And then things went sideways!

17 Jul 21

05:10 hrs

     I have been back from the Sage's for little more two weeks. Well, maybe close to three. And since that time the situation at their place has rapidly changed. As I write this blog I do not know whether the Elder Sage is still with us or not. I am not being flippant. Last week he had an infection that made his condition worse. He had to be hospitalized and medicated. However, the infection went septic and a fever ensued. The fever has been treated but the meds to calm him have left him bedridden. The infection had also affected his mental and physical capability. The medical staff informed the younger Sage that the Elder's passing could be in hours or days but likely not weeks. You should know that the knowledge of what is surely to happen has shaken me to my core but I am coming to accept it as part of life.

19 Jul 21

07:45 hrs

     The Elder Sage passed away on Saturday morning. The Younger Sage was with him at the time. It was very peaceful. We are all progressing through our loss. The Younger Sage will be setting up the timing for the service. At this point I have no idea when that will take place.

     On to other things....

     I'm just about finished listening to that horrible audio book. As much as it pained me to listen to the persistent mispronunciation of common words and the horrendous inflection applied to the words spoke by a male character I toughed it out and now that the book is complete I can flush it from my jump drive and move on to something else that will hopefully be more enjoyable. I am also nearing the completion of Bourdain's book Medium Raw. If you are a foodie you have to get your own copy or at the very least check it out from the library. Be warned the book is raw in its language and chock full of F-bombs. 

     The monstrous book house has been completed and mounted in front of the Wayward Inn. I'm sure the locals will enjoy it. Now that this is completed I can push on to other projects. 

20 Jul 21

04:00 hrs

     What the hell is a rotator cuff?

     Well, whatever it is my left one snapped while I was helping Sensei move double sheets of sheet Rock out of the Ram. He had asked for help and I answered the call. My Lobster drove me to the hospital and after four hours (with no x-rays) I was cut loose with a script for a muscle relaxant cream. When it rains it pours.

Observances

07 Jul 21

10:00 hrs

     Hello Dear Readers, 

     Let's start off with some items of mutual concern, shall we? First off is the heat. Here in the Left Coast the heat has finally broken but there has been not precipitation in about a month. As a result the forest is as dry as a popcorn fart. There is a campfire ban in place and the usual summertime watering restrictions. I still say that if I was constructing a house I would have a huge underground tank buried in my yard that would collect all of the run off from my roof. This water would be plumbed for use to flush the toilets and to water the lawns which the two largest users of grey water. Figure it out. Even if you had older dunnies that used a gallon per flush and about 500 gallons for watering your garden. Of course, watering your garden can be curtailed to just the vegetables. So, a ten thousand gallon cistern would quite easily sustain a normal household during the summer months and if the level got too low alm you would need is a valve that would revert those two systems back to the regular water supply. Sounds like a good idea to me. You have to keep things simple because the more you overtake the plumbing the easier it is to stop up the drain. 

     Why not add a fire sprinkler system? When a house is being built it can be added for about 5K for the average 1800 square foot home. It would cost more than twice as much to retrofit a home once the wallboard is up. But when it comes to saving your house from a fire the cost would be worth it.

08 Jul 21

05:15 hrs.

     Here are some numbers that you may not know but you should contemplate - 

270 - the number of days for 1 million        people to die globally from the Beer Flu 

151 - the number of days for the Beer Flu death toll to pass 2 million

88 - the number of days for the Beer Flu death toll to pass 3 million

89 - the number of days for the Beer Flu death toll to pass 4 million

3 - fatalities in three countries make up 1/3 of all global Beer Flu deaths - Brazil, India and the Hugh-ess. Guess who the leader is?

606K+ - the number of people who have died from the Beer Flu in the Hugh-ess.

Here's another set of numbers for you - 

400 - the number of shootings in the Hugh-ess on July 4th

180 - the number of shooting deaths in the Hugh-ess on July 4th. 

     Pretty incredible isn't it? And scary too. Just think, 180 people shot and killed during the Hugh-ess Nation's birthday! Were they lined up against the wall and hosed by some deranged mass murderer? No. But I'm pretty sure some died as a dispute over the wearing of masks. 

     Do you want to see something incredibly funny (you may not think it's funny but I have a chuckle or two). Take a look on YouTube and search for "Karen" videos. I didn't know the term until my Couch Monkeys examined it. A "Karen" is typically a white woman, of privilege, who makes a scene in a public place often demanding that she is being oppressed or believes that by being white and rich allows her to ignore the law and common decency. Quite often she is blatantly racist. The funny part is these videos show the world how she truly is and how she was dealt with. 

09 Jul 21

07:30 hrs

     I have been listening to some audio books while driving the Ram - or as by Lobster calls it - The Franken-truck due to the add ins I have applied to it. Now, most of the readers are pretty good with one reader narrating the part of the character in the book that he portrays on the small screen. However, you would think that anyone reading for an audio book would know how to pronounce the written words. For example every one knows that the river flowing through the Hugh-ess capital is the Potomac which pronounced as pah toe mak not pot ah mak. And the horse name after a Hugh-ess First Nation is Arapahoe which is pronounced as ah rap ah hoe not air ah pay oh. I'm sure I will hear more mispronunciation which will drive me crazy. And you would think that sound editor would have spotted and corrected the mistakes before the pubic (sorry) public release.

     Yesterday, after I was finished in the Salt Mines, my Better Half informed me that we - she, me, the Jr. Loin Fruit and the Oma-nator - were taking a road trip to Hub City. There were several reasons for this. The Jr. Couch Monkey had to collect the stuff out of his destroyed automobile and we were going to assay a potential replacement. We would also take a look for anything interesting in the Big Book Store which is a place that has thousands of book titles but none of which is the one you are looking for. The Jr. Loin Fruit purchased four books and believe it or not I found a copy of a book from my favourite deceased chef that I did not have. The food court was blaise. The new car was not suitable and the trip home to the Wayward Inn uneventful except for the three dead and very bloated Bambi's seen on the side of the highway. 

     The left coast of the Rock hasn't felt rain in well over a month and is moving I to a Stage Four drought. Pretty soon all watering of lawns will cease. Vegetable gardens will be hand watering only. I'm just hoping that some precipitation will occur here and on the mainland soon or all activity Out in the Weeds will come to a grinding halt. Currently there are 219 wild fires here on the Left Coast. Be safe out there buckaroo. 

I made it.

21 Jun 21

05:00 hrs

     I'm awake. I shouldn't be but I am. I'm still tired and I should go back to bed but I won't. 

     I'm at the Sage's Place. I got here two days ago having left the Wayward Inn at Oh-Dark-30 for the Left Coast Navy terminal in Hub City. It was an easy drive with sporadic light rain. I checked in for my departure and went to the washroom to get decaffeinated. Beer Flu precautions were adhered to. I boarded the vessel and was parked up against a wall. It was time for a nap. When I woke up I discovered that my left hand hearing aid was missing. I felt around and even managed to squeeze out of the Ram to attempt looking under the seat. Nothing. 

     My next stop was to meet up with Sheldor. He's new to searching for our Big Eight-foot Tall Hairy Friends and he broadcasts a podcast that I had taken part in. I met him at a popular coffee shop which was a mistake. The service was the worst I've ever experienced on the Left Coast. I gave him some prezzies before pressing on to the Sage's. 

22 Jun 21

05:45 hrs

     Yesterday the Elder Sage and I took a quick road trip up the lake to see a mural of my Lobster's favourite singer. We found it and I took a couple of happy snaps. Later in the morning I headed to town to meet a long term friend and former crewmate. Mean Jean was a driving force on the crew. She's a Prairie Girl who works hard, enjoys her drink and calls them as she sees them. God Bless her. 

     I talked to my Lobster last night and she said the heat is expected to climb into the unbearable range at the Wayward Inn. 

25 Jun 21

04:15 hrs

     Every morning I have been awakened by some little bird singing his song just outside my window. It's no wonder why I'm napping by 10. As for the weather...I dont think I can remember heat this bad since I was in El Gorah or maybe The Peg. The entire Left Coast is under a heat dome and all I can say is to stay cool and stay hydrated. 

     I saw yesterday that a coworker's Lobster has now been given the clearance to head home from Pearl City on the mainland at the end of the month. He's been in recovery from a liver transplant. I'm sure everyone wants to see him home safe.

     I made Dragon Eggs for the first time. Now, the Sage's Flame Pit isn't the size of the one at the Wayward Inn but they turned out pretty good. I learned where the deficiency was and I'll correct for it next time. 

     News out of Sa-Hatchewan is the discovery of 715 potential graves at another First Nations Residential School. The shock of what has occurred to these Peoples across the Great White North is only going to get worse as more graves are found. The reaction by the Indigenous population has resulted in the burning of two churches and the removal of the national flag on some treaty lands. The situation has spread to the Hugh-ess where members of the House legislature have called for the investigation of their residential schools.

     And the crowds went wild in la Belle Province when the Habs beat the Kiniggets four games to two. Naturally, fans had to be quelled with tear gas. It could have happened on a worse day as yesterday was St. Jean Baptist Day - the patron saint of that province. In his name celebrations often get out of hand. In fact, in 1987 troops from a francophone TacHel unit station in El Gorah almost caused the removal of Great White North troops from the international peacekeeping force when their party got out of hand. The revelers had been tossing doors and furniture into the bonfire. 

     Well Kidlettes,  I shall draw this to a close more later.

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.