It's Slow Right Now

   The dog days of summer are definitely here. To say things are a bit slow right now is an understatement. And it's also why I haven 't posted anything for a week. Not that there hasn't been any news to report on. The G-20 summit, the local Exhibition and Summer Fair, wildfires in B.C and the U.S and summer storms.
   There just hasn't been much happening in my own world. Not, at least, until this Saturday. That's the Secret Garden Tour in Regina, an event my wife looks forward to each and every year. We always get together with one of her friends in the Queen City for the tour, and this year, one of her friends in Yorkton will join us.
   And with the high Saturday forecast in the mid 30 Celsius range, I'll be very glad I've got A/C in the car.

TTFN

Happy 4th!

   Just as we in Canada did July 1st for our 150th birthday (Canada, or "Dominion" Day), people across the U.S.A are celebrating Independence Day. To my American viewers, I wish you a Happy and safe 4th of July!

TTFN

At Least They're Easy To Spot

   Counterfeiters will go to extraordinary measures to produce realistic looking, if fake, currency. Some of the funny money is very hard to tell from the real deal, but not at least one banknote discovered in Humboldt by the RCMP.
   They say the 50 dollar bill they recovered feels more like paper than plastic, making it bogus. That, and the blue Chinese writing on both sides of it, a feature not on the real 50.
   What wasn't said in a release from the Mounties yesterday was how many bills they got, how many people were duped (if at all) or if the problem extended past Humboldt, east of Saskatoon.
   And people wonder why I rarely, if ever, use cash anymore.

TTFN

Summer's Here!

   But you'd hardly know it here in Yorkton.
   This was taken this by GX94 morning show host Danny Ismond as he arrived for work just before 05:00

   And while summer storms are far from rare, we're getting temperatures more akin to April or September, rather than late June. In fact, our forecast high for Friday is just 13, well below the seasonal normal. Things will slowly improve though, with a high Sunday near 20.
   Summer officially arrived in my neck of the woods at 10:24 last night.

TTFN

The Stuff You See On Social Media

   As a normal part of my job, I follow quite a few social media sites, including Twitter. We can get, and have received, tips on stories of interest, along with ideas we can pursue for "local" content.
   A lot has been said by and about Donald Trump on social media, specifically his use of Twitter, some of it is funny, other times you need to shake your head.
   Today during my early morning troll, I came across this, and I had to share:

   Police haven't said why he had a wild raccoon with him. On a bicycle. At night. But the expression on his face kind of makes you wonder!

TTFN

Back At It

   It was a wonderful 2 weeks off, but now it's back to work. My wife and I did take a few day trips, one to Regina for the "Pile 'O Bones" tattoo convention, and to get my wife her flowers for this year's garden. The tattoo convention was a bit of a bust, with this caveat: We got there too early. The doors opened at 10:00, and we were there about 10:15. Problem is, most of the shops hadn't set up for the day, so not much to see. My wife, however, did have a successful day getting her plants.
   We also took a second, separate trip just north of the Queen City to a little place called Lumsden, on another garden-related trip. This time, the missus wanted to visit another garden centre where she's had some success finding ornamental decorations for her work. Sadly, this trip did not pan out well for her, and all she managed to find were 2 decorative tiles.
   Our 3rd (and last day trip) was to a Parks Canada National Historic site about an hour southwest of Yorkton. The Motherwell Homestead dates back to the early 1900's, and was quite enjoyable!
   Not as enjoyable was the effort needed to hang up 2 decorative planters I got for my wife last Christmas. Repeated attempts to hang them up failed (due in part of a slight off-set in the holes meant for retaining screws). I tried epoxy which, at first and second, failed. On the 3rd try, I glooped on the glue on one, and it's still holding. The other I hit with Crazy Glue. Now, I've just got to deal with the several holes we drilled into a support column outside the house.
   I mentioned in my last entry I was probably going to get some new ink. I did (but not at Pile 'O Bones). #14 is an American Traditional tattoo, the details of which I will not bore you with.
   Aside from all that, I did a lot of relaxing, and feel recharged. The only downside was each and every morning, I'd wake up at my customary time of 03:45. And stay awake until 06:00. Most mornings, I'd manage to drift off again until about 07:30.
   So now it's back at it until my next (and last) set of holidays in late August.

TTFN

Outta Here!

   Yep, I'm going away for the next couple of weeks, and will not be updating this platform. But that's not to say I'll be bored. far from it. in fact, my wife (who has managed to coordinate her time off to go with mine for the first time in years) and I plan on taking a few day trips, starting with tomorrow.
   We're heading to Regina for the Pile 'O Bones Tattoo convention (where I may just get some fresh ink) and, more importantly for her, to garden centres so she can finish buying plants for her garden. Which, as regular viewers may have noticed from previous posts, usually turns out very well.
   We also plan a few more day trips around the area, but no long-range getaway. I had proposed we take a trip to Calgary and area to visit family we haven't seen in years, but she said "no" at this point. She really wants to get going on the garden, and felt that long a trip would cut into those efforts.
   The other aspect is, of course, the cost. Not that we'd be hard-pressed to find a place to stay, but simply the cost of getting out and back. As for anything ever further afield, well; I still haven't won the lottery.
   Still, there are a lot worse places to spend the next 2 weeks off than Home Sweet Home. Other that staying out of my wife's way while she tends to the garden, I think maybe a fishing trip or 2 could be on the radar screen. Or just pottering around the house. And I'm still thinkin' maybe some new ink.
   I'll be back June 12th, but until then:

TTFN