Memory Lane

Tomorrow is July 1st. It's not only the birthday of the greatest country in the world but also the day that I am officially pensioned off from my former employer, with 30 years in the can. As James McMurtry sings in the song "just us kids" "It's a damn short movie." "How'd we ever get here". Yes it did go by fast. I was 21 when hired and weighed 157 lbs. I weigh slightly more now.........Let's take a trip down memory lane.

• My starting wage in 1979 was $6.71/Hr (Only slightly less than what I now make shuttling cars)


• Rent was $200/mth for a 3 bedroom home.


• Beer was $5.75 for a case of 24


• I paid $5700 for a new 1979 Mercury Zephyr (should have been called the Hindenburg)


• A new pair of Levis would set you back $47 (they were made in Canada back then)


• Joe Clark was Prime Minister and Jimmy Carter was President. What a pair!


• Kraft Dinner could be bought for 5/$1


• 24 cans of pop could be had for $4.99. nearly as expensive as beer.


• Daryl Sitler was captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Borge Salming was playing the blue line. Mike Palmateer was in goal.


• The Blue Jays finished last in the American league with a 53-109 record. Alfredo Griffin won rookie of the year.


• Apocalypse Now came to the big screen. "I love the smell of napalm in the morning"


• Gas sold for $0.75/gal ($0.17/litre)

The best event of 1979 though, was the birth of my son Sean who also turns 30 this year.

Pool temp: 21c (70f) Global cooling has returned.

And you run and you run to catch up with the sun, but it's sinking and racing around to come up behind you again." Pink Floyd, Dark side of the Moon

90 in the Shade

I've been painting the the railings on the deck, off and on for about the last 10 days. They were last painted when the deck was constructed back in 2004 and the paint was faded and starting to peel. The last time I painted I used a spray gun and did 2 coats in 1 day. This time I've had to use a brush and roller because of all the furniture and fixed canopies that occupy the deck and the process has been much slower (not to mention that I've blown my beer budget for the year) On most days the temp. when I was painting was around 24c. I knew it was going to be hot today so I decided to start a bit earlier (8:30 a.m.)........ for me that's early. The temp was already 23c and rising. By 11:00 a.m. the temp was 31c and I was starting to hallucinate. After getting a vision of Gino in a Speedo....... I knew it was time to pack it in. (I use to work with Gino in my prior job, his nickname was Shrek) I grabbed a bottle of water and parked myself in the shade and checked the thermometer. It read 90f (it's an old type) I don't ever recall it being that hot so early in the day.

The day wasn't a total wash......Spent the rest of the day floating in the pool, along with my beer cooler. Didn't have any more hallucinations, thank God!!!!

Global Cooling has been temporarily suspended.

Pool Temp: 26c (79f)

Defeat doesn't finish a man--quit does. A man is not finished when he's defeated. He's finished when he quits.--Richard M. Nixon

Fathers day

Tomorrow is fathers day, or as they say in Chelmsford "the most confusing day of the year". My own father passed away in 1992. There isn't a day that I don't think about him. He was from the "Great Generation"......you know, the generation that survived the Depression and fought the Second World War. He was a product of his generation when it came to parenting. He didn't have to live vicariously through his kids and allowed you to make your own mistakes...........yet, when you needed him, he was there.

Born in 1918 in a log cabin near Porquis Junction (30 km east of Timmins) to a Welsh Mother and a (very) English Father, he was the third child of five. I have a picture of him when he was 16, digging out the basement (by hand) of my Grandparents new home in South Porcupine.

In Sept. of 1939 he enlisted in the Ontario Tank regiment and was sent overseas. He was involved in all the major invasions....North Africa....Sicily......Normandy, and the liberation of Holland.

After the war ended, he returned home to South Porcupine, married and raised a family.

He started working in the mines of Timmins shortly after. Working conditions were primitive and little concern was given to dust control. In 1968 he was diagnosed with Silicosis. This would have stopped most people in their tracks, but not him. He could have continued to work in the mines and probably died 5 or 10 years later but wisely opted to work for the Maintenance Dept. of the newly opened Regional Hospital, where he retired in 1983.

What can you say about a Father who was always willing to help out and thought of his family first. A Man whom I always looked up to, but never fully appreciated what he did until I was older........ Thanks Dad. I miss you.

Pool Temp: 22c (72f)

Life was a lot simpler when what we honored was father and mother rather than all major credit cards. - Robert Orben

No NHL Team for Hamilton

The Bankruptcy Judge involved in the proceedings between Jim Balsillie and the NHL has rejected the proposed sale and relocation of the Phoenix Coyotes to Hamilton. Toronto can now breath a sigh of relief.......If Hamilton got an NHL Team, the fans in Toronto would want one too.

I think Balsillie's best strategy would be to simply wait out the NHL. Economic conditions are sure to worsen, and more and more teams will become insolvent. Bettman will come crawling to Balsillie in about a year's time. Oh sure, Bettman will try and save face by telling everyone Balsillie will have to pay a relocation fee....probably about $100 million. As it now stands Balsillie would probably be willing to pay a $100 million relocation fee to the league and $50 million each to Toronto and Buffalo. By waiting out Bettman he can save $100 million............In the meantime we'll have to put up with the mistake in Toronto.

Pool Temp: 20c (68f)

Imagine there were no hypothetical situations.

Those were the Days

I came across an e-mail that I received from an unknown source when I worked for my former employer. It's a little tongue in cheek, but if you know the individual involved, it's hilarious.

Police catch escaped mental patient
Suspect left mine in sock feet
Posted By Brandon Walker, The Sudbury Star
Posted 17 hours ago


Sudbury Police spent several hours Thursday afternoon searching for a 54-year-old man who escaped from Xstrata’s Craig Mine at about 2:30 p.m.
Police believe the man walked out of the mine as someone else walked in. He left without shoes or boots, wearing clothing but only socks on his feet.
He crossed the road, took an unattended vehicle and drove to Hanmer. He knocked at the door of a stranger’s home, requesting a pair of boots. He drove away with his new footwear, but ended up in a ditch near the junction of Highways 17 and 69.
He was picked up by someone passing by, who dropped him off at Xstrata’s Nickel Rim site.
“He gave a false name and once again left the mine on his own,” said Sudbury Police Sgt. Murray McGee, adding he declined an overtime meal.
“I know it was rumoured he escaped twice, but he didn’t.”
McGee said it isn’t everyday someone escapes from Craig mine but it does happen “if someone lets their guard down.”
A representative with Xstrata’s Sudbury operations is acknowledging a CCR Supervisor fled the mine.
“At this time it’s a police matter so we can’t comment any further,” said Ron Thompson, Fixed Plant General Foreman with the mine.
“We’re comfortable with the policies and procedures we have in place, but it’s also our policy to review all incidents and occurrences, so if there’s any opportunity to improve our procedures we will take the necessary steps.”
Police picked up the suspect at about 6:30 p.m. in the vicinity of Toppers Pizza..
Charged with being unlawfully large and abandoning his workplace is Dale McNamara of no fixed address.

Pool Temp: 18c (64f)

Originality is the art of concealing your sources

This is Global Warming? Part 2

Since the beginning of June I've noticed large flocks of Canada Geese flying North (OK, so I spend a lot of time on the deck drinking beer) I've lived all my life in Northern Ont. and this is the latest that I've seen them heading North. Their migration is about 2 or 3 weeks later than usual. Being the curious sort I did a bit of research just to see if they have enough time to make their destination, mate, lay eggs and have their brood big enough for the return trip South. Here's what I found out.

• The eggs typically take about a month to incubate. The process is faster the farther north the geese nest since the summers are shorter.


• Five weeks after the goslings hatch, the females begin moulting (the males begin right after mating). During this time, the adults are unable to fly.


• The adults regrow their flight feathers and are ready to fly at about the same time as the goslings are able to learn - at nine weeks old.


• In autumn, as soon as the young are strong enough for the trip, they begin their migration south.


• Geese can cover up to 1000km/day when migrating

(DLTK's Sites)

Lets do the math.

• Today is June 10th. It will take a week to travel to the high Arctic. Arrival (June 17th)


• Lets give them another week to mate, find a suitable nesting site and lay their eggs. (June 24th) I'm such a romantic.


• 4 more weeks for the eggs to incubate (July 22nd)


• 9 more weeks before the kids are ready to fly (Sept. 20th)


• another 2 or 3 weeks before they are strong enough to migrate (Oct 11th)

That's a tight schedule. Hope they packed the Viagra.

Pool temp: 14c (58f)

If you're riding ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there

Think Times are Tough?

Old America

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Pool Temp 14C (58f)

Tough times never last, but tough people do! --Robert Schuller

Why General Motors is in Trouble

Lately I've been driving a lot of different vehicles. Here is my rating (1-5)

• Chev Silverado:(3) Nice looking with lots of power. Ride is choppy, finish is poor.


• Chev Cobalt:(1) Paint it brown and call it a turd. Poor finish, low power and uncomfortable seating


• Pontiac G5: (1) same platform as the Cobalt


• Chev Impala: (3) Very good ride, adequate power, well optioned and comfortable


• Buick Lucerne: (3) Almost identical to the Impala.


• Ford Focus: (3) Good Power, well optioned, ok seating. Tends to get buffeted by the wind.


• Ford Flex: (4) This vehicle handles well and is extremely comfortable. Very well optioned. Fuel mileage could be better.


• Dodge Caliber: (2) Poor handling and loads of blind spots. Fuel consumption is high for a small car.


• Toyota Matrix (4) Well finished and well optioned. Adequate power and handles well.
• Toyota Corolla (4+)This is what a compact car should be. Well designed, well engineered, roomy, good gas mileage. The only knock against it, is it's plain vanilla styling


• Kia Rio (4) This was a huge surprise. It handles extremely well and is a pleasure to drive. If it had a little more power it would have scored a 5

Pool Temp: 15c (59f)

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. -- Anonymous