It's Getting Light Earlier

   It's just nature, the change of seasons and the angle of the earth to the sun. And it happens every year at this time. But from my perspective, it really is nice to see that blue pre-dawn glow when I leave the house for work at 03:45 or so. It means spring is actually here, and the days are getting longer. It also means that in just a few weeks, I'll be seeing the sun when I head off in the morning.
   I like this time of morning. Not only for the retreating darkness, but the usual stillness at that time. And bird-song. It's nice to hear the robins starting their morning call. There are plenty of days I wish I could just soak it all in, but bills, mortgage and car payments mean I have to hustle in to get my day going.
   Of course, in 6 months I'll be seeing the same sky, although it's a harbinger of winter's approach, and no sunrise until 08:30 or later.
   I don't know if I've ever said it, but I am fortunate to live in a part of the world where light pollution isn't all that bad. I say that because I've been driving in the early evening, and have been able to see the march of dusk across the sky. If you've never seen it, there is a definite dividing line between day and night, and watching it move in is spectacular.

TTFN, and have a happy May!

April?

   That's the view from one of our windows this morning. Yes, that's snow on the ground. In fact, we're looking at 2 to 4 cm (1/2 to 1 inch) before the system way south of us in the States moves off. 2 to 4 cm really isn't an awful lot when you think about some of the dumps we got this past winter. But for April 24th, it is significant.
   Not surprisingly, highways in the area have icy, slippery sections, and caution was being advised this morning.
   And it's going to get much colder, with the low tonight -9 C. Again, not really that bad when you think about the -37 or lower temps we had this past winter. But for April 24th, it is significant.
   Things will gradually improve as the week progresses, with a high of 8 C Friday. Which is still cooler than the 13 C we normally get this time of year.
   I guess April is going out like a lion.

TTFN

Ouch!

   We got our taxes back from the company we have do them for us yesterday, and OUCH! Both of us owe the government this year. I usually get something back, even if it's just 40 bucks, but my wife usually has to pay. This year, the bite out of that apple is deep. I'm not saying how deep, but deep enough. Put it this way, if anyone is getting a big refund this year..You're Welcome.
   What's to blame? That's not an easy question to answer. We're both getting our pensions now (we can legally do that in Canada at age 60), which I'm sure has had an impact on both of us. My wife also has some off-shore investments in the form of royalties from an oil and gas well. No. She's not rich, and never will be from it. Last year, I think she got a grand total of about 5 hundred bucks. But it's still income, and she declares it every year.
   There are, of course, deferrals. I have a work-place pension plan, and get RRSP savings every year. Normally, they cancel out any taxes owed. But not this year.
   So, what's to do for next year? Both of us will be asking our payroll administrator to start taking more off our pittances in the hopes that will at least reduce what the government takes.

TTFN

A Saucy Update

   Just a brief update on my post from Monday about our bar-be-cue sauce entry for the Ducks Unlimited competition.
   After speaking with my co-conspirator Danny Ismond, a momentous decision was made. We will be forging ahead with our submission for the "Saucy Duck" battle with a slightly amended recipe. We were both in agreement the basic sauce itself was tasty, but also agreed one spicy ingredient did need to be cut down. I will make the change to the recipe, and we will have it submitted by the April 28th deadline.
   Fingers crossed.

TTFN

Back To Square One?

   This past weekend, I broke out the pots and pans and started work on our entry for the upcoming Ducks Unlimited "Saucy Duck" bar-b-cue competition, which we have to have submitted by the 28th.
   I dutifully followed the recipe I was working off. To the letter.
   And that's where the problem lies. I put the recommended amount of one ingredient in, a spicy one, and waited for everything to cool down. Even though the thermal temperature did drop, it was hotter than the blazes, spice-wise.
   So I now face the question of re-doing it all over, or submitting it, but have organizers cut the level of spiciness down to a more manageable (and cooler) level. I'll need to talk to my partner Danny for his input before making a decision, but something will need to be done. I like spicy food, but this was above my personal limit for heat.
   More when a decision is made.

TTFN

It's Time Again

   And we don't have a lot of it to waste. GX94 morning show host Danny Ismond and I have buried the bar-b-cue sauce hatchet. In recent years, regular viewers will know we've been embroiled in a friendly competition to see who's sauce will represent our radio station in the Ducks Unlimited "Saucy Duck" competition with other local media.
   Danny won the 1st event (I had yet to move to Yorkton), CTV won year 2, yours truly won year 3 and last year it was our sister station Fox FM.
   After last year's in house battle, Danny and I decided we'd combine are forces and create a real killer sauce for the 2017 competition. And we were thrown a bit of a curve-ball by the organizers, in that the sauce MUST include one of the beers available at a local micro-brewery. So yesterday after work, we dutifully trekked to the brewery, met the staff, and sampled a few of the brewski's they have on tap.
   In the end, we settled on one style, and the good folks at the brewery kindly provided us with a jug of the same

   I'm not saying what beer it is, and I won't let the recipe slip until after the competition has wrapped up May 5th. I will say this is a departure for both of use, since we've never used beer in a bar-b-cue sauce before. But, after much consultation, we did decide on what our entry will be. I'll be whipping up a sample (maybe 2) this weekend so we can taste test it next week to see if there's any tweaking needed.

TTFN