Winter nights

One of the nice things about winter in Northern Ontario is just enjoying a nice winter night. That's how it was over Christmas at Jenn and Scott's place. We had time to enjoy a nice bonfire and the boys had fun on what they call the ODR (Out Door Rink). Scotty hung little frying pans on the goal net as puck targets, because the styrofoam targets you buy at the sports store get shredded quickly from all the practice shots.  Another fun thing that I enjoyed was actually shovelling all the snow off the rink. It was great exercise after enjoying all the food, the drink and the amazing christmas pastries and treats. This is also my first video on here. If people like it, I will post more.

Roku. It rocks.

Roku. I have no idea where the name came from, but I was introduced to my Roku-3 on Christmas morning. Thanks to Jennifer and Scott. It's an amazing little electronic device you hook up to your TV and it brings in hundreds and hundreds (not kidding here) of TV shows, movies, e-Games, and free music channels. You can also buy into some programs if you want. But already I have spent hours browsing the free stuff.  Basically it works to connect your big-screen television to your high-speed internet and is pre-programmed to bring in every FREE multi-media service in the world. It just made my DVD player obsolete. It's the best techie thing I've seen in years! Just sayin... :)
If you want you can Google it to see what the Tech magazines are saying, or check out the website here:   CLICK

Back on the bean!

Yup, having coffee again. I cannot say why or how, but for some reason I stopped drinking coffee -- about three months ago. I was on a tea thing only. Tea in the morning, tea in the afternoon and sometimes even tea with supper. I remember wondering why. I even told people I was going to donate my Keurig to the church thrift shop.  Then last week I was at an assignment around 2:00 p.m., when I was offered a cup of coffee. I took it. It was great. So now I am back on the bean! Can't tell you why or how... but it sure tastes great. And just in time too. Next Christmas morning at Jenn's place, it will coffee and Bailey's!!! Yum.

Minus 28

It was a bit cool today, but the sun was shining. I had to get out and get some fresh air. Oh it was fresh alright. Took a nice hike out at Hersey Lake. Lots of snow shoers on the trails. But the ground and the snow was solid enough that I didn't use the snow shoes. To be honest, I forgot to bring them. But it was a beautiful day and great way to spend a couple of hours relaxing. I was shooting photos and took my mitts off too much. My hands got so cold, I had to use a couple of those handwarmer packs. First time this winter... and they worked great. One of my cams froze up, or the battery died. Either way it did not work. That never happened with my film cameras. I remember being in the Arctic years ago, with my Nikon F2 slung around my neck all day, and it never froze. Digital cams are nice, but they're not always reliable.

C-c-c-cold these days in Timmins.

Timmins is in a cold snap these days. I don't mind it. For some reason, I find minus 38 weather to be re-assuring. It's how things should be in Timmins in December.  Crazy eh. I find that when I dress for the weather, I don't mind it. I am definitely going to get heated seats next time I get a new vehicle.
My Nitro seems just fine in the cold weather, otherwise. I think it's because the Jeep engine does not let one use heavy oil, never, ever. Also, I find that driving in second gear for the first 10 minutes in the morning is a good thing when it is this cold.
By the way, here is the photo I snapped Friday morning. This is a sun dog, caused by the ice crystals in the air.

No kidding eh?

Sometimes, the stuff people put on Facebook is so interesting.
So I stole this to re-post it here.
The following information will be appreciated by at least two people that I know... Jenn & Neil!

LIFE LESSONS YOU GET FROM WORKING IN A RESTAURANT:

1. If you don’t have a thick skin and complete abandonment of political correctness, don’t go near the kitchen. You will immediately learn there that what you consider to be off-limits is just the baseline of someone else’s sense of humor.
2. Bad tippers are the worst kinds of people, and are often terrible in many other ways than just being cheap.
3. Correction, the worst people are those who don’t tip or tip very badly, and accompany their financial insult with a snarky note left on the receipt.
4. The pain of a bad seating chart is a real one, and not a single customer will care or understand that you got slammed while someone else is totally dead.
5. The difference between the people who have never worked in food service, and the people who have, is always clearly visible. And a lot of time it has to do with the basic degree of respect they give to the people who are serving them.
6. Make back-of-house’s life easy, they will make yours easy. Working is always about scratching someone’s back so they’ll scratch yours, and you’d better not break that chain.
7. The only people you’re going to be able to hang out with — and often date — are by default going to be other people in the industry. So you better like the people you work with it, because no one else is going to be coming out with you at 1 AM.
8. There is absolutely zero shame in eating the plate that gets sent back barely-touched because someone either misunderstood what they were ordering or is incredibly fussy about their perfectly-good food. People who will judge you over shit like that are people who don’t know the joys of a pristine plate of onion rings coming back to you when you are starving.
9. The most important friend you will make is the one who will cover for you while you eat, crouched next to some appliance in the kitchen. True friendship is about taking the fall so someone can eat.
10. There are a lot of people who are going to look down on you for working a restaurant, and treat you with massive disrespect, and you just have to get over it and remind yourself to never be like that in your own life.
11. If you are good to your server, your experience will be about a thousand times better, and you might even get free stuff if you’re lucky.
12. There is nothing better than a chef who is currently trying out new stuff and has tons of excess food for everyone to try. The best friend anyone can have is a good chef.
13. Line cooks are some of the hardest-working, most humble and honest people in the working world. And many of them happen to be felons. And when you see them get off a 14-hour shift and still manage to make jokes with you at the end of it, you realize that every judgment we make about the guy with neck tattoos is completely off base.
14. If you’re a female waitress/hostess/bartender, some of the more drunk male customers will take it upon themselves to also designate you “professional receiver of gross comments and inappropriate touches.”
15. A good manager is the one who will shut shit like that down, because they would rather lose the money from that customer than have someone who mistreats their staff.
16. Even the best establishment can be run into the ground by a petty, spiteful manager.
17. There is no worse an experience on this planet than working a busy brunch shift when you are brutally hungover.
18. If you don’t make friends with the bartender from the get-go, your life is going to be difficult. And you quickly learn that this also applies to the places you don’t work at — treat your bartender well, reap the rewards.
19. The calm before the storm (also known as the rush) is one of the most precious, fleeting moments in life. And as soon as you see that first customer looking at the specials board just a little too long, you know that it’s already over.
20. Never be the person who comes in just as the kitchen’s closing and orders something really complicated. Just don’t be that person.
21. In the best restaurants, you’ll become like a little family, and live through several very important moments together (especially because you don’t get days off for normal, human things such as holidays or birthdays).
22. There will be one item on the menu that you fall in love with so much that you actually start having dreams about it, and go through withdrawal when you don’t have it for a long enough stretch of time. You can actually get that way over, say, a cream of crab soup. It’s like heroin.
23. Going back to a place you used to work and seeing all the old group — and getting to eat and drink all your favorites again — is one of the best feelings you can have.

Credit for this item goes to Brooklyn, NY writer Chelsea Fagan.

Just a chat

December is one of those months where you’re at work, and somebody suddenly blurts out “Oh my God, it’s December 6th… where did the year go.” Yup, that happened. So here we are with the new year just a few weeks away, but it is still a nice time of year. People are already going to Christmas parties. The media crowd here in Timmins had a party Friday night, but it wasn’t for Christmas. It was just a potluck thing because one person got a new apartment. So we went and carried on for four or five hours and it was nice.

  I noticed at the party that somebody would say something and I was struggling to hear it. I think my hearing is crapping out on me. Or maybe it’s because too many other people were talking. Then again, when I listen to my emergency scanner radio, I can immediately hear the message, despite any static or background noise. I’ve always been good at listening. You have to be when you’re a reporter. Listening and taking notes is essential. But now when I am in a courtroom or important meeting, I use an electronic recorder to get everything.

 Today is Sunday and I am moving quietly and gently. Had a few glasses of whiskey last night and I enjoyed much laughter. The event was the after – party for the annual Christmas Telethon in Timmins. I really hadn’t planned on going and helping out, but I knew I would feel guilty if I did not. So I showered, shaved, put on a fresh shirt and blazer and headed out to the TV station. It was nice. It’s one of the few places where I can relax and put my feet up because the folks there know me. The Telethon was a success and more than $80,000 was pledged to buy grocery vouchers for needy families.

Timmins is not in a slump economically, but it feels like it. Normally with the price of gold things are soaring and there is much excitement over mining exploration. The price of gold is hovering at about $1230 per ounce. A year ago, it was over $1800. So that means prospectors are having a hard time finding money from investors to go out in the field looking for prospects. That’s a big change. So the city continues to move forward, but just not with the hoopla that we’re used to. Also, there’s not as many players investing in the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) or the TSX venture exchange… just so you know, mining is still the biggest part of the TSX.

There is excitement though about a huge new mining venture north of here. It’s called the Ring of Fire. It’s a chromite prospect. You need chromite to make stainless steel. Stay tuned, this is going to be as big as the tar sands in Alberta.

 I am looking forward to Christmas. I will be joining Jennifer, Scott, Tyler and Nathan as usual, but I am looking forward to just unwinding and shutting down for a few days. The news game has been running in high gear for the past few weeks and I will be glad for the break.

 I had a very brief chat Friday with Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne who was in Timmins with several of her cabinet ministers for a meeting with Northern leaders. I always like to meet with these people and offer them a genuine welcome when they come to Timmins. But it’s not the same as it used to be. Politicians now seem more on their guard than ever before when speaking with media. I always regarded such a chat as off the record and just like to just have a quick one-on-one chat about the weather, or the Maple Leafs, or whatever, just to be human for a few moments. I have met all the premiers since Bill Davis and interviewed five prime ministers. I was always relaxed and comfortable with it. Now it seems everyone is too worried about political correctness and everyone is just to tense. That’s discouraging.

Well, the elevator in our building has been acting up for a few weeks now, not working properly. Living on the third floor, I was annoyed at first. But now I am getting used to using the stairs. The elevator is partially back in service this past week, but it is still not fully repaired. So I will be getting a bit more exercise. That’s not a bad thing.

As a follow up to last month’s posting about Ron’s adventure with prostate cancer, I went to a doctor to get a referral for blood testing. So I will find time Monday to get bloodwork done. Will keep you posted.

Ron is okay

I had an interesting, and lengthy, phone chat with Ronald yesterday. It was his birthday. But that's not interesting. He is doing well... and that is interesting because last week he had surgery for prostate cancer. That's probably why we spoke for more than half an hour. We never to do that. But it was good to catch up and find out about his episode with the Big "C". It turns out that he went for his yearly physical and they noticed that the PSA levels in his blood (prostate specific antigen) had spiked. So then he went for more tests and after a quick biopsy, it was determined Ron was positive for prostate cancer. He had the option of chemo, radiation or surgery. He chose the surgery. Good choice. He is now doing fine, but he has to walk around for a couple of weeks with a funny little bag to collect his urine. The things you gotta do to keep the doctors happy eh? So our conversation was partly about the fact that Cancer runs in our family. It killed our Dad, and several others. So that settles it. After the conversation with my little bro, I am determined to go for the PSA test. My next doc appointment is in December, so we'll take it from there. Good thing Ron has annual physicals. It's an army thing. I rarely go to see the doc unless something hurts. But in this case, I will make an exception. So if they find anything wrong with me... I will let you know, ... after the surgery. :)

Smells good eh?

Today was one of those days when I was inspired to do some winter cooking. I was shopping for fresh produce; lettuce, cucumbers, green peppers and such when I noticed the celery and remembered I still had plenty at home. The celery kicked off a memory of a friend who made a huge batch of chili in early September. Well, that did it. So I rushed around getting what I needed and now my kitchen smells fabulous. The only difference is that instead of ground beef, I bought ground chicken. So this will my first “chicken chili”. One other thing about shopping that grinds on me is that I have to buy smaller packages of things like bread and buns. Quite often I will open the bread or buns only to find little spots of mould. I just don’t eat it fast enough I guess. I notice that most of the bakery stuff I buy doesn’t last longer than a week before the mould happens. I guess that’s a good thing because there are fewer preservatives. I noticed one bag of bagels I bought lasted almost three weeks before I got tired of looking at them and tossed them out. They come six to a package and I had eaten only three or four, but they never got mouldy. The other thing to consider is that the bakery store is next to the liquor store. So if I don’t need to go to the liquor store, I don’t always get fresh bakery items. Maybe I should visit the liquor store more often. Ha ha.

Soup, soup, soup!

Oh yeah, today was a soup day! Woke up and there was snow on the truck and a bit of ice on the windshield. It was just chilly all day. Got home a bit early and was thinking about supper, when I noticed I had a couple of beef ribs in the fridge. Aha! Soup. Boil up them nice meaty ribs, a bit of pepper, couple chunks of celery, onion, a turnip, chopped up carrots, can of tomatoes, a small handful of pasta. Simmer, simmer, simmer. I had to run out to a photo shoot, but I got home just a while ago. Cut up some nice warm crusty bread, add a bit of butter and a chunk of cheddar. Yum, yum, yum. Suddenly everything is warm and the chill is gone! This calls for a wee glass of whiskey!

Reading something new ...

I got out of my comfort zone today of reading spy novels, techno thrillers and history. Like a lot of Canadians, I felt intense pride upon hearing that Alice Munro of Wingham, Ontario has won the Nobel Prize for Literature. I don’t believe I have ever read her stories, but today I bought one of her books; The Moons Of Jupiter. If the reviews of thousands of others are any indication, I am confident I will enjoy reading Munro’s work. I have a good stock of wine and a nice rib-eye ready for the pan. I will let you know. But it’s not yet lunchtime and I have some housework to do.

What would Forrest Gump say?

I think I believe in creativity as much as the next guy, but Hollywood writers really suck these days. Yeah, I know they probably make tonnes of money, but they still suck. I am referring to all the movies and story-lines about vampires and zombies. Enough already! I guess they are responding to market demand, otherwise Hollywood wouldn’t spend the money to produce movies about such dumb things. I guess the real culprits are the movie fans who spend good money to see this crap. I wish I could find these people and tell them stupid stories and take their money. Like Forrest Gump said, stupid is as stupid does. We need more stories like Forrest Gump.

A really great weekend

Thanksgiving weekend was great. I am just back in Timmins this afternoon after spending Friday, Saturday and Sunday with Jenn and her men. I really enjoyed it. Totally relaxed. Jenn mentioned a couple of international news stories... and I had no idea what she was talking about. I zoned out and enjoyed three days of reading, a bit of TV and enjoying the company of the boys. Nathan and Tyler are both getting taller and a bit older. So I was able to share with them some funny stories of the silly things I did when I was their age. I really think the boys are enjoying a particularly good time in their lives right now. They're building friendships that will likely last a lifetime. And they're at that age where they can appreciate good times and fun without having to carry any responsibility. I envy them... a bit. It was busy enough too. Nathan had to go one hockey game in Saturday and Tyler had a game in Elliot Lake. So Ty, Jenn and myself drove over to Elliot (2 1/2 hours) for that game. Saturday was glorious with the sun shining and beautiful fall colors along the North Shore. The boys' teams both enjoyed wins. And then we sat down to watch the Leafs Saturday night, and that was another win for our favourite team. This is the first Thanksgiving dinner in several years that we didn't enjoy the company of Don and Denise, or Chris, Victoria and Demetrios. I know it will be nice to see them again at Christmas. Sunday we enjoyed a nice turkey with potatoes, turnips, carrots, stuffing and gravy. Jenn made a really nice strawberry/raspberry shortcake dessert with whipped cream too. One thing I did this for the first time this year was to buy a fresh turkey, instead of a frozen one (Jenn's suggestion). It was excellent (Thank you Mr. Butterball). Jenn had an even better week that expected since Neil was in Ontario for a few days to attend a wedding in Toronto last week. (Nooo! Not his wedding! LOL) and so he was able to scoot up to Sudbury for a couple of days. Jenn said it was a great visit and she was indeed happy to see him. I was stuck in Timmins working on deadline, and so couldn't get down to Sudbury on time. Neil continues to 'Live the Life' in Vancouver. I am sure I will have to make a another trip out there. I am happy for him. Jennifer's studies are going well and she said this coming week will be interesting. She will be on a nursing placement at a seniors' nursing home. She will spend several days looking after elderly patients, taking care of all their many needs. There are many un-glamourous things a nurse has to do looking after elderly folks, and so Jenn admits this will be something of a test for her.

I spent more time on dessert than making the dinner...

I put this on Facebook, but I thought I'd share it here also. This was a nice fall dessert on Sunday. Really intense flavours. Pears poached in red wine. The sauce was a reduction of the wine, a drool of maple syrup, a whisper of allspice, a slobber of strained puree of raspberries, the merest hint of dark chocolate and a splash of bourbon! I let the pears chill and the sauce was warm. The pears were cool, fruity and juicy and the sauce was incredibly tart, which I didn't expect. So it was nice.

Tea, tea and more tea

What's going on...? I have more coffee in this place than I can handle, but for the last three weeks I have been drinking nothing but tea. This morning I figured I might just fire up the Keurig and enjoy a quick coffee. For some reason I patiently boiled the water and waited for the tea to steep. In my mind, I find that coffee has been a bit too bitter lately. I have enjoyed a coffee while out on assignment lately, but at home when I want to relax or get ready for work, good old Red Rose has done the trick.

It's October alright.

In reference to my last posting here, I finished reading The Orenda by Joseph Boyden, a couple of weeks back. Yes, it was indeed a good read. I actually put off reading other books once I got into it. I enjoyed some "readers' guilt". I put aside everything else until I was finished the book... and several times a day, I would re-read a chapter, just to enjoy it more. Boyden is a great storyteller and the book is hard and gritty. I am tempted to go back and read some of his earlier books, knowing I will enjoy them more. Well Fall has certainly arrived in Timmins. We have some areas of nice colours but I am mildly disappointed with our weather. Last year at this time, we enjoyed some nice Indian Summer temperatures. Not this year. I found our summer months were too hot and September arrived with chilly temperatures just a bit too quickly. October reminds me too much of the passage of time. I find it goes too quickly. On the other hand, I am looking forward to Thanksgiving Dinner. The moose hunt is on here in the North and so I am putting out the word once again, that I so enjoy a nice tender steak. Here's a photo I shot last week. The lighting was good. I got lucky. I like the mix of colours.

Book signing

Okay, so maybe it was a bit of hero worship ... but I have never taken part in a book signing event before. I have seen them and covered them as news stories, but last night was the first time I bought the book and got it signed. The author was Joseph Boyden, who was in Timmins to spend some time with his sister Mary Boyden, who everyone seems to know well. Joseph was helping out at a fundraiser ... which just happens to be the same time as he is kicking off his national book tour for his newest novel, The Orenda. I have to say, this guy writes very well. I have read two of his first novels, Three Day Road and Through Black Spruce. Great story-teller. Oh by the way, he has won awards for both books. His last book won The Giller Prize. That should be enough to convince you to buy his books. I am reading two other books right now... but as soon as they're done, I will be reading The Orenda. I will be pleased to lend it out...

Space balloon!

Okay so I have always been fascinated by flight, and especially space flight. I was more than a bit excited this week when the first ever launch of a stratospheric space research balloon was launched in Timmins. For a whole bunch of scientific reasons, Timmins was chosen a year ago as the site of the balloon launch base by the Canadian Space Agency and the official space agency of France. The base has been built, the science people have moved in and the first launch ever from Timmins was held Thursday night. This balloon, nearly ten storeys high, can hold 100-thousand cubic metres of helium. Cool! The next launch, sometime in the next 72 hours, will have a balloon than can hold 800-cubic metres. Amazing or what... and the plastic is the same thickness (or THINness) of a dry cleaning bag.

Cleaning a fishy frying pan

I know there are some friends who will wonder how you can possibly clean a cast iron fry pan after you've fried fish in it. Of course, with cast iron, you never use soap. But you can get it clean. I just add some hot water and let it soak for a few minutes, and then I scrub it with a stiff dishwashing brush. I rinse it and pour the pan almost dry. Here's the good part. I throw in a tablespoon of baking soda and then scrub the pan again and let it soak for a few more minutes. The baking soda acts like an abrasive and it also removes any odors. I dry it with a paper towel, add a teaspoon of oil and rub it in. In five minutes the pan is like new!

Time passes, but life is good ...

I am not alone when I ask where has the year gone. I overheard some friends say the same thing earlier this week, when it was obvious that September had arrived. Perhaps we can be glad we all have so many things to do and keep us busy that we forget about the passing of time. I do know the summer was enjoyable. I saw my grandsons so often that I think I am getting new wrinkles from smiling and laughing so much. I saw the boys again just recently when I drove to Sudbury for the Labour Day long weekend. It was a nice time. Don and Denise were also in town briefly and it was nice to see them as well. We all headed out to the Ribfest downtown and that was a good way to spend a Sudbury Saturday night.
Back at work this week was a time for getting back in the groove as more and more newsy things are happening. Even today I will be out and about (That's oot and aboot for my American friends!)  to get some photos of things going on.
I am still enjoying the pleasant memory of a really tasty Friday night supper thanks to a few Westree pickerel fillets that made their way to my big cast iron frying pan. I didn't get fancy. Just dusted them with flour, added some fresh pepper, melted butter in the pan and within a few minutes, they were perfect. It doesn't get much than this ...

I also enjoyed a different beer. Wellington Special Pale Ale was new at the LCBO in Timmins this week,  so I grabbed some. It was great with supper. It was tasty and really crisp, not too hoppy, which is good. I cannot imagine enjoying fresh fish without a nice cold brew.

Steak

I recently finished reading a book about steak. It’s written by Globe and Mail columnist Mark Schatzker. I don’t usually write about what I have read unless I really, really enjoy it. Okay I really enjoy steak, but I found Schatzker’s book interesting, but not fulfilling. He travelled the world… from Toronto, to Texas to Argentina to Scotland to Japan, all in search of the perfect ribeye or strip loin. He was searching for the perfect beef flavour. In one sense I might have agreed with him. But it wasn’t until the very final pages of the book that he wrote about cooking the perfect steak. That’s what I wanted to read about. For all that I read, I am not changing my ways. I like my strip loin. I like it pan fried, cast iron, with a touch of olive oil for about eleven minutes. Then I let it rest for ten minutes. Sometimes I marinade, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I will really treat myself and get a ribeye. But the book has inspired me in the sense that I will try different cuts of steak, such as flank and maybe a T-bone (which I think are wayyyy overrated). I have had three steaks since I finished the book and each time I just added salt and pepper, nothing else, not even A1 Sauce or HP Sauce. All have been nice. Anyway, the book is okay. I wouldn’t buy my own copy, but the library should be helpful.

Such a nice visit...

Just noticed that I have a fridge full of healthy foods; things like fresh lettuce, broccoli, celery, carrots. I deliberately purchased this stuff because I know that Jennifer enjoys good fresh veggies and she likes to ensure the boys have them too. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, when Jenn and the boys came to visit Timmins this week our only nod toward really serious meal-taking involved some fabulous New York strip loin steaks we had Wednesday. Jennifer also made a salad that was so good we all had seconds on the salad. But after that, I enjoyed going off the garden path and into the land of chocolate-cake-breakfast, chips & poutine at Gillies Lake, and BBQ ribs at Auntie Sue’s place. We also went through three packages of Reese’s cups, Oh Henry’s and Hershey bars, not to mention the amazing cheese & onion potato chips. There was also the choco-banana milkshakes where we threw chocolate cookies into the blender with the swirling ice cream, just for fun. Those were so good. Well, I just checked the fridge and noticed that all I have to eat for the next week is good wholesome food. All the good junk is gone. I sure miss those boys!

Amazing Westree weekend ...

It was nice to enjoy another long weekend in Westree with the Alexander family. The big difference this weekend was getting to enjoy the time with just about everyone else in the community. It was the official celebration of Westree’s 100th anniversary as a community. I really enjoyed it. Aside from the amazingly clean fresh air, and the incredible peace and quiet, it was nice to chat with people at the Texas Horseshoes tournament. Another nice part was the release of the 100 anniversary book put together by Roger Latour and Denise Alexander. Unfortunately Roger died several weeks back and could not enjoy the event. Everyone seemed to agree though that Roger was there in spirit. The other good part of course was spending time with the Alexander household and enjoying Don and Denise’s hospitality. It was like Christmas all over again. I liked getting up early in the morning and enjoying the coffee and Bailey’s for breakfast… and then within a couple of hours, Denise would cook up and huge country breakfast. Another nice part was the fact that Demetrios brought his family to Westree. It was so nice meeting Nick and Helena, who were on their first ever visit to Northern Ontario. They’ll be spending a couple of weeks in the bush camping and fishing and I know they will sure have something new to talk about with all their friends in downtown Toronto.

Beat the parking ticket! Uh huh!

A good thing happened this week when I went to court. I won the case against my parking ticket. Yep, got the ticket back in May when I went to lunch downtown. Came out an hour later and saw the ticket. Wait a minute, I put money in the meter.

Sure enough there was still time on the meter. But this was no ordinary parking ticket… apparently, even though I paid the meter, I was getting in the way of daytime street sweeping. This was a $50 fine. Whoa! 50 buckaroos is a lot of money. So I challenged it, did some research and the court agreed. It seems the no-parking sign the city posted was an incorrect no-parking sign. So I was pleased I didn’t have to pay the $50. So were the four other people in traffic court who had the same tickets I did. I wonder how many people just paid the fine?

Work is noble ... Grandma said so.

I was just driving home from work, when I spotted a fellow on Cedar North, going door to door. He had one of those name tags for direct home sales and a clipboard. For an instant, I thought, ... just a pesky door to door sales guy. Then it hit me, words from my Grandma... All work is noble! Suddenly I empathized with the guy. He's young, clean cut, shirt and tie and it's 29 degrees out there. As I drove by I noticed that he seemed determined. It is certainly not a glamour job. Maybe he's a kid putting himself through university or college. The important thing is, he is working. There's a lot of people out there who act loud and proud and wouldn't do the work. That's too bad. Like Grandma said, work is noble. There is a good friend of mine in this town who had a very posh job a few years back. Suddenly, through no fault of his own, the job was eliminated. Sometime later, I ran into him ... he was working as a stock boy at Wal Mart. He was as cheerful as ever. I had to admire that. The guy picked up and kept working. And now he has another posh position... A government job no less(Ka-ching). So I have to remember that, work is noble. If somebody is working, they're doing their part to carry their load. They have my respect.

Good job Gillette!

It was last September I posted a note here singing the praises of the Gillette Fusion razor. And rightfully so. Since last July I have been shaving with Fusion blades and I have to say they are the best. Not only that, they're the most economical. Even though it costs $18 for a four-blade package, each blade lasts longer that a month... Usually five weeks. That is amazing. I am a fussy shaver. Not fuzzy! Fussy! If I don't get a clean shave I change blades right away. I can't believe how the Fusion blades stay so sharp for so long. Anyway, my first Fusion was a free sample give-away when I was on vacation in Toronto. So I tried it and liked it. Since then I have purchased three packages of blades, which have lasted more than a year. So with birthdays and Christmas still far off in the future, everyone knows now... watch for the sales! LOL

This is NOT a complaint

Living in Timmins, one learns not to 'complain' about warm weather. It's just one of those things. Winter here can be long and weary for some, so when the warm weather arrives most people embrace it. I do not. I hide. The heat just drives me down. I have been spending most of my days in the living room, perched in front of the fan, enjoying a book and a beverage. As a whiskey drinker, I have not been faithful. I think I might have had two glasses of whiskey in the past ten days. I have downed at least two litres of lemonade, a few more litres of iced tea and roughly one beer a day for the past two weeks. Beer just manages to quench a thirst like no other beverage. I also wake up earlier these days, have a cooling shower and rush in to work at about 6:45 or 7:00 a.m. I do get more work done, but then when I leave to go home, the heat is sweltering around 3:00 p.m. or 4:00 p.m. Oh well, just so you know, I am NOT complaining. : )

Sawdust? really...

I picked up a different whiskey today. I bought a bottle of Wild Turkey bourbon. I like to read up on what some reviewers say about the whiskey and then compare it with my own tastes. I always like a smooth whiskey, but the "tasting notes" on one website told me to expect some interesting flavours. Things like caramel, honey, vanilla... even a touch of cinnamon. There might even be the faintest whiff of nutmeg. Okay, fine, I can close my eyes and almost taste those flavours. By the way, Wild Turkey smells very nice ... like opening the wrapper on a Kraft caramel candy. But the thing that really confused me and threw me off was what one taster suggested ... Sawdust! Nope, sorry I just can't figure that taste. But for the record, this is a very nice bourbon ... as they say in Kentucky, it's a sippin' whiskey.

Happy solstice

Warm weather is here for awhile in Timmins. I like it... well, not always. I find it hard to sleep when the temp is higher than 22. Today is summer solstice and national Aboriginal Day. It has been a good day. I was out at a sunrise ceremony with the local Aboriginals at 5:00 a.m. and it was nice, but I had very little idea of what was going on... but it appeared quite spiritual. It got me thinking about my own upbringing with the nuns and how they would teach us there were two types of people in the world, Catholics and non-Catholics. I bet if those Catholic nuns had acted more like Christians, we wouldn't have had all those abuses in residential schools. Anyway, it was a good day in another way. Ontario's new premier Kathleen Wynne dropped in to visit Timmins. I met her and she impressed me. I don't agree with all her politics, but personally, I like her style. Today was also Day Two for a little change for myself. I purchased a new bike yesterday... and I am enjoying it. I went to a hard ride last night, one hour, and I sure felt the pain this morning. I went for a ride tonight and it was easier. I went to the liquor store, so I think I was more motivated. Anyway, what I like so far is the style of the bike... It's an Opus Urbanista, sort of a retro European look. It sure is not a mountain bike. I am more for cruising the local streets and parks. I am not going to fling myself through the local bush trails. But I like the fact that I am now more motivated to exercise. Also, it has a lifetime warranty and lifetime maintenance. I was inspired by the fact that Jenn bought a bike for Scott for Father's Day. Also, this was Bike To Work week in Timmins. I was downtown this week snapping photos of the mayor riding to work. A local bike shop had a nice display set up, and I liked the look of this book, so I bought it. I already have my new helmet and tomorrow I am gonna get a little ringy-dingy bell!Here is a link to a YouTube video of a guy talking about the bike. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0GCIaqN4ws

I stole this!

It's a wine list by an expert who was on CBC Radio last week. It is a list of the best wines available at the LCBO for LESS THAN TEN DOLLARS! Enjoy.
1. Aveleda Vinho Verde Fonte 2012 ($8.95, score 88+) is a blended wine from northeastern Portugal. It’s pale green-tinged straw coloured with a gentle fizz. It sports acacia flower, rich ripe tangerine, mango and peach fruit aromas and is sweetly green, very slightly off-dry, and mildly fizzy on the palate with very tasty citrus pith flavours. The rich and fresh mouthful lingers with a gently tangy long finish. It would work chilled as an aperitif, with fish, or poured over fresh melon balls.
2. Cono Sur Bicicleta Viognier 2012, Colchagua, Chile ($9.95, score 89) is a pale straw gold wine with attractive ripe lemon pulp, apricot and peach fruit and sweet spicy and vanilla aromas. It’s is bone dry with a refreshing bitterness through creamy crisp lemon pulp through a rich lemon curd finish. It would be a yummy snappy companion to roast fowl.
3. Torrontes La Puerta Vineyard, Estate Grown and Bottled 2012 ($7.95, score 89+) demonstrates nicely what this Argentinian varietal can do. Straw coloured, the wine flaunts intensely mouthwatering sweet ripe lychee fruit aromas with elegant mineral notes. It’s creamy and ripely fruited with lemon and grapefruit, joined by snappy citrus pith on the palate. The long grapefruit-lemon pith bitter note hangs on through a long persistence. This white would stand up to sausages or grilled seafood.
4. Fonseca Periquita Original 2010, Vinho Regional Peninsula de Setubal ($7.95, score 90) is the current vintage of a perennial Portuguese favourite. A lovely black cherry-ruby colour, it’s sweetly spicy and ripe with focused cherry fruit and fills your head with vanilla/balsamic notes. Soft in the mouth with bitter grippy pillowy tannins, it’s long, mouth-watering, and refreshingly astringent. This wine would show well with barbecued red or white meat.
5. Sogrape Grao Vasco Dao 2009 ($7.95, score 88+) is a garnet wine with very attractive rich ripe focused huckleberry and loganberry fruit with earthy and volatile flavour notes. It’s elegant and deep in the mouth with bitter red cherry fruit, grippy velvet tannins and fresh acidity for good definition, and a pretty strong finish. This wine would stand up to all kinds of fare and spoil none of them.
6. Beso De Vino Seleccion Do Cariñena 2011 ($9.95, score 89+) is a Syrah/Garnacha blend from this region in northeastern Spain is a very deep and dark black cherry/ruby coloured wine with a sweet enchanting very Spanish nose. Ripe dried and sweet black cherry and blackberry fruit are framed in dusty new-sawn plank and sweet spice elements. It’s got grippy gritty ripe tannins and fresh acidity through a long fruit and tannin finish. You’ll enjoy this with roast lamb or a beef rib roast.
7. Castillo de Monseran Garnacha Cariñena 2011 ($8.95, score 90-) is another winner from the Cariñena region. Medium deep dark purple, it exudes raspberry and blackberry and blueberry pie aromas. It’s rich and ripe, very dry and built around mixed black berry pie filling fruit, fresh and buttoned down, with a long deeply tannic well-fruited finish. Think those roast quadrupeds and add your richer birds—or even a nice burger or pizza!
8. Luccarelli Primitivo Puglia IGT 2012 ($9.95, score 89+) can be seen as a poor-man’s Zin with a southern Italian accent. (It’s one of the “go to” wines in Bobby Panchu’s cellar.) Medium deep dark purple, the show starts with rich ripe mixed red berry fruit with a subtle Zinnish metallic mineral note. Fresh mouth-watering acidity and astringent fine rich ripe tannins carry the fresh and preserved fruit flavours along for a good while. This wine will elevate and enrich burgers as if it was
9. Argeato Bonarda 2012 Mendoza ($9.95, score 89). Bonarda is sometimes blended with Barbera in Piedmont. In this Argentinian incarnation it performs solo with vital focused but ultimately weird black cherry and sweet spicy aromas and flavours which become deep, rich and ripe on the palate. It’s a velvety grippy wine with fresh acidity. This would be a fine base wine for a summer sangria.
10. Caliterra Riserva Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Grown 2011 ($9.95, score 90) is made from fruit grown on a single estate in Chile’s Colchagua Valley. It’s an opaque red with powerful and luscious blackcurrant, blackberry and blueberry fruit dressed up in intense sweet spice, vanilla, clove, nutmeg and allspice notes dancing with buttery toasty smoky notes. It makes for a grippy velvety mouthful with oak-inflected rich ripe deep mixed black berry fruit. Fresh acidity keeps it aloft through a long well-fruited smoky spicy oak finish Try this with any roasted meat or game, sausages, or even Buffalo wings. It was made to please.
11. Fuzion Alta Reserve Malbec 2011 ($9.95, score 90). It made me blush to assign a 90-point score to a Fuzion, but honesty is more important than pride in the wine writing business. This “reserve” bottling from Argentina’s home-run-hitting winery originated in the Mendoza Valley and comes to us as an opaque purple wine with very vibrant mixed black berry fruits and nice earthy dusty notes. It’s soft but grippy, with balanced acidity to carry the very deep rich ripe fruit through a long grippy ripe finish.
12. Deakin Estate Shiraz 2012 ($9.95, score 90+) came from Victoria in Australia and trumpets its origin with everything from its deep dark purpleness through aromas of rich ripe blackberry and dark cherry fruit, sweet spices and wood violet notes with a hint of smoke. It’s plush on the palate with pillowy tannins and fresh acidity to structure all that black berry fruit with a buttery note emerging on the finish. This will dance divinely with anything that isn’t white, delicate or subtle.

My bathroom sparkles.

I keep telling my colleagues in the news business there is more news to be reported in Timmins than they can imagine. Often they roll their eyes and smile at me. This past week was an example. Just after the flood threat was subsiding, we got word that a man near Cochrane was attacked by a black bear. I mean this was a really serious attack. The bear ripped off the man's scalp and chewed up some serious damage to the man's shoulder and back. The amazing part was that the man survived thanks to a couple of women from Timmins who were out camping for a Mothers Day getaway and they came upon the attack. They literally saved the mans life. I was pleased to get the first interview with the victim in his hospital room and then we followed up with an interview with the women. The first interview ended up in the Toronto Sun, so the story was picked up by the national media.

Mom had boyfriends?

Our favourite Leafs seem to be nicely avoiding their tee off times this spring by staying in the playoffs.  Like all the leaf fans I know I am holding my breath and hoping for the best. Boston is a tough team, but we have to have faith. So let’s hope for a nice Mother’s Day treat on Sunday.

I enjoyed covering the Mine Rescue competitions this week. It was nice to see the fellows from Xstrata Kidd Mine, my old workplace, win the bragging rights for another year. I got a kick out of seeing a lot of the older mine rescue fellows show up to watch the competition. It was nice talking with them. Then I realized, I am one of the old fellows too.

A lot of folks do not realize it, but mine rescue in Ontario began right here in Timmins after the terrible mine fire in 1928. Somebody in government decided that it was not a good idea to have 39 miners die in the span of a few hours and so a royal commission was held and the government ordered that a mine rescue agency be created.

Had a quick chat with Melissa this week. She is planning a trip out west next week and says she plans to drop in to see her cousin Neil. So that will be nice for them.

Funny how things happen, but I was reminded of my mother twice this week. First thing,  I was getting some old clothes ready for the charity bin. I haven’t worn them in more than a year, so I went to the closet and my dresser to pull things out. Of course, I had to wash them again. That is exactly what my mom would have done.  Second thing was that the local navy cadets celebrated the anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic. That reminded me of the many photos Mom had of her days in Halifax during World War II.  When we were kids we would look at the photos of Mom and all the people she hung out with back then. Of course, there were lots of pictures of Mom with sailors. It was funny because as kids we would say, hey Mom, that guy isn’t Dad, who is it? Mom always laughed and said she didn’t remember.

Helpful people

May is always a busy month in Timmins for the news. Last year it was the forest fires that dominated the local issues and this year it is flooding.  Porcupine Lake and the Mattagami River are both running higher, wayyyyy higher, than normal.

So of course it means that most of my time is taken up chasing fresh stories on how the flood is impacting on the city. I think the best part was seeing how people come out to help their neighbours. I was so impressed with the sandbag filling stations set up at several places in town. People who were not in the flood zones showed up to grab a shovel and fill sandbags. Then they helped lug those heavy sandbags into different places where they could stop the rising water.

In any event the flood waters are now easing as the snowmelt is almost done. But there are still many areas around Timmins that still have snow and so the spring runoff will continue for several days.

Also had a nice chat with Jennifer Saturday and things are good at Chez Alexander in Val Caron. Her report card marks had just been posted and Jenn was pleased to report a perfect 4.0 GPA.  The boys are enjoying their new three-on-three hockey league too. It’s a new thing in Sudbury and quite popular I am told.

Grandma had it right ...

So today is April 30^th and it is one of those dates I sure try not to forget. This is Neil’s birthday. I was able to send him a text that he got right around midnight, while he was working.  The only reason I was able to do that is that I was awakened at about 3:00 a.m. today because I had to pee. So I got up and noticed the clock said 3:00. That prompted me to remember that Vancouver time is three hours off from Timmins time. So I sent Neil a quick and cheerful birthday note. I didn’t read his answer until about 9:00 a.m. today.  So that was cool and fun. Holy Jeez Neil! 33 already eh. Wow.

Hmmm… one of these days, I may get more grandchildren. OMG I can hear Jennifer laughing from here! Just kidding Neil.

Speaking of babies, I was at the Timmins and District hospital today where they announced a “new” form of infant care.  It’s called the Mother-Baby Dyad Program. The idea is to have the newborn spend more time with the mother, live in the hospital room with the mom, instead of being kept in another room; all to promote a greater sense of closeness and well-being.

The chief nurse explaining the program asked the reporters if they had any questions. I looked at the other media folks who didn’t seem to be ready to say anything, so I asked, “Isn’t this the sort of thing my Grandma did when she had her babies?”

The nurse said yes, that’s exactly what the program does. It seems as more and more moms went to have their babies in hospitals over the years, the protocol of care created a situation where mom and baby were given care in separate places. Well, some wise person discovered that having mom and baby spend more time together is a better way of doing things. There will be exceptions of course, if mom or the baby develops any sort of a serious illness that requires special treatment.

So I felt good to learn that change does not always mean doing something new.

It’s busier than usual in Timmins these days. All that snow we got this winter has NOT melted yet, but it is melting very fast. That means flooding in local lakes and rivers. So it will be a tense time for folks living near water in the next week or so. 

 

WESTREE CODFISH ...

Oh by the way I enjoyed a few days of excellent seafood last week. I cooked up a batch of Westree cod. Betcha didn't know you can get cod in Westree, eh? I breaded it and cooked it so nicely in the cast iron frying pan. Oh yeah, it was good. I had a big feed one night with potatoes, and then had cod sandwiches for a few days after that... with lettuce, tomato, Miracle Whip and pepper sauce. 

The good news about cancer ...

I was thinking a lot of about Jennifer this week when I met with Martin Kabat, the CEO of the Canadian Cancer Society, Ontario division. He is on a tour to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the cancer society, so he was a news story. What impressed me was meeting with some local cancer survivors, who had incredible stories. Of course, my mind wandered back to the days when Jennifer had her own struggle. And her own incredible story.

I was pleased to spend some time with a close friend, who is in her 50s. Her name is Judi.  Her grandmother died of ovarian cancer. Her mother died of ovarian cancer.  A couple of years ago, Judi was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. But now,  Judi is a survivor. Her hair is growing back and she looks great. There is a photo of her on my news website.  Thank goodness there are more and more stories of people who survive. Part of Judi’s story is that the cancer focused her life in a way she never expected. Suddenly she knew what was important and what was not. And it brought her family closer together. I know that has happened in our family. Anyway I was happy to write about Judi. She is a nice lady with a wonderful family. And we were both happy to see each other. I hope we see each other for a long, long time.

Nice Easter weekend...

Had a nice time in Westree this weekend with Jenn and her men and visiting Denise and Don Alexander. As usual the hospitality and food was fabulous. But if you know Denise, you will have to ask her the story of how the spatula broke cutting the chocolate cream cake. I was laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes.  Oh by the way, the cake was for Tyler and myself as we celebrated our birthdays. Mine is March 31 and Tyler’s is April 1. So it was a great time. Jennifer said I am a difficult person to buy for in terms of gifts. So she opted for buying a bottle of whiskey. But WOW, what a bottle … A Glen Breton Rare 10-year old single malt Scotch.  It’s the only single malt made in Canada. It’s a special craft whisky. The bottles are filled by hand, not by machine. So this is a saver… I plan to crack it open on Christmas Eve. I can’t wait.

A well-known reviewer gave it a very nice recommendation on YouTube. 87 out of 100!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLOyNGiDg6U

The boys had more fun that you can imagine on the weekend, thanks in part to the amazing sunny weather. Tyler and Nathan got up on top of Granddad’s woodshed to enjoy the view and ended up tossing the football with Scott down below. The boys had a great time … especially when they missed the ball and had to jump off the roof into the waist deep snow.

The week was good in another way. I was told I have won a couple of national journalism awards. One is the top prize for a spot news photo and the other is the top prize for our coverage of the Timmins forest fire.  Competed against 250 other papers across Canada. Pleased

More political television ... love it!

There was an excellent TV show running a few years back, a drama that documented life behind the scenes at The White House. The show was called The West Wing, starring Martin Sheen. The show won all kinds of awards but the corporate folks canned it because it did not have high enough ratings. I hate it when they dumb-down television. It's one of the reasons I don't usually watch regular television. I do have Netflix though and this week I began watching a new political drama about the White House, starring Kevin Spacey. It's called House of Cards.

Oh yeah. It's good. As expected Spacey is excellent.  If you get the chance, sit down, pour yourself a drink or get some popcorn, and enjoy some good television.

She's kinda good lookin' if you ask me...

Feminine beauty. Okay, so this is something purely subjective, but over the years it seems feminine beauty has become manufactured.  For some of our lady Hollywood types, if you can’t buy it in a cosmetics shop or  get it from a doctor’s office, you just aren’t beautiful enough to make the grade. I noticed this on Saturday night when I was watching a movie… starring Ingrid Bergman, a true beauty who was also a fine actor. She won three Academy Awards during her acting career.

 I was watching the Hollywood version of For Whom The Bell Tolls and was amazed at Bergman’s beauty, even as she was presented in a plain jane fashion opposite Gary Cooper. It was 1943. She was 28. She even made the cover of TIME magazine that year. 

Reading Hemingway ... what a treat.

Okay, so I bought too many books this month for the e-reader. Not a big deal, except I imposed my own personal spending limit.   I looked through the Internet and was pleased to see there are several ‘classic’ books out there that are free, or cost only 49-cents or so. I downloaded Ernest Hemingway’s classic For Whom The Bell Tolls. I haven’t seen that book in like 40 years, but Wow! It is so much better to read it a second time.  I can’t tell you what a treat it is to read that kind of literature. It’s an amazing story about the Spanish Civil War, and members of the International Brigades who fought the fascists. Hemingway brings it totally to life as the guerrillas struggle day to day. You can feel the sweat dripping into your eyes as you trudge through the mountains and endure the cold fear of fighting against incredible odds. I am learning that it pays to be a bit discerning when seeking out something to read.

Fryin' pan man

It’s the simplest thing you can imagine, but I am feeling good about my latest purchase. I try to not to speak of things I buy because I would like to think I am not materialistic. I think I get things I know I will actually use. If I don’t use, or cannot use, something I throw it away or give it away. My parents were of that generation that saved everything, threw nothing away, thinking ‘I will need this someday’. I am at the point where if I don’t have what I need for that moment, I will do without. I have discovered that I usually manage to survive that terrible moment. As for getting rid of things I don’t need, I am lucky to live in a building that has a unique way to get rid of things. Bring ‘em to the laundry room.  In the laundry room you can leave books, teacups, pots, pans, sweatshirts and magazines … and voila, next day, they’re gone. Somebody can use whatever some one else has left. Just last month I felt smug satisfaction with myself as I delivered my last computer and a television set to the local homeless shelter. Imagine my surprise at seeing their TV was better than my NEW TV.

Anyway, getting back to my original thought… I have a new frying pan. A friend recently raved about cast iron frying pans on Facebook and attached a video, produced the by the Lodge company, which makes cast iron cookware in Tennessee. So I purchased a nice big Lodge cast iron fry pan.

Now I remember Mom and Dad singing the praises of cast iron years ago. But when I was a teenager, I was always the one doing the dishes and always got stuck doing the pots and pans. I remember having the scrub the big black frying pan. Well it turns out I was doing things wrong. One does not scrub a cast iron frying pan, or use things like SOS and Comet … like I used to do. Take a stiff brush, some hot water and clean the pan out and then wipe it dry with a paper towel. Apply a bit of new vegetable oil, a bit of heat, a dash of salt,  and the pan is ready to use again. That’s what YouTube has taught me. So from this point forward I plan to use my new pan for a variety of meals including an apple dessert recipe. 

It’s almost as big as a Dutch oven. Research tells me that cooking on low heat for longer periods is what makes the cast iron produce great results.

So I am planning stews, steaks and spaghetti sauces. Look out Gordon Ramsay!

Good things...

March has been good so far. Way better than I expected. For starters, Jennifer is advancing in her nursing studies… thanks of course to her smarts and hard work. There are only a limited number of students that can move forward in the program and Jenn is one of them. I’m happy for her, and proud too.

I found some new Miles Davis music… what I am saying, Miles has been dead for more than 20 years, but I discovered some of his amazing jazz albums that I had not heard before. So that’s good. Jazz makes me happy. I wish I knew more about it when I was younger, but it just evokes good emotions. I just watched a move that had Miles Davis and Bob Dylan on the soundtrack. Doesn’t get much better than that. By the way, if you feel like watching a 90s movie again, Jerry Maguire is a good choice.

Had a nice chat with Neil last weekend. Actually I waited until 2:00 p.m. to call him because it was 11:00 a.m. in Vancouver, and he works late. I felt a tiny bit guilty because I think my phone call woke him up.  He answered with a combined grunt, sigh and groan that sounded like "Hlo..hlooo." 
Anyway, he is liking the new pub he works in and he is happy. This week he is off to L.A. to spend time with friends. I always worry when he travels (Dads always worry about their kids) but he was telling me he and his friends know Los Angeles pretty well and they know how to be safe.
Wow, things don't get too much better eh. Both of my children are happy and healthy. I am blessed.

Work is good. I am lucky that I don’t find it be like, y’know, Work. Some mornings I have actually been getting up earlier because I want to get to work earlier.

The e-reader is amazing. I have been reading so much that the battery died today. The book said the battery is supposed to be good for two months before a re-charge. Not quite!

And next weekend is St. Paddy’s Day…. Some of the media gang reminded me that last year’s St. Paddy’s Day party, which I hosted,  was so good we should do it again. Hmmm… for some reason my memory of that wonderful event is still a bit blurry.  I think if somebody donates a bottle of whiskey I can be convinced to cook the dinner. We will let you know.

Whiskey ... is like art

I am pleased; so, so pleased to learn I like ORDINARY whiskey. I found a couple of websites where whiskey drinkers list their favourite brands and then describe in detail how much they enjoy the flavours.  There are things like hint of vanilla, smokey palette, and peaty nose! Then I started reading how different people rated some of the best known and most expensive brands. It was amazing to see that so many whiskey snobs have differing opinions on the SAME brands… the same EXPENSIVE brands. I’m talking about stuff that runs at $200 a bottle. I’ve never spent that much. I have purchased $100 whiskey… One was Oban and the other was Talisker. I have to admit I like the Oban better, even though the Talisker is made on Skye, close to my ancestral home.

Obviously everyone’s taste is so different. Just because one guy likes a single malt, it doesn’t mean EVERYONE is gong to like it.

So here’s the thing. I have tasted some brands that people just get all excited about and I think, blah. No big deal. I mean, some expensive whiskies are fabulous … while others are just ho-hum. That’s me and my taste. I don’t add anything… sometimes a piece of ice. But when I make ice I used filtered water.

Recently, a friend bought me a bottle of Ballantynes as a gift. Now this whiskey is an old favourite for so many people because it is a blended whiskey. It has been around for years. I wasn’t sure that I had tried it before, only because when I try something new, I like to try something a bit more expensive. The Ballantynes is always on the bottom shelf.

Well I finally the cracked the Ballantynes and I was absolutely delighted. The bottle design is a bit old-fashioned, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. But this stuff is very nice, very smooth and I like the flavour, which is a tiny bit sweet, with honey and caramel. Of course, I had to have a second glass.    So, I guess whiskey is like art. To each his own.

Bored, disinterested maybe...

It can be annoying to read a book and come across a word that you’ve never seen before.

That happened today as I was reading Ken Follett’s novel, Fall of Giants. One of the characters, Maud, discovered that conversation was stultifying. Hmmm. As a popular novelist, Follett does not need to impress us with such big words. Ordinary people do not speak this way. I was not expecting to need them, but the e-reader includes several digital dictionaries. On the e-reader, you just touch the word and the dictionary comes to your aid. The first dictionary did not know the word. The Oxford Dictionary described stultifying as “cause to lose enthusiasm and initiative, especially as a result of a tedious or restrictive regime…” Blah, blah, blah. C’mon Follett, you can write better than that!
He could have written that Maud became bored or disinterested. Of course, now that I know the word, I can’t wait to use it among a group of writers at a meeting where we might be discussing the chances of Justin Trudeau becoming Liberal leader. |”Sorry fellas, but I find this whole topic …uh… stultifying!” Seriously though, a good writer doesn’t need to insert big words to get the message out to the reader. Indubitably.

I like my reader...

Well the verdict is in. I like the e-reader. Just finished reading Battle Cry, the classic book about the US Marines. The nice thing about that book is that I was so engrossed in the story, I barely noticed the function of using the e-reader. It just flows very easily by swiping a finger across the page, then the next page appears. I also like the fact that once I see a book I want, I click on it on the Internet page, and within 30 seconds I have paid for it and the book is downloaded onto my computer and onto the e-reader simultaneously. Instant gratification. I am thinking I had better be wary of the spending too much money, too easily. On the other hand, I have received an e-mail outlining how I can now borrow E-books from almost any public library in Ontario. Everything is online. How cool is that? So for the next week or so, I will be reading Ken Follett's Fall Of Giants. I just ripped through about 30 pages and it's a good read. So I have poured a glass of whiskey and now I am going back to the book...

I am so "with it" ...

Well I have finally gone and done it. After chatting with a co-worker about how much she enjoys her E-reader, I was convinced that I should get one … considering how much money I have been spending on books lately, I figured an E-reader was worth the investment. So as I began searching the net to get an idea about what was out there, I was suddenly reminded I had plenty of Airmiles. So I checked the Airmiles website and that solved that issue right away. It arrived today. My new SONY PRS-T2, which is even Wi-Fi certified. So I have signed up with the SONY reader service and I plan to buy a book or two this week. My plan is to buy something I really want to read so that I can convince myself I like this new device. If not, somebody is going to get a slightly used E-reader at Christmas! I will let you know what I think.

Yes, it was cold this morning...

Still in a bit of a cold snap in Timmins. It was minus 38 at eight oclock this morning. This was the view from my balcony. The overnight windchill was down to minus 53. My Nitro started just fine, even though I have never plugged it in. One of these days I will push my luck too far in that regard. Anyway, it was a less than pleasant thing to breathe this morning. Not because it was so cold. It was that all the car exhaust and fireplace smoke just hung in the morning air. It didn’t go away for awhile. The air didn’t taste so fresh. That’s what its like when it gets this cold.

Beef stew on the balcony ...

This is stew weather. I was pleased to have enjoyed a couple of large bowls of beef stew last night, complete with a fresh loaf of crusty bread and a nice bottle of Rothschild Pinot Noir ( really excellent red wine). The beef was wonderfully tender, with red potatoes, green beans, white turnip, onions and carrots. I am pleased to say the only flavouring I added was a chunk of garlic. The fun part was when I finished supper, I decided to put the leftover stew into three freezer containers for future meals. Instead of sticking them in the freezer right away, I put them on the balcony ... It was nearly minus 30 and so the leftovers were frozen solid in about 25 minutes. By the Way, the wine is only $11.95 at the LCBO and it is a real treat. I could have used a stronger flavour with the stew... but this stuff is just too good to ignore.

Perfect weather for reading

I am enjoying a great book this weekend that has an unexpected treat for me. Storm Warning by Jack Higgins is a great thriller-adventure story, but I was especially pleased to learn that much of the story takes place in the North Atlantic off the coast of Scotland. Many of the places in the novel such as Glasgow, Ben Nevis, Fort William, Mallaig and the Isle of Skye are all places I saw and visited a couple of years ago. The book even includes Morar, which is the ancestral home of the Cape Breton Gillis clan.
It is good weather for reading this weekend. We have had freezing cold temperatures in the past few days with the temperatures in the minus 30s and the windchill below minus 40. Good to put on the tea and snuggle up on the couch. I was out with friends Saturday to watch the hockey game, and I left the vehicle at home. It wasn't plugged in, but hey (knock on wood) it started just fine this morning. So right now it is minus 28 and Enviro Canada has issued an overnight windchill warning in the minus 40 range. 

Can always use socks ...

Timmins is one of those cities that is losing its Zellers store. The store closes on Monday. Like a lot of folks in town, I dropped by today to check out the real “going out of business sale”. Prices were 50 to 70 per cent off. As I walked around, I realized I really didn’t NEED anything.  There were hundreds of others there and I am sure most were in the same situation. Sure, there’s lots of stuff we might want, but really, we live in a pretty lush society here in Canada. I had a hard time finding anything I needed.  But since I was there, I picked up some nice dress socks and a roll of aluminum foil. 

Oh yeah, bumped into Ray and Diane at Zellers. Was nice to see them. Diane broke her foot recently, but she's doing okay now... She has a walking cast and a cane. Ray, of course, is just fine as usual. 

That don't impress me much ...

Another new year and all is well in Timmins. Well, almost. I was a bit shocked to learn that our local city council is planning to sell off the Shania Twain Centre to a local gold mining company. I don't mind the idea of selling the building, but I do find it concerning that the plan is to demolish the building to make way for the new gold mine. Hmmm... the building is still relatively new, only 11 years old. I know the architect. I wonder how he feels about it.
Now I know it's a polarizing issue, but the climate is indeed going wonky. Here's the thing. I am still NOT in the camp that says it is all global warming. That's because there is evidence that the warming trend actually began before the industrial revolution of the 1800s and all the carbon residue from burning fossil fuels, coal and oil etc.
I DO believe in climate change. That's pretty obvious. What is frustrating is the information overload from the science community. There is so much data to sift through.  What is infuriating is when people inject politics into science. I stop listening when politicians and activists start harping about the weather.  I was reading in a reputable science journal that there was a "mini" ice-age in North America and Europe as recently as 1850. And another one may be one the way in a few hundred years. Hmmm... have to do some more reading.