Just stuff

15 Jun 21

06:30 hrs

     Good Morning Dear Readers!

     Today is the Ides of June and some of the Beer Flu restrictions have been lifted here on the Left Coast. One of the big restrictions to be lifted is the movement between health regions. In advance of today I had booked my boat ride to get off The Rock this coming Saturday so I could go see the Sages. It's been quite awhile since I've been to their place and the time is right to do so. I'm really happy that I booked my ride already because one of the lead news items this morning was how the Left Coast Boat Ride Company suffered a complete crash of their reservation system due to the crush of people trying to get off of or clamber onto The Rock. I have no idea why the herd waited so long up to the last moment to book their trip. It's pretty obvious that some people will not get the sailing time of their choice if at all. I'm heading out at Oh-Dark-30 and I'll be shocked if my vessel isn't full.

     The Big Giant Bookhouse is nearly completed and I'm getting stressed that it will not be completed before I leave. I even took components with me to work just so I could prep them for installation. My Better Half told yesterday, a that I should wait until I get back before we finish it and put it in place. Sound advice.

16 Jun 21

06:35 hrs

     Yesterday was another ten hour day. Come Saturday I am really going to be bagged. I'll have to get some sleep on the boat. After getting home I drained out the remnants from my travel coffee mug and opened my thermos. The mug is a Citgo mug from the Big Box Store with a lock for the drink trigger. I love it because it keeps my coffee hot for most of the day. Anyways,  I usually give the vessel and the lid a quick rinse and brush under running water and that is all it needs. Last week I found that I had to fight to get any liquid out so I tossed the lid into the dishwasher. This took care of the situation and the caffeinated elixir flowed freely once again. But yesterday I took a closer look inside the lid and I was shocked to see some kind of pale tan coloured crud coating all of the inner workings. I was thoroughly disgusted and even a little bit concerned that my constitution had not been overwhelmed. It took me thirty minutes to scrub, dig and brush out the gunk. The funny thing is my coffee never tasted any different. This morning when I was on my way to work my first sip provided a final minor chunk of crud that I promptly spit out. I need to pay more attention to my gear.

15:00 hrs

     I have to ask this question. 

     Do you read books for pleasure? I would really like to know. I just finished a series of wizarding books. I'm sure which ones I'm talking about. I had never read them. The last one, the thickest of them all took a little more than two and a half days. Now, my Better Half and I have our library of favourites and I will go through them and read some that I have read so many times that I have had to replace them with newer copies as the coversor pages are worn or torn. I remember reading Jaws while Grade 7 and let me tell you there are parts of that book that no elementary student should read. My copy of the book Alive dates back from that time frame as well. Crisis induced cannibalism. Now there is a topic for the playground. Regardless of the subject matter it is shocking to hear of people who have never read just for the pleasure of reading. Some never even read a newspaper. Fun with Dick and Jane, The Bobsey Twins, Hardy Boys these were all my primers that urged me on at a young age to delve into the mind of the author and immerse myself in the story being woven.

     We are now nearly two weeks since the bodies of 215 Indigenous children were discovered at a Residential School in the Interior. The flags are still at half mast at federal locations. This is longer than the passing of HRH Phillip. And there will be more to come. As I had mentioned before the First Nations bands across the country have been repeating this take over and over. And no one would believe them. That is to say the Feds wouldn't believe them. Maybe they didn't want to believe them because ultimately they are at fault. And you can't point a figure at any one political party of figure because they are all culpable. They either okayed it or they turned a blind eye. They didn't care because the victims weren't white.

17 Jun 21

07:15 hrs

     Work has begun. And it will be another hot day.

     Last night I got home and my Jr. Loin Fruit had all the members of his Band of Miscreants over for a get together. I don't think they have all been together since they graduated from high school. And they have changed a lot. Several are transitioning genders, one is gay and another is bi. None of this was really evident three years ago. And in truth it doesn't really matter. The Jr. Couch Monkey cooked meat lumps on the Flame Pit for them - something my Lobster believes that none of them may do in their own homes. They had a really good time. I spoke to one of the BOM and reiterated to him that he (and they) are welcome at the Wayward Inn at anytime.

     I had mentioned the weather earlier. Summer is upon us here on the Left Coast but there is still some snow on the Beauforts which makes the sight particularly pretty. I'm sure that by the time I return from the Sage's home there will be less of the white stuff.

     Did you catch the news last night? It would appear that the gauntlet has been dropped squarely at Vlad's feet after he was smacked in the puss by the Hugh-ess POTUS. First was the threat that Vlad's current political foe had better not die while in custody. And, in the discussion of Ruskie backed cyber attacks on the Hugh-ess infrastructure (which Vlad vehemently denied was his doing) the POTUS asked Vlad how he would feel if it was his oil and gas network that was cyber-bombed. After thoughtful pause, Vlad replied that he wouldn't like it at all. The UptoNogoodniks headquartered at Number 2 Dzerzhinsky Square are well aware that the Hugh-ess cyber capability outstrips their own by a thousand fold and that it has only been rumored to have been used. Couple this with the fact that 80% of the Ruskie economy is derived from the oil and gas industry that is owned solely by the oligarchs - who are politicall protected by Vlad (read the book Red Notice). In other words, anymore cyber attacks attributed to Vlad will likely result in a retaliation on a scale that would resemble the shock and awe of the First Gulf War.

18 Jun 21

06:30 hrs

     The week is almost done and I am pooched. I'm probably sitting at close to 100 hours for the past two weeks. Time for a break. I'll continue to keep you updated in the coming weeks.

Great Googly Mooglys

02 Jun 21

07:30 hrs

     I'm at work. Actually I'm waiting for the crew to arrive and I really hope that today will be a short day. And that's for several reasons:

1) Its another hot windless day here in the Valley and I really don't like the heat all that much.

2) I need to get more work done on the bookhouse. 

3) I have to assist Chef Blaine in prepping the pork roasts for pulled pork.

4) I have a head like five pound Smartie.

     

     Last night after work I was granted permission from my Lobster to go out to play. It doesn't happen very often so I took the opportunity by both reins took a shower and headed out. My mission was to meet up with a friend from a long long time ago - the Great Ghiz. I first met him when he was in Combat Arms stationed in the Fatherland and I met him again when I was sent to the Peg. By then he had changed trades and was working on a flight line. Over the years we have bumped into each other now and again and he was one of my two Best Men at my nuptials. We are and always will be Brothers in Arms and if the need arises we both know that all it takes is a phone call for help to arrive.

     So I met the Great Ghiz at his hotel where, Beer Flu restrictions be damned, it was maskless hugs all around. We dined, caught up on our current affairs and reminisced on the past. Much later, younger members of his crew showed up at the venue. We invited one of the puppies to join us as his cohort would let him join in on their Reindeer Games. My Lobster sent me a Derek Edward's text - 1,2,3,4,5... I only had 3 plus food so I was good to go. I left the Great Ghiz with a hug and a promise that we would reconvene on Thursday for Chef Blaine's pulled pork on Thursday. It will be part of my Birthday Extravaganza as my Friends from Over the Hump will be joining us at the Wayward Inn. My Lobster has given a set of steel cribbage pins and a bar of dark chocolate already. Life is good.

Hello Dear Readers

25 May 21

05:00 hrs

     Good morning Dear Readers! Thanks for waiting. I've been focusing a lot of my time in and around the Wayward Inn. As you know, or maybe you don't,  my Better Half and I planted - with the physical assistance of the two Couch Monkeys - a pair of trees. We put them in a blocking formation on the sight line from the back patio and the open area long our back fence. This had been created when one of our neighbours dropped a half dozen trees to build a workshop - he didn't get the variance so he sold the house and moved - and another neighbour who continues to prune lower branches off of the remaining trees to gain more sunlight for his garden. We also moved the bamboo into a planter box. Those new trees plus the growth on the Saskatoonberry bushes will soon provide more privacy by blocking the view down the fence line.

     Last week I was shopping at the big giant box store when I spotted something that really floored me that I have been mentioning for years. When you go through the checkout in any of the big box stores you will be asked to contribute a couple of bucks to some charity of some kind and for doing so you can have your name printed onto a paper thank you balloon that will be strung up for all to see. What happens is at the end of the year the company gives a big donation of your collected dollars in the name of the company and gains the tax deduction for itself. But now, at this one particular big box store, when you are asked if you wish to donate there is a QR code that you can photograph that allows you to claim your donation. Outstanding!

26 May 21

06:30 hrs

     By the end of this week all residents of the Wayward Inn will have had their first shot of the Beer Flu vaccine. It will be a few months more before we get our second shot. The good news is that more than 50% of the country's population has been vaccinated and there is a plan in place to return to normal,  whatever that may be.

     The book house has all of the siding on. I have to finish the sanding so my Lobster can paint the outside. It's just the doors and the roof left before it can be mounted. I'm sure the patrons will enjoy it.

     We've had a few days of cooler and wetter weather. This has allowed us to put the topping on the lawns. The Loin Fruits helped too and most of the three yards of soil has been distributed. 

     A dear friend of mine from long ago is coming to the Valley. He was - and is - a Brother in Arms. We, as many of us, have worked, bled, buried our brothers and cried together. For him, and others who I call Brothers, the doors to the Wayward Inn are open and if they need my assistance all they have to do is call.

     I watched an interesting movie the other day. Denial on Netflix. It's about a Holocaust denier being taken to court in The Old Country and made eat his words. It is a true story and in light of what some Whackadoo Representative in the Hugh-ess has been saying by equating the  CDC's imposition of wearing a protective mask to bearing the Yellow Star of David as required by the National Socialist Party. What is truly amazing is not only how some people can continue to squawk such utter nonsense out of their ass but the hundreds fold who have their hands over their ears with their faces upturned to catch all the bullshit. 

     And speaking of Bullshit,  the Case(s) against the Tangerine Tyrant has just taken another step forward with the empanelling of a special grand jury. Two separate jurisdictions have been working together and had announced last week that they were examining possible criminal charges in relation to his businesses. A key figure in all of this is his CMLO - Chief Money Laundering Officer - who surely knows where all the cheques were cashed.

28 May 21

05:35 hrs

     My Lobster has been slogging through my new book. She is doing the editing. I'll have to make the corrections on the final copy. I know she hates it by the way she grits her teeth. Part of the problem is that I had written it as a non-fiction book and I believe that with a few adjustments it can now be good fictional story. Unfortunately, it reads like all business. And then there is the question of exactly who is the target audience. So, I don't know if it will ever get published.

     We've had rain here in the Valley which is great for the forest and for our garden. Of all the things we planted - parsnips, potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant and horseradish -it's the horseradish that has really taken off. The bad part is I can't harvest it until next year. For homemade horseradish tbe wait will be worth it.

Short Sightedness and Poor Planning

12 May 21

04:30 hrs

     Yesterday I had planned to go drown some worms with my Friend from Over the Hump but my boss had put the kibosh on that. Due to my qualifications I had the pleasure of escorting some individuals out onto the airfield to inspect the roof of a building. The timing was tight. An hour or less squashed between their lunch and the launch of the Snowchickens for their afternoon practice run. One hour. In middle of the day. The only good thing was that I was paid for four so I can't complain too much. When the job was done I had errands to run.

     Errand One - take the bent window screens to the Window Shoppe and get them fixed. Easier said than done as the business had relocated from quite near the Wayward Inn to some place down the big hill. I Googled the location but drove past it on the first try. 

     Errand Two - take a run to Crappy Tire to purchase a special tool to remove the bolt holding the cable that supports one side of the Ram's tailgate, the cable that I trip over every time I try to get my ass into the back of the truck. This is where the problem started.

     The Bigtown council, in their infinite dirty soap dish mental capacity, has allowed the maintenance on the Small Bridge to go ahead without any consideration to the traffic issues that it would be causing. It took me over twenty minutes to get to the Big Bridge and so I could go to Crappy Tire. Bridge Number Three is an advertised option but it would only dump me downtown which is no where near where I needed to go. For my return trip I simply punted up to the freeway and drove around town to head back to the Wayward Inn. The distance was greater but the Ram was purring g at a buck twenty so it went by pretty quickly. The question is why, if the Middle Bridge is so important to the flow of traffic, insnt the work being done at night? There are little or no residents in the area, except for the Residentially Challenged and they're going to stay away anyways. Of course this also begs the question of when will the towns in The Valley finally acquiesce to putting in another bridge across the bay? The obvious location at the junction of the parkway and the Main Drag is out of the question because of the monstrous Seniors Rabbit Hutch being built. I say find a location and build it now because the traffic is only going to get worse.

17:30 hrs

     Wham Bang!! 

     I've had my Beer Flu vaccination. No issues - so far - and so easy. I dont understand why there are holdouts and mark my words this shit is not going away and everyone will need regular boosters from here on out. Things will be much better once it is being produced here in the Great White North. 

13 May 21

05:00 hrs

     Our Sr. Couch Monkey has indicated that he is looking towards a career as opposed to just a job. Wow! Shock and disbelief! Well, my Better Half and myself will support him as much as we can including assisting with financing for schooling. But saying is always different from doing and as we have seen before his well intentioned plans sit on a shelf because he will not act on them. He knows that in order to move into his own residence he must be able to afford it and working full time on part time hours at slightly more than minimum wage will not ever get you your own two bedroom condo in a half decent neighborhood. 

     My friend K told me that her Lobster, K, was biking home from work the other day and was watching up ahead for traffic, kids, old ladies - generally for anything that may fall into the path of his bike. He spotted a dark shape up ahead and slowed to be safe. Nope, it wasn't Bambi, which are a common sight on our roads. It was Yogi. That's not too bad. If it was Pete Puma then you have to be worried. K&K had attended my expedition last year when we went Out in the Weeds to look for our Eight Foot Tall Hairy Friends. 

     Last night when I got home after work my Lobster informed me that we were going to be planting a few more trees along our fence line. Why? She overheard the Type A(sshat) neighbour planning to put in some kind of water feature. That coupled with the fact that the guy behind us has been pruning his trees to gain more sunlight for his garden has reduced the privacy screen we had previously enjoyed. So, she's going shopping for some large shrubbery for our side of the fence. 

     Driving into work I notice that the warm weather that we are enjoying has caused the snow line to creep it's way up the mountainside. It still looks pretty though.

     For those of you in my age group you will, or should, recall the movie SHAFT starring Richard Roundtree. It was remade with Samuel Jackson and it was great. Now there is another in the story with Roundtree and Jackson and some new kid. I just finished watching it on Netflix. Five Stars, Dear Readers. I'm sure you'll enjoy it as long as you're not a language prude.

How does your garden grow?

01 May 2021

15:15 hrs

     Dirt!

     The Lady of the House needs dirt!

     And so, I ordered three cubic yards of screened garden/compost/top soil mix. We have planter boxes to fill, garden beds to raise and lawns to top off. At the same time I'm working on the new gigantic book house. 

03 May 21

15:00 hrs

     A friend of mine and her Lobster - he's a Veteran - have been back and forth to the mainland Big City because he has been awaiting a liver transplant. A couple of days ago they received another call about a donor and they headed for the boat. I am happy to report that the operation was a success and hopefully they will be home in a couple of days. In the meantime, they get to stay at Honour House which is a residence for ex-service members and family under going medical care. There are similar houses funded by other service clubs that provide shelter for their members. 

     The Big Swede has done a podcast with a couple of premier investigators on "Bigfoot and Beyond - Episode #104". I suggest that if you are interested in the subject that you give it a listen on your favourite podcast app. Another interesting podcast on the same subject can be found at "Nicola Valley Bigfoot".

04 May 21

05:15 hrs

 ....AND MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU!

     If you do not understand the meaning of this line then I strongly suggest that you do not read my blog because you are underaged. It is on this day that Star Wars fans everywhere celebrate the series. I remember when the first movie, Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, came out in 1977 people lined up to see the movie over and over and over and....you get the point.

06 May 21

05:30 hrs

     Yesterday was my Aunt's Bday. I dont really care how old she is. Does not really matter. I gave her a shout last night and wished her all the best. I really like talking to her. She is someone who has practical life experience that is beneficial if you take the time to listen.

     Just a heads up, the second batch of homemade hot sauce has been now processed and bottled. I hate to say it but my Sr. Loin Fruit's batch was actually better. I think I tried to hard and the flavours got muddled. It's still good just not as crisp. That's okay I have a pint jar of straight Thai chilies fermenting for a minor batch and I have some pickling for when I'm Out in the Weeds. 

Going Up!

20 Apr 21

21:30 hrs

     The big Rabbit Hutch development near the Wayward Inn is reaching for the sky. There is now a crane on site for setting the next two floors and the roof. This is just one of four buildings in this development and when completed I'll have to look for a different route to the Wayward Inn as the traffic will be heavy. Of course, all the town would have to do is add a left turn only signal at the nearest intersection. But, they won't. 

     The huge Vertical Rabbit Hutch being constructed across the bay is getting even bigger. One portion looks to be, dare I say it, FIVE STORIES TALL! Has city hall gone mad! Its probably an observation level for the senior citizens who will be living there and not actual living quarters and that's how the construction company got away with it.

22 Apr 21

19:30 hrs

     Today is the Sr. Sage's birthday. Eighty years young he is! He and his Lobster had dinner at a relatives place (they are all inside the same Beer Flu bubble). He recieved a number of phone calls and a whole bunch of cards full of well wishes. My Lobster and the Couch Monkeys call him as well.

     A co-worker went across the Strait with her Better Half early this morning. His liver has been failing for years and after a battle with some medical morons he was placed on the waiting list for a transplant. They got the call and headed for the ferry. At the hospital he was called in for the surgery prep but at the last minute it was determined that the liver was no longer viable. The trip wasn't a total loss as they now know what to expect the next time.

23 Apr 21

05:00 hrs

     Here in the Valley there are two main bridges that connect the two sides of the community. The older one is right downtown and it will be under going some maintenance for the next five or six months. As a result traffic will be down to a single snail's pace crawl.

11:00 hrs

     I happened to be cruising down the main drag - I was off work early - when I spotted another Rabbit Hutch in the process of being hatched. I don't know if it will be rentals or for purchase but seeing the building going up is a good sign. Lord knows we need more housing but please make it affordable for those who need it. If I owned a building I would charge the renters a rate that was a percentage of their pay. Say 25%. You make 50K after taxes. That's $12,500 per annum or 

$1,042 a month. You're making only 30K then you'll be paying $7,500 per year or $625 a month. Those making minimum wage - less than $20K - will only have a two bedroom place and each will be required to pay 12.5% or $208 a month. I think I would call the place "The Social Arms".

Another project!

09 Apr 21

05:15 hrs

     Before I begin Dear Readers I would like to note that His Royal Highness Prince Phillip the Duke of Edinburgh has passed away at the ripe old age of 99. As a cadet I had participated in the youth challenge program that he had started, the Duke of Edinburgh Award, finally being awarded the gold standard. May he rest in piece.

     If you have seen my social media page you will have seen that my Sr. Couch Monkey decided to try his hand at making his own batch of hot sauce. Here at the Wayward Inn we all enjoy the spicier things in our diet just a little bit and so we welcomed his attempt at the recipe, which was for a huge batch of sauce. He decided to reduce the size of his first batch to 1/4 of the recipe. Despite not having the correct equipment and despite never having attempted to make any kind of condiment or home preserve I am proud to say that his first batch is some pretty good stuff. Heavy garlic, kinda sweet with an early burn. I would like him to keep track of his recipes so he can repeat the successes and learn from the failures. My interest in my eldest's kitchen works has lead my Lobster to conclude that the home manufacture of hot sauce will become a competition. Maybe. Probably. I'm already looking to purchase the correct container for fermenting peppers and I'm devising my own recipes, which will be recorded. 

11 Apr 21

08:00 hrs

     A couple of days ago I had hauled out the smoker for the start of the season. That in itself is incorrect as here On the Rock there really isn't a time of year when you cannot use a smoker. If you were living anywhere on the Home Prairie it would be extremely difficult during the winter months to get it up to temp. Mind you there are some Prairie Die Hards who will fire up their Flame Pit within the shelter of the garage after donning the snow suit and cracking the door for ventilation. Anyways, for this first go I selected a pork loin roast and some mild Italian sausages. I also did a couple of onions and a block of non-meat stuff for my Jr. Loin Fruit. In the end, the onions could have cooked longer and Jr. stated the block of stuff turned out too smokey. Fair enough,  I won't have to trouble myself with that again.

     Speaking of the Jr. Couch Monkey, he did not pass his driver's exam. Don't get me wrong, he is a good driver but if anything he is too kind. He slowed down so someone could cross the street and a did couple of other nice things racking up too many demerits.

14 Apr 21

05:45 hrs

     Yesterday I had to pick up a 1/2" sheet of plywood for the new book house. Can you believe $65 for a sheet of plywood? A 3/4" sheet is $94 before taxes. Insane! It will take me some time to build but taking some lessons learned from the last one I hope to do a bang up job on this one. Kne thing for sure is this one will be simpler and bigger. Much bigger. 

     Well, Dear Readers this has gone on too long. If you live here in The Valley take a look around and you will see more unaffordable vertical rabbit hutches being built.