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The
Squamidian Report – Apr. 9 / 22
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#1037 From Russ The Ontarion
Hi All, Wow, there is just nothing going on to write about these days. There is lots going on in the world, most of which I’d rather not even think about let alone write about, so I won’t. And as Russ talks about in his column, this has been a very rainy spring for us as well making it hard to get interested in anything or do anything. Heck, our long range forecast is showing some very unimpressive mid February weather for next week. Whoopee. Something else I don’t want to think about is the fact that I and assumably most of you are getting older, WAY older, at an alarming rate. This fact was pointed out to me the other day when I found myself sitting in the waiting line at the optometrists office along with a whole bunch of other old farts as we all waited for our turn to see the specialist to have our cataracts looked at so laser surgery could be booked. They were calling the occasion ‘seniors day, cataract division’. There we were, all grey, most of us limping due to bad hips or knees that will never be dealt with under BC’s primitive medical system. The basis for the BC approach to orthopedic needs is that you simply have waiting lists so long that most patience will just drop off the list when they drop off this world. Personally, I’m exploring ‘out of province’ private solutions for my orthopedic issues. Anyway, nothing like finding yourself in a whole herd of old grey haired codgers, waiting our turns to be checked out and processed. But, at least for that kind of care, we can get some attention and can get onto a waiting list of unknown length. Its a start. Actually, perhaps having February weather would not be so bad after all. I managed to get out on the little Harley more times in that wintery month than I did in March, March being almost none-stop cold rain. I did however take advantage of a rare, fairly nice day this week and did a toot up the Callaghan Valley. Thats the mountain valley up near Whistler where the Olympic ski jump facilities are. Its still winter there and as you ride up the valley, the elevation rises constantly and the temperature drops constantly. The elevation of the road below the jump facilities is about 1000m, well up into the snowy mountains. So, while everything is green in the Squamish valley, its white up there. My poor bike got quite dirty from the snowmelt running across the roadway and is now in need of a good bath. It was however, a very nice ride and will be even nicer when it gets a bit warmer out. I took this pic when I turned around to head back out to the main highway.
doug ****
From Russ
"It's raining cats and dogs" We've all used the idiom, "It's raining cats and dogs" to describe a very heavy rain. You haven't? Maybe your parents did. It means 'torrential rain', a 'downpour', or a 'cloudburst', but what is the 'origin' of the age-old expression? Being of a curious nature I did a little research and, low-and-behold the expression has two possible origins. We have to go way back to the year 1665 during the Great Plague (Black Death) in London, England. Just to refresh my memory, I recall having studied the 'bubonic plague'; that deadly disease that spread by fleas, no less! But, the people didn't know that, so they couldn't control it. The plague was much more deadly than COVID-19 having a 60% mortality rate - over 100,000 people in London alone lost their lives! So what's this got to do with "raining cats and dogs" you ask? Be patient, I'm coming to it. Remember - there are two conflicting theories. The first is that humans were not the only victims of the plague. Cats and dogs also contracted and transmitted this horrific disease, spreading it via fleas in their fur. So many animals died that their bodies lined the open gutters. So when a very heavy rain would occur, their corpses would be swept down the street in a torrent. Hence it rained cats and dogs. Sounds logical. The second theory is that in the 17th Century, most people lived in simple houses with thatched roofs, and cats and dogs (and other animals) would sleep in the soft thatch. When a torrential rain came, the animals would be dislodged from their resting places and "fall from the sky". I like this one, as the animals were still alive. * I chose this subject as we've had too much rain this season - water is pooled everywhere. Again, it threatens early farm crops, makes our gravel roads into 'quagmire', and gives mosquitos plenty of stagnant water for laying their eggs. There will be a 'swat time' in Point Clark tonight (and every night until frost time in the Fall!) PS Could be worse - like a deluge of cats & dogs! Russ. ****
THE ONTARION REPORT
Hello everyone! Well, today is a special day around the Payne household. Today we brought home a new addition to the family! Adam has finally brought a new baby into the family. Today I accompanied him to Paris Ontario and we brought home the new baby! The new baby is in the form of a sweet little 1971 Mini Cooper S little British car! LOL! Sorry if I had you all hoping it was a grandchild for Carole and I but “No such luck!” We had to settle for the next best thing, another car in the family. As you all know by now, I’ve been a fan of Little British Cars since the 1960’s and now we have two of them in the family! Adam has been fascinated with Mini’s for many years, ever since he has been old enough to drive and has been listening to me tell him about the Mini Cooper and Cooper S that I owned back when I was in my late teens. Carole and I also had a Mini 1000 when we were first married and I guess the love for these little cars just rubbed off on Adam since the Mini was the first car he road in to come home from the hospital when he was a new-born! Even though he’s 6’4” tall, he fits into these little vehicles with relative ease. He’s been shopping for a Mini for many years now and finally found one in Paris Ontario about a week ago and managed to make a deal with the owner. I accompanied him to Paris today to bring the Cooper S home. We lucked out with the weather for sure. It was forecast to be partly sunny with rain on and off today but as it turned out there was only a short 10 minute stretch of light drizzle in the morning and then lovely sunshine for the rest of the day. Adam had rented a U-Haul trailer to pull behind his truck to bring the Mini home but when we got to Paris to pick the Mini up, as it turned out, the mini was 2” wider than the opening on the back of the trailer so the car would not fit on the trailer. OH OH! Now what? As we pondered a solution to the problem, I mentioned hiring a flat-bed truck to haul the little car from Paris to Kitchener. The owner who was assisting us with loading the Mini mentioned a towing company that was just around the corner from his house so Adam phoned that company and sure enough they had a flat-bed available for today. One hour later, the truck arrived at our pick up point and within 10 minutes the Cooper was loaded on the back of the truck and we were on our way home to Kitchener. The trucker followed us all the way to our place and dropped the Mini almost directly in the open spot we had waiting for the car in the garage. All we had to do was push the 1000 lb mini backwards about 15 feet and it is now resting quietly in it’s forever home! LOL! The person Adam bought it from had done almost a complete restoration on the car. I say “almost” because after having the Mini totally restored body and paint wise, he found he didn’t have time to finish reassembling the bits and parts to make it road ready. So rather than leave it sit for a few more years in his garage until he’d finally find the time, he decided to sell it to another person who could and would appreciate it! Since Adam has the skills and some time on his hands to finish the assembly, he bought the car and is looking forward to having me help him finish the car as a “father and son” project! I’ve owned a Cooper and a Cooper S and two other mini’s over the years and have some knowledge and skills as well that I can pass on to Adam and together we hope to have his “new” Cooper S on the road before Summer! All it needs is for Adam to install the windshield and gas tank and do some wiring and run a new gas line as well as new brake lines and also do a tune up and away he’ll go! I might try to talk him into selling the Cooper to me once it’s finished. It just so happens it’s my favourite colour combination and has always been one of my favourite cars of all time! LOL! I’m sure once it’s back on the road he’ll shoot anybody that tries to take it out of his possession! They are so much fun to drive that once you own one, you will hang onto it for dear life! That’s ok, Carole and I love to cruise the province in our MGB so together with Adam in his Mini we can enjoy the cruising together and make every other British vehicle enthusiast jealous as they watch us drive by! Oh yes, and by the way the Mini is bright RED with a bright WHITE roof and a black leather interior with Red trim on the seats! The perfect colour combination for a Mini Cooper for sure. My first Cooper in 1967 that I bought new was the same Red colour but with a black roof! A nice combination as well but I guess Adams combination is ok too! LOL! Hahahahaaa ….. Look at me here, I’m getting all jealous of his new machine already! LOL! Oh well, maybe if I help him finish it, he’ll be kind enough to allow me to drive it once in a while too! I’m looking forward to seeing it fly down the street with Adam at the wheel! I’m sure he’ll love it as much as Carole and I love the MGB! Should be a fun summer for cruising together. At least both of our LBC’s are great on gas and at the present gas prices, it’s a good thing they are! That’s the latest here at the Payne household and about it for this week’s Ontarion. Thanks for tuning in and I’ll look forward to talking to you all again next time in The Ontarion Report! Bye for now… Greg
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