Closet blogger

Seems someone we know has been blogging on his own web-site ... kenloney(dot)com

Follow-up to the hand injury. You'd never know to look at it that there had been an injury. LOL It's all better now, but got pretty tired after doing a bunch of mouse-work today.

As you can see though, I'm back!

Another Hand Injury

You'd never know it, but this hand has been injured. It is a mouse related injury.

Yesterday, I scanned and copied the pictures in Gryper's old photo album. Yup, 114 pix, some with two pictures at once and others single. It doesn't seem like a lot, but each one took 4 clicks on the mouse for the scanner, one to save it, a couple to crop it, to re-size it, and another couple to save the final image.

Since yesterday, the back of my hand feels like it's been sunburned. Weird.

Don't look for me on the computer today.

"The Tip of The Iceberg" or perhaps "Rock and Roll"

We've had this rock sticking up in the driveway for a while now and it seemed to be getting worse. It was right in an awkward spot if you had to turn around and then pull out and up the driveway. It's been bugging Grandpa for a while, so yesterday he decided to dig the sucker out. Although this is not the rock in question, this is what it looked like before he started.

He dug for a while, and dug for a while (see my last post - I think I can, I think I can), but it was taking longer than he bargained for. After the digging, and the dragging down the driveway with the jeep, and then rolling it off the driveway by pushing it with the trailer hitch on the jeep. This was the brute that was poking up out of the driveway.

Note - Because I shrunk these down so they'd load quickly, you can't read what it says on my really cool yardstick. It says "Smith's Hardware - Newmarket - Phone 39" - it's an old one!

I think I can, I think I can.

I remember reading this book many times as a kid .... I guess the message got through.

I remember a song from an old kids record:

I think I can,
I think I can,
I think I have a plan,
Yes I can do most anything,
If I just think I can.

As a result of all that brainwashing, "How hard can it be?" is my motto. I mean really, if someone else has done it, I should be able to do it too, even if I'm not a pro.

A few years ago, I heard about making soap from scratch and decided to give it a try. I ended up with a small business that's supported us comfortably for years.

I wanted to make Grandson the first a Spidey sweater, but had to make up the pattern. How hard can it be?? It was hard, but I did it.

We had a bunch of maple trees on our property. In 2002 I suggested to the Grandpa and Grypers, we should try making maple syrup. How hard can it be?? We've done it every year since.

Dancing looks like it feels so good. I took a jazz class once and sorta did okayish ... it really is hard! So a couple of years ago, I gave bellydancing a shot. It was hard too, but fun. I'll leave the dancing to my daughter!

I've always loved music and took vocal lessons for about ten years. A few years ago I decided to learn to play music. How hard can it be?? Now can play tunes on all of these toys.

The fiddle has become an addiction. When I have a lesson, I'm as excited as a junkie meeting up with her drug dealer! Just yesterday, in a recital, I performed a classical piece composed by Schumann called "The Two Grenadiers" and a fiddle tune called "Peek-a-boo Waltz" and did pretty darned good on both of them.

One of my projects in progress is my violin. I've been working on making it for a while. Slowly it's emerging from the slabs of wood.

I didn't like knitting with four needles, but like having a small project like socks on the go. I also found after finishing the first sock, I was bored and never completed the second. I did some research and taught myself to knit two socks at once on one long needle.

Enter the next project ... How hard can it be??

A friend gave me this rocking chair that belonged to her grandmother. I've decided it would be a good victim on which I can try upholstery. I've had a book about learning upholstery for years. How hard can it be??

It has a problem with a the springs as you can see below, but doesn't look like a huge deal.

You just wait, down the road you'll be hearing me sing like that little engine, "I thought I could, I thought I could."

Last Weekend

It's been a hectic week, so I haven't got at posting these pics ... here's a sampling of pics that doesn't make my family look too weird!

I have a couple of videos, but they take forever to load ... CG, your performance while listening to Andrew's iPod is great!

Life's Mysteries #2

Unbelievable!! Twice in one day (see my post from this morning).

As I've been going through pictures preparing to blog about the past weekend, I've been struck by another one of Life's Mysteries ... make that one of Life's Annoying Mysteries.

1) Where the heck is Zamboanga??
2) Why are the monkeys there tail-less??
3) Why did some stupid song that Gryper sang stick in my head for the better part of a day, many days later??


Answers

1) The highly-urbanized city is located on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. It is one of the first chartered cities and the sixth largest in the country. Zamboanga City is also one of the few cities independent from any province. Zamboanga City is also one of several cities in the Philippines that are independent of any province, though it is usually grouped with Zamboanga del Sur for statistical purposes.

2) Apparently they were bitten off by the whales. What the heck were monkeys doing where whales could get to their tails, and further "Why is it spelled monkeys instead of monkies?"

3) Gryper planned it that way. He just plants "ear worms" and wanders off giggling.

Back to my original post plan.

If I can concentrate that is!

Life's Mysteries

You know the drill, you have company coming, so you clean up so it looks like you give a rat's ass about your home. You clean the washrooms and you sweep and wash the floors. The kitchen gets some special attention 'cause people are going to be eating and you don't want to gross them out.

Then, as your guests are helping you in the kitchen with stuff, this traitor betrays you by showing her bitchy side.




Where does this stuff come from??

So here we are, I have no guests planned for the next while, so she looks all pretty and innocent. Bitch!

The Plan

Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.

John Lennon (1940 - 1980)

My sisters had a plan. They planned meticulously and with attention to the smallest detail for months. It went something like this.

Susan's Megan's baby is due June 6th, so Susan's down from "It's a dry cold" with her daughters in Petawawa.

June 13th, Cheryl plans to go to Petawawa with Gryper and the Missus to meet up with Susan. She and Susan will ride their bicycles the couple of hundred kilometers to here. They'll camp in the bush, somewhere along the way, despite Cheryl's hesitation. Gryper & the Missus will visit friends of theirs in the Petawawa area, stay Friday night and Saturday come here. We feed the lot of them. (My way of avoiding being expected to cycle with them - appeal to their tummies!)

Steph, Matt, Kaden and Ireland will drive here, driving their car and Susan's car, so she can leave here from here for "It's a dry cold". Megan and her friend Amber and the baby will come here too, Steph et al, will accompany her. Monday I think.

Devon and Jonathon wrestled with the idea of joining the long bike ride, but opted out, quite some time ago, planning to come straight here for the food instead. Then Jamie decided to come here too, as Scott is away for Saturday. They'd come and camp Saturday till Sunday.

Vicki, Stan & Liana wanted to greet the riders as they come in, so they decided to come on Sunday afternoon.

A mystery guest makes tentative arrangements to come here Sunday to greet the tired cyclists upon their arrival.

Susan's Megan's baby decides the plans are his to change, and he is still not born by the morning of June 13th, the day the big plan is to fall into place.

The changes in plans become the following. Cheryl and her bike, with Gryper and the Missus goes to Petawawa on Friday. She cycles on a day trip with Susan. They sleep in the tent in Steph's backyard Friday night. Saturday, Gryper and the Missus drive Cheryl and her bike here. Susan stays in Petawawa with Steph, Matt and the kids and with Megan, Amber and Megan's yet unborn son, and Susan's car.

Jonathon opted out because of studying for his exams next week (even though he loves his Granny and wants to visit, he says), but Jamie and Andrew decide to come and bring the dirt bikes in Andrew's truck. They're gonna come Saturday and toss a tent up and stay till Sunday.

Vicki, Stan and Liana will arrive Sunday, as will John who will take over from the Grypers as Cheryl and her bike's personal transportation service.

Now Megan will be induced Monday, have the baby, and week later they'll head to "It's a dry cold" with Amber. Susan has to be back in "It's a dry cold" by Friday, and so I'll see her on MSN and I guess she'll have to see pictures of the food.

Me? I have a crap load of groceries and I think I have it figured out who all I'm cooking for and at which meals.

As for the mystery guest ... I'll never tell.

The Big Day!!!

I've been telling everyone "June 8th, or a day or so either side of it is dragonfly Day". People nod with silly disbelief saying "Yeah, right".

Today, June 9th, the dragonflies were out on deck railings, rocks, sidewalk slabs, and picnic tables today. This marks the beginning of the end of the relentless clouds of hungry blackflies and daytime mosquitoes for this year. The mosquitoes will still be around at night, but not like the swarms we've had all day long for the last few weeks.

We've had a lot here in Haliburton, but we went to a Arrowhead Provincial Park this weekend. Lord have mercy they were unbelievable. We spent the weekend in bug suits swatting at them with battery operated bug killer tennis-style rackets. The piles of corpses almost crackled if we stepped on them.

This is a picture of my friend ...... welcome back!

Muggins' New Seat

We finally got to use Muggins' new bicycle seat.

This is me in my, um, bhurka (the bugs were relentless in Arrowhead Park this weekend), and Muggins in her new seat.

She did really well. She is not a happy dog if she doesn't know what's going on. About five minutes in, she decided to disembark. Not a good idea, we were in motion. She learned that she must stay in the seat or it's no fun. After that she sat nicely, looking around me to the right or the left so she could see where we were going.



She now knows what "bike" means. When I asked her the second day "Muggins bike?", she appeared to be quite pleased to head out.

A Few More

This takes hours to do, I'm not even a quarter of the way through cropping, sorting, dating, and naming them. Here's a cool one of Cheryl & Vicki.


This one is Susan with my friend Cyndy MacDonald.

Yes, to your question Laura, I do have one of you.

The ones I have are mostly my kids, but there a few more gems like these. You'll have to be patient, all I've done is crop these. When they're all done, I'll have a CD for you as per your request Susan. Feel free to take copies of these though.

More From The Olden Days