Well? What are you gonna do now?

30 Jun 17
05:00 hrs

     Well, you voted for a change in government on the Left Coast (well, I hope you voted) and now the torch has been officially passed to a coalition government. It should be interesting as to what will happen if the minor portion of the union feels stepped on. They might just bail on their agreement and join forces with the opposition which would lead to another vote of non-confidence and another election.

     Now, in an attempt to remain in power and actually get some mutually beneficial work done, Outgoing Premier Crusty Clark gave in to all most all of the her opponents wishes to the point that the the Speech from the Throne was almost a  mirror image of the Oppositions election platform. If the Opposition had accepted the Speech, Crusty's minority government would have remained in power but would have been held to task under a constant threat of non-confidence. It could have worked. Traditionally, minority governments do get more meaningful work done because they have to.

     Nope!

     The Coalition was bound and determined to remove Crusty and end her Party's sixteen year reign. Take note. The reason they had been in power for so long is because the last time the Opposition Party was in power they screwed the province like a pig stuck in an Kentucky fence line.

     Li'l Sis is travelling home to be with her friends and the Sages for the Canada Day celebration. Hope she has fun. Here at the Wayward Inn, we'll probably head to 5th Ave to see the big parade. What the heck. It's not a Capital City parade by any means  but it does have that local flavour. Come out and watch. You might even see a neighbour walking by.

     The Junior Loin Fruit came out with a comment the other night that must be shared. We had finished having supper and went for a walk. We had planned to have some ice cream later but I had neglected to pick some up. No big deal, we could have it tomorrow. Couch Monkey #2 says, "You want dessert? You went for a walk. That's your dessert."

     I have submitted the title for the next book to the National Library and Archives for the ISBN. Yes, I am still piecing it together and yes I am still looking for an editor. Worst case scenario is I have it professionally edited and I write off the expense. Personally,  I would rather not put out the monies but if I have to I will. As soon as this is out the door I'll start strong arming the family for their submissions for the next one. I don't yhink a lot of them understand what I want/need. I'll probably have to write out a couple of examples for them to latch onto. I'll have to give them a dead line and if I don't receive it then it will not be added in.

01 Jul 17
12:15 hrs

     My Lobster and I went to see the Canada Day Parade on 5th Street.  There were some entries that we had not seen on previous years. Saratoga Speedway had a couple of floats. Then again so did the Mustard Lady. The people from Edible Island, the Valley's Uber-Granola-Vegan store, were all parading in their costumes. I thought they were actors from a local production of Veggie Tales while my  Better Half said they gave the parade the look of the Greater Gray Squash Festival from the movie "Doc Hollywood"

Driving in the Valley!

19 Jun 17
10:30 hrs

     What the hell is wrong with the people who drive in the Valley?

     Several things come to mind and the first is the types of drivers that reside here. We have old people. Not so old people. Young hot heads and the Transients.

     It's not the lack of turn signal usage that frosts me, although that can be dangerously frustrating.  It's the lack of situational awareness that really pisses me off. The clouded ignorance of not reading or obeying signage in particular posted speed limits. I'm talking about these moods who head towards downtown on Ryan and after passing the SPCA are maintaining a conservative 60 km/h all the way to the Ryan -Anderton intersection and only pick up speed topping out ar 75 km/h as they round the curve in the median lane before slowing to 55 km/h on the approach to Costco all the while holding traffic back behind them.

     We have a large number of retired people here in the Valley and a bunch of them operate electric scooters. There is one guy who thinks his personal mobility vehicle is a car, complete with a plastic rain hood, and he drives it on the middle of the traffic lane. These things are not licenced and are not insured. You don't even need an operating permit for them. Maybe,you should if you're going to be a hazard to everyone else.

     With the influx of tourist vehicles over the summer we have more Redneck drivers from the Redneck province to the east of us. Watch out for these clowns as they do not adjust to the idyllic Island pace. You can easily spot these morons on the Inland Highway. They're the ones pushing 140 km/h regardless of the weather. Rain or shine, they just have to get from Point A to Point B like it was yesterday with no concern for their fellow drivers.

     To quote the Hill Street Blues Sgt. Phil Esterhaus, "Let's be safe out there! "

New Wheels

13 Jun 17
20:05 hrs

     There is a new pony in the stable at the Wayward Inn.

     With the Loin Fruits working weird and wonderful shifts this summer my Better Half and I decided it was time to get an extra set of wheels for them to use. Now, only the Sr. Loin Fruit has his licence so he will probably be doing a lot of the shuttling but at the same time the vehicle will provide incentive for the other one to go for his licence as well. The thought of some personal freedom is always an incentive.

14 Jun 17
06:30 hrs

     Have you been watching the construction in the Valley? Not just the housing but the commercial buildings as well. The problem is we still have plenty of new buildings that were built on spec that have never been used. For example, the one beside the old Applebee's. Constructed right after Applebee's opened  it has sat empty and unused ever since. The only thing that comes to mind is that it was built specifically to generate a loss and lower the owner's corporate taxes. In the meantime, we have at risk people living under bridges or in the back lanes downtown. The Valley still needs a place where those individuals can safely go, without judgement, for rest, to get clean and maybe some medical attention. We do have the Care-a-van, a nonprofit organization that delivers food, blankets, some clothes and some basic medical care to those in need. In fact, both of our boys have done several clothing and blanket drives for the Care-a-van.

     On that note the Mayor of the Island's Capital has hatched a hair brained idea of having single people or seniors to bring/welcome/permit the homeless to utilize any spare rooms that they may have. Uh, no! And, I say this in all sincerity. I have no problem in helping the homeless. I am sure that some pose no risks at all but a vast number of them have issues - substance abuse, mental health, criminal, etc. And, to welcome these individuals into a home unchecked is inviting a potential disaster. The mayor's heart is in the right place but I think she should have them camp out at her crib first before she asks others to take on the task.

15 Jun 17
06:10 hrs

     Have you been watching the new season of Alone? The second episode is on tonight. Their location is back on northern Vancouver Island which means wind, rain, more wind and more rain and lots of bears. This year the contestants are in pairs where one is dumped at a fixed location and the other is dropped ten miles away. With the aid of just a compass (and I'm sure a crude not to scale map) the mobile member searches for the his/her partner. They still only have ten chosen items but they are divided between the two of them. Both have carry cameras and both have a Sat phone for emergencies. But, one of them taps out they're both gone.

     Because these fools are travelling overland for several days some Emergency Rescue teams have been pre-positioned out in the weeds, out of sight and out of mind but close enough that they can get to these poor schmucks in a timely manner. I'm still wondering if any of them will build a shelter off the ground for physical protection? Doubtful.

     This is the fourth season of the show. The first two were great and had a true Canadian flavour to them despite the fact that the majority of the contestants were You-alls. The third season was filmed in Patagonia where the weather and the obstacles were nothing compared to the Left Coast. I also noticed the voice over was distinctly American as were all the geographic/statistical references to  locations plus weights and measures. I call it Dumbing Down for the Target Audience.

16 Jun 17
06:30 hrs

     Yesterday was a good day. It rained like crazy here in the Valley which is good the forest could do with a shower. The wind was up too with garbage can lids launching down the road like giant frisbees. I had the Sr. Couch Monkey tie the lid to the handle.

     The first day of Alone and the first team is gone. While his older brother started hiking in from 10 miles away the Young Pup started to slog off the beach in search of a place to set up base camp. A moment if in attention and his paw slipped under a log...possible sprained ankle. For all of his pre-game piss and vinegar he tapped out a couple of hours after being dropped off. What a schmuck!

Chef Blaine screwed up!

09 Jun 17
09:50 hrs

     You heard right!
     Chef Blaine screwed up!

     I arrived home last night expecting to be greater by the scent of an Asian pork loin simmering in the crock pot.

     But no. Not a whiff. What the hell!

     At 04:00 hrs Chef Blaine had taken the roast out and placed it in the slow cooker. Three cloves of crushed garlic, a large knob of freshly minced ginger, a large dollop of peanut butter, a large splash of soy followed by the multitude of glugs of lime ponzu plus a couple good squirts of shiracha all blended together with loving care before being poured over the roast.

     At 12:00 hrs Chef Blaine contacts the Wayward Inn and speaks to the Sr. Loin Fruit. "Use a serving fork and turn the roast over. Turn it away from yourself because you don't want the hot liquid to splash on you."

     At 14:00 hrs Chef Blaine calls the Wayward Inn and instructs the Sr. Loin Fruit to reduce the setting to keep warm. His plan, when he got home, was to drain off the liquid and reduce it in a pot until it was a thickened sauce.

     At 16:30 hrs Chef Blaine arrived home and discovered that his taste buds would be denied as he he neglected to...

     Plug in the crock pot!

     As a result the roast, which had been sitting out at room temperature since 04:00 hrs was bagged and tossed. The sauce was flushed. The crockery washed with soapy hot water and put away.

     Eggs anyone?

To Hell in a Handbag!

02 Jun 17
07:20 hrs

     Well, as you now know the Tangerine Tyrant has set a new course for the You-all's south of the 49th Parallel and for the world in general. By pulling out of the Paris Climate Accord the USA joins Syria and some other backward nation in being ignorant of the fact that we, as citizens of this blue marble in space, are rapidly changing the way weather patterns are affecting our very existence. Scientific study shows that the USA is the second largest contributer to global warming but the GOP and the White House are willfully blind to this fact.

03 Jun 17
07:20 hrs

     Twenty-four hours later and the world (especially the EU) is stating that the You-alls cannot simply drop the Paris Climate Accord. There is some discussion to the notion that the EU may place sanctions against America if they plan on following through with this asshat idea. Clearly, the shoe is now on the other foot. Good!

     I think my Better Half has something sneaky plan up her sleeve. Four years ago she threw a full blown surprise 50th birthday party for me. This year there has been little talk of wants, needs, cake or eats. Something is up and I'll be surprised if nothing actually does happen. Maybe I should have tasked her with a request like I was to build her the "Wayward Inn Book Emporium".

06 Jun 17
07:45 hrs

     Sorry about the delay Dear Readers but work has been grinding things along. Two days ago was Chef Blaine's Bday and although his intention was to sit back, sip some suds and crank out some food off of the Flame Pit. Things went sideways at 05:39 hrs with a call from the local constabulary for assistance with a pooch running loose on the freeway. It was an all day job with two call outs for the dog and a number of assisting actors. The beast was eventually caught and was reunited with its owner yesterday. All's well that ends.

     The next three weeks will be a bag drive. Stuff to do at the Wayward Inn.  Work to be done on the Mobile Wayward Inn. The structure over the Flame Pit has to be re-roofed. And I haven't even wet a line this year. I don't even have my Line Wetting Licence yet! Isn't that something. One good point is that both of the Couch Monkeys will be gainfully employed this summer. This will hopefully lighten the sticker shock of their higher education.

     And the pace of our summer activity will continue right through to September when I will be attending this year's squatching expedition to a place yet to be determined.

     Sometimes I feel that I'll retired only when I'm six feet under.