Month: April 2017

Today I am going to begin to tiller the red oak bow that I began making a couple of weeks ago. This is a fine tuning process where you attach a heavy duty string to the ends of the bow and pull firmly so you can see if both sides of the bow are flexing equally.

To begin, I will have to make a tillering stand which will also allow me to adjust it to the desired pull weight of the bow to around 45-50 pounds.

With the temperatures getting warmer by the day, we cannot help but begin thinking about camping season this summer. So, at MY Jane’s request I got the camp bins down from the garage loft so she could review the contents and I decided to check the shape of our tent.

Everything is in order so I re-packed the tent and returned it to the loft.

After breakfast, MY Jane and I thought it would be a good idea to do one of our random excursions. We headed for Lagoon City on the other side of Lake Simcoe. We had no particular reason for going there other than to have a destination in mind.

Nonetheless, it was interesting and fun.

On the way home I asked Jane to use her I phone to check the temperature inside our home. Our new furnace thermostat allows that to be done. 

Seeing that it was pretty warm inside, she switched the air conditioner on and set a new temperature. I was interested to see if it worked, so, as soon as we got home, I checked the thermostat. Yup, it worked.

A couple of days ago, MY Jane got a call that our latest batch of wine was ready to be bottled at Vin Bon here in Barrie. So, yesterday, we went over to the store, a short distance away, to do that. On the way, we had to come up with a name for the labels. After some discussion back and forth, we decided on Whispering Breezes to go along with the other names we have used. Something summery.

Using Vin Bon is a fun way to save a few bucks.

Yesterday, two technicians from Enercare were here to install a new furnace and air conditioning unit. One of the two men, I later found out, was the Health and Safety representative. He was the one who wore safety glasses and gloves and started out by locking out the breaker in the main electrical panel. Someone had pencilled in breaker #15 as “Furnace”. That’s the one he locked out.

This morning, two guys from Enercare arrived to remove the existing furnace and air conditioner and to install a new Amana AC and furnace. On a rental basis.  Here’s a look at the old furnace:

The new one is a little smaller, more efficient, has a built in humidifier and, as a bonus, has a WiFi compatible thermostat that allows us to adjust things via our I phone and from remote locations in the world.

Here’s the new furnace. 

Looking good.

As you can see from the pictures below, my workbench and garage/workshop areas are somewhat cluttered looking.

So, while MY Jane is out volunteering at the Barrie Women and Children’s Shelter, I plan to spend some time out there just tidying up.

I try, when I’m working on projects, to return tools etc. to their rightful place immediately whenever I finish with that particular item. Inevitably, though, when I’m in the midst of something, I simply drop whatever it is, on the workbench. Consequently, I end up with a cluttered space and sooner or later, I have to stop and search for a specific tool needed at that time. My own fault, but it seems that I have gotten myself into a bad habit. 

I will have to try harder to get myself into a good habit. 

I was up early this morning. Finishing off the front closet door installation was foremost on my mind. I wanted to raise the height just a bit and look at the handle installation.

I got both of those done in short order and turned my mind to the trim over top of the upper track.

In checking around in the garage/workshop, I found a surplus piece of shoe molding which would work quite nicely and, after trimming it to length,  fastened it in place and put some caulking in the joints. All I have to do now is touch it up with white paint and that will be it.

After breakfast, MY Jane and I sat out on the deck with our coffee checking for new garden growth. There are all kinds of things happening out there and it wont be long before things start to bloom.

After lunch I decided to have a nap downstairs. I am, after all, retired!

What started out as a little repair job turned into a few hours of frustration culminating in the decision to get a brand new landing door.

Tomorrow I have some tweaking to do and a handle to add, but here’s what we ended up with.

We’re happy!

This morning, I accompanied my cousin, George, up to my hometown of Temiscaming, a three and a half hour drive from Barrie. We were going up there so I could scope out his camp on Lake Temiskaming, the use of which he offered MY Jane and me when we attend the Temiscaming reunion later in May.

I wanted to make sure that there wasn’t any remaining snow on the camp road and so he could show me where the power switch is etc.

We were able to drive right up to the camp door with no problem and confirm that the electric heating was working and where everything was.

On the way up, we stopped in to see my sister, Terry, and her husband, Dan, who live in Thorne, where we had a nice lunch. Thanks Terry and Dan.

We had an uneventful trip back home just in time for the Leaf – Capitals playoff game. Go Leafs!

Well, it’s a dull dreary day, only made better by treating ourselves to an Egg McMuffin breakfast at the waterfront.

And after breakfast, MY Jane and I returned home so that I could get ready to travel to a Correctional Retiree luncheon in Ajax. It’s a very informal gathering of guys who worked in Corrections at the East Detention Centre, West Detention Centre and Don Jail.

We reminisce about the good old days, trade stories and just enjoy each other’s company. Unless you have worked in corrections, you probably wouldn’t understand the bond that a group like this has – even now – decades after many of us parted company or retired.

Thanks to Dave MacKinnon and Gary Peck for organizing.

When you’re retired, you get to do pretty much whatever you want, when you want. That’s why this little poster is so appropriate.

Today, while MY Jane is volunteering at the Barrie Women and Children shelter, I did a few odd jobs around the house. From our To Do list.

I took this mirror apart in order to give the glass a good windex cleaning. The little nooks and crannies were impossible to get at.

Then I cleaned out the backyard bird feeder and re-filled it with bird seed. And then I rested. Whew!

It’s nice to watch exciting hockey and the Toronto Maple Leafs are doing that these days. These young players are so fast. 

Today, I am writing my blog from our sitting room, using the TV as a monitor with a portable keyboard. This I Mac set up is really remarkable.

The new Apple TV device that I got a few Christmases ago is now being put to full use. The remote for that turns everything on and off with the click of one button. TV,  Blue Ray included. And that remote allows me to switch apps like Netflix, Crave TV, UFC, and Vibe TV all from that little Apple remote.

So now I can eliminate one TV Box and de-clutter the TV area.

And we can now do wireless printing as well. More wires eliminated.

Thanks to Steven for helping us in the choosing the right model to purchase and for helping to set it up.

Our laptop computer has reached the end of its life. So, after some deliberation and consultation, MY Jane and I decided to go to an I Mac. This is a desktop version but is compatible with our I phones and I pads.

At a recent routine visit with my doctor, he told me that I was up about 5 kilograms since my last visit about 6 months ago. I wasn’t surprised because I have been recording my weight on a weekly basis every Friday for quite awhile. But this upward trend (another 1/2 pound since last week) has made me decide to do something about it.

We are having Chris and Tonya and Steve for Easter this weekend. MY Jane and I have been getting ready including grocery shopping, an LCBO visit and general cleaning. Jane has decorated the dining room table with an Easter theme.

We always enjoy having them visit. Always fun. And we’re looking forward to it.

I continue working on my longbow project. This morning I went to Cabelas and bought arrows. Unfortunately, they didn’t have a bow string of the right length but they did put me in to a custom bow string retailer in Bradford so I will get it there.

Today I have begun a new woodworking project. I am going to try to make a bow from a piece of red oak board that I purchased at Lowes. I don’t intend hunting with it, but I will try some target shooting.

That’s what I’m starting with. 

I cut it down to two inches wide and glued a nine inch riser block where the handle will be. Once that glue cures, I will trim 9/16″ off the inside length of the bow and then do the taper cuts.

We”ll see what happens.

MY Jane is volunteering at the Barrie Women’s and Children’s shelter today, so while she’s doing that, I am keeping myself busy with some  “to-do” chores. Little things like straightening out lamp cords, filling tiny holes in the drywall, emptying the water softener tank – stuff like that,

Of course, to be legal, it meant I had to sit on the deck, supervising, and drinking my favourite libation, while the fire was burning. It’s a tough life, but somebody has to do it!

This morning is a bright, sunny and a warm one. 

It was so nice out on the deck that MY Jane and I had our first morning coffee of 2017 out there and then later, had breakfast there too.

Some of the flowers have begun to bloom and there signs of new plant life everywhere. 

Minnie is especially happy to be able to sniff around the back yard, lay in the sun and just do general cat stuff.

Yesterday, MY Jane and I went to Toronto at the invitation of Tonya and Chris to attend a Baby Shower for Tonya’s sister, Michlin, who is expecting her first child to be delivered in May.

It was a well attended event and a lot of fun. There was a truckload of gifts and lots of food.

And, it was nice being able to re-connect with a lot of the people who were at Chris and Tonya’s wedding last June.

We stayed overnight at Chris and Tonya’s and before leaving for the shower, had a delightful visit with Steven as well.

My regular blog readers will know that I was unable to post anything because I was recently hacked. I have a Google Account and everything was linked to my G Mail address. Consequently, when the hacker got in, IT (and I use that term purposely) changed my e-mail password and also my Facebook and Blogger accounts.

I noticed that something was amiss right away and immediately contacted Google and Facebook using my back-up e-mail address. Even with this, though, it still took 4 days to get things back on track.

Here’s what my Google activity log recorded:

Well, today is the day that I scheduled an appointment to have my summer tires installed. For the last few weeks, the streets in Barrie have been bare. 

I will still follow through with the appointment later today, though.

On another note, I have now recovered my G Mail account and Facebook page as well as blogger. It took awhile, but I am glad I included my cell number when signing up for these accounts because it was via cell phone that I was sent a six digit code to allow me to change the passwords after having been hacked a few days ago.

And I have decided to initiate a two step password process for my Google account and others. This means that, even after entering my password (which I have changed), I will get a text message with a six digit code that I have to enter as well.

I’m a happy camper!

Well, we did it! Next year’s European River Cruise has been booked. We will be travelling from Amsterdam to Budapest beginning on May 7, 2018. From Budapest, we decided to tack on another three days to visit Prague.

Scenic is an Australian company that has been around for about thirty years. There are a couple of things about this company that appealed to us. The first is the fact that all excursions described are included and the second is that all tips are included.

The butler service to bring us morning coffee is included too.

Here’s a little promotional video by Scenic.

We are very excited!

When I looked out into our back garden this morning, I was pleasantly surprised to see that some crocuses had poked through and you could actually see the flowers.

They weren’t there yesterday and I’m amazed at how they appeared overnight. We now have to keep an eye out for the local bunny rabbits that seem to like the taste of these early blooms.

Yes, Spring is in the air.