Back to the simple life part 2

So in my previous post I spoke about my wifes unhappiness about living in such a small village because she is a city girl at heart, as it turns out my assumption as to why she was unhappy wasnt entirely accurate.

Her biggest issue is the simple fact that there are no grocery stores here and no entertainment either other than the bar, her point being is that you have to drive for 30 minutes to the nearest city to get groceries or to have a family night/day out or to do pretty much anything, which as she says isnt so bad during the summer, but is not a good or safe thing in the winter as the roads are often closed for days at a time.

She actually does enjoy the country life, its just the severe lack of everything out here that makes her not so keen on living out here, having to drive 30 minutes (often in snowstorms and blizzards)down an icy highway to get to work and back is not a pleasant experience for her (or anyone really).

The thing is Pense is a bedroom community, people live here and work elsewhere, there really is next to nothing here, yet when we went to Maryfield (my home town) , it to is a small village but it has a proper grocery store,a small restaurant,a movie theater,and a pool hall/bar/hotel, it also has a school that goes all the way to grade 12 ,unlike here where the school only goes to grade 8.
Maryfield also has a spring and fall fair, and a mid summer antique farm show that draws farmers and visitors for miles around,they have a library,fitness center,2 retirement homes,a gas station,hardware store and a few little family shops that sell crafts and such, and Maryfield retains its young people, meaning most kids who grow up there end up returning later in life to raise their families.

My wifes point is she would like to live there as there are things to do there, there are even job opportunities there,unlike here in Pense that has non of that. Her major sticking point is the fact if we moved to Maryfield we wouldnt have to travel so much, especially in winter.

She makes a good argument, I am home sick for my hometown, most of my pleasant childhood memories are of there in Maryfield, the problem is , it will take me another 7.5 years to pay off the property we have here in Pense, even if I were to sell now, we wouldnt have much money in pocket to start over as most would go to the bank to pay off the loan.

Theres that and the other fact, we have alot of shit!, a camper, a pair of off road bikes, 3 vehicles, I have a 30x30 work shop full of tools,then theres the contents of a 3 bedroom house and a utility trailer, the tractor the lawn tractor, the tillers etc. Sure I could sell most of it off and start over, but the chances of getting the money invested in these things back are slim.

Even our son says hes up for a move and wouldnt mind starting over in Maryfield, my little family planted the seeds of change in my head, made some valid arguments for leaving here to move to Maryfield, tugged on my emotional heart strings, and made me thankful that they didnt say they wanted to move to a city..... hard to resist their desires, and so I am giving it serious thought.

So thats where we are at, I will keep you posted on this, and yall will be the first to know if I decide to say screw it and move my family down to Maryfield, after all, if you have learned anything about me through these blogs, you know that I am all about Family and keeping them happy at any cost.

Butch
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Just call me Captain Paranoid but I’m not the only one

Okay, I know at least 1 of you also do this, have done this, or knows someone who does it….. I am talking about putting a piece of duct tape over the built in camera, and putting a cotton ball then a piece of duct tape over the micro phone …. Crazy? ya maybe, but at least no SOB can remotely turn on my camera , or tap into any conversations that I regularly have with myself or the cat or sometimes with my Wife!

Call me Captain Paranoid, but I read about webcams being hacked all the time and I take no chances, I have my fire walls, my anti virus, my mal ware detectors, my anti spy programs I use a secure wireless service that I can turn off and on myself and still it all comes down to cotton balls and duct tape, and not just any duct tape, but specifically black duct tape.

So to answer the burning question…. no I don’t skype , nor do I do any other sort of video chat, hell I don’t use any messenger services like MSN or Yahoo, AOL etc. I avoid using the Explorer browser like the plague and regularly switch back and forth between 2 browsers that shall remain un named, but rest assured both use a multi layered security system, you’d have to steal my cell phone to crack the browsers or various sites I use, and I can assure you, unless you’re bullet proof, you’re not getting my phone.

Why do I do all this ? because I have been online with various computers since before the world wide web was created, back when all we had to connect to each other were BBS boards ( Google it, it’s kinda hard to explain to anyone born after windows 3.11 was created !) , in that time I have learned to not trust the world wide web, nor the people on it, hackers and even amateurs,kids etc can and will exploit any flaw in any operating system given the chance, I’ve had computers go into a full on nuclear melt down due to hackers back in the early days , I am a well seasoned veteran of the computer age , I have learned to expect the unexpected, don’t take a half assed approach to security, either go all in balls out or get out of the pool because some jackwagon will ruin your day with a hack attack or virus, or worse yet, turn your computer into the jackwagon’s personal file download storage space, and guess what is most likely being put on your computer?? Shit that will get you 20 to 30 years in a Federal penn that’s what!

You’re double screwed if the jackwagon downloads files that can land you in the Penn, and then the Hacker Group Anonymous get’s into your hard drive and not only posts those files online, but they also post your IP address, your location, your name, everything about you for the world to see, so now not only is the law up your ass…you are likely to get your ass lynched by a street flash mob , and it is on YOU to prove your innocence and it’s on YOU to prove you did not download those files. Good friggin luck with all that buddy!

So call me Captain Paranoid , but I call it playing safe while online .

So now that I just freaked myself out, I’m off to thoroughly scan my computer and watch a couple movies with my wife.

Remember folks, express your love often, never take tomorrow for granted, and be kind to others.

Butch
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A typical day in the Life of Butch …

I speak often with great fondness about the little village I live in , I talk about how peaceful it is, how friendly and supportive it is, a great place to live…and it’s all that and oh so much more, it’s like a little slice of a Utopian oasis hidden out in the middle of nowhere Saskatchewan, it is *My* Utopia , it’s not for everyone, and that fact comes painfully clear come spring… see what I didn’t say about my village is , every spring we are up to our asses in mud…. there is only 1 paved road here, Mainstreet , all other streets and driveways are made of clay base and gravel … if I had to describe this place in 1 sentence to a visitor in spring this is what I’d say…. we have a church,school, arena,general store, bar/hotel…and we have Mud… Lord do we ever have Mud!! … that about sums up my village.

Now every spring my backyard floods , I am talking you can hop in my canoe and paddle around the yard flood (seriously ) so I was up at 7:30 am this morning, in my pajamas and rubbers (rain boots for those that don’t speak Canadian) standing in 2 feet of water setting up both water pumps (I borrowed a second pump from my neighbour) in hindsight perhaps I should have had a couple cups of coffee to wake up and clear my brain before setting up the pumps… Because…. Like a dumb ass that I can be , the pumps are electric , so I am standing in 2 feet of water with 2 plugged in and very live extension cords squeezed between my thighs as I primed the pumps , holding a metal 2 gallon pail.

I couldn’t put the power cords down in the water or …. well I would have killed every frog within a 150 foot radius and taken myself out in the process , remember I’d only been awake for about 10 minutes, no coffee and not thinking, so what to do, the pumps are now running , I fill the bucket with water so it won’t float away and gingerly balance the power cords on it and wade back to the house …. ( I’m not the sharpest tack in the box when I first wake up) I later went out and replaced the bucket with a couple sawhorses and tacked a nail on either side of the power cords so they don’t slip off into the water.

I cleaned up had coffee and Hammy and I went to church, after church I got talking with a friend who invited Hammy and I to go spend some time with him and his family at his cabin in Manitou Beach! … aside from a mini summer vacation (which Hammy and I need) and spending time with a good friend, Manitou Beach is one of only 3 salt water lakes on earth… of course everyone knows of the big one …The Dead Sea ( bet you didn’t know it is not a sea at all, it is a lake) … the second is in Czechoslovakia, and the third is right here in Saskatchewan Canada (Manitou lake) it’s the only saltwater lake in North America , so that’s really awesomely cool!

After church it was back home, feed the kidlet, do the dishes, get the laundry started and then out to change the tires on the Mighty Cavalier , I finally got that lug nut off, actually my neighbour came over with a couple tools and we broke the stupid aluminum cap off the actual lug nut ( why they put those on beats the hell out of me) once we got that cap off ( it was rounded so the tire iron couldn’t get a grip on it) , with a couple curse words and some heavy prying with the tire iron we got the lug nut off, after that escapade my neighbour went home and I jacked up the car and changed the dang tire ( only took a month to get it done) , about that time my dang back went out ( I’m getting old) I quickly decided that the other tire could wait til tomorrow , I’ve gone 1 month without a vehicle, 1 more day won’t kill me.

then it was in to make supper for the kidlet ( with a back that is killing me slowly) , shower and now I’m back in my pajamas just relaxing.

This is a typical day for me, toss in work and my life couldn’t get anymore exciting lol , it’s country living, time means nothing out here, things get done on their own good time, life is slow and quiet here, not fast paced and noisy like the cities, where you gonna go out here? north field or south field? for a change of pace I take the dog for a walk down the grid roads (gravel roads) we go a couple miles then turn around and wander home again, to me this is about as close to Heaven as I can get while living.

Well that’s all I got for tonight folks, so Remember:express your love often, never take tomorrow for granted, and be kind to others.

Butch
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Easter and the Honey Do list

Easter & the Honey – Do list
Posted on April 20, 2014 by butchcountry67
So Friday my Wife’s Aunt & Uncle came down from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan , it’s located about 5 hours north of us here in Pense (y’all can google map these locations), anyway, Pauline (my wife) was very happy to see them, our humble little home has become a much visited, welcoming abode as of late.

My wife has been feeling good the last couple days, just tired from all the excitement, since our house is small ( a 1 and a half story 3 bedroom, just over 980 square feet) we arranged to have Easter dinner at my sisters house , her’s is almost 3 times the size of ours, anyway we had a Family gathering and celebrated Easter there, we did this yesterday (Saturday) as we wanted to time it for when Pauline was feeling good and up to a little bit of an outing.

It went well, it helps when Family gets along and there’s no fighting, we were all there to love and support my wife who isn’t yet letting the Cancer get the better of her, she is a Trooper that’s for sure.

So today , while everyone else was still in their turkey coma and while my wife slept to the quiet steady hum of her oxygen machine, our son “Hammy” and I quietly took apart the shower and rebuilt the plunger ,and with great success we have it fixed so now it works as it should, when the water is turned on instead of instantly drowning you by coming out the shower head, it comes out of the faucet as it is supposed to. Turns out a tiny rubber gasket or O-ring had worn out, we had the whole job done just this side of 10 minutes , that’s including the rebuild.

Next we ventured quietly upstairs and proceeded to replace his bedroom light fixture, it is an old draw string fixture (you pull the string to turn the light off or on), since our house is over 100 years old,(built in 1910)a great many parts are original, such as the lights upstairs. the original fixture is ceramic , the only replacement I could find was at Lowes, it’s a draw string just like the original but the fixture itself is plastic, anywho, we installed that and we only got zapped twice! , because of the fact my wife’s oxygen machine runs on electricity, I couldn’t turn the power off to fix the light, so “Hammy” and I did it with live wires (I do not recommend doing any sort of electrical repair while the power is still live)

Our next project is back in the washroom, we are going to replace and upgrade the toilet (the existing one is 50+ years old) , the existing one still works but requires constant repair and maintenance, so in the long run it is better to modernize it, and since I already replaced the original sink and vanity, why not? but I am keeping the deep bath tub, it sadly is not a clawfoot , but it is an old deep cast iron tub .

Another project to get done is putting new modern kitchen sink taps and faucet in,(I’m going to get a plumber for that job) , I am keeping the 2 sinks though, again mixing old with new to not only keep some of the houses originality, but also to put our own unique spin on it.

I am slowly working through the “Honey – Do” list that my wife created for me, 1 project at a time. now being Sunday, I shall rest for the day now that I have knocked off 2 items of that list.

since my wife is sleeping and our kid is playing a video game, the inlaws/outlaws are out at church then shopping, I may as well catch some Zzzzz’s too.

take care, remember to express your love often to those you share your life with

Butch
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My Wife and our Life with Cancer sorry for the lengthy post

So over all my Wife has been doing well, she has had a few set backs, last Thursday she was physically sick, puking and had a bad head ache, she slept most of the day and was feeling better Friday. I am pretty sure her sickness was due to too much medication, she takes 20mgs of Morphine twice per day as well as 10mgs of Oxycodone twice per day, on top of that she took a 10mg Valium in hopes it would help relax her leg and let her sleep, I think it was just too much for her system.

Her left leg has been really bothering her, the most likely cause is fluid build up (there is a medical term for this, and it is quite common, but since I am writing this offline, I can’t look it up),anyway her leg has been bothering her for almost 2 weeks, I did take her to the Doctor and he gave her a couple Cortisone needles with anaesthetics in her leg, it helped her a little bit and on Tuesday she goes for an ex-ray on her leg, just to be sure it is not cancer.

As for her Lung Cancer, so far it is not bothering her, she still mostly just uses her oxygen at night while sleeping, she rests a lot during the day but says her lungs are not hurting and she has no shortness of breath. She has been off Chemo for 5 months now and seems to be doing well, her CT-Scan happens February 4th , we should know the results by the 6th the latest, I am praying that it hasn’t spread further and hope that the Holistic treatments are working to shrink the tumors.

She has remained in good spirits, which is important, she is a strong willed woman who won’t give up, I am pretty sure the main reason she pulled through when the Doctors said notify the family is quite simply her Son “Hammy” , he is her entire world, she was born to be a Mom and a great Mother she is, she loves him more than life itself and that is what I believe keeps her going.

Yes I am sure she loves me as well, but it’s not the same, nor could it ever be, the Bond between a Mother and child is extremely strong and endures through time, and that bonded love is very different than the love and bonds of a spouse/partner, just as I love her and our Son on different levels, it can never be the same, but despite that difference, I’d do absolutely anything for both of them without question.

I’d do anything to have my Wife live to grow old with me, to be there when our son graduates, to be there when he becomes a Cop, to be there at his wedding, to be there to see our future grand children and to help me spoil them rotten, I’d give my very soul if it meant she lives to be old, as it is, none of this will probably come to fruition with her at my side so all I can do is cherish each day that I have with her, to constantly let her know that I LOVE her and will be okay and that I can raise our son to be the man she always dreamed he’d be, all I can do is be there in the here and now with her, there are no more future plans together, it is all down to just one simple day at a time, and I’ll take that if it means she can be here at my side just a while longer.

February 14th will be our 18th Anniversary, I am quite confident that we BOTH will be here to celebrate that milestone together, this year I can’t afford much in the way of a lavish gift, but I do have my Great Grand Mother’s Ruby and Emerald ring, I am taking it to a Jeweler to see if maybe I can do a partial trade on a small diamond ring or maybe just maybe have it turned into a nice necklace for her, I wish I could do more for her but the damn furnace just took too much even on payments, it’s a formidable bill.

I will make her her absolute favorite dinner and our son has volunteered to be our waiter , he will help make the meal too, then her and I will have a candle light dinner after which I will get down on my knee , giver her the gift and 18 red roses and tell her EXACTLY how much I love her, how much she means to me, how happy she has made me all these years and let her know that I have no regrets.

I honestly don’t know how many more Anniversaries I will have with her so I cherish the one coming up now, that’s pretty much my reality now…. just one day at a time, make no plans for the future and hope and pray for the best, I don’t really like the uncertainty of one day at a time,but really….what choice do I really have?

The only regret I have is that Hammy has witnessed the pain and suffering Cancer has caused his Mother, that I couldn’t protect him from seeing his Mom at her lowest point, that last spring I had to sit down on the back steps with him and tell him that his Mother may not survive the night, that she may be called to God’s side in Heaven….. I pray for every person reading this, that none of you will ever have to have THAT talk with a child, it is a very gut wrenching soul searing hard thing to do, to look a child in the eyes and tell them that their Mother/Father/Parent may die. That conversation damned near killed me, but it had to be done, he had and still has the right to know the truth and the facts, to not tell him would be to lose his trust completely, to not tell him would be an outright lie even by omission, to not tell him could have made him resentful, it could and probably would have made him HATE for the first time in his life, and could have led to problems with drugs or alcohol. As hard as it was, I had that very conversation with him.

Like me, Our Son is aware of just how serious this could get, it has changed all our lives, not just my wife’s, Cancer is like that, it infects and permeates around and within everyone who is involved with the person who has the actual disease, it takes over everyone’s lives not just the Patient, all you can do is go on living your lives as best as you can knowing the Cancer is still there and probably always will be, you try and work around it but you can never truly avoid it, it’s always there, just silently watching and waiting, you try to remain positive and even ignore the cancer, still it’s in your worst nightmares,it’s in the eyes of your child when he sees his Mom is not feeling well, it’s inside your head as you change the oxygen tanks and help your wife clean herself, it’s always there, even on good days when your wife is happy and bright eyed and has energy to spare, a sudden coughing spell and the blood on her lips Snap you back to the stark reality of Cancer, like an insidious demon from hell it latches onto entire families and slowly, ever so slowly strangles the life out of everyone.

You beg and plead with your God not to take her away from you and the boy, you bargain you say and do anything to buy more time, just one more Day please please please, just one more day, you fall to your knees and beg for strength and mercy to carry on to be strong for your wife, to be strong for your son, you give false hope, not meaning to or wanting to, you tell her that it’s going to be okay, she just has to stay strong and fight the Cancer, that she can do this and that you will be there every step of the way fighting alongside her, you tell her no matter what happens that you will never give up turn away or stop loving her, you bare your very soul for God and the world to see, your heart is permanently tattooed on your shirt sleeve, you are exposed to mental and emotional pain, you weep when someone you don’t even know dies of cancer, you rejoice when someone you don’t even know survives, you spend hundreds of hours researching alternative medicines and therapies that you might try with your wife, you network like crazy searching out those who have fought or are fighting for their lives against this evil vile disease, you do this without ever being asked, you do it out of love and fear, the love you have and want to continue to have with your wife, the fear , the constant fear of losing your soul mate, losing the only woman you have ever truly loved, fear of becoming a single parent and having to pick up the shattered life of a young son and carry on. Through all this turmoil, you learn quickly to appreciate each day that you have as a complete family,you are grateful and thankful each morning that you wake up and she is there at your side, Tomorrows never come when your living with cancer,today is all that matters.

I’ll stop now sorry for the long post, thanks for your time, Remember folks: express your love often,never take tomorrow for granted, and be kind to others.

Butch.
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Ketchup or Catch up

Sorry for being away for so long but as you all know our 11 year old son “Hammy” was diagnosed with a brain tumour November 5th 2012, and had surgery to remove it January 7th 2013, he is recovering nicely, to look and talk to him you would never know that he had recently under gone major surgery, the only effect left from the surgery is the fact that he is partially blind in his right eye. Its his peripheral vision that is affected at the moment, he is in therapy for that and his surgeon says that his vision should improve if not return.

To say things have been chaotic and frantic around here the last few months would be a drastic under statement to say the least. Things like getting wifi or wireless internet out here have been put on the back burner and had fallen into the “things that are not important category” as has repairing the car and van, repairing the house etc, but as the days go by I am slowly catching up on the not important file and getting things done such as home repairs, acquiring a reliable vehicle, getting internet access, catching up on bills etc.

Yesterday I borrowed a friends car and took our son to the city of Regina for a day out together, we went on a small shopping spree , he had saved up enough money to buy a couple games for his PS3, he wanted Black Ops 2 but E-B Games was sold out of that, so he bought himself Modern Warfare 3 and Battle Ship, we forgot to buy a keyboard for my Wifes PC and a battery for her DS thing, ah well next week. We also went to Visions (major electronics store) and I bought a wireless internet stick through Bell and a router so we can run more than 1 computer at the same time online, not that there will be more than 1 online often.

I also went and looked at another car , a 1998 Chevrolet , it only has 78,000kms ( about 60,000 miles) on the motor, the guy wants $1500, I didnt buy it yet, but have been emailing back and forth finding out why he wants to sell it.

I will get my trusty red DORF repaired, its the exhaust manifold that cracked, I have the new one and the gaskets for it but more or less have to wait for spring to install it as it has been minus 45C ( minus 49 F ) just a tad too dang cold to be working on a motor. So the plan is buy another car, repair the red DORF and use it as a spare car.

We have 6+ feet of snow on the ground, and the snow banks that make up the wind rows are almost 12+ feet high, some of the snow drifts in are yard are in excess of 8 feet, it has been a cold snowy winter and when spring arrives the village of Pense is going to flood for sure, I know that our property will be under at least 2 feet of water for sure, thats okay though, I am ready for that, I have spent the winter shovelling a 4 foot path around the house and have a couple sump pumps on stand by, no water will get in the house or the crawl space, the house itself is perched on a foundation that lifts the house a good 4 feet off the ground, the crawl space itself is all concrete and sand, even if water breached the foundation walls, there is nothing in the crawl space that could be harmed, there is no electrical wires there, no furnace, just plumbing and sewer pipes. All I would do is simply pump it out then spread lye across the sandy floor to prevent any mildew or smells, open the outside access doors, put a screen and chicken wire across the opening and let it air out all summer, be good as new when done.

The Sundown Optimist Club of Regina is having its 33rd annual classic car draw, this year they are raffling off a 1968 Ford Mustang, so I bought 50 of them, the money goes to support youth programs so I figured it was money well spent, I dont have a snow balls chance in hell of actually winning the car, my chances are 20 in 46,000 , but hey thats alright. Last year I entered for a 1974 Corvette Stingray ...didnt win that one either lol its like the lottery, I never win but play each week, cant win if you dont have a ticket, its more of a waste of money but its only $6 per week. Chances are slim to non that I will ever hit the jackpots, but through the years I have won $50 here and $1500 there and loads of free tickets but never the “big one” I just play for the fun of it and never expect to win, if I win something , even a free ticket, then bonus, if not, oh well nothing ventured nothing gained play again. I enter pretty much every draw that the village of Pense rec board hosts, and have won various things, from candles to custom pedal bikes and a small sculpture from local artist Joe FaFar.

Well guess thats about all for now , yall have a good day

Butch


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Life goes on and other Ramblings from the prairies

Lately Mother Nature has been trying to Kill me again , it’s an ongoing battle between her and I , she calls it my come uppance, I call it Karma …. see I used to drive a huge behemoth of a Ford Bronco 4X4 ( full size not the pansy little one ) , yep it was a BEAST , had a 8 inch lift ( which was funny watching my wife trying to climb in to it , I had to lift Hammy in to it ) and had monster 32’s (wheels) on it, Mud Boggin tires not really suited for the highway, anyway it had an Ozone frying 351 Cleveland done to the nuts power plant, and it got a whopping 11 miles to the gallon highway and about 5 miles to the gallon in the city…. yep it was my TOY, my BABY, I had it for 7 years and had about 10 grand in upgrades into it, never thought twice about burning up the Ozone, and I am sure that while goofing off in Jenkins mud pit I contributed heavily to Global warming…. which is why Mother Nature is p!ssed at me and out to kill me!

To say the last couple days have been hot is a drastic understatement !! keep in mind I am from the great white north where it gets cold enough to kill penguins ! … this heat wave is absolutely killing me!! it’s been so hot the Devil himself stuck his head out of a gopher hole and said D@mn ! it’s hotter than Hades up here!! …. I can handle 20 to 23 degrees Celsius with just a mild case of the sweats and about a gallon of ice water every 20 minutes or so , but this!! THIS!! 31.4 Celsius !! (88.52 Fahrenheit) is gonna be the absolute death of me!! too hot too too hot!! and it will eventually get to 35 – 38 – 40 Celsius by mid July ( about 104 Fahrenheit), I am sure Mother Nature is enjoying watching me nearly pass out working in this heat! it’s payback for driving that ozone frying global warming Bronco !!

I’ve been busy outdoors helping a friend get his yard fixed up the way his wife wants it, that right there is a comedy of errors, he has MS and is slower than molasses in January, but I admire him because he doesn’t let it stop him from doing what needs to be done. I have a bad back that likes to crap out at the worst possible moments , that and fibromyalgia makes for a lovely day at the best of times, the 2 of us are in great shape! (NOT) lol , but we muddle through helping each other and we get things done eventually.

So anyway , we are almost done his yard, when I am done at his house, I come home and work in my own yard, usually in my veggie garden, I am at war with the weeds, and I fear the weeds are currently winning , everything is coming up now except my corn, cucumbers, and pumpkins , hopefully those start popping up in the next week or so.

I am seriously toying with the idea of leaving my part time job at my other friends bar/hotel, heck I only make $10 an hour there and only work on average 4 hours a night 3 or 4 nights per week, the tips are good though, not often a Cook gets tips but I do, $50 here $50 there , but it’s not really the money that’s an issue ( I still run my yard maintenance business, and haul scrap so it ain’t like I’m sitting on my @ss doing nothing) I am semi retired…. by that I mean I only work as much as I want/need too, and I always have a couple irons in the fire, the only time I actually sit on my @ss and do next to nothing is winter ( at minus 45 I ain’t stepping out for nothing or nobody) …. why would i be entertaining the idea of leaving the bar/hotel….. because it’s summer and that kitchen is wicked hot, and it’s not so fun anymore, my friend keeps adding to my job list and those 4 hours are starting to stretch into 5 and 6 hours , it’s just not worth it to me to be away from my son for that long almost every night now, so i haven’t been answering my phone when my friend calls, and I won’t until I decide 1 way or the other what it is I want to do.

I got into the scrap business with another friend, he has a 5 ton tilt deck truck, so I invested and became a partner , I don’t own half of his business, but enough to earn a 6040 split ( he gets 60 I get 40) it generates a nice little income for me and I am learning new things so it is fun for me.

perhaps my greatest iron in the fire is , and this is so simple it’s ridiculous, I build large wooden construction waste bins , and rent them out to the local construction companies that come out here to build/renovate houses ( way cheaper than renting a big metal loras bin) and I haul it away with my friends 5 ton truck , and replace it with an empty one, the scrap wood they throw into it , I take out and what I can’t use for various small projects, I cut up into 1 foot lengths and sell it off for firewood! very little ends up in the landfill, most of it ends up in the village folks fire pits , I don’t just supply this village, I also supply 4 others , same goes with my yard maintenance business, I do 4 other communities not just my own.

I like being my own boss, I pick and choose my hours, work at my own pace and am always keeping a weathered eye on the horizon for new ventures . I am by no means rich and at times live paycheck to paycheck, most times with all my irons in the fires, I generate enough to take the winter off and enjoy my days at home.

I save money where I can , I bought an old 100+ year old home that was a fixer upper for less money than most spent on a down payment for a new huge Mcmansion home , I drive older cars, and do a lot of horse trading ( bartering) for things I need or want , my furniture is used , but nice, and I have some antiques as well as home made stuff , I chose quite simply to pursue life and personal happiness over monetary gain , I do plan on eventually going completely off the grid, I want to install solar panels and 2 small wind turbines on my house and generate my own power, I will stay hooked to the corporate power for only one reason…. to put electricity back onto the grid ( they actually pay you for doing that) I won’t make millions or even thousands doing that, but even if I get a check for $50 or $100 per month from the power company…. well thats $50 or $100 extra a month I didn’t have before!

I know I have a nice shiney new high efficiency furnace , but eventually i want to turn that off too for good, just keep it as a back up, I’d like to upgrade my little wood burning fireplace to a high efficiency pellet fireplace, heat the whole house with that ( my house is under 900 square feet split level) replace the gas water heater ( it’s a rental) with an electric which will be powered via solar/wind … most likely a rental again, because if it craps out it gets replaced free and is not my problem. The only area I’d have trouble stepping off the grid is the water supply, yes I have about a 20,000 gallon cistern , but that hasn’t been used for anything in about 50 years , except for spuds, I put potatoes down there for cold storage , I would have to make sure it didn’t leak before even attempting to use it for water, then there’s the issue of …where do i get the water? …. digging a well in the village is frowned upon big time. course I could fill it with rainwater and meltwater and use it for the toilet , run it through some filters and it could be hooked up to supply the entire bathroom , the garden and for watering the lawn etc. and just use the village water for drinking that would cut my water bill down to next to nothing. ( I will have to ponder this awhile)

So anyway my kidlet is off on a 3 day camping trip with his school , so it is just me , the 4 cats and the dog for the next few days, which means for 3 days I don’t have to wait for him to get off the computer , I have a laptop up in my bedroom, but we only have 1 wireless turbo stick .

So that’s all for tonight, Remember Folks:express your love often, never take tomorrow for granted, and be kind to others.

Butch
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Remembrance Day in Canada – Veteran’s Day in the USA Memorial Day across the Commonwealth

To Every soldier past and present – Thank You

Your sacrifice and service has allowed me to be me, live my life open and free, free to marry whom I chose, free to raise a child, free to work where and when I want, free to live my life to the fullest,free to choose, free to think,free to do every single thing that I daily take for granted, for my very life and my very freedom Thank you

Butch
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Random Thoughts and the Law be damned!

One of my projects last month was to replace our old worn out commode (circa 1980-ish), with a brand spanking new one (which I surely did), see the old one just plain wore out, I tried in vain to salvage it by putting a brand new low flush tank on it (apparently you can not buy a new none enviro/low flow/ econo tank anymore, even from used hardware stores like the re-store), anyway the new modern tank just failed 40 ways from sunday, it just didn’t have enough oomph to flush the old commode , so it was out with the old and in with the new….. which involved 2 people to install,and a very gross wax gasket replacement (we shall skip the gory details and sum it up with …. it was fart knocking NASTY !!)

My Wife was in the hospital having chemo when I undertook this swap out, it was to surprise her with a commode that was a tad taller (no more knees up around your ears while sitting on it) , and most importantly… a commode that actually flushed! (no more hauling a bucket of water from the tub/shower to flush), I even fancied up the new commode with a seat and lid (plastic) shaped like an oyster shell ! and yep she was surprised, so much so the first time she sat on it she discovered her feets barely touch the floor, and she learned if she stayed on it too long her feets fell asleep ….have you ever seen someone try to walk with both feet gone numb/asleep?? … lotsa laughs , her being sick or not, that right there was funny stuff!! , no worries the new commode also got our son too!! not only did both of his feet fall asleep, so did both legs!! he looked an awful lot like a drunken chimpanzee trying to walk, and ohhh the squeaks and squeals and the panic stricken look on his face as he flopped around with his pants around his ankles was PRICELESS! I nearly passed out from laughing so hard! … so user beware, you need to be around 5ft10 or taller to use my commode, if you are shorter, well your feet and legs just may fall asleep if you sit too long! as for me? I’m 5ft10 on the button and I have no issues lol

What to do with the old commode? I decided to save $5 in gas and not take it to the dump, instead I turned it into a lawn ornament/flower pot,

My Wife absolutely forbade me from putting this out on the front lawn ( I dunno why? I think it’s nice!), so to avoid her wrath, I placed it between the back deck and back step, so when you come to our house, this will be the first thing you will see before entering our house! Everyone who has been here gets a chuckle and tells me what a neat idea that is (like I need further encouragement)…you should see my plans for a home made hot tub, just need a fire pit a claw foot tub and a leaf blower!! ( bet ya dollars to donuts that my wife will absolutely positively and most assuredly refuse to let me build it ! )

So that’s enough of that, lets move on and Break the Law !

I’ve been reading a few Cancer blogs, following more than a dozen folks on twitter who are or have battled cancer, even donated to a couple who were raising money for alternative therapy for Cancer, specifically Cannabis oil.

Now I have been Googling the hell out of Cannabis oil for cancer treatment, been researching the good reports and the bad reports, the medical and otherwise and have concluded that hey, it is a natural product, it certainly can NOT hurt a person, and maybe it might help my wife in some way, cure her? I don’t know, ease her pain? most definitely yes, side effects? a calm relaxed happy feeling, a serious case of the munchies, and sleepiness … I can live with that!, she deserves to be calm and happy, she needs to gain a few pounds anyway and she does need a good sleep!

Now I’ve looked for places locally where I might acquire some of this oil legally, but there is nothing anywhere in Saskatchewan to be found, so I looked on ebay, I actually found a steady supply from Germany, however I don’t know the producer and have no idea how pure, concentrated it is or if it’s spiked with anything, or even if the product is what the seller claims it is! That’s a lot of $$ to gamble , not to mention how far up shit creek I’d be if Customs or Canada Post ever opened the package, so I have come up with a safer more practical idea that will get me all the Cannabis oil I could ever want for my wife, a nice steady safe supply.

We own a nice size chunk of land here, we have quite a few trees and shrubs in and around the property, we also have a few old buildings and best of all no one ever tresspasses on our property, I can acquire a hand full of seeds and quietly plant a couple here and there on our land out back and just leave it to nature to let them grow, I figure I could probably grow around 10 plants at a time maybe a couple more, but not together like drug dealers or grow ops do, just space them out randomly , a couple here, a couple there, a couple over yonder.

I must confess I do have a colorful past and this is not exactly new to me, many many years ago while living in Calgary, a friend and I stumbled across the very spot where the city police buried all the pot plants from all the grow ops they raided….. needless to say we hauled out over 100 lbs out , and that is where I learned to make oil from the plant.

Now fast forward to the present time, my idea is this, I will grow my own supply for my wife, I will cook it down to the Cannabis oil , and go to multiple drug stores and shopping centers and buy your basic over the counter pain medicine (aspirin,tylenol, etc) in capsule form, empty the capsules of the medication and refill the capsules with Cannabis oil! I won’t be selling or distributing any of it, so if I do get busted it is a simple possession charge , a slap on the hand here in Canada) and I’d lawyer up and make a medical case out of it , end result is any charges getting dropped.

That’s my plan, and I am going to make it happen, in the long run it’s well worth the risk and it’s cheaper than buying it from people I don’t know,and this way I have total control of the quality (meaning it won’t be spiked with anything ) just pure 100% Cannabis oil.

I will do absolutely anything for my wife, and if it means breaking the law to provide her with a medicine that may help her, then yes without hesitation that is exactly what I will do.



Guess that’s all for now, remember to express your love often, never take tomorrow for granted, and be kind to others, Peace

Butch
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Baby Crib Woodworking Plans Heirloom in the Making

The Quick And Easy Tips for Building Baby Crib Woodworking Plans!

Building a baby crib on your own is an experience that is more elaborate than just making a mechanical bed. It is a prized heirloom that can be passed on through generations.

The hardships taken to accomplish the lengthy process get faded as you behold your unique creation and the wondrous and joyous reaction of the newborn seeing its cherished prize. While, this can barely be expressed in words, the construction process can be made simple and easy beyond imagination with baby crib woodworking plans. By means of such plans, the handmade crib carries its purity with the woodworker having to invest bare minimum efforts. Read All Details and Find Ideas about Baby Crib Woodworking Plans!

However, to build a cot, you need to start with purchasing baby crib woodworking plans. Whilst buying, make sure that you pick the one that matches with your level of expertise. Ensure that the plan has descriptive diagrams and explicit narration of the entire procedure.

Some Factors of Baby Crib Woodworking Plans

First, determine which level of skill you are in at this point and choose a design that you can easily comprehend and implement. However, whether you are a novice or an advanced worker, the only difference that designs will make is the time duration taken to build it. Purchase baby crib woodworking plans that feature detailed photos, drawings, list of materials and specific steps mentioned beside the building process.

If possible, try to get hold of baby crib woodworking plans that have instructions published in the form of drawing. Whatsoever, do not buy a plan that is too critical for your skill level.

Now, figure out the span of time you have on hand to finish the task. Assessing both your expertise and time frame. If, you have less time for the big day to arrive, it is strongly recommended to avoid anything too complex.

Next, when you have all the supplies stockpiled, ensure that your work space is big enough to allow free movement. You need enough space to lay out your baby crib woodworking plans beside which you need a length of empty space for the assembling.

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The vital-most factor that will determine the longevity of the heirloom is the material of the construction. While softwood does not last over the years, hardwood is preferred even though it is expensive. Do not skimp on the timber quality and try to afford oak, cedar or redwood to make the crib, that in turn will last for generations.

However, it is best if you seek advice from your local lumberyard clerk about the lumber quality and building concerns of the bed. Consider the finishing for the safety factor and non-toxicity.

You find out a Baby Crib Woodworking Plans?

To learn more about Baby Crib Woodworking Plans and see how easy it is to build your own projects, you need to learn from a professional. Get the ultimate inside scoop now and see home to some of the best woodworking plans on the internet, visit:

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Wine Glass Rack Plans Because Woodworking Need Not Bring Forth the Grapes of Wrath!

Wine Glass Rack Plans - New Discovery Reveals!

You want wine glass rack plans? Ready made wine racks can over a hundred, and at times, a thousand dollars. Yes, that is how expensive it is to acquire storage space for an equally expensive collection. However, there is a reason for all the buzz about wine and wine racks. See Our Articles ideas for Wine Rack Plans!

There is something absolutely enchanting about a glass of good wine. And what better way to showcase excellent wines than by keeping them that would give justice to its sublimity.

Before you go wine rack hunting, you might want to entertain the idea of dabbling in woodworking yourself and crafting it from scratch, with the help of wine glass rack plans. If you want something that is truly exclusive, try it and add a few touches of your own, if you are a considerably skilled woodworker (or plans and patterns researcher).

===> A Fresh Approach about Build Wine Glass Rack Plans!

There are highly detailed wine glass rack plans that could walk you through creating good finishes and designs anyway. Take a look at the things you need to consider when looking for it.

Decorativeness

Do you intend to use the wine rack as a storage place or as a showcase? If that is the later, take a look at alternative construction notes to generate ideas for customization and to give it a more decorative feel through good finishing, intricate woodwork patterns and all. Applying veneer could also do wonders for your wine rack.

Functionality

Of course, while it can be great to look at, you should not forget why you built it in the first place. In addition to its being a storage place, you should also think about other uses. For example, you may want to store wine glasses in it too. This is especially the case if you want it as an add-on to your bar. You should also consider a few slots for different kind of bottles as wine does not always come in the standard size bottles.

Basics of Wine Glass Rack Plans

Before you get caught up in patterns, designs, wood types and finishes, do not forget the basics. It should allow for the bottles to rest in a right angle; that way, the corks will stay moist. Corks should not be allowed to dry because it might shrink and the air will enter the bottle, affecting the wines taste.

The best wine glass rack plans should come with the mandatory step by step walk through. There should also be ample diagrams and illustrations to make your woodworking venture easier and more efficient. You would be surprised how your hands are capable of crafting wine racks worthy of your best cabernets and pinot noirs.

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I have actually found the perfect wine glass rack plans for you! Over 14,000 of them, to be exact! Go to MySmallWoodworkingProjects.blogspot.com and see all of the great woodworking plans they have got available for you today!

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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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Excuse me can I borrow your woman for a quick second and other rambles from the prairies

Soooo … the big city is gearing up for the big LGBTQ pride festival, City Hall is even getting in on the festivities by flying the Rainbow Flag right next to the Saskatchewan and Canadian Flag , I hope they have lots of fun and don’t have to deal with too many right wing religious loons .

That said, I was at walmart today grabbing some stuff for the house, I needed more tub and tile caulking , and a few other things, and decided to stop in the paint section and look at those paint cards… now I am a handy person with tools, can fix most anything and have a “thing” for power tools …. however… home decorator I am NOT!

While standing there holding paint sample cards …way out of my element ….completely baffled and lost not to mention confused as all get out… trying to make sense of the funny names of colours… pure periwinkle??… it’s BLUE! WTF is a periwinkle? sounds like some kind of foreign fruit! … “No you can’t have a glass of milk until you finish your periwinkles!! … yep put that right up there with brussel sprouts ! Ick factor 12!

Old Bronze?? … Bronze my @ss… that is not even a colour… it looks an awful lot like the stuff in the cat litter box after Peepster ate the chia pet and washed it down with the heavy cream she spilt all over the counter !!

Easter Egg??… it’s frickin PURPLE!! … I can just see myself standing at the counter asking for a can of periwinkle and Easter egg or flax seed (yellow) … like that is ever gonna happen!! … who the h3ll comes up with these backasswards names? … it HAS to be a FEMME thing!! … no self respecting Butch or manly man is going to ask anyone for a gallon of periwinkle at any point in time, for any reason …. it just ain’t gonna happen!

So I did what any person would do who was trying to save their dignity and self respect… I asked a complete stranger if I could borrow his wife for a quick second ! …. yeah I got a strange look outta him at first… so before he could tell me to go to h3ll or knock me out in isle 3 …. I quickly held up the paint cards and simply said periwinkle!!?? … he quickly realised I was in the same situation as he was …. stuck picking paint colours with absolutely no clue how to match coordinate or otherwise decorate , he must have felt real bad because he glanced around and saw that I was flying solo …. perhaps he was relieved since he would get a few moments break from his wife’s questions… what do you think dear? this would look nice there don’t you think/ etc… questions that married folks quickly learn to just say yes dear or if you think so dear … if they ever hope to have sex again.

So this wife ( her name was cynthia ) … helped me out… or rather she did all the decision making … now with 18 years experience I knew to put on my clueless cap …. I told her I was clueless ( and really … I am!!) and needed a Lady’s opinion on colours since they are so knowledgeable about such things and home decor , I briefly explained that I am recently widowed and am trying to spruce up the house, to use the colours my wife would have wanted… but gosh there is just so many different shades!! … I told her it is just myself and our 13 year old son now, so I needed something with a feminine touch , yet didn’t compromise the masculine side of life either… Ohhh she was all over that like white on rice …. I told her I needed purple for the bathroom… but not a dark bold purple, I needed a subtle purple or something close to it, I told her I had dark oak furnishings in there with a grey slate tile floor…. she chose the Easter Egg colour… a pale purple … so I marked that card .

next the kitchen… I told her there was tan coloured furnishings in there, lots of pine , and I needed a yellow, but not a bright yellow … I told her it had light grey vinyl tile there , she picked flaxseed … it’s a subtle yellow , so I marked that card , lastly the living room, I told her I wanted to stay somewhat neutral here, some sort of off white, and asked if there was such thing as a bluish white? … there was and she found it… Ming Dynasty white … masculine but not overbearing , very subtle… I marked that card, and thanked her profusely , and thanked her husband for loaning me her expertise in such matters.

Now when I go back to the store , I will be armed with my marked paint cards and will just point and say this one, this one, and that one… no way am I asking for easter eggs , flax seeds and ming dynasty!! I have my self respect and dignity to maintain !!

My Butch card is still intact as is my dignity and self respect , and thanks to me making that guys wife feel extra important , that guy stands a good chance of getting a lil’ sum sum tonight…. so I was just as helpful to him as his wife was to me , he should thank me ! lol

well that’s all for now, I’m off to try and explain periwinkle to Hammy , so Remember Folks:express your love often, never take tomorrow for granted, and be kind to others.

Butch
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Ebola Parody of The Kinks Lola ZDoggMD com

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The House just isn’t a Home when my Wife is absent

Today is the day we (my wife & I) were dreading, Chemo day, my Wife gets upset and cries when ever she has to go in for chemo, partly because it makes her so sick (ironic since it is also what’s keeping her alive) and partly because for the next 3 or 4 days she will be separated from her Family (Hammy and I) as well as her beloved pets ,Sabre (Cat) , Tippy (Cat) , Teddy Bearz (Cat) and Peepster (Cat) and of course Memphis (Big Doofy Dog), and the fact she will be away from her home.

It breaks my heart to see her cry, knowing that there is absolutely nothing I can do or say to ease her physical pain or emotional turmoil, I comfort her as best as I can and try to remain positive and strong for her, outwardly I am an emotional rock, but inside I’m dying a thousand deaths knowing my wife suffers so much from Cancer, I want to scream and shout and punch something, anything just to be able to unload the heart ache I feel, knowing that the chemo , at best, is buying my wife a few extra months of life here on earth with us, always praying for a miracle , while also praying that she passes quickly in her sleep so the hurt and pain she feels will cease.

It’s hard on me to see her suffer, to see her struggle to get better so she can see her son graduate, get married, have kids etc. It kills me to know that I can’t fix this, for 17 years with her I have had all the answers, fixed all her problems,stood at her side lovingly through hell and back and through heavenly times too. Now I am at her side to the bitter end, with nothing but pure love and gratefulness, I am so very grateful that she chose to be in my life for the last 17 years, I wish and pray she could be in my life 17 more, but I know that ,that can never happen, a very huge part of me is dying inside.

Yesterday she told me that when she passes, she would want for me to find a companion or at the very least a friend, I told her I could never ever do that, she is my soul mate, I could never find that sort of love and happiness again, no I will remain single, raise our boy to be a fine man,and grow old with my memories of her.

Tonight the house just isn’t a home without my wife here, the atmosphere is different and time passes so slowly, I have to come home every evening because of our boy Hammy, even he notices the subtle changes in the house when she is not here, even the animals notice and react different than usual when she isn’t here.

With that I will say good night, I have opened up as much as I want to do for now, …Remember to express your love often, and never take tomorrow for granted. Peace be with you all

Butch



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Windows 10 my 2 cents and other shtuff from the prairies

Out here on the Saskatchewan Prairies we are just 24 hours out from a wicked 3 day storm, there were tornadoes involved and a torrential downpour of rain, the thunder shook my wee house and rattled the windows, and the lightening was an awesomely amazing light show, huge forks of white blue and purple lightening that lit up the entire sky for 10 to 20 seconds at a time …… I do love our prairie storms, they are spectacular and frightening, folks who are not from the prairies normally duck and run for cover, our storms are quite different than the rest of the provinces , they are something to be witnessed as they are not easily described.

So I went ahead and installed Windows 10 on both the home PC and on my laptop, and I have 2 different versions of Windows 10, I have Windows 10 Home edition on the PC (full version) and Widows 10 Work edition on my laptop ( full version) , there are subtle differences but for the most part both are easy to navigate and use.

As I stated in the previous post , you can get Windows 10 for FREE from the Microsoft website , and it’s the full version, not a demo or trial, just go over to their site and click on the upgrade … it’s FREE , it’s a 3 gig download, but it goes fairly quick , it takes about 20 minutes for Windows 10 to set itself up, save your existing windows version ( so you can switch back if you don’t like the upgrade) and save all your files and settings, from there it’s a 5 minute install and BAM your good to go!

Now, I will say you NEED to watch the how to video’s , and read the help files, let Windows 10 assist you in setting things up the way you like, it is practically idiot proof !

I haven’t played around with their new Browser …. yet … it is called Microsoft Edge , from what I have read it IS all that and a bag of chips , it is designed to give both Fire Fox and Chrome a good run for their money…. meaning it is designed to meet or exceed both Fire Fox and Chromes abilities and ease of use etc. Microsoft Edge is a Major player in the browser world , unlike it’s failed predecessors (Explorer) …. I looked at Edge briefly , I never went further than it’s home page, it IS streamlined, and had local news on it, my only dislike thus far is it uses BING as it’s search engine and not Google , though you CAN go into the browser settings and make Google the home/start page. I shall play around with the new Microsoft browser in the coming days and give a review (personal opinion) on it, I am a die hard Chrome user, which is very compatible with Windows 10 , actually every program and file that I had on both Windows 8.1 (laptop) and Windows 7 (PC) work very well with Windows 10 , Microsoft did not attempt to force people to use only Microsoft products and programs with Windows 10 as they had done with Vista , instead they made Windows 10 compatible with most outside programs and products …. and again it is very user friendly.

There are many features that I haven’t played with yet, such as Cortina , activate that and the computer will talk to you , you will absolutely love windows 10 if you have a tablet or a touch screen on your computer , and you can pass info back and forth between windows based devices without the use of usb cords , just set the tablet , phone etc next to the computer screen and swipe… the stuff on your computer magically appears on the other device and visa versa .

BTW windows 10 is also available for your tables and windows based phones… absolutely FREE and again it’s the FULL version, and is FREE for as long as you own what ever device you downloaded it onto along with any future upgrades , they will also be FREE.

There is also no limit on how many computers laptops or devices that you can upgrade to windows 10 , Windows 10 also holds your previous version of windows for you, you have exactly 30 days from the moment you log onto windows 10 for the first time to decide if you want to keep it or go back to your earlier version of windows , click the reinstall previous windows version button and windows will restore your previous version and remove windows 10 , if you wait beyond the 30 day limit windows 10 will permanently delete your previous version of windows and you will be running windows 10 permanently.

Windows 10 did speed up both my PC and laptop, it actually uses less than half the resources (cpu and memory) than windows 7 or 8.1 and the graphics are unreal! you can also set up the start menu to function and look the same way as Windows XP, Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 , Windows 10 gives you full preference and customization, you can do a great many things with it , I’ve only played with it for 2 hours so I am not aware of every feature and function …. yet. just give me a few days.

So that is about all I know of Windows 10 at this moment, I will play with it for awhile and report back with my thoughts and opinions, so far there is nothing I really don’t like except for the Bing and that’s a simple click of the settings button, as I said I am a Chrome user , so Windows Edge will be hard pressed to win me over.

Other than that I have been looking after a neighbour’s sick dog, a scruffy little pocket dog, not sure what breed it is , but it has the runs , I am going to get it some medicine tomorrow, I also have to do some shopping , I absolutely dislike shopping, but the dog needs food as do the cats and I have a 14 year old human eating machine (Hammy) to feed so it is a chore that must be done .

I have managed to pull myself back together after my grief meltdown, and Thank You ALL for your kind words, I do very much appreciate you all. I should be okay for a good while now… I hope.

Anyway that is all for tonight, I have to be up extra early tomorrow so I shall bid you all good night, oh and Remember Folks : express your love often, never take tomorrow for granted, and be kind to others.

Butch
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Woodworking Projects The Best Way to Save Your Money

          Did you someone who cares a lot for interior decoration of your home? You want a variation on the furniture in your home but do not have enough money? Wood work produced by your own hand definitely will be your final choice to be given to loved ones. However, if youre still new with woodworking would you hesitate to payout your money when you see machinery tools for woodworking are very expensive.

          There are various ways to save money with your woodworking project. Let us focus on building tools for woodworking. At first you will issue an amount of money to buy wood working appliances. I advise you not too mean when the first time purchasing woodworking tools because you will use the device for a long time. It is better for you to buy good quality equipment but expensive compared to cheap equipment but not durable.

          Moreover, having a perfect plan for your woodworking projects was very important so that you can reduce production of sawdust from your woodwork. You can purchase a lot of simple, quick but fascinating plans from internet nowadays. Whether you want to design a bed for your daughter or even your own chest and the most important is that was you own personal taste! Even if you are still an amateurs you can build a bedroom set, a built-in bookshelf and entertainment center or an outdoor garden shed and gazebo. Since there are step-by-step instructions available, you can find reasonably priced plans and sometimes, there are free plans available for certain woodworking projects!

From: google.com

          Woodworking plans and material for building chicken coop or patio furniture for example can save you more than 50% apart from buying ready-made items. See, it is easy to start saving money on many things. If you want to build a dining room set, or set your own bedroom, there are now a variety of woodworking plans that provide complete and clear guidelines for you to complete your project that will provide a unique product and furniture according to your tastes.

          If you wish to repair your home furniture, woodworking that is too detail is not required. Whether you want to remodel the kitchen or add a room, it is obvious that a difference the proper woodworking plans can make in the finished product. They can also save your time and money because you will have a shopping list to purchase your materials and tools from.

          As the cap, if youre still new-beginners in woodworking projects, the very suitable for you to start with the beginners phase. Here you can find up to 16, 000 designs that provide blueprints for your woodwork, very simple and step-by-step instructions for your projects. Now, save your money for woodworking projects, and get your own best furniture from here!

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The simple side of life

Happy Independence Day to everyone in the USA !! God Bless you,may you once again become a world leader and champion of all that is Right and Just.

Canada Day was July 1st, being that we live out in the countryside I purchased and fired off fireworks, of course they werent as good as the professional fireworks in the cities, but hey, they were pretty and there were no major mishaps,fires or unwanted mayhem.

Today was a day of getting back to basics,remembering where we were and where we are now, today was a day to get back to the simple country living that we have come to enjoy for the past 6 odd years or so.
Keep in mind that my Wife is a city gal, born and raised in Calgary Alberta,she has lived in the big city for 32 years of her life,try to picture the culture shock and general shock of leaving a big noisy fast paced city of 1.2 million people and moving to the outskirts of a small village with less than 500 people,where the only noise is cows mooing or coyotes howling! there is a small bar here, always dead except for friday nights when all the rowdy young farm boys come to town to drink gamble and swap stories about who has the biggest baddest truck in these here parts, the village also has a gas station which doubles as the local liquor store,convenience store,and greyhound bus stop ( though the bus rarely stops here), there is also a post office( mail arrives around 10:30am and gets sorted sometime before 4pm (closing time), there is an Anglican church,a hockey rink with a small curling rink attached, and a school that goes from kinder-garden to grade 8 (the kids have to bus it to the city to attend high school) and thats about it.

My wife misses the city life,she misses the transit system,she misses the large crowds and multiple shopping stores and malls,and after 6 years out here in the country she is still blind to all the beauty and freedom and safety that comes with living out here, I know if I ever hit the lottery or sold our property she would demand to move back to the stinking crime ridden big city.

I am hurt, wounded,and now uncertain of my future,our sons future, I am saddened by the fact that we live in an almost paradise and my wife is blind to it and doesnt want to be here at all, yes the winters here in Saskatchewan are brutal, minus 40 degrees and over 6 feet of snow are the normal here in winter, and they are long winters too, 6 months straight, last winter it was 7 months straight! even I get fed up with the winters, but I always stop and think we usually get 6 months of hot summer too so it balances out.

Overall it is like a personal utopia here that Ive spent 6 years building for my wife and son, you wont see deer or moose in your yard in the middle of the city, you dont hear the coyotes sing their lonesome songs,nor hear the bull frogs and crickets, you cant tame down a raccoon in the city and have your morning coffee out on the deck wearing nothing but a tee shirt and boxers without a neighbor bitching, in the city you can only have as many hobbies/toys as your garage or parking space will allow, here in the country we have all kinds of toys, a camper, 3 vehicles, a pair of off road bikes a snowmobile etc, good luck using half that crap in the city never mind trying to park it all, here you can walk for miles and breathe fresh flower scented air, the folks are friendly and actually stop and talk to you, try leaving your car, garage and house unlocked over night or while your out in the city, cant do it or youd be robbed blind, here you can and we often do as do most others in the village.

Here in the country you can sit out and watch the stars and actually see them, all of them, cant do that in the city,the bright lights blind the stars,thunder storms are awesome out here in the country,scary and invigorating at the same time, most of the storms are lost in the cities, hard to watch the lightening show when theres a hundred story skyscraper blocking your view.

here our kid is free to roam where ever he pleases,everyone knows him and if he gets into mischief ,we know about it before he gets home and can deal with it, cant let your kid have that kind of freedom in the city, no shootings stabbings robbery in the country, all that and more in the city.

Im hurt because we have worked hard to get ourselves out here so our son could be free and so we could get away from the crime found in the cities, I dont wish to give what we have up just to have multiple shopping options, we can drive to the city for a day of shopping without having to actually live there.

I am pretty sure I would whither up and eventually die of a broken heart if I had to move back to a city, our son feels the same, yet my wife doesnt seem to care, she wants the city and is not happy here at all, I am caught between a rock and a hard place, and hope that her and I can resolve this, the negativity is killing me.


guess thats all for now

Butch
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Wood Project Kits for Kids How to Find the Most Suitable Woodworking Projects for Kids

Good Guide of Wood Project Kits for Kids

Woodworking is the best way to enhance a kids puzzle solving skills and unleash their hidden creativity. It is natural for kids to be excited when working with wood project kits for kids. Every little project that he could finish will improve his self-esteem and slowly improve his skills. Who knows? Your kid may be the next woodworking master in the future.

Woodworking is a great dad and son bonding activity and a great hobby, but always remember that a child is still a child. The wood hes using could still chip and form sharp edges, so it is the best that you do not allow your child to complete his small wood projects by himself.

===> Tactics and Tips about Wood Project Kits for Kids!

A good mentor should always be by his side to direct his moves -- and take note, only to direct his moves. If you are going to use power tools, make sure that you stand a safe distance away from your child before using it and never allow him to try the tool out.

Safety First

Choosing a wood project kits for kids is quite simple. As explained above, always put his safety first. Do not pick projects that require you to use professional tools. Your kid will not have fun with woodworking if you do everything. Choose small wood project kits for kids that he could perform easily by himself and require minimal assistance. This will allow him to grow and give him personal insights to how things work.

Start Easy

Remember that every project he completes will improve his self-esteem and get him all charged up to start with the next one. Choose small wood project kits for kids that are fairly easy to do for a kid. It will also help greatly if he could use or display the project he will work on.

Some ideas for wood projects include a simple tray for his toys, or a small chessboard. You can look for woodworking ideas on the Internet, which includes comprehensive and easy to follow guides for professionals, beginners and kids. See All Ideas for Wood Project Kits!

Where are wood project kits for kids?

There are all kinds of wood project kits for kids available on the Internet. A good project plan includes easy to follow step-by-step guides and a full list of the different materials you need. Assist your kid to collect and remember the names of each material.

Also, let him make out the instructions by himself and assist him only if the instruction requires the help of a parent, like it is hard to understand or if he asks you to show him how to do it. Just remember never to leave his side while completing a small wood project kits for kids. Moral support is the best assistance you could give him!

Do you want small wood projects which comes in step by step, easy to follow instructions which you can use as wood project kits for kids? Gain access and download these professional plans at http://MySmallWoodworkingProjects.blogspot.com

>>> Get Rid of Your Problems Now In An Instant with Wood Project Kits for Kids <<<

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Living with the “others”

So as I have casually mentioned in a few posts now, our house was built in 1910, it’s a one and a half story with a small addition off the rear which houses the mud room, laundry room, washroom, furnace and hot water tank, our house is one of the few remaining original homesteader houses left in our little village. It is somewhat modernized, it has power, plumbing and natural gas, the windows were upgraded back in the 1980?s, a second entrance was added around the same time, and new siding was put on in 2005 to cover the old tar shingle siding, beneath that is just bare planks.

It’s small but big enough for the 3 of us, it’s warm and cozy in the winter (big furnace + small house = warm) and…… it’s Haunted.

yes you read that right, I said our house is Haunted, and no I am not crazy, nor did my cheese finally fall off the cracker!

We share our house with ghosts, we have come to call them the “Others”, now let me be perfectly clear here and state that our haunted house is not nor has ever been (to the best of my knowledge) like those hell houses you see in the horror movies, and our others are not evil or menacing, or bad in anyway shape or form, they do not magically appear on command or when you least expect them, they don’t intentionally scare us and seldom interact with us, sometimes they do but 99% of the time we forget that they are even here, maybe we are just so used to them that we don’t notice as much now.

There are how ever some events that we do notice, and again, let me state nothing like the horror movies, things like the cupboard doors opening on their own, it’s actually pretty cool to watch, and even more fun when we have company and it happens, fun because of our guests , friends and families reactions.

From time to time a door will open or quietly close on it’s own , never once has a door been slammed shut or thrown open, and no they don’t creak like in the movies.

There is one thing though, at 2:30 am every morning for the last 6 or 7 years that we have lived in this house, there is heavy footsteps going up the stairs, sounds like someone wearing work boots, they never seem to go anywhere once they reach the top of the stairs, there is only 2 bedrooms and a small storage room upstairs, I only know it’s 2:30 am because I used to wake up to the sounds of footsteps for the first year and check the house for intruders.

Then there’s the waking up in the morning to the smell of fresh baked bread, I rather enjoy that when it happens, it’s not every morning, but when it happens the whole house smells like fresh baked bread for an hour or so.

I have only had this one happen to me once, it happened about 2 years ago in the middle of winter in the evening (exact time I don’t know, I’d guess 9:30 pm ish ), I was walking home from a visit with my friend Wayne, as I came around the corner of the street I looked at our house lit up with the Christmas lights and I looked at the kitchen window and swore our son was standing there looking out at me, I was about 60 to 70 or so feet from the house, it was night, and there was a blonde boy looking out the window, I recall being a bit miffed that our son wasn’t in bed yet as it was a school night, when I went in the house my wife was sitting on the couch watching tv, I asked her why our boy wasn’t in bed yet and she gave me a funny look, so I told her I just saw him looking out the kitchen window, our son had went to bed at 8:00pm and was sleeping, I know because I went upstairs and checked on him.

Our bedroom is also upstairs, once in a while we would feel a gentle tug on the blankets and once in awhile my wife would feel her hair being touched ever so gently , it didn’t happen often, just once in a while.

None of this ever scared us, and just to be sure nothing but positive energy resides in our home I smudge the house with sweet grass and pray , our house is warm and inviting and everyone who visits feels comfortable as well.

There are 3 “others” that live here for sure, perhaps there is more? but as I said they generally don’t bother us, I am not sure they are even aware that we live here, and I wonder if we are the “others” to them?

So have you had any experiences? do you live in a place that is Haunted as well?

Anyway, that’s all for now, it is late, remember folks , express your love often, never take tomorrow for granted and be kind to others

Butch
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