And So It Goes

   It's hard to believe, but we've come to the end of April, and the start of May. All in all, April wasn't too bad, weather wise. Yes, we had some snow, but generally it's been quite mild. Mild enough in fact for trees to start budding, and even some of my wife's crocuses have poked through the dirt.
   It's also looking like an early start to her garden this year. Normally, she doesn't plant until the Victoria Day weekend, but I'm suspecting she'll be early this year. As for the yard, well, we haven't started on that yet and the grass doesn't need cutting right now. In the next week or so, it will. Especially if we get some much needed rain to wash the remains of winter away.
   I'm also taking May 1st off, so I can travel to Calgary for a service for one of my oldest friends who died a week ago (see blog entry below). It's a 12 hundred mile, 20 hour round trip, and I'm gladly doing it. I'm sure he'd do the same for me.
   I'll be back Monday, but in the meantime:

TTFN

I Lost A Friend This Weekend

   He was a fishing and drinking buddy. He was the best man at our wedding, and godfather to one of our kids. He was a really good foosball player, who I did manage to beat a few times. He was also quite an accomplished radio-control aircraft pilot. He was just 55 when he died Friday in Calgary. We went back damn near 37 years. And yet, there were quite a few years each of us was wondering what happened to the other.
   You know what I mean. Your buddy gets married, then moves out of town. Then you get married and move out of town. In the days before things like facebook and even email, keeping in touch wasn't easy. I don't even think we exchanged addresses for snail mail. It had to have been almost a dozen years since we'd spoken when he finally tracked me down in Thunder Bay, Ontario. And while we did keep in touch, sort of, in the intervening years, we once again drifted out of contact even though I did drop in at his house once when I visited my mum in Calgary.
   A few more years passed before I heard from him again when he dropped me an email saying he'd had some pretty massive health problems some 18 months ago. Even though I should have probably done so long before I did, I finally called him again. I was shocked to hear him. He sounded 25 or 30 years older than he was, and I realized just how serious his health problems were.
   I got the call from his widow yesterday, telling me he'd passed after yet more health problems. She also told me I'm one of the very few people from the "old gang" still alive and kicking. I told her I'd keep their number, and give her a call. I did not think to ask about his funeral, or if and where tributes can be made. I'll be doing that tonight.
   It's strange to see just how much you miss someone, even when you haven't been in touch for years. I'm certainly going to miss my old buddy "Crash", and I also plan on getting in touch with another very old friend. One who I've known 52 years now, who I haven't spoken with for a while either.
   R.I.P Mike: You shall be missed.

TTFN

Not A Fan Of This Sort Of Behaviour

   Management of the Calgary Flames hockey club are telling fans to quit harassing women along the so-called "Red Mile" in Calgary. It seems some low-lifes are using offensive, often violent and sexually aggressive language toward women during playoff games, and the team wants it stopped.
   To the teams credit, they stepped up to say “Our view is that if you’re a true Flames fan, you are not engaging in this kind of behaviour". The team goes on to say  “We want to make it clear, do not do this stuff, ever. And for goodness sake don’t do it in our name because that’s not our culture, that’s not our organization.” Flames president Brian Burke: “This kind of behaviour has nothing to do with us, nothing to do with hockey. This is no way to treat women. I ask that everyone keeps their red on, and treat each other with respect.”
   I agree entirely with the stand the team has taken. And I'll go one step further by suggesting police lay charges against those who take part in such activity. It's a sad state of affairs when women continue to be harassed in this day and age, especially by supporters of a pro sports team.
   I grew up in Calgary. This is not the city I remember. True, women have been and unfortunately continue to be targeted for this type of behaviour. As a supporter of the Flames, I am pleased the organization has taken the steps they have.

TTFN

Marking A Sombre 100th

   Today marks the 100th anniversary of the 2nd battle of Ypres in the First World War. It also marked the first time poison chlorine gas was used in modern warfare. It was released by the Germans, and drifted over French and Canadian positions. While a French position (made up of colonial Algerians) crumbled, the Canadian line wavered, but held firm.
   The cost: 6 thousand Canadian casualties, including 2 thousand dead. When the battle finally ended in May, 10 Victoria Crosses had been awarded, including 4 to Canadians.
   It was not the last time poisoned gas was used. Both sides made use of gas canisters and shells to devastating effect right through the war. First with chlorine, then mustard gas. During the April, 1915 gas attack, Canadian soldiers were advised to urinate into their handkerchiefs, then hold it to their nose and mouth. Apparently, that counter-acted the chlorine gas.
   Later in the war, gas shells were fired by artillery on both side. Many of those unexploded shells still turn up on the battlefields of France and Belgium to this day, and will likely be found for many years to come.

TTFN.

The Great "Sauce-Off"....UPDATE

   It's that time of year again. The annual Ducks Unlimited banquet is coming up next month. And with it, a bar-b-cue sauce competition. Last year, Tonya Cherry's "sweet hickory heat" beat my "garlic-ranch" effort, and represented GX94 in the competition against our sister station Fox FM and CTV, which CTV won.
   This year, I've got the unenviable task of trying to beat Danny Ismond, who won the inaugural competition a few years back. And, like we did last year, there's going to be an in-house sauce-off to determine which sauce will go on to the competition proper.
   I've got a couple of ideas on the burner, and I know Danny's going to come up with a killer sauce, so even though it's a friendly competition, I'm going to have to be on top of my game.
   There are a couple of changes to this year's event. Firstly, there's even more competition to worry about. Our local newspaper, Yorkton This Week, will also be submitting an entry. Secondly, the sauce entries will actually be put on meat (last year, it was just a simple tasting of a spoon).
   To determine who goes into the May event, Danny and myself will bring our sauces (and some cooked pork) in on Wednesday. Regardless of who wins, it will be a very tasty competition! I'll provide an update later this week.

TTFN

***Update: In a very close vote, my entry by the narrowest of narrow margins was picked by 2 of 3 judges in a blind taste test, with the deciding judge picking my submission because of a little extra tang. Now, we'll take it to the Ducks Unlimited banquet May 8th.***

Mornings

   There are certain advantages about doing morning news here in Yorkton. That picture is one of them. That's what we saw out of some of our office windows this morning. Sunrise over the prairies is hard to beat when it comes to those 'picture-perfect' moments. I'm lucky in that no matter if it's June 21st or December 21st I get to check this view out daily.
   My days start before 0400 (4:00 A.M) local time, and wrap up at 12:00. That means not only do I get to see the sun rise, but I've got all afternoon to do things like cut the grass, shovel snow, go fishing, cook.
   But it isn't all roses, either. There are very many winter days when it's snowing, -35 or colder without the wind, and -40 or lower with it. Those are the times I start looking forward to days like this, and views like this.
   I'm doubly lucky in that I actually have a view. So many people are locked in their cubicles 9:00 to 5:00 and don't even have natural light, let alone a view. Especially one like this.
   Have a happy Friday, and a great weekend!

TTFN

Bread

   A while back, I blogged about the chocolate bread I made. It was wonderful, not overly sweet, but just enough. I mentioned back then I was thinking of sharing the recipe. Wait no more. The original recipe is there, and I've also added the changes I made to make it work. Give it a try sometime. It really is good bread.

Chocolate Chunk Bread

1 pkg. Fleischmann’s RapidRise Yeast, 2½ cups all-purpose flour, divided1 tsp. salt3 Tbs. cocoa powder 1 cup milk ¼ cup sugar 1 Tbs. butter 3 oz. semisweet baking chocolate, coarsely chopped. In a medium size bowl, combine yeast, salt, cocoa and 1½ cups of flour and stir. In separate container, combine milk, sugar and butter and heat to 120 to 130 F.

Pour milk mixture into dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Add the remaining cup of flour about¼ cup at a time, mixing until flour is completely incorporated. The resulting dough will be quite soft and sticky. Using a bench knife or plastic dough scraper in one hand, knead the dough for five minutes---keep the other hand dusted with flour to facilitate kneading.Allow dough to rest for 10 minutes. Flatten the dough and place chopped chocolate on top.Fold up the sides of the dough and knead to distribute chocolate evenly throughout the dough. Lightly grease a one quart casserole or other oven-safe dish. Dust your hands with cocoa and shape the dough into a round ball. Place the ball of dough in the baking dish and cover with a dry dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place free from drafts until nearly doubled,about one hour. Bake in the middle third of a preheated 350 F. oven for 35 to 40 minutes,or until sides are browned and loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. If the top crust seems to be browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes of  baking. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack. Makes one loaf, about 12 servings. 

***(Craig's changes: I used 1 1/2 packs of RapidRise yeast that I re-hydrated in water with a little sugar to make a 'starter', since 2 previous attempts using this recipe produced no 'rise' in the dough. I also placed the dough in a lightly greased bowl for the first rising. After the first rise of an hour. I also punched the dough down, gave it a quick knead, then placed it in the lightly greased casserole and let it rise for another 45 minutes. These steps seem to have made the difference)***

TTFN

Are You Getting One?

   Today's the day techno-geeks have been waiting for. The long-awaited Apple watch will be unveiled, and go on sale. But don't think you can head down to your local Apple store to pick one up off the shelf. Instead, the company is taking reservations for the new gadget, and will start shipping them out in 2 weeks.
   Among the functions (far too many to list here) the watch will keep accurate time. Which is handy. Prices will range from about 350 to 17 thousand bucks U.S, and , yes, they will be available in Canada as well.
   I will not be getting one, and the "why" is simple. When it comes to high tech stuff like this, I'm technically inept. I can use a computer, and I can even use my cell-phone. But, partly due to my service provider, not to it's full extent. I can text, take pictures, e-mail and make calls with my phone, but that's it. I'm way behind most of my colleagues when it comes to using them, and I'm the first to admit it.
   So, if I want to know what time it is, I'll do it the old fashioned way. By looking at my analog watch.

TTFN

Finally!

   One of the most popular sites on the internet is going to let us skip those annoying ads we seem to get with just about every video we click on. YouTube is going to allow users to skip them. However, you will have to pay a monthly fee.
   It seems they've spoken with their most popular content creators, asking them to sign off on a new contract allowing for the change. There's been no word yet on when viewers will see the change, or just how much a month we'll pay to be allowed to skip them.
   Most of the video's I watch do have ad's, but after 15 seconds you've got the option of skipping them, which I do to every single one. However, there are plenty of others where you don't have the "skip" option, and are forced to watch the entire 30 or 60 second thing. What I do when that happens is simply turn off the sound and scroll down until just the count-down clock is visible, then start watching whatever it was again.
   Will I take advantage of this new feature? It depends, mostly on exactly how much it's going to cost. I don't overly mind waiting the 15 seconds it takes until I can "skip", but it'd sure be nice not to have to put up with the ads to begin with.
   And there are a few questions that need to be answered along with cost. Will they be running ads before videos to let us know the service is there and available? And what happens if the vast majority of users opt out? What impact could/would that have on providers who rely on revenue generated through YouTube?
   Time will tell.

TTFN

Snow, Snow, Go Away

   It has to, eventually. Everyone here is sick and tired of winter, and is looking forward to spring. But Old Man Winter ain't done with us yet. This was taken from one of our office windows this morning. We're expecting up to 8 CM by the time it moves off.
   On a positive note, this won't last much past tonight, as much milder weather is forecast for our region.
   In fact, the long-range forecast is calling for a daytime high Saturday of 18 C. But I'll believe it when I see it.
   Meantime, it's probably just as well that the earliest I can get my tires swapped over is Monday.

TTFN

Hope You Had A Happy Easter

   Despite a few skiffs of snow, we certainly did. I enjoyed having a long weekend (they're always enjoyable), and the "boys" made it up for dinner last night, meaning mom was ecstatic.
   As for the Easter treats, well, I'm way to old for those. But the weekend did have me looking back on my childhood, and what we used to do for Easter for our guys.
   When I was growing up, an egg hunt around the house was always the thing to do Sunday morning. There was always a basket with the traditional chocolate bunny and a few candy-coated eggs to go along with that.
   When our guys were little, we'd do the same for them. But my wife (ever the creative person) would try and get some hay to spread outside the house, and told the boys it was for the Easter Bunny as he hopped his way from house to house.
   Needless to say, my sister and I would always eat way to many treats, and weren't able to have much of the traditional turkey dinner my mom prepared for us. If I remember right, it was the same for our kids, even though we'd tell them to ration their stuff to make it last.
   I hope you all had a good Easter as well.

TTFN

This Is Commitment

   Because of where we live, and the relatively short season, it's not unusual to see bikers out on the road this time of year. Lets face it. These things aren't cheap to buy, and insuring them is also a high cost. So it's no wonder riders want to get out as often as possible. But this morning on the way to work, I saw one that took his passion to the next level.
   I decided to stop at one of the Tim's outlets for a couple of chocolate chip muffins to kick-start my day. And as I was pulling in to the parking lot (I like to get out of the car) I saw in the drive-thru a guy on his motorcycle. Nothing unusual about that in the spring, summer and early fall. Not even at 0400 when I head off to work.
   What was a little unusual was the weather. It was snowing, not heavily, but snowing just the same. It had to be about -4 C, which would have meant riding would be uncomfortable at best. But topping it off was the north wind, which drove windchills down to at least -12 C.
   I don't think I want to know how cold the guy got driving at 50 km/h in that, even though he was wearing a thick looking jacket. I hope he thaws out quick, and we get better riding weather soon.
   Have a happy Easter all!

TTFN

Did You Get Pranked?

   I didn't precipitate any pranks on my co-workers. That's not to say several pranks weren't played around our office this morning. In fact, our program director arrived today to find his office had been stuffed with furniture including a couch from the staff lounge, several office chairs, and quite a few glasses full of water on the floor. It took him about half an hour or so to clear everything.
    The on-air prank pulled by morning announcer Danny Ismond was a good one. The Canadian government got rid of the penny a few years ago, and Danny said the mint was going to scrap the nickle as well. He also asked for input on the idea which, as you can imagine, saw folks were not in favour of such a move.
   I came close to being pranked, but wasn't. Someone set up a compressed air air-horn in the mens restroom with the trigger button placed so anyone opening the door would set it off. I guess I didn't open the door with enough force going in, and noticed the booby-trap on the way out.
   I've heard of some very creative ones in the past, like a former colleague walking naked down the street. His dog's name was "naked". And there was the one I heard about in Thunder Bay, Ontario (before my time there) where the cruise ship "Pacific Princess", which was used in the TV show "The Love Boat" was paying a courtesy call to the Lakehead. People were lining the hills overlooking the harbour waiting for the ship to appear over the horizon. Problem was, the vessel was so big, it couldn't pass through the locks on the lower lakes.
   Hope you survived April Fools Day.

TTFN