GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE

The mystery mark that can't be removed right on the front of the fridge.

We had our new fridge delivered today. The truck couldn't get up the lane way to the house. There is a bit of snow left on the road and it has become icy - Rejean had to back his truck down to meet the delivery truck and load the fridge into the back. The 2 guys rode in the back with the fridge. They unloaded it and put it in place. I noticed a mark on the front right door and thought it was dirt. The two guys rode back to their truck with Rejean to sign off on the delivery. In the meantime, I tried to wipe off the mark. It turned out to be a mark that could not be removed - it appears to be a drip mark where the shiny finish is gone - I tried various cleaning products and polish but to no avail. I called Leon's immediately and they indicated that they would order another fridge and replace the damaged door. Good enough for me. No hassle, no questions - just a solution. Great customer service!!!

Can't wait to try it out - instant ice and cold water. Rejean installed pieces of wood around the fridge so that you can't see into the utility room - it appears the fridge is built into the wall. The wood can be removed in case we get another larger fridge. Just the beginning of the bar area.

See Ya Bye

DAY 3

Blah blah blah blah blah...there is only so much you can say about working in the bush doing your fire wood. A lot of people don't have access to stands of trees so they have to purchase their fire wood. They get something called a "bunk" of wood delivered to their property by local loggers who provide this service. Bunks are logs of a certain length, and the people have to cut them to the length that will fit their wood stoves - ours are 16 inches - then they have to be split. Around this time of year, everyone is getting their bunks delivered and you can see the pile of logs on their front lawns or in their laneways. People are hard at work getting their wood done.

We have about 10 cords down so far. We are headed for 15, the number that Rejean says we need. We still have a lot in his wood shed but mine is really depleted. Remember, I have 2 wood stoves in the house that I feed daily. Our next chore is to transport the logs to the other garage where we will split them, then stack them to dry over the summer. Then, in the fall, we will transport them again to the wood sheds by the garage and the house. It is a lot of work but a great feeling when it is finally done. Thank goodness we are still ABLE to do this type of work without killing ourselves...

See Ya Bye

DAY 2

See any images in the logs?

A good fire going

Again, a cold morning but we headed over and got the fire started - we use old cooking oil to get it going - smells real good. Took about 1 hour to really get it going good but it burned all day long and took care of a lot of brush. We took down a couple more trees and the last one of the day we found a bit of sap was starting to run. We just made it!! We both were a little slower than the day before but now that we had all the trees down, we could take our time in cutting and stacking them. No sense killing ourselves.

See ya Bye

ALL IN A DAY'S WORK

We finally got to work on the wood yesterday - we were just going to go look at the site and check it out - Rejean brought along the chainsaw, axe and 16' piece of wood (for measuring the logs) so we got a few trees down. I was very happy to see that the sap wasn't running yet in the trees. A few people around here have started their maple syrup so I was a little concerned. If the sap is running, the wood would be wet - a bit hard on the chainsaw and it would take longer to dry.

Today it was -20 when we woke up. Got a good breakfast in us - sausage and egg and toast. I made a sandwich out of mine as I usually do, with my bbq sauce on it. Yum Yum and it kept me from being hungry until lunch time.

My hands were cold at first but once you get going, you warm up fast. The sun was out, not a cloud in the sky and it was actually warm on your face. We got a lot done in one day. We started at 10am and worked til 3pm. I didn't want to kill myself the first day out. But I enjoy the hard work - it is my favourite time of year. The snow is perfect - you can walk on top of it without sinking down and by the afternoon, it is like corn snow - very easy to walk on.

What slows us down is the branches. We pile them in a heap and tomorrow, we will light them on fire. Then I will just keep feeding it. It cleans up the area and it doesn't look so messy. Rejean said we got about 5 cords done today so we are on track for the rest of the week. And it is supposed to be nice for the rest of the week - cold at nite and sunny and nice during the day. We should be able to take all the trees down tomorrow, then just work on measuring, cutting, stacking and burning.

No more Kathy Smith workout dvds for me this week. You get a great workout doing the wood. It is both cardio and weights. Some of those logs are mighty heavy - and all the bending and lifting and walking in the snow - that is enough for me ;o)

See ya Bye

GAVE A LITTLE BLOOD TODAY

I downed my 2 bottles of water on the way into town and I think it paid off. Altho I got off to a bad start. You first have to have a bit of blood taken to test your iron level - if it is too low, you can't give that day - it has happened to me before. The nurse pricked my finger on my right hand but nothing came out - I have to say my hands were very cold so maybe that had something to do with it. She gave me a band aid and then pricked the other hand. Finally got enough to test and I passed. I got in to see the nurse where they take your blood pressure and your temperature. My blood pressure was excellent but she took the thermometer out of my mouth too soon for my temperature to register - she tried again and it was a bit low - she tried again but the machine didn't work so she tried a 4th time and it finally registered - normal. I answered all the "sex" questions correctly - they are weird but I can understand why they have to ask them. No, I have never taken money or drugs for sex. No, I have never had sex with a man who has had sex with a man even once. I have not come in contact with monkey saliva.
I finally get to a chair and meet up with Fran, the person who will be in charge of taking my blood. She is very pleasant and explains everything to me. I let her know my previous problems with the procedure. I give her my right arm and she finds my vein and inserts the needle and immediately the blood starts flowing. I can't watch the needle insertion but I can watch the blood coming out - I like to watch it filling the bag. There is something about seeing your own blood that gives me a feeling of satisfaction - I am helping someone else who needs it. I believe in Karma so I believe that when I need blood, it will be there for me. I know I have said it before, it is such a small thing to do that brings such good things. And it can save 3 lives with just one donation.
Thessalon will no longer be holding the blood donor clinics - we will have to go to Blind River for the next one. Not enough donors in Thessalon plus it was getting too expensive to warrent a stop in our town. Just when Clarence was getting the hang of volunteering and baking my favourite chocolate chip cookies. I will miss him and them.
See ya Bye

ME THINKS THE GROUND HOG LIED

We woke up to about 3-4 inches of new snow on the ground today!! After the last couple of days where it has been sunny and beautiful - almost spring-like - this happens. And it is supposed to be just below 0 for the next few days so this snow will not be sticking around too long. I managed to get a few pictures this morning and - lo and behold - who comes walking up the hill but Boots!! Haven't seen him in a while but he was happy to see me. I fed him and then about 1 hour later when I was sweeping snow off the veranda, he comes around again. But he's long gone right now - off being a fox. You should have heard the Jays when he was around - they were going nuts with their warnings. He just ignored them.

Just normal stuff to do today. I already filled up both wood boxes - my job!

Sure looks pretty out there.

See Ya Bye

SATURDAY CHORES

Nice day yesterday - work to do. I burned my burnables and Rejean chopped up some of the ice on the lane way - this time of year, it is very slippery. I haven't slipped so far this year but I have in previous years - not fun.

See Ya Bye

DID YOU SEE IT??

Last nite it was clear as a bell here - perfect viewing of the SuperMoon, as it was called. Apparently the full moon was bigger and brighter than it has been in 15 years because it was closer to the earth. We remembered about it just when we were going to bed. I looked out the bathroom window and there it was - it was bright!! But, when you can compare it side by side with previous full moons, you can see that it actually was bigger. When I looked out my bedroom window towards the east, the tracks on the lake from the snowmobiles looked almost florescent - they just glowed on the lake. And the moon shadows from the trees were very distinct.

When I got up during the nite (to go to the bathroom) it was like daylite outside. We finally caught a break to see some neat astrological occurances. In August, there is a meteor shower and usually it is a cloudy evening. But last nite was perfect for viewing .

Now if I could just see the Northern Lights that clear....I have a standing order for anyone to call me, no matter what time of the nite, when the Northern Lights can be seen. So far no calls.

See Ya Bye

WITH DEEPEST SYMPATHY

A tragedy in Listowel yesterday - the deaths of 2 volunteer fire fighters. Raymond Walter and Kenneth Rea. In small towns, they sometimes have only volunteers to fight their fires. These people are highly trained but sometimes some things go wrong.
My sister Susan lives near and works in the town of Listowel and her husband, Jack, is from Atwood. Everyone knows everyone so this is going to be a loss felt by all.
They died protecting their community - they are heros.
They will surely be missed...

HAPPY ST PATRICK'S DAY

...and yes, I am Irish - I have Irish and Scottish blood in me - what a combination - actually, it works pretty good for me. It is my nephew, Kyle's birthday today - what a great day to have a birthday on. I am sure he is taking full advantage of it.

May you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live.

See ya Bye

GOLF TOURNAMENT ON AXE LAKE

Toby, all tuckered out from chasing all the golf balls

The 10th Hole at John and Linda's

A Motley Crew at the "Not A Hole" hole L to R Arnold, Rejean, Moi, Joanne (not my Joanne) and Skip

A trick hole - you had to avoid the snow stacks.

The first hole - a par 10 - they all were.

This guy was hitting them pretty good with his Cricket paddle

Joy handing out the score cards and giving us the rules and regulations - tough course.

Arnold was all decked out in his special beer belt - I think it held at least 8 cans and bottles, not counting the ones in his pocket - I called him the Beer Bitch

I don't think we could have picked a better day for the Axe Lake Golf Tournament - it was sunny and about 8 degrees. There was a bit of a breeze but that really didn't matter. There was a ton of people - young and old, babies and dogs. Joy and Arnold set up 9 holes on the Lake and there was hot dogs on the Island over an open fire. There was even one hole that wasn't a hole but you didn't know that until you got right up to the flag. It was Skip's best hole and he couldn't even count it!! You could use whatever you wanted to for a club - there were regulation clubs, hockey sticks, cricket sticks (?) and lacrosse sticks. Whatever it took to get it in the hole. We used yellow tennis balls (mine split in 2 after about the 6th hole). We would only count to 10 strokes - I had a score of 90!! The course wasn't in the best of shape - the greens needed a lot of work!! The final hole ended at John and Linda's so we had a break before we headed over to Joy and Arnold's for dinner. I rode with Bob on the back of his machine - I saw my life flash before my eyes - it was a fast trip but I survived. I think Bob has my hand prints in his flesh I was holding on so tight. Everyone had a good time - we left before prizes were handed out - I was sure we were not in the running :O)

See Ya Bye

PREPARING FOR THE ONSLAUGHT

Rejean was out bright and early drilling all the fishing holes. Nice morning!!!

A LITTLE SLUSHY

As the day progressed, it got very mushy under the snow but the ice was still very thick - no danger at all.

FEEDING THE MASSES

4 cans of Busch Beans and hotdogs and buns - kept their strength up all afternoon.

JUST A COUPLE OF BIG KIDS

John and Randy making our snowman/woman.

NEW KID ON THE LAKE??

This is what they do when the fishing is "slow". It had boobs and something else - they used it for target practice with snowballs later on with John defending the snowman/woman's honor.

A BEAUTIFUL DAY

Doesn't get any better than this for ice fishing!!

NO ONE FISHING - JUST ENJOYING THE COMPANY

A GOOD DAY DONE

After all the excitment outside, everyone moved inside for the remainder of the fesivities - they were all gone by 7:30pm!! Another great day up here!! Today, Wednesday, Golf on Axe lake - the excitment and fun never ends!!!

MONDAY STUFF

The new fridge will be a black, side by side with water and ice capabilities in the door

Sorry, I don't know how to right this pic - don't hurt yourself looking at me. ;o) That icicle is almost as tall as me!! Also note that I am in my work clothes.

The 3rd or 4th Annual Cheney Lake Fishing Derby is being held tomorrow - we just decided last nite that this was to be the case - you have to check to make sure the weather is going to co-operate and boy, will it ever. Sunny and +5 and very little wind. I'm just going to plop a chair down on the lake and sit and get some rays. Because, as you know, no fish will be harmed tomorrow. I have the usual fare - beans, hot dogs and hamburgers, potatoes and cole slaw. It will just be a chance to visit with everyone.

We finished another project over the weekend. Rejean got the wall up that the new fridge will fit in - it separates the bar area from the utility room. We also shortened the make shift bar and made another table for behind the bar. We got rid of a lot of "stuff" so it looks better. We'll be putting in the bulk heads over and behind the bar. There is lots of wiring to do yet. I want some good speakers put in the bulk heads along with the pot lights as well as outdoor speakers - nothing like a good tune when you are outside in the summer gardening, watching the camp fire or just enjoying some bevs.

See Ya Bye

FLAX SEED IN THESSALON

Thanks for the tip that the Golden Flax Seed was available at the Dollar Store in Thessalon - I guess I should get my "flax" straight before I make a comment on my blog. (I just couldn't resist that one). ;o)

See Ya Bye

WHO ? ME?????

We have a new doctor so I scheduled an appointment to see her. She, in turn, scheduled some blood tests for me the next morning - Wednesday. Just the usual. Thursday afternoon, at about 4:30pm I get the call...I have to start watching my diet because...my cholesterol levels were high!!!! What!!! Of course you are stunned so I didn't ask any questions. After I got off the phone I immediately went to google cholesterol stuff. I had to call the doctor back to get "my numbers". And they are high!!! My total cholesterol is 6.82 - considered HIGH; my LDL - the bad stuff is 4.23, again considered HIGH; my HDL, the good stuff, was 2.0, considered BEST and my triglycerides was 1.14, considered DESIRABLE. But you could have knocked me down with a feather. I consider myself to be in very good health, give or take the occasional hot flash. So, when I got this news, I was dumbfounded. I exercise regularly, I am not overweight, I don't smoke, I drink socially (depends on what the occasion is), I eat good food. So, how did this happen? I read all the labels of stuff I eat all the time. There was not a lot of cholesterol on the them. I don't eat a lot of eggs or dairy products - I have one cup of coffee a day with 1/2 and 1/2 cream and I eat porridge a lot. Maybe it is hereditary - but my parents died over 30 years ago of different causes other than heart conditions. The nurse said to call back in 6 months for another blood test. I said I would have it under control by then. I guess I have to step up the exercise routines - maybe up to 1 hour a day of cardio and weights. Eat more fruit and vegetables - less red meat - but I eat lots of skinless, boneless chicken boobs and lots of fish in the summer. I will cut down on ground beef - we had ground chicken tonite instead and it was delicious. I do like to have ham in my salads - which we have every nite - and I noticed the cholesterol count on the package was high so that is out from now on. And I am sure I won't miss it - just add more veggies.

I am determined to bring these numbers down in the 6 months I have before my next test. Any tips anyone can offer would be appreciated.

See Ya Bye

JIMMY'S POINT

No length of time can take away, our thoughts of you today...

ANOTHER PROJECT OFF THE LIST...

The finished project

The view down the 17 stairs

View up the stairs with my favourite window and the fish Jodie gave me.

Details of the ceiling and light fixture

To see the details of the light pad

The Master, doing what he does best...

We finished the stairway today and we are very pleased with the result. We aren't the fastest at getting projects done - there always seems to be something else to do like ice fishing, darts, dinner with friends etc. But, we started work last week - I got the wood varathaned and Rejean did the cutting and design. I know my limitations and I know Rejean's talents - we work well together. We had to blend the upstair's darker wood with the lighter pine that is being used on the main floor. We left the railing we had originally made with Hemlock from the property, as well as the octagonal window that contains a fish that Jodie gave me years ago. These two items are in the darker stain wood. Rejean designed the ceiling - it is the same design (on a smaller scale) that we will use on the ceiling in the main room - I like it. We have two large ceiling fans that will be placed as the light fixture was in the vestibule with a square made out of the light pine - and, in case you noticed and wondered, the actual stairs and floor will be done last - when everything else is done. We know what we are going to do - the stairs will be done in oak in the same ebony stain that the cabinetry is being done in. But, that is another project...

See Ya Bye

ps - just heard on the news that the price of beer is going up!!! Yikes!!! I just got a case of 30 cans of Blue Lite in the States for $18.49!! There is hope...