Saturday, January 31, 2009
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOANNE!!!
My baby sister is 53 years old today - sorry for disclosing that fact but it is only a number isn't it? We are only as old as we feel and I know Joanne feels great. In her honor I have chosen a nice picture of her from my archives ...enjoy your day Joanne!!
See Ya By
See Ya By
Thursday, January 29, 2009
ANOTHER PROJECT OFF THE LIST
We installed the mantel this evening =-Rejean got the fourth coat of varathane on it this afternoon, we waited for it to dry and we installed it after dinner. I think it looks great - it is better than what I pictured it to be - that is the stain we are using for all the cabinetry and furniture down there. I am told I can't put anything on it but just you wait. I don't have anything right at the moment but it is just begging for something.
I was watching City Line today (after all my work was done) and they were showing a lot of black and white bathrooms - that is the colors (if black and white are considered colors) I choose a long time ago. It is nice to see some of my ideas in the flesh - the white toilet with a black seat looks really striking and the white tiles in the shower with a darker grout looks good too. But there is still a lot of work to do before we get to that point in time. But we will be in there working next week. Rejean just has to make a door for the little closet in the workout room - it is for the cots, BYOB, and the snowshoes and poles. They all fit perfectly. It is nice to have storage.
I was out this afternoon up the highway - it was a nice day so I thought I would take the camera and see what I could see. Not much. the snow is piled so high on either side of the highway you can't see down into the river. Also there is no ice piled up on the shores so it is all pretty flat. I did experiment with the panorama feature of my new camera - the first attempt was just awful but the next one turned out pretty good if I do say so myself. There was also no place to pull over to take some pics - those big logging trucks and all the turns in the highway don't allow too many stops on the road. I took some pics out of my window while I was moving - I know - not too safe like some people who drive with their knees while eating and talking on their cell phones!!
Tomorrow is the day I do the "A Day In The Life" for Stacey - she issued a challenge for her blog readers to take pictures every hour over a 12 hour period of any given day and post them with narratives. There would be a prize for the first one posted and the most interesting. I didn't win the "first" and I won't win for the most interesting but I will have fun doing it - tomorrow is the fish fry at the Legion in Thessalon so you will be able to meet Al the bartender at the Legion - his wife Donna who is the mayor of Thessalon who takes the money at the door - the great cooks in the back who always serve up a delicious meal - it is whitefish - all you can eat, a baked potato, sweet pickles, a bun, sour cream for the potato, coleslaw and for desert, one or two scoops of vanilla ice cream with either strawberry or butterscotch syrup - YUM YUM. We always go a little early so we can have a beer downstairs and play a couple of games of bank board shuffleboard. No better fun.
See Ya By
I was watching City Line today (after all my work was done) and they were showing a lot of black and white bathrooms - that is the colors (if black and white are considered colors) I choose a long time ago. It is nice to see some of my ideas in the flesh - the white toilet with a black seat looks really striking and the white tiles in the shower with a darker grout looks good too. But there is still a lot of work to do before we get to that point in time. But we will be in there working next week. Rejean just has to make a door for the little closet in the workout room - it is for the cots, BYOB, and the snowshoes and poles. They all fit perfectly. It is nice to have storage.
I was out this afternoon up the highway - it was a nice day so I thought I would take the camera and see what I could see. Not much. the snow is piled so high on either side of the highway you can't see down into the river. Also there is no ice piled up on the shores so it is all pretty flat. I did experiment with the panorama feature of my new camera - the first attempt was just awful but the next one turned out pretty good if I do say so myself. There was also no place to pull over to take some pics - those big logging trucks and all the turns in the highway don't allow too many stops on the road. I took some pics out of my window while I was moving - I know - not too safe like some people who drive with their knees while eating and talking on their cell phones!!
Tomorrow is the day I do the "A Day In The Life" for Stacey - she issued a challenge for her blog readers to take pictures every hour over a 12 hour period of any given day and post them with narratives. There would be a prize for the first one posted and the most interesting. I didn't win the "first" and I won't win for the most interesting but I will have fun doing it - tomorrow is the fish fry at the Legion in Thessalon so you will be able to meet Al the bartender at the Legion - his wife Donna who is the mayor of Thessalon who takes the money at the door - the great cooks in the back who always serve up a delicious meal - it is whitefish - all you can eat, a baked potato, sweet pickles, a bun, sour cream for the potato, coleslaw and for desert, one or two scoops of vanilla ice cream with either strawberry or butterscotch syrup - YUM YUM. We always go a little early so we can have a beer downstairs and play a couple of games of bank board shuffleboard. No better fun.
See Ya By
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
A CLEAN HOUSE
There is nothing like the threat of company to make you clean your house. It actually wasn't a
"threat" as such - we invited Ron, Mary, Linda and Danielle over for dinner on Thursday nite but they couldn't make it - no other nite was convenient for all of us so we invited them over for drinks this evening - Linda and Danielle are leaving on Saturday and we wanted to see them before they left. With all the work around here the house was in need of some cleaning. There was a lot of dust downstairs from the wood stove and the chop saw. Plus all of our snow suits, boots, hats, gloves etc etc. After my trip to town I got to work. It really doesn't take long to do if you have your tunes on and a cold beer to hydrate with. We expected them around 6"30 - 7pm. We got a call at about 6:15 that they weren't going to make it. They had been out all day ice fishing (they got a lot of fish) and Mary had to go to the Sault tomorrow for some tests that she had to prepare for this evening so they couldn't come. No problem - we will make it another time but I an just sitting here with a nice clean house - all the dishes put away, my bathroom sparkling - the lights just dimmed enough to make it look nice. Rejean got his Xbox out and I did my exercises and now my blog - the usual evening routine.
We also went out today on the snowmobile to ride the trail we had blazed yesterday with the snowshoes. We blazed a trail from Limberlost Lodge down to Chubb Lake to get over to Jobam and Wakamata Lakes. It was a beautiful sunny day today (not like Windsor's weather I hear) and not really that cold. We rode around the trails in the old colony and up and down Chubb Lake. Nice.
I think the mantel will be installed tomorrow - it is really turning out nice - never any doubt in my mind - you will be able to see the results at least by Friday. I, myself ,will be doing another batch of pine - for the bathroom - our next project.
Stay tuned...
See Ya By
"threat" as such - we invited Ron, Mary, Linda and Danielle over for dinner on Thursday nite but they couldn't make it - no other nite was convenient for all of us so we invited them over for drinks this evening - Linda and Danielle are leaving on Saturday and we wanted to see them before they left. With all the work around here the house was in need of some cleaning. There was a lot of dust downstairs from the wood stove and the chop saw. Plus all of our snow suits, boots, hats, gloves etc etc. After my trip to town I got to work. It really doesn't take long to do if you have your tunes on and a cold beer to hydrate with. We expected them around 6"30 - 7pm. We got a call at about 6:15 that they weren't going to make it. They had been out all day ice fishing (they got a lot of fish) and Mary had to go to the Sault tomorrow for some tests that she had to prepare for this evening so they couldn't come. No problem - we will make it another time but I an just sitting here with a nice clean house - all the dishes put away, my bathroom sparkling - the lights just dimmed enough to make it look nice. Rejean got his Xbox out and I did my exercises and now my blog - the usual evening routine.
We also went out today on the snowmobile to ride the trail we had blazed yesterday with the snowshoes. We blazed a trail from Limberlost Lodge down to Chubb Lake to get over to Jobam and Wakamata Lakes. It was a beautiful sunny day today (not like Windsor's weather I hear) and not really that cold. We rode around the trails in the old colony and up and down Chubb Lake. Nice.
I think the mantel will be installed tomorrow - it is really turning out nice - never any doubt in my mind - you will be able to see the results at least by Friday. I, myself ,will be doing another batch of pine - for the bathroom - our next project.
Stay tuned...
See Ya By
Sunday, January 25, 2009
WHAT A BLAST!!
I had a great time out today on our first snowmobile run. It was a bit cool - -30 when we woke up - it must have warmed up by 1pm - maybe -20?? We met them at the entrance to FootPrint Lake road. No one had been down the trail before so we let Ron lead the way. About 200 feet in, Linda's machine got stuck. Her and Danielle have big machines - heavy machines not meant to be ridden on unblazed trails. Ron was way on ahead and never knew what was happening back with us. Danielle got on Mary's machine and went looking for Ron. That left Rejean, myself, Mary and Linda to get her machine unstuck. The snow was very deep once you got off the trail - I mean up to your crotch. I went down a few times. We did manage to get Linda's machine unstuck but it took about 1/2 hour. Every time she tried to get it going it would just dig down into the snow. It was so heavy it was hard to move. We were trying to turn it around because we knew we couldn't continue down the trail. In the meantime Ron returned with Danielle - he had been stuck further down the trail. We got the other machines turned around and off we went down the highway to Ron's for a cold beer and a rest before we headed out on his lake. We headed out over the lake and up a trail that had been travelled before - what a difference. We stopped at a little shack and I took a couple of pictures - I had to take my gloves off to do that and by the time I got them back on they were frozen. I had some hand warmers so I cracked those - they helped but I need mittens - not gloves - I'll see what they have at the Post next time I am there. We went a little further along the trail and stopped for a drink. I had some Licor 43 (yum yum) and the guys had beer - Linda and Mary had some brandy. After the beer at Ron's I had to pee - no outhouses in the middle of nowhere. I went a little further down the trail and proceeded to strip down. In the summer when you have all your fishing stuff on like your chest waders, fishing vest, net, walking sticks, worm case and kreel it is a chore to take it all off to pee - now, just imagine all my winter clothes on - my snowmobile jacket, my snowmobile pants, jeans, running tights etc. And how cold it was - I think I peed in record time!! The snow was so deep it touched my bare bum. Tell me that didn't feel cold!!! I quickly dressed and joined the rest of the gang. We loaded up and went back the way we came. I didn't see it but Linda and Danielle saw a dead deer on the ice. It must have been attacked by wolves because of the injuries they saw. It must have run out on the ice and died just within the time it took us to return because it was not there when we first passed the spot. Food for the creatures.
We had dinner at Mary's and Ron gave us a ride home. We didn't want to be riding home on the road after dark. We'll go back and get it tomorrow. Ron is also going to show us a trail to use from our house to his lake without going on the road. Another adventure...
See Ya By
We had dinner at Mary's and Ron gave us a ride home. We didn't want to be riding home on the road after dark. We'll go back and get it tomorrow. Ron is also going to show us a trail to use from our house to his lake without going on the road. Another adventure...
See Ya By
Saturday, January 24, 2009
PLAY DAY! ! !
Finally, a day off for good behaviour. Ron called tonite and invited us out tomorrow on a snowmobile run. There will be 5 sleds and 6 of us. I'll be riding double on ours. We're going to blaze a trail down FootPrint Lake Road then over to Axe Lake. I don't know if anyone has been down the road yet but if not, we will make a new trail. We should be gone for a good four hours or so. I will be well dressed in my snowmobile suit, my GOOD boots and gloves and my goggles to keep the snow out of my eyes. It's supposed to be cold again tomorrow so we better be bundled up. There will be Ron and Mary, Ron's sister Linda and her husband Danielle (they are from Montreal) and us. then dinner at either Mary or Linda's house. Sounds like a good day. I'll take my old camera to get some action photos (I don't have a case for my new one - it didn't come with one) so I'll have to wait until I go to the Sault again.
Guess what we did today? Yup. Worked on the pine again - I have finished this batch and I'll have another 25 boards ready for me on Monday. Rejean worked on the mantel - nice work. He glued and tacked it into one piece which we fit into place to ensure it fits (it does of course) He'll start staining it and varathaning it on Monday.
It never ends thank goodness!
See Ya By
Guess what we did today? Yup. Worked on the pine again - I have finished this batch and I'll have another 25 boards ready for me on Monday. Rejean worked on the mantel - nice work. He glued and tacked it into one piece which we fit into place to ensure it fits (it does of course) He'll start staining it and varathaning it on Monday.
It never ends thank goodness!
See Ya By
Friday, January 23, 2009
A NEW TOY
My camera arrived today - that was very fast service I must say. I have been playing with it all afternoon - I know the basics - I have to play a CD to fine out the other stuff like the self-timer stuff. I have enough to keep me busy - the photos I post with this are taken on the new camera. My memory card from the old camera fits this one so I don't have to buy a new one. The camera does not come with a memory card so if you don't know too much you would not be able to play with it. Mine comes with some memory built in so you really don't need one if you are only going to be taking a couple of pics. But now I have a memory card. I'll try the stabilization feature tomorrow - maybe of me trying to eat soup!! It may not be blurry.
Thank you, Susan, for the "fish". Sorry I opened it a little early but you know me with presents - I can't wait. I think it goes very well in the spare bedroom - it matches the rusty color of the pine. It fits.
Today just worked on more pine - just pining away as they say. Rejean is working on the mantel - I told him he has to stain it and varathan it - way too intricate for me. But it should be nice. They always are.
It's supposed to get cold tonite -25C so it will be a frosty one. And dump day tomorrow - can't wait...
See Ya By
Thank you, Susan, for the "fish". Sorry I opened it a little early but you know me with presents - I can't wait. I think it goes very well in the spare bedroom - it matches the rusty color of the pine. It fits.
Today just worked on more pine - just pining away as they say. Rejean is working on the mantel - I told him he has to stain it and varathan it - way too intricate for me. But it should be nice. They always are.
It's supposed to get cold tonite -25C so it will be a frosty one. And dump day tomorrow - can't wait...
See Ya By
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
WEDNESDAY STUFF
Worked in the addition today - we finished the pine on the walls and finished all but one window - Rejean ran out of trim so that is what we will do tomorrow - cut my next batch of pine and he'll work on the remaining trim and start the mantel for the woodstove - he wants to do dentals on it (that is a type of trim that looks like teeth - it's hard to describe but it is like ridge, valley, ridge, valley etc.- get the picture?) pine with a ebony stain - should be nice.
John and Linda dropped by for a visit - they are the only ones on the Lake so they decided to visit. It was fun.
Well short and sweet today - the couch is a'callin.
See Ya By
ps - the icle is on Stacey & Andrew's roof - it is taller than me (not saying too much - I'm 5'2")
John and Linda dropped by for a visit - they are the only ones on the Lake so they decided to visit. It was fun.
Well short and sweet today - the couch is a'callin.
See Ya By
ps - the icle is on Stacey & Andrew's roof - it is taller than me (not saying too much - I'm 5'2")
Monday, January 19, 2009
JUST ONE OF THOSE DAYS
I will be watching the inauguration tomorrow - history in the making - I watched the concert yesterday and all I could think about was where are all those people going to the bathroom? There is supposed to be 2 million people tomorrow and only 5000 port-a-pottys - you do the math...Depends anyone? I have stood in a port-a-potty line up and it is not fun . But I wish President Obama well - he has a big job ahead of him.
I knew what was coming today - Rejean would have to blow the snow - my job was to push some snow off the roof - it had not come down as it is supposed to do - probably because of the cold weather we have been having. It had really accumulated so I was chosen to do the pushing. I could have done it while he was away but if I ever fell...well, we just won't go there. The snow was very light and fluffy so it was not a hard chore. I left a "safety" bump so that my feet would not slip down the roof. The snow in the bump was icier (is that spelled right?) so it was not going anywhere. Thank goodness for it because a few times I could have gone over the edge. You really get a good view from that vantage point. Then I had to go downstairs and shovel the snow I had just knocked off the roof away from the house for Rejean to push it to the side. What a team! But I did get to take the sled out for a run on the Lake again. I had to move it so Rejean could get to that part of the area to blow the snow. It had to be jumped because the battery was a little dead. I went and put on my balaclava and hat and off I went. I rode around 3 times - flat out. I like the speed. By the time I came in I was covered in a light dusting of snow. It was really flying around out there. After all that excitement, I burned my burnables in the burn barrel - I am a pyromaniac at heart (among other things) so I had fun.
Tomorrow we put the window trim up and some more pine. I will get a picture up tomorrow of the results - can't wait to see the sills!!
I give blood tomorrow in town - they didn't take my blood the last time - I had a tiny little red mark in the crook of my right arm so they couldn't take blood from that arm because the iodine and rubbing alcohol may irritate the arm. So they tried to find a vein in my left arm - good luck - they say I have tiny veins and they couldn't find one. And they can't use my right arm so I was out of luck. My arms look ok to me right now so wish me luck tomorrow. The whole trick to giving blood is to drink a lot of fluids before you go. It does make a difference - when I don't have enough water it takes about 15 minutes to donate but when I have hydrated, it only takes about 8-10 minutes. Plus you get free cookies at the end - you know how I love free food...
See Ya By
I knew what was coming today - Rejean would have to blow the snow - my job was to push some snow off the roof - it had not come down as it is supposed to do - probably because of the cold weather we have been having. It had really accumulated so I was chosen to do the pushing. I could have done it while he was away but if I ever fell...well, we just won't go there. The snow was very light and fluffy so it was not a hard chore. I left a "safety" bump so that my feet would not slip down the roof. The snow in the bump was icier (is that spelled right?) so it was not going anywhere. Thank goodness for it because a few times I could have gone over the edge. You really get a good view from that vantage point. Then I had to go downstairs and shovel the snow I had just knocked off the roof away from the house for Rejean to push it to the side. What a team! But I did get to take the sled out for a run on the Lake again. I had to move it so Rejean could get to that part of the area to blow the snow. It had to be jumped because the battery was a little dead. I went and put on my balaclava and hat and off I went. I rode around 3 times - flat out. I like the speed. By the time I came in I was covered in a light dusting of snow. It was really flying around out there. After all that excitement, I burned my burnables in the burn barrel - I am a pyromaniac at heart (among other things) so I had fun.
Tomorrow we put the window trim up and some more pine. I will get a picture up tomorrow of the results - can't wait to see the sills!!
I give blood tomorrow in town - they didn't take my blood the last time - I had a tiny little red mark in the crook of my right arm so they couldn't take blood from that arm because the iodine and rubbing alcohol may irritate the arm. So they tried to find a vein in my left arm - good luck - they say I have tiny veins and they couldn't find one. And they can't use my right arm so I was out of luck. My arms look ok to me right now so wish me luck tomorrow. The whole trick to giving blood is to drink a lot of fluids before you go. It does make a difference - when I don't have enough water it takes about 15 minutes to donate but when I have hydrated, it only takes about 8-10 minutes. Plus you get free cookies at the end - you know how I love free food...
See Ya By
Sunday, January 18, 2009
THE WANDERER RETURNS
Rejean returned home today from his ice fishing trip to North Bay. The cold spell kind of put a damper on the fishing but it sounds like they had a great time. He didn't bring home any fish but they did have a few meals and last night was the fish fry. They go to the Waltonian Inn and they are treated very well there. The huts are big and spacious and they take very good care of you. It is also a good time to spend with all the guys.
I finally stepped outside today after the all day snowfall yesterday. The snow was about 6 inches deep - I was surprised at how deep it was. I walked down to the garage and the top of my boots were under the snow above my ankles. Thank goodness it was light and fluffy. I shovelled the front of the house and then went down to the garage where I shovelled a path from the wood shed to the garage - I had to fill up Rejean's wood supply as well as mine. There were also big tracks down the road. They were too big to be the fox's so they must be the wolf's. They came right up to the house then down the drive. One day I'll see him. Maybe that's why the fox hasn't been around - he smells the wolf's presence.
I totally forgot that one of my chores while Rejean was away was to fill the nail holes on the pine we installed. I got it done in less than 1 hour - Looks great. It is just this light colored putty you fill the little holes with then wipe with a damp cloth. You can' even see where they were. I had to do the corners and I think I'll have to go over them again tomorrow. Practice makes perfect.
Rejean will be blowing snow again tomorrow - here we go again...
See Ya By
I finally stepped outside today after the all day snowfall yesterday. The snow was about 6 inches deep - I was surprised at how deep it was. I walked down to the garage and the top of my boots were under the snow above my ankles. Thank goodness it was light and fluffy. I shovelled the front of the house and then went down to the garage where I shovelled a path from the wood shed to the garage - I had to fill up Rejean's wood supply as well as mine. There were also big tracks down the road. They were too big to be the fox's so they must be the wolf's. They came right up to the house then down the drive. One day I'll see him. Maybe that's why the fox hasn't been around - he smells the wolf's presence.
I totally forgot that one of my chores while Rejean was away was to fill the nail holes on the pine we installed. I got it done in less than 1 hour - Looks great. It is just this light colored putty you fill the little holes with then wipe with a damp cloth. You can' even see where they were. I had to do the corners and I think I'll have to go over them again tomorrow. Practice makes perfect.
Rejean will be blowing snow again tomorrow - here we go again...
See Ya By
Saturday, January 17, 2009
LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW
Guess what it did today up here? Yup - it snowed. It started at about 9:30 am and didn't stop all day - as a matter of fact it is still snowing at 7:45 pm. I never got to the dump today - it was snowing pretty good and I just didn't want to go out in that - the roads would have been OK but I didn't really want to so I didn't. The only time I went out today was to put out more seeds for the birds. I just cleaned the house today. Took my time and put the tunes on and I was busy. I was busy running up and down the stairs to keep both fires going (which I will do all evening) but I got it done. I took my shower apart and cleaned up all the stuff you can't get during a regular cleaning. It's shiny now. I organized the pantry and just cleaned.
Tonite I am just sitting watching some shows I taped - read a couple of magazines and drink wine. I found a new show on channel 607 called "I Want That" and boy do I ever - they have some very interesting stuff like some EZ Stick backspashes for the kitchen - some in stainless steel - glass counter tops - fake tin ceiling tiles - just neat stuff. I have to win some money to implement them - there are keyboards that light up at night - panels for doors or cupboard doors that are acrylic - power strips that look like octopuses (octapie) so all the plugs will fit on them without being crowded - sinks that look like red hearts for kids (you can get them shaped like footballs too) Check it out...
We got Jenn and Steve into Dexter and I hear they really like it - we do too - a serial killer you can like and root for. Check that one out too.
As you have noticed no pictures - that is because my camera is on a fishing trip but will be coming home tomorrow and Chris sent me the ScotiaRewards catalog that has the camera I want so it will be ordered shortly - then you will see some good pictures - no blurry ones.
See ya By
Tonite I am just sitting watching some shows I taped - read a couple of magazines and drink wine. I found a new show on channel 607 called "I Want That" and boy do I ever - they have some very interesting stuff like some EZ Stick backspashes for the kitchen - some in stainless steel - glass counter tops - fake tin ceiling tiles - just neat stuff. I have to win some money to implement them - there are keyboards that light up at night - panels for doors or cupboard doors that are acrylic - power strips that look like octopuses (octapie) so all the plugs will fit on them without being crowded - sinks that look like red hearts for kids (you can get them shaped like footballs too) Check it out...
We got Jenn and Steve into Dexter and I hear they really like it - we do too - a serial killer you can like and root for. Check that one out too.
As you have noticed no pictures - that is because my camera is on a fishing trip but will be coming home tomorrow and Chris sent me the ScotiaRewards catalog that has the camera I want so it will be ordered shortly - then you will see some good pictures - no blurry ones.
See ya By
Friday, January 16, 2009
IS IT JUST ME OR IS IT COLD OUTSIDE???
Talk about cold - my car was parked in the garage and when I took it out and got on the road the temperature gauge went from +2 to -34 in about 2 minutes - you could just see it falling - one temp at a time. I don't know what that is in farenheight but I know it is cold. The snow is loud when you walk on it. Your nose sticks together in the time it takes to walk from the house to the garage. When I drove over the bridge over the Mississaugi River by the dam it was all covered in fog - and the smoke from all the houses just hung in the air. All the trees are covered in white - pretty but cold. I haven't seen any creatures - even the squirrel has been absent since we got the cold spell - all the birds are all puffed up. I try to put extra seed out for them.
Was in the Sault doing some "shopping" for Rejean. I had to pick up a new air compressor, get an electric motor fixed and pick up some oil for the new sled. Mission accomplished - I had a good time - it is nice to get away and just do something you for yourself. I deserved it!!
When I got home I cleaned up all three wood stoves - removed the ashes, cleaned the glass (you don't need any special chemicals to do this - you just wet a paper towel, dip it in some of the ashes and use that to scrub the glass - then just wipe clean with some more paper towels and - voila - clean glass. Tonite I am busy running down and up the stairs keeping both fires going. It is a balmy -25C out there. But I am nice and warm - I have a glass of wine going and the whole nite to myself...I will enjoy.
See ya By
Was in the Sault doing some "shopping" for Rejean. I had to pick up a new air compressor, get an electric motor fixed and pick up some oil for the new sled. Mission accomplished - I had a good time - it is nice to get away and just do something you for yourself. I deserved it!!
When I got home I cleaned up all three wood stoves - removed the ashes, cleaned the glass (you don't need any special chemicals to do this - you just wet a paper towel, dip it in some of the ashes and use that to scrub the glass - then just wipe clean with some more paper towels and - voila - clean glass. Tonite I am busy running down and up the stairs keeping both fires going. It is a balmy -25C out there. But I am nice and warm - I have a glass of wine going and the whole nite to myself...I will enjoy.
See ya By
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
FINALLY - A PICTURE
This blogger stuff is all new to me - even tho I have been blogging for a few months there is still quite a bit of stuff I don't know. I am also on Facebook so learning that as well can be quite daunting. I have my sources - Stacey - has helped me with a few things - one of which has been how to post a picture without leaving my postings (?) I know what I am talking about. I have tried every time and it has worked a few times. But I won't give up - so for now you have to view my pictures in a "new" blog post. Do you care? As long as there a re pictures who cares where they are positioned - Stacey and Andrew do - so for your sake's I will keep trying. So tonite I decided to click on "edit picture" because I didn't have one - so it takes me to a site that I can download a picture from Picassa3 - just like posting a picture - I can do this. With dial up it took about 20 minutes to load - yes, 20 minutes - I have my Ipod in my ears and a glass of wine on the table - I used that time to just veg out. Let my imagination take me someplace else. I kept minimizing it and going to check my e-mail, Stacey's blog (not updated since the 9th). And lo and behold, it took so now I have a picture - I really liked the one I picked - speeding across the Lake on the new machine with the blue sky and sun in the background - it just says ME today - now that I know how to change it I will. As I said I am now on Facebook and I really didn't want to get into it too much but you can't help but do. I have about 17 friends (relatives are also considered friends) and I can keep in touch with them all - I even know how to "chat" with my friends - I think that is just great - I chatted with Dave in Calgary - Jodie's boyfriend - and Andrew when he was in Las Vegas - he was sitting in a hotel room with his friend Chris - he was on Facebook and I engaged him in a conversation - I think I surprised the hell out of him when he realized it was me - he welcomed me to the 21st Century - I'm not that techy but I get by.
Today it as reallly cold out. Thank goodness I did most of my work inside today - got some more pine done - and more work on it tomorrow. We did take the snow machine out for a spin again on the Lake - What fun it is. I am really bundled up in my snowsuite - you can't go to the bathroom without a lot of planning. Not like when you have waders on - but that is another story.
I Was So Much Older Than, I'm Younger Than That Now - good tune
See ya By
Today it as reallly cold out. Thank goodness I did most of my work inside today - got some more pine done - and more work on it tomorrow. We did take the snow machine out for a spin again on the Lake - What fun it is. I am really bundled up in my snowsuite - you can't go to the bathroom without a lot of planning. Not like when you have waders on - but that is another story.
I Was So Much Older Than, I'm Younger Than That Now - good tune
See ya By
Monday, January 12, 2009
PARTY! ! !
I got back from town and there were 7 snow machines in my front yard. All bright colors, red, yellow, lime green against the white of the snow and you have a pretty sight. All the guys were inside having a cold beer (thank goodness we had just been to the Post the day before to replenish our dwindled supplies) That's 7 guys, Rejean and me. 8x2+1=17 beers in 45 minutes!!! Needless to say I will be returning to the Post within the next few days. It was John and 5 of his buddies and Bob from the Lake. They were out for a run and had blazed a trail from the other property along the trail then out over the Lake. After they finished their beverages they headed out - we listened to them for a while then the sound faded. After Bob came back for the chain saw because there was a tree down over the trail there was a parade of colorful snowmachines heading across the Lake, up the hill from the swim rock up the little hill and into the yard, continuing down the driveway to the garage - quite impressive. I got a picture of them in the yard. Tomorrow we'll suit up for another run on ours to try out the trail. Should be COLD - they are calling for temps at -35C over nite!! That's a bit chilly - I'll have to keep the fires stocked at all times.
More tomorrow...
See Ya By
More tomorrow...
See Ya By
Friday, January 9, 2009
PLAY DAY!!
Not the whole day but a good portion of it. We did some work in the garage - cut some pine to length for me next week, finished varathaning the trim, polished up the new sled, went to the Post for some gas played on the lake and put up the ceiling trim - whew - sounds like a full day to me. But we decided to take some time and run the sled on the lake to see what she could do. I got it up to about 54 MILES per hour (it is a US sled so the speedometer is in miles per hour.) Rejean was around the same and even with the two of us on it still goes about 50. Even in the fresh undisturbed snow on the lake it handled fine. At first I was a bit afraid to have it go fast but after a while I was doing fast turns - leaning almost off the sled (I used Armour All on the seats which made them slippery!!) What a blast - I think I am ready for a ramp!!! We put 9 miles on it this afternoon. What a beautiful day - not a cloud in the sky until about 4pm - but C O L D ! ! When I went to the Post it was -25C - a little chilly I must say and it is going to go down to that tonite as well. We have both wood stoves going (the furnace has not gone off in days!!).
We took some pictures on the lake today - they turned out good. I even managed not to blurr them - still waiting for my ScotiaRewards catalog to order my new camera - with the image stabilization feature. For us handicapped people you know.
Didn't get into town today because the license office is not open on Fridays - come on -it is a small town and I can imagine that business is not booming. I'll go on Monday to change the ownership over - at least it's insured. It is the same premium as our old 1984 and 1985 models - $115/year - this is a 1996 Polaris IndyTrail 488cc - there is not a mark on it - the best way to get to know a machine (ie car, sled, bike etc) is to wash it or polish it - you cover every square inch of it and find little things - I only found a loose bolt that Rejean fixed. Kenney kept it in great shape - thank you Kenney!!
Dump day tomorrow - Yipee - I'll do my little visit with dumpman Dave. Erla doesn't work in the winter apparently. Dave has a stable down in Wharncliffe - he has a horse that stands at stud (for breeding) and he put a picture in the stores in town of him with the horse - we teased him and asked if he was standing at stud as well. He appreciated the humor.
See Ya By
We took some pictures on the lake today - they turned out good. I even managed not to blurr them - still waiting for my ScotiaRewards catalog to order my new camera - with the image stabilization feature. For us handicapped people you know.
Didn't get into town today because the license office is not open on Fridays - come on -it is a small town and I can imagine that business is not booming. I'll go on Monday to change the ownership over - at least it's insured. It is the same premium as our old 1984 and 1985 models - $115/year - this is a 1996 Polaris IndyTrail 488cc - there is not a mark on it - the best way to get to know a machine (ie car, sled, bike etc) is to wash it or polish it - you cover every square inch of it and find little things - I only found a loose bolt that Rejean fixed. Kenney kept it in great shape - thank you Kenney!!
Dump day tomorrow - Yipee - I'll do my little visit with dumpman Dave. Erla doesn't work in the winter apparently. Dave has a stable down in Wharncliffe - he has a horse that stands at stud (for breeding) and he put a picture in the stores in town of him with the horse - we teased him and asked if he was standing at stud as well. He appreciated the humor.
See Ya By
Thursday, January 8, 2009
ANOTHER BUSY DAY IN MY LIFE
First I (or rather Rejean) got some pictures of the birds - and as an added bonus the male pine grosbeaks in the red were joined by some male evening grosbeaks in the yellow. What a display of colors and both breeds were large - 20-25 cm - whatever that is in inches. They were just congregating by the seeds I had spread on the ground - I was watching them thru the window and they stayed only for a few moments but I think they will be back. This is the 4th day in a row that the pine grosbeaks have been around. My flocks are getting bigger...
Then today was the day that we picked up the new sled. We headed over to John and Linda's. Rejean and John would travel on John's machine over the lake to get to Kenny's place where the sled was - Rejean had a can of gas and was all geared up. I stayed in a nice warm house with Linda and had a good visit -her house is always spotless and she keeps a good fire (a excellent trait to find in a woman up here). We went out to the garage when we heard them pull up - and who should also be there? MY FOX!! Whom I haven't seen since before Christmas I might add. He has been getting well fed over there. He looks really good and healthy - nice fluffy fur. I scolded him and told him to come and visit me - he just looked at me the way he always does (probably thinking what is she saying - where's my food?) I have three big cans of dog food for him and all those dog biscuits I bought.
Rejean drove the sled home via the highway and I drove behind him with my flashers on - just in case those big logging trucks whipped by. I hadn't had a chance to call the insurance company yet so we were very careful. When we got home I got a chance to ride up and down the driveway a few times - I can't stress enough how happy I am that we have a sled that reverses and has an electric start!!! There is a God. then we put it in the garage to let it thaw out. I'm going to polish it up and get to know the inner workings of it. It even has a thumb and hand warmer!!! But no warmers for the passenger's hands. Maybe on the next one.
We also worked on more pine - Rejean cut some molding for the doors and windows - those sills are going to be impressive. My job was to varathane them. I got the final coat on the ceiling trim so those goo up tomorrow. then we will also cut some more boards for me to do next week - in all my spare time.
Stacey will notice that I haven't posted my pictures the way she showed me but it won't work most of the time - but I do try everytime.
See Ya By
Then today was the day that we picked up the new sled. We headed over to John and Linda's. Rejean and John would travel on John's machine over the lake to get to Kenny's place where the sled was - Rejean had a can of gas and was all geared up. I stayed in a nice warm house with Linda and had a good visit -her house is always spotless and she keeps a good fire (a excellent trait to find in a woman up here). We went out to the garage when we heard them pull up - and who should also be there? MY FOX!! Whom I haven't seen since before Christmas I might add. He has been getting well fed over there. He looks really good and healthy - nice fluffy fur. I scolded him and told him to come and visit me - he just looked at me the way he always does (probably thinking what is she saying - where's my food?) I have three big cans of dog food for him and all those dog biscuits I bought.
Rejean drove the sled home via the highway and I drove behind him with my flashers on - just in case those big logging trucks whipped by. I hadn't had a chance to call the insurance company yet so we were very careful. When we got home I got a chance to ride up and down the driveway a few times - I can't stress enough how happy I am that we have a sled that reverses and has an electric start!!! There is a God. then we put it in the garage to let it thaw out. I'm going to polish it up and get to know the inner workings of it. It even has a thumb and hand warmer!!! But no warmers for the passenger's hands. Maybe on the next one.
We also worked on more pine - Rejean cut some molding for the doors and windows - those sills are going to be impressive. My job was to varathane them. I got the final coat on the ceiling trim so those goo up tomorrow. then we will also cut some more boards for me to do next week - in all my spare time.
Stacey will notice that I haven't posted my pictures the way she showed me but it won't work most of the time - but I do try everytime.
See Ya By
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
SOME INTERIOR STUFF
As promised here are some photos of what the floor looks like - the Tuscan Stone from Home Depot - I liked it from the first time I saw it and it goes very well with the colors in the pine - it is red pine and there are some boards with a lot of the red in it and the color we want to do the interior doors matches the red also. It is in the middle as far as price goes - not too expensive but not cheap either. We are not that far from needing it so I guess I better get some measurements. I varathaned the moldings for the ceiling today and we are going to use the same ones for the floor. It looks pretty good. Rejean is planing down some pine for the door and window trim.
I also got a picture of the sconces - I think they look pretty good - they match the ceiling fan and they provide good light - with the wood stove and the new lights I am going to set up a chair down there are that's where I'll do my reading. I just have to get some speakers for on the wall - I need good sound when I am working out - I need the tunes!!! It just makes it more interesting.
Tomorrow we will pick up the new sled at Axe Lake - it is supposed to snow some more tomorrow so it will be great conditions for sledding.
Hey, I now have a flock of pine grosbeaks - there are four that have been coming around and I think 4 officially makes it a flock. I couldn't get my picture of the bird to post - but I will keep trying.
I will have to post my pictures the old way - I just tried the new way Stacey showed me and it won't post - it keeps kicking me out so I can take a hint - enjoy.
See Ya By
I also got a picture of the sconces - I think they look pretty good - they match the ceiling fan and they provide good light - with the wood stove and the new lights I am going to set up a chair down there are that's where I'll do my reading. I just have to get some speakers for on the wall - I need good sound when I am working out - I need the tunes!!! It just makes it more interesting.
Tomorrow we will pick up the new sled at Axe Lake - it is supposed to snow some more tomorrow so it will be great conditions for sledding.
Hey, I now have a flock of pine grosbeaks - there are four that have been coming around and I think 4 officially makes it a flock. I couldn't get my picture of the bird to post - but I will keep trying.
I will have to post my pictures the old way - I just tried the new way Stacey showed me and it won't post - it keeps kicking me out so I can take a hint - enjoy.
See Ya By
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
PINICOLA ENUCLEATOR
For those of you who don't speak Latin that translates to Pine Grosbeak -hopefully I can get my picture to post - I always spend time watching the birds at the feeders - and I can't forget my little squirrel who doesn't know he should like peanuts - it is a form of entertainment up here and they do put on a show. I usually have the Blue Jays - BIG Jays - the little chickadees and the nuthatches - both the white breasted and the red breasted ones and the sparrows. But today I saw a big red bird out there that I have never seen before - so I quickly got out my trusty Birds of Ontario book and looked it up - it helps to helps to have the binoculars handy as well. I have to take my glasses off to look thru them and because of my tremor I have to lean the binocs up against the window to see - I know, not a pretty sight but you do what you have to do. Then you have to check the description of the bird to what you are seeing - some birds are very similar like the hairy and downy woodpeckers (I still am not sure about my woodpecker) - my grosbeak could have been a red cross bill but thru the powers of deduction I settled on the grosbeak. Then there were two!!! I read that they are rare to very uncommon to see so I am lucky.
We decided to continue to work on the pine today - keep going until we ran out of wood. We got the front wall done and half of the inside wall done - and Rejean put up the sconces (ok lights - but sconces sounds better). Looks really good - it really brightens up the room - I put my sample piece of flooring down and it looks perfect. We still have a ton of pine in the garage that we will cut to length and put the V cut in them - then I can get to work finishing them off to finish up the workout room and enough for the bathroom. But you are starting to see what it will look like finished and I can't wait.
This morning I started TWO fires!!! I got up and started the fire up here first, made sure it was going ok then went downstairs to light the new one - it was tricky and I had smoke coming out of the pipes and everything - every stove is different and you have to get to know what to do - it may take me a few more times to get it right but I eventually got her going. I didn't hear the furnace go off last night or this morning so that is a good thing.
Tomorrow I hit Blind River - I have to go to the bank and do some shopping then we go get the sled - but it is supposed to snow big time tomorrow so we will have to play it by ear - as we usually do.
See Ya By
We decided to continue to work on the pine today - keep going until we ran out of wood. We got the front wall done and half of the inside wall done - and Rejean put up the sconces (ok lights - but sconces sounds better). Looks really good - it really brightens up the room - I put my sample piece of flooring down and it looks perfect. We still have a ton of pine in the garage that we will cut to length and put the V cut in them - then I can get to work finishing them off to finish up the workout room and enough for the bathroom. But you are starting to see what it will look like finished and I can't wait.
This morning I started TWO fires!!! I got up and started the fire up here first, made sure it was going ok then went downstairs to light the new one - it was tricky and I had smoke coming out of the pipes and everything - every stove is different and you have to get to know what to do - it may take me a few more times to get it right but I eventually got her going. I didn't hear the furnace go off last night or this morning so that is a good thing.
Tomorrow I hit Blind River - I have to go to the bank and do some shopping then we go get the sled - but it is supposed to snow big time tomorrow so we will have to play it by ear - as we usually do.
See Ya By
Monday, January 5, 2009
A LITTLE DECORATIVE GLASS ACCENT
It may be a little hard to see but the two glass panels over top of the bathroom door are made to resemble frost - but it is clear not frosted. We found the glass in Windsor at Zuliani Glass - I was going to get it at Bayview Glass as I knew the owner from my years at the Bank but there was no one around to cut the glass so we went to Zuliani's - my sister, Joanne, knows the owner - Bruce - he is married to her friend Barb. We walked in and there was the glass - like it was waiting for us - and the piece was the exact size we needed - we only needed it to be cut in half. Sometimes your guardian angel is right on the money. We will do the same over the door going upstairs. It just adds a little something special :0)
See ya By
didn't work this time
See ya By
didn't work this time
ONE MORE HUNGRY STOVE TO FILL
Finally we could get some work done because there is no snow to blow. We got the rest of the pine up behind the Novabrick. I even got to cut some boards to length on the mitre saw. Who says I can't use power tools? I cut while Rejean tacked them in place. We used up the pile of pine that I had finished a few months ago. Then we moved the stove in place, made sure it was level and stood back and admired our handy work with a cold beer. The fire started easily and we have had it going all evening - the temp downstairs is a balmy 64 and the furnace has not kicked on since. We figure it will keep the area warm enough that we won't need the furnace. It is smaller than our other two stoves so you can't feed it more than 1 or 2 logs and it burns very nicely. We still have to put the mantel up - oak finished in the ebony stain that all the cabinetry is going to be down there and the frames around the window - we are putting in sills - we saw it over at Roger's and it looked really great so we are going to copy. Tomorrow we will be finishing the front wall with the pine I just finished today and with that done, we can put up the light sconces and the speakers. Slowly but surely we are getting it done. There is still a pile o'pine for me to do next week in my spare time. I think it turned out just fine - it is what I wanted.
Maybe we will have some spare time on Wednesday to go over to pick up the new sled (as my nephews and niece call them) It is over on Axe Lake so we will get to it by the lake and drive it back over the lake because the roads are buried in about three feet of snow. Can't wait to get on it - our lake is perfect for zipping around on - nice and long for flat out speed and wide enough that the corners are very wide. It is safe to be on.
Well that's it - I'll get some more pics of the front wall tomorrow.
See Ya By
