The
Squamidian Report – Dec. 8 / 12
Issue #550
Including:
The Ontarion
Hi All,
I just about forgot to write something for this week’s Squamidian and only realized how late in the week it was when Greg’s Ontarion turned up in my ‘inbox’. Its not that I’m real busy or some such thing. I think its just that my brain is getting lazy.
We were out to Maple Ridge on Wednesday to visit and to help with a few small things in Ryan’s condo. The building is about 20 years old and so it is to be expected that there will be small repairs and fix-ups needed here and there. Its usually the kind of thing that the old owner could live with because ‘that’s the way it always was’, but the new owners want fixed, or better, or whatever. Anyway, we fixed a bunch of little things and had a good visit. Baby Kyra was all smiles and grinned from ear to ear when she saw us, and when ‘aunt Willow’ walked up to her and gave her a big wet lick. But poor Willow. We went there in my pickup truck and Willow does not like riding in it. She has to ride in the small space behind the front seats. The small space is big enough to have two of those folding jump seats, but its small enough that Willow has trouble turning around. She is stuck pointing the direction she climbed in unless she shoves her front half between the front seats so that her back half has room to turn. When riding in the car she has the whole back seat and can move around and spread out and enjoy the ride. The ride home wasn’t near as bad for her as she was so tired from visiting that she just climbed in and went to sleep.
The ride home was not much fun for us though. That lower mainland traffic just never seems to let up very much. If you drive slower that 100 in an 80kph zone you just about get shoved off the road. Add dark and rain and its not much fun. There are almost always crashes and construction and other frustrations to deal with and try to avoid. Once we got past all that and on to the Sea to Sky it was smooth sailing. Traffic was sparse and I know every inch of that road so it tends to feel like home as soon as we are past Horseshoe Bay. Willow’s only concern once we got home was that it was late and she had not had her supper yet. That’s a big deal for a dog because they are creatures of habit, they like a routine that only changes for fun stuff, and then only for as long as the fun in happening, then goes back to normal.
Little Kyra seems to have adapted to their new home nicely. She is always smiling (except when she’s cranky) and she crawls with incredible speed all over the place, from room to room. She likes to crawl into her parent’s bedroom where the closet doors are mirrors. She can sit in front of the mirrors and interact with herself. Kind of reminds me of the parrot, Pilsner, in that Monty cartoon in the daily news paper. Its always surprised that the ‘other’ parrot is looking back at it whenever it looks in the mirror, which it thinks is a window into another room. I don’t know what little people Kyra’s age think when they see their reflection in mirrors but I assume they know its them and not some other up-start trying to get a piece of ‘their’ action. Mind you, she was trying her best to smack her reflection with a plastic cloths hanger. So, who knows.
‘The Wife’ was there again on Thursday and Friday (an over-nighter) so Willow and I had the house to ourselves for a couple of days. I should have made use of that time by doing some recording but I’m currently between projects and not ready to dive into a new one just yet. I need to come up with more material first.
Oh, while I think of it, we are only a couple of issues away from Christmas, so if anyone wants to write something and send it in, please do so. It does not have to be fancy or long or short, just ‘something’.
doug
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THE ONTARION REPORT
Hello everyone!
With winter in it’s beginning stages, most of us get busy with the “winterizing” of our mechanical belongings. We put gas treatment in all of our motorized garden and lawn tools and change the oil in whichever ones need changing. I’ve got all of mine done but last week I received a notice from Krown Rust Proofing about having the Jeep undercoated once again. I’ve done this ever since I first purchased it back in 2003 and I’ve got to say that it’s the best investment one can make in their vehicle if they intend to keep it for a good while! My Jeep is in perfect condition body wise as well as every moving part on the vehicle. My mechanic comments every time I take it to him for a checkup or some small thing that he can’t get over what great condition this vehicle is in and he attributes it to the Krown Undercoating! He says that there isn’t a spot of rust on any of the undercarriage or moving parts on the vehicle and it’s so easy to remove any part that he wants to or has to take off for service. With 256000km on this Jeep I’ve only had a couple of times that anything has gone wrong with it. The main belt on the engine has needed replacement twice. I’ve had to replace one front wheel bearing and the electronic module that regulates the wiper motor speed. Other than that, it’s just been tires, oil changes when required as well as the fluids in the 4x4 system every 80,000km and one muffler. Oh ya, and I replaced the windshield last year because of a stone crack. With the Jeep being sprayed with Krown Rust Proofing every fall all the parts have remained rust free and have obviously given me longer service than on a dry and rusty vehicle. With so many kilometers on it, it’s not worth much money-wise to sell or trade but it’s worth every penny I’ve spent at $119.00 per year to have this treatment done! The Jeep is as good looking as it was the day I bought it except for some crud on the mag wheels that can’t be helped. I get asked all the time what year it is and most people think it’s newer than it is! I’m not happy when I realize it’s only worth around $4000.00 now but what can I expect, it’s getting old! I only wish there was a Krown Undercoating for humans! LOL! The outside of ones vehicle can be well protected from aging by this “undercoating” process and the inside of the mechanical parts can be protected but simply changing the oil every 5000kms and I’ve also done that all these years. This is why my mechanic tells me my Jeep not only looks like the day I bought it but still starts and runs like that first day! I think I’ll keep this vehicle and see if I can make it last as long as I’m around! Which I hope will be at least another 20 or more years! Even if I do buy a new one along the way at some point, I think I’ll also hang on to this Jeep just to see how long it will last!
If anybody finds a secret “undercoating” for humans would you please share it with the rest of us? LOL!
That’s it for this week folks!
Thanks for tuning in and I’ll look forward to talking to you all again next week in The Ontarion Report1
Bye for now … Greg
PS: Something To Think About>
Venison for dinner? Oh deer!
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Have a good one..
the doug
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