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.

TTFN

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.

TTFN

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.

TTFN

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.

TTFN

(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.

TTFN

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.

TTFN

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!

TTFN

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.

TTFN

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.

TTFN