Category: Uncategorized

It’s just too damn hot, even by 9:00 am it was sweltering out of doors. I had to wear a wrist band to mop up my sweat because it streams down my face into my eyes blinding me if I don’t. Luckily I have several large trees that provide shade (which provides me with many days worth of work cleaning up leaves. But that’s an October post waiting to happen), so I don’t have to be in the direct sunlight 100% of the time. But when I am, woah baby! It’s hot. Stinking hot. Too damn stinking hot. Make your knees weak if you aren’t careful. Not to mention the dust the mower & weed eater kicks up that applies itself to my skin like a powdered donut. I feel grimey. I feel crunchy. I have grass bits embedded in my legs from the line trimmer. I am just about ready to hose off, then go for a family swim.

This is the second grass cutting for all of July, so I haven’t had to suffer much with it, which is nice. I think I’ve spent more time cutting the grass at the cottage, pulling weeds, and weed eating up north in the month of July than here at my own home. Weird. The mosquitoes up north have been especially bad this year. I wonder if that bird flu, avian flu has attacked the mosquito munching branch of the bird population? Because, woof! It’s like a wall of buzzing bastards when you head outside after sun down, or walk out into the woods. Not here though, here the bug population has been just fine.

So I took the plunge yesterday and drove all of our old tech out to the technology recycling dump, and pitched all of it into the dumpsters. It cost me $20.00 to dispose of a dehumidifier because it contained cfc’s. So not bad at all. The basement, and several closets got a good clear out. On my way out of town after I hit the dump, I stopped off at Golf town to look at some second hand woods for my golf club collection.

I am amazed at what folks are willing to spend on a single club. Some of them are upwards of a grand. That’s nuts. I bought one $75.00 previously owned Tayler Made wood, and I found a second slightly different one (which was new, but not crazy expensive) to round out my golf bag. I never even gave woods a thought before I played on Thursday. Most of the Par three courses need a driver or 9 iron, a wedge, and a putter. So that’s mainly what I use to get up, down, and over a fairway no matter how long or short the hole is. Seems I needed at least one more club to do it. I learned that in the field, so I’m comfortable getting the club to sort myself out. I’m hoping to get my wife, and a couple friends of ours to go out and play in late August. Fingers crossed we can make that happen.

Another plus is that our garage is no longer filled with busted tech items, so I’m back to having a clean shop! Yes. I have one bag of garbage to go to the curb Monday night, but otherwise the garage is now free & clear of crap. Besides the children’s outgrown snowboard gear that I’m taking to a trade in place come October, I have gotten rid of every box, every piece of styrofoam, every scrap but of metal, piece of junk/litter that I can think of. I have one more set of drawers I should go through, but it is currently housing my saw blades, and dado stack, and a few other lathe items, so it’s not really something I can toss away right now. I’m happy. I’ve gotten the space to a place I could only have dreamed of just a few short years ago. It’s taken ten years to get it there, but I am feeling relieved that I got there. I hate having to wait and do things piece meal, but having kids has taught me patience, and the art of the “long game”. Do things gradually over time and a good number of people will never notice. Or not until it’s too late and everything is long gone, out of sight, and out of mind.

I’m going to hear up to go for a swim now. Hope you have a happy and/or productive Saturday yourselves. Oh, and thanks for downloading my books. I don’t know if you will actually read them, I’d like to think that you will, but I’m happy to see that number of downloads ticking up on a semi-daily basis. Makes me smile anyway!

Was it ever a warm one yesterday. I knew we were cooked when there was only one other group following us into that hot soupy mixture of blazing sunshine, high humidity, and long empty stretches of very short grass. We still had fun playing like shit (as was to be expected) chasing our golf balls here, there, and every fucking where. We celebrated like champions if we managed to stay on, or just plain reach the fair way at all. I donated a good half dozen balls to the trees, tall grasses, and weed heavy areas. Conversely I found at least five balls on the course, so I didn’t make out too badly. I broke a good half dozen tees, and nearly sweat through every single item of clothing I had on, including my hat, and both shoes. By the time we finished it felt closer to 40°C than to 30°C. It was a blast, and much like I said when I last played Thunderbird in Ottawa, let’s do this again, but on a cooler day! The only benefit of playing when it was so hot was there weren’t any golfers following hot on our heels, so we could play poorly unrushed. We kept up the pace of play, but we could also enjoy a decent swing, or make a quick quip if we shanked the ball hard left/right into the tree line. Along the front of the course on hole sixteen I launched a ball out of the course, across the road, bouncing once over a fast moving car, before being lost to a farmers field. I called it too. Even aimed away from it, but caught such an amazing curve I flew right back to, then over the 10th line. Luckily nobody was hurt. Thankfully. I did manage to par on the 18th hole which was a par three. Solid drive from the tees to the green, a two putter to finish off a four hour marathon game in the intense heat. I felt great after that one decent hole.

I eventually went home, showered, gulped down yet another drink, then slept for two or three hours under a fast moving fan, with the AC going. Today my back, and sides ache a good deal. My feet hurt yesterday. But otherwise, it’s all good. My wife tells me there is a good, and inexpensive course up by her school in Sutton that we should play next. I’ll look into it.

Otherwise happy Friday. Hope your week hasn’t been too insane, or stressful. I did work briefly yesterday, for about 90 minutes or so to answer some emails, and edit a report for a client. As far as I know I have one more report coming before the end of August. So I will plan accordingly. Take care out there. Ciao Bella!

Playing a full eighteen holes today. Let us pray that it doesn’t get brain meltingly hot. I do not wish to sweat through my shorts, nor pass out on the fairway. Playing at a new (to me) course I have never been to. The last time I played through a full eighteen was a day or two before I got married, about fifteen years ago now. I have gone out to play some nine hole par threes since then, but that’s more akin to the driving range, followed by some mini putt. This will have some serious yardage to cover. Could be a real shit show!

I had hoped to warm up at the driving range first, but that seems very unlikely now. I should have gone out yesterday to do that sort of pregame warm up. Too late for that! We will just have to go in rusty, and dry. Should be a real show stopper when I pull a muscle, a limp home wounded. Ha!

I had best eat and find a bottled beverage to take with me to stay hydrated during this sun soaked adventure. Find a hat, and sun glasses too. Sun screen and maybe a fan, a portable AC unit, a pool, or a slip n’ slide, among other game day essentials. Wish us luck!

**UPDATE: it was incredibly hot today, and the humidex put the heat up into the high thirties Celsius. By hole three I had begun to sweat through both my socks, shoes, and shorts, as well as shirt. I was spectacularly bad as I knew I would be. I managed one par, for the 18th hole, which was a par three. I had the drive of my life, and a solid roll to get up onto the green, and a two putt to make me forget how awful I was on the prior seventeen holes. I gifted the course a half dozen balls, and the rough gave me back five other balls in return. I busted five tees, and drank four Gatorade zeros to finish no where near the course record. Fun time had by all. I seem to say this a lot but next time we should go when it’s cooler outside. I’d like to try a foursome and have my wife play along too. All in all it took us a hair shy of four hours in the blazing hot sun. Although the breeze was hot, it was welcome once shaded under the canopy of the courses trees.

My father in law rescued a beaten up trampoline from the side of the highway about three or four years ago and we have tried time and again to get it assembled. But parts were broken, it needed welding in places, and we couldn’t understand the design. Fast forward to yesterday and with some new parts, and a mitre saw and four of us bending, pulling, and reefing on these fiberglass rods we did finally manage to get it assembled,along with the safety netting, and positioned onto the sand pit. Where it will stay until it dies a heat death. That is all.

But it has long since been forgotten, or perhaps it will be repeated by the only other person listening; to a raucous round of applause, and laughter obviously. I don’t write punchlines, I live jests that carve deep. Hewn from the bone by a life lived, and felt, most deeply. Am I sensitive to it still? Yes. Do I make a meal of it all? Often. But only when alone with my thoughts. Just desserts you may wonder? A pun? In this economy, you must be madder than a shit house rat. More like a little known chess move aptly named “the elephant mans emission“. Loud, sloppy, and so much more than a person could handle. You feel that? Slipping through your fingers. That’s time, and you have a finite amount of it, and no one can see their own hour glass to know how exacting they should be when delegating their allotted time out. It’s rough out there for a cowboy. Ride a donkey. Or the neighbours wife I don’t recall how that idiom goes.

Absurdity is a pass time of mine. For brief injections of fun only. Used sparingly. Sprinkle on your breakfast, or mix it into your favourite drink. Not for use with existentialism or nihilism. May cause drowsiness or disdain in others. Sleep well.

Tuesday is upon us. That means library runs for both kids today. And on a more sombre note, Tomorrow is the two year anniversary of the passing of my friend and her daughter. I think of them both often. I still dread going into the summer months for fear of losing more friends, and their offspring. We did lose Great Grandma but at 97, and struggling with dementia it was all but a certainty. My friend was out of the blue, and had not been struggling in an LTC for nearly five years. They hit differently. Listen to me ramble, I need to eat. Ciao Bella!

He is just too cute for words. What a lovely puppers. At least when he is asleep that is. Ha!

Welcome to Monday, and guess what? I’m wearing a sweater if all things. At certain points so far this summer I never thought I would be cold ever again! The gear waves last longer, and longer, and longer. Who knew we could of had cool, nay, cold temperatures in July. I was starting to think that was a myth or a misremembered memory.

Woke up to a hot breakfast of toast, bacon, and scrambled eggs. Tight! That’s one way to start a Monday. Let us keep this groovy ball rolling somehow. I even partook of a brief work out this morning too. Haven’t run yet, but I’m building up to that.

Have a good day all.

Thank the gods the weather has turned cool for a brief spell, because that heat was becoming untenable. The house was finally given a reprieve from the heat. We could once again rely solely on open windows, and screen doors to keep the house comfortable to be in from sun up to sun down. Makes me glad I took the time to build a window screen for the kitchen, and add a screen door to the back of the house. Oddly enough our home is particularly well situated to capitalize on most breezes that blow passed the house, but on occasion it is right on target, and woah! Chef’s kiss. It’s amazing. I know why it isn’t, because in the winter our house would freeze solid in the wind tunnel that is our neighbourhood.

I do need to go work for a bit today, try to stay on top of the latest report I’m charging through. Also I have multiple meetings this week to attend virtually. One tonight, and one on Tuesday evening. I think I will parley those evening hours into a round of golf on Thursday. Haven’t decided on whether that will be just none holes, or a full eighteen. We will see how the week progresses. I haven’t managed to get out to the driving range at all, so Lord knows how awful my game is going to be with no practice beforehand. Hell, I haven’t even done any mini putt to shore up my short game! It’s going to be chaos out on those greens! A blood bath of snowman after snowman on the score sheets. Pray you don’t get placed behind us.

I’m a driver, none iron, and putter sort of player. I’m solid on a course full of par threes, but I have no delusions of grandeur out on the fairway. Just as likely to crank my ball into a pond, as I am to connect straight up the middle. Consistent I am not, at least where golf is concerned.

I am currently eating a medley of Cinnamon toast crunch and Nestle Quick chocolate puff balls, and the flavour is…different. not in a bad way, but something my taste buds are having difficulty trying to parse. You see, I didn’t have enough of the Nestle puffs to make a decent breakfast, and so I opened a new box of CTC. Do I toss the unfulfilling quantity of puffs and start a new with the CTC, or just dump them both in, and give it a whirl? Yeah,cso cheapo me dumped them together and now my tongue is lost in left field of flavour town.

Making their own dam on the back lane to keep themselves out of harms way. Which is nice!

We ventured back here yesterday for a three hour rip through the last six or so rows of garlic in patch two. This time we used a tractor and a specially built plough to lift the bulbs mechanically, and then all we had to do was walk in afterwards and pick them up from where they lay. It still took us three hours because that was a tonne of garlic y’all. Couple thousand bulbs at least. Needless to say that both my back, and my hamstrings don’t feel so hot today. Rough night’s sleep also. Fetch my Voltaren! Stat!

So now I’m on water duty refilling the children’s dam so they can splash around with their odd little plastic toys. Plus they get to muck about with rocks, and get lots of fresh air all together. Cousins for the early Friday morning win!

I’m going to head home to begin my next report, so it’s good to get out early, walk the dog, and be active before I camp out in front of my computer for the rest of the day. I believe we have two more birthday parties this weekend. So more driving and festivities to attend on both Saturday, and on Sunday too. The dog is excited at least, even if I’m less enthused.

But to end on a high note, my interaction with the garlic patches has officially come to an end this year. Next up will be onions, sweet corn, apples, peaches and tomatoes, as well as peppers. There’s enough to make a variety of salsas if you were so inclined!

Speaking of which, I found a bunch of sealed jars of peach jam, and salsa from 2015 in a kitchen upper cupboard, and woof! Was that stuff ripe once opened. I poured it out into a green bin bag outside because the jams were pretty nasty. Smelled like old dirty feet. Salsa wasn’t too bad due to the acidity of the vinegar. But we can recycle at least ten glass jars, and I saved the pressure cooker resealable jars & tops. Made more room to organize the tupper ware, and get more minor items off the kitchen counter. I tossed some old kiddie drinking containers that were mouldy and beyond salvage. I’ve had a productive week with house organization. The purge lives on!

I rounded up a whole lot of busted household tech to go to the waste centre next week. Cleaning closets, and the basement for the next influx of “stuff & things“. I also cleared a couple bags of clothes too. I am on a roll. I can see the shelves once again in the laundry room too. If I could just get around to the paint cans under the basement stairs I would be nearly finished with the biggest offenders. I know we have a tonne of previous tenant junk in the attic that was just left behind, which I’ve never touched. Maybe that could be passed along with the house if we ever sell, or pass away. Too hot right now to be up in the rafters looking to move old carpets and shit. I’m sure there will always be something that bothers me in the house. Can’t get to everything, all at once. A slow steady drip has served me well thus far.

Also the results are never as stellar as I tell myself they will be once I actually follow through and remove an irritant object(s) from the house. I know in the long run it is better for us all, I just wish it felt more fulfilling to see the end result. Well, I guess it does feel good to see, and know it’s done, but I could do with a game-ified leveling up gold shimmer and new heightened stats or something. I don’t really know.

Any who, happy Friday. Ciao Bella!

Trying to do good deeds but the rains they follow me and pour all over the farm fields when I only have so much time to devote to farm work. One good thing is that these last few rains have been only four days apart so no need to water here for another four day stretch! And that’s a good thing.

Radar said rain at noon, then it was eleven, and by the time we got away from the house at 9:30 am it was already starting to drizzle, and drip-drop pretty consistently. All good for the farm vegetation. Makes pulling the garlic that much easier. Makes the deeper rooted weeds come up a whole lot easier too. Now we’re talking my love language, reduction of obstacles to achieve success. Booyah!

Unfortunately given the amount that has just fallen the ground will be far too mucky to work in. Yes, I work in a first world pace of my own making. This is unpaid labour at the family farm, so I help out, but I’m no hero. I’m not going full tilt in these temperatures for funsies. I don’t believe I would go full tilt even if being paid to work. I’d likely try to find a sustainable level of output, and do that for as long as possible in-between back aches, leg cramps, and muscle soreness.

The storm seems to have lowered the current temperature by a few degrees, it’s not much but it’s better than it was. Still not down into the low twenties yet where you could comfortably turn off the AC and have your windows & doors open to a cool breeze. This has been a very intensely warm early summer so far. By God has it been continuously hot for a while now with hardly any breaks.

The fields still have standing pools of water in them, so I think our time here is drawing to a close, at least for the morning. Maybe later this afternoon we can traverse these fields, and garlic patches. We do have to get it up and out of the ground before too much longer though. Can’t have 18,000 garlic bulbs left to rot.