driver looks at me and says – “no need, today’s
seniors day - it’s free.
Smoley
– in Ontario, 65 is seniors’ . I just got to 61 – and proud of it.
Well, I know it’s been a very hard winter but ….
Gotta find a wheel-chair!
61!
Like that only happens to old people – I’m young. Proud. Strong.
April
29th
Hurray!!
Finally, double-digits that warms the cockles of your heart and gets those
dandelions a-going! And after the worst winter in history, we will take
those few bits of yellow and rejoice.
Judging
by what people are wearing today, I should have changed my wardrobe over last
week. But, I’m glad I didn’t. I only do laundry on Hitler’s
tou.
Given
how beautiful the weather was, we didn’t think we would get a big turn-out at
the Legion. Well, bless me and our cotton socks – here’s our numbers.
The Dirty Dozen rides again with a posse of five! Not too shabby for such
a glorious day with a dubious menu of garlic fried chicken drumsticks and rice.
As for the meal, it was another mountainous one. We must all look like we
are starving refugees or diabetics on a death wish – groan. I asked for
just one scoop of mash with my drumsticks. I got 3 huge pieces of chicken,
a coleslaw, b-b-que sauce, garlic bread and a double-scoop of home-made mashed
that had been molded to look like one. And I had the smallest portion of
all.
Er
– ah, sorry, I dozed off for a moment.
How
strange today – not one comment about Duffy. I guess we are all getting
lives in a spring-kinda hurry! We have plans to get on with, projects to
plan, trips to take and hitmen to hire for pesky neighbours.
Roly
sold his 31-year old girlfriend – finally. He said that she’d cost him
an awful lot of money over those years but he will sorely miss her. Her
first name was Spitfire.
All
sorts of movements going on within the group! People selling and buying,
mostly. Others are just digging into the garden, planning vacations,
organizing their golf skeds, planning a hit on the neighbour,….
October
19th is starting to loom in the headlines. Groan – October
makes me think of crisp cool evenings and Hallowe’en. Gee – I wonder
who Harper will pretend to be? Ain’t no hiding those “dead shark
eyes” as the press loved to refer to them. My Heavens, whoever penned
that expression?
Our
Rant God pulled a fast one today and didn’t even show up. He had the
audacity to come up with some lame excuse (and invoked the dreaded G.Happy name,
no less!). And then, THEN, said that Stan had deep pockets and this
hitherforthwith, made our Rant God in the clear. Bah, humbug, I say.
We are so gonna getcha, man! And – don’t waste your time googling
hitherforthwith, cos I just made it up.
Hey!
I got lucky!! Yay me. I just got back into Ottawa from a weekend Union
conference. (No – just shut-up and keep reading – you don’t
have to blush.) The taxi driver had yacked my ears off but in a nice way and
insisted on hauling my heavy suitcase up the steps. I got inside the
hallway and immediately felt the urge to grab my express library book and return
it. I grabbed it and scooted up to Rideau St. library. As I was
about to go through my-now-secret way, I heard a rustle of leaves. I
glanced over only to see two new nearly-separated $20s skip by. Like a
gazelle, I tripped and stumbled – but I got one! I nimbly slugged the
be-jasus out of the other one with my library book. Yay – now I can
afford stuff! Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about, Grasshopper!
Gotta
jump!
Shirley
April
22
It
started off as a cold and blustery day as I scooted down to the local shop for
mushrooms. Gotta have mushrooms, gotta have mushrooms … so I can
loiter over a leisurely breakfast of beautiful café lungo e tremminzino
ai fungi. S’moley – it was cold and wet! But, the beauty of
living in Canada is that we can change the atmosphere of our homes to reflect
some aspects of our fav postings, right!
I
got to the cash and realized that I’d left my purse at home. S’moley
again! However, I found I had lots of change in my pocket – I had
successfully rolled a few local bums last night, thank God. And they were
high class bums – they had toonies! No corks going on there – take
note, Stan.
And
now, the numbers are in! We hit twenty-two big ones – not shabby at all
given that it was a perfect day to start the indoor dreaded spring chores.
Or may-be not. Phew – there’s Old Farts every Wednesday and they
need me to attend reads the ticker tape going across the individual brains that
seem to be attached to the BORG. (Back home in Ottawa, Retired,
Generally.)
But,
today was a very special one that many of us weren’t in the know about.
Bob Davidson and his wife Winnie were there promptly at the appointed hour –
good on them. We were celebrating in seeing them only to learn that they
are moving down to NS to starting living in their retirement home. Bob and
Winnie have got good handles on what needs to be done and their son is coming up
to help out. All of us got what hugs and best wishes we could and then,
suddenly, like a wonderfully loved piece of nature, they quietly left to go on
their next posting. All of the very best for your move Bob and Winnie, and
then, comes summer! Ohh God, summer in NS – what bliss!
Please rest assured that once I get his new email address, I will send out a
broadcast message to you.
Much
ado in the capital – but when is there not! Duffy/Gary Langille/Lowell
Green. Have some fun with that!
CRA
is becoming outrageous! Or should I say, their boss, Harper, is. All
things trickle down from the top, as we all well know. Here in Ottawa, we
Urbanites live downhill from where the E-L-I-T-E live and --- how the heck does
that old song go “sewage”?
Whoah
– tax season! Mine is done, out of the way and the money is
automatically in my chequing account. I’ve been speaking with a few (20
or so) friends to see what has been happening. It would seem that about
half of us are getting our needed papers mailed to us while others are not.
Guess what, boys and girls, you’d better follow up if you aren’t getting
things like your bank papers. I ran into a woman yesterday that is being
fined by the CRA because she didn’t submit her Banking papers although she had
spoken with the bank and demanded them. Now repeat after me ….. I am
responsible for filing my taxes. I am responsible…. CRA doesn’t
care if your whatever papers aren’t in – you’d better file! She had
been hit pretty bad.
I
just handled my financial assets to what feels good. I converted half of
my financial portfolio over to RIFF status only yesterday. But, that’s
just me.
Angst
– angst – some of us even know the meaning of this word, says she hoping you
will join me in the great sharing of life and humour. We must – given
that we are Canadians. At one time, we had to survive starvation, freezing
cold temperatures, and hostiles. And this was just at recess!
And
so, we should become a betting nation. Who’s gonna win. Barrie is
calling for a small c with the liberal being the official party.
Personally, I think here’s the sitrep: Harper, with his dead-shark eyes,
Trudeau, with none of his father’s brain and then we have Mulcair –
multi-lingual, very articulate, fast on his feet. Gosh, choice upon
choice. I say nothing. Should I sneak in – Mulcair. NDP with
a small c. opposition.
Barrie
tried helping me out with my failing camera. He did his best, went through
all the menus as much as possible and then stated – get a new camera.
Not a problem – that camera had been recommended by an old idiot-box
boyfriend. Gone. Ditched.
Probably
some snow tonight. Rejoice! That will mean a later skeeter season
and it will slow down the good edible weeds.
Gotta
jump!
April
15th
Hey,
what a coincidence! We numbered 15 at lunch. And who should saunter
in with his wife but Larry Lackie! But – just before that, Bob
Matheson graced our good tables with his presence. How amazing to see our
old friends!
Today
was a hands-in-the-pockets kind of morning. It reminds me of when you are
so eager to get outside and away from the boring adults that you don’t care if
you are wearing your mittens or not. You just stretch the heck out of the
arms to cover those frozen fingers. Remember, too, when we had mittens
attached to those long strings running through our parka arms so we wouldn’t
lose them? Well, all, it won’t be too long before we advance to those
days again.
I
was going through a rough patch with the extension and my miserly lazy neighbour
who is encroaching on my land. I called Angel and did a lot of moaning.
Did I mention some wine was involved? Anyway, at the end of the phone call
I asked her if she would come to Ottawa to bail me out of jail in case I got
arrested at my Union rally on Tuesday. Yes, she said. So, there I
am, rolling down Queen Street in full Union regalia towards the front of
the Delta Hotel. I round the corner and so does a cops’ car. Rats!
Hey, may-be jail food is better than what you get at the Ottawa General.
There
were many different conversations going on around the table, as usual.
Dave (Dr. Dee) got a letter with a birthday card inside from his dearest
girlfriend, Loreen Harper. He tried to get me to touch it but thank God I
was wearing my Union kit that warded off all of that bad karma!
Well,
our OFARTs group has been awarded a status we never knew we had! I mean,
we always knew we are very special but today was something else. I sit at
the head table facing the bar – my usual spot. (Are you listening,
Barrie?) This older man comes in and goes to the bar but doesn’t order
anything. He is the President of the Retired Members Guild of PIPSC so of
course, I go over to greet him. I went outside and found the rest of the
executive standing around on the steps to the bar. Naturally, I know them
all and asked why aren’t you coming inside? The answer: we’ve
been told that we can come in at 2:30 because that is when a special group
leaves. Special? Yay us!
Tonite
– the Sens and the Habs! I believe it starts at 7 but don’t hold my
feet to the fire on that one. So get in the beer and snacks now – you
only have a few hours to do so. And make that popcorn with real
butter – finally, the word is out on that horrible margarine stuff.
It’s a great artery clogger.
The
Lime Lunch is this Friday. Please send Barrie an email (barriet@rogers.com)
to let him know if he needs to add tables. Please do this asap.
Chop, chop.
I
am now porch-less, weed-less but my account balance in the line of credit is
increasing. My kitchen is now hosting all the things that the backyard hid
away. Even after ditching many things, many things came inside! I
can almost make it to the dishwasher after I move the Italian porcelain tiles to
the front of the food cupboard where my lone can of beans lives and then back
again.
ETA
of the 3 floors – end of August. As Lou said – tell me in October when
you really have an ETA. You know, it’s like getting ready for a posting.
As long as your inventory is almost done, who cares once that big moving truck
pulls up and you hear the dreaded (or not) pneumatic brakes. As
Daryl once passed on to me: “hey, the time is now and you can’t do anything
anymore.”
Mine?
Hello, hotel and room service. Where’s the clicker? Lewis
(my son) that’s your 5th piece of pizza. Mummy needs some,
too. True story!
Gone.
April
8th
Mother sun did her best today to greet us and almost did. Brother wind was
cantankerous and spitey. Oh well, it’s another day that we just scooted out of
the house and down the road to see and speak with lots of friends.
Our showing wasn’t bad – kind of like my tax return. Only my refund managed
to squeak into 3 digits. Today, we hit Sweet Sixteen. And I sure hope that
we’ve all been kissed or else somebody amongst us is in a bad way!
Stan brought in Girl Guide cookies and they were gone before 11:45.
Okay, folks – it’s now official. I am in a bad way. Since getting my new
Blackberry Q5, rather than take the time to learn how to use it properly, I’ve
been using a paper calendar. I scooted off to the grocery store to get some
delicious baguette to serve to my luncheon guests yesterday. I was squeaking
along and just as I turned into my walkway, my project manager was just coming
down the steps. We talked for a while and he brought me up to date and we went
down to be basement area. We discussed all sorts of stuff that I won’t bore
you with and then he left. Yikes, there went a half hour out of my schedule to
clean the house, get the food ready and then clean me up. Whiz bang, and more
banging as I broke more stuff than what I cleaned.
I just gave up at one point and started in on the food part. Then, I looked
around the kitchen and spied 4 lemons. Now why did I have 4 lemons? Finally, the
penny dropped and I raced down to the freezer to get the frozen smoked salmon. I
slung the individual packages into the sink and ran cold water over them. Yikes,
it was 12:20! Cussing and swearing, I vowed that I would never invite people
over again. Ever.
Then I bounded (ok, hobbled) up the stairs to change clothes and came down
triumphantly, at 12:29. Yay – I can’t do anything more so I started to slice
the bread. Then 10 minutes goes by. No ringing of doorbells of hungry trekkers.
Another 5 minutes and then I called Donna – do I have the right day? She
called me back and delicately told me that my late brunch is for next week.
But, hey, a practise run has never hurt anyone. I now have all the drinks in,
the furniture has been arranged, and I promptly ate half of the sliced ham! With
sliced baguette, to boot.
What a delicious meal we had today. Noel outdid himself and we really
appreciated it. We were given so many choices of how our meal would be served,
we got ourselves all confused. But, it all worked out. Then there was dessert,
as well. I tried to sell mine to Roly for three bucks but that wily coyote
wouldn’t go for it.
Vinyl siding versus aluminum siding? Naturally aliuminum is more expensive. Dave
(our rant god) was saying that a neighbour of his had built this really ugly
house over his pre-exisiting one. He joked to his wife that someone should burn
it down. Sure enough, at the stroke of midnight, up she went in flames! I guess,
to say it was pretty ugly is an understatement as none of the neighbours would
fall the fire department until the structure was done for. Out of this
conversation came a gem. If you have aluminum siding, it affects the cost of
your house insurance in a positive way, given its fire deterrent properties.
Donnie bought himself a new Pentax camera with a lot of bells and whistles. He
handed it over to Barrie who started to tell him what a lot of the bells and
whistles stood for. He ended with the statement: what a sweet camera.
Dave (the rant god) brought us up to date as to the Legion requesting $100,000
to charge on their line of credit. Questions were posed: what is the money to be
used for – no answer given. Why do we need this big expense. No logical answer
given. Their AGM comes up soon and that’s when this issue will be voted on,
for sure.
More proof of being stressed, I also got two appointments mixed up yesterday. Or
may-be not as I didn’t go to see my financial Dragon Lady so I still have
working fingers and legs.
Anybody want to buy a house? (semi-detached) downtown Ottawa within walking
distance of the Market, New Edinburgh, Rockcliffe, and our Legion? As a bonus, I
promise to be a very quiet neighbour. Rob, next door, has decided to retire from
the military and head off down East to NS by the third week of May. His house is
up for sale and he’ll be asking $324,000 or so. Downtown with parking – and
me for a neighbour – sweet.
Fire/carbon-monoxide alarms came up. Apparently, Barrie brought in one a few
years back to show-n-tell that didn’t even have a test button. If you have one
of these, you might want to give it a toss. Jim told us that once you activate
your alarm, it starts the 10-year count-down immediately. Always good info!
We were talking about our devices filling up and then Stan mentioned what
happened with his old I-phone after I found that that you can’t just upgrade
your memory stick on one of them. You have to buy a whole new phone at $100 or
so to go to the next higher memory stick. Anyway, Stan hit a sweet spot when he
needed to replace his old I-phone. Many occurrences occurred – such as the
agent dropping an I-phone, no old I-phones available, the I-phone 32 wasn‘t in
stock – and then Bingo, he got a new 64-gigger replacement. His only regret?
It was white. The fix: he bought a case in black. (Which I think they swiped
from Blackberry )
Barrie waxed eloquently about the weather in Florida these past few months. We
all glazed over – not from boredom but with ideas of how to juggle two
properties in January to March. Momma mia, after this eternal Winter, who
wouldn’t. Snow, tonight, too. Sigh.
But, and there’s always a but – we should be rewarded by Sunday and Monday
with double digits on the positive side of the thermometer. The weeds and skunks
will love it!
Monday – my fingernails nearly gone! Spades will be in the ground next week.
Man – OGC doesn’t fool around. When they say this is your start date – it
happens. And Monday is the middle of April in their books. They have done the
hiring, the planning, the re-planning with a different budget in mind. I met
last week with the material management lady – Dave already met her at the Home
Show –Jasmine is her name. We had a great time in looking at shower bases,
flooring, bathroom vanities, laundry space, etc. Paint colours will be as boring
as beige as you can get. The door hardware has been chosen as well as the hinges
to match. I will have two pocket doors and have elected to have the cheapest
possible. Hey, I live by myself – why would I want to have pocket doors shut?
I can hardly wait to get to the sexy stuff – windows, the IT cabling and
safety stuff.
Anybody picked up on the date, yet?
Gotta jump!
S.
April
Fools’ Day
Yay
us! By the time most of us headed out to our #462 Legion, the temps were a
balmy -2 or -3.
We
twinkle-toed into the Legion with huge smiles. No more big mukluks and
parkas – for today, anyway. Phew. How nice to be able to take out
the trash just wearing ankle boots and a koolee-tuk! But, and there is
always a but, we aren’t out of the woods yet as I heard a mention of the
oft-dreaded freezing rain for tomorrow. Please let everyone be wrong on
that.
The
numbers are in and they are hot! We hit 15 today. Which meant a few
more cars got some miles (or K’s) put on them. And speaking of mileage,
Bill the Eggman is now wearing another one. Happy Birthday, Bill-lee.
The
snow-birds are returning from Florida. And for the most part, are glad to
be so. That dollar of ours certainly took a pounding. On the other
hand, the Bank of Canada prime rate is starting to stir up the property market
again!
Spades-in-the-Ground.
I am already starting to go into high stress mode. My neighbour is going
to sell his side of the duplex which means our mutual property line is hard-up
against each other. I’ve asked him – at the prompting of OGC, what he
plans to do with his deck. I got a non-committal email back wishing me a
good extension and how sick he is of Ottawa. Do you all remember us
speaking of so-n-so going through “culture shock” when we were at post?
He has it bad. Only now they call it something else, I’m sure. All
of this to say, now I have to figure out a way to start to discuss the
de-construction of his deck (which is rotting) so that I don’t have to rebuild
it for him. I would love to have some feed-back from you guys with
positive phrasing I can put into my email to him. Please take this as a
big Help for Feedback!
I
was making my coffee this am and while checking out the backyard, I saw little
yellow flags attached to my 3-foot high weeds. You know, those weeds I
pulled up last year by hand until there wasn’t anything left but sand.
Well – these so-n-so’s are worse than cockroaches! But, unlike
cockroaches, they can serve a purpose. However, all that being said –
how wonderful it must be to just vault over a 3-foot fence and do your work.
I’m just a young little geezer-ette but even my days of vaulting over a
dust-ball are over.
Chuckie
is getting younger every week. I’m sure that his wife and family are the
reason. And Stan, of course. Social stuff is so very very important.
Most of my male acquaintances wisely leave their social calendars to their wives
and find themselves all the better for it. Also, women are like bees –
we tend to be happy in groups. Just today on the bus, I complimented this
older woman on her beautiful bright orange nail-polish. And before you
know it, we were like old pals because we live in the same ‘hood.
And
speaking of old pals, NL is sparsely populated in some places. Roly was
mentioning that he had knocked up Mike and Pearl Yetman down in Florida.
And guess what, Bev knew them from when she was living in Gander. North
America continues to shrink!
My
union duties continue to grow. And I’m sure you say – why? Or
you’ll just skip this para. Go ahead. But back to the subject –
the young kids are coming back – tres unhappy. The stress of the job
really isn’t worth it. The impact on their families (witness Miami today
and the grief of that poor family) is in-surmountable. Every week one of
us will say – we worked for the department at a good time.
We
had another great member turn out today – Rodge the Dodge. Of course,
you will all remember him. We didn’t really have a chance to speak apart
from his comment on one of the sauces I’d brought in for us. It was the
maple-flavoured bourbon sauce. He commented that it looked like a hip
flask so I shall have to do some inventory taking next week!
Dr.
Dee didn’t grace us with his presence today. Methinks he is still lost
somewhere within the Ottawa Home Show venue. Oops, I nearly said at
Lansdowne Park but it is the TD Place now. Finally, we are starting to see
the world as it really is – and we all knew this well before, too. Those
boundaries that you see on the map are just marks. And I will leave it at
that.
Barrie
brought in his pal, Paul today. It is always great to see new faces –
mainly so that we can bore new people with our stories. Ooops, did I say
boring? Not so – our stories are one-of-a-kind that perhaps will shock
the pastor or mayor – but, damn, they are good stories. Some of them
might even be true.
Gotta
jump!
March 25th
Today, Stan pulled a fast one on us. We saw a few new faces at the Legion –
and one that has never attended our weekly gatherings and ramblings. Tom Miles
was one of our attendees to pass on his news and to call Art and say “You’re
late!”
The other fellow was the famous Mr. Contract himself. He kept us entertained
when we all walked down memory lane. It was very interesting to hear the
“other” side instead of the technical side of things. We had a lot of fun
hearing about some of the antics that the “upper echelon” of our department
got up to with their entertainment claims. You should hear the one about a lazy
officer and the King of Norway’s protocol office. Well done, Ron Pearce, for
sharing that bit of true history with us!
Btw, the job of Mr. Contract was to conduct audits of contracts that the
department entered into. He gave courses over at the “school” where they
conducted training for departmental employees. I attended one of his courses
when they were trying to clerk-i-ze me. He ran a very tight ship.
I was out on a call on day to see Alice Power who ran the “civvie” training
school. We shared a special bond given that she’s from Nfld and me from
Labrador. As I was doing my thing, she broached the subject of combining the
technical school with her’s . I told her that it really didn’t make sense as
our attendee numbers would be very small in comparison to the fees of the
teachers. Also, there was a small matter of, ah, sensitive “stuff”.
Okay – numbers. Drum-roll please! The fabulous fourteen met, ate, sipped,
swapped stories, offered each other advice on our projects. Naturally, the
conversations measured 19 to the dozen – the other two were out on smoke-break
when I did the count. We were treated to George’s home-made fried chicken with
fries. We were given a choice of white or dark meat, as well!! Very impressive
and delicious.
Noel came over and presented our table with the April menu. It had the label of
April $8 meals. We all took this a a good sign that we will still have a place
to meet and eat for another 30 days. This led us all into the yak session of why
should one slap 100K of a line of credit when they are zooming into debt. Ron
said that this is happening all over with the Legions, Knights of Columbus, etc.
When it comes right down to it – home entertainment is encroaching hugely on
these organizations. Personally, I’m just too much of a lazy slob to leave my
keyboard and go out to sit in a “bar” with a bunch of strangers. I’d
rather walk, hit the gym, attend a union rally, or just sketch something
beautiful.
I wanted to bring up the subject of doctors now having to comply with
patients’ rights to have the services they request. So far, I keep hearing
about the Pill or abortion. Now, I wonder why that is? I was listening to an
interview with a Nova Scotian doctor and a CBC reporter this am on why should a
doctor refuse to give a patient a referral/subscription for the requested
action. Out comes the question “blah, blah, blah”; then comes the answer by
the representative of the Christian doctors association of Canada. At the end of
the interview, the new-sreporter does her recap and sums it up with another
question. To which, Mr. God Doctor replies, Anna-Maria, I have already answered
that question of yours. To get away from that bad taste in our collective
mouths, some of the call-ins were very interesting. Such as – if they benefit
from the public purse (ours), and they supply a service to us, why shouldn’t
they supply a reference to, say, an accupuncturist or naturopath? Why should
they spout off about their religious beliefs? Then, it all got muddy about they
are professionals and etcetera, etcetera. What ever happened to Hippocratic
“do not harm” oath? What about the cost to the public? I underwent months
upon months of physio for my extreme tendenitis without relief. I was offered
acupuncture and after the third treatment, I was cured for life. I will leave
you to ponder that one which I’m sure you’ll be ahead of me lickety-spilt.
Spades-in-the-ground. Wow – things are really heating up. On Friday, OGC came
in to do a walk-through. This means that they are doing an on-site inspection
and then we hit a common area to go through the scope and work plan. We had a
genteel duke-it-out over a few issues and that was Friday afternoon. Come
Monday, I was careening through Merivale Road heading toward Hunt Club when I
decided: this tummy needs some warm stuff before my next meeting with OGC. I got
off at the stop and then toddled off – promptly had to stop and put up my
hood! Which means it was really really cold. Thank God for that Canada Goose
hood. (Again, this would not have been able without the help of Donna and Moe
for that purchase.)
Hood up, off I went. “Hie ho, hie ho, it’s off to work I go, with a bucket
and a pick, it’s off to work I go. Hie, ho, hie ho, hie, ho!, it’s off to
work I go” (And that was the clean version for those of you that have never
heard it.)
Smoley! I nearly blew away. And, hardly a telephone pole in sight to hug when
the stronger gusts came in. So, defeated, I had to succumb to diving into a
bus-stop and wait for one that would take me all of one – ONE! bus-stop before
OGC - how disgraceful to have to this.
So, and there is always a “so”, I would like to propose that this summer we
put out skeetter traps. But, don’t kill them. More later!
Gotta jump!
March
18th
Another
cold one with strong winds blowing around. No fun! I can hardly wait
to start putting away the winter gear. Including the ski goggles that we’ve
needed with all the severe wind! And I’m sure our pals down East are
sick unto death of being dumped on with all that snow. Incredible!
But, we will officially be into Spring on Friday. Then, we can start to do
some serious complaining
Today,
the extraordinary eight of us blew in the door. The bartender, cook and
the waiter always look happy to see us. Our only complaint is that cookie
gives us too much food.
A
man in Ottawa fell victim to the very strong winds yesterday. A 400-lb
structure blew down and according to the news, it hit him. He wasn’t
hurt very badly, thank God.
I
was waiting for the light to change yesterday at Rideau and King Edward.
Suddenly a huge gust (80K plus) roared down King Edward and then there was a
huge bang above us! A young mother and I rushed backward and we looked to
see what it had been. It was the traffic light. It didn’t actually
come down but I’m avoiding that corner from here on.
At
the risk of boring you to death with true tales of the winds on King Edward,
here’s one. I was going to work early one blustery sunny morning,
sporting Minnie the Mink. She was in great form and it was getting hot
inside that coat. As you all know, the female ranch mink’s fur is
thicker and once you get into the sun, the fur absorbs the sun and then, it gets
pretty hot. Anyway, just as I came over the rise, between 111 and 125
Sussex, the wind struck. It was so strong that even when I literally fell
into it, it wouldn’t allow me to tumble down. It was a great giggle!
The
5-year mortgage rate just fell today. Two of the big five have come on
board – Bank of Montreal and the TD. I wonder what will happen next.
The construction boom is starting to level off, according to the banks but I
believe they are looking at single-family homes. However, that’s not
stopping a lot of us retirees from renos/extensions, etc., in getting things
done to our places so we can live at home even longer. I personally plan
on staying here until I go out, boots first.
I
went with a group to a “free” lunch by a retirement home so we could have a
look around. It was enormously hot in this place on Creighton Street.
We were fed bland chicken, bland vegetables but a decadent dessert.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t visit a suite because some old geezer had refused
to pop off. So much for that.
Go
see the Northern Lights tonight!
Stan
gave us a lesson today in how to get rid of body hair by light therapy. He
got tired of shaving his legs.
Gotta
jump!
March
11th
We
skipped, we jumped over puddles, we avoided the sliding of all that ice crashing
down from roof-tops. One poor man was walking down O’Conner street and
was hit by a 100-kg slab of ice. Thank God the man didn’t get killed!
Perhaps, the side-walks should be moved to the centre of the street – at
least, you can see/hear the car that is going to nail you!
And
– drumroll please! The Dirty Dozen arrived early, middlin’ and
late. No matter. Cabbage rolls numbered three to a plate, along with
either two scoops of mashed or fries. The good news is no one passed out
in their chairs by attempting to clean their plates. One or two did and I
almost did as Chuckie helped me out by eating three fries. Three fries –
ARG!
We
were a quiet bunch today – but those around our table are starting to get very
boisterous. Must be those pickled eggs that they consumed.
Our
bunch were concentrating more so on house concerns, taxes, Riffs and even a
birthday! Donnie Cole said that he’d written a blog on Korean
Memories/Don Cole. We’ll have to check that out.
The
next Lime Lunch will be at Casey’s out on somewhere near Hunt Club, I think.
It will be Thursday next week. I believe it is a burger joint but
couldn’t tell you for sure.
There’s
an awful lot on my plate. When my home phone rings, I never know which
country is calling me, CS-wise. Then there are the rallies to support the
working dead. Thank God, the weather is warmer now so we now longer have
to freeze off our eyelashes! S’molley – it was really/really cold on
Feb.19!
We
missed Stan today as he was off to see our teen-age retina specialist, I heard.
Also, m.i.a., was our Rant-God – Dave Smith. Roly should be back on duty
with us next Wednesday, we think, and then we will have Barrie back.
Asbestos
– yes, it still exists. I hope that the old Comcentre kitchen is now
cleaned up.
Everyone
is really great in snapping up the eggs and bringing in the egg cartons for
Bill. Bill is also trying hydroponics and I didn’t get a chance to ask
him more about it today.
For
those of us enjoying our special arthritic conditions, a few years ago, I was
introduced by a good pal into getting your feet done by a specialist. They
are called chiropodists, but you already knew that . I went yesterday
after putting it off for six weeks because it is very far from having a
pedicure. First, comes the alcohol treatment. You’re swabbed from
toenails to heels and even between your tootsies. Then, in comes the
specialist. She turns on the machine to warm up while her clippers go
snip, snip, snip. Then, comes the drill with the drummel attachment to go
over the tops of your toes. Have you fainted yet? By the time I can
look, she has done something else with a tool I can’t identify and then, up
you go. She grabs you by the ankles and studies the bottoms of your feet,
your toes and your heels. Phew! I passed without even studying and
then she slaps on a special cream so your socks and sneakers will not run away
from home. And, no – it isn’t crazy glue. And you get to send
your claim into OHIP who picks up the 80%. My next appointment is now only
four weeks away – whahhh!
Last
Sunday was a bit exciting in the ‘hood. I hopped out of the house around
10 to get to a Sunday Brunch and scurried along with my head down watching for
those ice ogres. Then, I hit a yellow caution tape and scoped out what was
happening. Just a few blocks from my place, (Nelson/Clarence) there
had been some gang activity – drug whatever gone wrong, I guess, and the cops
were in the midst of investigating. Still slogging it out, the yellow tape
continued up to Rideau and Nelson. The Loblaws (24 hrs) had yellow tape,
the pharmacy across the street was 100% blocked off, etc.
So,
what does that have to do with our group? A member of our group stated
that they should move the Shepherds of Good Hope out to Orleans so that when Dan
comes home too late, and Della has locked him out, at least he can sleep there.
Tax
time is upon us. Are we happy yet? Not.
Our
lassie, Bonnie Preston, will be playing at the Westboro Legion on St. Paddy’s
Day. I think we should go out and support her and perhaps, partake in some
pretty awful green beer. I will post her email after this. I hope
some of you will go – I don’t want to sit by myself!
I
was scooting down the street the other day and saw a neighbour lovingly greeting
his little kitten at the door. I remember his house so well. One
beautiful fresh day, I saw a black cat, on a leash, engaging in a mortal-combat
staring contest with a squirrel. Sometimes, you have to watch.
That’s been burnt into my memory forever – just like all the others I’ve
forgotten.
Gotta
jump!
Shirley
March
4th
First
of all – my apologies for not posting this sooner. I’ve been out of
commission with some weird but very painful thing with my jaw. My sleeping
habits are all over the map but, but, my cussing is getting more up to snuff.
So here goes, kiddies!
Yes,
we made it through another one. And what a one it was – the worst winter
on record for our neck of the woods. But!, and there is always a but, the
ice carvings didn’t suffer. Personally, I found there were many less
showings this year, which may be a result of our past warm winters.
Also, there was a special exhibit for the little ones where they could
contribute to a coloured work-in-progress. That is marvellous. Why
should only the sedate and sober and serious of us enjoy this marvellous time of
the year.
And
so! We skipped, we sloughed, and we found alternative routes over big
puddles. But – did we care? Not. However, Old Man Winter has
taken quite a liking to our hospitality and we are becoming quite the
curmudgeons about it all. Be gone, be off and take your mufflers, mitts
and toques with you!
The
numbers are in and drum-roll please. We numbered a lucky 13. The
beef stew was outstanding – so I heard. I didn’t partake as eating was
excruciatingly painful. But, it sure look inviting with rich beef gravy
and starch of choice. Noel is making sure that we get butter and not
margarine – much to Lou’s delight.
Many,many
conversations were going on today. And they were nineteen to the dozen
going on. It must have something to do with the light levels or something.
No show and tell today – just our happy grinning faces, enduring the usual
light-hearted insults, comments (mostly derogatory) and even a few compliments.
The
subject of LED lighting came up, again. And how many of us are converting
over to the cheaper lighting. That led me (no pun intended) to checking my
empty containers and receipts for the ones I bought recently. Mine are the
ones from Loblaws, Sylvania Ultra 820 lumens. They proclaim to be good for
25,000 hours but when you do the evil-eye squint, the fine print reads “based
on 3 hours a day”.
Yes,
that will really work for us, based on our Southern winters when it is dark at
3:30 pm and dark until 7-ish am. I don’t think our Northern neighbours
would appreciate that with their very long winters. How I remember
enjoying our very short summers – being outside and skipping rope, kicking
soccer balls until dark – usually around 11pm in August. Our parents on
the stoop, paying us no mind until sunset when we would all group and revel
in the stunning beauty that would last for nearly an hour. At least, to us
kids, it would seem that long. We just wanted to watch TV – all of CBC
– our only one channel.
What
a hectic week! I’ve been up at all hours of the week writing and
responding to many emails of a union nature. Since our second most hated
PM announced Oct.19th as election day, like all of you, I’ve been
trolling here and there to get a picture of where I should cast my voting
favour. Talk about angst!
Lou
was late for lunch by ten minutes on Wednesday! We kept watching the clock
as he normally swoops in about 30 seconds to go before noon, so we were starting
to get worried in case he had a break-down. However, Princess Auto was to
blame. Again.
Our
mayor – not our Bill – has taken a fall and has broken his pelvis.
Dear God in Heaven, how awful that must be. To break anything at our
venerable age is terrible! Time to hit the gym, do some strength training
and cardio. We worked damn hard – financially – but we slugged it out
and we deserve what is coming into the bank account.
Can
you believe that it is already March! Mind you, for me personally, that
was the longest February I’ve ever lived through. Up North, you
expect that you will just go into hibernation mode, wear 14 layers of socks,
mitts and sweaters. Here in Ottawa, it just yoyo’s. I’ve only
taken Mini the Mink out six times so far this winter, though, and that is three
times more than last year.
So
– are we smart-deviced out yet? Our phones, our Fit-bits, our tablets,
our wire-less what-evers, our security systems, our on-line buying, the
countless account names and email accounts. And that isn’t even taking
into measure your ISP, your network access stuff! This is getting nuts.
I
called what I thought was the City of Ottawa tax office today to find out when I
would get my final bill for 2014. A very nice young lady called Tassimo or
Keurig answered and she told me I had the wrong office – in the nicest sort of
way. That being said, I also found out some very interesting info. I
live in a duplex (side-by-side) in a very old area of Ottawa. My house was
built in 1927 in what used to be called St. Patrick Street until it became
Ottawa Street. Years later, it became Old St. Patrick Street. I get
a lot of history from my hairdresser who was born right beside my house.
Yes – Ottawa isn’t a big city and that’s what I love about it. But
– back to taxes. I appealed my property bill to MPAC over
ten/twelve years ago. They sent out an inspector and we had a grand old
time of assessing things. You might hear from people “never let these
so-n-so’s in your house!” That’s because these people did not do
things properly and generally installed below-standard “up-grades” to their
plumbing, windows, doors, roofing, etc.
Naturally,
being a member of the “I am not stupid club” I had done the right thing and
had gone through that exhausting process of obtaining permits, hiring the right
contractors, you name it. So, everything went swimmingly well. As a
result, my tax bill dropped by nearly $600 per annum back in 1995. Just as
an aside – your house is listed in what the city refers to “perfect
condition” when you do not make any changes to those five basic conditions as
referred to above. Check into it. I know our favourite pony-tail
sort-a guy is going to. Also, I would not personally buy a house in
city-stated “perfect condition”. All it means is that your property
tax is sky-high.
By
the way, you might want to check with your local MPAC office, to find out when
your property tax appeal expires for 2015. In my case, it is March 31,
2015. Just weeks away!
Well
– all that being said, next week is going to be intense with everything
ramping up for the extension. I get to meet all the team at the house as
they do a walk through. Hell’s bells – I’ll be cleaning all week
just to make this place almost presentable. That’s on Thursday.
Then, come Friday, the 13th, at 13:00 H, I shall meet with the team
to pick out my flooring, my lighting, everything. Even my outside siding
– so I shall need some advice on outside siding and hope you all can counsel
me on this on Wednesday – plastic/aluminum? I’ll be burning up the
wires, as we used to say.
Man
oh man, what a time we have had. I always like to sign off on a
light-hearted note. Not so this year as I can’t find one – not even a
single measly fish-bite. So, I shall just have to tell you a true story.
In
the mid-70’s, there were these three communicators sitting at the LBP
cafeteria Soon, they were joined by several others. And,
then, more. So they then occupied all three big tables just behind the
cash. All of them, the men, were facing towards the cash. I got my coffee,
promptly walked over to the first table and said, “so, I don’t see the cards
but what’s the score – ten, nine but dear God, don’t tell me that I
just scored an eight!”
Gotta
jump,
Feb.25th
It
is now 1 hour and 45 minutes and the Rogers tech has just left.
I’m so glad that he came! He looked aghast at the network wiring.
Rogers hasn’t been in the house for a few years. (None of it has ever
been my doing – I just wrestle with local printers and the occasional USB hub
upstairs!) Upshot – my router is now gone, my network id and user pwd has been
changed, a booster has been installed to speed up my TV, and a lot of extra
cabling and a splitter has been taken out of the house. I shall be keeping
an eye on network speed in the next few days. And, for Stan – a
special shout-out out for sound on the TV’s. I thought it was quite the
coincidence re TV’s as it was the first problem that the tech found out on my
network.
Another
tip from the Roger’s tech – unless you use Bluetooth on your smartphone,
disable it as it really wears down your battery. (He uses the Apple
I-phone (like Lewis) and his wife is running the Blackberry Q5 (like me) as
well.)
All
of that being said, we Old Farts just had another successful lunch. The
spaghetti and meatballs went down a treat with the only complaint – too much
sauce! Noel is very generous with his servings even though the price of
the meal was a mere eight dollars. I opted for eggs and chips – the good
old English stand-by. He put three pieces of ham steak on my plate.
I got through the eggs and the ham, Chuckie helped out with eating a few fries
and Stan wimped out on the fries department. For shame, for sooth.
And then, I nearly passed out from the onslaught of protein and deliciousness!
And
speaking of numbers, we clocked in at the Terrific ten, today. Again, not
too shabby given we are in prime vacation time. Mr. Webb decided to grace
us with his presence, sans pony-tail. Also, Bill and Wendy are back in
town after the brisk weather in Florida so keep those egg cartons coming in.
Are
we all happy to be Canadians this year that live in the capital and
there-abouts? It’s been the coldest winter since 1875, 1945 or whoever
says what. Who cares! It’s been too damn cold and it has been
going on forever! But, if you’re a skater on the canal, you are in your
glee as this year the record has been recorded for the longest period that the
canal has been open – 49 days so far.
Papers
hit the table today regarding cable. Stan and I were on the same
wavelength but I forgot my Roger’s print-out for the cost of hybrid-fibe.
Which probably turned out to be a good thing as Jim told us his tale of
woe/extreme annoyance with these rip-off artists. I had been looking at my
paper trail of Rogers bills and stamped my foot when the cost kept going up by a
few dollars here and a few dollars there. So – the upshot is that I
called Rogers and this nice young lady Tammy (from Ottawa) delved into my
account and saved me $60 plus – snap – just like that. She said that
she could apply this promo to my account and it would last for two years as I
have been a customer for so long. I think “grand-fathered” was a term.
Hey, boys and girls, if you don’t ask, you don’t get. And what does a
phone query cost? Nada. Also, new promos come up every month –
yes, each and every month. So, I’ll be calling back the first week of
March. Shake, shake, shake; shake, shake, shake, do the
mambo…..or, whatever. It’s better for that money to be back in your
pocket.
Strikes
have been avoided by Unifor and CNN/CPP. I’m sure that a lot of railroad
users feel a lot safer now as that was the biggest issue.
Tax
season looms like a hungry and hypnotic snake. Most of us have received
our T4-s just yesterday and now we are waiting for the rest of them to arrive.
I am still waiting for the city to deliver a summary of my payments for 2014 and
they are always late. Given I’m off to meet with Dragon Lady, I’d like
to drop off my tax papers at the same time so my accountant can get my refund
into my hot greedy little paws (extension equals the damned line of credit)
asap. I’ll be running the numbers from my bank account just as soon as
this blurb is posted. George was mentioning that he used to do his
father’s taxes and he remembers the T-4’s coming in. Given I only have
1 bank account – and that is sorely used – my info will be easy to gather
before Dragon Lady time!
Today,
I had to take advantage of TechXpert, now free from Rogers as Tammy upgraded me
to hybrid-fibe. My bookmarks had disappeared and it turns out that Yahoo
has been a bit naughty. May-be I should clean up my emails as they are in
the thousands. I do try but ….
Ottawa
has okay’d a new area of Ottawa – the DomTar plant will be turned into a
multi-use area. River -front properties, malls, etc. It will cost a
billion or so. I’m so glad I bought my house those many many years ago.
I’ll bet those new home-owners in Lebreton Flats are counting their blessings.
Terry
W. is going to take MPAC to the mattress! Good for him. I did this
about fifteen years ago after they upped my taxes to some crazy amount. If
anyone is interested, you might want to investigate why your house is listed in
“excellent” condition. Excellent condition is City-tax speak for how
to soak you to the inth degree. For instance, there are several conditions
that you can use to lower your house tax. Here are a few that I used.
New windows? Check. Plumbing changes? Check.
Door(s)? Check. Covered porches – in Ontario? Check.
My taxes dropped by over a thousand per annum after a city tax collector came by
for an inspection. You will hear from a lot of people – don’t let
these guys in your house! Generally, that means that they start listing
all of your up-grades. As for me, I was too poor to do anything
“luxury” and my house was just barely up to the building code of the day.
Party
day – April First!! Stan asked when we would be celebrating my extension
and guess what! Come and celebrate with us the most terrifying time of
house-owning for anyone. I can’t tell you what will be on the menu –
our web-master will consult with the chief cook who will consult with the
bartender after he has consulted with George after George has consulted the
sous-chefs. We keep our fingers way out of the way when it comes to the
menu but I did meddle today. My neck and other parts are on the line now!
All I can share with you is that George’s famous chicken will be on the table
March 25th. Remember that ad – “we haven’t had
Shake-n-Bake in so long and then the little tyke gets to chunk down his chicken
leg with gusto. That’ll be us!
Gotta
jump!
Shirley
Feb.
18th
Finally,
we got a break from the Iceman. The wind-chill factor went from minus 25
this am to only minus 16 or so. Yes, finally, time to break out of the
cabin.
Again,
we were a small group but managed to squeak into double digits – ten of us!
That’s not too bad for prime vacation time.
Today,
the meal was quite hardy – pork schnitzel and we even had a choice of mash or
fries. And we were treated to salad, too. Forks flew, conversation
both stopped and started while we were trying to figure out what dressing we had
been given. We made a few guesses and came to the final consensus:
who cares.
We
now have real butter for our buns.
We
did some communal moaning and groaning about the new series that starts tonight
on CBC regarding the X Company. It’s a spy drama about Canadian recruits
to a World War II espionage school that begins with new agents that all have
special abilities. It is purported that this is a true story and the
school was in Southern Ontario. I thought I heard Ilford, but am very
likely wrong. Anyway, according to Rogers , the pilot starts on CBNT
(Rogers 124) at 8pm tonight.
And
this comes out within a month or so of the airing of the Imitation Game. I
finally saw it yesterday and the acting was great! I nearly cried at the
end of the movie.
Global
News is currently doing a Show-n-Tell on Global News, Rogers channel 119
“Noon News Hour/Tech Talk”. “Get connected with Mike Agerbo” is
another way to find it. They are sort of like us except they have a nicer
meeting place but the lighting would be way too bright and there wasn’t a beer
nor wine glass in sight!
Tomorrow
is Lime Lunch day. George has sent out a Facebook event invitation.
He is standing in for Barrie who is suffering from shorts-itis down in Florida.
I’m sure you will join me in sending our communal condolences to him and his
travelling companions.
Well
– speaking of lunch – I had my week all sewn up to go to the Lime Lunch.
Then, my other luncheon group sent me an invite to the restaurant “Home” on
Elgin. So I backed out of one in favour of the other re location and
guess what? Then I got a notice of a protest rally tomorrow – also,
downtown. So, it serves me right, you might say. But, being a type A
personality, I’m going to attend both - the rally and lunch! How does
that song go again? “These boots were made for walkin’ and that’s
just what they’ll do.” ……
I
brought this up at Old Farts today and was asked what happens if I get arrested.
No problem – I’ve got all of your phone numbers programmed into my Q5
Blackberry’s speed-dial.
Our
group started discussing the disgusting practises of the banks given the drop in
the Bank of Canada prime rate. I am taking a special interest in this
because I noticed at my line of credit recently dropped from 3% to 2.85%.
And that happened a few weeks back when the prime started dropping in line with
the cost of a barrel of oil. Naturally, when the prime dropped to 0.75%,
the big banks are just sitting back and waiting to see who will jump first.
Why do I say this? I went to my bank just last week when the wind-chill
was only minus 22 and got a meeting with one of the bank advisors. We
didn’t get off to a right start as just as my bottom was in the inth proximity
of the couch, he pounced and said “come into my office”. Plus, he wore
pointy-toed shoes that turned up. All I had were two questions: when
are you going to go prime (their usual .75 plus one) and when will it affect my
line of credit. (And, and I didn’t even call him buster.) Instead,
he thought I was going to fulfill his ½ hour quota (to get paid) and was a bit
put off when I zipped up my coat, picked up my granny shopping bag, and said –
it’s time you guys got your act together because I will walk if I don’t get
what I want. That’s what I miss about not having a mortgage. You
could always play them off against each other. That being said, I meet
with my financial planner the 26th. Because of the up-coming
3-floor extension, I’m sure she will have me flogged, deported and sent to my
mother’s place in Labrador next November to March to do penance.
Oh
– the mailperson has just left some love-letters in my postbox! Phew –
only the Rogers’ monthly bill this time.
Check
out: Sanko’s Super Upward-Looking Dozing Desk at raremonoshop.jp.
Ninety smackers, US., according to Movie Entertainment magazine. And if
you do get one, …. well, …..
We
played the Memory Game again today. We got it 80% correct and just as we
finished chowing down, a warm body from the past came over to say hello.
Just as I was thinking, gosh, he looks like Dennis Poulin who used to work in
personnel under John McCann, that was him! He looks just the same except
grayer – just like us, or, most of us. I don’t know about you guys,
but I’m not grayer. I just get browner and blonder every few months,
thanks to my hairdresser. And he loves it – keeps his condo fees
affordable!
Okay,
time to jump!
Stay
warm, stay safe, and stay out of those measle-riddled places!
Shirley
Feb.
11th
And
here we go, again!
We
had a small turn-out today but everyone was full of smiles and bon-homie.
Chuck showed up today – we hadn’t seen him since around Xmas. Stan is
back from his VIP trip to Kona. That being said, there was a great buzz
going on around the table!
Numbers
– we made up the Nifty Nine, today. The boys must be very busy with
their honey-dew lists as the weather was cold but great.
And
speaking of weather – what a winter! Rarely do we stay in the
deep-freeze for this long --- and the Atlantic provinces can’t seem to get
away from all that snow. The Weather Network showed those scary photos of
the sidewalks in Moncton where the cars can’t see the pedestrians. I
really feel for the pedestrians as once that green light turns and cars go
forward on the “right-on-a-red”, we’re just target practice. I was
nearly hit yesterday as I moved forward to cross Rideau/Dalhousie and so did a
great big truck going Dalhousie/Rideau! Wah – he got the hairy eyeball,
for sure.
The
Rideau Centre is playing with us. Every time I go there, somebody has
moved, shutdown or merely disappeared. Good news: the dental office
hasn’t moved and the big Sport’s store now has a sale’s place on the first
floor where Warren’s house of britches used to be. That was as of
yesterday.
Well!
Today – two pieces of really great national news. The prime has fallen
to 0.75 due to the dropping of the price of oil. On top of that, Walmart
has announced their expansion nation-wide which will bring in more construction
jobs, store-front jobs, etc. Let’s hope that this kicks this who’s-it
does some kick-starting to more full-time jobs. Our kids and their kids
need full-time jobs to be able to invest in our wonderful country. Right
now, I feel that we retirees are the ones that a buoying up a lot of the economy
without being drawn into debt just to have a decent standard of living.
It’s
surprising how much noise nine people can make in a small area. Or, so it
would seem. There are two other tables and they kick up such a ruckus that
we can’t hear each other so we start to bawl like sick cows. Then they
turn up the volume and because we see each other all that infrequently, we are
not to be outdone.
When
I got there, Stan and Jim were deep into a discussion on something that I
couldn’t hear whatsoever. Donny Cole came in with Roly. I caught
that Don got a lift with his grandson Jim. I also caught that Roly was
trying to run them off the road because the driver was acting like some kind of
a … I delicately describe it as a … ah, tourist.
To
leap ahead, Lou showed us photos of a coffin that he and his neighbour have
worked on and finished. Dave had actually brought up the subject of the
cost of cremation urns/boxes and how he made his own. Then the camera was
passed around, costs were compared, as were sizes, accommodation, storage and
how to get this big thing in the back of a truck once you can move the body as
apparently you don’t have to go through a funeral home to do so.
So,
then, Lou told us that the guy and his wife live in a one-bedroom house so they
store this big honking coffin down in the basement. They lie it flat on
the floor and the poker group are used to it now. But – not the daughter
– she refuses to sleep in the basement. I don’t blame her. Me
– I’d be sleeping in with Mom. And Pop can go for a regular fitting down in
the basement “box”.
Stan
was showing off his I-phone. And how he really has articles to consider
for Serri. Stan impressed us with Serri giving him his location via voice
query to the phone. Natch, he kept taking it to a higher level. Like
a real lady, she was tactful, thoughtful (read – takes a long time to answer
certain questions), and we all of us had a hoot at her answers, including Stan,
of course!
David
Dr. Dee had a bit of an eye issue today. Nope – not even a sign of a
hairy eyeball. But, once you have had such a problem, you don’t wait
around given the direness of what could happen.
However,
on a lighter side, it goes to show how we think we are covered with cheese curds
just because you slurped instead of chewing when diving into a bowl of poutine
without a fork. I think they call this face-plunking. I could be
wrong because I dive in, shower-cap in place, teeth chomping, gravy boats in
both hands and just go for it. By the time you come up for air, even your
ear-holes are full of poutine. Yes!! Now, that’s love.
Cougars!
Average weight: what-ever. Sightings: Ottawa - watch-out!
The provincial government will say that they don’t exist and dismiss it to
even being a house-cat. Apparently – they can weigh around 125 pounds.
Wow – that’s a lot of cans of cat-food. Or you at 98.6F. Yum.
Carry a whip.
Coyotes.
Ottawa abounds with them apparently. And they are without a kill quota,
here. Also, if you kill one and cash in on the pelt, each pelt is worth
$100. That is according to CBC.ca here in Ottawa. Some of the local
farmers figure they will average 20 or so this winter.
I
am without prejudice on this as I grew up in Labrador and we always killed what
threatened our children, pets and animals. I remember one afternoon
encountering a full-grown lynx in my back-yard in Labrador. We stared at
each other – on my side, the beauty of this animal was nearly mesmerizing.
However, this is an animal that is hungry and then instinct took over. I
was taller but lighter. My height was what I used, plus voice and
stamping, and the lynx ran. Unfortunately, the only weapon I had was a
swath of grass. Or, perhaps, not. I’m not sure if this beautiful
animal lived. My father and his peers chased it – I never saw it’s
pelt framed so I think it got away.
So
– scrunching tires and cold handles. Aren’t we lucky to be Canadians?
Where else in the world can you enjoy this experience and then scoot into such a
luxurious place? Recently, I donned some of my low class winter gear,
entered Bectka, ate like a Queen, went over to the Park and revelled in the
beauty of the carvings. There is an astounding carving from the Far East
but all of the carvings are amazing. Bundle up you dweebs – time to go
to Confederation Park.
Measles
– yes, it’s the German Measles that keep re-occurring. This blurb
isn’t for advice but I can guarantee you this – call your technical pals and
you’ll get a good earful!
Off
to get some hot ooey gooey poutine! Going to get smothered, covered and
….well, gravied! So be it.
Shirley
Jan
21st
Another
cold and snappy one! No snowballs or snowmen. But, the gorgeous blue
and clean air and the smell of a wood fire – how can this get any better in
our winter lives!? Ah – we finally get to wear our really cold-weather gear
before the moths beat eat them out! And did you know we are currently in
an Ice-Age? Contact Stan for more info.
Numbers:
we were only 11 today but everyone was going great guns with catch-up! My
ears don’t reach everywhere so I did miss a lot but just at our table there
was a lot of cross-talk. Barrie, you know. Okay – you guys know I
really am not being nasty – far from it. We all love him – he’s so ,
ahh, Barrie.
Well, I
certainly now know where I sit! After shedding all those necessaries –
sunglasses, earmuffs, hat, scarf, Canada Goose parka, etc, I got to lighten up
by about a pound or so. Right there, sitting in front of my usual chair,
was a big picture of Harper and several glossy membership cards.
Harper’s picture was the size of a dinner placemat. Nothing is without
its uses – we then discussed the merits of men’s hairspray. On another
change of subject, I forgot to ask how much this cost for The Horrid
Conservative Membership Sell-out kit. Too bad I had to give it back
before lunch was served – I am such a sloppy eater.
After
next Wednesday, a couple or more chairs will be empty. Winter holidays are
upon them and various countries will happily be hosting them. The only
foreign travel that waves its hand at me is to the States via train but our
dollar is just way too low to even think about it.
There
seems to be a big run on the Mounties lately. How sad for their families.
We just
recently lost a DFAIT colleague, Ken Beach. I never worked with him as a
CM but encountered him in Baghdad as the MCO. He came to my assistance by
stepping in between the acting/ambassador and myself when this FS thought
he was god and I was his servant. Ken practically threw the guy out of the
corridor. It had to do with access to my office and I wouldn’t let the
“god” in.
I’m
sure that this has happened to a lot of us old CM’s in the past . I
remember when I was in Delhi – the senior CM had boarded a plane Canada-bound
not 28 hours earlier when the RCMP showed up and demanded entry. The tech
was out at that time through no fault of his. So, that left all 5’3”
and 110 lbs of me to stand up to these two big strapping guys. Plus, our
dutch door had deadbolts. “Ah, sorry, you’re not on the list.”
Strange how Mounties re-act to “no entry for you!”
I had
the wonderful experience of working with Bud Wade (aka Shaky Bud) in Delhi.
He was shaky because he was hypo-glycemic at the time. I kept both
cookies and cheese in my locker “inside” . His wonderful wife, Joyce,
made sure the goodies were always fresh. We all became good friends and
they were kind enough to treat me like one of the family so I practically lived
at their place with their cook giving me milk and cookies all the time. We
single people so much appreciated being treated like that. Well – to be
picky, maybe not so much on the milk and cookies.
Well –
someone has named what you and I would call just natural goodness and manners.
Hollywood now refers to it as “playing it forward”. May-be they just
discovered what we Canadians have been doing forever.
Show and
tell: Scored!!! I brought in my two items – a D-Link USB 3 hub and
a Sylvania LED 60-watt equivalent bulb. As for the hub, I was told to
check out the dollar store but I don’t think they are selling USB 3 yet.
And we are all such suckers for the latest and greatest. The LED bulb
brought on a discussion from Stan about how he has been whipping up ladders,
changing hallway light fixtures and hardly saying a word about it. Pssst
– he got the new LED fixtures at Cost-something or another. He even went
one better by changing Mary’s overhead desk-light to LED. On the other
hand, our very own Dr. Dee spoke about Cree led lights. Apparently, they
have a sticky exterior and this seems to be the only ones with this property.
I wish my Sylvania leds had a sticky exterior, at $25 each you don’t want to
drop one when screwing one in! I was pretty nervous changing out two CFLs
last night with these LEDs– that would be a big expensive smash. Plus
– question: do they go into the trash or are treated in a special way?
I’m sure that Moe the Finger has that answer.
Another
mention: Dave brought in a very exclusive inventory. You might want
to contact him directly for a copy – he is copying this original manuscript as
we speak. And then, we all started down that wonderful familiar path of
“did you ever work on the …..”. Hands went up, stories were swapped,
more funny sitreps were traded, you name it. Anybody miss breaking tells?
Not me, said I, the kat in the Hat.
What
else? Legion-wise – it’s still as butt-ugly as ever but it’s still
ours! Today, we had tablecloths And/And steak knives. Steak knives.
An omen of tough meat, was one of the comments. To give Noel his due, he
does his best and no one can ask for better than that. Plus, I love his
mashed potatoes – especially when I hit a lumpy forkful. Please sir, can
I have some more?
Gotta
jump!
Shirley
January
7th
Unbelievable
– we are 2015. Please all, do not blink or else we will find ourselves
in 2019.
It was
cold today – and for a Northern Canadian to say that it was cold, means that
it was cold! I’m a walker and when I have to move about, I take a bus.
I probably spend more time out in the open than necessary waiting for a bus so I
can tell you, first-hand, when it is really cold. Today was one. The
wind pummeled but I got far back into the famous Canada Goose hood. Ha-ha
to you, buster-brown wind!
True to
form, we piled in – slowly at first and then the last few shunted in as the
wind was picking up. Fourteen of us! We greeted each other with
hand-shakes galore and much cheer. A true Canadian cares nothing about
temperatures – only until the heater in their car dies. That’s when we
walkers take over. Especially in a Canada Goose – just don’t walk too
fast or else you’ll die of heat. However, Minnie the Mink still rocks
when it comes to minus 40 weather. She is lighter than my parka and with
the sun shining, seek the shade!
Polar
vortex be put to Hades! It’s all across Canada while the Almanac
had predicted a warm winter. That’s how fast and unpredictable
these weather systems are moving. I remember my first year with the
weather office quite well. I was coming into work one day and the sky did
not look right. Not right, at all. I rushed up to the chief
forecaster and told him something was about to happen – something very bad.
Chief forecasters don’t like to be told things like that. Sure enough -
20 minutes later – out came the major weather alert. We had dropped over
35F degrees in one hour. Oh – did I forget to mention that this was a
SAC air-force base? Goose Bay, to be precise. The biggest refuelling
base in the world in the early mid-40’s to 70’s. I will leave the
necessary fuel and airplane temperature calculations to your
imagination.
We had a
newcomer today – Mr. Sanderson. He bit the bullet – wisely. His
retirement been less than two weeks so it still feels like a short
vacation for him. No one at the table said anything about what he will
feel like after six months. That is a feeling like nothing in the world.
Stan,
true to his word, did bring in a string of LED lights. Ok, being an idiot,
I would call them a rope of lights but I do muchly admire the rigging. Lou
puts up his lights in late autumn and keeps them up until around Easter.
It helps that he lives in la belle province – we Ontario church mice can’t
afford that length of time.
Talking
about new, I learned a new swearword today and can hardly wait to share it with
you! I told Roly and we fell onto the table laughing. It’s
mother-flipper. Please giggle away – you are in good company.
What
else apart from we missed our dear Chuckie. This flu season is hitting us
bad. Just when you think you are over it, back it comes like a bad
senator.
Hockey
night – wow! Junior World Series Gold. Those young kids, on both
sides, really blew us away. And we thought the game with the US was
physical. I couldn’t believe the amount of pounding that was happening
during the third period – I think the refs were too exhausted to be able to
blow the whistle given how fast these guys were moving. I told a few of
the guys that I felt like an American – where’s the puck – I can’t see
the puck. What speed! Wow. By the end of the game, one of the
Canadian teenie-bopper players had already picked up a contract for a cool mill.
Just think how much he will start to sell his game skates for. My hat is
off in honour of the Russians – I’m sure you join me in that.
I was
boring Angel to death with all of this and we then spoke about the Bronze game.
The Slovaks. Good on them!
I
continued to bore her about the time I was in Prague on T.D. and went to a local
hockey game. Of course, in those days, everyone except you knew your next
where-abouts. Wow – I never knew the Czechs could play so well and we
had premium seats, naturally. I felt like a hockey scout!
Rodents
of all kinds abound. Roly mentioned that he had caught his 8th mouse
out in the shed so far. Ron also mentioned that they’d attacked a bag of
birdseed in his shed. I was mentioning to Ron that I’d had a huge bat
trying to steal my bathtub a few years back. I kept hearing this noise
coming from the bathroom upstairs – I thought it was my son having a hissy-hit
– teenagers, you know. He thought it was me having a hissy-fit –
mothers, you know. Well, after we ran into each other in the kitchen, we
thought we’d check it out. I nearly fainted when we saw this huge
leathery bat skittering around in the bottom of the tub, and it was screeching
something awful. Back went the shower curtain, door shut and what next?!
Like all the very best-mannered of families, we pushed each other out of the way
in our haste to get to the safety of the couch, armed ourselves with fly
swatters and re-grouped. We forgot all logic of calling a pesk control
number. We made our own bat-kit. A big heavy duty bag with handles,
and the biggest bath towel possible. Pretty smart, huh? We opened
the front door, secured the screen door to fully-opened, rushed into the
bathroom, threw the towel over this huge bat. In went the bat and the
towel into the bag. The bat went into 5-alarm with clawing and even more
screaming. My son rushed down the stairs and threw the bag out of the
door. The bat came out of that bag like it’s tail was on fire. It
was in Feb but off it soared into the night. Only then did it hit us –
bats bite.
I
carefully disinfected the tub the next day and then had a leisurely shower.
Just as I was drying off, I realized my son had changed my towel. It was
the bat towel!
Ah,
isn’t this what family memories are all about.
ice
snakes are everywhere these days! There used to be a time when they would
awe us. And never scare us. Remember as a kid when nothing was
better than a snow day – or even just a recess. As a kid, you’d get so
hot running and making snowballs, that your hands would melt the snow before the
snowball was done. And then you would lose the war! Remember the
days when you’d have the Catholic school and the Protestant schools – at the
risk of raising issues. Anyway – one of the schools was up the hill and
we would have to engage in the daily snowball fight under the barrage from the
other school. We would sortie, we could fortify our snow-hills, snowballs
would fly and we’d skitter home before dinner-time. And God Help you if you
got home late! That would be more shovelling – thank God I didn’t live
on a farm.
Oops,
before I forget – for you all that didn’t attend missed out on a wonderful
exercise to exercise your jaws when it came to chowing down. Man, we
needed some extra choppers today.
No one
finished their meal except Stan. He took one for the whole team.
Gotta
bounce
© OFARTS Canada 2015 Old Foreign Affairs Retired Technicians, Canada