Let's get Serious!

30 Sep 21

06:00 hrs.

     In the past few days we have had some interesting things happen here at home at the Wayward Inn and farther afield. Our good friend, the Great Ghiz, made it back home. He resides to the right of the Golden Horseshoe and quite near my Outlaws and when I say quite near I'm saying they are in the same geographical area. I saw him the night before he departed at the Flying Canoe where we had an ale and I gave him a jar of homemade relish - sorry Ghiz, the homemade horseradish wasn't ready yet. When the rest of his crew didn't want to play we bounced to the Irish Place where we found a subdued birthday party taking place. Ooooh Aaaah! Not to worry, the change of scenery was good. A couple of sour ales Mr. Barkeep if you please. Ghiz ordered the McKraken rolls to snack on. 

     My Better Half had a guest come to the Wayward Inn for lunch yesterday. A close friend and former co-worker (JAB) is now living in Capital City. Her work has moved her family several times in the past ten years but now they're back on The Rock. I arrived home from the salt mine in the middle of their luncheon and not wanting to intrude I simply said hello before retreating to my aerie. Later my Lobster told me it was great for the two of them to catch up. Oddly enough the Great Ghiz and JAB had also worked together a number of years ago. Small world.

     One of my counterparts has taken some holidays and of course things may get busy at work. That's okay. I like to be busy.....at work.

     With the wet winter weather starting to hit the Left Coast it will be difficult to get my steps in walking through the neighbourhood. It's not that I don't like walking in the rain it's that I don't like walking through a monsoon. So the alternative is to breakdown and purchase a gym membership. I've been to the local place twice now with my Better Half. The equipment is first rate and the majority of the members are people like myself who are trying to improve their health at a later stage in their lives. I haven't seen any of the posturing and preening Alpha gymrats who lift chrome while eyeing themselves in the mirror and kiss their big guns after flexing them. These jerks need to be humiliated at any cost.

     The Big Swede has finally pulled the pin on the long Duration Expedition. He was Out in the Weeds. I can't wait to find out about the data derived from the plethora of audio recorders he had blanketed the Valley with. That should prove to be interesting. 

03 Oct 21

07:48 hrs.

     Can you believe that I didn't get up until after 0700? Crazy times.

     A couple of nights ago we - my Better Half and I  - were invited for dinner at Sensei's house. We gladly accepted. We were informed that main course was to be bbq'ed ribs. I brought my Lone Star bib.  The meal fantastic.  The ribs, home grown green beans, Mac and Cheese made from scratch and coleslaw. His Lobster really out did herself. The meal was followed with craft beers and whiskey for the men. My Lobster had her regular black bubbly and our Hostess enjoy a rich red vino. Cards were dealt and games were played. Some people won some...didn't. Unfortunately,  we had to trundle home earlier than I would have liked as I was employed the next morning. Ah, such is life.

     If you're looking for pocket books about the South East Asian Wargames (1963 - 1974ish where the You-Alls placed 2nd) a dear friend of mine provided a bunch for me to read and/or put in the Big Book House in front of the Wayward Inn. 

     Today I have a couple of jobs to do. I have to pull the horseradish so I can preserve it this week, I have my lavatory to clean,  i have to repair a statuary that Oma has asked me to fix, I have to get on to prepping breakfast, there are the three bee houses that still have to be cleaned and repaired for next year, I need to go to the gym - yes Dear Readers I now have my own gym membership and by the Gods in Asgaard I will use it - and somewhere in all the chaos i want to have a nap.

     Autumn and the coming winter is fast approaching to the Left Coast. The leaves are changing and the volume of rain increasing daily. A lot of the smaller birds have departed but flocks geese from the north are arriving daily. In a month or so the big swans will be here too.

12:30 hrs.

     Out for a walk. My Lobster headed in one direction and I another. When I get back the Oma-nator will be awake and I have some things of hers to repair. I cut up the horse radish. I split one plant and replanted it. I cleaned off the other one and cut it up. Both plants had been very root bound in the pots we had them in. Better luck next year. 

14:45 hrs.

     The cut up horseradish has been ground up with vinegar,  salt and a bit of sugar. There is not a lot but there is enough to bake the hairs out of your nostrils. I love it. Reminds me of the stuff we would have with the roast beef when we went to Beef & Ballet in the Peg. That stuff would clean out any sinus infection known to mankind.

     Well Kidlettes,  it's time to sign off this post. I still have a lavatory to clean and I would like to get some writing done on the cook book. If you have any suggestions for a snappy title let me know.

Bent out of Shape

24 Sep 21

21:00 hrs

     So Dear Readers...

     Did you vote?

     Not that there was any real change in the Political Spectrum here in the Great White. But I sincerely hope you did cast a ballot. The outcome was very similar to the outgoing Parliament. In fact it is so similar that the ele ton has been referred to as a $600 million cabinet shuffle. Once again the vast majority of the winning seats came from the central part of the country and the vast amount of the opposition seats are in the west. Several parts of the country are once again feeling very alienated from the rest of the country. As I have mentioned before, a means to defend against this unbalance is to have a Triple E senate - Equal, Elected and Effective. There would be an equal number of senators from each province regardless of their population size - EPI (Enlarged Potato Island) would have the same number of senators as La Belle Province or Sa-hatchewan or the Left Coast. The members would be elected - there would be no more padding g the Red Chamber with cronies who were now beholden to the ruling government. This new body would be effective. At least that's the belief.

25 Sep 21

08:00 hrs.

     My friend the Great Ghiz is in town for a week. We went out to a local eatery to catch up, tell lies to each other and drink beer. The plan was to take him to see our mutual Friend from Over the Hump but Ghiz is working - babysitting in my opinion - the entire trip. So the trip is a no go. Tonight we are headed over to dine with Elric the Stalwart and his Lobster. We were asked to bring a salad. I'm also bringing a couple of specialty beers and a bottle of red elixir. They will certainly add to the pleasantness of the evening.

27 Sep 21

04:15 hrs.

     I am awake for some unknown reason and so I am also vertical. Coffee is cooking. Breakfast yet to come. Last night the Great Ghiz came to the Wayward Inn.  Without breaking OpSec, the planned missions were a No Go and so my Lobster and I put on a spread. The Flame Pit was fired up for steaks, marinated chicken boobs, whole curried onions and a couple of veggie patties for the Jr. Couch Monkey. There was oven roasted yams and home grown potatoes and Timothy provided us with a pair of sourdough focaccia.With six of dining there was not a lot of leftovers.

     It was twenty-six years ago that my Lobster and I were married. And on the night before our wedding the Great Ghiz and my Brother from Another Mother accompanied me on a last night out. We were to be babysat by two of my Better Half's Cuz'n in-laws through the Nation's Capital. Hmmm...good luck with that. Last night we discussed the facts of that event that could be barely recalled over several craft sales. The Couch Monkeys were entertained and the Sr. Loin Fruit brought out this elixir called Tofino Espresso Vodka. Sounds horrible but we thought it was worth a try. The Great Ghiz stated he was going to have to pick some up to take home.

     I'm working today and my Better Half has several appointments to attend to. We have The Roof Guy coming back to identify, locate and repair the leak that appears to have not been fixed the last time he was at the Wayward Inn. The other night I was awakened to the sound of dripping water. I got up and wandered around trying to locate it. I thought that I was dreaming because the issue was supposed to have been fixed. Later, when everyone was up I checked the previous location and there was a fresh water stain on the Oma-nator's ceiling. Not impressed. 

     Our dear British friend is in hospital. She had taken a fall at home and now needs medical care. The timing could not be worse as her house has been sold and she was in the process of moving into a friend's suite while her new place in the Seniors Rabbit Hutch is completed. The rest of her household is in the process of moving deep into the Interior so this calamity has put a strain on them as well. My Better Half and I stopped in to see her. For being nearly a century old she's looking pretty good.

     Well Dear Readers I will close this out. I have to rustle up some breakfast and make my lunch for work. Take care and share the blog.

Busy

12 Sep 21

21:00 hrs

     It started with a ZOOM meeting at 0800. That was followed by moving the last of the earth into the composters with my Better Half. I hauled the smoker out to cure a half dozen sausages - they'll air dry for a month - and while the smoker was working its magic I washed off the tarps that had covered the soil. 

     It was now 11:00 hrs and I took a quick snack break and started on the prep for supper. Boneless pepper chicken thighs on the rotisserie. Seasoned boneless chicken thighs were threaded on to the skewer with a thick slice of rolled bacon between each thigh. Chicken breasts were flavoured with Greek seasonings as my Lobster was having wraps. The wraps were made with our sourdough starter - Timothy. It was a Turkish flatbread recipe and it turned out fairly well. My Lobster and I worked on them together. She also made a great salad. Somewhere along the line I managed to go refuel the Ram for the coming week. 

     There is a nasty rumor that a new apartment building to be constructed in the Valley will have five floors! Will wonders ever cease.

14 Sep 21

07:00 hrs

     Oh Blessed Rain!

     But for some trees it doesn't matter. On my neighborhood walk yesterday after work I noted quite a few trees that not only have begun to drop their leaves, without changing colour I might add. It seems as if they have just given up the will to live. It seems their owners did not water them due to the water restrictions eventhough you were allowed to hand water- with a hose -your flowers, trees and veggies. My Lobster and I would routinely go out and wet everything down was the sun was setting and thing were beginning to cool off. Two trees in our area have actually died and are slated for removal. They have been cut down leaving just a four foot stall which now sports a bright pink ribbon of flagging tape. Supposedly, the town will replace the trees which is stupid because it's the owner's fault. 

     When the developer started construction the whole area was a forest which for a developer is an eyesore. Calling all loggers! Every natural tree was promptly removed acre by acre. And when construction was completed the contractor was obliged nee mandated to place a - singular - tree on each property.

15 Sep 21

07:00 hrs.

      PROGRAMS!

     GET YOUR PROGRAMS HERE!

     You can't call your horse without a program!

     You also can't go to a restaurant without your vaccine passport. Here on the Left Coast 2.5 million residents downloaded their personal vaccine passport in the first week that it was available. And it's not just restaurants but sports venues, voting booths, shops and a host of other places where YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO GO IF YOU DO NOT HAVE YOUR VACCINE PASSPORT! There is even talk of restricting travel between provinces if you don't have one. 

     Papers? Nyet! We don't need any papers!

     Well then...ya ain't coming in then!

     Don't be a schmucks! 

     Get your vaccine and get your passport!

     From my current location I can see the first dusting of snow high on the Beauforts. Looks real pretty and a sure sign that winter is coming. I'd take a picture but to do so is strictly Verbotten!

Slowly on the Rebound

02 Sep 21

20:15 hrs

     Hello Dear Readers, 

     I have returned. It's been a long time since you've heard from this writer and there is much to tell.

     I haven't checked the dates but I'll try to bring you up to speed. As a recap you probably know that in mid June I went to see the Sages. I was shocked to see the state that the Elder Sage was in with more bad days than good.  A week or so passed by after my return and he had a turn for the worse resulting in hospitalization and then he passed away peacefully on the 17th of July. The surviving Sage, after getting all of the administration ducks in a row set the funeral service date for the 14th of Aug. On the 19th of July I was assisting a friend with a project and blew a rotator cuff. On 09 Aug I head for the drive back to the Interior. On 13 Aug my Better Half and the Couch Monkeys flew into Laketown, the service was the 14th and on the 15th we all drove home to the Rock. 

     The service itself was really good. I was ready to read a letter that had penned to my father when out of the blue my Brother from Another Mother was standing before me. That's when I lost it. There was no way could read my letter. The compassion and love that my Brother in Arms expressed by driving 850 km to support me and my family was too much for me to handle. An uncle had to read my letter. 

     On the 18th I had the Ram loaded and I headed back across the water for Base Camp where there was no connection to the outside world. The operation put on by the Big Swede was a two month endeavor and I would be there for only two weeks so I wanted to make the most of it. By Friend from Over the Hump,  who normally accompanied me on such outings, had to bow out at the last minute. I actually missed him on the trip but in the future I think we'll try working on our own research area closer to home.

04 Sep 21

16:50 hrs

     We have gathered some new potatoes and parsnips from our planter boxes. The parsnips are not big but they'll taste great just the same. The Oma-nator is pooh poohing the size of the potatoes. Was it worth it to plant them? she says. Yes, and fun too. Hang on I've got to drop the chops on the Flame Pit.... I'm back. 

     One of the things that struck me at Base Camp was the number of people with the rooftop tent systems. Like every second or third vehicle. Now these things are not cheap. A used one is 3k and a new one could run up to 10k. Then add it to the monstrous penis on wheels that has to be another 60k or more. It's a lot of money but do these morons invest $500 in a decent Vhf radio - either a mobile or a handheld unit - that will let them know what is travelling on the FSR? NO! What if you break down or witness an accident? There is no cell coverage that far out.

05 Sep 21

18:00 hrs

     It was adventure day for the Oma-nator. After breakfast - and I got my walk in before that - we headed Over the Hump. Normally we would stop at the Giant Tourist Trap bu we were advised that it was a churning cesspool of ant-maskers from out of province. So we skipped it. Fortunately,  there was a bit of a craft market down at the Quay. We found so.e new relishes and a couple of jams. My friend's daughter  - always a squatchy supporter - gave me a new mask. A squatchy mask. Thank you. The six of us wandered and kibbitzed. They are great people. Just as we were about to head back to our side of the Rock my friend notice the bolts securing my lightbar were almost falling out. I guess after all of the dri ing I never noticed them. A quick trip to his house and the Ram was run up the ramps. A few moments later and we had the problem solved. The Ram came off the ramps and we headed home. 

     The day was done.

Closing

12 Ag 21

08:00 hrs

     Good morning Dear Readers, 

     So here we are at the Sage's.  I've been here since Monday and Li'l Sis got here late last evening. She was delayed several hours coming out of Cowtown due to a horrific accident about a half hour out of town. She, and all the other westbound traffic, was diverted down a secondary dirt road that added three hours of travel time. Needless to say she got in the house and within twenty minutes she was changed and ready to go to ground. Naturally, she was up when the local Trash Pandas were still prowling the neighbourhood. I ended up rolling out of the rack a half hour later ... at 04:30 hrs. After my morning walk we finalized the photos and music for the service on Saturday. We still have to meet with the funeral director to ensure he has the ability to play our program. Tomorrow, I'll head south to Lake Town to pick up my Better Half and the Loin Fruits at the airport. The forest fires in the area are still burning and depending on the wind direction it can get pretty smokey. 

     Here's something that I have noticed and I may have mentioned it already. The next time you use your debit card and when the prompt appears for which account you want to use take a close look at the spelling of the word "chequing". Sometimes you will see it spelled "checking". Now, as far as I know - and as far as I'm concerned - it should be spelled "chequing". A "cheque" is an instrument of monetary transfer whereas a "check" is means to mark or indicate or identify an item. So, are you transferring monies or are you identifying something? It's pure laziness and probably influence from the You-Alls. Home Despot is a company from the Hugh-ess so guess which one is on their pin pad.

18:00 hrs.

     I learned today that one of my Cuz'ns is a new father. Congrats. His parents will be travelling out to the Sages for the final goodbye to the Senior Sage which takes place on Saturday.

     Right now we are ready to watc the Lions and the Stamps hammer each other in a game of pass the pigskin. I don't normally watch sports at the Wayward Inn. Maybe I should.

13 Aug 21

05:45 hrs.

     My Lobster and the Couch Monkeys are are the move. Their current position is at the Valley airport and they'll soon be on their way. I only hope that the smoke from the forest fires in the Interior will not hamper their arrival. Overnight another community has been evacuated from the Interior all the way to the Coast. Come Sunday we will have to drive near the area. That particular fire has grown in size to rival the largest city in the Golden Horseshoe - 560 sq. kilometers. 

This will be my last entry for a while as I am going to be busy Dear Readers. Stay tuned.

At the Duck Pond

06 Aug 21

07:00 hrs

     It's a good place to take a short rest in the middle of my walk. I'm schlepping along to the soundtrack from the movie Heavy Metal. That's right. The animated movie taken from the pages of the semi-adult fantasy magazine that educated so many of the youth in my cohort. In the time it took to listen from the title track to the opening of Queen Bee - some forty minutes - I covered over 4600 steps. As my dad would say, Not bad for an old fart!"

     On my journey I went past the latest rabbit hutch. I'm sure the interior trades are now working like a colonyňfo of ants. Electricians, plumbers, wall boarders, flooring guys - they'll all be pretty busy going from unit to unit. My Better Half got a reply from an enquiry she had sent to the developers. In part is said the units - the four one bedroom condos and the fourteen two bedroom condos are scheduled for completion this coming Jan/Feb. The starting price for the for the one bedroom units will be around the upper 300k mark and the two bedroom units near the lower 400k point. There was no mention what the hundreds of rentals. From their website - 24 condos, 204 rental apartments,  22 affordable suites (government mandated lower price), 1050 solar panels generating 345 kW. All fairly interesting.

07 Aug 21

05:30 hrs

     Yes, I am up too damn early. I want to finish this book, go for my walk and then install the dash cam in my Lobster's car. As I had my, after the Jr. Loin Fruit's accident we decided to purchase and install dash cams in all of our vehicles. I did the Ram and the only issue I had is that I needed to full time 12v outlets. One for the camera and one for my beacon lights when I'm on the airfield.  Those lights must not be on the ignition side of the power source. Therefore, the installation in the Ram was a bit more involved. What wasn't involved were either one of my two Couch Monkeys who knew that I would be or was actually installing the device and did not take the slightest interest in seeing how to install the unit. My Lobster has said that I am to assist them in putting their camera in. Well, first of all when I was their age I was already twisting wrenches on multi-million dollar pieces of equipment, could do my own oil changes and had installed stereos, radar detectors, fog/driving lights on numerous vehicles. These two... not so much. I think it's their lack of interest in acquiring the knowledge and expanding their skill set for their own benefit plus the wilful blindness of what is happening around them - unless it is in their interest - that pisses me off the most.

     Again, why should I have to help someone who : 

A- should be capable of doing it themselves and, 

B - is apathetic to their surroundings.

08 Aug 21

05:30 hrs

     By this time tomorrow I'll be in the Ram headed for Hub City to grab a ride with the Left Coast navy. By supper time I'll be at the Sage's. Li'l Sis will be joining me on Wednesday and my Better Half along with the Couch Monkeys arrive on Friday. On Saturday the family will gather to say goodbye to the Elder Sage. It should be a gathering of epic proportions however I will be driving my branch of the clan back to the Wayward Inn on Sunday so I will not be saying goodbye to the extent that I would like to. I'm sure my Lobster will be counting....1..2..3..4..5! The only thing that really concerns me is the driving portion of the trip. Not so much the driving but the forest fire situation is jeopardizing some routes. Unlike some provinces, this one does not have a radio frequency that continually broadcasts road conditions.

09 Aug 21

07:00 hrs 

     I'm on the boat. I even made it upstairs for breakfast. What a disappointment! I suppose the lackluster food offering is due to the drive for efficiency and the Beer Flu. And I think the virus was the Golden opportunity for the contracted provider to cut costs. No longer is there a choice of how you want your eggs. Everyone gets scrambled which in itself is not bad. If they're done right scrambled eggs are a delight. In fact, my Lobster makes the best scrambled eggs that I have ever had. However, these particular should never have come out of the industrial size cardboard box that they arrived in. I may be old but I almost had a flashback to a point before I was born. A point when troops in the Kotean War were fed powdered scrambled eggs. Certainly an affront to chickens everywhere and any Chef who was told by managment to cook them should have walked off the job. No plate. All the components of the meal - the shitty eggs, toast, hashbrowns, bacon, sausage and salsa - was geometrically placed inside a waxed cardboard takeout box. I suppose this the new high dining experience on board the Left  Coast Navy. 

     Speaking of dining experiences,  yesterday my Better Half, the Oma-nator and I were out for a bit of an adventure so we decided to stop for brunch at a local diner. Again, due to the Beer Flu the menu was limited. I chose the Monte Cristo sandwich. When I ordered it I had noted that it came with a wild berry aioli.  Right from the start I knew that this was just plain wrong. A Monte Cristo sandwich is supposed to be savory but the waitress assured me that there was very little on the sandwich. In hindsight I should lied and said I was allergic to aioli. But it wasn't just the condiment that ruined the dish it was its very construction. A Monte Cristo sandwich is ham and turkey between two slices of swiss cheese that is place between two slices of bread which is then dipped in egg batter and then fried until the cheese just starts to melt out. Perfection. This hot mess was two slices of french toast onto which the innards were piled on and steamed until the cheese poured out. Instead of being gooey and drippy the cheese was a liquid schmear. Obviously,  the cook - there is no way I would call the individual a Chef - was cutting corners by pre-making french toast that could be used for several different dishes. For example,  the Oma-nator ordered stuffed french toast which was just fruit and whipped cream placed between two pieces of french toast. And speaking of fruit, my Better Half ordered a Blackstone Benny which arrived with two forkfuls of hashbrowns, hollandaise sauce that looked like it was poured out of a can and no fruit. 

     No excuse!

Henry is Missing

29 Jul 21

06:45 hrs

     On my walk this AM I saw a sign on a bench at the duck pond by the Rabbit Warren. 

     HENRY IS STILL MISSING.

     Last seen June 18.

     Of course, Henry is a brown/black striped tabby that doesn't wander from home and will not approach strangers. Which points out the problem - if he doesn't wander then he should be at home and if he is not approachable by strangers it is unlikely that someone scooped him. The note doesn't say how old Henry is but all pet owners know that if their animal feels like it's going to die it will seek out a quiet place. That being said I would surmise that Henry could be close to home but someplace that he felt really safe or if he did get out near the duck pond a hungry eagle may have picked him up for lunch.

03 Aug 21

06:00 hrs

     I know that I have been slacking off on my blogging but I have been busy doing stuff around the Wayward Inn. That plus the walking regimen is keeping things hopping. And that's a good thing as I am down five pounds but whose counting. It's more about health choices.

     The apple tree that had been up against our back fence for the past ten years finally broke its bonds and fell over. Many years ago it had been secured from falling over with some 100lb cordage. When that finally broke the weight of the apples was too much and the tree toppled onto the yard. Realistically, the planter box that it was in was too shallow. We are planning on using the box for other gardening ventures but I have been tasked at raising the box.

22:30 hrs

     If you have seen the news of late the new variant of the Beer Flu has struck the Hugh-ess with vengeance. Of course the politics of getting the shot and making is being pushed to the forefront. The end result is that more You-Alls are going to die.

04 Aug 21

17:00 hrs

     The heat here in the Valley is oppressive. Thank goodness we don't have the humidity like they do in the Golden Horseshoe. Down there you can shower at 06:00. Go for breakfast and by the time you get to work you need another shower. It's so humid you practically drink the air you breath. 

     My Better Half informed me that was a wild fire reported over on the Beauforts just about directly across the valley from us. The bush has been without precipitation for over a month. Hopefully, the forest service has a handle on it. I haven't seen a lot of smoke over that way so I'm sure it's under control. 

     The Ram has a dash cam. Eventually,  I'll get them installed in all of our vehicles. 

     The Oma-nator has made well over a dozen and a half dish cloths for me to take to the Interior. It gives her a purpose.

     With so little time left I've really enjoying not working. It's not that I don't want to work. It's that the project I was providing security for is on hold and the boss has nothing else for me. So tomorrow, after my morning walk I'll start getting my gear ready for after the trip to the Sage's. Tent, camp stove, kitchen, tarps, ropes, electronics and the like. I really should make a list.