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The
Squamidian Report – Mar. 11 / 23
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Of This And Past Issues Issue
#1085 Russ Nova Scotia Sus The Ontarion Hey There, The biggest challenge in coming up with something to write about for this letter each week is coming up with something to write about, each week. You tend to keep an eye open as the week progresses in hopes that something will catch your attention. Nothing did this week until I decided to change the strings on one of my guitars. Don’t worry, I won’t go into a long drawn out monolog about changing strings. I did that a while ago. Anyway, I wanted to put a new set of strings on my Gibson so I removed all the old strings, gave the guitar a once-over, and put a set of new strings back on. As I started to tune them up, one of them broke. Wow, that hasn’t happened in decades so bingo, I suddenly had something to talk about. Guitar strings just don’t break these days, at least not when you are simply trying to bring one up to it’s proper note. Back in the ‘old days’ they broke all the time but back then strings were just thin wires that could deteriorate, go dull in tone, and even get rusty. Modern strings are quite high tech, made of special steels and other metals as well as being coated with all sorts of exotic materials. So why did this string, the high E, snap when I was bringing it up to it’s note? It failed at the ball end, right at the top of where the windings that hold the ball stop. The ball end gets inserted though a hole in the bridge and is held in place by the bridge pin. This string snapped where the string comes out of the hole. It makes a bend at that point, but they all do and one has never broken there before on me. As far as I could see, there must have been a slight defect in the string, perhaps just a tiny blemish, enough to let it fail long before it ever got up to the usual tension a string would be subjected to. The ball end and the accompanying half inch of windings fell into the guitar body from where I easily retrieved it using a magnet. The other end was still wound onto the tuning peg post. Normally, if strings do break, it’s the end rapped around the tuning posts that fails. (Did you know that the combined pull that a set of strings exerts on an ‘average’ acoustic guitar neck and body is about 180 pounds)? I’ve got lots of extra sets of string so a replacement was right at hand so that was not an issue. I replaced the string and tuned up the guitar with no more problems. Years ago when strings were not as high tech, we’d break them on a regular basis but usually when we were playing the instrument and hitting the strings pretty hard. If you ever looked at the tiny little stage in some hick country hotel you’d see broken strings all over the place. You got pretty good at finishing the song you were playing with a missing string and then popping on a new one before the next song started. Another thing that used to break all the time was guitar picks. Again, way back then, picks were made of some sort of brittle plastic and the constant bending from hitting the strings would break them. The floor of that little hotel stage would be littered with pieces of picks. You’d always have a few extras stuck to your mic stand or your guitar’s head stock so they’d be easy to grab when the one in your fingers fell apart. Then, at some point since then, nylon picks (and other durable materials) came along and those things didn’t break, ever. They just kept on hanging in. I used the same Dunlop .60mm nylon pick for 20 years. It just kept on going, and had a nice tactile feel. Those years of playing it left it warn down somewhat but otherwise it still works. I’ve still got it, but it is now retired and I’ve moved on to even ‘better’ picks. Just as I like to experiment with different makes and types of strings, I like to do the same with picks. And just like with strings, different picks give a different sound and feel. The thinner the pick is, the more flexible it is but the thinner it sounds. There is also a lot of string slap noise with thinner picks. As the picks get thicker, they get stiffer and the sound gets richer (generally speaking). Any given string paired with any given pick gives a different result, a different feel and sound. You could drive yourself nuts testing each combo. I’ve settled on a compromise that seems to work for me these day, using the ‘Cat’s Tongue’ .73mm picks which give me good ‘feel’ as well as enough flex and an acceptable sound. ‘Cat’s Tongue’ is not what they are made of, the name is based on the rough textured section where you hold the pick, giving good ‘traction’. I really like the sound produced by thicker picks but like the feel given by thinner picks so these seem to be a good compromise and work well for me. And that, my friends, is how I write a full page story based on breaking a guitar string. And, just for something to look at, that same old view, AGAIN, but this time with some lite clouds playing around the top of Garibaldi.
doug ****
From Russ
Tony the Tree Surgeon. He finished the job this morning (Tue. Mar.7), a job he started yesterday with the help of one other man. A dozen trees averaging 10 inches at the base, and 40 feet tall had to be cut down as they posed a threat to my wee cottage - being too close, too tall, or near dead. His helper departed, and Tony worked alone as usual, from 10:30a.m. to 5:30p.m., during which time with his 'partner', the 'robot', they had cut down all the necessary trees, sawed the logs into 8 foot lengths, and shoved all the 'slash' through the chipper. Well organized, and methodical, Tony 'instructs' his robot to obey his will, and it does so without faltering. Together, man and machine accomplish what would take a half-dozen skilled woodsmen at least two full days to complete. His machine, which I refer to as a robot, is a John Deere Mini- Excavator with the dexterity of a human arm and hand - the arm reaches out, the hand grabs one, or more logs, while the unit can swing 360 degrees it dumps its load precisely where Tony wants it, handling logs weighing hundreds of pounds like they were toothpicks! With a skilled 'Master' tickling the controls, the robot can be told to 'get rough', or to be as 'gentle as a mother's touch'. From the moment he backed-it-off his trailer down a very steep ramp (when it looked like it might roll over), until he drove it all over my hilly yard, I was amazed at how well it remained firmly-seated upon its caterpillar lugs (rubber), able to turn-on-a-dime, yet leave little collateral damage to the yard. I know Greg Payne is a "pool-shark" and sharks always plan their next move(s) before shooting. My dad was an excellent Chess-player - until brother Wayne became even better - and Chess is a game where one must plan several 'moves' ahead before finally placing your 'man' (or whatever one calls the pieces) Tony works like a pool-shark or chess champion - always planning several moves ahead before acting. I had a 'ring-side seat' (comfortably indoors) to observe his tactics - he never seemed to make a wrong move - he was "one cool cat" - never getting flustered or losing his temper. He is 6 feet 7 inches tall in stocking feet (he told me) But, today he was wearing work-boots (still snow on the ground). Long, and lanky - strong-as-a-horse, never even stopped to pee! He did however, take a long, well-deserved lunch-break. The next day Tony returned to finish the job - he had emptied the truck's dump-box of sawdust, and before my very eyes he converted it to a 'flat-bed' log-carrying vehicle (versatile!). He was now able to load all the logs he'd placed conveniently on the shoulder of the road in front of my place onto his pick-up truck. As he loaded, the rear began to sag, while the front of the truck began to rise - it was a heavy load!! Before leaving, Tony raked the lawn and roadway, leaving things as clean as ever. The 'clean-up' is very important to the 'writer' - as he is lazy, handicapped, lazy, and allergic to raking! How much did the job cost me you ask? The quote was $2,000.00 (which he stuck to), but what I object to is the HST of $260.00. Note: $2,260.00 uses-up all my savings, and I'll have to get a job. Bummer!! Russ PS I applied at the OPP but they told me I was "over-qualified"! ****
From Nova Scotia Sus
We had a beautiful day last Sunday so we decided to hang buckets. The day was quite cold but we bundled up...loaded up the truck and headed up Fitzpatrick Mountain to our maple woods. Snow shoes were needed and a sleigh to carry our buckets, lids, tools and spiggots. This year we have expanded our numbers of trees to tap so it took 3 of us to tap 34. It was quite a workout and very enjoyable to be back in the woods. Luckily Hurricane Fiona left our maples standing. The temperatures so far this week are not allowing the sap to run but at least we are ready. We collect the sap the old fashion way...no feed lines only buckets. Maybe in the future we will have a sugar shack built and do all our processing in the woods. For now when we collect the sap we bring it down to our place to boil. We have a very long and shallow pan over a long fire pit. At least we are home for the long slow process and we can do chores while keeping watch. My favorite part is having a nice cup of maple sap tea...so good!
Sus ****
The Ontarion
Hello everyone! I’ve gotten so busy I almost forgot about this week’s Ontarion! However, I had a last minute reminder after shoveling the snow for a second time today! I plopped myself down in front of the TV after supper and it suddenly dawned on me that it was Friday night and past time to send my column. So, here I am up in the office much later than my usual writing time! That’s ok, there’s always something to write about! Like my late mother used to say, “It’s better late than never!” It seems that every time I take a look at the obituaries in the KW Record, another old acquaintance of mine has passed away! Makes me wonder when it’ll be my turn! I hope not for a long long time yet! This past week, there were two more old friends that passed away that were exactly my age and one that was slightly older! When I noticed their obits, I realized that we hadn’t seen or contacted either one of them in many years anyway. The one was a friend I chummed with when I was in my early 20’s and the other when Carole and I were still living in Linwood which was back in the early 90’s. It makes me think how quickly time flies! We tend to let so many years slip by before we think of some of our friends that we haven’t seen or even talked to in many years! It seems to be quite a shock when we read about those we haven’t been in contact with for so long! Of course they could easily pick up the phone or use the computer to contact me as quickly as I could them! So, whose fault is it that we’ve lost touch? Just goes to show us that someone has to make an effort to stay in touch and it doesn’t always have to be me! Of course this past three years of Covid haven’t helped us keep in touch with people we’ve known or chummed with for most of our lives either! I guess I can’t blame it all on Covid but it’s just one more reason for separation from our friends and loved ones! Having been cooped up inside our house for this past three years has really isolated us from the rest of the world and from what the health people tell us, it’s going to continue into the not so foreseeable future! Whoever turned this terrible virus loose on the rest of the world needs a kick in the pants for sure! From what they say now, Covid injections are going to be a yearly happening just like the flu shots we’ve been taking for many years! Oh well, as long as they are as effective as other injections have been we should be able to put up with that happening to stay safe each year! I’ll just be happy to be able to get out in public again and feel confident in doing so! It’s been a scary three years and who knows if it’ll ever come to an end! Let’s just keep our fingers crossed that sometime soon it will come to an end. Until such time, we’ll just have to be diligent with our precautions and not let our guards down! Wear your mask in public and wash our hands well and often enough to keep the infection away from our loved ones and friends! What a heck of a future it’ll be if we don’t! We’ll all just have to keep our guards up and be as safe as we possibly can! That’s about it for this week folks! Be safe and I’ll talk to you all again next time in The Ontarion Report!
Bye for now…. Greg ****
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