Away

   I'm on a short vacation staring right after I finish the noon major news and sports package today, and won't be back until January 6th. I'm not planning on doing a whole lot, other than continuing what's become an annual tradition for me to watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy. And, weather permitting, maybe a quick jaunt to Regina.
   In which case, I hope you all have a Happy New Year as we start a new decade, alrhough technically, it's actually not for another year.
   Have a safe start to 2020!

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A Christmas Thank You

   And it's to whoever stopped to help our son out Christmas Day. He was coming up for the afternoon, and supper, when he turned off the main highway onto a by-pass, and suddenly felt his car shudder. He says for a split second, he thought it was rumble strips on the road. It wasn't. Turns out, he blew a tire. Luckily, it was in town. Even more luckily, a good Samaritan stopped to help him change it for his spare.
   Our son (who's a metal head, and has long hair and a very long goatee) asked why the person stopped, and was told "you look like Jesus. Our son was also told by his anonymous helper that his spare probably wouldn't get him the 190 kilometers back to Regina.
   Not wanting to drive, he asked if we could put him up for the night. We of course said "yes", but there's a problem. We only have one bed in the house, since 2 of our bedrooms have been turned into offices for my wife and I.
   Left with no choice, he opted for the couch. As you can tell, I'm working today, and so is my wife (she's in retail). Unfortunately, I disturbed him while leaving the house, and my wife probably did too.
   As for his next move, he's going to buy 4 new winter tires today, since they're all the same age, and he doesn't want another one popping on the way home. Problem is, most of the tire places are closed for the day, with the notable exception of Canadian Tire. So, he's going to head over there and see what's what. If they don't have anything, he'll have to crash at our place again tonight, and wait to tomorrow. Luckily, he's off til Monday.
   I hope, for his sake, he can get things sorted today, so he doesn't have to spend another uncomfortable night on our couch.
   And to the mysterious stranger who stopped to help out, thanks! That's what the spirit of Christmas is all about

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Merry Christmas

   Yet another Christmas has rolled around. At this time of year, I'd like to wish all my viewers a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and joyous Kwanzaa. And a happy Festivus for the rest of us.
   Thank you all for taking time over the past year to check in on this blog from time to time. I jope you continue to do so.

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So Much Good Food

   It was the annual "pot-luck" lunch at our 2 radio stations yesterday, and boy, there was an awful lot of very tasty food on tap. Pirogi's, chili, salads, turkey (with all the fixings) sausages. Not to mention desserts.
   It seems every year, more and more people kick in, which is the whole idea behind it. I did not have to eat supper last night, and I may not have to have lunch today. There was that much food, and, yes, I ate that much.
   I brought in sweet and sour meatballs. But I didn't make enough, since more than one person said they didn't get any. If, or rather when, I do them again, I'm going to double the recipe, just to be on the safe side.
   But it was a wonderful meal.

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I Accomplished Something This Weekend

   And it's something other that sitting down, staring at the T.V or computer screen for hours on end. I got busy in the kitchen, and whipped up a loaf of French bread.

   Not the most exciting thing in the world, I admit, but I had to do something creative for a change. Getting that loaf done was a bit of a struggle, though. The dough wouldn't rise. The yeast was good (I did a test), and I hadn't changed the recipe. But, even in a warm-ish oven, it took literally hours to rise. I'm guessing it may be due to the winter weather we've been having, even though we keep the house at 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
   How did it taste? Wonderful. You really can't beat the taste, and smell, of home-baked bread.

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Brrrr!!!

   It's been brutally cold recently, with wind chills dipping to -40 yesterday morning, and darn near that again today, thanks to an Arctic air mass entrenched over the region. It was a bitter slap in the face walking out of the house both days before 04:00, and I'm sure it won't be the last time, either.
   So, I was intrigued to say the least, when I noticed one of our neighbours had left a bedroom window 1/3rd to 1/2 open. I hadn't seen anyone in the place for about a week, so I did the only thing I could think of..contact our property developer to see if they could get hold of the owner/tenant to let them know.
   Sure enough, a couple days later they were back, and shut the window. But I noticed again yesterday, it had been opened, and was this morning as well. I just wonder if there's going to be any damage due to the bitter cold.
   And winter doesn't start for another 10 days.
   Ugh.

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Feeling Old Part 3

   Hard as it is to believe, Pink Floyd's iconic album "The Wall" was released 40 years ago today on November 30, 1979. The album contains one of my favourite songs of all time "Comfortably Numb", although I admit I prefer the live version from the "Pulse" concert in 1995.
   I personally believe it's the 2nd best album they put out, after Dark Side Of The Moon. Not that their other albums aren't good, just personal preference.
   So, how does this make me fell old? I was 23 years old, and working in Prince George, B.C when it came out. There you go.
   I think when I get off work today, I might just give it a spin. It's been a while since I listened to it all the way through.
   And yes, I'm working on a Saturday.

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10 Year Challenge

   It seems everyone is getting caught up in the "10 year challenge", including yours truly. At the behest of GX94 morning show host Danny Ismond. The one on the left was taken during our trip to Norway 10 (ish) years ago. The other Danny took yesterday in our newsroom.
   I guess I've lost quite a bit of weight in the intervening years, and gained a few tattoos! Actually, I was rather surprised at the amount of weight I'd shed. Back then, I was well north of 250 pounds. Today, I'm down around 215, and am still hoping to lose even more. If I could get down to 200, I'd be very happy, although I'll never get rid of the "middle age spread".
   I also see a few bare patches of skin, so I might be lining up a visit with my local artist for another tat or 2.
   And to my American viewers, Happy Thanksgiving!

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A Much Better Weekend

   Unlike last week, weather and road conditions allowed us to get to Regina this past weekend, and get a good chunk of our Christmas shopping taken care of. For my wife, the trip wan not as successful, as she didn't get a number of things she had on her list. Unfortunately, a lot of her items are only available from specialty shops we simply don't have here (she can order it on-line). As was what we finally deiced for our son's present. I won't give details.
   It was a relatively quick visit, even though we stopped for lunch, of less than 6 hours, including the 4 for the round-trip. It will also be one of the last trips we make to the capital this year, with winter fast approaching, and me not wanting to drive at night.

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Not The Best Of Weekends

   First, an apology for not posting anything last week. While it was a busy week, there really wasn't much to blog about.
   We decided to go to Regina this past Saturday to get our Christmas shopping done. We don;t have many people to buy for, and those that we do are a little difficult to find the "right" gift. The trip to Regina (about 190 kilometers one way) would have taken care of it all in just a few stops. But Mother Nature had different plans. There was some minor pavement frost on the highway heading down, which isn't really a huge concern. Until it starts raining or snowing.
   Just about the exact half-way point in the trip is a small town called Balcarres. And ust before we got there, it started snowing. By the time we got through the town, it was nearly white-out conditions, and the highway was getting icy. So, I made the decision to turn back. Regina will still be there, and we can go there this coming weekend.
   Adding injury on top of everything, I took a tumble Sunday, and it was completely my fault. We had a large cardboard box we needed to get rid of, so I loaded it up and went to one of the large recycling bins in the community. The box was just a little too large for me to cram it in. So, rather than doing the logical thing, getting my knife out and cutting the box down, I took the lazy way. I put it on the ground and tried to stomp on it. Since the ground had ice and snow on it, you can guess the result. I went down, Hard. On my rear-end and right elbow. I also re-sprained my left wrist (which I damaged a couple of years ago), and wrenched my right knee. I did not hit my head, thankfully.
   The upshot is I'm now limping around the office (and home for that matter). My tail-bone still hurts, and I don't know how long my wrist will be sore.
   Lesson learned the hard way: Do NOT stomp on a cardboard box when it's icy/snowy.

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Feeling Old Part 2

   It was 30 years ago today, the Berlin Wall came down. Or at least started to. For 28 years, between 1961 and 89, it was the demarcation line, physically and ideologically, between the East and West during the Cold war.
   I won't get into the politico-ideological reasons why it went up (there are plenty of online resources for that), but it started going up to keep East Germans, specifically Berliners, from defecting to the West. Despite it, 100,000 people tried to escape, and some 5,000 made it. Anywhere from 136 to 200 died trying.
   While East German authorities opened the crossing points November 9, 1989, and the demolition of the wall started, it wasn't until 1991 the last remnants (aside from a few sections) were finally removed.
   The fall of the Wall, many believe, also marked the start of the disintegration of the former Soviet Union, although that didn't happen until 1991.

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Feeling Old

   And it's because on this date, November 4, 1979, the Iran hostage crisis began. Hard-line Islamist students stormed the U.S Embassy in Tehran, triggering a 444 day ordeal for 52 staffers. That's 40 years ago now. I would have been in my first job in radio, at a small station in Peace River at the time. The ordeal finally ended in January, 1981, when I was in Prince George, B.C at my 2nd radio job.
  And part and parcel was the so-called Canadian Caper, where 6 U.S diplomats were housed in our embassy, and later "smuggled" out of Iran on false Canadian passports.
   To mark the anniversary in Iran, people stood outside the former U.S Embassy chanting "Death to Americas" and "Death to Israel".
   And in just 5 days, it's the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, which went up starting in June, 1961 at tr he height of the Cold War between the former Soviet Union and the Western Alliance.
   It does make one feel old.

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A New Month, And Time Change Weekend

   Welcome November, goodbye October. We have, as you can plainly see, started a new month. Last night, of course, was Halloween. We didn't get very many Trick or Treaters last night. Only about 6. But that's due, in part, to where we live. And the fact our street has very few homes yet. I think we had maybe 12 last year, which, for us, was a good crowd. Unlike last year, I only bought one box of candies, so my waistline shouldn't suffer too much, since it ain't going to get thrown out.
   This is also the weekend most of North America "falls back" to Standard Time

   Meaning a lot of people get an extra hour of sleep Sunday morning. The big notable exceptions are Saskatchewan, parts of Arizona and Hawaii, where we don't adjust out timepieces. Now, there's talk in British Columbia of them staying on DST year round.
   Saskatchewan's case is unique, since the line for the time change is the 105th meridian, which bi-sects the province, meaning no one could decide which time zone to go with. It's simpler and easier just to leaves the clocks where they are.
   I've said in blogs past I've never been in favour of the time change, and I never will be. Not that I'm against getting an extra hour's sleep in the fall, but I've always hated losing that hour in spring. I maintain that to this day.

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Yay! It's Halloween!

   And this year, I decided to channel Harrison Ford's "Indiana Jones" from Raiders Of The Lost Ark. I'm calling myself "Canora Craig, Raider Of The Last Pirogi". And judging from the bulging mid-section, I've raided far too many of them.
   Unlike a couple of years ago when inspiration hit when we were going through a Halloween store, this came together fairly quickly.
   Yes, the skull's eyes do light up. No, it's not a real whip. although I can get it to crack.
   And, yes, I've already started planning for next year. In fact, I think I've almost got everything ready, already!
   Happy Halloween, and don't eat too much candy tonight.

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R.I.P Little Buddy

   We had to say "goodbye" to this little fur-baby last Friday. "Kel", as we called him, was with us 12 years, 10 months and 9 days. Yes,I counted. He'd been losing a lot of weight, and had some kind of gastric problem for the past few months. The decision was made last Thursday, after he tried, unsuccessfully, to pass something, which was causing him a great deal of discomfort. He was at least 16, possibly 17, years old.
   We got him, and another male cat "Aslan (who passed in April last year) December 16, 2006 from the Humane Society ion Regina. Unlike all the other kitties up for adoption, he didn't meow. Nor did he reach through his cage to paw at passersby. He just sat there. But there was something about him that made me say "I'll take that one", along with Aslan. It was a great choice.
   After getting them home, we settled in to get to know each other. He immediately leapt onto the left side of my chest and perched there. It was hos favourite spot, right up to the end.
   He was at times annoying, aggravating and infuriating. He was always looking for the high ground, or, as we called it, "up". In one of the places we lived, he got "up" into the false ceiling of a basement bedroom by climbing up the outside of the furnace ducts. In our home in Regina he somehow managed to find his way to the bathroom window by leaping atop the glass shower surround, onto the shower head, then the window. We still don't know how he managed.
   Despite the shenanigans, down deep he was a very loving cat. Anyone who says cats, or any animal, isn't capable of love hasn't been owned by one. And he wasn't "just a cat", he was a member of the family. At least we gave him a good home for nearly 13 years.
   RIP Little Buddy.

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The Pundits Were Right

   With the ballots counted in yesterday's federal election, Canadians gave Justin Trudeau and his liberals the okay to form a new government. But not a majority. There are 338 seats in the Canadian Parliament, and to form a majority, a party needs 170. The liberals got 157, down from the 184 they won in 2015. Andrew Scheer and the Conservatives won 121, a gain from the 99 they took 4 years ago. The NDP won 24 seats, and the regional Bloc Quebecois 32. The Green Party won 3.
   There were a few changes, as you can expect, with one of the biggest in Regina, where long-time Liberal M.P Ralph Goodale was beaten by the Tories Michael Kram. Goodale had held several cabinet posts in different governments over the years. He was my M.P for quite a while, as well.
   Now, the deal making starts. While nothing is certain in politics, it's widely expected Trudeau and the Liberals will reach out to the NDP and leader Jagmeet Singh for support to prop up hig government. There will be some quid-pro-quo deals made. Singh has said many times in the past he will not work with the Tories. It'll be interesting to see how far that goes. And how long this minority lasts before we're sent back to the polls again.

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Election Day

   Canadians are going to the polls today to elect a new government. I'm not going to delve deeply into the campaign, or the various scenarios that could result once the votes are counted Plenty of political pundits are already predicting a minority government by the Liberals or Conservatives. But again, I'm not going to get into it all.
   I will tell you that my wife and I cast our ballots October 12th in the advance poll, simply to have it done, and avoid potential long line-ups today. Who did I vote for? Even if Elections Canada rules allowed me to say, I wouldn't. We'll find out soon enough, anyway.
   I will say "Thank You" to all the candidates in all the political parties who let their names stand. It shows a passion for this country, and for what each believes in, regardless of political stripe.
   I'll have more tomorrow, after the votes have been counted.

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Baking Overrun

   My wonderful wife got creative in the kitchen once again, and once again staff in our office benefit. She rolled up her sleeves, and produced cookies with a caramel topping, and oatmeal and chocolate chip squares

   The orange things are marshmallow pumpkins. She did this as a gift for her fellow workers, and, as usual, there was more than enough for me to bring in to work.
   She also did butter tart squares

   Which I had to try to make sure they weren't poisonous. They aren't. But it also is very evident I can't cut in a straight line. I'm sure everything will be mostly gone by the end of the day.
   Thanks dear!

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Thanksgiving's Over

   At least in Canada. In the U.S, it's still to come. We had a fairly quiet, relaxing long weekend. Our son came up from Regina for the day Sunday. And rather than a full turkey dinner with all the fixin's, we kept it simple this year.
   My wife did some Cornish Rock Game Hens, I did a risotto, we had asparagus, and desert. Which was my chocolate chunk bread, slathered with tiramisu filling, topped with strawberries. For a change, I did not over-eat.
   Back to work today, and it's going to be busy the next week, with the federal election on the 21st. We went out and voted Saturday at the advance poll to avoid the rush.

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Long Weekend

   It's Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada, and I've got the long weekend off. We don't have much planned, really. Our son will be coming up from Regina for dinner Sunday, so I'll be baking another loaf of chocolate chunk bread, which we'll use as a base for dessert. I'm almost thinking of doing a tiramisu base, and adding some fruit to it.
   It means I will most likely over-eat. Again. It also means I won't be back in the office until Tuesday. Happy Thanksgiving Canada!

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"Mac" Has A New Rack

   And it's the result of a Battle of the Moose between Moose Jaw's 'Mac' and Stor Eldval Norway's 'Storelgen' for bragging rights as the World's Largest Moose Statue. For 31 years, Mac held the title, but was dethroned in 2015 when the Norwegian's built one about 30 cm (1 foot) taller.
   A go-fund-me page was set up months ago for Mac's antler-enhancement, and general repairs, and his new rack was installed recently.
   The Battle of the Moose actually made headlines in many countries, and also resulted in the mayors of both communities involved calling a "truce", with Stor-Eldval Norway's deputy mayor Linda Henriksen paying a visit to the Saskatchewan city.
   And unless the Norwegians go ahead with a plan to build an even bigger moose statue (which had been talked about), Mac will remain the largest in the world. That's because Storelgen is an art-work, and can't be modified.
   So far, there's been no response from Norway on Mac's new rack.

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Decided

   As regular viewers of this blog will no doubt know, I'm a bit of a fan of Halloween. Especially when it comes to getting into some kind of costume at work. You will also know I usually have the plans set as early as November 1st, giving me a good, solid 12 months to get things together.
   Case in point was 2014, when I came as an Australian for the first time. I even learned, albeit somewhat limited, how to get the correct sounds from a didgeridoo. But this year was a challenge trying to come up with something. It wasn't until this past weekend when we went to Regina, and checked a couple of Halloween specialty stores it finally clicked.
   All I'm going to give away right now is there will be a whip involved

   No, there won't be anything 'kinky'. And no, I'm not going to go as part of the '70's band Devo

   To "whip it". As always, all will be revealed Halloween Day.

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September's Over

   And it went out like a lion. We got an inch or so (2.5 cm) of snow Sunday, along with rain, a blustery wind and much cooler temperatures. But you won't hear me complaining. At least, not too much, 'cause it could have been worse.
   Parts of Alberta had up to 35 cm, with 60 possible by the time the system moves off. 1.2 meters of the white stuff was expected in other areas, including parts of the U.S. Fortunately, it won't stick around long, even though we could get a few flurries tonight. The forecast calls for a high of 13 Celsius Friday, and sunny skies.
   I'm just glad I hauled the lawnmower down to the basement and covered the A.C while I was at it. My wife also got 97% of her gardening stuff brought in for the winter.
   I know we can get (and have had) snow at the end of September, but I'm still not ready yet.

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A Special Anniversary

   It was 20 years ago today, I had my last ever cigarette. September 24, 1999, just before we went to bed, my wife and I stubbed out our last smoke, flushed the ashes and butts down the toilet, slapped on a nicotine patch, and called it quits. I did catch my wife sneaking a smoke a few times, but she eventually quit. And we've both stayed off them.
   It was easy to quit, I'd done it at least a dozen times in the past.The hard part is staying off them. I smoked a pack and a half a day, and there used to be 25 cigarettes in a pack in Canada, for at least 26 years. And I can tell you, hand on heart, I have never cheated since. Not even one puff. Ever.
   I still have the legacy from all the years I was a heavy smoker. I have a cough which is, and I'll be honest, rather disgusting to hear. I also have restricted breathing. But that's better that COPD, which is what I thought I originally had, since I was diagnosed in 1989 with what the doctor said was early stage emphysema.
   Have I prolonged my life by quitting? Probably. Will I ever start smoking, again? No. Part of the reason is cost. A pack of smokes (in our area) runs about $15.00. Contrast that with the price back in the mid 90's of $25.00 for a carton of 8 packs (200 cigarettes), and you can figure out why.

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Fall Arrives, And Another Project Done

   Fall did officially arrive this morning, at 01:50 here in Yorkton. On the equator, it's 12 hours of daylight, and 12 hours of night.
   And while it's the first day of fall, I did manage to knock an item of the :to-do" list yesterday, the last full day of summer.

   I got the 2nd coat of stain on the back steps of our house. It's not the best job, I admit, and some of the areas are a bit blotchy, but it's done. And as I mentioned in the last blog (at least I think I did), it's the first time those stairs have had any protection since they were installed. 5 years ago! They were in dire need of either paint or stain.
   As for the colour: I'm still not sold on it, although my wife likes it. Since I'm not about to change it anytime soon, it stays. I'm also glad I got it done this past weekend, since the weather is forecast to turn much cooler, with rain, and even snow, in the next 2 weeks or so. Next year, we'll tackle the front veranda/porch/deck. Whatever it's called. I am not looking forward to that chore.

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The "To Do" List Is Getting Shorter

   And that's because I managed to at least start one chore that's needed doing for months, if not years. I applied the 1st coat of stain to the stairs at the back of our house. They're wood, and hadn't had any protection put on them since they were installed. and with the back of the house facing south, and a PVC fence that traps heat, it can get like an oven there.
   As I found out when staining the steps. I did it Sunday, when the temperature was about 30 Celsius. Needless to say, the wood soaked up the stain like nothing. A 2nd coat will be needed, just to even things out. The colour we chose was a medium-dark charcoal grey, which my wife likes. I'm not too sure about it, but we're stuck with it now. I'll try and get it done this weekend, weather permitting. At least it's not supposed to be as hot.
   Which leaves the front steps/porch/veranda. We did the support columns and trim of the verandas in the same dark grey a few years ago, but used varnish on the decking and stairs. We're thinking of going the same charcoal colour we used on the back stairs for that as well, although I'd prefer just the grey trim, and re-varnish it instead. But that's another project for another time. Most likely spring.
   But I did manage to get one item off the Honey-Do list.

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(Another) Garlic Update

   My 2nd attempt at pickled garlic has, so far, turned out not too bad. I cracked open a jar last night, and had a taste. It needs more time. The garlic was still very pungent, and had not taken on much of the spice or brine flavouing. So, I'm going to leave it in the fridge for another week before trying again.
   But I also noticed this:

   A blue discolouration on some of the cloves. Apparently, it's not unusual to see. From what I read last night, it's due to an enzyme in the garlic reaction to the acid in the vinegar. It's perfectly safe to eat, and the flavour hasn't changed. It just turned blue. There are a few things I could've done to prevent it (had I known about them at the time), but I'm not worried about it.
   I'm hoping now the flavours will meld a bit better.

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And They're Off!

   The starters pistol was fired today, kicking off a 40 day long federal election campaign culminating October 21st, voting day. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau paid a visit to the Governor General, asking her to formally dissolve Parliament, and get the campaign ball rolling.
   There are 338 seats up for grabs in the Canadian Parliament, and at dissolution, the governing Liberal party had a clear majority with 177. The Conservative Party of Canada had 97 seats, the NDP 40 and the Bloc Quebecois 10. Of the remaining seats, there were 7 sitting as independents, the Green Party had 3, 2 were vacant, and both the Peoples Party of Canada and Co-Operative Commonwealth Federation each had 1.
   The last election was in November, 2015.
   I've pretty much decided who I'm voting (or not voting) for come the 21st of October.Election laws forbid me to tell you which party and candidate that is. And just to muddy the water a bit, since I became eligible to vote way back in 1974, I have, at one time or another, voted for different political parties,with the exception of the BQ, since they're a Quebec party.

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She Made History

   I've said many times I'm not what you'd call a "sports" guy. True, I'll watch the odd event, and such was the case Saturday in the women's final of the U.S Open Tennis Tournament. And there was just one reason:

   Bianca Andreescu, a 19 year old from Ontario, who was in the final against one of the most celebrated women's players of all time, Serena Williams. And Bianca won. In straight sets, no less, 6-4 and 7-5.
   How tough was the 2nd set? Williams was down 5-1 at one point but, in true fashion, stormed back to tie the set at 5-5. Andreescu won the next 2 games, and the championship. How tough was the 2nd set for Bianca? The crowd at Arthur Ashe stadium was, of course, partisan for Williams, and Andreescu had to plug her ears a couple of times to try and drown out the noise. And she apologized for winning, saying "I know you guys wanted Serena to win, so I'm so sorry".
   Andreescu is the first Canadian woman to win the U.S Open title and, as you'll all know, she wasn't even alive when Williams won her 1st title. Congratulations Bianca!

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Garlic Update

   As per yesterday's post (And Back At It), where I lamented the fact that the jar of pickled garlic I opened had all the cloves turn to mush, I check the rest. All 5 jars were the same, with every clove mushy. As for what went wrong, my best guess is I over processed them when canning.
   I'm going to try it again this weekend, but rather than boil them for 15 minutes, I'm simply going to pour the hot brine onto the cloves and screw the lids down tight. Everything I've read says it's okay to do that, since the garlic will last a few months, if not up to a year.
   I'm also going to use different garlic. The stuff I canned was locally grown Yorkton garlic and was, for garlic, quite pricey.
   Hopefully, these changes will make a big difference. I should have results in a couple of weeks.

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And Back At It

   The last week of my vacation time for the year wasn't as fruitful as I'd hoped. We did manage to make it to Regina, with the side-trip 32 km north to Lumsden (where we picked up some Mexican tiles for a future project), but that's just about it.
   We had planned on re-staining the porch/veranda/stairs, but didn't manage to knock that task off the to-do list yet. This coming weekend should be mostly sunny, so we're going to try then.
   I did manage to make some pickled garlic:

   Which did not turn out well. The process of canning them was easy, but the result, at least the jar I opened, was less than impressive. I don't know what happened, but the cloves had turned to mush inside. The jar was sealed, there's no doubt about that, and I'm hoping it was just the one jar, not all 5. I'll know when I open another one.
   I also got a little baking done, a nice French loaf we had with home-made beef soup one day, then a home-made bruschetta sort of thing the next. That at least worked out.
   So now, it's a bit of a stretch until I get any more time off. January, in fact, but I'm re-charged, and ready ti get at it again. Although truth be told, I could've used an extra week off.

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Last Week Of Vacation

   I will be taking my final week of vacation for 2019 next week, meaning, naturally, I won't be posting anything for the rest of this month.
   We don't have much planned. A trip to Regina is in the works this weekend, along with a short jaunt up the highway from Regina to Lumsden.There's a garden centre my wife likes, and she's looking for Mexican themed tiles to become part of an eventual backsplash as decorative work.
   We're also hoping to complete a long-delayed project of re-staining our porch. It needs to be done, but (no surprise here) I've been lazy. I'll potter around the kitchen, and am going to try my hand a pickling garlic. And maybe do some bread baking as well.
   You know, looking back at this post, I may have been wrong when I said we didn't have much planned. In fact, we may just run out of week before we run out of projects.
   I'll be back after Labour Day.

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Happy 92nd!

   Yesterday, the radio station I've had the pleasure of working at for the last 6 years celebrated an anniversary. It was 92 years ago, August 19, 1927, our transmitter was flipped "on", and we started broadcasting.
   In the ensuing years, management has kept a lot of the old items and displayed them in our lobby, including the original transmitter:

   For radio nerds, the transmitter is a Marconi, the stand-up broadcast board and cart machine are Gates, the reel-to-reel is Revox, the "portable" tape machine is EMI and the turntable is Technics. To say we've moved on a bit in the intervening years is an understatement.
   But just to show you how old I am, I remember only too well using the big reel to reel, cart deck and turntable. In fact, it wasn't until 1999 when I was in Regina we went digital and computerized in the newsroom, finally ditching the cart machine and old printer we had for copy.
   Sometimes, I actually miss the "olden days".

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Still Stumped

   A few months ago (March 12 "An Enigma"), I blogged about a postcard I received at work from someone I apparently knew, and worked with, in Regina.

    The full text reads: "Hi Craig. Hope you are doing well out in perogie country. I thought you'd get a laugh out of this postcard. Drop me a line if you figure out who sent this to you! Sincerely, some crazy former co-worker".
   I've been pouring over who the person might be, and wracking my brain trying to identify the handwriting. All to no avail. I still have no idea who's responsible, so I'm going to turn to good old fashioned social media and re-post on my facebook page asking whoever it was to end the mystery, and put me out of my misery.

The Things You Never Notice

   I'm talking about everyday items. You know the kind of thing, you reach into a drawer in the kitchen and pull out an item it seems you've had forever. The old, sometimes unappreciated stuff we all somehow manage to collect over the years.
   Such was my case yesterday, when I opened one of our drawers and pulled out this as I was getting ready to start supper

   As you can plainly see, it's an ordinary stainless steel spoon. I bought that something like 28 or 9 years ago when we lived in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Originally, it was used to stir wort when I brewed my own beer. But it quickly became my "go to" for cooking. I have no idea how many pots full of jambalaya, spaghetti sauce, chili or gazpacho I've stirred with it.
   The bowl of the spoon isn't as round as it was when I bought it, due to the heavy use in steel pots. It's also been discoloured from what I can only guess is exposure to heat over the years.
   For the record: I have no intention of replacing it. It's old, stained and worn down, but it still works.

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Who Knew

   A small Saskatchewan town is making a big splash internationally. The place, with some 18 hundred residents, is Lumsden, about 30 km north of Regina in the beautiful Qu'Appelle Valley. A video posted on Facebook by a local company has garnered more than 13 million views so far. The company in question is Last Mountain Distillery, and the product getting all the attention is this:

(Photo courtesy Last Mountain Distillery)

   Blue Vodka. It hasn't had food colouring added, but gets the tint from something called the blue pea flower, something I admit I've never heard of. And yes, it's the colour that's stirred up interest in the libation. It seems people from other markets are showing interest in the vodka, and would like to get their hands on some of it. For now, the only places you can get it are Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba, although the company is hoping to expand the market.
   Have I tried it? No. Will I try it? No. Aside from having a beer every 2 months, I quit drinking 12 years ago, and have no plans to fall off the wagon.

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Football's Back!

   With apologies to the millions of fans of the North American game, I'm talking REAL football. Played with the foot and a ball. Commonly known as soccer. I've said in the past I'm not a huge fan of most sports. The big exception is European football (soccer). Specifically the Barclay's English Premier League. and the team I support is none other than

   In fact, I've been a fan of them for more than half a century, going back to the days when CBC Sports used to have "Match of the Day" every Saturday afternoon. Why United? I really can't say. I have no connection at all with Manchester. I've never even been there, although a dream that will go unfilled is to take in a United game at Old Trafford with 76 thousand others.
   United did not (for them) have a stellar 2018-19 season, ending up 5th on the table. But with a new manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, they did have a good 2nd half of the season.
   League action starts today, with the Red Devils playing their season opener Sunday against one of their arch-rivals, Chelsea.
   Go Devils!!

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Long Weekend Over

   It was almost a case of blink and you'll miss it when it came to the recently wrapped up "long" weekend. True, I didn't have to work for the past 3 days, which I'm grateful for. But I sure could've used more time off.
   Not that I got up to a whole lot, mind you. No trips anywhere, since I figured there's be enough idiots on the road already without me adding to the mix. Just stayed around home.
   I did try to bake more bread, but something went wrong, and it didn't rise much.(I think it may have been the yeast, since this is the 2nd failure in a row I've had). I'll try a yeast starter before my next attempt.
   Meantime, it's back at it for the next 2 weeks, until I get my final week of vacation for the year.

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Long Weekend

   It is the long Civic Holiday weekend, meaning I won't be posting again until next Tuesday at the earliest, since Monday's the actual holiday.
   What have I got planned? Nothing. My wife has to work Monday, so we won't be going anywhere, not that we'd planned anything anyway. So, I'll just crank up the A.C due to a heat warning, and try and stay cool. I might do more baking, but that remains to be seen.

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(Another) Hearing Update

   I made the trek to Regina and back..again..for my damned hearing aid, which quit working earlier this month (see my July 23rd post). I'll admit that after not having it for a week, it was nice to get it back. I'm still not 100% (or even 80%) happy with it, but I refuse to make another trip until necessary.
   Like the last time I was down, the round trip took over 4 hours, due mainly to road work being done in the Queen City, meaning I didn't get home until 6:30 last night. Which is a long day for me. I probably could have got home earlier, but decided to stop for a quick bite, which I wished I hadn't. Mall food court Chinese food isn't great, and it sat like a lump all the way back. I could've gone to a sit-down restaurant, but wanted to get home. In hindsight, I should've just bolted back to Yorkton and picked something up.
   Oh, yeah. The problem with the hearing aid was the receiver quit working.

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The Things You Find

   Okay, I admit it. I'm a clutter-bug. I was looking for something in my home office yesterday, when I came across some of the material my wife and I got when we took our trip to Norway. 9 years ago today, to be exact.

   I won't post any of the pictures I took during the trip, to save me time uploading them, and you boredom looking at them. The trip was fantastic, as far as bus tours go, and I'd do it again. Why a "package holiday"? It was the best way to see as much of the country as we could in a limited amount of time. Had we made our own arrangements, we wouldn't have seen or experienced even half of what we did. Would I go on another tour? Maybe, if we could hit a few different areas. But, we'd also like to travel elsewhere as well.
   And that's where some 'problems' creep up. First, while we'd like to visit Norway again, if we had the chance (and the finances) I think we'd move there permanently. My grandfather came from the "old country" in 1907. Second, and as mentioned, we'd like to travel more. My wife would love to see Russia, and we'd both like to see more of Europe, if we had the chance (and the finances). And finally, finding the material shows the need for me to clean up and categorize my home office. Yeah, right.
   As for the item I was searching for that started the whole thing: I'm still searching.

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This Wins The Internet This Week

   It's been the buzz on social media ever since Tuesday, when it happened. Someone much more well versed than I am in the ways of computer imaging, came up with a phony Great Seal of the President of the United States. It ended up being briefly projected behind POTUS Donald Trump at a youth event this week.
   The fake seal has double-headed eagle, lifted from the Russian coat of arms, with one set of talons holding golf clubs instead of arrows, with the other clutching cash, rather than an olive branch. And rather than the motto "E. Pluribus Unum", the fake seal's says "45 es un titere", Spanish for "45 is a puppet".
   The man who created it, a former Republican and Bush supporter, says he did it after the 2016 election. Trump's relationship with Russia has cast somewhat of a pall on his presidency, including unproven Russian collusion in the campaign.
   The person who projected the image behind Trump was fired.
   Poor taste, perhaps. But in my mind, it still wins the 'net.

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Hearing Update

   So, I trekked down to Regina yesterday to see about my hearing aid, which packed it in last week (see Disappointed). Lo and behold, the technician said she couldn't hear anything (no pun intended) when she checked it out. So, it has to go back for repairs. Luckily, it's under warranty, or I'd be hooped, since I have no idea what repairs cost, and I sure don't have another $25 hundred to throw away on a new one.
   The biggest downside in all this is it's going to take at least 2 weeks for them to send it back, get repairs done, and have it shipped back the the place I've been dealing with. So it means almost no hearing in my affected (left) ear. And it also means another 4 hour round trip to Regina after getting up at 03:30 and working my usual 8 hour day. Oh, well. It is what it is.

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Disappointed

   Last year (December to be exact) I blogged about having to get a hearing aid, due to serious hearing loss in my left ear. The first one I got, I was not happy with. So, after spending almost $15 hundred on it, I went back to the hearing centre I got it from. And got a nearly $1 thousand upgrade in January.
   Yesterday morning, it quit. Completely. There was no warning. It just shut down. At first, I thought it might've been the battery, since they only last 4 or 5 days. Usually, I get an audio "battery" warning when wearing it, but I didn't. I changed the battery. When I power it up, I get several tones letting me know it's on (even though I can hear the difference anyway). Not even a "beep" when I tried it again.
   The upshot of all this is I now have to make a 4-hour in total round trip to Regina to have them look at it. If it's a quick fix, I might be in their office for 15 minutes. If it's pooched, I don't know what to do.

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50 Years

   That's how long it's been since the Apollo 11 moon mission lifted off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on the Saturn V rocket

   Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins arrived in lunar orbit July 19th. On July 20th, and while Collins stayed in the command module, Armstrong and Aldrin left in the Lunar Module, and safely touched down in the Sea of Tranquility.
   A few hours later, the L.M hatch opened, and Armstrong became the first human to set foot on another world. His words "that's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind". He was joined by Aldrin a short time later, who called the lunar landscape "magnificent desolation". They spent most of the mission collecting samples and setting up experiments, some of which are still in use today. They also took hundreds of photographs, including this of Armstrong's reflection in Aldrin's visor

   Where was I in all this? As a then 13 year old, I, along with my father, was glued to the T.V. I remember vividly an electrical storm caused the power to go out, just as the L.M was getting set to touch down. It came back on just in time. I also watched the 2 take their historic walk on the moon. Apollo 11 safely returned to Earth July 24th. Armstrong died in 2012, and of the 2 remaining crew, only Michael Collins was back at the launch pad today to commemorate the event.

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Time Flies

   It was a cold January 12th we added to our family. We adopted this cute little ball of fur, and my wife named her "Minerva"

   Flash forward 6 months, and that little ball of fur isn't so little anymore

   In fact, as you can see, she's pretty much full-grown now. "Mini", as we now call her, continues to be a ball of unbounded energy. And while she has settled down somewhat, she's still subject to deviltry. Things like shredding toilet paper (which we now keep in our bathroom cupboard), attacking, albeit mostly playfully, her older "brother" and "sister", 15 and 11 respectively.
   She has settled down a bit, and seems to understand, as far as cats can, the "no" command, which we no longer need to enforce with a spritz from a plant water sprayer.
   She does, however, get quite rambunctious in the evening, and therefore our bedroom door remains shut.Which is a shame, because our other 2 kitties like to sleep on the bed with us. All in all, she has settled in very nicely.

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More SnapChat Fun With Danny

   And it was all sparked by some wicked weekend weather. We had a pretty good downpour Sunday, which left a lot of humidity in its wake. So much so, that the studios in out radio station resembled something like a tropical rain forest or sauna. Okay, not THAT hot, but you get the picture.
   Anyway, GX94 Morning Show host Danny Ismond was saying the humidity was enough to put a curl in otherwise straight hair. And that's where the snapchat filter comes in, with hilarious results

   I think we could be a father and son crime fighting team! All we need now is a 1974 "Starsky and Hutch" type Ford Torino and a couple of hand-cannons to complete the look!
   As I've said, it's never a dull day working with Danny!

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I've Had Requests For This

   It was a little more than 4 years ago (April, 2015 to be exact) I baked a loaf of chocolate chunk bread, and decided it was time to try it again. It worked out better than the first time I tried it, and was delicious with my wife's strawberry-rhubarb jam.
   After posting the above picture on Facebook, I started getting a few requests for the recipe, which I gladly provided.
   For anyone wanting to try this, here's the recipe, plus any amendments I made. Try it if you want. It really is a good bread, and isn't as heavy as it seems.

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 a stand mixer for the kneading, and let it go 10 minutes. 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)***

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