Old Sage's Day

22 Apr 20

05:30 hrs

     Today is the Old Sage's birthday. I'll give him a call after I get to work. 

     I've been up for about two hours already. The orange beast decided to hack up a hairball and after cleaning it up I couldn't go back to sleep. My ten hour work day will be a real bag drive. The only things I have to look forward to is rationing my coffee till the end of the day and my salmon sandwiches. And possibly some rain.

08:45 hrs

     It's raining pretty steadily. This the first precipitation that the Valley has had in many weeks and it will do wonders for all things growing. Yesterday, after I got home,  I looked out from the kitchen at the Wayward Inn and saw that my Saskatoon berry bushes were blooming. Outstanding! I'll have a small crop this year. At least enough for me. Now, if I had enough for a pie then I would share.

22:15 hrs

     Another day is done with only one more work day to go for this shift. Friday the Ram goes in to get the rubber turned and the anchors inspected. Then it will be off to the Big Box store for a supply run. Almost makes me feel like a Bin Rat. The Jr. Loin Fruit has his final exam tomorrow for his higher learning.  

24 Apr 20

06:00 hrs

     For those of you who follow the news coming from south of the 49th Parallel I sincerely hope that you caught the Tangerine Tyrant spouting off about his latest and completely unfounded notions for a cure for the Beer Flu. He says that if you shine UV light on or in the patients body or if you wipe or injecting the patient with household cleaners could be a possible cure.

     As this advice came from the current POTUS....DON'T DO IT!!

     Have you ever heard of something so ludicrous as this. Drinking draino. Well, that will cure you for sure because you'll be isolated six feet from the rest of the world underground in a pine box. I think that one of the reasons this Orange Buffoon spouts all of this bullshit is because he can. If he was a private citizen he could be liable for injuries or even deaths caused by his nonsensical clap trap. However, as the POTUS he can spew lies and sell snake oil until the shit pile is taller than the DC Obelisk and even if dozens of his fart catchers were to follow his directives, and they do, only to succumb to Darwinism, and they have, the surviving relatives cannot seek restitution because the POTUS cannot be personally sued.

      Well, enough of that shit. How's your belly for spots? Got any?

     The number of new orreplacement hovels being built here in the Valley is inspiring. It's always good to see new construction happening. To a point of course. Wouldn't want the city fathers to come to their senses and permit the construction of a building, any building taller than four storeys off the ground.

17:45 hrs

     I drove through downtown today and noticed a few business on the main drag have been emptied. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the Beer Flu keeping people at home. That may have been part of the reason. The other is the fact that the absentee owners keep jacking the rent each and every year. I'm amazed that anyone can afford to have a shop on the main drag. Then, add to the fact that the entire town closes its doors and rolls up the sidewalks at 17:00 on weekdays. So even if you wanted to go shopping after you get off work you can't because everything is shuttered.

      The Oma-nator has probably played about 8 million games of Trouble with us by this point. I'm starting to hear the pop-o-matic in my sleep. But, it's all good as the Couch Monkeys like to play as well.

21:00 hrs

     I just woke up from a three hour power nap. I must have been bagged because I slept right through the raucous Trouble game going on three feet beside my head. After supper I had hit the Lazy-Boy, Mr. Buttnuggets jumped into my lap and I was out like a light. 

     I learned that a former co-worker, Mean Jean, has sold her place here in the Valley. She and her Lobster had a Class A motorhome, it was a bus, that they used to migrate to a Hugh-ess snowbird desert community for half the year. In doing so the cost of putting their Class A on the Left Coast boats was probably the same as three months of mortgage payments. So, to lighten the load and still enjoy the trip south they sold the bus and bought a park model in situ, sold the house here in The Valley and moved to the mainland. This way they save the cost of taking the BC Navy twice a year and the fuel cost of taking the land yacht back and forth over the border. Surprisingly, they have purchased a new home in the same area as the Sage's. Small world.

A Blogging we will go...

11 Apr 20

14:45 hrs

     On this date, fifty-five years ago, the Oma-nator, her Better Half and the Voodoo Priestess of the Golden Horseshoe (she was but a wee babe then) arrived in the Great White North from across the pond. 

     Yesterday, while I was in the salt mine, my Lobster directed the two Couch Monkeys in doing a little yardwork at the Wayward Inn. As a result of their actions I now have series of divots that could swallow a cat and in case a horde of army ants swarms across the yard they will have to span the moats surrounding the the paving stones.

12 Apr 20

07:00 hrs

     The Wayward Inn is quiet. Except for the Oma-nator. I can hear her in her princess suite. She's still asleep but I can hear her. The Jr. Loin Fruit asked me yesterday if I had ever just sat and did nothing. I think it was another of his nonbinding social higher plane existential questions to which he already knows the prescribed answer. 

   

     "Sure. I've just sat and read a book. Or, people watched on a beach. Your mom and loved doing that on our vacation to Big Sugar Island."

     "Ah, but then you were not doing nothing. You were doing something. You were reading or people watching."

      What the hell does this kid want from me? Or is he trying to teach me something? Well, this old dog is too old to learn new tricks. It's not that I can't learn new tricks it's that I don't want to learn new tricks. Maybe he's trying to show me the path to better enlightenment to ease my conciousness. Hell, I'm closer to the graveside than the curbside and all I'm trying to do is milk as much enjoyment out of this plane of enlightenment as I possibly can before I'm gone.

     Yesterday Chef Blaine smoked another turkey. This was for Easter. Sous Irene made schwarties hashbrowns and carrot. Homemade savoury stuffing - sans onions for the Oma-nator - was also made. I'm going to ask Chef Blaine not to cook anymore smoked turkeys unless we have a full house. I want enough people at the table to have no leftover turkey. That doesn't mean I don't want him to use the smoker. Far from it. Eating supposedly carcinogenic foods is what I enjoy so I'll ask him to make some smoked brisket or maybe some char sui pork.

13 Apr 20

06:30 hrs

     Some late night messages coming from the Tangerine Tyrant indicates that he is growing increasingly frustrated that the Hugh-ess economy has tanked. Despite everyone's objections he wants to kick his country back to work and as usual he is thinking about punting out those who disagree with his unfounded statements (lies). His current target is none other than the infectious disease medical expert whose sound advice has saved lives while running directly opposite to the Tangerine Tyrant's. 

     This just in...a large number of seniors in a long term care facility in la Belle Provence have been found dead as the care workers walked away abandoning their charges. I would believe that would be murder, would it not? Round them up and get a rope.

     Some of my go to places for shopping places are no longer open for walk in service, Crappy Tire is one of them. Purchases can now be made on line or over the phone with self pickup or home delivery available. Looking at some items that I had my eye on, in case they went on sale, I see that they are no longer on the shelf. Some of these items could be considered to be tools for gathering sustenance in a quiet manner - as to not disturb your neighbours. If you think I'm wrong then take a look in the grocery stores. People are sticking with the basics and they are stocking up when they shouldn't have to. I would strongly suggest that if a person is going to acquire more foods than one can use immediately then that person should learn how to preserve the excess for long term storage - other than freezing - and that includes foods grown or harvested.

15 Apr 20

05:45 hrs

     Yesterday I braved the lineup at The Biggest Box Store for all the necessary bulk supplies. I got there at 09:30 hrs and the que was already wrapped around to the rear of the building by the dumpsters. At least it was in the shade. With only 125 customers being allowed in at a time it was about 45 minutes before I got through the doors. There were extra staff inside designated to monitor the physical distancing of the customers. Kinda reminded me of the Frat Police that separated boys and girls at school dances.

     My Lobster informed me that the Tangerine Tyrant has now pulled support from the WHO because...? Because, he's a fricken idiot, citing an inequality between what the Hugh-ess gives to the WHO and what they recieve from the WHO. I swear that he acts just like a little brat in a school yard kicking the sand box when he doesn't get his way. He needs a good slap upside the head. Don't spank him though because I heard he likes that kinda thing.

     The Great White North Broadcasting Corp. has revealed that privately owned senior care homes on Ontari-ari-ari-oh have had less government oversight (regulations and inspections) since Dougie the Hash Dealer came to power. The reduction was brought about by the industry lobby groups and owners who petitioned the government to remove the controls. One of these owner/board chairs is none other that former premier Harris who heads up the Chartwell group. The current provincial government has suddenly realized that this is not a good thing as a number of these facilities have seen Beer Flu deaths in the double digits. Are these deaths from the lack of lack of onsite cleaning/sterilization procedures or is it from the staff who have to work at multiple facilities just to earn a living wage. Maybe both. But since Dougie the Hash Dealer allowed the reduction in government oversight I lay alot of those nursing home deaths at his feet. 

     The question is this: a facility where you have a large number of residents - nee patients - who have a wide range of medical ailments and who are extremely susceptible to any kind of minor infection, which could quite easily be considered to be a hospital as it is a privately owned seniors care home, why would you allow the health maintenance standards to lax in the for profit facility? Simply that, to allow f profits to increase when costs are reduced. Except the costs now include the early deaths of those in your care.

     On that note I'll sign off.

It's going to get really scary really fast!

31 Mar 20

07:00 hrs

     All kidding aside Kidlettes, the projections about this Beer Flu is far worse than what had been expected. The egg heads who can figure this crap out have said that by August there could be 82,000 people dead in the Hugh-ess. This number may sound crazy but the dead is supposed to be piling up at a rate of 2,000 a day by mid April. The You-All Powers That Be are now beginning to be concerned about the security of their national food supply. Of course this is playing right into the hands of the preppers. 

     Now, I think that there are two kinds of preppers. You've got your Right-wing anti-government NRA hillbilly with enough guns, ammo and food buried in his underground vault and to survive the apocalypse the only thing he has yet to secure is a breeding population that is not on four legs. The other kind of prepper is the guy who may or may not own firearms but he knows how to use one. He knows how to build a fire, a shelter, can perform first aid, can procure food. He can look after his family and those who need assistance. (I'm using the term "he" but "she" can be substituted at any point.)

17:00 hrs

     The Oma-nator went for a walk today - with her walker of course - all by herself. She just announced that she was going for a walk, got dressed and headed out. I'm pretty proud of her. I'm also proud of my Jr. Loin Fruit who smelled something a bit odd coming from the drain in his sink. So, after asking for directions he dismantled the drain, cleaned and reassembled it all by himself. Hell, he's almost 20 years old. There maybe some hope for the world after all. Now, if he'll harvest and clean some small game for the larder then I'll really be impressed.

01 Apr 20

07:30 hrs

     Today is the 37th anniversary of the greatest April Fool's prank I ever committed. It was so well planned that a portion of my home town was rooked as well to the point that five years later people were still falling for it. Maybe, someday when you and I are sitting around a campfire having a beer I'll tell you about it.

     I'm just finishing watching a movie on Netflix called Taking Lives. It stars Angelina Jolie and is filmed in Montreal.. don't let the rating fool you its pretty damn good.

     Its Eggs Benny Day at the Wayward Inn and then Chef Blaine, with the assistance of Sous Irene, will make some curried lentils for supper. They're going to take some food over to the Onion who has been having a pretty rough go of it lately. It's the right thing to do.

     Yesterday, I had a call from a squatchin buddy of mine. Last year we had a bit of a falling out and he called to apologize for his actions. He said that our friendship was more important that petty differences of opinion. 

     We've been doing some spring cleaning at the Wayward Inn. I've pressure washed the front and back seating areas and the chairs have been put out. I noticed that my solar lights around the Flame Pit are not working so I may have to replace them too.

     Take care of yourself and others near you.  Stay home and stay safe.