Opening The Pool 2018

We started the procedure of opening the pool on Monday. I think it's the earliest ever! In spite of the cold water, you can see the green colour of the water from standing under the cover all winter.

As soon as the filter started to work, we added 5 gallons of liquid chlorine to the mix.

It started to brighten up later in the day.

By Thursday it was looking pretty good.

By Friday the water was starting to look more inviting, although it's only 10 C. (50 F) A little more vacuuming and running the filter continuously has done the trick.



I've been shopping around to get a price on a replacement pool heater. Our old one from the mid 90's is unserviceable and parts are no longer available. Wendy and Erin expressed interest in a new heater since we have not been using the pool much in recent years because the water is always too cold.
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The Spring Dinghy

Just got the dinghy pulled around to the front yard and have been cleaning it up all afternoon ready for the good weather.

I don't know what's harder on a boat, the summer or the winter but it had a lot of grime even though it was covered up.

We'll see how my patch job holds up.

I haven't had to add any air for two years until today it took just a bit.

Looks really good. Maybe I'll try trading it in? Then it's the dealer's problem. Ha ha.

 Tomorrow I'll re-install the seats, all the accessories and the motor. Then I'll check the trailer wheel bearings get everything ready to roll.

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Midland Town Docks

Inspired from an old postcard postmarked 1946:

My "artsy" warm-weather pic for today. Start thinking Summer! Click on it to enlarge it.
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OK Enough!

More snow today. Where is Spring?

Click on the pic to enlarge.

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The "Ice Storm" of April 2018

The huge ice storm predicted by the weather man fortunately didn't develop into much more than a light coating of ice here in London. It was actually quite pretty.

With these kinds of weather systems you can never tell exactly where the greatest amounts will materialize.

Less than 1/4 of an inch or 1/2 centimeter seems to have formed on the branches and the wild winds gusting to 70km/hr never arrived either.

The silvery coating certainly looks beautiful from the comfort and warmth of the house.

I even turned up the furnace temperature just in case we lost electric power in the "storm".

NOTE: As soon as I posted this page, the power went off for 3 hours. Ha ha!
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Exactly 22 Years Since I sold Carroll Healthcare

Every year on this day; April 15th, since 1996, I have quietly celebrated the sale of Carroll Healthcare.
  
I some times wonder what would have happened if I didn't sell it. How would that have changed my life? I don't know. Maybe I wouldn't have lived through the stress of it all. I was never too good with stress and owning your own business certainly brings stress into one's life.

One of my last patents was this bed rail and mechanism.

It's interesting to Google "CHG" and "Carroll Healthcare" to see memories of beds past and present, but I feel relieved that I am not involved. I've quite enjoyed 22 years of freedom.
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A.L.W.A.Y.S.

I have an idea!

How about a not-for-profit enterprise set up to counter the insane waste of the Liberals? I even thought up a name for our new organization - A.L.W.A.Y.S. - which stands for "Against Liberals Wasting All Your Savings".

We could sell memberships and do all the same sort of stupid things other wasteful not-for profits do. Heck, we might even be able to get Government funding but at the very least, tax write-offs.

We could have delegates appropriately dressed up to match our leader, travelling along with government officials documenting the waste of taxpayers' money and reporting back via a social media page or Blog. Later, if another party gets elected, and proves to be nearly as bad as the Liberals, we could change the name (with much ado and fanfare) to "Against Legislators Wasting All Your Savings". That would be more non-partisan and could broaden our reach to, for example, the Senate as well as other branches of government like local municipal politicians. Other "L" words come to mind like Leaders or Leftists. But our name would always stay the same - A.L.W.A.Y.S

And why keep it only in Canada? There are idiots wasting taxpayers' money and savings in every country. How about a USA branch? A U.K. branch? No wait - a Caribbean branch would be nice too. What about the World organizations like the U.N. or W.H.O. etc. The potential is endless.

Let me know if you would be interested in participating in this worthy and noble endeavour.

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Try This At Home!

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I love to eat potatoes with the skin on, but some recipes need the skin removed. Try this trick next time you need peeled potatoes.
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The Road To (Financial) Ruin.

"The Road to Ruin"

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Final Snow For 2017-18?

We awoke to a fresh dusting of snow. I thought this was over.

View from the bedroom.

View from the dining room.
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The Mysterious Clock of Life...

“The clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power
To tell just when the hands will stop
At late or early hour.

To lose one's wealth is sad indeed,
To lose one's health is more,
To lose one's soul is such a loss
That no man can restore.

The present only is our own,
So live, love, toil with a will,
Place no faith in "Tomorrow,"
For the clock may then be still.”

― Robert H. Smith
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The Last Time I Saw Paris

 

Click on the pic to enlarge it.

Almost seven years ago on our way back from a visit with our good friends Gary and Ann in Tennessee we passed through the town of Paris Kentucky. I stopped to snap a few pictures of the abandoned train station which I see on line has been renovated and will open this summer as a commercial venture. My "artsy" pic for today is an enhanced interpretation of what I saw back in October 2011.

CLICK HERE if you wish to read about the renovation of this historic building.
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A Preliminary Experiment With A Mannequin

Call it "My Speakeasy". I'll explain later.
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Oh Lord Help Us!

A little silver-haired lady calls her neighbour and says, "Please come over here and help me.
I have a killer jigsaw puzzle, and I can't figure out how to get started."

Her neighbour asks, "What is it supposed to be when it's finished?"
The little silver haired lady says, "According to the picture on the box, it's a rooster."

Her neighbour decides to go over and help with the puzzle.
She lets him in and shows him where she has the puzzle spread all over the table.

He studies the pieces for a moment, then looks at the box, then turns to her and says,
"First of all, no matter what we do, we're not going to be able to assemble these pieces into anything resembling a rooster."

He takes her hand and says, "Secondly, I want you to relax. Let's have a nice cup of tea, and then..."
he said with a deep sigh ...........
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."Let's put all the Corn Flakes back in the box.
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We Could All Be Wynners With This Idea...

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No More Happy Easter!

"Don't say Easter,  you... you... directionist pig-person!"

"Easter discriminates against every Wester, Souther, and Norther. "

Benzy says "Happy April Fools" instead.
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