The Perpetual Weblog

Nobody has anything to impart? Is it just the fall “blahs”? (Spring “blahs”?!)

It’s been bitterly cold here over the last week or so. Windchills down to the -38C range (about the same temperature in fahrenheit), so we’ve just bee huddled up trying to keep warm. I’ll give a little overview of the current goings ons:

Quinn is wrapping up his drama class this evening with a performance of a play they have been working on. I’m not entirely sure what it’s about, but it seems to involve Simon Cowell and some form of Michael Jackson’s Thriller. I’m pretty sure they wrote it themselves! And tomorrow, he gets spacers for his teeth as a precursor to braces. Poor kid.

Dylan seems to be pulling up his pants a bit….at least for a week since our little “row”. I don’t think there is much else going on with him. He’s keen to get out snowboarding.

As for Shelley and me, it’s been a reasonably stressful fall with Shelley’s surgery earlier in the year, friends not recovering very well from their surgery, the ongoing shower installation and general levels of tension. The kids and pets ARE in fact driving us nuts. Can we ship the lot of them down to you for a while Scott? Just while we rest up! And, of course, Christmas season is ramping up which doesn’t help the stress levels much as it means Shelley is working a lot of hours at the store, and of course braving the mall in her off time to get some shopping done.

It looks like we’ll be at home for Christmas this year. Originally we were going to go to Saskatoon, but it turns out that half of that side of the family is coming here for Christmas, so I guess it just makes sense that we all stay here.

I spent the weekend getting all the parts and installing a new hot tub hot water tank. There were no real hitches, just a bit of a gas scare. It went like this:

Walter (a neighbour) and I got the tank down the basement, disconnected everything, TURNED OFF THE GAS, then disconnected the gas lines from the tank. A whiff of gas, obviously, as there was sure to be a little left in the stub of pipe. It was, however, right then that the furnace (about 2 feet away behind me) started up. Woof! Just the furnace, no flashover, but it put the fear of God into me I can tell you! At that point we realized that MAYBE we should put a piece of tape or something over pipe opening. No? Duh! Much scurrying looking for tape!
It was leaking a little bit (the ball valves probably aren’t very good), as the tape was buldging out a bit. But we got it done with no further scares.

The one thing i found annoying was that the previous owner had piped the hot tub in with “Poly B” pipe, which just crimps to everything, including the hot water tank coupling. Well, I broke an elbow of the pipe, so I had to fix it. They don’t SELL Poly B anymore. Has to be done with Pex. So I needed to buy 10 feet of Pex and 4 different adapters and connecters to get the (Frankenstein like) job done. Also, the crimping too for Pex pipe costs $400!! I rented one for $15 but give me a break!

So that was the weekend here. Quinn as away in Little Bow with a friend’s family, Dylan worked a bunch and Shelley is now at the Dixie Chicks concert. Almost sleepy time for me!

Terry has asked for a update missive from the lovely southern hemisphere.  Lets start with the people …

 Sam is just in the middle of his second year engineering final exams. He writes hismost difficult today (go sam ) something called materials and then has a week until thermodynamics.  The kid knows how to live.  We pick him up in chch on the 11th and whisk him back to Nelson where he will toil at the big Medium Density Fiberboard plant as a summer intern engineer.  He will Have Christmas with his dad l in otago …… leaveing leigh and I free to…….

 Have a two week tour around Invercargill and Southland.  To get the full experience we’ve decided that we’ll rent a trailer (or caravan as they are known here).  Yup we’ll tour the region stopping  in the Caltins, Invercargill, geraldine and Manapuri for a few days and will have christmas in a central Invercargill caravan park.  Wheeeeeeeeeeeee It should be great. 

INVERCARGILL OR BUST

Leigh is doing well, quilting for fun and enjoying her work.  Since she is working part time she takes it upon herself to get into some of the less pleasent jobs around the yard and has been digging out the ubiiquitous broom.  Ahhh otherwise very good.  She is in Marlborough for the next two days seeing clients.  lucky girl. 

The pekin girls have … how shall I put this … ah put out for the mallard boys and we have about 35 cross bred ducklings running around.  Next year Leigh needs to get a Pekin MALE.  They are very cheeky adn confindent little things. 

Calgary is just about 10, a older dog and he remains a great hairy presence around the place. He is fit, well and still snores “like 90 bears” .  A few nights ago I shot a big hare that he fetched, and carried home.  After playing with it for an hour I came outside to find him asleep using the hare as a pillow. 

Critaclly the lawn tractor has been broken while someone in Wisconsian builds and then seemingly walked the part here.  I jest but it has taken two weeks to get the part and the lawn has reached the hay stage.  Its going to be a LONG process to mow it and get the place looking nice.  Vegitation control is the plan for the weekend. 

What is up with me?  Well on the health front I’ve stopped eating wheat and I’m very very sad to report I feel better for it. less itchy, less bloated and well hungry.  The Doc has pronounced me fit with a good heart, low cholesteral and generaly fit (if not just a little fat).  I walk most mornings for 30 minutes a 0600. On the work front after six months of restructuring, tension, interviewing and people acting as if they were caught in amber ….. the status quo is the way forward.  Oh …. I’m now The Inshore Fisheries Manager.  Same job new name ….A snappy salute is appropriate. 

What of you people?  Terry What digital camera should I buy, Viv whats the only democrat in WIS doing, What is the status of the cottage, anyone read any good books?