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February 26, 2008
Tub Reading
That is my very worn copy of The Stand. I've mentioned before that if I really like a book I'll reread it and right now I'm on my 5th ? 6th ? rereading of The Stand.
If you look closely you can see what appear to be a couple of large wrinkles in the cover on the right hand side, near the bottom. If you look even closer you can just make out a straight line going up the cover on the same side. That's packing tape. Yes, packing tape, the kind you use to tape up boxes with. Years ago I discovered that if you read a book in the tub the cover falls apart quite quickly so I decided to come up with a solution. Soon thereafter I tried covering the edges of a book with packing tape and the next time I took it in the tub it held up just fine. Since that time I have done this to every book I've ever bought. The routine is always the same, buy a book, bring it home, cover the edges with packing tape. The stuff lasts forever. I covered this one 4-5 years ago and the original packing tape is still holding up. I even do it to library books (but don't tell, it's a secret).
So now you know how to prepare your books before taking them in the tub.
And if you take a book out of your local library only to discover the covers have been taped up it means someone in your community likes to read in the tub.
Posted by OldGuy at 12:49 PM | Comments (4)
February 24, 2008
Hello, Goodbye
The princess and I wrote a little ditty called Hello, Goodbye. Mrs. OldGuy is only so-so on it but the lad thinks it's pretty good. Sing it to any tune you like and enjoy.
Hello, goodbye
Sometimes I wonder why
I love you like I do
And the sky is blue
And squirrels don't lay eggs
But chickens do
Posted by OldGuy at 2:40 PM
February 22, 2008
The Poem Below
So I've talked about my love-hate relationship with winter more times than I can count. If you look in the section "Stories, Poems and Other Imaginings" you'll find something called "Signs of Winter" which is a lighthearted look at winter. The poem below speaks to the down side of the season.
Posted by OldGuy at 1:41 PM
February 21, 2008
A Hard, Cold Winter
Snowflakes the size of a quarter march to earth in the millions
You wield a shovel in retaliation but it's a war you can't win
The air is so clear the edges of things look as sharp as razors
Seeming to cut your eyes if you look at them too long
Ice as hard as concrete covers roads and walkways
The city salts them so you can walk but your car rusts out
The wind is so cold it cuts through every layer you're wearing
Scraping and gouging your bones until you beg for mercy
Crows line the roadway as you ride the bus to work
Lean with hunger, they're waiting for something to die
It's a hard, cold winter in Canada this year
And it's not for the faint of heart or the weak of will
Posted by OldGuy at 9:38 AM | Comments (2)
February 19, 2008
Need I Say More ?
Posted by OldGuy at 6:19 PM | Comments (4)
February 17, 2008
Only In Canada You Say ? Pity.
Are you folks tired of the snow pictures yet ?
No ?
Good, because here's another one. That's a before and after of the back yard. Okay, so the before was taken early one morning last week but it's the same back yard. My wife wanted me to shovel a path in case we needed to get out the back during a fire so I shoveled out to the barbecue and a little ways beyond. This way I can barbecue hamburgers and the wife and kids have a place to stand and eat while they watch the house burn down. Surprisingly this is a common Canadian winter pastime and sometimes neighbours will come over and join in the fun. It's common courtesy to bring a full wineskin to a winter house-burning barbecue too. Or if you can't find a wineskin then a desert, preferably something warm and sweet like peach cobbler or freshly baked brownies.
Anyway, enjoy the photos and here's hoping that your house doesn't burn down. But if it does now you know how to turn a tragedy into a party.
Posted by OldGuy at 3:03 PM | Comments (5)
February 14, 2008
Happy Valentines Day and Other Stuff
First of all, Happy Valentines Day. I hope you all have a good one. We're not planning too much, dinner with the kids, a little something for them, that's pretty much it. So it'll be a quiet Valentines but that's okay too, my wife and I went out for dinner last weekeend and we'll probably get out again soon as we have some gift certificates the lad gave us for Christmas to use up.
Speaking of the lad, his best friend came over last night and brought his dogs, one of which he and his girlfriend got a few days ago. It's a Golden Lab/Husky mix (I think that's what he said). The other is a terrier they've had for about a year. That's them in the picture. We had a lot of fun playing with them and the pup was soft and snuggly and well, just like a puppy ! Guess which one he is ?
While his friend was there they also got the wireless fixed on the lad's laptop, which made the lad quite happy. He's had the laptop for a while but hadn't tried to install wireless until this past weekend, when a friend of the family tried to help, with no success. The lad's friend tinkered with it, called Dell for what he needed and now it works fine. He also ordered back up discs from Dell as we didn't have any.
I shovelled a neighbour's walk last night, older lady who lives on our street. My wife and I have been keeping her walk and patio clean since before Christmas, and of course there was a load of snow on it again. After a few minutes my wife came out to help me and although there was a lot of snow we managed to get it done fairly quickly. This was the first time I actually enjoyed shovelling instead of complaining about it. The night was clear and cold (but not too cold) and you could see the moon and stars clearly. It's times like this that I think God is speaking to us, maybe saying something like this, "Look up here for a minute and marvel at all I can do. Or take a second look around down there, see how white and clean the snow is over there ? And what about that icicle ? I'll bet you can't make one of those. Oh, and one other thing, later tonight I'm bringing you puppies. So have a little faith, I know what I'm doing."
Posted by OldGuy at 9:07 AM | Comments (4)
February 13, 2008
I'm In Ontario
If I was in Hawaii
I'd swim with the fishes
Eat mahi-mahi
And other exotic dishes
If I was in Florida
I'd have a fancy beach house
I'd go to Disney World
And dine with Mickey Mouse
If I was in Jamaica
I'd be a regular beach bum
Spend all day in the sun
Drinking cocktails made of rum
If I was in Tahiti
I'd string a hammock in the trees
Lay in the sun all day
And live a life of ease
If I was in Bermuda
I'd swim naked in the ocean
And eat coconuts for lunch
Whenever I got the notion
Instead I'm in Ontario
Where the snow is piled so high
Every time I look out the window
It makes me want to cry
Posted by OldGuy at 10:32 AM | Comments (2)
February 12, 2008
This Winter Sucks !
This is one of the worst winters since... a long time !
Last week we had two major snowfalls and now it's cold enought to freeze ... well, you know what freezes when it gets this cold. Yesterday was bad but today is even worse. When I stepped outside this morning I swear everything shrivelled right up and I looked six inches shorter. I saw a hooker at the bus stop (I think it was a hooker, maybe it was a really precocious high schooler) and I wanted to tell her to cover up, nobody's intererested.
With the wind chill today it's -35 celcius (that's -31 to you Americans, not much different actually). We're supposed to get more friggin snow overnight. They're predicting 5-10 centimetres, so we'll probably get twice that. About the only place as bad is Minnesota and only crazy people live there anyway.
Posted by OldGuy at 9:46 AM | Comments (4)
February 5, 2008
Flare Up
The arthritis is bad at the moment. Fortunately I'm seeing my rheumatologist in a couple of weeks (I may even try to get in sooner). The last time I was there he suggested it was time to change medications again, or add something to what I already take.
This is my right hand. At the moment the three middle fingers are good for hunting and pecking on the keyboard and picking up big stuff. I haven't been able to make a fist with this hand for at least a month as not one of those three fingers will close completely (not that I'd want to hit anybody, it would hurt me more than them). The swelling of the middle knuckles of the thumb and first finger is nasty although the ring finger has gotten bad over the last few months as well. The swelling of the top knuckles, especially the first two fingers, is the worst. That sometimes gets better but not a whole lot.
My fingers are usually splayed out like that, especially the first and little ones (I broke the little one years ago and it's been croooked ever since).
The bump on my wrist is in fact my wrist. It's looked like that for years now, as though somebody jammed the wrist bones together, which is pretty much the case as there's no cartilege there anymore, just bones rubbing on bones. The left one is worse and my left hand doesn't hang straight anymore, it has a slight crook to the right.
My feet are much the same but I won't post a picture of those as my kids would die of embarrassment. My knees are giving me trouble lately as are my hips and my shoulders.
Years ago, when the arthritis first came on, I read that it can be temporary and in fact often goes away all on it's own. Few rheumatologists believe this anymore. Certainly in my case it doesn't look like it's ever going to happen.
As ugly as all the bumps and twists are, they don't bother me much , what does is the pain. Chronic pain gets to you, especially when you live with it for years. Sometimes it screams "I'm going to make your every waking and sleeping moment a living hell" and sometimes it whispers "I'm over here good buddy, gonna tune up on you just a little today." Sometimes it even goes away for a while but it always comes back with a grin and an "I'm back buddyroo, get me a drink and spin some tunes, it's party time." And then it starts again, sometimes for days, sometimes for weeks ,sometimes for months.
Still, it's been fifteen years and the pain it hasn't beat me yet. Came close a couple of times but I'm still here. And after a while, the pain almost becomes your friend.
Posted by OldGuy at 9:04 AM | Comments (6)
February 2, 2008
More Snow !?
Dear Mother Nature
The joke was funny for a while but now it's just getting old.
Posted by OldGuy at 12:27 PM | Comments (2)
February 1, 2008
Perfect Post Award
I won a Perfect Post award from Miss Cellania for the story "The Little Red Shoes". The award is right there above the clock. Looks pretty spiffy I think.
Anyway, thanks Miss C, I'm honoured. It's things like this that make the writing worthwhile. :)
Posted by OldGuy at 10:29 AM | Comments (5)