starting the new year with a cold snap

Ok seriously I want the rest of the world to know that Every Canadian West of the Manitoba border and East of the Quebec border view Ontario as Canadas biggest Joke! no lie, its where our corrupt Government wields its power, its where only in Canada could a crack smoking mayor stay in office (even if he is stripped of his powers)and head the biggest city in Canada..they should seriously change the name of Toronto to Ford City, why? because at least a third of the cities population actually plan to vote for him in their next election! proof that they just aint right in the head down there in Ontario land.

That aside, we in the central and western provinces laugh at Ontario due to their reactions over weather conditions, they really are a bunch of wimps!, they actually put out warnings to stay indoors when the temperatures reach minus 16 or below! That is laughable! here in Saskatchewan anything above minus 20 is considered a spring day! They cry at minus 20 while the rest of Canada deals with a balmy minus 35 as an average winter temperature... okay lets be fair here, most of the USA panics and freaks out at minus 20 and totally comes to a standstill when they get 2 or more inches of snow, In defense of the USA most of their states are normally above zero during winter, since that is normal for them, they often lack the tools, equipment,manpower, and finances to deal with sudden snow storms, I am pretty sure that the city of Regina Saskatchewan Canada has more snow plows and graders than can be found in the entire state of Texas, but still up here in Central Canada we do get a chuckle out of the so called "polar vortex" and its effects on the USA and Ontario.

For the record, while those down south were shocked and horrified at the minus 20 temperatures, up here in Saskatchewan Canada the temperature was minus 50 for nearly 2 weeks, yet we survived with absolutely no worries, our cars started (because we have block heaters and battery warmers on our cars) we didnt get into 20 car pile ups because we have winter tires (yall should invest in all season tires at the very least),we went outside in minus 50 to shovel our driveways and walkways and to get fresh air, our dogs went out to play and do their business, life went on as usual.

I mock Ontario but razz the USA, why? the last I checked Ontario was still part of Canada and being Canadian they should be ready to deal with anything the winters can throw at them,including freezing rain,frigid cold (and really minus 20, minus 25 isnt that cold ya bunch of wussies),point is they should be prepared simply because they live in Canada, but every winter they are as shocked as the state of Florida when the snow hits the ground!! Ontario is doomed to continue being shocked every winter because they really are not a hardy people, they have gone soft and I fear they may never toughen up.

I razz the USA in fun, because of the fact that most of it is made up of warm states that seldom get below zero, and a great many of them never get snow, so yes their shock and dismay is truly understandable, it actually is pretty serious when much of the states hits minus 16 or colder, as stated above I am aware that many states simply do not have the resources than their northern counterparts do, and why would they? they can go 20 30 years or more without snow or the needle dropping to the zero mark.
But heres a thought, the climate is changing, has been for the last decade or more, perhaps those in the south should start investing in winter clothing (even if they seldom use them,be prepared)maybe invest in 1 or 2 late model snow plows from other states , just buy 3 or 4 per year until you have a small army of plows and graders so when you do get hit with a winter storm you at least have something to clear the roads, it will happen again, maybe not next winter but it will happen again, be prepared, the climate is changing on a global scale rapidly.

There is a bright side to this year though, Spring officially begins March 20 , and that folks is only 70 days away!, of course up here in Saskatchewan Canada we will still be shovelling our driveways come March 20th, winter up here typically doesnt end until mid April, but this year I opted to become an "Optimist" and think positive.

okay folks it is getting late, stay warm, and remember 70 days until spring!

Butch


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Guess what my new hobby is

So I spent a year watching people like Tim, Tickle,Popcorn Sutton,and Jim Tom on TV and was thinking jeez laweez that looks like fun! not running from the revenue man or the law, but What it is these colorful characters do, so I figured Id give it a whirl, since I dont yet have a functional "mechanical container" (Still),I am currently using the fermentation method.

anyway here is a easy recipe for some good home brew


Easy RUM

Two pounds of brown sugar per one gallon of water and one cup of honey for every ten gallon batch. Starting hydrometer reading of about 90. Do not exceed 100. Add 1 to 3 ozs of yeast per 10 gallons of mash.

Heat one fourth of your water to 120 or 130 degrees only hot enough to melt the sugar, then stir in your sugar and then the honey last. Pour it into your fermenter and finish filling with cool water to cool it down to 80 degrees. Take a hydrometer reading and adjust as needed. The add your yeast. 6 to 14 days to ferment.


I am pretty sure making moonshine is illegal here in Canada as well, however you Can buy beer, wine,and spirits making kits, and with all the required equipment build a decent still as well, so as long as its not sold and only used for personal use and brewed in batches of 2 to 10 gallon batches then theres not a lot the law can do about it.

I am working on a simple stove top still made from a pressure cooker and about 10 feet of 1/4 inch copper pipe,when I perfect it I will post pictures.

Anyway its late , have a good weekend folks

Butch

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Catching up Again!

Sorry for not writing in awhile, there are a few reasons (excuses)as to why I havent been writing lately, #1- out here in the country we lack Cable internet or any other form of land based internet, we rely on a wireless internet mobile stick, (like wifi) , which has many advantages over land based connections, such as complete control over who uses your internet (no stick no internet simple no?), also you can plug it into any pc or laptop ipad or any internet able device and boom youre online instantly, your not restricted to any buildings, grab your laptop and sit in the middle of a field day or night or use it in your car etc, its mobile.

The downside? we have only 1 internet mobile stick and we have a 12 year old who "needs" to electronically amuse himself, (he plays games posts kid type stuff on his facebook and writes his pen pals ) , I am also married to a wonderful wife who has a pretty bad You-Tube addiction, she is hooked on 80s music and funny videos, so that means (even though I pay for the device),I get the last dibs on the internet! (dunno how or why that came to be, I just come to accept it as fact)

Sooo, since I dont get use of the internet often (as much as "I" would like), I have been keeping busy winterizing the cars, the house, the work sheds, the yard etc. getting ready for another 6 to 7 months of pure Canadian Winter HELL, (okay so Im getting old and the winters are getting harder on me with each passing year) I tell you unless you live in Alaska or the North Pole, or Siberia, you just can not fathom how bitterly cold our Canadian Prairie Winters can be, imagine 12 foot tall snow banks on either side of your 135 foot long driveway, that you have to shovel by hand at times because its so bitterly cold your snow blower and tractor are froze up solid, now keep that image and add a balmy minus 45 to minus 50 temperature, much colder if the wind is blowing quicker than 10 miles an hour ,and it does, it usually gusts 40 to 80 miles an hour, yeah, well there you are ,Welcome to HELL and yes it does freeze over!!

I shouldnt curse our luck just yet by mentioning snow just yet (yes snow is a 4 letter swear word , in fact it is the foulest of swear words known to human kind), I mean there is None YET!! this time last year we were buried up to our asses in it, so I count my small blessings,this is October so anything is possible.

Nature sure is pretty this time of year though, all the leaves have turned bright crimson reds and bright yellows,except for the evergreens, blue spruce, white pines, and majestic douglas furs who defy the seasons and remain vibrant greens and blues, the grass is still green though dormant now, hordes of wild geese and other warm weather fowl are gathering in the now empty fields preparing for their journey south, while the summer birds go the winter birds are arriving, chickadees,snowy owls,etc, the rabbits are turning from browns and grays to white, it really is a pretty sight.

I will purchase a new camera (since I drove over my last one) and take photos and post them this winter,I would like to get even more wild life photos than I managed last winter,if I can get a good enough camera I will get you all some photos of our winter storms too, I would also like to get a cheap video camera so I can post videos to this blog, Im working on that, maybe Santa will be nice to me this year.

anyway, thats all for now

Butch
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New Discovery Reveals with Finch Bird House Plans

Improving Finch Bird House Plans For Best Results

Anyone who enjoys having finch birds around them will find a finch birds house inexpensive to build and great fun. Finch bird house plans come in many shapes and sizes and you need to know what you want to build before you start looking for finch bird house plans.

It is just as easy to build a well-built house as it is to build a terrible one, so I suggest you make something you can be proud of and will suit your purpose. The finished article should be sturdy, rain-proof, and easily accessible for cleaning. By using some imagination, you can make your finch birds house an attractive addition to the landscape.

===> The Complete Guide of Finch Bird House Plans

Wood is the only building material you should consider. Metals get extremely hot in summer and freezing cold in winter. Plastics are hard to work with and cardboard will not last. You should also consider the finch birdss preferences, which will undoubtedly be for wood.

So, wood it is.

When looking at different finch bird house plans you should be prepared to make yours as "bird-friendly" as you can. Even if this means altering the design slightly. For example, make sure your roof has sufficient pitch to be able to shed water. I do not know about where you live, but in my little corner of the world, it rains a lot!

Make sure you leave at least three inches (7 cms) of overhang in order to protect the entrance hole from heavy rain. Expect a little water to seep in to the finch birds house, so it is also a good idea to drill four small holes near each corner of the floor to allow for drainage. Look More Ideas for Finch Bird House Plans!

As well as thinking about drainage, it is often a good idea to insert a suitable number of holes near the roof of the box (protected from rain by the overhang) to provide ventilation in locations where it can get hot. It is also important to remember that the house should be put together using screws (not nails or glue) to allow for easy access for cleaning.

I hope that gives you some idea how to adapt finch bird house plans to make the most out of your woodworking project. Provided you use common sense and good plans, you really can not go wrong.

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Posts "New Discovery Reveals with Finch Bird House Plans" written by John Taylor! 

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