Quoits Champs

 David headed to Port Perry this morning with a load of Mums and made it back to Gary's in time to park his truck and join us for lunch.  

Here is our golfer group.  You will note that half of us were able to come up with orange shirts in honour of Truth and Reconciliation Day.  I've talked to a lot of folks who wanted to buy a tribute shirt but couldn't find any.  Thanks to Yancy, I was in appropriate attire.  Hopefully, next year our native artists will be able to meet the demand.

After enjoying Gary's burgs, Sandro's salad and Calvin's pies, the tournament began.  David and I were up first in the Quoits competition.

Sandro and Ron looked formidable in the beginning, but at the end the champions were...............(drum roll please)................

.....the Craig "brothers".  Ta Da!

Many thanks to Gary and Jill for putting on such a party.  David and I are looking forward to defending our crown next year!

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Blue Jays lost tonight.  They're hanging on in the playoff chase by a thread.

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Mardi and I are heading to Forest, Ontario tomorrow.  We'll talk about that later.

Stay well.

Think About Tomorrow

 I won't have time to do anything more than water the baskets for the next three days so I'm glad the weather cooperated today.  I cut the grass at the greenhouse as planned.  Otherwise I'd be dealing with hay fields by Sunday.

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Blue Jays won a close one, 6-5 over the Yankees.  They're still alive.

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Just found out that Mardi played traffic cop yesterday.  Apparently, an 18 wheeler headed down Mountain Avenue and obviously (if you know that road) couldn't make the tight turn and reduce the height of the truck so it would fit under the bridge.  He needed to reverse up the hill, but about four cars were backed up behind him.  Mardi turned around and at the top of the hill jumped out of her car and turned traffic away.  The truck did make it back up and the off duty cop who had showed up, and the trucker, thanked her for her effort.

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This has just happened:

OTTAWA -- The Federal Court has dismissed Ottawa's attempts to appeal a pair of rulings about providing services and compensation to First Nations children.

In September 2019, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruled Ottawa didn't properly fund child and family services, which resulted in it "wilfully and recklessly" discriminating against Indigenous children living on reserve.

It ordered the federal government to pay $40,000 each to about 50,000 First Nations children as well as their relatives, but the Liberal government appealed the ruling.

The second legal battle stems from a separate ruling in November 2020 that expanded the scope of Jordan’s Principle, which is a rule stating when there is jurisdictional disagreement over what level of government should provide a service to First Nations children, Ottawa takes on the responsibility.

Opposition parties and Indigenous leaders have criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to fight both of these rulings, saying that’s not the appropriate course of action for a government committed to reconciliation.

In June, the House of Commons unanimously passed a motion brought forward by NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh asking the federal government to abandon its legal challenges against First Nations children.

Just another disgraceful move by our righteous Prime Minister, fortunately overturned by a decent court.

And a final thought:

Tomorrow is Truth and Reconciliation Day.  Please take some time to think about the children who "didn't matter".

Think about the massive recent effort to find the body of Gabby Petito.  Then try to remember if you ever heard of such an effort to find any missing Indigenous women.

Think about what it would be like to have your children taken from you when they were five or six, never to see them again.  And no explanation given.  The church didn't even have the decency to inform the family that their child had died.

The churches supposedly tried to turn the children into Christians, for a profit, but treated them like animals.  I know that many white Catholic children were also abused by the church, but how many were killed or went "missing" from their schools?

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Sorry for the lecture, but I need to vent.  Tomorrow, I will wear, with pride, the orange shirt that Yancy sent me.  Hopefully I will feel better.

Stay well.

End Of Season

 We had our last "official" league game at MontHill today.  But, we'll be continuing to golf on Tuesdays as long as the weather cooperates.

After golf we headed to the Erie Beach Hotel to celebrate our season.  Our waitress kindly took this picture of the motley crew.

On Thursday we will all convene again, this time at Gary's place for a bar-b-que and Quoits tournament.  More on that after it happens.

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Mardi and I have ordered books online.  Hers is "Steady As We Go! The Story of COVID, Chicken, and a Miracle" by Bonnie's niece Sarah VanNetten.  Her husband, Mike VanNetten, known as "Chicken", was in a coma for three months and is now slowly recovering.  The book chronicles Sarah's postings during that time and her beliefs as a result of his recovery.

My book is " 'indian' In The Cabinet: Speaking Truth To Power." by Jody Wilson-Raybould.  And it chronicles her reaction to the Prime Minister who wanted her to lie.

Inspiring reading for each of us.

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Blue Jays lost tonight.  While they still have a mathematical chance of being in the playoffs, each loss brings us closer to just accepting that this young team has exceeded expectations and will be better next year.  Keeping our fingers crossed though.

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Stay well.

Pumpkins

 First off, I'm upset that none of my Tuesday golf buddies challenged my picture yesterday of David practicing Quoits.  After all, our annual challenge match is coming up on Thursday.  I thought they would be upset - apparently they're asleep.

Secondly, after the gardening issue, Calvin asked how the pumpkins are doing.

As you can see, they are doing well.  Not 1,000 pounders, but heavier than I want to try to pick up.

The vine in the foreground has called it quits, satisfied with its two pumpkins.  The other two are still going at it, working on third gourds in each case.

These pumpkins are for decoration only.  They won't likely be sold.  

David has twelve of these cardboard bins full of pumpkins for sale.

 ..................including these ugly buggers.

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Made good progress on my gardening tasks today.  Tomorrow is golf.  Wednesday will be grass cutting.

No Blue Jays game tonight.

Stay well.

House and Garden Day

 I cut the grass on the newly contoured and sodded area.

From this..........

and this.............

To this.......

Although I prefer this view....

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Today I edged and weeded gardens.  Like this one.

And this one.  The Mums from David's first planting had done their job.  

So they were replaced by Mums from his final planting.  They have just started to open.

Tomorrow will be more of the same.

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Blue Jays won again, so they're still in the hunt.  They start a series against the Yankees on Tuesday.

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Stay well.

Proof Of Vaccination

 Here is a tip that may be useful for some of you.  The Hamilton Public Library will make a reduced copy of your vaccination certificate and laminate it.  Free service.  Don't need to be a member (although Mardi is).  Just drop in and it takes 5 or 10 minutes.

The laminated copy will fit in a purse or can be folded and kept in a wallet.

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Nice ceremony before the Twins - Jays game tonight as Minnesota inducted Canadian Justin Morneau into their Hall of Fame.

And the Jays won.  Hopefully will become a trend.

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Stay well.

Downtown Drayton

 Spent an extremely pleasant day - Mardi and I drove to Drayton, Ontario with Kathryn to check out a property she is looking at.  

I've never been to Drayton before.  It's a beautiful small town, quiet  and peaceful.  Lots of small parks and a one kilometre trail in town along the Grand River to walk the dog.  No Horton's or MacDonald's but we did find a lovely coffee shop just a couple of blocks from the place she was looking at.

We came away with good vibes.  If she proceeds with a purchase I think she'll be happy there.

Good luck Kathryn.

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This evening was not so good - Blue Jays lost again.  Don't look like a playoff team right now.

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Stay well.

Baked Politician

Birthday greetings to Jill Parker (aka Helga).  Best wishes on your special day Jill.   

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The shipping dock at the greenhouse is a swimming pool once again.

The pump is redirecting the water to the pond out back.

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One last political comment:

Thanks to Mardi for that one.

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Blue Jays lost again.  Oh well.

Take care.

Politics

 Stayed home because of the rain so there's not a lot to report.  Blue Jays lost, but plunked Kiermeier (the guy who picked up their pitcher strategy sheet when the Jays catcher dropped it - and wouldn't return it).  Sportsmanship is rare in baseball unfortunately.  Retribution is common.

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So let's finish with some political gems sent to me by John Buckley.

We hang petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office
Aesop, Greek slave & fable author
 
Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber.
Plato, ancient Greek Philosopher
 
Politicians are the same all over: they promise to build a bridge even where there is no river.
Nikita Khrushchev, Russian Soviet politician
 
When I was a boy I was told that anybody could become President; I'm beginning to believe it.
Quoted in 'Clarence Darrow for the Defence' by Irving Stone.
 
Politicians are people who, when they see light at the end of the tunnel, go out and buy some more tunnel.
John Quinton, American actor/writer
 
Politics is the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich, by promising to protect each from the other.
Oscar Ameringer, "the Mark Twain of American Socialism."
 
I offered my opponents a deal: "if they stop telling lies about me, I will stop telling the truth about them".
Adlai Stevenson, campaign speech, 1952.
 
A politician is a fellow who will lay down your life for his country.
Texas Guinan, 19th century American businessman
 
I have come to the conclusion that politics is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians.
Charles de Gaulle, French general & president
 
Instead of giving a politician the keys to the city, it might be better to change the locks.
Doug Larson, English middle-distance runner who won gold medals at the 1924 Olympic Games
 
What happens if a politician drowns in a river? That is pollution.
What happens if all of them drown? That is solution!
 
I have come to the conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two are lawyers and three or more are the government.
John Adams (1735 - 1826)
 
Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Government. But then I repeat myself.
Mark Twain (1835- 1910)
 
I don't make jokes. I just watch the Government and report the facts.
Will Rogers (1879- 1935)
 
I contend that for a nation to try and tax itself into prosperity, is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.
Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)
 
A government which robs Peter to pay Paul, can always depend on the support of Paul.
Will Rogers (1879- 1935)
 
The problem we face today is that the people who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living.
George Bernard Shaw (1856- 1950)
 

 

I don't like political jokes, but a lot of them get elected.

Just nod your head and laugh a little.  Stay well.

 

Minority Eh?

Missed posting last night, courtesy of a Microsoft update.  Seems like after every update  the computer takes forever to get going the first time.  After twenty minutes and no success I gave up.  Much better tonight.

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Now wasn't that an exciting election?  We do welcome change!

We can only hope that Trudeau will shut up for a while and actually do some of the things he has promised.  I'm sure that our Indigenous friends would welcome that!  The folks in Afghanistan would have welcomed his help as well.

And the Conservatives will now carve up Erin O'Toole because he softened their message during the election.  Erin isn't the problem - the stone age folks in his party are the real problem.  They and their platform are the reasons that Trudeau is still around.

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We enjoyed the company of Al Addis today at golf.  Haven't seen him for a while.  He's the handsome dude between me and the camera.  'Twas a beautiful day for golf!

After golf, the partners for our annual Quoits Championship were picked.  The event was to take place on Thursday, but when David drew my name as his partner, all of a sudden Thursday was cancelled because of the threat of rain and an ominous warning "We may not be able to get the game in this year" was issued.

I think Sven's afraid of the Craigs!  The Scots can take on the Norse any time.

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I completed my landscaping project yesterday, but I'll wait until I've cut the grass a couple of times before I show it.  In the meantime, I'm watering the sod every day until roots are established.

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Blue Jays lost last night but won a tough one tonight, so they're still in a wild card spot.  Exciting to watch.

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Stay positive.  Stay well.

VOTE

 I missed Ron Leach's birthday yesterday.  Sorry Ron, I think I was too focused on butter tarts!  Hope you had a great day.

And today, another of my golf buddies celebrates the aging process.  Best wishes to Calvin Wong.  See you Tuesday, unless we all panic about the rain in the forecast.

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Finished removing and shaping the dirt for my little landscape project.

Should be able to finish the sod tomorrow.

The earth that was removed is useful in helping to correct a couple of drainage issues.

In any event, my work is appreciated by this little guy who is testing out a newly sodded area.

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Blue Jays won again, putting the Yankees in their rear view mirror for now at least.

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Don't forget to vote tomorrow.  It's an important responsibility and gives you the moral authority to complain later when the politicians screw up.

As I have said, I will be throwing my vote away on the Conservatives.  The Hamilton East - Stoney Creek riding is one of lower income and traditionally elects the NDP or the Liberals.

So my vote won't count.  Even if it did and the Conservatives won more seats than any of the other parties, they would not be allowed to take power.  Trudeau would be asked to form a government first and the Liberals and NDP would quickly come to a power sharing agreement that would leave the Conservatives as the Loyal Opposition.

I really hope that happens, because it should signal the start of the end for Trudeau.

I would not vote Conservative if there was a chance that they would come to power.  Erin O'Toole is progressive, but they have too many of the Trump-like Reform folks in their tent.

Anyway, that's my take.  Make your own choice.

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Stay well.

Butter Tart Fest

 I joined Mardi and Judy for their garage sale excursion this morning.  Mardi picked up 5 crystal glasses for $1 total, and some other stuff, but no real treasures.

It was a short morning and we ended up at the Hamilton end, so we dropped Judy off and headed home to unload and grab a bite.

Then it was off to the Grimsby Butter Tart Fest (you wouldn't have liked the crowd Judy).  Here we're lined up to get in, but as you can see, inside the fence it's pretty busy.

Nevertheless, it was really easy to maintain physical distancing.

There were no sample tarts to try out, so we bought a dozen raisin tarts from this booth (they came from the Kawartha Wholesale Bakery in Lindsay - behind the Canadian Tire, according to their packaging).

Too sweet for my taste though.  It's going to be a tough job to get through the dozen😇.

This will give you an idea of what other booths had to offer.

There were about 10 booths selling tarts, and another 20 or so with crafts.

So, we paid $15. for 12 tarts.  Add the $5. each for admission and the price of our tarts ended up just over $2 each.

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Stopped by the greenhouse to do my watering, but it was too hot and humid for digging, so that will be put off until tomorrow.

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Blue Jays won and are back in the thick of the playoff race.

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And a note of thanks to Yancy for sending shirts to Mardi and me to honour the children lost in the residential school tragedy.  We'll be wearing them on September 30 which is Truth and Reconciliation Day.

I don't want my friends to panic though.  We'll still be voting Blue, not Orange, on Monday.

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Keep your sense of humour, and stay well.

Same Old, Same Old

 Dug some dirt.  Moved some sod.  Cut some grass.  Opened the bar.  Blue Jays lost.

Hang in there.

Butter Tart Fest

 Recovered well and did my digging and grass cutting today.  But I'm glad that I don't have to sit on a bicycle seat!

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No other news except that, for butter tart fans (my golf buddies in particular) the Grimsby Butter Tart Fest is happening this Saturday from 11 to 4.

From the Queen E. take the Christie St. exit and head south.  It becomes Mountain Rd.  Continue up the hill.  At Mud Street you will find the West Niagara Fairgrounds.  Admission is $5.  

I will be yard saling with the ladies and plan to end up at the Fest.

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No Jays games.

Stay well.

The Guelph to Goderich Trail

 Couldn't post yesterday because we weren't given an internet password.

So...........we skipped golf in the morning because they wouldn't allow power carts out due to the heavy rain.  The last time this happened, we had a tough time with the pull carts due to the soggy soil, thus our decision.

David and I then headed to Blyth to meet Doc and Gary who had scheduled a 75 km bike ride for the day.

The Three Sisters Boutique Hotel consists of three rooms on the second floor of this old building.

David and I were in the middle sister, Doc on the left and Gary on the right.

They were totally renovated with quality furnishings, including the deck patio area.

Doc and Gary finally showed up an hour or so after we expected - they made a wrong turn along the way!

We headed to the Cowbell Brewery for dinner.

And beer.

Great spot!

After discovering that the TV couldn't find the Blue Jays game and that we didn't have a password for the internet, we headed for bed.  A heavy duty rain, thunder and lightning event followed.

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Which brings us to today.

David and I went to Tim Horton's for breakfast.  Turns out they were flooded by the rain last night.  Their parking lot is on a slope and the rain flowed down, crested over the sidewalk and entered the restaurant.  By the time we got there they had cleaned up most of the mess.

Doc and Gary were a bit slow getting started this morning.  Apparently a 75 km bike ride does that to you.  But after arranging for my van to be delivered to the end spot by a friend of Doc's we were off.

I must say that the view from my vantage point wasn't the best.

But at least he couldn't tell when I was loafing!

There were some hilly sections.  We managed a lot of them, but David had to push the bike up 4 or 5.

We bypassed fording the river due to last night's downpour but we did cross a historic bridge.

And we did cross other bridges.

Another excellent "Tromper" adventure, a 40 km challenge.

Afterwards we had a farewell meal with the boys and challenged them to ride the bike for two before we headed home.  They didn't fall off.

Thanks Doc for setting everything up.  Thanks Gary for only mentioning your birthday one time!  

I had a great time with very special friends!  And a father and son bonding event as well.  A fine day!

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Blue Jays lost the game played last night.  Maybe just as well that we couldn't get the TV to work.

But they won today while we were on the way home.

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Stay well while I rest my sore butt!

An Upcoming Tromp

 Blue Jays 8-1 over Tampa Bay Rays.  The beat continues!

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Tomorrow, David and I head to Blyth, Ontario to join Gary and Doc for a Tromper event.  It will be either:

a) a 30 kilometre bike ride with a river crossing - wading while carrying our bikes, or

b) a 40 kilometre bike ride with a detour to avoid the river.

We'll see!  Fingers crossed!

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Stay well.

Wow

 Blue Jays won 22-7 over Baltimore.  With a score like that, they're ready to take on the Tiger-Cats!

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No other news.  Stay well.

A Busy Day

 I started the day by joining the ladies for their weekly yard sale adventure.  We all found treasures.  Mine was this box.

Another (signed) native artifact to add to my collection.  Sale price? $1.00.

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After that I did some more digging and sod moving at the greenhouse.  Making progress, but never get as much done as I anticipate.

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And then it was time to watch Lehlah Fernandez in the Women's final of the U.S. Tennis Open,  She lost but put in a good effort and a fine speech.  Two beautiful classy young women (both teenagers).  I'm sure they'll meet again in future tennis majors.

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And then the Blue Jays made an incredible comeback in the final inning of the first game of a double header against the Baltimore Orioles to win 11-10.   Wow!

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Watched the CBC special "Connecting Through Gander", an emotional look at what Newfoundland did on 9/11 and how it continues to resonate.

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And then back to the Blue Jays for their second win, 11-1, with all of the Blue Jays runs coming in their final at bats.  They are now in line for a wild card place in the playoffs, an amazing feat that seemed impossible just two weeks ago.

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Stay positive. Stay well.

9/11

 Do you remember where you were on September 11, 2001?

I was on the golf course when word filtered out to us that a plane had hit one of the World Trade Centre towers.  We were in the clubhouse watching TV when the second plane hit and it became obvious that this was a terror attack.

The U.S. came together as a country and Canada was part of that unity.  We grieved with them.  I put a decal on my van with the Canadian and U.S. flags together and remember that fall being given a thumbs up by a U.S. taxi driver who noticed it.

What a difference 20 years makes!  No unity, no respect, just stupid hatred these days.  Hard to understand the nasty things that Trump unleashed - and he and his gang aren't through yet.

My brother and I were at the top of one of the Trade Centre towers about a year before they came down.  We had delivered a truckload of plants to Brooklyn for David and took an extra day to play tourists.  Glad the terrorists didn't pick that day for their dirty work!

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Yesterday after the rain, David's loading dock was just about full of water (maybe that's why they call it a dock).  He had to be taxied to his truck.  As you can see, the sump has removed most of it.

Lots of water everywhere.

Managed to finish cutting the grass though.  And dug some more - the earth is pretty soft now.

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Blue Jays lost tonight.  A double header coming up tomorrow against Baltimore.

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Be thoughtful on the 11th.  Stay well.

A Good Day for Canadian Sports

 Dug for a couple of hours and made good progress on my resodding project.  Then started to cut grass.  I was as far from the greenhouse as I could get when a surprise rain storm started.  Torrential rain and it lasted for several minutes.  Don't need to water the baskets today!

Came home with a wet butt.

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Blue Jays won again!  Took four games from the Yankees and put themselves back into the playoff picture.  Exciting stuff!

During every break in the game I switched over to the U.S. Open in tennis and watched our very attractive, and talented young lady, Leylah Fernandez, win her match and progress to the final match.  Now we have to hope that our man can do the same.

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After those exciting skirmishes I watched the end of the debate between the party leaders.  Nothing changed as far as I could tell.  No party is likely to win a majority, so I'm voting for a Conservative minority just to shake things up a bit.  

In the end it won't matter who I vote for because this riding seems to be a loyal NDP stronghold.  But I'll still vote.

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Stay well.

Day After

 As usual, my back ached this morning, but not as bad as I anticipated after three days of golf.  My right arm is pretty sore though.  The good news is that I'm left handed so I can still hold a drink!

Dug dirt and moved sod at the greenhouse.  A nice day to work outside.

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Blue Jays won their seventh game in a row - three in a row over the Yankees.  Lots of fun to watch.

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Kids are catching Covid in record numbers in the U.S., mostly in Trump states.  I wonder if those parents who argue against vaccine and masks will feel any guilt if their child dies?  Not likely - they'll just say that God had a plan.  Manslaughter is not a plan folks!

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Time to say goodnight.  Stay well.  

Day Three

 Beautiful weather wasted on a golf course.  Our foursome struggled today, which actually paid off - we won the booby prize.

Three days of golf in a row is more than Mardi and I can handle any more.  The good times with good friends can't eliminate the aches and exhaustion.  We'll have to give this some thought moving forward.

The gardens at Pike Lake are attractive and well cared for.  This is their Dragonfly garden.

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Got home, unpacked, poured a drink, and watched the Blue Jays win another game over the New York Yankees.  Lots of fun.

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Stay well.

Day Two

 Severe thunderstorm in the night, and rain for the first couple of holes, but the rest of the day was just sweater weather.

Here is a picture of our rental trailer.

Tight confines in the bathroom and bedroom, but more than adequate.

After golf we had some competition going on.

You can tell the victors by my demeanour.

We also had a grand pot luck feast.

....including desserts.

Another great day with special friends.

And while we were golfing the Blue Jays blanked the New York Yankees.  Awesome!

Stay well.

Pike Lake Golf

Headed to the greenhouse and watered the baskets first thing.

Then Mardi and I finished packing and headed to Pike Lake for our golf weekend with other crazies.

We are in Mennonite country.  A nice touch to hear the rhythm of the horse's hoofs.

It was a great day for golf until the 18th hole, when the skies opened up.  Matt the organizer, being selfish, was in the first foursome and ended up dry.  We were in the third foursome and got soaked.  I guess being the organizer allows you to get away with stuff like that!  We shall remember!

But a good time nonetheless.  Better weather tomorrow we hope.

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Stay dry.  Stay well.