Blog Fog

 

Mardi and I had a wonderful Christmas morning, she with A.J. and family, me with David and family.  Nice to be included with one of our kids on that special day (the rest are hundreds or thousands of miles away, unfortunately).

I don't know about the rest of you, but my life seems to have been on pause since then.  Weather not conducive to being outside.  Just doing some minor housekeeping items in preparation for our Florida jaunt.  And Mardi knitting, me doing Sudoku puzzles, working on the memoirs, and both of us binge watching Blue Bloods reruns.  Exciting stuff!

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Merry Christmas

I have been fortunate to have been involved in three fraternal organizations in my life.  The Optimists, for 64 years; the Trompers for 40 years; and Fishguts, the campfire band which was formed several years ago from a bunch of guys that I started fishing with over 40 years ago.

They have all contributed to who I am.

The other day, Barry wished our Wordle group a Merry Christmas which included the Fishguts song "A Fisherman's Christmas" and that's what drew me down the above line of thought.  So I'm also going to send it your way.  The primary voice is Barry Kopysh, then my brother Roger, with the rest of us contributing to the chorus.  Roger convinced me to pick up the accordion that I hadn't touched since dad died!

What I think that you might take from this song is that every day can be a "Christmas" if you take the time to appreciate what you have.  

Enjoy, and have a wonderful Christmas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCLBaHiy-Q4&pp=ygUVZmlzaGVybWFuJ3MgY2hyaXN0bWFz

Books and Birthdays

 Vision is improved today, but all the drops that were put in my left eye yesterday to expand the pupil haven't totally lost their effect.  A little too much light is still evident, so I'm idling at home today.

Pretty bored, so I started looking at some historical stuff, including the book that Gary and Doc put together to commemorate the Tobermory Trompers.

Our group first got together 40 years ago!  

The following picture was taken on our last excursion five years ago.  Do you recognize the guy with the beard?  Hint - he's related to the two guys at the ends of the back row.

It was a nice pleasure reading the book of pictures and stories once again.  Lots of great memories of times enjoyed with good friends.  A couple of bad ones too, like in 2009 when my retina detachment woes first began on one of our trips.  And, the loss of some good friends over the years.

It was my adventures with the Trompers that gave me the courage to take on Machu Picchu with Sean, and the Grand Canyon with Malcolm and Ewen.  Thanks guys!

Most of us are getting a little long in the tooth now to contemplate the demanding excursions we once took on, but it would be nice to reconnect on a memorial trip of some kind in 2025.

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Nothing planned for tomorrow so, in case I don't blog, I'd like to wish my kid brother a happy 75th birthday.  He's the one who is back left in the picture above.  Have a great day bro'!

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Stay well.

Welding

 Today is Mardi's niece Rachelle's birthday.  And tomorrow Rachelle's sister Rebecca will celebrate hers.  Nice Christmas presents for Bonnie and Steve back then.

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Got my retina welded this morning.  That's just one week between diagnosis and laser procedure.  Pretty good service!

Should be OK now but, since it would be a preexisting condition there would not be travel insurance coverage if I have a problem while we're in the U.S.  Dr. Arora advised that they would charge about $1,000 for a "hi and bye" and $2,000 for laser treatment down there.

He has scheduled me in April for another touchup after we return.

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Some discomfort remaining, and my dilated pupil hasn't recovered yet so, this afternoon I just vegged out.

Stay well.

Trump, Satan, and Montezuma

I decided to publish today after all, so Happy Birthday again Malcolm.

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Today's excitement was delivering the remaining toques that Mardi made to the Food Bank, together with the $60 she got from selling some toques to our neighbour.  Felt good, but sad to see the folks, who needed that kind of support, doing their shopping.

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Trump is once again threatening to take over Canada, and he thinks that's what we want.  He needs to read (OK, have read to him) a bit of history.

The last U.S. President to think about taking over Canada, James Madison, had to run from the White House when the British burned it.   And had to accept that he had gained nothing from the war which saw his soldiers chased out of our country.  He had thought, as Trump seems to do, that we Canadians would welcome entry into the U.S.

Now that's a world where we would live five years less on average, due to the loss of our health care.  Where we might have to join the pretend Christian Evangelicals who worship their Satan.  Where we would be ruled by Elon Musk and his puppet President.  Sounds great, right?

No thanks!  I'll take my Canadian dollar with its withered value any time over that option.

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Have a kind thought for Mardi who is dealing with Montezuma's Revenge right now.

And stay well yourselves.

Lougheed Christmas

 Tonight, Mardi and I joined her brother Steve and Bonnie and brother Greg and Diane for a Christmas dinner at Southcote 53 in Ancaster.  A really nice evening.

By the way, if I can insert a commercial, if you are looking for an investment counselor, we can recommend Steve.  He's doing a great job for Mardi and me.

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Tomorrow looks like a boring day, so I'll wish grandson Malcolm a happy birthday in advance, in case I don't publish.

Stay well.

Memories

 My post yesterday sent me down a nostalgia trail.  I spent this morning going through a box of old pictures and letters.  

A few of the pictures that I found will make it into the Memoirs, including this one of me with Mom, being a quasi-dad to my younger siblings, the day that I married Jean...........

........and these, of me.........

...with my medals.........

............and my Tromper buddies.

Quite a roller coaster ride of emotions!

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Even more emotional was the return of my lover from Mexico.  Boy, did I miss her!  Life is now right side up again.

Stay well.

Cooking

Judy drove me to the eye doctor's today.  They did more tests and confirmed that I have a small hole in the retina.  So I go back on Friday to have it welded (lasered) .

We then headed to the Ancaster Fairgrounds to pick up our Dofasco Christmas treats.   Because of the postal strike, tickets didn't get mailed.  So they had to verify everybody before handing out the gifts.  Took an hour in line to get our nutcracker and popcorn pail.

Merry Christmas.

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When I was out with Roger and Judy recently I shared an advance copy of the Memoirs that I have been writing.  Roger suggested that I should include more detail, such as what I wrote yesterday about my trips with grandkids (which I have now included).  The Memoirs are for the grandkids, so that they can better understand why I am who I am.

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My supposed friend Barry posed the following question in our Wordle thread:

One has to wonder how much weight Bud will lose given he doesn't cook and Mardi is away sipping on margaritas in Mexico.  

Perhaps the question should be how much will he gain while relying on takeout to fill the void. 

Answer:  No takeout meals, two dinner invitations (thanks Sue and Maureen) and no weight lost (so far - but she doesn't return until tomorrow night).

Some of you know the story of why I don't cook, but I'm going to burden you with some of my Memoirs to explain to the others.

My Career

 When the Bar-Don Lanes opened in Stoney Creek, dad was instrumental in forming two leagues, the Saltfleet Men’s League and the Saltfleet Mixed League.  He had bowled in a Dofasco league for a few years prior.  It was at the Bar-Don that I got my first job at age twelve.  We started out setting pins six nights a week and were upset when they cut us back to four.

 My dad died when I was in grade ten at Saltfleet High School.  The next school year I started helping the janitor sweep floors after school to make extra money.  I did my homework while I set pins at the bowling alley.  

Then I added a Friday night and Saturday job at Clayton's Men's Wear.  (Working three jobs and pretending to be a dad to my younger siblings didn’t leave any time to learn how to cook.)

 The summer my dad died, and the following summer as well, I worked as a mail boy at Dofasco, carrying requisitions throughout the mill to obtain the requisite superintendents’ signatures.  Dofasco turned a blind eye to the fact that I was only 15 that first summer.  I made about $30 per week.  I continued to work weekends at Clayton's.

 When I was 17 and had completed grade 12, it became necessary for me to quit school and start working full time to help support the family.  For a year, I worked at Clayton’s (at $35. per 46 hour week), until he got a job flying supplies for the construction of the DEW Line and decided that he needed a more mature person to run the store in his absence.  Although I was offered a job by Stu Chapple to work at the hardware store and had also been approached by Walter Scott, the manager of the Royal Bank, I decided to try Dofasco, where I started at $45 per week.

 For the first year, I worked steady nights, picking up time cards throughout the mill and calculating the hours worked for each person.  For the first three months of that stint, I also worked days at the Men’s Wear store to help the new manager get into the swing of things.  I would get about three hours sleep Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, eight hours on Wednesday (a half day at the store), and virtually no sleep Friday when the store didn’t close until nine.  After closing the store at six o’clock Saturday night, I could sleep around the clock because I didn’t have to go back on nights at Dofasco until Sunday midnight.   I lost 15 pounds that summer (from 135 down to 120).

 After a year on nights, I was brought into the time office and for almost two years worked on payroll.  I was then sent for psychological testing and after a grueling day was told that I should quit Dofasco and go back to school to become an accountant (which I couldn’t afford to do).  Instead, Dofasco put me on the Sales training program and I spent the next year and a half working in various labs throughout the plant, including several months in the Steel Casting department (Dante’s Inferno).

 I followed a path that would be impossible today without a university education.  My determination to achieve and dedication to the job, together with an analytical bent and long hours, helped me to finally become Director of Sales Planning and Administration, with a staff of about 80 people and a spot in the “Management Group” which got to eat in the separate executive dining room and rotated through attendance at monthly Company Directors’ Luncheons.

 After retiring, I worked for Laurence Marshall at Larry’s Truck and at Golden Horseshoe Tire for about three years, as Credit Manager, management assistant and finally as Purchasing Manager for Truckland, after Laurence had sold it and it changed names.

 Perhaps my most satisfying job has been my “farm labour” activity as I tried to help David wherever he needed assistance.  Watching your son overcome the obstacles and challenges of entrepreneurship to build a successful business and playing with your grandchildren on the job is as good as it gets.

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So now you know.  And, I don't do laundry either.

Stay well.

 

Traditions

Headed to the greenhouse today to fix an outside bench support and one of the Christmas tree stands.  

By the way, Christmas trees are non-taxable as of yesterday, and that continues until February 15, so no rush 😂.

Spent some quality time with Sean as well (every time with Sean is quality time - we've been bosom buddies since Machu Picchu).  Speaking of that, here are some pictures of that trip when he was 12 years old.   On the 70 mile hike..........

..........celebrating at the 14,000 foot pass crossing with our guide (we also crossed a 16,000 foot pass, but I was on oxygen at the time and incapable of lifting a camera)......

.......and overlooking our destination.

I had made many trips with my oldest grandchild, Yancy, but this was the first of what would become a tradition - a special adventure with each grandchild after they turned 12 (and before they became addled teenagers).  

Thanks for that go to David.  I had first asked him to accompany me, but he declined due to business pressure and suggested that I take Sean instead.  That turned out to be so wonderful that I had to do it with the other grandkids.

Anna to New York City, Malcolm to the north rim of the Grand Canyon and down into a slot canyon, Kyle on a Caribbean cruise, Ewen on a 28 mile hike across the Grand Canyon, and Sarah-Jean, with Mardi's granddaughter Reggie, to tour the U.S. south west.  Awesome times!

You all should try it!

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Stay well.

Queen of the Yucatan

 Happy birthday today to Sandro, and to Mardi's nephew Julien Couture.

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A.J. sent along this picture of his mom today.

Mardi is having way too much fun!

Meanwhile, poor me.  I have been a wimp regarding the greenhouse for the past couple of days.  The job jar only contains outdoor projects right now, and very cold and windy doesn't seem to agree with me.

But I managed to spend a couple of hours there today, correcting an electrical issue (those lights in the picture below), moving my Oak saplings close to the greenhouse so that they have a better chance of surviving in their pots, and cleaning up a couple of gardens including this one.

These plants (can't remember their name, a common occurrence for me these days) have refused to totally succumb to the freezing weather.
 I got tired of waiting, so I cleaned them up today.

Still crisp!  Amazing!  And hard to believe that they produced all of the growth shown in the first picture.

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Stay well.

Trees, Tease and Eyes

 Thought that I should finish the story about the Christmas tree stands.  First, you take this tapered drill and drill a hole up into the base of the trunk of the tree.

Then, you stand four trees on the steel posts to display them for the customers.

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Meanwhile, my love has been sitting on a balcony in Mexico, overlooking the pool, and drinking rye.  Not fair!   What a tease!

The closest that I could come to getting even was to have a pre-Christmas lunch with brother Roger and sister Judy.

We talked for four hours, reminiscing about our lives and our heritage.  I only came to tears three or four times.  

It was a wonderful way to spend time together.

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Then it was off to my Optometrist to follow up on light flashes that I have been getting at night, which suggest a retina trying to detach.

You know that I have been complaining about our health care system lately, still on a waiting list for over five months regarding my carpal tunnel problem, and Mardi waiting for cataract surgery.

Well, this time it was different.  I called the Optometrist yesterday and got today's appointment.  After examining me she then got me an appointment at the St. Joseph's Urgent Care Eye Clinic for an hour later.

They didn't find a problem, but they in turn have booked me for 11:15 on December 16 with the doctor who lasered my eyes in 2009.  Excellent response!  I definitely want this issue to be dealt with before we leave for Florida!

(Judy, in case he lasers me again, are you available to get me to, 867 Upper Paradise, and fro?  Mardi will still be drinking Rye in Mexico that day.)

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And tonight, the Optimist Club's Christmas dinner.  Sat with Ed and Rose who will be joining us in Florida for 12 days in February.  Another nice night.

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Stay well.

She Left Me

 In the dead of night she left me......

.......heading away for a week with her son, A.J., at his place in Mexico.

But, I'll get even.  I'll enjoy time with David when he accompanies me on the drive to Florida.  We plan a golf game then too, plus a middle of the night ride to the airport when I send him home.

Mother and son.  Father and son.  It doesn't get much better than that.  Sorry girls 😇.

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Today's project was to repair and build Christmas tree stands.

One repair went well.  A second ended with a sacrificial fire.  Some trial and error involved.

Speaking of Christmas trees, the new GST holiday includes them in its mandate.  The only such item that David sells.  So, after December 14, David has to figure out how to exempt them from GST.  

Probably only a few trees left by then, so an expensive system fix isn't justified.  Knowing David, he'll come up with an ingenious solution!

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My friend Wayne sent me the following:

Below is the last paragraph in Volker Ullrich's riveting account of Hitler's final years as the Fuhrer.

 

" If Hitler's life and career teaches us anything, it is how quickly democracy can be prised from its hinges when political institutions fall and civilising forces in society are too weak to combat the lure of authoritarianism, how thin the mantle separating civilization from barbarity actually is, and what human beings are capable of when the rule of law and ethical norms are suspended and some people are granted unlimited power over the lives of others"

 

This message is really meant for the people in the United States who voted to put Trump back in the White House. You should be very afraid. What have you done to your republic?

In our next federal election I plan to vote for someone who might have the same tendencies.  But in Canada we seem to be able to get rid of, and control, the bad ones a bit better.  Despite the risk, we need to toss out Trudeau and his word salad party before they make our country look even more foolish and bankrupt us.  One Conservative term should hopefully get us back on track.

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Stay well.

Trays and Toques

 Stopped by the greenhouse this morning when I was out shopping, to see how they made out after I left yesterday.  Apparently they didn't miss me, and finished just after lunch time.

Sean sent a picture of me at my post.

Actually, I only got to sit in that chair about a half hour each day.  Most of the time I was helping put trays on the floor, helping with the tagging, avoiding wrecks, or cleaning up wrecked trays that hit the floor at the corner.

And yesterday morning I spent a bit of time trying to fix the rows that our temp guy messed up while my attention was elsewhere.

The rows are supposed to be aligned with the posts on the left.  By the time that I caught his mistake he was two rows out of line.  I wonder why he was laid off from his previous job?

But all ends well.  These trays will be relocated when growth is showing and it is time to straighten out any off centre plants.  The trays will be relocated, straightened and there will be a separation between them.

Easter is late this year, so now we have four and a half months to regulate their growth through light and heat so that we have a nice show for April 20.  The ones that start to bloom early will head to a cooler to pause their growth.

Three thousand more bulbs will be arriving to be planted next week but that will fill less than half a house.  No sweat!

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And, she's still at it, between coughing spells.

Mardi has delivered about 30 to the Food Bank, sold 8 to a neighbour (gave the money to the Food Bank) and just keeps on going.  Well done babe!

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Stay well.

Aberfoyle with one Al

The greenhouse shift didn't go so well this morning.  Some wrecks at the corner while I was trying to help with the tagging, and a screwup in the setting down of the trays by our temporary worker while I was distracted by the wrecks and tagging.

Felt really guilty leaving Sean and the crew at the morning coffee break, but went anyway 😞.

After I got home and got cleaned up, David and Sue picked me up and we were off to the Aberfoyle Mill.  A glass of wine and my guilt was swept away  😋.

I have a great group of golfing friends......

........and the conversations flowed.  A really nice event.  Thanks for setting it up Gary!

And thanks to Al for this musical tribute.

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Stay well.

Lilys and Lunkheads

 Sorry for ignoring you folks for a couple of days.  It's been a busy week so far for an old goat (some say that "goat" means "greatest of all times" - in all modesty I must object, but thanks for the thought😏).

Eight hours at the greenhouse working on the Lily project, followed by a couple of ryes, then dinner and to bed by 8 or 9.  Three days in a row. Routine for an 87 year old, right?  Every bone in my body aches!

But, we're more than 75% complete.  Tomorrow should complete the planting.

Unfortunately, I'll only be there until coffee break.  Then it's off to a luncheon at the Aberfoyle Mill with my golf buddies, including David (sorry Trillium Hill folks, but you'll do just fine.  Sean's got it under control - he's the best).

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I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm more than a bit disturbed by Trump's comment about us becoming a 51st state.  Domenic Leblanc chalks it up as a joke.

Hey Domenic, Trump doesn't know how to joke!

Have you ever imagined conversations about how you would react to different situations?  I do.  And here's how my conversation would have gone.

Trump: We could make you our 51st state.

Me: Go ahead stupid.  We crushed you in 1812, we'll see how it goes next time.

Trump: It will be over in a day.

Me: That's what Putin said about the Ukraine three years ago.  Good luck.

Trump: We're better than Russia.

Me: Ok stupid.  You do realize that you'd also be fighting the U.K. and Australia right?  We're part of the Commonwealth.

Trump: It would be over before they get here.

Me:  Then we'll blow up the oil pipelines that are critical for your economy, and the Quebec Hydro lines that feed your northeast.  And we'll stop sending Maple Syrup your way.  You're toast my friend.

Isn't imagination wonderful?

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Relax.  Stay well.

Lily With One Al

 First off, a hearty best wishes to Dave Jewett on his birthday.  Although you're probably snowed in up there in Kincardine, hope you have had a good day Doc.

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I got to the Lily planting today despite spending so much time reading Al's emails.  It took just an hour to get some bulbs cleaned, start the line, train the temps and work out the kinks.

And we were on our way.

This is my corner.  If the trays come down slightly off line they crash and end up on the floor.  Only three dropped today and only one of them caused a momentary stop of the line.  I count that as a success.

After turning the corner they head into one of the houses to be placed on the floor.

And eight hours later, 14,000 made it.  Two houses complete.

We're 25% of the way!

Sadly, it didn't seem the same without Donna, who has recently retired from Trillium Hill and was a key person in our Lily plantings.

 

We all miss you Donna.   Charlie does too!  

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Back at it tomorrow.  Stay well.

 Not much to report today.  I headed to the greenhouse just to check on how Sean was making out setting up for the Lily run.  Looks good.  Can't wait 'till tomorrow to get started.

In the meantime, I thought that you folks might enjoy the Optimist Club's monthly bulletin.  It features our Pat in one of the pictures, and yours truly in a couple of others.  Mardi shows up a bit too.

Enjoy.  Stay well.

Vaccines and Vacuous Leaders

 Yesterday, Mardi and I headed to Winterberry Medical to pick up our final $470 cheques for our participation in their RSV vaccine trial.  I've lost track of how much we made on the trial, but it's close to $2,000 each I think.  Plus, the vaccine worked to save me from RSV when Mardi caught it.

So, when they asked if we would participate in a future trial, the answer was "yes"!  (My apologies to R.F. Kennedy Jr.)

We saw Ron King there - he participated too.  And he told me that I had missed seeing Judy and Monica at the garden centre when I was taking one of my days off.  Sorry ladies!  I hope that you found what you needed for your Christmas displays. 

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In other breaking news, Mardi's convertible has been put away for the winter.  I get to park in the underground for the next five weeks!  Yeah!

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As I write this, Trudeau is in Mar-a-Lago kissing the king's ring.  Hope it works out for us.

Stay well.

Work, Service and Celebration

 After a couple of lazy days I returned to the greenhouse today.  Worked about 15 minutes - after a couple of days off you can't overdo these things.  I wanted to look after a couple of small outdoor jobs with the forklift before the snow flies.

So now I'm off duty again until Monday when the Easter Lily planting begins.  Here are the 55,000 half filled pots ready for that project.  Most of those will be sold to brokers who will distribute them as far as the southern states - unless Trump's tariffs are still in place and interfere with that sale.  Fingers crossed.

And, after that is done there will be another 3,000 Lilies of another variety to be planted.

While I was there I enjoyed a coffee and wandered through the garden centre.  

It does lift your spirits to be in the midst of that Christmas colour.

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We joined Jo-Ann, Kathryn and Anna for dinner at the Banana Leaf restaurant.  They'll be leaving for Florida on Friday, so this was our pre-Christmas get-together.  

They brought me a beautiful gift from Barbara......

.........a wonderful addition to my native collection.

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Then it was off to the Optimist Hall for a joint meeting of area service clubs - the two local Optimist Clubs, Rotary, Lions, Kinsmen, Kiwanis and Little League.  A nice night.

Several Optimists attended, including Scarface Strecker.

He claims that he tripped on his deck.  Good story!

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Stay well.

Open House

 If you didn't get to Trillium Hill today you missed their Open House.  Coffee, hot chocolate, ginger bread men and other treats.

But, if you're good, Sean might make you a coffee when you come.

Lots of good Christmas stuff to check out.

I got to enjoy the treats because I showed up to do the final lawn cutting for the year.

That just leaves an hour or two of garden cleanup, but the remaining annuals are refusing to call it a day.  So it's some time later I guess.

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While I was cutting grass I saw a coyote again.  Today he was back near the rink.  The other day he was in the loading dock area.  Good looking animal, but as soon as I get the phone out for a picture he lopes off across the field.

David and the others have seen him near the greenhouse as well.  I have a theory.......some small animal has been chewing on the water lines so David put out a tray of water for it.  The chewing stopped.  I think that animal may be what the coyote is looking for.  Hope he finds it - throwing out dead plants that didn't get watered because of a useless water line and then repairing the damage costs money.

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Stay well.

Projects and Morons

 I finished my project!

It turned out to be a perfect day for digging.  No sun, no wind, and moderate temperature.  Glad that I was able to finish it today because the forecast calls for a lot of rain in the next few days.

Just a couple of small outdoor jobs left and then I can sit back and wait for the Easter Lily planting.  One of my jobs will be as a  defensive back, i.e. corner guard.  You'll see.

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Barbara sent this to me.  It's also going to be true again after 105 years.

You don't suppose that this could apply to Canada too do you?

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Stay well.

Satisfying Moments

 There are some highlights in your life that are kind of a measurement and mean something special.  Like hiking 70 miles through the high Andes to Machu Picchu at age 69 with Sean, or hiking across the Grand Canyon at age 77 with Ewen, or the other special trips that I made with my grandkids.

In a silly way, yesterday was one of those moments for me.  It started with a flat tire on the mower, so I had to abandon the loaded wagon.  The tire can't be repaired until Monday so I had a choice - quit and go home, or use a wheelbarrow to continue my chores.

Reluctantly, I chose the latter and I'm glad that I did.  As I'm pushing the loaded barrow a hundred yards or more up and down the driveway these last two days, at age 87, I had a similar rush of satisfaction to those other special moments.  I can still do it!  Felt good!

And, despite the setback, I'm making progress.

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Congratulations to the Toronto Argonauts for their convincing win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Grey Cup.  And they did it with a second string quarterback and an injured kicker.  Well done!

And for those Hamilton fans who don't like the Argos, just think, if Hamilton hadn't dumped Zack Collaros a few years ago they might have played in some Grey Cup games too 😏.

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Stay well.

Clowns and Turkeys

 Steve shared a Turkish Proverb with me:

"If a Clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a King.
The palace becomes a Circus"

I think we're facing something worse than a circus and would perhaps amend that to read:

"if a criminal moves into a palace, he doesn't become a King.  The palace becomes a crime scene".

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When I arrived at the greenhouse today there was a transport with a load of soil to be unloaded.  David and Sean were unavailable, so the old guy started unloading as soon as Mariah undid the strap.  Got a dozen or so skids off the truck before David and Sean returned.

Then it was time to get back to my digging.  Cleaned up another small section of the tree line, enough to use up three bags of mulch.

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Tonight it was Turkey Roll time.  Mardi and I sold seven and half cards and we had a winner on all of them.  Congratulations to Al, Steve, Lorena, Calvin, Maureen, Monica, Lenore and yours truly.

The "turkeys" this year are $40 gift cards.  Al and Calvin, I will deliver your prizes at our Christmas luncheon, unless I see you sooner.  Mardi will deliver the rest.

There were some draw prizes as well, and Barb Galina won $50.

But the best part of the night was the turkey races.

I bet on Stuff It,  #6, and he should get stuffed!   Nobody came home a big winner, but we all had an exciting time.

Thanks for the support!

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Stay well.

Odd Job Day

 First, I watered the sod that I transplanted the other day.  Next up, a repair to a bench that Sean had requested.  Then, repair of this solar lamp stand that had fallen and broken.

The threads were stripped so I had to use plumber's tape to fix it.  Then added some stone to the pot so the problem wouldn't repeat.

And finally, did an hour's digging along the tree line.  I am definitely a jack(ass) of all trades.

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While I was doing all that, the planting line was busy.  First step in the Easter Lily planting process is to run all the pots through the soil machine and half fill them so they're ready for planting when the bulbs arrive.

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Tonight, Mardi and I attended the Optimist meeting.  It was Youth Appreciation Night and we honoured our volunteers.   Including this young lady.

Pat helped the club all three days at the Winona Peach Festival.  And she joined in this picture with our other young volunteers.

We are indeed fortunate to have these folks in our community!

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Stay well.

World Kindness

 

Thanks Jill, for responding with the information we had requested:

About my Mom….born and raised on a farm in England. She decided to do her part in the war so she moved to the city and joined the ATA as a driver…. Air Transport Auxiliary.
The ATA was a British civilian organization that piloted new, repaired and damaged military  aircraft from factories, assembly plants and maintenance depots to active service squadrons and airfields. The pilots involved were men and women that weren’t able to fly for the RAF for various reasons….physical issues usually. Some were Canadian.
My Mom wasn’t a pilot. She was a driver and drove the pilots to and from airfields….kinda like a taxi service.  

My Mom and Dad knew each other for only six weeks before getting married in England near the end of the war. Dad came home with the RCAF and Mom came to Canada with the “war brides”. Baby Jill was born in 1947!

I googled the Air Transport Auxiliary site - very interesting.  The women who flew handled every type of plane, including Spitfires and Lancaster bombers.  Sometimes during transport they were fired upon by the Germans so their guns were loaded so that they could fight back.  Pretty damned incredible!

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Wednesday, Nov. 13 is World Kindness Day. First organized by the World Kindness Movement in 1998, it calls for us to inject a little more kindness into our day-to-day lives.  Here is a list of things you might want to do on World Kindness Day:

• In a hurry to get where you’re going and frustrated by the construction that seems to be on every street in Hamilton right now? Let someone in who’s trying to merge into the single lane of traffic past the construction site.
• Pay for the person behind you at the coffee drive-thru, or the person ahead of you in line at the grocery store who is short of funds and needs to put items back. It will put a spring in your step and save that person’s day.
• Know someone who is going through a tough time? Maybe they’re stuck at home sick? Show up with their favourite snack or offer to take out their garbage.  (Mardi does stuff like this all the time.  She is currently helping a childhood friend who has entered the world of dementia.  Have I mentioned that I love her?)

It doesn’t take much to celebrate World Kindness Day with a kind word or gesture. It will make someone feel better and will make you feel much better too. And if you miss your chance tomorrow, don’t worry. You don’t have to wait 364 days for the next one to fill the world with kindness.

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Dug some weeds and grasses out from under another stretch of trees today.  Not exciting, but we're getting there.

Stay well.

Remembrance Day

I didn't post yesterday so I missed Barb Galina's birthday wishes.  Sorry Barb.  Hope you have a nice dinner with the ladies on Wednesday.

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This morning, Mardi presented a wreath at the War Memorial on behalf of her church, Stoney Creek United.  I couldn't get into a position to take a picture of that event, but I did catch her on her return.  Well done!

When I listed our family connections to the military I forgot to mention Mardi's Uncle Arn and Aunt Kay - Cousin Jill's parents.  He was a second world war air ace who did three tours.  

We've asked Jill for more info about her mom's service and will pass it along.

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I took yesterday off due to the rain.  Took today off due to lack of interest 😎.  But I'll be back to work tomorrow Sean.

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Took my date to Chuck's Roadhouse for steak dinner tonight. 

 Their beef is excellent - the wine and beer are OK too.

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Stay well.

Lest We Forget

 Completed another project this morning.  What used to be here....

.......is now here.

By spring that should look a lot better.

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Tomorrow's forecast calls for a lot of rain and I won't likely have much news for posting.  So, as we approach Remembrance Day, lets celebrate the folks who protect us.

I was named after a great uncle who was a Grenadier Guard.  And I had an uncle who participated in the liberation of Holland from their German nightmare.

Mardi has much closer ties with her son, Warrant Officer Greg Bullivant (on the right), who served in Cambodia and Afghanistan, and grandson Officer Cadet Ethan, soon to graduate from university and become Lieutenant Ethan Bullivant (and outrank his dad!). 

Lest We Forget.