The Squamidian Report – Nov. 11 / 17
 
Issue #807

Including:
From Lorne

Hi All,

Want to know what really rots my socks? Christmas commercials on TV and decorations in the stores by the beginning of October, two months before December. Today is Remembrance Day. And yet, just like years gone by, the retail sector and brain dead public tramp right over this day in their greed and compulsion to make Xmas sales and get Xmas deals. Very shameful if you ask me, which most don't. When people should be observing a moment of silence they are fighting over parking spots at the shopping malls. Its a sad a shameful world, made even more so by the fact that those who are madly buying or selling 'Xmas' have totally lost any idea of what Christmas is actually about.

On a lighter note, I've single handedly managed to push winter back a bit. It had been encroaching on our early November but I have put it in it's place and I don't expect to see it back any time soon now. You see, I brought the old snow blower out from under the back deck and into the garage where I could get to it if it were needed. I don't even remember how old the blower is now but its never let us down. It almost did at the end of last winter, a winter that started way too soon and dragged on way to long. The seemingly endless use the old machine was being subjected to started to take its tole. By the end of the season the old drive belts were slipping badly. To that end I had taken it in to a service shop here in town and had new belts installed. The old ones were worn right down to almost nothing. Its a wonder neither had broken. There are two belts in case you are interested, one for powering the drive wheels and the other for powering the auger section.

As expected, when I dug the blower out from under the deck it started up on the first pull of the chord. Not so much as a sputter or whimper, one pull and away it went. I always put her away with a full tank of gas that has been treated with stabilizer, and I always shut it off when it won't be run for a while by turning off the gas and letting the carb run dry. Then to start it up I just turn on the gas, push the prime button about 5 times, set the choke to full and throttle to high and give the chord a pull. She fires right up. To bring the blower around from the back yard means setting our bike ramps that we used for loading dirt bikes into the truck, over the steps down onto the driveway so I can get the blower down the steps. Then I run it out from the back, down the ramps and into the garage where it can sit waiting for the snow to fall which won't for a while now because its ready and willing and able. Thats how it works.

And it does work. Whereas a week ago we were having winter with snow and temps about 10 degrees below normal.,  our temps have now recovered all the way up to just a bit below normal and the long range forecast calls for rain, a normal thing in November, instead of snow. Mind you, because of the winter conditions last week and the week before, the North Shore mountain ski runs are opening this weekend. Thats the earliest they've opened in 40 years. This global cooling is the pits. If I hadn't gotten my blower ready and by doing so pushed winter back to where it belongs, we'd be getting wintered on as we speak.

And not that anyone will know what I'm talking about, but I'm thinking about starting a countdown, with this being #7 and the count running out at 0.
doug
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From Lorne

It seems the Squad welcomes all sorts of topics including personal health issues, for that I am thankful. How else could we have known about Greg?  Now I will take advantage of that in this printing.  About the 1st of Oct., my blood pressure went on a wild ride. I have been on the same medication for many years. After several days attempting to reach the Medical Clinic where doctors operate from, I finely was able to speak to a real person who directed me to one. Her last name is Qayyum. I cant pronounce her 1st name either, but I think she was brought up on camel's milk. She checked me over and made arrangements for testing at the Hospital in Jan. By Nov., my hands and ankles have swollen to the point where it is very difficult to dress or type.  A numbness in hands but not in feet. Also a useless right shoulder and very sore. A return to my  new friend whose head is wrapped in a black towel, and I'm on a new medication to prevent fluid build up. Nothing has changed yet, but I have 29 pills to go.
Lorne
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Have a good one..
the doug
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