Who knew?

07 Nov 23

12:00 hrs

     Well Campers, it's time for another installment of the tales from the Left Coast. 

     It would seem that an individual on the far side of the Rock is in real deep ca ca for killing a mom and juvenile bruin who happened to be up a tree in his yard. They weren't threatening or anything else but he decided to take action. As described by the witnesses the perp firsts used a long bow and then a crossbow to kill both bruins (in a residential neighborhood). The King's Cowboys arrived he stated that he knew nothing about it. Except for the fact that the two witnesses had even called out to him while he was carrying out the deed. His sentence included thousands of dollars in fines, 30 days in the hoosegow,  a ten year ban on hunting and a ten year ban on firearm possession. An idiot, to say the least. He even tried the self defense angle. Nope. Testimony from the wits shot that down too. 

     The USAF is thinking about removing the 105 mm laser guided short barrel howitzer cannon from the AC-130 Ghostrider gunships in favour of some pylon mounted ant-radar cruise missiles, which, in their opinion, would be more effective. Mounting missiles on a Herc? Why not!? I once saw a Brit Jaquar fighter with Sidewinder missiles mounted on rails that were on top of the wings. Crazy!

10 Nov 23

07:00 hrs

     I remember when I was younger, and at a time when I believed that I was invincible, I could/would, at times, consume mass quantities of libations and as a result of my stupidity would suffer from gut wrenching reverse paristalsis while enjoying comfort of the cool floor next to the Great White telephone. Now, I can laugh at my past stupidity only because I survived. Recently, our eldest Couch Monkey found himself in the same situation after indulging in some Devil's Lettuce and an online drinking game with a few virtual friends. From what my Lobster told me, the sounds emanating from the washroom were most concerning to Jack the Mall Cop who sat by the door wondering what kind of beast was dying just three feet away. For the next couple of days our son had a head like a ten pound Smartie! 

     Bwaa Haa Haa! 

     The folly of youth!

     Tomorrow is Remembrance Day here in the Great White North. Did you know that it is not a National Holiday? Federal government employees recieve the day off work as do some provinces. But not all areas of the Great White North observe the sacrifices made our military service members. My Better Half and I will probably attend the local ceremony, listen to the words of solace for the fallen and the words of promise to end all wars while thoughts turn to the current conflicts across the globe that are still claiming lives.

14 Nov 23

04:30 hrs

     We attended the Remembrance Day ceremony and you know you're getting old when you start to recognize names of the fallen. Later we celebrated the Sr. Couch Monkeys birthday. Elric and his Lobster came over for the festivities. 

     Chef Blaine spotted the remnants of a Big Box Store chicken in the fridge and decided to make a pot of chicken soup. It turned out pretty good and the recipe was written down to be included in the cookbook. My Lobster had asked me several times if I was going to put in a stir fry recipe. It was an interesting notion but as there are a million ways of doing a stir fry I elected to simply focus on the procedures because the ingredients can be changed.

18 Nov 23

07:30 hrs

     My Lobster and I are planning for some holidays. Some in country and some out of country. Some to see family and some not. We're looking forward to it. Stay tuned for our destinations.

     So, do you think the Hugh-ess is going to enter into a Civil War 2.0? It all hangs on what happens to the Orange Shit-gibbon. I think that it is possible If Trumpy is  convicted and jailed or he loses the next election or if he wins the next election. There are just too many radicals with too many guns. 

     And the idiocy doesn't stop at the border. With the current state of extreme unrest in the Holy Land the antisemitic rhetoric has increased in the Hugh-ess and unfortunately here in tbe Great White North. Jewish shops have been damaged and individuals have been attacked. At the source, each side is guilty of some pretty bad stuff but that is no excuse for carrying out atrocities here. Are we not supposed to look for solutions that will bring about peace? Some have suggested having UN Peacekeepers be put in place. A nice thought but it only works if both sides want peace. And besides, the Israelis are pretty pig headed and will act decisively entirely in their favour. About ten years or more ago there were some Hezbollah fighters sheltering near a UN observation post in the Golan Heights. The UN Observers knew it and so did the Israelis. The Hezbollah had been conducting raids against Jewish settlements and then snuggling up to the UN Observation Camp knowing the IDF couldn't touch them. Wrong. Without warning, the IDF shelled the UN post with heavy artillery taking out the Hezbollah fighters and the UN Peacekeepers. So sorry. 

19 Nov 23

07:45 hrs

     It's Grey Cup Day. As much as I like the CFL, I only take time to watch the final game of the year. The Couch Monkeys don't follow sports teams. They get that from me. Is that a bad thing? Maybe it is. I enjoy watching baseball and football but I'm not a rabid fan like some people I know who follow a player's career and track a team's stats. There was a pencil-necked kid in my apartment block, some 40 years ago, who kept a notebook to track every goal scored in every Canuck hockey game. He recorded who made what goal at what point in the game assisted by who and against what goalie. He also tracked penalties incurred as well. He kept books on similar stats for the BC Lions too. We called him Whitey because he spent so much time compiling the data that he was rarely exposed sunlight. In the end, I think he probably evolved into a mushroom.

Back to CFB Lompoc

25 Oct 23

09:00 hrs

     Good Morning Campers, 

     Yes, I'm back at the salt mine. Long hours. Shitty weather. Some joy. At least I've received a pay raise. Not much, but at least I'm no longer treading water. 

     Yesterday, my Better Half posted some pictures of the white stuff falling amidst the rain at the Wayward Inn. I was out in the mud with a team of drillers on the airfield. We had rain, lots of it but no snow. Kinda weird as the distance between these two points is only about five kicks as the crow flies. Today we have wind but no precipitation. The wind is out of the NW and the air temp is about 4° C. On the upside the Beauforts are covered in the first dusting of snow. It looks really prettybut unfortunately, due to security restrictions I cannot share a photo.

     Let's get to the latest news about the Orange Menace. Faced with 91 criminal indictments spread between four or five trials Donny is blindly pushing forward in his bid for re-election. But not everything is rosy in his neck of the woods. In the Peach State trial there are now four co-conspirators who have jumped ship and plead guilty. I knew this would happen as the DA has charged nineteen individuals for conspiracy to subvert the election under the RICO Act. This is an extremely powerful law used to break up criminal organizations like La Cosa Nostra. It was Rudy, who reminds me of Underdog's nemesis Dr. Simon Barsinister, who, as the Big Apple's DA, first constructed the RICO act to charge and convict a ton of Mafia members. And now, he has been indicted under the law he had created. On top of that the Tangerine Tyrant's top aide and confidant Marcus, aka Brute', has knifed him in the back after receiving immunity in the Fed Jan 6th case. That bird will be singing loud and long. I dare say that the jig is up. There are some who doubt that The Orange Shit-gibbon will actually see the inside of a federal or state secure close quarter housing facility. Maybe not but at the very least he will be barred from ever running for Prez or any other elected position ever again. Personally, I would love to see his suit match the colour of his spray tan. Time will tell. 

     The Jr. Couch Monkey is minding the Dojo as the Sensei and his Lobster have migrated back to the Nation's Capital to spend a couple of months with their Loin Fruits. They have a pretty close family unit. Enjoy it. There are too many families that are full of strife and are not close until its too late. It's sad, isn't it?

     This Halloween will mark the one year anniversary for our eldest Yard Ape and his Main Squeeze. She's a lovely girl and they are really good for each other. He'll be going back to college for the second phase of his electricians trade. We are so proud of his dedication and his accomplishments.

29 Oct 23

06:30 hrs

     It's morning and I am still in bed, listening to Under the Influence podcasts. It's a Canuck production from CBC giving a behind tbe scenes look at marketing and advertising. I find it pretty interesting. 

     I had last Friday off work. Boy did I need it. Going forward to the New Year,  I'm going to endeavor to move to a four day work week. It'll give me time to spend with my Better Half and maybe get some stuff done around the Wayward Inn. On that note, my Lobster asked what will the next book be. I'll have to think about it. I'm still working on the cook book. I have seventy-one recipes written and I've been asked to do a hundred. I'm thinking about capping it at seventy-five. I still have photos to take as well. Soon baby, soon.

     Have you ever been in a lineup and have overheard something that you should not have heard? Something that is personal and completely out of place? Well, I was standing in a line, waiting to mail a book off to an individual as a gift. There was a lady behind me who spotted a friend who she hadn't seen for some time. They began to chat and when the friend asked, So, how have you been? the lady behind me casually said, "Well, I have worms. I must have picked them up at the Daycare. I'm taking pills but honestly I don't know which is worse the damn itchiness or the taste of the meds! Its so disgusting."  I'll tell what's disgusting. An adult, working in a daycare facility, contracting a parasite which is often transmitted through fecal matter and which is easily prevented by wearing gloves and washing your damn hands!

     Halloween is upon us. The Wayward Inn has been decorated and my Lobster has purchased enough candy to make all the dentists in the Valley very happy. We lucked in this spring and found a huge amout of Halloween decorations at a garage sale including a six foot skeleton. Our place looks pretty spooky and I'm sure the local ghouls and ghosting will enjoy it come Tuesday night. The decorations were installed over a couple of weeks and  the Couch Monkeys will be tasked to take it down and put it away. 

     Speaking of holidays, it is surprising that the Feds have yet to declare Remembrance Day as a national holiday. Federal Employees have the day off and many businesses shutter out of respect but it is not a national holiday. What pisses me off is the stores, especially the big box stores, who already have the Christmas decorations put out for sale. It's as if their rush for profit skips from the Halloween stuff, which was put out in September to the Christmas stuff put out a couple of weeks before Halloween. I doubt very much that a delay until after the spookfest would hurt the bottom line very much. At the Wayward Inn, we don't start putting up the Christmas lights until after November 11th.

     Well Kidlettes,  that's about all for now. Take care of yourselves, be kind to others and if you can see if you can make someone's day just a little bit brighter.

     

On the Road (again)

17 Sep 24

13:30 hrs LIma

     We are soon to be departing Cowtown. Our day started at 0400 with a musical wake-up call. The Sensei and his Lobster picked us up and completed the transfer to YQQ for a 05:40 boarding. The first leg was to YVR, about 40 mikes, with a reboarding to YYC. Li'l Sis said she would come to the terminal to say hi but we were loading in less than an hour after landing. Our next stop is YOW, the Nation's Capital. Flight time is about four hours, arriving at 19:05 hrs Lima.

23 Sep 23

16:00 hrs

     So, let me catch you up. The GPS that came with our rental car could not locate our Verbo because it probably hadn't been updated in at least five years. We figured this out by the fact that our phones could find the house which is four years old. For the rest of the trip we double checked our directions. 

     The house is great. Nice rooms. Kitted with all the amenities. It'll do just fine for the next week. 

     Well Kidlettes, the funeral went well as did the internment. Last night we met with a bunch of relatives at one of the numerous Lone Star restaurants. It's a chain of TexMex joints that started on the Nation's Capital and may even be in the Golden Horseshoe from what I was told. Food was great. I had the brisket sandwich. Outstanding!

26 Sep 23

09:30 hrs

     Our trip continues. We (myself, my Better Half and the Jr. Loin Fruit) are in tbe VIA Rail station waiting to board the train to Kew City, the second stop in our trip. We'll be staying at a friend's place for five days before backtracking to Bageltown where we'll have another BnB.

     We are looking forward to new sights and tastes. My Lobster's friend will be our host and tour guide. Can't wait. All of the family stuff in the Nation's Capital has been completed. We saw the war museum, the art gallery, the Deifenbunker - a Cold War establishment, parks, the national cemetery and other landmarks.

02 Oct 23

14:00 hrs

     We are in Bageltown. Yesterday, we had traveled by rail and then by cab to the BnB. Nice place. Two bedrooms, one bath, all the amenities. 

     Let me back up. Our stay in Kew City was great. My Lobster and I had never been there and her friend was an outstanding tour guide. The Citadel, the Olde City, the newer City, Poutine Island,  parks, and many, many churches. All wonderful. The company was excellent and the card games a riot. After five days it was time to press on.

     Last night we went to Schwartz's Deli for a smoked meat sandwich. Even the Jr. Loin Fruit, who is a dedicated pescatarian, broke down and had a sandwich. This trip has been a lot of walking. My Better Half and the Jr. Couch Monkey are inside the Basilica for a look see. I decided to catch up on the blog. After a twelve plus block hike this morning the three of us sampled a great bagel. Two of us has cold smoke salmon. One of us opted for bacon. After that my Lobster took me to a Japanese knife shop where I almost bowed down and prayed. These were forged chef's knives. Full tang with wooden or bone or micarta handles. Some of the blades were of Damascus steel and in lengths from four to nearly eighteen inches. All kinds of blade shapes and weights for all kinds of tasks. Did I buy one? Yes. I settled on a paring knife size as all of our paring knives at the Wayward Inn are crap.

18:00 hrs

     We are finally back at the BnB. After walking about 10+k and taking a wrong coming out of the Metro we walked about another 3k before realizing we were headed in the wrong direction. We reversed course, spotted a taxi and jumped in. Tempers are short. If I ever see the inside of another church it'll be too soon.

     A couple of points we have observed. In Kew City there are parks, very little trash,  yards are cared for and hardly anyone smokes. Bageltown is the opposite. Trash everywhere. Half the shops are closed or empty. Cigarette butts litter every sidewalk. In the former there was cell coverage everywhere and here ....nothing.

05 Oct 23

17:00 hrs

     We are home. The Sensei picked us up last night and delivered us to the Wayward Inn. 

     

     And be it ever so humble, there is no place like home. The kitties are so happy that we're home. Our showers. Our beds. Our stuff.

     One suitcase was damaged and I'll probably right it off. The Ram would not start. I jumped it with the portable unit and took it for a long ride to recharge the battery and my soul. We all had things to attend to. Banking, groceries, unpacking, tending to the kitties, etc. 

     Before I leave you Dear Readers I need to impart something to you. While in Bageltown my Lobster,  the Jr. Couch Monkey and myself went to a Holocaust Museum. On entry, the first thing we noticed was the level of security was near what you would expect to encounter at a bank - a security guard, a man trap and a magnetometer (a metal detector). Sounds shocking? Not really when you take a long look at what the Jews had suffered through the years. It's sobering to see the evidence. And, if you have seen any of what has happened in the Hugh-ess during the last administration you will recognize how close the You-Alls are (still) to repeating the Third Reich. If you think im joking, I'm not. In the 1930's it started with the suppression of knowledge - teachers, intellectuals, writers - and blaming all of society's woes on a single group - a focal point to rally the populace. At the same time, books were banned and burned. Books that, for the most part, taught the reader to expand their knowledge and how to think critically. That was Gemany in the 1930's. Move forward nearly 100 years. As of yesterday in the Hugh-ess there are over 3,200 book titles have been banned. Over 65% of those titles are in just 8 states (all Republican) and 42% of the titles are banned in Florida a state that for some unfounded reason (fear?) has halted teaching courses in LGBT+, African-American studies and others. Why is no one, especially the credible news outlets, calling the hard core Republicans for what they are. Fascists. They may not be Nazis but they are fascists.

     Think about it.

Getting Ready

14 Sep 23

07:00 hrs

     Good Morning Campers! Today is Thoughtful Thursday and today we're going to do some deep thinking. I would lime to know why buildings are called buildings when they're already done building them. Maybe they should be called Builts or Crumblings. Just a thought. And, what is causing the huge rise is knife attacks in this country? In Ontari-ari-ari-oh, le Belle Provence and here on the Left Coast. It's crazy. One such attack was a random assault where three people were admitted to hospital. The perpetrators was a guy let out on an unsupervised day pass from a correctional facility where he had been serving time for stabbing his daughter to death in '06, found not criminally responsible in '08, was on an unsupervised outing in '11 when he stabbed someone else. Obviously, this Mook needs help and should not be outside.

15 Sep 23

13:00 hrs 

     Try to follow this train wreck piece of logic - the Ultra-Right Toads in the Hugh-ess are now beginning the process of  impeaching the current Prez. However, they know that there is no evidence of any "high crimes and misdemeanors" committed so they have demanded that The Prez provide they with the evidence for the crimes (?) that they will then convict him of. Does this make any sense to you? It's like a parent bullying a innocent child to "tell me what you did!" and then punishing the child afterwards. Crazy.

     20,000+ That's the estimated number of dead in The Sandbox. Earthen dams do not last forever. Something our Southern Neighbour's should think about since every natural body of water in the country has been dyked, dammed, levied or altered in some manner. Most of with earth. Water has enormous potential energy and moving water can be an unstoppable force. Just ask the people in Fukushima. 

     Two days....not even two days really and we will be off to the Nation's Capital. Excited? A little bit. My Lobster and I haven't been there since we moved the Oma-nator to the Left Coast. Now, we are taking her home. My Better Half has lots of activities planned. Better to have too much planned than nothing unless you're Out in the Weeds where nothing planned is a good thing.

     For lunch I scarffed down some spicy pickled carrots that Chef Blaine had made a couple of months ago. Pretty damn good. The Jr. Couch Monkey likes them, I think. If not, more for me. My gardening skills suck. But, there is a great farmers market nearby so that's where I got the carrots. And other veggies as well. I understand that a cousin of mine in The Peg dug up the whole front yard and turned it into a garden. Good on him! Home grown veggies are the best and if you know how to preserve them it'll cut you food bill over the winter months. I remember as a kid seeing a house in Skatoon, on 1400 block of Ave G, that had nothing but potato plants in the front yard. Mush have been 50 or 60 hills. Now that's a lot of spuds. My grandmother had a huge garden that fed the10 in the household. The Sages had a large garden too. They scaled it back when Li'l Sis and I moved out.

     I read the pundits are all over the military for allowing (?) Justin's Polaris aircraft to crap out at the G Conference. First of all aircraft do go unservicable. And secondly, there are only five CC-150 Polaris aircraft in the inventory and they are heavily tasked unlike in the Hugh-ess both Airforce One and Airforce Two - the backup bird - travel when The Prez goes overseas. We do not have that luxury here in the Great White North. Not to worry, the Polaris fleet is being replaced with nine Airbus 330s. They will be triple tasked for transporting everything from soup to nuts to personnel, strategic tanking - air to air refueling - and VIP transport. Talk about busy. But then again it's SOP for the CAF to do more with less. I'm just surprised that someone came up with the cash for new hardware.

     When Iwe het back from our trip my friend From Over the Hump is going to give me a hand locating new base camp for us on The Rock. I don't mind traveling to the one on the Mainland but I would like to have something I could get too more easily. So, we'll take our fishing rods and our camp stools, the gps and scope it out. Maybe even drop off some audio recorders too. Whoop!

     My Cuz'n in Sktoon was taking his wife, who was in labour, to the hospital. They didn't make it. He had to pull over on the side of the freeway and delivered his new daughter then, with the assistance of a King's Kowboy and some flashing lights, continued to the hospital. Mom and child are good. The proud father was a wreck!

     Well Folkes, that's about it. Watch for more from down East.

A Friendly Visit

27 Aug 23

17:15 hrs

     We've had guests at the Wayward Inn for the past few days. ChrisTeen and her Lobster, Dewey. She's an ex-service nurse with surgical theatre and medical evac/flight nurse experience. He was not in the military but has had a disjointed career renovating things mechanically and asthetically. We've known them for quite some time. They were actually in the Peg the same time as us but we didn't really know them until both our families ended up here on the Left Coast. A number of years later their family was posted to The Black Hole. A few years later she pulled the pin and retired to the Big Perogie.  We're all of the same age, tastes and similar experiences. Needless to say it's great to see them. 

     The main purpose was to retrieve their travel trailer that my Better Half and myself had hauled it some 30km through a snowstorm to a storage facility. On Thursday  Dewey and I, using his 1 ton truck, picked up the trailer and brought it back to the Wayward Inn. He wanted to go over it with a fine toothed comb before hauling home. Over the next few days he repaired a broken skylight, built a cover to seal a broken window, grease the bearings and clean the slide out. Busy boy. ChisTeen and my Better Half took a cruise up to River City for a look around and get a bubble tea. ChrisTeen learned that she does not like bubble tea. In the evenings we imbibed and played cards. All in all it was a really good visit.

     I figured out that I may have worked close to 100 hours over the last two weeks. Cha ching.

30 Aug 23

18:00 hrs

     Have you seen this commercial? The one where the lady says "I had 8 UTI's this year. That's why my partner and I invented..." Am I missing something? You would think that after one UTI she would learn how not to get one? Are some people prone to getting a UTI? My dad died because of a UTI but he had a urine bag because his bladder was removed due to cancer. I just think it's a weird commercial. 

     Time is ticking down for everyone. My buddy Gordo is heading to Northern Ontari-ari-ari-oh for six weeks and we're leaving two weeks later for the Nation's Capital. The Sr. Couch Monkey will be heading back to college for his 2nd year electricians course in a couple of months.

     I just saw another potential scam ad. This company buys out a Senior's life insurance policy. Not at full value of course. This leaves the Senior Citizen with cash in hand while still with the living but once gone the company gets the Insurance policy payout. Nothing would go to the heirs. Legalized Robber Barons. And, the ads are so slick that if you were a Sage and you were in desperate need of a major cash injection you would probably wouldn't hesitate. This company is in the Hugh-ess and I don't think it operates here in the Great White North. 

01 Sep 23

07:45 hrs

     I swapped books with a guy South of the 49th Parallel. I saw the cover of his book on a social media page, it's called Maintainer Nation and its invited membership is comprised of grumpy old military aircraft mechanics,  Flightline - The Adventures of a Vietnam Veteran AC-130 Crew Chief. 

     I contacted him saying that I was interested in his book and that the title was similar to mine, So There I was...Tales from the Flight Line. I included a picture of my front cover. He suggested that we swap books. Now, my one of my Brothers in Arms, the Great Ghiz, was a fitter on C-130s and a Flight Engineer on them as well so I paid for an extra copy and shipped to him. I explained to the author who the second copy was for and he autographed the book for Ghiz. He was extremely happy when he received it. I may purchase another and give it to another Brother in Arms. If you're interested, the book is available on Amazon. 

     Speaking of books, I'm still editing my way through the cook book and I still have a couple more recipes to add in. I'm now looking at Christmas to release it. If I had nothing better to do it would be done. I stopped in at the local Doggy Jail and talked to some people used to deal with in a previous job. I was reminded of a book I was writing about those exploits but had to stop. It had been passed on to me that the client I worked for had gotten wind of the book project and they wanted to review it before it was published. Probably because they were afraid that if any of the incidents could be identified to a location or individual that they would be liable for legal action. I reviewed what I had written thus far and figured that if I rewrote it in the third person, changed somethings and promoted some false tales to lead the reader astray there would be no clear indication as to who or where or when any of the incidents really took place. But, deep down, a long way inside there would be the facts of a real incident. It still may be finished someday.

     We had some precipitation earlier this past week including a thunderstorm. Lightening caused 14 more wildfires but they are all in remore areas so they will be left to burn out by themselves. There is a wildfire that I am concerned about and that is one near our Base Camp on the mainland. From the map on the BC WILDFIRE APP it is on the East side of the valley and has not crossed the river to our side but it is progressing up the yalley where it may cross over. I think the Big Swede may have to relocate his wilderness vacation spot and time for me to get out and establish my own base camp. It would be a sweet thing to not have to cross over to the Mainland for some interesting interactions of the Big Hairy Kind.

     Well Kidlettes, it's time to draw this to a close. Take care. Have fun and be kind to others.

Third Time's a Charm

04 Aug 23

07:15 hrs.

     I have no idea Dear Readers if you are following the Tangerine Tyrant's latest legal Circus Maximus. It's kinda hard to escape it, isn't it. Since I was bit by the legal bug many years ago court room battles over right or wrong, guilt or innocence have always fascinated me. With this latest Hugh-ess federal indictment I decided to print off the indictment and give it a read. If you think you have an idea on the extent of the  Orange Shit Gibbon's crimes I would submit to you to go to your computer, download the document and give it a read. Anyone who reads this indictment and still believes that he did no wrong is an absolute idiot.

07 Aug 23

19:30 hrs

     My Lobster and I are lounging in the Catio. Mr. Wilson is wandering tbe back 40 with a leash trailing behind him. It kinda slows him down. Miss Maggy and Sir Jack are watching Wison hunt bugs. 

     It's Cricket season!

     We went up to Paradise Meadows for a wander in the woods. Since today in a holiday on the Left Coast there were plenty of other nature enthusiasts parked at 3,200 feet ASL. The walk was about 3k with excellent views all around. You may think that 3k is not all that far but I don't think either one of us could have done it two years ago. Both of us have lost enough weight that some things don't hurt so much. Knees, feet, hips, back, etc. 

     I tried out my curry pickles with supper. I put them up a month ago and I've been dying to try them. They're pretty damn good. My Better Half didn't try them...yet. I'm waiting for the local hot peppers to ripen so I can start making hot sauces and picked peppers. 

     Our new neighbors are moved in. We haven't met them yet. My Better Half said she spotted a couple of Jr. Yard Apes playing on a trampoline. Kids are good. Keeps the neighborhood young and active.

08 Aug 23

05:45 hrs

     I'm up and getting ready for work. I was listening to a podcast and the speaker was commenting on how the Tangerine Tyrant's legal mouthpiece had spent an entire day spinning more webs of deciept and confusion on five different talk shows. The speaker referred to this as "doing the full Ginsberg". It won't do any good. Donnie Boy will be going to jail.

14 Aug 23

05:15 hrs.

     I'm awake. It's the start of a new shift at CFB LOMPOC. Ten hour plus days, which are great for the pocket book but not for the karma at the Wayward Inn. This new job, it started last week and will go on until we return from the Nation's Capital, is pretty big with a lot of moving parts. With my qualifications I know that I am in much demand but I'm not 20 years old anymore and by the end of the week I was truly hooped. I have been urged by my Better Half to scale back the amount of work I'm doing because it would be beneficial for my health. Sounds like a plan.

     In the Hugh-ess the eyes are on the Peach State were the DA is about to drop a fourth indictment on Poor Donny. Now these charges are quite similar to the latest charges in DC but the difference is this - If Donny wins the election he will likely have the DOJ expunge the charges against him but he has no control over state charges. He's screwed. 

     I was going to the library to pick up a DVD that I had requested - Malcolm X - when this Outer Island Hippy Lady left the crosswalk and slapped mirror on the Ram as I was waiting for her to cross the road. "Watch where you're driving young man!"

     I was on the road parallel to the crosswalk.  She was on my left. She had to walk into the oncoming lane to assault hit the truck. After the act she walked ba k across the oncoming lane eliciting a honked horn from and approaching car which received the bird as she mounted the sidewalk. Welcome to the Island.

    

Some Random Thoughts

12 Jul 23

22:22 hrs

     Hello Campers,

     My Lobster and I went to see the new Mission Impossible movie. Two thumbs up!

     I've been picking Saskatoon berries for about a month now and I have a large ziploc freezer bag full of berries. We have also picked another four cups of berries which went into muffins, pancakes and my belly. Maybe I'll try making a pie.

15 Jul 23

07:35 hrs

     Good Morning Dear Readers, 

     The sun is up and the coffee is ready. I've started a new book - The Godmothers.

I was at work a while ago listening to a CBC programmer. The host was talking to this author who had reported and written extensively about the Mafia in Italy - and was still alive to talk about it. Her latest book was about women who were also Mafia bosses and how ruthless they were in maintaining their position. Something about having barrels of sulphuric acid in their basement to dispose of bodies caught my attention. I haven't gotten to that part yet but I can't wait.

     We haven't had rain in tbe Valley for six weeks or more. The forests are so dry that I wouldn't want to venture out for fear of being caught in a forest fire. There are a few on the Rock but for the most part the large fires have been on the mainland. Some of them have consumed hundreds of thousands of hectares. We did have one small forest fire of note. It was located high above the highway that goes Over the Hump to the West side of the Rock. If you have ever been to The Rock you know that there is only one way to go from this side to that and when the fire started it caused debris - logs, trees, rocks and soil to rain down on to the single lane highway. To fight the fire and protect traveller's the road was closed for a couple of weeks. There is no alternate highway. There are logging roads and the suggested route to get supplies trucked in takes an extra four hours. In essence, the towns on the West side of the Hump were cut off. This has been a bone of contention for years. The previous provincial government did look at building an alternate route - basically stabilizing and paving an existing logging road - but, it was deemed non-essential. I believe after this last incident the current government will be looking at the issue more closely. Maybe, I should start hounding my elected official. I'm over 60 and I have nothing to lose and nothing but time.

     Li'l Sis is home at the Sage's for the weekend. It's her 40th highschool reunion. I never made it to mine due to the pandemic and when it was finally held a year later I missed it due to the road trip to the Prairies. Oh well, maybe there will be a 50th reunion where any surviving graduates who are still upright can compare liver spots. 

     When I wast at the conference in May my frien, the Big Swede, gave me a pair of wildlife audio recorders. The only issue is they operate on three double A batteries and depending on the duty time you set for recording the unit will only last about a week. I want them to last much more than that. The manufacturer does have a model using three C cells but I'm pretty sure I can modify these ones to use a three C cell battery pack. The voltage is the same and the current is the same but the amperage is much larger. I'm hoping it will last for over a month. If successful, I'll put these two recorders in some high probability areas, someplace where I would like to set up a semi-permament base camp. I'm getting to the point where I can forsee my ability to get out to the bush will be drawing to a close so I want to make the most of it.

16 Jul 23

14:05 hrs

     We are in Hub City to see the Onion. It had been a while and we thought a road trip with games and snacks would be nice. She's doing well. A three dollar an hour pay raise is sure helping. And her grades are up. Next semester she has four courses an then she will have her BA then she'll shoot for her Masters.  

     On the way home to the Wayward Inn my Lobster wanted to take a quick look in The Bais and since the places to shop in the Valley are limited I figured what the hell. I do have a couple of questions though. Why is it, when entering a major department store from a mall entrance, the first thing you run into is that overpowering stench pit placed smack dab in the middle of the aisle? IMO, there is nothing pleasant about being assaulted by the competing odors of the world's worst cologne collection.

     And another thing... have you seen the design of the clothes in this store. I saw and entire clothing line that i am sure was inspired by Marie Barone and possibly Maude Findlay with a touch of Cass. All over-priced garish recycled drop cloths from the local art school. Then there are the $75 pre-ripped jeans. I thought of taking out my EDC and raising the price by adding a couple more slashes. Cut one pant leg off above the knee and it'll probably be a new sensation - pant shorts.

17 Jul 23

20:00 hrs

     Today is the 2nd anniversary of the Sr. Sage passing. I don't think they even noticed. I'll straighten that shit out when the "meds" kick in so I don't tear them a new a$$hole. I have it as an annual permanent reminder on my phone.

     My Lobster is taking Mr. Wilson out for a walk. He wears a collar with a leash. For the most part you just follow along behind hom and keep him from hunting bees. I'm pretty sure he was stung once. Jack would probably want to go outside the confines of þhe Catio but he won't accept a harness. No harness no outing! We have noticed that Jack has three very distinct personalities. There is hallway monitor Jack. This is the daily personna who watches where everyone goes and guards the doorways. There is Dalai Lama Jack. This one rests on a window ledge or on a table like the Sphinx with only an ear cocked for data intake. And finally, there is Asshole Jack. This is Mr Jealous Pants who h0ates it when someone is higher on the cat stand than him or who enters a room without his permission and is therefore subject to furry harassment.

23:23 hrs

     Well Kidlettes it's time say Goodnight. I hope you all had a great day.