Baseball good - cards bad.

 Spring training games have started.  We're going to be OK!

Blue Jays at New York Yankees.  They even allowed a few fans to attend.

Jays ran up an early lead, and even after the regulars were taken out of the game they still held on for the victory.

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Tonight we invited the hermits, Kathryn and Anna, for dinner and cards.

They came in Anna's new Kia.  Nice car!

Dinner was excellent - thanks Mardi.  But cards were a different matter.  Anna and I got demolished playing Hand and Foot.  We played two games and the mercy rule was required in both.

Maybe next time.

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Stay well.

More Painting

 Painted for an hour at the greenhouse and finished the two benches I had been working on.  Need to wait for strong shoulders to move stuff before I can proceed.

I then came home and painted some more.  The top section of the hutch and one of its doors are painted.  The other door should be done tomorrow.

Next week the bottom section gets the treatment.

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Pretty boring news.  Stay well.

Cowboy Bud

 The picture that Sven posted yesterday was taken in 2014, on the trip where Ewen and the old guy hiked 28 miles across the Grand Canyon.  It, and the full version that follows were taken  in the Sedona area on that same trip.

The following is my favourite picture of Ewen from that trip, taken after we had crossed the Colorado River, and got halfway back up to the top.  Our hike started way up that canyon which is under the word greater.

 And, I'd like to thank my Tromper buddies, Sven (Gary), Sparky (Mark Richardson), Doc (Dave Jewett), and Bag (Dave Bagshaw), for giving me the hiking bug, which led, besides this trip, to my 75 mile hike through the high Andes to Machu Picchu with Sean, and an exploration of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon with Malcolm.

Those were the days!  I hope that once this pandemic is behind us the Trompers can once again do some hiking together.

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Mardi took more cuttings from the Wandering Jew baskets today while I painted a couple more benches.

Then we came home and I finished painting the inside of the hutch.

Exciting times!

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Blue Jays have released their TV spring training game schedule.  First game will be Sunday at 1 p.m. on Sportsnet.  Can't wait!

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Congratulations to Monica on receiving her first vaccination for Covid because she's a primary care giver (not to Jim, although I think he gets pretty good care).

Stay well everybody.

Nothing Exciting

 Mardi and I attended an Optimist zoom meeting last night.  Not as satisfying as meeting our friends in person and sharing dinner and a drink, but a worthwhile connection nonetheless.

I was a bit surprised to find that the sale of our Ham Roll circles has gotten off to a slow start.  So I told the folks about the support we got from this group and the way we have filled a record six cards.  Hopefully some of them will imitate us and make the project a big success.

Thanks for your support!  We'll be in touch closer to the draw.

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Took a picture of the pine table to Home Hardware and picked out a colour that will, hopefully, look good on the hutch.  It's called "Cowhide".   We'll keep our fingers crossed (and our lasso and branding iron ready).  I've started painting the inside, so it's too late to turn back.

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Stay well.

Mardi and I Split Up Today

Did that title get your attention? 

David and the guys are too busy right now to bring in more benches for me to paint, so I stayed home to work on the hutch.  Finished removing the glue remnants, removed the hardware and the doors from the top section of the hutch, and masked the glass.  Close to being ready for the first coat of paint.

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Meanwhile, Mardi did go to the greenhouse.  Today's task was to take cuttings from the Wandering Jew plants so that a new crop can be started.

We'll show the results when they've been planted and set.

I've wondered about the genesis of the name for this plant and today I looked it up.  The name and story have been in circulation for centuries.  Not quite sure why this particular plant inherited it though.

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Tiger Woods, the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) golfer, may have played his last competitive game by the sound of his extensive leg and ankle injuries.  It could be that he'll have to be satisfied with grooming his son Charlie to take his place.

An unbelievable career that paved the way for other people of colour to join the tour, and raised the wealth of a lot of golfers, may have ended.

And then again, he may just surprise us once again.

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As the day ended, Mardi and I are back together again😍.

The forecast for the next week is for temperatures to fluctuate quite a bit, with daytime temperatures mostly above freezing.  Looks like the rink is toast.

Stay well.  

Repeat

 Same old, same old.  Repeat.

Stay well. 

Mental Health

 Spent a few minutes this morning chipping away at the glue gobs that remained after I removed the filigrees.

This is becoming a mental health project.  Hopefully, it will keep me from going completely nuts (I realize that this is an opening for Al Knapp or Sven, or others, to comment).

I don't know about the rest of you, but my daily routine is pretty damn boring!  Without the trips to the greenhouse to paint and visit with David, his family and the staff, I'd be in trouble.

My day starts between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.  I make a pot of coffee for Mardi and me.  After the coffee has done its work, it's breakfast time.  A game of cards (after 14 months I'm very slightly ahead on total score, but Mardi is ahead on games) and a quick bite before heading to the greenhouse.  Paint for 2 or 3 hours or, if Mardi is with me, until she has tired of planting Million Bells.  Then home for dinner, cards, blog and TV.  Go to bed and, next day, repeat.

Venting on this platform helps with my mental state as well.  Thanks for being here for me!

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It appears that skating season may be over.  More cold weather coming in a few days but it may not be enough to make good ice.

Now we have to wait for the Trillium Hill golf driving range to open 😀.

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Anna got herself a new Kia today.  Way to go!

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Stay well.

Boring

 Did a bit of hand sanding on the hutch.  This project is going to take some time.

Then, watched golf for the rest of the afternoon.

Stay well.

Juxtaposition

 Al, I don't think this was what Vogue had in mind.

I have removed the filigree thing on the top, and four more that were on the lower section and plan to paint it to closely match the pine colour, a juxtaposition that might work (if it doesn't, I can still throw  the damn thing out and go to Ikea to buy a couple of display cabinets for each corner of that side of the room).

Will report back later.

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Mardi and I thought about taking a scenic drive to Niagara Falls today, but the potential challenge of finding an open washroom held us back.  Nevertheless, we dressed up anyway - it seems forever since I wore anything besides paint clothes.  Felt good.

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Baseball spring training games will start soon.  Can't wait.

Stay well.

Blog Problems

 The first item of business is to wish Monica a Happy Birthday!  All the best to one of The Bees.

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Congratulations to Barbara and Jo-Ann on receiving their first vaccine shots.  Hopefully, Mardi and I won't be far behind and maybe we can get together safely in the near future!

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I commented some time ago that, mainly because of our health care system, Canada's life expectancy is four years more than that of our U.S. neighbours.  Now comes the news that their coronavirus deaths have taken a year off their life expectancy, reducing it from 79 years to 78 years, unfortunately mostly at the expense of their black and brown communities .  

We have no doubt lost a bit as well, but we are now approaching five years in our longevity advantage.  Oh Canada!

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We are having a couple of problems with the blog.  One is Google's fault, one is Sven's.

Yesterday when Sven sent the picture of the ice on the Burlington lakeshore it came in, at least on my machine, drive-in theatre size!  If you click on his picture it will reduce to screen size, but you can't do anything about the words.  You have to scroll back and forth on every line to read it.

Unfortunately, it also changes the whole previous thread of messages to make them virtually unreadable.

I think the problem may have two causes: (1) he is transmitting high definition pictures, (2) from a stupid Apple machine.  Sven has had his wrists slapped and he and Barry are working on the problem.

The other issue is that Google's Blogspot, where I create my postings, is really confused with print size.  I have to keep resetting it to the size I want (it's normal setting is a print size that requires a magnifying glass).  I finish a posting, check it and save it.  Everything seems fine.  Then I go back in and parts of the blog are now in elephant size.  That sometimes shows up in my email version as well - I copy the blog, which appears OK, and then it shows up with two sizes of print.

Please bear with us while we try to fix these issues.

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With the help of Sean and Kent at the greenhouse, and A.J. and Ken at this end we now have our pine dining room set in place, and the old walnut oval is in storage.

Next project is to decide whether I can modify/modernize the walnut hutch and paint it to blend in, or whether it needs to be demolished.

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Stay well.  Skate while you can - the weather takes a turn to the warm side after the weekend.

Progress

 A relatively uneventful day, but productive nonetheless.

Mardi planted and I painted.

Then we met Kathryn and Anna at Mardi's office, where we had stored the furniture that we didn't need or have room for in the condo.  Kathryn selected a van load for her new apartment and we delivered it.

Tomorrow we bring home the new dining room table and move out the old.  

That's progress in a pandemic!

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Stay well.  Be glad your not a Texan!

Icebergs

 This is the scene off our shoreline.  Haven't seen icebergs since our trip to Newfoundland.

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And it seems like it's been almost that long since Mardi was able to get her haircut.  A milestone event!  A happy lady!

Now she's all spiffed up for working in the greenhouse!

Speaking of which, here is our star planting Calibrachoa (Million Bells) baskets.

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Now that the lockdown is over, the elevator is available for moving stuff (during lockdown only essential items like refrigerators could be moved in).  So we have a 1 p.m. appointment on Friday to move our new dining table in and our old one out.  Can't wait!

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Enjoy the weather.  Stay well.

Greenhouse Day

 Time for a greenhouse update.

Sean has a portion of the potting table that he calls his "garden" where he is experimenting with different plants.  We have shown his Orchid section which Mardi has now added to.....her plant seems to have stalled so she has entrusted it to Sean.  

The following cuttings.......

.......he took from this "tree" in the greenhouse.

May take a few years, but well worth the wait.

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Mardi was helping plant Boston Fern baskets again today.

The current planting is on the right of this picture.  Previous planting is to the left.

And Monica, your ferns will likely come from this grouping.

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They are expecting snow in Victoria, but my friend Wayne assures me that they are ready.

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Didn't get pictures, but David was having a blast plowing the driveway, the rink, and the shipping dock.  His new tractor performs well.  

I know the feeling David gets.  His John Deere mower and trailer are my retirement toys.  Can't wait to get to play with them again.

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Enjoy life.  Stay safe.  Stay well.

Family Day

 This is apparently a day that has something for everyone: 

For Ontario, and five other Canadian provinces, it is Family Day.

Louis Riel Day in Manitoba.

Islander Day in P.E.I.

Nova Scotia Heritage Day.

For the U.S. the third Monday in February is President's Day (George Washington - not Trump).

So, happy Family Day or whatever.

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A quiet day today.  Mardi planted Boston Fern baskets.  I painted.

The dining table and chairs haven't made it to the condo yet.  While Hamilton is in lockdown, the moving elevator can't be used except for emergencies, such as to replace appliances that have died.  So the table top is currently at the greenhouse, its base at Mardi's business.

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Stay well.

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone.  I couldn't say it better than Al Knapp has done.

 "Wishing all of you a happy Valentine's Day. It has been a difficult year for everyone. Make today a special day and tell someone you love them and if you can, give them a hug.

Liz and I have ordered Chinese food and will enjoy it while watching the Raptors. 

Things could be worse.

Stay safe.

Al"

To my special Valentine.

We're in our seventeenth year and never a harsh word!  That ignores trash talk at the card table of course.

Love you Mardi!  Happy Valentine's Day.

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The experts are now assuring us that the coronavirus vaccines do not affect fertility in women or men.  That's too bad....some of us old people were hoping they would👴👵.

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We were able to visit the greenhouse for Valentine's Day.  Sarah-Jean is home for Reading Week.

And Malcolm and Esther also made a visit.

While we were there, David cleaned and resurfaced the ice.

And, I checked on some of the plants.

Last year when I separated the Cactus for Monica, I also planted some florets.  After sitting idle for several months one of them has now started to grow!

Sean has developed a very green thumb too.  One of his projects is Orchids, a very difficult plant to grow.

The Million Bells are ready to plant.

Mardi will help with that project tomorrow while I'm painting.

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Hope you enjoyed a glass of wine with your lover today.  Stay well.

The Ox

 Four score, three years, ten months and seven days ago an Ox of the Fire Element was born.  Today he was savaged by an "honest" friend.

He was, however, defended by the love of his life, ensuring that he will honour her tomorrow on St. Valentine's Day.

And that's all I have to say 'bout that!

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We'll talk tomorrow.  Stay well.

Year Of The Ox

 We'll pay special tribute to our friend Calvin Wong today as he observes the Chinese New Year.

Normally Calvin's family would get together in Montreal to celebrate the holiday and enjoy special food dishes which are prepared at New Year's only.  This year it will just be a Zoom meeting.

The really unfortunate part is that Calvin has not been able to see his mother since January 2020.  She has reached the age of 100 in the meantime.  Thankfully, she has all her mental senses (wish I still had all of mine) and can Zoom with the family.

The year that just ended was the Year Of The Rat.  Sounds appropriate for the coronavirus pandemic year we have gone through, doesn't it?

Matt and I met Calvin several years ago on one of our guys' golf trips to Florida.  There were four guys in Calvin's house and four in ours.  Eventually, both houses lost members and our house was able to entice Calvin to join us.  And now he also golfs with us on Tuesdays at MontHill.

Happy New Year Calvin!  I don't know when the Florida golf will resume, but the Tuesday guys can't wait to get back on the links with you.

It seems like forever since we last played golf.

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It appears that the impeachment trial has taken a toll on our TV.  After the Senate closed the proceedings the picture quit on the TV.  We had audio but that was it.  The TV goes to the doctor tomorrow.

In the meantime, my technician installed the bedroom TV in the living room.

Quite a difference in TV size - 32 inch versus 54 inch.  But when I think about the early 12 inch black and white snowy models, I realize we have nothing to complain about.

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Our other adventure today was to buy a pine dining table and six chairs which Mardi found on Facebook Marketplace.  Had to drop off the 78" long table top at the greenhouse until we are able to arrange the use of an elevator.  Heavy devil!

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Watched some more of the impeachment trial.  Clear and persuasive!  But, how many Republicans will vote to find Trump guilty?

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Stay well.

Impeachment

 Took the day off to watch the impeachment trial.  What a fantastic job the House Managers did in presenting their case!

It is hard to believe that any Senator would not vote to convict, but we know some will still claim that Trump is innocent.

It's interesting to compare our two political realities.  In the U.S., the Republican party started downhill when the Tea Party faction took hold several years ago.  They've gone steadily downhill ever since.

The Democrats have a lesser but similar problem with the far left.

In Canada, we suffered through the Reform movement which split the Progressive Conservatives.  When they reunited, the word and focus of being progressive was lost.

On our left, the third party, the NDP have staked out the far left position.  That has left the Liberals to hold the middle, politically productive ground, which has benefitted them immeasurably.

Whether the U.S. can produce a new configuration (many prominent Republicans are talking about spinning off a new party) is problematic.  But in the meantime they're on a path to destruction.

The far right are now talking about another insurrection on March 4th.  We'll have to see what happens.

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I won't be watching Trump's lawyers defend him...........I'm sure the nightly highlights will be enough.  

So the blog tomorrow may be more informative.  Stay well.

The Impeachment Trial

 Got a picture of my favourite dog walker this morning.

Brave soul!  It's minus 8C right now.  Man, I love that woman!

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Did my paint routine at the greenhouse, and guess who I saw?

Apparently, Sandro has a lot more talents than what he has shown us on ice!

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It's my guess that coronavirus infections will be down for this week.  My reason?  A lot of us are inside, glued to the TV and watching the 

impeachment trial.  Fascinating!  Frightening! Unbelievable!  And much more.

Regardless how this political theatre ends up, I am looking forward to when some of the criminal lawsuits hit him.  And, the fact that he stiffs his lawyers for their billings means that he's going to have to rely on crap representation in court.  Jail time!

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Stay well.  Keep smiling.

Ice Time

The dog walker has returned from her walk.  Some of my friends might recognize her dog walking costume - my fishing pants from the 23rd Annual Invitational Bass Classic, June '98, and my Tromper fleece sweater from the Sept. '97 hike, Big Head Bivouac.

 

The sacrifices I make! 😇

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What a day for the rink!  Sunny, -4C, with still air.  Perfect.

And our intrepid pair, Sven and Sandro, were there to show off their multi-sport skills.  Today it was hockey.

And they're using wooden sticks that date from the original six era!  What nostalgia!  And you thought my clothes were old!

At the back of the picture you can see David flying his drone overhead (it's above the scene).

In the picture below you can see David's drone, between Sandro's head and the far boards, filming the whole spectacle. 

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Meanwhile, back at the greenhouse, another batch of Boston Fern baskets has been hung, to make room for more baskets to come.

And Sean is watering some fern plug trays that just arrived as well.

The geranium baskets are progressing....

....as are the Easter Lillies.

And the Million Bells are getting close to planting time too.

The greenhouse circle of life continues.
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One bit of excitement in the condo tonight.  A burning wire smell brought the Shipton's man out.  Turns out that when the wiring was redone the other day a nut must have fallen off against one of the wires and it was heading for failure.

But we're back in business again.  All's well.

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Stay well.  Enjoy the polar vortex.

Lost My Memory

 So, what was the weather like where you were today?  I had sunny, 80ish weather in the greenhouse.  Tee shirt time for sure.

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Took some pictures today but the camera's memory card appears to have lost its mind.  A sign of my future?

Hopefully, with a new card I'll be able to repeat the pictures tomorrow.

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So, instead I'm going to put out a plea for your support for our Optimist Ham Roll.  The virtual draw will be on YouTube on March 27 at 10 a.m.  I'll give you the link when it is posted.

Circles once again are $3 each or 7 for $20.  The "hams" will be $30 Fortino's gift cards.

Thanks in advance.

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Yours in Optimism.  Stay well.

TV Day

 Mardi has taken on a temporary job as a dog walker.  She has a good friend in the building around the corner who is having some health issues, so she has volunteered for the 11 a.m. dog walking shift.

Thankfully this doesn't interfere with her more permanent job as a barber.

Needless to say, I'm on my best behaviour these days!

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After bragging about the Olympia starting first try, I have to advise that David took it out to the rink........

...but the water system didn't work.  So he flooded it by hand again.

The rink got lots of use yesterday.  And David and Ewen were out there for quite a while.  Sue reports that Ewen then spent five hours in the hot tub.  No pictures of his wrinkled body were available at press time.

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As promised, I stayed home today and watched the Waste Management Phoenix Open and the Super Bowl, with Home Town HGTV shows filling in the gaps.

The golf tournament was won by Brooks Koepka, the last guy I would want to win, but it was entertaining.

The Super Bowl was Tom Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers dissection of the Kansas City Chiefs.  He is in a league of his own.

The half time show featuring the Weeknd was spectacular but really strange (I guess I'm showing my age).

All in all, a very entertaining day.

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I'll leave you with this gem that was sent to me by an anonymous Tromper. who was inspired by my stories about David's pond,

An elderly  man in Georgia had owned a large farm for  several years.  He had a large pond in the back. It was properly shaped for swimming, so he fixed it up nice with picnic tables, horseshoe courts, and some apple and  peach trees.

One evening the old farmer decided to go down to the pond, as he hadn't been there for a while, and look it over.  He  grabbed a five-gallon bucket to bring back some fruit.

As he neared the pond, he heard voices shouting and laughing.  As he  came closer, he saw it was a bunch of young  women skinny-dipping in his  pond.

He  made the women aware of his presence and they  all went to the deep end.

One of  the women shouted to him, 'we're not coming out until you leave!’

The old man  frowned, 'I didn't come down here to watch you ladies swim naked or make you get out of the pond naked.’

Holding  the bucket up he said . . . . . . .

I'm here to feed the alligator.

Some old men can still think fast.