Robert Goulet - swiftly go the days...

I was living in Germany when I was 4 until I was 8. My Uncle was a teenager. He used to dance and sing to Elvis Presley records. I did not, (and still do not,) like Elvis. I would run into his room and stomp on his blue suede shoes. Yes, my Uncle Heine had a pair and he loved that song. I, disliking it made every attempt to step on them as long as Elvis music played. He called me a "kleine teufel", "little devil."

When we moved to Canada, I joined the Columbia Record Club. What albums did I get? Well two are pictured above. I loved, (and still love,) Robert Goulet. I knew every word to every song. Camelot was magic because of him. I, at 8/9 years old was belting out... "if ever I would leave you..." while my friends were barking about hound dogs and such. hehehe...

I also ordered, Andy Williams, Petulia Clark and my all time favourite, Frank Sinatra. I still have these albums.

I think now, that we've lost Robert Goulet I'll have to get myself a turn table and dig out my vinyl.

...to fight, the unbeatable foe...

Crime spree in my neighbourhood!

Early Saturday morning I got a phone call from a neighbour telling me Bob's new truck had been broken into. Now, I've been sick in bed since Wednesday but had finally gotten up to take a bath. I wrapped my hair in a towel, grabbed a jacket, woke up Bob and out we went. Well... it wasn't just Bob's truck, the Malibu got hit too. And really, it wasn't just two of our cars, there were about 46 more up and down our street!

It's not just the windows either, they've been pried at, scratched, trim ripped off and the interiors tossed and likely broken some bits. We figure our damage at about $3000.00 for the two cars. So if you average $1500.00 a car times 48 cars... That's $72,000.00 folks... (that does not take into account the cost of rental vehicles while repairs are being done or whatever was stolen from the cars.)

My Antique Empire chair

I posted about my orange chair in March. Yesterday I found an identical settee on line in a NY Antique shop. I emailed them. Today they answered. They too think it must have been a set. They are identically carved and date from about 1820. Furniture back then was "one of" not mass produced. If not a pair, they were certainly made in the same shop.

So one ended up in London Ontario, one in New York...

Back away from the screen! I may be contagious...

Sniffing, sneezing, coughing, my head is going to explode and I think my eyes are going to pop out of my head ... but hey, other than that... life is grand!

I am at war!

Me and the fluffy grey squirrel, it's war! Nothing I do keeps that little bugger out of the bird feeder. I tried an aluminium pie plate... he figured out he could climb the skinny metal pole, reach up with one arm, pull it down and climb over it. He scares away all the birds and feasts! Now this was going on at 8am, with me in my pajamas! I stormed upstairs, grabbed the Vaseline and greased the pole! HA!

To be extra sure, I bought chili powder. According to my resident ornithologist, Michie, squirrels hate it, birds can't taste it! So... we'll see what happens tomorrow morning.

Autumn?

Hello? 26.5 Celsius, (79.7 Fahrenheit for you non-metric types.)

While I was in the kitchen cooking sweet potato fries, (which are a lot of work and well... just ok,) I wanted to turn on the air conditioner! I was vetoed.

Bob, who didn't want to add to the hydro bill and the thin skinned, obviously very hot blooded Michelle who's wearing a hoodie with the hood up, both nixed the idea.

Now I am in favour of MILD weather but almost 80 in Mid October? I'm too old, too hormonal, (or lack thereof,) for this kind of heat without air dammit! hmmmm, that may be just a bit too much information eh? sorry! ;)

My wasted day... not such a waste afterall!

I got up at 8ish, late for me, and played on the computer until about 11am. I took a long bath and read in the tub. I then decided to waste my day as I've been working so hard on the house. I got in the car and went to a couple of antique stores. Looked around, didn't buy anything.

I started driving out into the county and saw the Racetrack/Slots on my left and decided to go in. I called Michelle on my cell and told her where I was. Ten minutes later, I called her back and said, "my work here is done." I played the above machine, it's poker, Jacks or better. I got four 4's! It paid $200.00! woo hoo... I took the money and left. Well I got $221.00 so I must have had some credits there too.

Then I carried on into the county, went and visited my Sister-in-law and Brother-in-law. Then I came home. $200.00 richer, happy and relaxed. Now poor Michelle had been studying all day for a fish exam and Bob had been slogging in the new rooms upstairs. I popped a couple of pizza's into the oven, (not wanting to spoil my "do nothing day" by cooking,) and fed them.

I may blow my $200.00 playing real poker, instead of the on line pretend money kind? I've never played poker in the Windsor Casino. (Don't get the idea I make a habit of this gambling thing. I've been in Windsor Casino twice and the Track maybe 3 times over the many, many years they've been around!)

"Toal" Google Alert... Auntie Sheila, you're famous!

I subscribe to "Google Alerts" one is for the name Toal. Look what came in my mail today! Ha... see not being treated like "chopped liver" at all.


Click the pic to enlarge to reading size!

A new Trudeau!

This is a Christmas card I got from Pierre Trudeau in the 70's. I can still remember how excited I was when it came. I have a couple of letters from him also. One from the Prime Minister's Office and one from his law firm after his leaving politics. Now the reason I'm posting it today...

Justin Trudeau's first child has been born. Xavier is his name and... he was born on his Grandfather, Pierre's birthday!

Félicitations Justin!

ps; I just realized that I have a pic of Justin's Mother, Margaret in my profile pic. (I changed it last night.) The whole family is here now. :)

The coolest fish and I want one!

Ok, a few months ago I posted I wanted an arctic ice fish, the one with no red blood cells. Last month I also wanted an albino white spotted ratfish. Now I have my supreme fish want... this is it for sure, (I think.) The mangrove killifish, (Rivulus marmoratus, for those of you who happen to be my daughter and are studying fish biology this semester.)

This little fish lives in shallow, swampy areas and when the water dries up, goes for a walk, (well it goes for a slither,) and goes and lives inside dead fall trees in the tunnels caused by insects! They switch from their gills to breathing through their skin and can stay there for months!

Imagine the aquarium I'd have with those three little buggers! That's assuming I didn't kill them all like I did the last batch? sigh... Well, I still have Fluffy living in my neighbour's pond. He will be 5 years old in about 2 months and he's huge!

The Toal toll is rising! Welcome Auntie Sheila

Ok, my Auntie Sheila, who lives in Calgary, has visited my blog. I want to and will post a pic of her soon but, ummmm... due to the home renovations going on, my photo albums are up in the attic with my yearbooks. Now you can read, a post or two below, what happened the last time I went up to the attic at night trying to find something.
I've learned my lesson, you don't have to whack me with a 2x4! (twice)

The Tell Tale Nose... (paraphrasing Edgar)

The bridge of my nose... has a pulse :(

My new stamp find!

I was going through my stamps, (again,) the other night... look what I found! A 14cent, 1978 issue cameo Queen Elizabeth that has a major printing error! woohoo... You can see that the error existed pre-mailing as the cancel goes right through it... now if I could only find someone to tell me if it's special?

High school yearbooks & 2x4's are dangerous things! BEWARE!

So... Patty was over last night and I decided I needed to find my high school yearbooks. Now... due to the major reno's happening here, they have been moved to the attic. It was dark. I went up the stairs most of the way, stopped a few stairs down from the attic floor and started swinging my right arm around to feel for the string attached to the light. I couldn't find it. I leaned in closer. I hit the bridge of my nose on the 2x4 cross beam of the opening into the loft. I saw stars, white flashes and well... it was distinctly unpleasant.

I now have a cut across my nose, it's swollen, my upper gums in the front are slightly numbed and I think it's broken. No one else does though and they are laughing at me. I, however, fail to see any humour in this!

I'd snort in disgust but I'm pretty sure snorting would hurt!

Just because

House painting

My house has been under renovations for, well, ok fine, about 18 years, which I, until now, thought was a really long time. But... thanks to a lot of work on Bob & Matthew's part, and now my friend Shelley, (who's doing a fantastic job!) it's almost done!

So as I'm surfing the net and thinking about my new paint... what do I find? OMG... they've unearthed a painted wall in Syria that dates back to 9000 B.C.! Now I wonder what my paint job will look like in 11,000 years? Hmmmmmmm Shelley?

Nostalgia

Left to right; Barbara, Sandra, Mom, me

Christmas in the 60's. Dad was serving in Cyprus. He sent the doll I'm holding. Sandra still has her Drowsy doll and Barb, well I'm happy to report her front teeth grew back in eventually! Note the Barbie case under the tree. Sure wish I still had my shiny black one! I think Sandra still has her blue one. I also want to know why everyone has on fancy, shiny black shoes and I'm wearing slippers?

Another one, for the birds

Took this one this morning. Click it to enlarge. They are such lovely birds. I promise this is the last one unless something really unsual happens along! :) *click the pic

Hansel & Gretel update! Tidings of great joy!

They have a home, together! They just drove away lying on the dash of a minivan with a young family. Husband, wife and a little girl. They're going to take pics and send them to me. I shall post them. Happy dance :)