Almost There

As we head into the New Year and I watch the snow falling again, covering the driveway that I just cleared yesterday of a foot of snow, I wonder if all winters in NB are going to be like this. At least it gets me out of the house. Makes it harder to feed the birds and squirrels, the snow is almost up to the bottom of the hanging bird feeder and the wishing well is almost covered. One thing we don't have to worry about is getting up early to shovel before we head off to work and that's a great relief. I see that Edmonton is going to enter the New Year with a smoking ban around all public buildings and doorways, it should make smoking at work a real treat, again, something that I am not going to miss. Traded emails with Debbie today, it looks like things are going well with her and Graham seems to be doing well too. I do miss the daily kibitzing and the camaraderie that I enjoyed in my last years at work, although I still get up for work at the same time 0500hrs and still have my morning coffees at 0800hrs, we only have each other for company now but Lynn is a pretty good kibitzer if ever there was one and between us we can find enough to take shots at what with the Liberals, anti-smoking groups and Quebecers to keep us occupied. I think we'll be doing just fine in the future year ahead of us. Our first year of retirement lies ahead and I am happily anticipating it. To all of our friends and family all the best to all of you in the coming year!

Another Wave

I froze my hands to get these, I hope someone appreciates them!

Catch A Wave

Waves are hard to catch, but I'll keep trying

Boxing Day!

Well, we survived our first Christmas in NB. We had dinner at the in-laws, a wonderful turkey, and lots of taters n stuff, even fresh cranberries! We spent a wonderful day and then came home by suppertime to feed the hounds and crash. We opened our presents, and everything worked except for a game I bought for Lynn. She got a wicked chainsaw and a rotary cutting tool kit. I got the external flash for the new camera and now I've got another manual to read, boy does it ever stop? We then watched a football game (we've become addicted to the realism of high def) and even I am enjoying watching the games, Lynn is still teaching me everything there is to know about football but I am getting better.

Boxing day here is much different than in Edmonton, nothing is open here, ok, some things were open but I didn't want to go to those places. We got the truck washed, picked up some milk and came home. Good enough, no crowds, no traffic so it wasn't all bad and we were even second in line at the car wash! Hope Christmas went well for everyone, and hopefully our Christmas cards made it in time.

Let it Snow....

It started snowing yesterday and hasn't stopped, the wind is howling out there and our Christmas bows are constantly blowing away. There is so much snow the squirrel has decided to build a tunnel around the feeder to keep himself out of the wind and to further harass the doves. We finished up our Christmas cards and Lynn bless her soul ventured out and walked down to the mail to drop them off. Hopefully the kids (you know who you are) will get them in time for Christmas. It has become painfully apparent that I am no longer able to write like a normal person anymore, so I printed my greetings and sheesh, that wasn't much neater either but at least they're legible. I've been typing for so long, my whole career and since I discovered computers so long ago, so writing has become somewhat of a lost art for me. I think I'll look for a nice handwritten font and use that for my letters from now on, a little impersonal perhaps but a whole lot easier on my hands and what little brain I have left :) The snow is supposed to end by this afternoon so I'll be snowblowing to beat the band around 4 so I've got five hours to play..so I'm off!

Preparations

We filled up the gas cans, the snowblower is full, so is the car. We charged all the flashlights, brought in wood, stocked up on vittles (oh wait, I always do that) and battened down the hatches to prepare for the big storm that all the weather services are saying is coming. As I typed this the snow has been coming down for about two football games already, apparently there could be up to 40 cms before it is all done...woo hoo...well at least I don’t have to drive in it. The wind is supposed to get gusty too up to 90 kmh but that seems about the norm lately. Odo and Loki are already enjoying the snow and playing king of the snow mound regularly. We’ve got candles galore but then we always did so we didn’t have to do any extra work in that regard. The gas station was quite busy today, I guess everyone was making sure they had enough gas for their machines, and the church was packed but since it was Sunday, I’m guessing that it wasn’t too unusual. As you can see from the photos, it was getting quite dark when I went to get gas so we’ll see how it plays out. It should be fun to watch everyone going to work but I don’t wish any accidents on anyone, everyone should get to stay home, other than emergency people, on days like this.

They May Have Been Right

Something is definitely on the way…

They may have been right

It would appear that I may have been just a little hasty J

American Justice vs Canadian Justice

A US court has sentenced a suspected serial killer to 438 years in jail for sexual assaults of two sisters in 2005.

Justice James Williams threw the book at serial killer Robert Pickton, condemning him to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.

Their healthcare may suck but they seem to have a handle on sentencing!

Yes, another prediction!

Special weather statement for New Brunswick issued by Environment
Canada at 3:55 PM AST Friday 14 December 2007.

..Major winter storm poised to affect province late on Sunday and
Monday..

A winter storm brewing over Texas this morning will continue to
develop as it tracks northeastward over the weekend. The storm
system is expected to lie over Massachusetts Sunday evening before
moving through New Brunswick on Monday. Southern regions of the
province are already under a heavy snowfall warning for Sunday.
It is anticipated that these warnings will be extended over the
remainder of province for Sunday night. Strong winds and local
blowing snow will accompany the heavy snowfall. Precipitation will
change through ice pellets and to rain overnight Sunday over southern
regions as milder air is pushed ahead of the storm system.

The travelling public is advised that they should make plans
accordingly. Driving conditions could deteriorate quickly as the
storm approaches. Follow your local forecast closely and monitor for
updates as the weather situation develops.

Too funny, or not, we'll see what transpires

Who to Believe?

Bathurst: Issued 5.00 AM AST Saturday 15 December 2007

Today
Sunny with cloudy periods. 40 percent chance of flurries this morning. Wind northwest 30 km/h gusting to 50. Temperature steady near minus 11.
Tonight
A few clouds. Wind northwest 20 km/h becoming light this evening. Low minus 15.
Sunday
Increasing cloudiness. Snow at times heavy beginning late in the day. Amount 5 cm. High minus 9.
Monday
Snow and blowing snow. Windy. Low minus 8. High minus 2.
Tuesday
Sunny. Low minus 12. High minus 8.
Wednesday
A mix of sun and cloud. Low minus 18. High minus 8.

It does make you wonder who you are supposed to believe, the weathercaster the night before or the weather office. I don't know about you, but I've never been in a job where you can be so wrong so much of the time and still have a job :) We'll stock up on gas n candles anyway just to be on the safe side. We'll probably end up with a Chinook or something!

Big Storm Coming

The ever efficient weather services of Canada tell us that there is a big storm coming. They have even gone so far as to offer suggestions for emergency kits. NB Power is bringing all of their staff back to work to be ready for it and are suggesting that we be prepared for power outages for as long as three days. Yippee!! Today I have to blow the 4 inches of snow we got yesterday off of the driveway to make room for the blizzard to come. Then it's off to the gas station to fill up our gas cans. My old work flashlights and my cell phone are being charged as I type and we already have candles. Heat isn't a problem since we heat with firewood anyway. Loki and Odo are looking forward to the new snow since they have burrowed their way through the last snowfall already. They love the snow! I don't mind it as much now since I don't have to drive to work or anywhere for that matter. We are well stocked for food and we just have to fill the bathtub with water for the toilet and we are good to go. I'll let you know how we make out.

It's Christmas

 

It would appear that the dogs don't really want to pose for Christmas pictures, but the tree does look nice :)

What do we think of retirement?

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!

This is too much fun

Ah, the good old days

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!
Kinda reminds me of my Beat days, only Ed had the sword :)

Things to do in Retirement

It's funny, the things you find time to do when you are retired. You can read as many newspapers as you like online, take the time to smell the roses and of course write as many letters to the editor as you like without worrying about violating any rules. It's very enjoyable venting to the editor, not that it really has any affect but it sure makes you feel better :) I often wonder why the pollsters never call me or Lynn but given the results of most of these polls I can see why. If you're curious about what I have to say, see the following link

A New Friend

I think Odo and Loki would like Duane's new walking partner, here's hoping his wifes foot quickly. No more smoking on the loading dock...that sucks...oh wait...I'm not there anymore :)

We Win! Winter arrived here first....yuk

If you can call it a win, we woke up to my first winter here, and I promised to go to Timmy’s for coffee and donuts for Lynn.  So before she woke up, the dogs and I made our way on the long trek to Tim’s.  It’s almost a kilometer away after all :) We all enjoyed the treat, even the dogs.  The squirrel didn’t look too happy with the overnight snowfall.  Now, if only I had put up the Christmas lights before this happened.  Hopefully, the rest of you will soon join us in the winter wonderland and I better not hear any “I told you so’s” from the cheap seats.

 

Mark & Lynn

Bird Lovers Only Rescue: May I have this dance?

http://birdloversonly.blogspot.com/2007/09/may-i-have-this-dance.html

This is just too funny, thanks Deb!

Testing the new camera

Shots taken from the dining room out to the side yard.

Lasagna Part 2

Well, I have to admit that even after the dog disaster, the lasagna was wicked, or should I say is wicked since we are still eating it!  It takes two people much longer to eat a big lasagna pan compared to having a large family :)  Still it is very very good.  Now I'm going to have to keep wine in stock.  We aren't big wine drinkers, well, I don't drink and Lynn drinks very little and not usually wine.  Ah well, we need beer too for the fish batter so I guess you can't go completely cold turkey on the booze.

Lasagna

I'm going to try and replicate my mother in laws sea food  lasagna today.  We picked up all of the ingredients yesterday, twice.  The first time Odo and Loki decided that they too liked seafood even if it was frozen, so we had to go back and buy more.  This is going to be the worlds most expensive lasagna.  Shrimp, crab, lobster, mozzarella, what's not to like?  I'll let everyone know how it goes.

Old Friends

Ok, maybe not old but good friends, after being retired from work for five months, I am still finding it hard to adjust to being cut off from old friends that I used to talk to daily.  We are all caught up in our lives but the one place we could always connect at some point or other was work.  Now that I don't work and live thousands of kilometers away from my old haunts you find yourself missing it all a bit.  I get the odd email now and again from a few of them, I'm on a couple of jokes lists but those were irritating enoough when I worked for a living.  I try and make a point of sending out an email to them all now and again and occasionally I hear back.  Ron who just retired, doesn't have a computer so I can't get to him in any way shape or form online, I may have to resort to snail mail.  Deb just emailed me, what a surprise that was, we shared a lot in our short time together workwise.  I hope things are going well for her, she deserves a break.  We heard from Lexine, Lynn talked to her for two hours the other night.  Boy she has been a busy camper and so positive and upbeat no matter what life throws her way.  She has been a delight, why she even loaned us her house for our wedding, doesn't get much better  than that.  Sounds like her and Paul are enjoying their new digs.

Treats but no Tricks?

Halloween has come and gone and we are going to be eating goodies until next halloween. Three kids dressed up like the latest teen sensation came by and that was it! Apparently we live too far from the beaten track to get many kids. Our neighbors have a baby, maybe we'll have to wait for him to grow up to improve our numbers :)

Halloween

Lynn is all excited about Halloween and wanted to share our first Halloween in NB with everyone. We have goodies for the kids and goodies for us! Not bad for a first attempt, I'm sure we will add stuff every year to improve the look.

A video for Ron

Of course Ron doesn't have a computer so he'll probably never see or hear this but if you like Christian music you can give it a listen. The singer/songwriter is Don Francisco and Dolly Parton had great success with the song, it's on her White Limozeen album! Enjoy.

One more day

Lynn is coming home tomorrow, yippee!! As much as I like alone time, this has been a very very long week, ok, not really a week, six days but it feels much longer! My huntress is coming home. I'm gonna hitch a ride with the brother in law so that I don't get lost in the woods, although I think I might be able to find my way there. When you're on dirt roads in the woods, they can sometimes seem very similar. Maybe I'll be adventurous the next time around. With any luck we'll be having meat pies in the very near future. If not at least Lynn had the chance to relax, she's very busy around here, cutting wood, stacking wood, burning wood. Hopefully this break will have been a good one for her, not so good for me but I survived, the dogs help and of course her pillow is now covered with dog hair, I'm sure I'll hear about it. The replacement dog collars arrived and now Odo is a happy camper coming and going at will. I tried wrapping his transmitter in plastic to see if it will last longer than it has in the past. Loki doesn't roll and burrow through the grass and dirt so his seems to be fine. We'll see how it goes.

Odo, our eldest Elkhound

Am I not the cutest? I've been known to hunt squirrels, like those guys below but they won't come into the yard to play.

Critters

We have many creatures to amuse ourselves with but I have to admit that although the birds are beautiful and fun to watch, I get the most amusement from our furry friends. We have a couple of squirrels who used to fight but now seem to be very close (wink wink). One is quite shy and when I took these pics he or she was hiding in the well but the other one made a point of checking me out.

It's Fall for sure

Seems like overnight we lost all of our leaves along with a lot of our privacy. We have had some major blustery days with gusts up to 60kmh. No surprise then, that the leaves have gone. Lynn prepared the backyard for winter so we have no lawn furniture and the fireplace will be the next thing to go.

Strange Mushroom

We have the strangest mushrooms here so I thought I'd share them with you.

Great Time Waster

I have found myself spending a lot of time playing a flash game called Desktop TD or tower defense. A very popular game, so much so that the creator actually quit his job to devote all of his time to it.




If you want to play the game it's located here.

Road Trip

Lynn thought that she would take me on a road trip. Into the woods we went to visit Island Lake. We could take in the view and enjoy all of the fall colors which are heading into full bloom right now. It doesn't feel like fall though, it was 22 degrees when we headed out. It was an enjoyable, peaceful romp in the woods and yes, it's hunting season so it wasn't only the trees that were colorful, both the hunters and their atv's were also quite bright :)

Road Trip Pictures

more Island Lake

Children on the move

We just heard that our oldest son, Mark, is moving to Toronto, funny how I left Toronto, to live in Edmonton and Mark is now moving there. Well, he'll only be an eleven hour drive from us from there so it should be interesting. That leaves us with two sons in Edmonton. The news here, is now talking about a labor shortage in the trades, due to upcoming and ongoing retirements as well as the exodus to Alberta. It's going to get interesting I think, in the next few years to see what transpires.

I cannot tell a lie

As Abraham Lincoln said, so does Lynn. She is a wood chopping machine! We have been cleaning up the assorted woodpiles that had been left behind by the previous occupants of this house and boy did they leave a pile of wood. She's been cutting and splitting and hauling and filling the basement wood room. We've ordered yet more wood for winter and boy does the new wood stove pump out the heat. I bought a tarp big enough to cover the woodworking shop, so it's a little big for covering our woodpile and I've never said that bigger is better but it gives us room to expand.

100% Done

The kitchen is finally finished! With the addition of the pantry and the light, it's all done and looking good! And No, you can never have enough spices :)

What's Next

Now that the renovations are almost complete, we can live like normal people again! It still takes a bit of getting used to, the kitchen is new and so is the layout, so I occasionally find myself opening several doors to find what I need but it is getting easier with each day.

All of this upheaval has put me behind on cataloging my videos, I'm behind probably twenty or more movies. Heck, we haven't even had time to watch a lot of video but once things settle down, I'm sure that we'll have more time for relaxing.

I had always said that acreages take more work than it would first appear and I was right, our lawn loves to grow and it takes quite a while to get it all mowed but then, we're retired, we have nothing but time on our hands :) We trimmed the bushes and trees on the west side of the property so that we can mow under them without being impaled by the branches. I'm going to do the east side when the ground dries up a bit, we had some rain last night. Once that is done it will make cutting the lawn a lot easier. Lynn handles the tractor like a pro but I'm sure that with practice (I seem to be getting a lot of practice) I'll get better.

Lynn now has the opportunity to get setting up her workshop at the back of the garage with all of her tools and new toys, she's itching to build. She already made a tv stand to lift the tv in our bedroom so that it's higher than the foot of the bed and not only does it do what it was designed for, it looks very nice too.

I'm gonna head off to get the mail now and do some stuff in the garage...l8r

Living room done!

Lynn made new drapes for the living room, replacing the old dowdy pink curtains that had been there when we moved in, now we have lots of light streaming in and beautiful colors to look at instead of that pink or dusty rose! If you don't remember what I'm talking about...here's the link..

Renovations 99% done!

Actually, the original reno's are now done, I
decided that I needed a cabinet to hold all of
my spices, so that is being built right now
and will be installed in September. However,
everything else is done and paid for! We
survived and now kitchen duty is normal and
Lynn doesn't have to do the dishes by hand
anymore!

A little patriotism

I have finally gotten what
every kid dreams of, my
very own flagpole!

Catching some shade

Dog's are smart, when the reno's get going, it's time to catch some shade and have a relax.

Renovations

Now it's all coming together, a little electrical work and we'll be up and running...and those aren't my fingerprints on the fridge..really...

Renovations

From empty
space to a
glorious buffet and
hutch!

Renovations

The appliances are
beautiful but would
be nicer if they weren't
in the dining room!