Baby It's COLD Outside!

Warnings

3:23 PM EST Wednesday 30 January 2019
Extreme Cold Warning in effect for:

    London - Parkhill - Eastern Middlesex County
    Strathroy - Komoka - Western Middlesex County

A prolonged period of severely cold wind chills is expected.

Bitterly cold arctic air combined with strong westerly winds have resulted in wind chill values of minus 30 to minus 35 this afternoon. Tonight even colder wind chill values near minus 40 are expected.

Conditions should improve Friday as milder air moves into the region.

Risks are greater for young children, older adults, people with chronic illnesses, people working or exercising outdoors, and those without proper shelter.

Cover up. Frostbite can develop within minutes on exposed skin, especially with wind chill.

Keep emergency supplies in your vehicle such as extra blankets and jumper cables.

If it's too cold for you to stay outside, it's too cold for your pet to stay outside.

Extreme cold warnings are issued when very cold temperatures or wind chill creates an elevated risk to health such as frost bite and hypothermia.

Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada.

UPDATE: Thursday morning: A lone squirrel braves the cold. Minus 25C (-40C windchill).

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My Dozen-Year-Old 1951 Emerson TV In 1964

Although born in London, Ontario, I lived in Long Branch and went to high school at New Toronto Secondary. There was a new Bad Boys Appliance Store at the end of our street. I was in Grade  9 or 10 on my way home from school and went in to peruse the used TV section as I often did. THERE IT WAS!  A big, dozen year or so old, 1951 Emerson 16" TV. No price on it but the tag said "Not Working".  I asked the salesman... How much? He said "How much do you have?"  I said I only had fifty cents on me but I could get more. He said "Fifty cents would do it. How will you get it home?"  I said "I'll bring my Toronto Star paper route wagon". Done deal! I don't know how I got it upstairs to my bedroom but that's where it sat for several years.  Some of the time not working at all, or some of the time doling out only audio. Good sound though, it had a nice, big speaker.

I guess it came with a cardboard back on it but it would have been the first thing removed and I don't remember there being one on there ever again. The smell of the interior of the TV seemed to me like a mix of burnt dust and old cigarette butts. I re-experienced this burnt dust/tobacco smell over half a decade or so later when I was working in "Production" at the television station CFPL in London. The control room, the transmitter room, and master control all had that same "high voltage" burnt dust smell and of course everyone smoked so, the mix was complete.

...the interior of the TV seemed to smell like a mix of burnt dust and old cigarette butts.

Of course there was no Internet so any knowledge about repair was by word of mouth (unreliable at best) or the public library. (again, limited at best)  or from a teacher at school (somewhat better) The drug store had a tube tester and I was soon well known at the pharmacy. I don't know how much money I wasted on replacing good tubes that were falsely condemned by that thieving tube tester. One day, by some miracle the TV came to life. The fault was a soldered-in glass fuse I think. (that I likely bridged with a piece of copper wire) It's amazing that I never electrocuted myself, but I was taking "Electricity" in high school so I was somewhat aware of the danger and managed to get most of my serious electric shocks at school in "a supervised and safe environment".  Watch out for that big wire from the "HV fly-back transformer" that attaches to the side of the picture tube. Ha ha!

Twilight Zone, Margie and The Untouchables were my favorites. (All in lovely black and white of course!) No other kids I knew had TV's in their room. Lucky me, but homework did take a back seat I'm afraid. Living in Toronto, with USA across Lake Ontario, we could get, without an outside antenna, (some a little snowy with only "rabbit ears"), 3 Buffalo NY channels (2, 4, and 7). Also channel 6 CBC and later the new channel 9 Agincourt and also channel 11 in Hamilton. Rarely, channel 13 in Kitchener and 12 in Erie PA. There was no cable or PBS.

CLICK HERE to see a sales brochure for Emerson TV's
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The Backyard Of Kings

Ever since we moved here over 3 decades ago the King family have been our good, next door neighbours. We have watched their family mature and evolve over the years. My "artsy" pic for today is a view of the sun shining through the pine trees that define the property line between our two homes. Over the years we have become good friends and as usual, nothing stands between us but these lovely trees. This is the view from our back window, with the King's back yard beyond the pines.
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I Didn't Know This:

My good friend and cruising buddy Bernie informed me of an unpublicized rule that Holland America (and maybe other lines) has which could save money on your cruise. If you are booking longer than 80 days before your cruise, just pay the deposit, then watch and wait to see if price drops before the "final payment date".

Here's what Bernie wrote:

Hi Tim:
I do hope that you’ve known that HAL has always had a policy, of accepting a reduced fare price (before the final payment date), after a passenger has already booked their cruise! Based on your response, I’m not sure if you do?

...Tim, in the future if you book a cruise many months before the sailing date, then just pay the deposit.  Later on keep checking the fares for your cruise,and see if the price has been lowered.  Then call your travel agent and get the new reduced cost!

It is up to you to keep checking the fares on your cruise, for any new lowered price after the booking.  Your travel agent, or obviously HAL won’t inform you of the better new fare!  There maybe 2 or more sales before the final payment date (depending on how far in advance the sailing had been booked)!

Best wishes,
Bernie

Thanks Bernie, 
Some of the others may have known this but it was news to me. That is good information! No, I did not know that. I will pass it on to our other cruising friends and post it on the blog.  

That being said, we are such procrastinators that I can't think of many (if any) that we book much more than 80 days ahead. Will certainly check it out for future cruises. I can see it would encourage someone to book that may be intimidated by the higher price, in hopes it will go down before the final payment date. 

I do remember our friend Cheryl getting a better price one time by calling her agent, but I thought, at the time, it must be an anomaly.

All the best,

Tim

If you don't find any significant sale prices offered up to the 80 days prior to embarkation, you can always cancel your cruise for FREE. After 80 days prior, there are penalties and you may be subject to a cancellation fee. As of July 2010, Holland America's per-person cancellation fees are as follows:

    Up to 80 days prior to departure: No penalty
    60-79 days prior to departure: Amount of deposit
    35-59 days prior to departure: 50 percent of total fare
    20-34 days prior to departure: 75 percent of total fare
    Less than 19 days prior to departure: 100 percent of total fare or no refund
    No appearance: 100 percent of total fare or no refund

Finally, if you want to pay for protection:

If you are cruising with Holland America, you will be offered a unique insurance plan of sorts. It's called the Cancellation Protection Plan, and it is quite popular among passengers. Interestingly, Holland America offers the only trip cancellation program in the industry, which offers (80 - 90%) cash back for canceling for any reason prior to 24 hours before departure. For a fee!

MORE FROM BERNIE... This time air tips:

 Bernie writes:

Another advantage in booking any cruise or tour several months in advance, is having a much better chance of getting a lower airfare, than the higher priced flights, and limited seat selections of airline prices less than 90 days before takeoff! 

Now if one books a cruise let’s say nine months in advance, of course a flight might be somewhat higher then.  So, I continue to track prices, and perhaps will book the air maybe 3 to 5 months before the ship sails, and get a better deal! 

Keep in mind for those distant destination cruises, be sure to arrive at least a day before the ship sails.  (You don’t want to miss the boat! (ha ha)).

“Stick with me kid; I’ll learn ya!”  (ha)

Cheers!
Bernie

 

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A Wintry Day In Port Stanley

Our Sunday drive for today was to our always favorite Port Stanley. We enjoyed a "family tray" of fries and a cold Orangeade while I snapped a pic of the lake through the glass at Mackie's. A winter storm had pushed snow up from south of Lake Erie over night.

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Wrong Way Phil!

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Cold Outside!

Baby it's cold outside!
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A Squirrel Diner

Dinner in the diner.

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Blah!

No major weather, no projects, no major news happenings, no vacations planned yet = not too much to blog about this dreary January.

MAGA or MYOB

I will say though that "blah" is not always that bad. It's quite de-stressing to have the world leaders wrapped up and engrossed in their own country's problems for a change, instead of poking around the world, stirring up s**t everywhere. Trump busy with the shutdown and his silly wall, Theresa May embroiled in Brexit, and Trudeau at home ruining his own country as usual. Wouldn't it be nice if all the world leaders minded their own business all the time?

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MEXICO SAYS: "WE'LL PAY!"...

Compromise? Could this be "fake news"?:

Mexico offers to pay 100% for a revised plan for the Trump Wall. 

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Another Birthday... Whoopty Doo!

This birthday finally convinced me to go Metric.

Wings whooo whooo!

Fruitcake whooo whooo!  Two of my favorite things!
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Baby Wyatt Has A Sister

Raegan Anne (9.8 lb)  (Picture from Cheryl)

And Grandma Cheryl and Grandpa John now have two Grandchildren to dote on.

(You know it's a slow day when I start blogging baby announcements... Ha ha!)
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Memories... April 4, 2012

I decided I'd start a new thing on the blog. Beginning today and maybe each month, I'll try to put up a "Memories" post of something from years gone by.

Today our memories go back to April 4, 2012 on the Maasdam in the Caribbean Sea somewhere between Aruba and Fort Lauderdale on our second last sea day of our cruise. Jeannie and John were getting their exercise on the Promenade. Holly, Wendy, Barry, Cheryl and Deb watch on, as John tries to catch up. CLICK HERE if you want to go back in the Time Machine.

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Happy 2019!