TAKING THE DAY OFF

It was calling for rain today so we took the day off - no sense killing yourself by working in the rain.  These are pictures from Tuesday.  Notice I have my steel toed boots on!
Just a view of one of the bigger pieces of lumber we are working with - thank goodness we have the tractor to help us because we would never be able to pick that sucker up.  We do put the tractor to good use moving the blocked pieces onto the pile but we still pick up the smaller pieces and toss them onto the pile.  Have to get my workout in somehow.
We figure we have about 2 more days of work ahead of us for blocking then splitting.

HAPPY EASTER

Wishing everyone a very Happy Easter and what better way to say it than with my 2 favourite Hunny Bunnies Monty and Charlie.  Apparently Charlie doesn't like chocolate and gave his chocolate Easter egg to his brother.  I would have taken it!!!
19 months old today!!  Rolling towards the Terrible Twos...can't wait!!

NICE DAY ON THE ICE

Some people enjoying the last few days of ice on Cummings today.  They say there is still 14" of ice out there but I wouldn't chance it.

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN

We are getting a head start on the wood this year thanks to some nice weather (not counting the other day when we got 6 inches of the white stuff).  We are trying out a new system that seems to be working great!!  Instead of using the chain saw on the logs hanging from the tractor bucket by chains, we place the logs on the McGuivered and reinforced saw horse and then use the bucket to move the larger blocked logs over to the pile instead of picking them up manually.  We still need the chains and steel cord to move the logs from the pile to the saw horse via the tractor which is my job.  Rejean secures the cord around a log and attaches the cord to the hook secured by chains attached to the loader.  I work the tractor picking the log up and moving it to the saw horse and gently lowering it into place.  Rejean then chain saws the logs into 16" logs which we then throw into the ever growing pile.  It is a long process but we enjoy it.  We have done well for just 5 hours per day for 2 days.
Some of those logs are BIG and heavy - I will be wearing my steel toed work boots from now on as I dropped one of the larger logs on my toe and it hurt a lot!!

NOT BAD FOR FREE

At the last fish fry at the Legion in Thessalon there was a lady from the Algoma Manor selling tickets to raise money for the home.  First prize was a hand stitched quilt, second price was 2 Adirondack chairs and the third prize was a pie a month for a year.  Well I won the second prize of the 2 chairs.
I got the call and said I would pick them up and to not put them together as they came unassembled.  I knew they would not be finished so it would be easier to apply the varathane when they were in pieces.  These chairs have 5 coats of outdoor varathane with sanding between the 4th and 5th coats - same as all the furniture we make around here.
After 4 days of hard work they are ready for the nice weather - and so am I!!

MY MOJITO BAR

This is a picture of the Mojito Bar set up at the Ritz where we went for brunch when we were in  Abu Dhabi which quite conveniently was just steps away from our table.  I did not have far to go to freshen up my drink.
Delicious!!

FIRST DAY OF SPRING

It was a beautiful day for the first day of spring around here so we decided to put the snowmobile away and get out the four wheelers.  While at the other garage we spotted a partridge walking around up the trail.  Hopefully it is a hen and will have her babies around here.  I got to drive the 4 wheelers back to the other garage and I stopped to get a good shot of a small ice fall along the side of the highway - altho it looks pretty big in this picture.  It is supposed to stay cold for the next little while but the sun is strong.  It will make for a slow thaw.

HAPPY ST PATRICK'S DAY

Everyone is Irish on St Patrick's Day!!
Enjoy!

NEW DEER BLIND - WORK IN PROGRESS

                                                                                        Rejean and Roger have been working on it and now it is my turn to work on it.  My job is to stain it - inside and out.  Today I only stained the bottom half in the interior - too nice a day to be working inside.  Tomorrow I will work on the top half.  Rejean still has to install the windows and make some shelves.  The hardest part is figuring out where to put it.

AND DOWN SHE CAME

It's always been an event that we wait for each spring - the snow on the garage coming down.  Sometimes it has happened during the winter but more times than not, it happens in the spring.  It gets that you run past the garage when getting the mail and driving past it you tend to speed up a bit.  Because if this snow ever came down on you it would kill you I am sure.  If it happens slowly, it just falls straight down but if it comes down fast, as it did the other day, it covers the whole driveway.  It didn't take Rejean too long to clean it up with the loader - way too hard to blow.
Picture two and three are of the snow off the back of the garage where it doesn't do any damage and we just leave it to melt.
Spring has sprung around here...

A RAINY DAY IN THE DESERT

We have snow days in Canada and apparently they have rain days in the UAE. There was a tremendous storm in Abu Dhabi yesterday/today that saw over 11 inches of rain dumped on the city. They usually get 4 inches in a year so it was a major rainfall that caused schools and business to close for the safety of it's citizens. Windows were blown out of skyscrapers in Dubai and flooding was everywhere. Jodie sent this picture along with pictures of damage done to her property. Her back yard was flooded much to the delight of Charlie and Monty who love puddles.

Location:Abu Dhabi

DEATH CAR

Well my car now has new tires and a new brake job so no more "death car" for me!!
I have to admit the treads were getting a bit worn but I never had any problems driving even in the snow we get up here. And I never noticed any problems with the brakes. I guess you get used to the way your car "feels" when you drive and you don't notice anything out of the ordinary. But it was brought to my attention when I was getting the new tires installed that I could use a brake job so I went for it. I have to admit it was a very smooth ride home.
It will help with the trade in value in December when I trade her in...


See ya bye...

Location:Cheney Lake

A THOUGHTFUL GIFT

When we were in Abu Dhabi we frequently ate donuts either from TImmies (yes they have TImmies in Abu Dhabi) or the corner store near Dave and Jodie's house Spinnies. When we got home Dave and Jodie and the boys sent us a donut maker and a Bear Grylls book of Extreme Food - we watched a few episodes of that with Dave - things to do with a dead camel...
I made some donuts today and they have received an 8 out of a possible 10 from Rejean who considers himself a connoisseur of donuts. I glazed a few and put icing sugar on some and left some plain.
I guess I won't be needing that book just yet, Dave!

Location:Cheney Lake