My Eye Exam Showed Little Change.

Wow! It's almost a "Steampunk" adventure or maybe a "Timbot". Click on it to enlarge.

I had my last eye examination in 2014 so I was curious to see if there was any change. I was pleasantly surprised as everything checked out fine. I'll call this one my "artsy" picture for today.

Reminds me of this one that I did a couple years ago. About the time of my last eye exam. Ha ha!
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My "Artsy" Picture For Today - Starring Benzy

"Winter Zzzzzz". Click the pic to enlarge it.

Like most cats, Benzy sleeps on and off all afternoon. I snapped the pic of him in one of his favorite spots in front of our patio window on a dining room chair, tired out and asleep after his strenuous squirrel watching session. 

He is the only "real" thing in this picture. The barn window frame is from the internet and so is the snowy scene outside. I combined the three elements through the magic of Photoshop to produce this "Artsy Pic Of The Day". Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed creating it.
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Benzy; Our Black Kitten, Squirrel Watching.

"This is better than Cat TV".

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A Thirty Eight Year Old Luxury Car.

My friend Gary used to own a house he called "the Riverhouse" in Corunna. Last year he sold the place and so was forced to move all his stuff. Among his "treasures" was a  1978 Lincoln MK 5, Bill Blass Edition with a 460 cu. in. engine. He had bought the car from a museum and left it in storage in the barn on the river property for 15 years, so it only shows under 30,000 miles in its nearly 40 years. He recently sent it to a mechanic to clean the fuel system and check all the systems to make it roadworthy enough to drive to his place in Tennessee. As a favour to Gary, Wendy and I picked it up on Monday and I drove it to our condo to keep it until he can make the trip south to TN.

Picture at the mechanic Lee's house where we picked up the car.

The car is quite amazing. Total luxury in its day. I forgot how big these old land cruisers where. Driving it was like going back in time. It rolled along very smoothly with a distinctive top-heavy feel, kind of floating along on a chesterfield and in almost total quiet. The huge engine can really move it if you give it some more gas, but you better not stray too far form a gas station. The heavy behemoth uses gasoline like it was free. Lee, the mechanic said after he cleansed the fuel system he added about $50 worth of fuel and I think he used most of that just driving a few miles for the tests because it was showing nearly empty when I picked it up and was flashing "low fuel" when I got it to the condo less than 8 miles away.
 

Luxurious, butter soft, leather seats are the ultimate in comfort. How would anyone stay awake on a long trip?

Wendy said she was chuckling as she followed in our car. She said I looked like an old geezer in a "pimp-mobile" as I ambled along the river on a nice sunny morning.
 

Wendy wondered why the hood had to be so long. I know the engine is big but it's not that big.

Here's my note to Gary about the 20 minute trip up the river to our condo:

Hi Gary

I picked up the 78 Lincoln "pimp-mobile" at Lee's in Corunna this morning around 10 am.  It ran like a breeze with no events. It is now safely parked in my spot down in the garage. If it was any longer it wouldn't fit! I left the keys on the wall by the phone at the condo but I was thinking I might drop them with Fern if you want.

The mechanic said he replaced all the cooling hoses, flushed the rad with water (no cleaners or chemicals) because the chems can free up "stuff" and attack gaskets etc. The battery appeared to crank the big 460 OK but next trip I should disconnect the battery to save it. Lee said the gas tank had 8" of mung inside and the only thing was to replace it. He said the carburetor is extinct but he cleaned all the lines etc. You might not need a new carb anyway. He freed up the brake calipers but it still pulls slightly to the left when you brake. He said that will improve with use. I noticed it seemed to have a slight miss at idle but that could be cleared with a good highway run. Lee said he repaired a minor leak in the driver's rear tire so all should hold air. Wendy, following, said there was some black smoke when I did a hard acceleration by the refineries but generally the response was good and the car ran quietly and smoothly as it should with less than 30,000 miles. Windows worked fine but I didn't have time to try out all the systems.

He said he had lots of interested people looking at this fine old classic. You probably should have not trouble selling it. You might get more for it in USA with our Canadian peso at 69 cents, some say heading for 59 cents.

My neighbours at the condo will be curious so I copied them in.

I'll check it out further and report further next time I get down to Point Edward.

Cheers, your friend
Tim

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Here's the Original Pictures of the Divas of the Silver Screen

All these pictures are in the public domain in USA. No one even knows who took most of the shots. They are excellent fodder to whet my insatiable appetite for pictures to modify. I added a few arms, bottles and glasses of coke, and coloured the resultant compositions. Then I added a few decorative items to make them look like they should in my mind's eye. I hope you enjoy my kitschy Hollywood stars with a splash of Coca Cola.

The Original pictures I found for my Diva Collection.

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Divas of the Silver Screen.

 Here's a modified line-up of my beautiful Hollywood silver screen goddesses of the silent film era.  Some of these "girls" would be well over a hundred if they were still alive. The Coke trademarks have been removed and some antique scroll-work in Coke colors has been added. Click the picture to enlarge it.

Kitsch
noun: kitsch
Art, objects, or design considered to be in poor taste because of excessive garishness or sentimentality, but sometimes appreciated in an ironic or knowing way.

I modified my kitschy "Diva" group to eliminate the blatant Coke trademarks and reduce my chances of getting sued for copyright and trademark infringement. Who knows, they might show up at a flea market near you. All the movie star pictures are in the public domain and as I interpret the law, the actual coke bottle or glass is permissible incidental to the picture even though it shows the trademark. Years ago Campbell Soup actually tried to sue Andy Worhall for showing their mark in his famous picture but they were unsuccessful since it was ruled that it was fairly used in an artwork.

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Coke Divas by Tim

Blue Monday they call it. Well that fits. The stock markets have tanked and the Canadian Peso may get to 59 cents. What's a guy to do?

I've been working on my Coca Cola Divas Collection, incorporating a combination of two American icons.   Coca Cola and Hollywood. The stars of Hollywood's silver screen from the silent movie era and the Coca Cola brand combined into 12 individual artworks. They were fun to create from old black and whites and originally none of them had a Coke in their hand. I added the arms and drink-hands from cyberspace and coloured them for fun. Due to trademark and copyright issues I don't plan to sell them but they are nice to look at. Click to enlarge the picture.
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More Psyllium for 2016

You will recall I bought a bag of psyllium seed husks last year on March 12. This year, as usual the price has increased although I try to wait until it's on sale. Bulk Barn had it on at a reduced price of $6.99/lb. so the 55 lb. bag (25 kg.) cost me $384.45 vs the $319.25 ($5.79/lb.) I paid last year. With a US dollar costing about $1.45 CDN there was no sense trying to buy it there. Such is the rising cost of living and with inflation raising its ugly head I fear it will get a lot worse.

The recommended daily dose of psyllium is 40 grams a day each. Since Tim jr and I both use it, that amounts to 80 grams/day. The bag lasted 10 months or about 310 days . If I do the math 80 x 310 = 24.8 kg . Nearly perfect! 

The new "Slim Tim". Although it's hard to tell with the heavy clothes, he's lost 125 lb.

Also note that in just over a year, with his doctor's supervision, Tim has lost over 125 lb. His secret - cut out all carbs, eat protein, vegetables and psyllium, and exercise daily. Great work Tim.
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Snowed Last Night. In a Boring Winter, It's a Big Deal!

If you've been checking this blog lately I've disappointed you. I haven't had really anything to write about so when I saw all this snow I had to snap a pic. There just has not been much going on now that the festive rush is over... not even weather-wise. This might be the first test of the snowblower this season.

It is my birthday today and Wendy and I were wondering if there was any snow in London Ontario in 1949. I was there but I don't remember.

I saw this video on YouTube. Should we be humming along? Not exactly my speed but I guess I'm to the point where Father Time has nearly caught up with Mother Nature.
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Too True, Lao Tzu! (A New Year's Thought)

Tao Te Ching says:  
“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.”

You may know some other wise sayings by Lao Tzu:
  
    “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”

    “Anticipate the difficult by managing the easy.”

    “Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power. If you realize that you have enough, you are truly rich.”

    “If you want to awaken all of humanity, then awaken all of yourself. If you want to eliminate the suffering in the world, then eliminate all that is dark and negative in yourself. Truly, the greatest gift you have to give is that of your own self-transformation.”

    “I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.”

    “Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”

    “Water is the softest thing, yet it can penetrate mountains and earth. This shows clearly the principle of
softness overcoming hardness.”

    “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”

    “A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.”

Lao Tzu: 604 BC -531 BC, Henan, China

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The First Snow of 2016.

Happy New Year!

What we missed for Christmas we received today.
 

This is how far our little first-foot Benzy made it before deciding he'd had enough.
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Goodbye 2015 - Happy New Year 2016

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Cats Love Christmas.

Benz is ready.



The wrapping paper is the best part. Benzy got into the Christmas presents stored behind the tree and managed to open Pat Cooper's present. He didn't care about the contents but the colourful paper was a real treat; better than his own snake and toy.

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Looking For A Stud? Watch This Aussie.

I saw this video quite a while ago and I thought I should post it because it really, simply, solves a problem. This time of year, if you are contemplating hanging up your new flat screen TV or even want to put a hook in your ceiling for your Christmas tree you will likely want to also find a stud to support the weight.

In the past I've never been too good at finding the studs and my installations reflect that fact. I purchased a stud finder years ago which I found nearly useless, and tried all the other methods but I've always had trouble getting the middle of the stud. This simple and cheap method  will be used in my next wall project.
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From My Warped Imagination.

Who needs a huge motor yacht if you could have just the best parts of a luxury craft without all the rest of the obligations and costs associated with a million dollar boat. Just for fun I composed an imaginary deck with some of the things I like most on a big boat. A bar, refrigerator, an icemaker and a sink; a hot tub, complete with solar heater dome; of course a gas grill and a good sound system, a bell, binoculars and a life ring or two, plenty of comfortable seats, and an awning for shade. Don't forget a head and a change room, storage and some pots for your favorite plants. A large TV would be nice for my friends that enjoy watching a game. Finally a ladder for re-boarding after a refreshing dip in the lake and some cleats for tying up a runabout or dinghy.

My imaginary deck would need no engine and would be anchored in in such a way that the vessel could be swung around so it was always facing the "right" direction to maximize the sun. Made of durable polyethylene the hull could be left in the water all year or pulled up on the beach with minimal maintenance required. There you have it. Live like an over-paid, millionaire politician on a workingman's budget.
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