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.

TTFN

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.

TTFN

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.

TTFN

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.

TTFN

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!

TTFN

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.

TTFN

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!

TTFN

"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.

TTFN

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.

TTFN