TubaOrNotTuba

Sometimes, it’s just nice to know. I’m referring to the ability to track a parcel in transit. It won’t get things to my door any faster, but I take great pleasure in using the tools now available from the various transporters.

At a certain point, some things aren’t needed. I spent part of the afternoon doing a cost-benefit analysis on a particular product. Now, I am not a consultant, so the accuracy of my study is questionable. No matter.

Moving through Saturday, with little of note. Our forecast snow show hasn’t started, but to be fair the forecast did mention midnight. In the same way that I have to check the day of the week by looking at my computer clock, the idea of midnight is done by deduction. Yes, time blurs, when you are home for weeks on end.

Yep, this is turning out to be a year for the history books. In our area, at least. Our main restaurant burned down, a couple of days ago. The fire actually required two days to “get ‘er done” as they say locally. We’ve got another snow storm warning on the weather channel, and at the moment we are staying away from the windows.  Not a weather thing; the police have asked people to stay inside, with their doors firmly latched, as they deal with an active shooter. At least, we think that’s what going on. News is hard to come by when the local station has one hour of airtime per day, and the rest of the feed comes from upper Canada. There’s always Twitter, right?

Years from now, when historians wonder how Canada handled the idea of a highly contagious pandemic, I hope they’ll be able to give us a full “two thumbs up”. Or five stars. Or whatever the rating for excellence in the field. Right now, it seems to be cobbled together.

Help me to understand.

 I belong to a couple of hobby groups that are regulated but various government ages. SCUBA diving: had to spend a whole winter to train for that. Passed written and practical tests. Proved I could swim for about a half kilometer in the pool. And then, I had to dive to a minimum depth of  ten meters. Yes, it really is cold and dark down there. I received my cards; without them, I cannot refill my air cylinder. Literally, I cannot buy air.

Today’s unexpected question (or maybe it was yesterday). Did I have a secret cache of fish hooks, in case the urge to tease a trout became overpowering. Now, here’s the thing: I do have a fishing rod with a reel. Been in my “life’s cargo” for many years. In fact, when I showed the kit to my nephew, last summer, he wondered aloud from what museum I had taken my prisoner. Elder abuse!

Just had a thought. If the recent call from Mr. Scheer (a soon-to-be forgotten Tory) to scale back on government benefits/largesse is genuine, could we make him a poster boy for that movement? You know, take away the top level salary and free housing; a simple examination of the facts will show that he’s not actually earning his pay, or adding to the collective greatness of Canada. Let him volunteer to make life difficult for others. Don’t pay him.

For a few minutes, life almost got exciting here. A truck, going down the hill, with a license plate that seemed “foreign”. Could this be the tip of the tourist invasion. We sent our best scout down there, and about ten minutes later the facts were made clear. No need to call out the home guard, or find a supply of quarantine potatoes. This was just the annual visit by the flyspray team. Off to check for standing water that might host mosquitoes, come summer. Stand down the alert!

CSNY got it right, ages ago, with their song “Almost Cut My Hair”. Now, this doesn’t apply to me, because I don’t get that urge, but my neighbour up the way has posted his adventures with scissors. Not just him, the kids too. I wonder why. I mean, it’s not warm outside, yet. Seems like a few weeks of added plumage would be harmless.  I never did anything like that (with my kids). They did it to themselves, on several occasions. Memorable results. I am glad that they all seem to have outgrown the urge to let the fibres fall.