The
Squamidian Report – Sept. 21 / 13
Issue #591
Including:
The Ontarion
Hi All,
Like I have stated, summer was glorious out here. Wish I could say the same for other parts of the country and the world. Calgary and area are still dealing with weather damage, I assume Toronto is still doing the same. Our good Squamidian friends in Colorado that sent those pictures last week are high up in the mountains above the flooded river valleys but they have suffered extensive erosion damage from the incredibly heavy rains and are pretty well cut off from the outside world. That’s after sitting on pins and needles as out-of-control forest fires burned way too close to their home earlier this summer.
Rainy periods of weather have returned to the west coast, a good thing I guess. It had been too dry for a rainforest ecosystem. One of the rain storms that rolled through got here just as we finished up a nice chapter ride. Good timing. I didn’t get wet, but some of my riding friends did, so, good timing for me I guess. The rain has brought out the wildlife that likes it to be damp, mainly the banana slugs. All of a sudden they are everywhere. They look just like your ordinary garden slug except they are the size of small bananas. Going for a walk right now means watching where you step, they make a real mess if you squish one under your shoe and are hard to clean off. Very similar to doggy-do-do except no smell, at least none if you get your shoe cleaned off right away.
I’ve been have a blast flying that little RC helicopter around in the house, the little heli I talked about a couple of weeks ago. Actually, I picked up a second one for the same price. This one is radio control instead of infra red and control is smoother and more important, range is further. So, I’ve been having a blast flying both, one at a time obviously. Just for the fun of it, I videoed it flying around in the house just to show what it can do. It’s a lot like having a gigantic bug for a pet. Willow certainly thinks that’s what it is and she is not too impressed with such a creature buzzing around. I used my GoPro to video with and unfortunately GoPro’s are optimized for outdoor lighting so the vid is a bit dark but you can still see enough to get the idea. Battery life on the little heli is quite good, close to 9 minutes so that’s how long the vid is. There is no cutting or editing, just one non-stop take. No crashing either, the radio controlled unit is very smooth and responsive. That’s a good thing because the air currents in this house are a challenge. So, hopefully this link works, the vid is on Photobucket. I also have it on Facebook so any of you who see me there will already have had a chance to watch.
RC heli flying around the house.
I went down to Maple Ridge this past Wednesday to visit Ryan and family. Went in the car so Willow could come along. At first she wasn’t too sure because she thought we might be headed to the airport and that can be either good or bad depending on if we are ‘picking up’ or dropping off’. Picking up would be good because that would means some one is coming home. Dropping off would be bad because that would mean some one is leaving. And, if we were ‘dropping off’, it would have to have been either her or me. Now, she has no where to go so it couldn’t be her, but if it were me, she would have to drive home and she hadn’t paid enough attention to the way and when it comes right down to it, she doesn’t know how to drive. I think she was relieved when she figured out we were headed to Ryan’s. At that point she could relax and do what dogs do which is ‘sleep’.
Willow was elated to see Kyra and Kyra was quite happy to see Willow. Kyra is talking enough now that she can say ‘Willow’ rather than Wub Wub. I hung out for the day and evening and then headed for home. Highway reports on the radio were indicating a big backup before the tunnel but there was no backup, hardly any traffic at all and what was there was moving about 30 k over the limit. I was home in record time. Willow was exhausted from her day of worrying and visiting and playing with a dog that lives in the same complex. We got home and she headed for her bed. It’s a hard life when you are a dog.
doug
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THE ONTARION REPORT
Hello everyone!
I can always tell
when summer’s over, it’s the day when we decide the pond will be closed till
next spring! LOL! It just so happens that this past Thursday was the big day!
No more rippling water sounds in the backyard!
Guess it’s time to
get at the other fall chores and change the oils in the power equipment. I
think I’ll take the snow blower up to Meets Small Engines and have a
professional go over it for the first time since I bought it. Maybe then it’ll
perform like the day I first brought it home. It’s been running and working
just fine all these years but its just time to have a pro tune it up! The lawn
mower I can handle myself, there’s not much to it other than changing the oil.
Maybe a new spark plug would do it wonders for next spring but I might just
wait till then to do the work on the mower! Other than those two items, all I
have to do is make sure to top up the fuel in anything that also runs on gas
and add the proper amount of fuel conditioner for the winter. Not really a huge
list of chores but if I chip away at these a little each day, it won’t seem
like such a busy pile of work to get ready for winter. Then, there’s just the
putting away of all the patio furniture and yard items so old man winter
doesn’t tarnish them to the point where we have to buy new ones for next year!
I love the summer
time but I also love the fall! The days just seem to pass so darned quickly
once the kids go back to school. Not to mention the fact that the TV
commercials start making subtle changes in the backgrounds of their scenery.
Such as, people in the outdoor scenes are now wearing long sleeved tops and
long pants etc. Then there are the ones that show snow falling outside the
kitchen window during the dish washing detergent ads! There tends to be a
little bit of old man winter in every ad from this point on and of course as
I’ve said before, the local stores have already filled their shelves with
Christmas Decorations. Of course, there are only 13 ½ weeks till Santa comes a knockin’! Guess that tells me I’d better make that tune up
appointment with “Meets” real soon!
I should also get at
my Christmas shopping so I’m not pulling a Doug and doing it all the day before
Christmas! LOL!
Ok, back to reality!
Let’s all enjoy the beauty of the Fall colours and the warmth of the Fall
sunshine that’s sure to be coming our way for several weeks yet! There’s lots
of warm outdoor living to be had before we have to start breaking out the
shovels so I hope my mentioning the impending winter season hasn’t dampened
your spirits too much in advance! I’m sure we’ll have a lovely Fall!
That’s about 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 Report!
Bye for now … Greg.
PS: Something To
Think About>
FLATULENCE (flach-u-lens) n.
Female: … An
embarrassing by-product of indigestion.
Male: … A source of entertainment, self-expression, male bonding.
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Have a good one..
the doug
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