TubaOrNotTuba

In my opinion the best thing about nostalgia is that it allows us to revisit time periods that we would not want to live again. I mean do you really want to go back to high school? I found myself listening to some old albums this afternoon. Bands that had been important at a point where I could barely afford to buy an album. At least we had radio. Some of the bands that came up this afternoon were Paul Revere and the Raiders, the Turtles, and probably someone else. It was an afternoon of little substance realistically. But I did find myself wondering what would have happened if my life had taken different forks in the road. What if I’d stayed around in high school for an extra year and recorded with the other kids in my music class. There was a 45 and I admit I was jealous that my name was not on it having played with the band and gone to all the practices and then somebody from a lower grade came up and took my chair. Oh well. And then there was a night a group arrived at my residence door and asked me if I wanted to join their band. They were popular for several years the best in the area. But at the time they arrived I was keen on getting my degree and getting out of university. Probably a better choice in hindsight. Today is candy day or some others know it as Halloween. Locally the kids no longer go door to door. Instead, all the parents gather in a local community centre and community centres are great for hanging out candy. My role was to pass up the tape necessary to close 120 plus bags so they could be sent off to the great giveaway. At least I got the leftover chocolate bars. Some things are ageless including eating cheap candy at the end of October. Almost an act of nostalgia if you will. To be fair we have better candy now than they did back then.

The first flurries have been sighted the myth that some rule last forever is gone Oh well. We did move the big green machine from down below to up above so I won’t have to push it through a snowdrift which is a good thing. I’m too old for such games. I made the mistake of watching a news broadcast today which brought with it the realization that our neighbors are not always on our side. The subject of the afternoon? A scheme by one of the problems is to take their marbles and go home. Do you remember back to and you played marbles and sometimes the pot would grow large? The child who would pocket all the winnings and head home was never liked by the others. That same thing would apply if one of the provinces decided that they were going to leave our pension fund take the cash and run. I suspect a lot of other people will be trying to trip them up as they go. I was even less surprised to find the seeds for this scheme came from men who used to be the Prime Minister. He was just like then and he will continue to be disliked because this is not someone who appreciates being part of a greater thing. I don’t believe he ever wanted to live in Canada. Anyhow, up to now, it’s just an idea being followed by people who are actuaries. And if they decide to take the cash the rest will just have to pony up a little more. Maybe we can get some ponies from a farm in the prairies. You know as part of our just compensation. As you can tell I know nothing of all this. I probably should have taken an intro economics course a long time ago. Now I am doomed to read recycled press reports without having the foundational knowledge that goes with it.

This is the time of year when we watch the weather closely. And not just the local weather. What is happening elsewhere could make a difference here in a few days, so we’re always tuned into that part of life. No with winter just weeks away the RV has been winterized. This year I was just a bystander. I did in passing watch a video that came in from Oregon where they get hit with a Blizzard earlier this weekend. Like most snowstorms at this time of year the results will not last, but it was interesting to see how other people cope with it when camping is still a possibility. The person in the video had issues because they’re heated gone out, but they also had a dog which probably equals out in the end being several miles down a wooden trail meant to getting back to the main road involved some teamwork. Not exactly being towed but that could have happened. We don’t put winter shoes on our RV because, at this time of year we realize that going down a back road is akin to finding a new place to spend the winter. There was a brief power failure yesterday, so the clocks are blinking, and the temperature was unseasonably high. Summer weather at the wrong point in the year. I know that’s only a matter of weeks before we wake up to snow cover. The shovels are where I left them from last year and all that really remains outside is to put away the big green machine. We waited too long several years ago and had to push it through the snow for much longer distances then I would have wished. It may have fat tires but it has terrible traction. I am also getting ads for new tires. My fault. I must have looked at the video the wrong way. Once the industry finds out that you’re even a little bit interested they will go out of their way to tap you on the shoulder and say look what I have. I am not going to get into comparing several marks of tires. We will contact the local garage and get their advice because they do this for a living and that’s what they do best.

As we move towards the end of the month, I felt the urge to quote side and check on the state of affairs. Look for changes around the property if you will. And there are a few. Our seven planting beds are now gone thanks to the efforts of a neighbour with the tractor. Will they be replaced? Who knows. I also verified my antenna system which stands in the middle of the trees out of harm’s way. A vertical for those who like to know about such things. And the antenna has been there for almost a decade after being transplanted from another province. It used to be that the wind would eventually make the little nuts and bolts go loose but that does not seem to have happened this time round. It might be the tree cover. Over by the RV all looks good. Our decision to pay for a pad which is a nice way to say a lot of expensive dirt means that the RV can park there out of view, while attached to shore power. A good move. We probably should travel more but other things get in the way. Right now we’re watching the temperature to see when the most opportune moment for winterization will occur. There was actually a message from a neighbour who wanted to know if we did that kind of thing for others. My own feeling is that we would be willing to help someone learn how to do it but as for taking on the responsibility for their expensive play toys, knowing that one false move could cause thousands of dollars of damage makes me want to abstain from getting involved. No two models are like and you have to read your own owners manual and you have to determine  by yourself where all the water runs out. There are videos that will help but unless you have too much money and too little time such problems are left best to the owner. For us this will be our second machine and we have figured out where the similarities lie. It all comes down to planning ahead. Do it before the winter comes and then sit back and wait with a good state of mind for Spring. Today is Cow Patty Bingo day where people bet on where a cow will leave a gift in the middle of a field. A rural thing and totally impossible to predict which is why people are willing to bet on the outcome. I did not go down to watch but I will wait for the news. Do we have a constipated bovine in the game?

I have decided to try to learn more about things where I do not have any need for the knowledge. Make it that what you will. A long time ago I was showing the the fundamentals of Gestalt where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Found that phrase away and carried on with my life. And now I’ve learned a new application. Old cars. It turns out that the pieces used in old cars were often uniform from one manufacturer to the next. Yes, they had slightly different names and slightly different part numbers but in the end a brake line is a brake line is a brake line. Apply that to many other parts. Today I watched a couple pull an old car out of a garage. Old being relative of course but this one being older than anything I’ve ever driven. And it didn’t run. However, some of these people have more knowledge than I give credit for. With a few wrenches and some carefully applied spray and a bit of fuel fed into the motor from a boat tank with the line fed through the firewall the car pulled out of the garage as a motive unit. I know, it will not pass inspection but that is a local thing. In this case they found a set of good tires, repurposed from a small trailer. And they found a thermostat for the radiator in a box. Not the right radiator cap but that doesn’t matter in the end they were able to drive the car home without anything seriously happening. A lot of praise for the driver for the comfort of an older car. I should add that in its time this was not considered to be a comfortable car. It was actually the star of many jokes. A gremlin. I know I will never be called upon to pull an old car out of a garage and right at home but knowing that the knowledge is out there and that the fundamentals apply from one car to the next makes me feel better about the world at large. No wonder automotive parts stores were able to exist. You always need a part, right? And if you can make the car roll down the road without attracting a tow truck or a police car you are on your way to mobile success in certain parts of the world. I will probably keep watching videos like this because they’re so entertaining. Problem solving in a good colour scheme.

Growing up I was blissfully unaware of camper vans. Seems funny now. I do remember though when the dream of many people was to own a VW micro bus. That was one of many names that ahead and he grew out of that wonderful project in post WW2 Germany to make a people car and the people transporter. Owners figured out that with a bit of careful modification you could take your van and go camping. No need to pitch a tent. Crawl in back and go to sleep. The video I watched point out that the vehicle has gone through a number of iterations. Each one better than the one before. I’ve also had a chance to visit inside a number of older camper vans. And they definitely caught my eye as something to keep as an alternative to sleeping on the ground. I mean, why not just drive your house along with you. Right now, there are many many videos and how to convert other vans into campers. They all follow a similar timeline spend too much money spend and spend too much time and then get ready to build your next one because the owners seem to lose satisfaction very quickly. Could it be seeing commercially manufactured vehicles? We’re on our second iteration of a camper in what seems like a very short period of time, but we do have the basics. Sleeping space cooking space toilet space and a place to charge our telephones. Because that’s what life has come down to. Forget going down old back roads and watching for the wildlife. You are living the wild life even if you rarely leave the Interstate. I have no intention of converting anything, but I watched the efforts of others to see if I missed some tiny detail that will make my life better. So far no. So early in the search cycle

We become accustomed to the voices of those around us. After all, it is part of their character. And we also forget that in the world of television some people have assumed voices. I don’t mean like cartoon because that would be too easy. This afternoon I watched an interview where the actor confirmed that the voice they use in daily life has nothing to do with their voice on screen. The on-screen timbre of the voice as well as the accent and the choice of vocabulary were all part of the role. If you think about that keeping your voice in character day after day for almost a decade is perhaps the biggest challenge faced by that actor. Go ahead. Assume a fake voice. Now use that voice for more than a few minutes. Not simple. I admit, I’m using the same voice I’ve had for decades and my accent is mine and my choice of vocabulary is based purely upon what I have learned. No need to change things up. Going forward, I will probably watch television in a different way. For a whole set of reasons but that’s not important. Today I’m referring only to an assumed voice. What about you? Have you ever used a different voice for more than a few minutes? Let me know if you meet me. Or, if you would like to try it, talk to your dog in a different voice. Pretty hard to fake out a dog. Or take your telephone and call a complete stranger. Do it twice or three times. Change up your voice on each try. Do they catch on? Well then you might have a new career in view. Just a thought

Look deep into my eyes. For some a request that is almost romantic for others it is just part of their trade. I tend to visit people who have medical degrees in looking deep into my eyes. And they take the craft seriously. Bright lights lasers some wicked drops and today, for this edition, dye. Yes DYE. The colourful stuff. This morning I was hooked up to a makeshift IV and the nurse ran about 20 millilitres of mixture. Thorazine and saline apparently. And then a few minutes later the technician looked deep into my eye and claimed that there were new things visible. I can’t claim to know for sure, but they have pictures. I am more interested in the aftereffects. All that dye had to go somewhere. And in my case I developed a new skin colour. Almost yellow apparently. And then I was able to get rid of the excess in my urine stream. Bright yellow almost like pie filling. They will tell me later if they found anything interesting for now it meant that I got to spend a couple of hours at the local hospital. Downstairs. Where life is quiet. And after I was given the thumbs up, we headed out in the direction of home. I did go for pizza. Tasty very hot another place that did not make me flinch. I will go back there again. We could have gone to any number of restaurants I suppose but this time around we’re in an old railroad utility building. Where they used to repair the locomotives apparently. Now tourists are welcomed including a large number from a tour from a cruise boat in the harbour. I wonder what these people make of my hometown. Is it just one stop out of many or do they look upon it as a chance to visit an important place. I suppose I should talk to some of them someday. Not today. We had other things to do. Getting home to dream about winter and all that means. The latest on the list of things to buy will be four new snow tires.

And now, the countdown begins. We went for our vaccines this afternoon and I’m waiting to see if a second head grows off my shoulder. I somehow doubt that will be the result. But, with all my newfound energy I came back home to watch videos that do not have any point at least in my life. This afternoon someone was given a front-end loader. One of those big ones all yellow that looks like a Tonka toy. The premise was simple it doesn’t run so you may as well have this. And off we went on the chase. The first impulse is to think simple. As in, I’ll simply start it and run it onto my trailer and drive it home. And of course, it would not start and so the new owner drove all night long and get home to try and figure out why this big mass of metal was being so recalcitrant. I do not speak from a point of actual knowledge, but I could follow what he was doing. You undo a few nuts and bolts here and there. You squirt some ether into the correct holes on the side. You run the starter. And then you recalculate. The only big moment came when he actually broke apart the inside and unbolted the assembly and sent it off to a repair shop, confident that they would know how to fix it. And they did. That’s why you pay for experts in this world. Anyhow, long story short we had the pleasure of watching Mr. drive his new toy around the yard. In circles because one brake was stuck. Am I going to rush out and get one? No. I think I made a better choice of career.

I am optimistic that summer will run all winter. Not realistic but optimistic. We’re coming to the end of double-digit temperatures and that means that we must plan for what comes next. I came across a couple of videos today one through Sweden the other from Alaska and both had snow. Our turn will come. We have not yet winterized. The new rig will require learning new techniques. The first question is how much antifreeze to buy. If you say you can never have too much you are thinking fur too conservatively. And your budget is unlimited. Right now, we’re looking at three or four gallons. Which counts? No idea they’re not equivalent. Today is a windy day at least according to the anemometer. Inside the house we hardly notice. And I have not gone outside to test my finger against the wind. Am I ready for the next season? Probably. I have done this before. Yes, I know the climate is changing but the sequence is always the same too hot all the way to two cold in a matter of days. I do have a good coat and good boots and good socks. And a heated house. I am thankful that we do not have to think about bringing in the wood like when I was young. Or the coal. I did that as well. The smell of a fresh coal fire is not something that I miss. Well, I would like to have around right now is a dog that like to sit next to me we’re not there right now for some reason there are tiny cats around. Stuff toys but no matter. I’m not likely to cuddle with a cat either live or plush. Instead, I’ll wait for dark and go to sleep just like any other day. Will we camp anymore this season? We do discuss the idea, but the location will probably be very close to home. Allows a sprint to inside should the weather shift. I really do not want to take my coat to go to bed.