The Squamidian Report – Dec. 2 / 06
Issue #236
Also in this issue:
Gale's Surprise 60th
A
Note From Ewan
The
200th Issue of the The Ontarion
Hi All,
I had an opportunity to use the 4-wheel drive component of my truck the other day. So perhaps I should back up a bit and start at the beginning. As you know, my little Ford Ranger has 4-wheel drive, the modern kind where all you do is turn a dial on the dash to put it into or out of 4-high and 4-low. One of the problems with these systems is that if you don’t use them regularly, they won’t work when you eventually do need them. So one day while heading out onto the dyke where we have been piling load after load of mud all Fall, I decided it was time to test my drive system as I hadn’t done so all summer and should have been doing it every week.
It took quite a while to drop into 4-high, and even longer to drop down into 4-low. Not a good sign at all. So I drove on to where the excavator was waiting and turned the dial back to 2-wheel high. The drive system didn’t change, it stayed in 4-low. It took half an hour of gently rocking the truck back and forth to get the thing to disengage. The manual states that you may have to rock or creep backward to achieve disengagement. Once it finally came out I left it out until I got home. My driveway slopes downward away from the house so I figured I may as well try again to verify that it just needed to be use in order to loosen up. This time it only took 3 or 4 minutes to disengage. After a few more tries it was back to where it should be, taking just a few seconds. Since then I have been putting it in and out every second evening as I get home to make sure it works properly.
Good thing!
I’ve also been working up at the Alice Lake campground, doing the trenching for the installation of a new waterline system throughout the park. Late one afternoon it began to snow, big heavy wet snowflakes that could just about knock you over. The later it got, the harder it snowed. The out-of-town company we are subbed to panicked and cleared out leaving us a mess to clean up so I was there into well after dark. By then there was several inches of snow on the roads and those park roads are very steep and twisty. Now, you may also remember that I had my winter tires installed last week.
Good thing!
Between the winter tires with their incredible traction and a 4x4 system that now works fine, I was able to drive out of the park and down to the highway with no problem at all. Up in a mountain park after dark in a snowstorm is no place to be without everything working in your favor. Down on the highway the plows had just gone through so except for the freaked out traffic coming down from Whistler, it was smooth sailing all the way home. Once there, I obviously had to shovel the driveway so that the neighborhood kids wouldn’t use it as a toboggan run. They seem to like to do that but doing so always turns the snow into packed ice, which is no fun at all. Again, I guess I’m just a grumpy old fart when it comes to turning my driveway into a sheet of ice.
And then a new snowstorm hit the whole lower mainland. Areas like Abbotsford and the lower Fraser Valley that may not see snow for years received half a meter of the stuff. Even down town Vancouver had to do some digging out. I shoveled the driveway 3 times last Sunday. The snow was the result of another deep Pacific Low colliding with an Arctic Outflow air mass. So the snow wasn’t too bad actually because it was cold dry snow, not wet sloppy stuff. But that meant something very rare here… drifting and blowing. Almost felt like back home! We actually got off quite light here compared to the GVA, we just caught the northern edge of the storm.
And then it turned cold, very, very cold. The west coast is not used to –15 temps with –25 or colder wind chills. But with the arctic cold came crystal clear air with bright stars at night and brilliant sunshine during the day. The white mountains lit up so brightly that you needed sunglasses just to look at them. Wow.
Then is snowed again. I shoveled another 6 or 7 inches of the stuff from the driveway on Thursday morning. That takes us up to over 2 feet of snow that had to be shoveled in the last week and a half. Can’t wait for winter to get here so we can get back to our usual balmy mild weather. Oh well, it will come. And by the way, the Vancouver area tied its November rainfall record and blew the previous November snowfall record right off the map.
*
I have now seen something that I had never seen before… a police officer firing off his service revolver. I was heading into town to pick up a pizza (my night to cook) and just ahead of the car in front of me an unmarked police car coming the other way pulled a U-turn on the highway and then came to a stop. That brought everyone one our side to a stop. One of the two cops in the car walked ahead and stopped the oncoming traffic. Once all traffic was stopped, the other officer walked up to something on the road in front of the police car and prodded it with his foot. I couldn’t really see what it was but is seemed to be a concern to the cops. The one checking it out then pulled his revolver and fired three shots into the object which turned out to be an injured deer that needed to be put our of its pain. I could see the flash from the gunpowder as each shot rang out. They then pulled the animal off the road and pulled their car over as well. Traffic resumed so I didn’t see what they did with the deer but I was glad it was them and no me dealing with it.
doug
****
On Labour Day, ( at Gale's bocci ball tournament), Carol and I began scheming how to have a surprise 60th birthday for Gale. Her actual birthday is December 26th, but Carol thought it would be a great idea to completely surprise her. So, Carol came up with the terrific idea of getting Gale to Vivyan and Lorne's under the pretense of a birthday event for Jackie and Gary, both of whom have birthdays in November. (Happy Birthday to you!) Meanwhile, Carol and I invited family and friends and made plans for food. Unfortunately, the food plan included Gale making a dish - after all she thought she was coming for other people's birthdays! It was a great day - beautifully warm and not one hint of winter. Most people arrived around 4, and Ewan and UU brought Gale over (Dave was there ahead of her, as he had had to go to Toronto that day). What a surprise for Gale! Mind you - she says that her first thought was that she hadn't brought enough food. (That is a very typical "Gale" thought). Carol and I figured out that 46 people were there and with the 14 cancellations - we would have had 60!!! (Sounds like an appropriate number!!) It was a great time - lots of family - both Gale's and Dave's and also a number of tennis friends. Gale got a chance to visit with many people. Also, the food was amazing - Carol, that was a really great cake! Thanks to everyone else who contributed - but best of all - Gale, we gotcha!! Happy birthday!
****
A Note From Ewan
Hello
all,
I've
been enjoying the Squamidian as usual, thank you to all who contributed! Doug,
you may be grumpy, but I'd say that's better than being a trusting naive sort
of person who lost a wheel or two on the Sea to Sky. I can really relate to the
bitter sweet view of the flooded parking lot. I think most of us can. My
misadventure with the cabinets can only be taken so far. At some point a
professional needs to take a step back for a reality check. I could illustrate
the point with examples from my own line of work, but none would be as apt.
At
work I've been getting used to being in the slow lane, living the life of the
new guy. I am proud to say that I'm not entirely useless. It's refreshing to be
out of the immediate blast radius of most network outages. Things these days
are merely interesting. I spend a good portion of each day simply studying. I'm
not sure how long something like that can last but I'm willing to find out!
Someone else can be Mr. Critical for a while!
Once
again much has happened since I sent a note. I went to a great Halloween party
that I wanted to tell you about, but it hardly seems like the right time now.
I'll never be too old to get dressed up in a ridiculous costume, go to a
friends house and have fun with a bunch of other like minded goof balls! Beth
was in town just before Halloween and she helped out with the costume. She was
in the city for a workshop on Autism, and got a lot out of it. I now know more
than most about the subject myself. It was good to have some company, but I do
suggest coming on the weekend, it's way more fun!
Mom
and Dave were also in the city briefly to catch Gordon Lightfoot at Massey
Hall. I would have liked to have done that again! Their accommodations were way
better than staying at my place too. I met up with them for lunch the next day,
and afterwards we visited the "Tasting Tower" at the Summer Hill
LCBO. That's always fun. I was able to taste a $429.99 / bottle Talisker
(Scotch) and a comparatively cheap $130.00 / bottle of Cognac. Dave and I
agreed that the Cognac was actually better, so there you go. Mom also tasted
some wine, and the grand total was about $25! We didn't taste much, but it was
enough to enjoy it and it was worth while just for the experience too.
At no
point did we let the cat out of the bag regarding the surprise birthday party
for my Mom. Having it a month early really took her off guard! It was great to
have some other birthdays celebrated at the same time, and I was glad to get
the chance to see Jackie and Gary in particular. I mean, it's great to see
everyone, but I hadn't seen Jackie in more than a year. I see Doug more often
than that! I do appreciate the updates though Jackie, and I'll bring UU back to
Fern Glenn soon!
The
party was very successful, as any that I have enjoyed out at the Brubacher's. I
want to thank Carol and Maggie for orchestrating everything. Mom deserved to
have a great party like that and I wouldn't know where to begin. Actually, I
would know where to begin, I would have called you two! I also want to thank
Grandma and Grandpa (mostly Grandma) for providing the perfect place and doing
so much. I should also thank Grandpa for entertaining us so late, and remaining
awake and fully clothed the entire time. I always enjoy fishing stories from he
and Gary.
In
Ontario this past September often felt like November, October felt like
anything from early September to mid November, November felt more like chilly
April weather and now that December is here spring is coming to an end. I hope
you're still getting a kick out of your weather Doug, I'm glad you are where
you are out there.
In the
new year I resolve to give the Squamidian political pot a bit of stir, just for
fun. It shouldn't always have to be Greg to get us in to some exciting debate!
Talk
to you soon,
Ewan
****
And now I’d like to announce that this issue marks the 200th Ontarion. That’s quite an accomplishment and I want to say “Thank You” to Greg. He sure deserves it.
doug
****
Hello
everyone!
Welcome
to the 200th edition of The Ontarion Report.
Man it’s
hard to believe it’s been 200 weeks since I first started babbling in print so
40 perfect strangers would have something to read every Saturday. Scuse me, did
I say “perfect”? Well, let’s just say a well rounded family and friends that
have something in common in knowing residents of Squamish BC. How diplomatic
was that? LOL! I must say it’s been a lot of fun so far and contrary to what
Doug says about it being difficult to come up with a subject every week, it
doesn’t seem to be all that hard. I just sit myself down at the keyboard and
start typing. Whatever comes out in the first couple lines is pure spontaneity.
There are times when I actually have a subject in mind when I start but most
times I just sit and start tapping away. It’s been a lot of fun to read the
reactions of some of the Squamidian members to the more “interesting” subjects
I’ve posted. There are as many opinions in this world as there are people and
it’s good to see that even a small group such as the Squids aren’t shy about
stating theirs when they take a notion to. In fact it makes the Squamidian a
lot more interesting when we get more participation. Doug’s west coast based
column is always interesting to us because that’s the only way most of us get
to know about that far away place. I’ve learned a lot about the other end of
our country since reading his column. I really admire his ability to describe
his surroundings with such insight and accuracy. Doug is the one person that
seems to speak about his topics with a great deal of knowledge of the subject.
It makes reading his column interesting when you know he’s made an effort to
research the facts behind his topic OR maybe he’s just really smart??? Naaaa,
that can’t be. If that were the case, he wouldn’t need my help every week to
make this stuff interesting. LOL! Hahahahaahhahaaaaaa…….sorry ‘bout that Doug,
I’m just kidding! If I keep it up, I’ll be getting a pink slip from my editor!
I need this job.
I’ve been
reading and watching the news from the west coast with interest these past
couple of weeks. Their unusual snowstorms have been what we usually get and the
sunshine and warm temps here are the usual for the west coast. What a pleasant
surprise for the people of southern Ontario. The sunshine is a real treat when
this time of year is not very often enjoyable. I still have the new snow blower
in the shed and the front porch chairs are still in their summer place, on the
porch. I guess the weather man is predicting cold rain and snow for the next
few days. Looks like the systems are changing from east to west where they
should be. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted! Doug actually mentioned that
he’s thinking of investing in a snow blower for those times when they do get
snow. They tend to get a real load of it when it does come down. Speaking of
which, have you ever seen it go up? LOL! We’re supposed to get some light snow
over this weekend so we’ll see if we do and just how much. I’m actually looking
forward to trying out my new snow blower. I bought it last spring and haven’t
had a chance to use it yet. I did give it a little try on a pile of frozen
leftovers beside the driveway ramp before putting it away. It chewed into the
icy stuff with ease and blew it right across the street to the opposite
boulevard. If that’s any indication of it’s normal power, I’ll be able to
deposit my snow on the neighbour’s boulevard and keep the piles from blocking
our view when backing out of the drive this winter. The weather scientists say
we’re supposed to have a mild winter this year. In a way, I hope they’re right
but in a way I hope they aren’t. I didn’t invest in the new blower to keep it
in the garage all winter.
We’ve
been busy this past week or so getting ready for winter and Christmas. Adam had
a day or two off so I asked him to help me get the dozen or so large plastic
tubs full of decorations down from the mezzanine in the garage. I figured while
I had the help I’d better take advantage of it. We brought them all in and
Carole sorted through them to see which stuff she wanted to use this year. She
decided to put the tree in the main hall way beside the stairs to the bedrooms.
It’s the first time we’ve put it there and it fits and looks great. We have had
it up for over a week now and I think this is about the earliest we’ve ever had
it up. Usually, the first week of December is when the tree comes out of
storage. We tossed around only putting up a table top tree this year but now
that we went ahead and erected the usual big tree, we’re glad we did. It looks
lovely and really puts you in the spirit of Christmas. Now all I have to do is
get at my Christmas shopping. I’ll have to get Carole to write me a list so I
don’t come home with something that isn’t appropriate. Don’t get me wrong, I
have lots of great ideas but I like to make sure that my great ideas are just
that, great ideas! LOL! I’m sure all you guys can identify with what I’m trying
to say! Better safe than sorry I always say! Besides, after all these years the
choices are limited. We tend to buy so much all year long that when it comes to
Christmas gifts, we already have most of the items we took a shining to the
previous 12 months. Spoiled or what??? LOL!
I’ll have
to give some serious thought to what I want from Mrs Santa this year as well. I
really don’t need a lot but I’m sure I’ll come up with something in the next
week or so. Have to give her enough time to order it or pick it up whatever it
may be. I love this time of year but it’s always difficult to think of gifts
for anyone let alone myself. I’d rather give than get anyway. This year we’ve
decided to keep the splurging to a sensible amount. After all, over the course
of 33 Christmases you have to admit, you get a little gifted out! Still, it’s
always fun to exchange and I’m sure we’ll do just fine again this year.
I’d like
to thank Doug for the chance to be involved with both the Squamidian Report and
the Squamidian family. Carole and I have really enjoyed the times we’ve spent
with all of you and it’s been a real pleasure meeting everyone associated with
the Brubacher clan. Thanks for taking us in and being so kind over the past 4
years.
Thanks
for tuning in and I look forward to talking to you all again next week in The
Ontarion Report.
Bye for now…
Greg.
PS:
Something to think About>
A
conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.
****
The Family and the Squamidian sites:
http://members.shaw.ca/doug_b/ and http://www.thedougsite.ca
Have a good one..
the
doug
The Fine Print!
The articles in these issues are the sole property of the persons writing them and should be respected as such.