Goodbye September

   It's a little hard to believe the month is over, but it is. And what a month it's been! GX94's "Supper In The Field" really got rolling after starting the fall edition August 31st (August now seems such a long time ago), although I have yet to get "Craig in a Combine" this year. There's still one more fall supper to go, so I'm still holding out hope.
   We also made our annual trek to Saskatoon for the Exhibition and Comic Con. Not a huge success, given we usually manage to get our Christmas shopping started. But it was a chance to get away for a weekend, which was nice.
   Not as nice though, was the weather. We had some pretty heavy rain this month, which delayed harvest operations, along with some of the much needed roadwork projects going on in the city.
   Speaking of the weather, September (at least here) is "going out like a lamb", with near summer like conditions into tomorrow. Once we get into October, we really start to see a cool-down, with the mercury falling from 23 C tomorrow down to 7 Monday.
   On the up-side, October does bring with it Halloween. And, yes, I've been thinking and preparing for what I'm doing since about November 1st last year. What (or who) I'm going to be is, of course, a secret which will not be revealed until the 31st, which happens to be a Monday this year.
   Anyway, so-long September, and hello October!

TTFN

Cats!!

   More specifically, that cat. He's a character, to say the least, and his 'reputation' has grown once again. Regular readers will know we're owned by 3 cats, and we try to keep them healthy. As part of that, we have not one, not two, but three litter pans for them to use. My wife cleans them every day, and the litter is changed every 4. Not only that, but we also buy new cat pans every 6 months, since the old ones can get a little smelly, despite being cleaned so often.
   The maker of the non-clumping litter we used to buy is no longer in business, and we've been searching for an alternative. We've used other brands, but the dust from them is considerable. We even tried clumping litter, which did not go over well. They tracked that stuff through the house faster than regular non-clumping, and the stuff almost turns into cement when it gets wet. So, we still had half a box of the clumping in our basement.
   And that's where this little guy comes into play. As mentioned, we have THREE cat pans for their use. So, he decides to do his "business" in the half full, but fully open, box. My wife swears he perched on the arm of a couch we have in the basement, somehow managed to 'aim', and take care of business.
   My belief is that he simply jumped into the open box and used it. We're sure it's him, by the way. Our other male is just too lazy to jump, and our girl has (what my wife calls) "little poo's". Not that him going in the box was a big deal. It was going to get thrown out anyway. But still, it shows how 'inventive' he can be.

TTFN

Fall Has Arrived

   And Autumn officially arrived in Saskatchewan at 08:21 this morning, when the sun crossed the equator. It means equal day and night, at least for one day, before the march toward winter. In my neck of the woods, it also sees the acceleration of fall harvesting operations. And with that, an increase in sneezing by not only myself, but a few co-workers as all the dust and chaff gets into the air. But, luckily, that's a short-lived problem.
   Fall, at least here, seems to start about September 1st, even if the calendar says it arrived today. The "why" is easy enough. It just starts getting cooler. In fact, it's almost like a gigantic switch was thrown about the end of August. Sort of like re-setting the thermostat in your fridge to a colder level.
   Looking out of my office window, I can really see the leaves on trees have really started to change, even though we noticed some yellow and gold a while back. It's just another portent of the change in seasons
   And it will keep getting colder and colder as winter approaches. If stories I've seen (and read on the air) are an indication, it's going to be a brutally cold, snowy one. No El-Nino this year, darn it. As the Stark family in Game of Thrones says "Winter is Coming". In just 3 months, by the calendar, Winter will be here.
   On a positive note, it's just 6 months until the first day of Spring!

TTFN

Con..Gone

   That was a quick weekend! Left Yorkton just after 06:00 for Saskatoon and the Comic and Entertainment Expo. We got to the venue with just about 10 minutes to spare before it opened at 10:00. And are we glad we pre-purchased our tickets well in advance. It was our 3rd year attending, and the line ups were crazy. It stretched nearly the entire length of Prairieland Park's main exhibit hall. Luckily, it wasn't too chilly or raining, since we were all outdoors.
   Kudo's to the organizers, as they had us through the entry points and into the hall in less than 20 minutes. Once we got in, things progressed quickly enough. We saw all the vendors, trying to find something for one of our sons for Christmas. This year, however, no luck. We did spend a fair bit for my wife, though, as she saw an outfit she wanted. Price-tag be damned, I went ahead and bought it for her. She says it'll be her Christmas present. We'll see about that.
   The only real down-side to the event this year was a lack of Freaks and Geeks (see my post below), Cosplayers and LARPers. Maybe it was because we got there early, and not all those in costume had showed up yet.
   There was this woman, though:

   I have no idea who she was supposed to be, but the make-up was fantastic.
   And, after an overnight stay, it was "back home" Sunday. Now, I've just got to wait for that credit card bill :(

TTFN!

Con!!!!!

   It's that time of year again. This weekend, my wife and I will be Saskatoon bound for the annual Comic and Entertainment Expo. It's become one of the "must do" things on our yearly list. It's also a great chance for us to knock off some Christmas shopping, since the vast majority of vendors don't have outlets in Saskatchewan, although they do have on-line stores. Still, we're "old school" and like to physically see what we're buying.
   The trip also gives us a chance to check out some of the "freaks and geeks" who show up in full costume. And some are elaborate. These were taken last year

   No, we don't show up in costume for several reasons, the biggest is we don't have any. We also skip the fan meet and greet with stars from movies like the Lord Of The Rings Billy Boyd (Pippin), Steven Yeun from the Walking Dead, and Star Trek's William Shattner. This year, Carrie Fisher of Star Wars fame will be at the fan-fest.
   It's not that we don't like them, it's just the fact I don't want to wait in line for upwards of an hour to have to pay for an autograph. Regardless, we'll have fun there.
   And this year, we've decided to make a weekend of the trip, since the round trip drive is about 6 hours. And since I don't do a lot of driving, I do tend to get a little tired behind the wheel.

TTFN

It's Just A Game

   And it's played every year. There's a tradition between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers that goes back quite a while. The 2 CFL teams play back-to-back home and home games in early September. The Riders host the Bombers in the Labour Day Classic, and the Bombers host the Green and White in the so-called "Banjo Bowl".
   As in any sport, there are rivalries. As in any sport there's some ribbing between fans of the 2 teams, usually in good spirited fun as the 2 teams trade shots with each other. But this crossed the line in my view, and a lot of other fans on both sides of the football.
   A 9 year old Winnipeg boy, Taylor, was taking in his 1st ever game this past weekend after he and his mom were gifted tickets to the big contest. The boy was wearing a sweater at the game, and that's when the trouble started. It was a green sweater. Green is the colour for the Riders, and in a lot of venues outside their home turf of Mosaic Stadium, it's like waving a red flag at a bull.
   In this case, it set off Bomber fans in the stands. The boys mother says he was sworn at, told to "go home", was told "you're a Rider fan. You stink" by a small girl, and allegedly had beer poured on him. The torment continued in the parking lot, and had the boy in tears. Mon says two Rider fans "saw what was happening, a woman comes up to me and she grabs my son and gives him a hug".
   To their eternal credit, the Bomber organization dropped off a gift basket for Taylor and is inviting the family to another game.
   Again, I know about sports rivalries. I know things get "heated" in the stands. I've even heard of scuffles among fans, and even beer throwing. I'm sure it's bad enough when your an adult, but to target a 9 year old boy just because he happened to be wearing a green sweater on a cool autumn day almost smacks of bullying. And it's just a game.
   This turned into a bit of a rant. Sorry.
   Oh, yeah. The Bombers won the Banjo Bowl 17-10.

TTFN

A Culinary First

   I've made no secret that I'm pretty handy when it comes to cooking. In fact, a lot of the meals in our house are prepared by me. Not Cordon Bleu, by anyone's standard, and I'll never get a Michelin rating, or make into Zagat's. But I'm a good enough cook to put together what I think is a 1st class meal.
   And while I've in the past done a full turkey dinner with trimmings (and apple pie for dessert), jambalaya, Cajun style hamburgers, and even Sauerbraten (a marinated German-style roast with ginger-snap gravy), there are still a few things I have not done in the kitchen.
   During my week off, I managed to accomplish something I never, EVER thought I'd do. I canned a batch of home-made salsa. Regular readers will know my wife is a great gardener, and for the 2nd year in a row grew tomato's, which I used in the recipe:

   It doesn't get much better than vine-ripened tomatoes from the garden. So, those, along with other ingredients, all went into my big stock pot for a simmer. And it looked pretty darn good while bubbling away, too: (Excuse the poor angle of the picture)

   The canning process wasn't that difficult, after a little instruction from my wife. and in the end, I finished with a dozen jars of my very own salsa!

   And it ain't half bad, either! I do need to add a little more 'heat' to it, and cut out some of the liquid that comes from the tomatoes, but we've already had a couple of jars. It will keep getting better the longer we leave it to set up.
   And, yes, I'm already looking at "tweaking" the recipe for the next batch, which will unfortunately not be made with our home grown, garden-fresh tomatoes. They all got used for this batch!

TTFN