Feeding my addictions...

So March is almost gone, but I have been feeding my addiction. Books. It was one night about two weeks ago, I getting ready for bed when I suddenly realized I had read all my recent books. I had nothing new to read. I panicked. I ran to the bookcase and searched for something to read. Next morning I was up and off to the book store where I bought four new novels. So I have read two and began reading the third one last night. I am heading out to buy more books this weekend. I am also thinking of buying an e-reader, one of those little tablets. But I am still not sure if I will use it or like it as much as holding a book.
Anyway, super, crazy, busy news month. You may have heard about the big tractor trailer crash near Timmins this week… a truck hauling coins from the Mint hit a rock cut on Highway 11 and spilled several million dollars worth of loonies and twoonies all over the roadway. Bizarre. The unfortunate part is that the two Brinks employees suffered serious injuries and they will be getting medical attention for weeks, if not months.
I have another addiction. Grapefruit. I used to think they were bitter tasting, but not anymore. I actually had one for supper this week. I find them so juicy and slurpy good.
March in Timmins has had some unusual weather. We had temperatures last week in the mid-twenties! How crazy is that? Things seem to be back to normal now. It’s minus 11 right now and I can accept that. There is very little snow left in the bush and the rivers are running high. I am going to predict this will be a rough season for forest fires. Come May and June, it’s gonna be pretty smoky around here.
I was talking to Jennifer this past week and she and her family are all well. We will all be heading to camp for the Easter weekend so that will be nice.

Quite the change eh?

So if you check out the photo and the note I posted here last Monday, you will note the temperature was MINUS 30! Well it's Sunday afternoon in Timmins and the temperature is now PLUS 20! What's with that?

Sad news, good news ...

It was upsetting today to learn that a dog near Sudbury has died after valiant efforts by veterinarians and ordinary people. The dog was discovered last week wandering along a bush road after it had been shot in the face, twice, by shotgun blasts. Remarkably the dog was alive long enough that people driving by were able to pick him up and bring him to a vet for surgery. The dog was nicknamed Buddy and although he seemed to be recovering, his heart failed Friday. It is so sad that somebody would try to kill the animal and just leave him. I can’t imagine how that dog suffered. If somebody doesn’t want their dog anymore there are ways to look after that by having the animal adopted out by the local pound or the Humane Society. It is frustrating that this happens.
Jennifer and Scott and their boys have a dog. He too is named Buddy. He’s pretty special. Every time I arrive at Jenn’s place, he wanders over to the truck and waits for me to get out of the vehicle. This is a photo of Buddy and Neil at Christmas, with Buddy sucking up to get a treat. My best memories of Buddy were when Jennifer was in the hospital and I would visit her. When I came back to the house, it’s like Buddy knew where I had been and he would circle around me several times, nosing and sniffing knowing that I had been visiting Jennifer.
Okay I have some “apartment guy” news to share. I finally have a “door thingy”. In my building, most tenants have some sort of a Welcome ornament on their front doors. I never had one, but thought it would be nice to get one. I just never saw anything I liked whenever I went out shopping. To be honest I never gave it a lot of thought. I was snooping through my bookcase this week when I noticed the eagle head carving. Neil gave it to me at Christmas. It’s a piece of street art carved by a Nootka aboriginal guy in Vancouver. Neil said he always gives the guy a few bucks in return for a piece of unique street art. Suddenly I knew what this was… It’s a door thingy! It's on my door right below the little peep hole. So now, on those evenings when I have sipped an extra whisky and I am tip-toeing home from the pub, I will know for certain what door is mine.

March mornings ...

Today was one of those typical deep-of-winter mornings in Timmins when the smoke from the chimney's just hangs in the air. And yup, like the thermometer shows, it was cold. Minus 30. I didn't plug the vehicle in, but it started just fine. I am really liking that Jeep engine. Sunday morning was a windy March morning, with gusts up to 45 Kilometres per hour. In one Timmins neighbourhood it was enough to send a portable car shelter up into the air like a kite, where in got tangled in the wires at a neighbour's house.

As usual, click on the pics to see them in a larger size.