bigbuck

What's happening now is that we are entering a 'New Age of Austerity'. We have had it too good for too long. Our parents had to scrimp and save and really, we haven't, not even close. There were times when it may have been a bit tight but it didn't last too long. There has been too much money available and now the majority of people are overextending themselves. I'm not just talking about the average working stiff either. In my house, we eat steak, roasts, ribs, chicken, fish and the like very regularly, how you may ask?? I don't make $200k/yr. Every Saturday morning I have my ritual, while the fishing shows are on, I go through the ads for the week. Over the course of the week during my travels, I will stop at the various stores to pick up the specials along with some of the basic staples, bread, milk eggs and the like. I have a freezer that is very well stocked in the basement as well as a well stocked pantry of dry goods. Why buy a can of tomatoes for $1.49 when you can get them for .88 each on special. Buy a dozen or two. Why pay $7.99 or higher per pound for a Prime rib roast when you can get it for $3.99/lb? You just have to be a smart shopper. That's what our folks did. The only time they went into debt was to buy a house. Now we have car payments, mortgage payments, credit card payments, daycare, etc....etc...etc....

Problem with some of the big box house brand stuff is service, you can't go to Aikmans or one of the either repair guys out there and expect him to have parts. Stick to Abu, Quantum, Shimano or Daiwa. Spend more on the reel and less on the rod. You get what you pay for with Baitcasters.

IFF (if and only if) I had a sled and it wasn't the last week of my busy season, I would be on this like white on rice. Just goes to show what kind of a guy Wayne is, offering up his little piece of paradise to us OFC'rs. If you do make it up there, I hope you slay the walters and brookies.

I got caught up with work today and couldn't make it. We're off to Honey harbour for the weekend so it looks like I'm going to miss the show. Too bad, it would have been great to have a chance to gab with Pete Maina and Gord Pyzer again.

I went through the whole rigamarole before xmas. My car failed and when the tech scanned it and saw no codes and that I had just put a new convertor on, he took it for a drive and retested it, it passed. It was not hot when they tested it. They ended up just charging me for 1 test. If it's time for a tuneup, do it. Otherwise, change the oil, take it for a nice run on the highway and go get it tested right afterwards.

I guess that boat has a little bit of get up and go. Starting up all 4 motors costs my gas budget for the weekend.

Lots of history in that home. When Steve Stavro bought it, he had an addtion put on the back of the house, the stonemasons and stone were imported from Great Britain to do it at great expense. It's rumoured that Royalty stayed there during a visit to Hogtown. Some of the furnishings there were from Henry VIII, there was an ancient table and chairs from the 1600's in the Great Room. Over 20 years ago, I saw Luciano Pavarotti sing there at a private fundraiser. As a kid I helped move some of the furniture there from the Stavro farm in Cambellcroft north of Port Hope. Memories.........

The Okuma rods are great for the price. BUT, don't cheap out too much on the reel. You'll just end up spending on a good reel later. I'd second the ABU Record 60, it's a good reel for a decent price. You can spend more on a low profile reel but they aren't the greatest when it comes to trolling because they just don't have the line capacity. A Shimano Calcutta B is also a good option but is a bit more dough.

I'll be there Friday afternoon.

What fuel/oil ratio are you supposed to be running??? You don't just dump oil in the gas with no measuring. Too much oil will foul up the spark plug and gum up the engine not to mention tons of smoke, not enough and your engine will end up seizing or blowing.

Looks like I may miss Pete Maina this year. I'm going to go on Friday afternoon and hopefully I'll get to see Gord Pyzer and his protege Jeff Gusstafson.

I've got some buddies that have gone to Lunge Lodge a few times and they said it was pretty good. Don't know about the other place.

What about bathroom fan venting?? Is there sufficient venting in the soffits to allow the roof vents to breathe?? Could the soffit vents be plugged up with insulation or critter nests??

Dax, it looks pretty good and it only gets better. To those that haven't gone, there can be some great deals to be had on the Silent Auction tables. Lots of great stuff. Great speakers too!!

I'll be going on Friday. Anyone else going to be there?? I'd have gone on Saturday but we are heading up to Honey Harbour for Winterfest with the kids and maybe a bit of snowmobiling.

A few years ago a bunch of natives went hunting up on Georgian Bay. The bottoms of their fishing boats were covered with spent 12 guage shells and there were tons of cormorant carcasses. Too bad they don't do it more often. I'd kick in a couple boxes of shells.

Soft water can't come soon enough!! I've had enough of the cold. I miss being out on the water!!

I'd look at a 6' Light action fast tip St Croix Premier. It's at the high end and may bit a bit more than a c-note but it's a great rod and you'll love it. I second checking out JBs.

They look fantastic!!! I'd give them a whirl. You can expect an order from me before the season opener.

RIP. My condolences to his family.

I have 6 jerry cans that I use to fuel the boat, 3 of the new ones and 3 of the old ones. I have one of those siphon hoses that you can pick up at BPS. It works like a charm and only leaves a few drops of fuel in the can that you can get out by tipping it using the funnel. BUT, I hate the smaller tanks, I'd rather have the 5 Imperial gallons which works out to about 6 US gallons.

About 6 inches in Oakville. Nothing too bad. We got a call from the school board at 6:45am to let us know that the school is closed. GREAT, only problem, my girls go on Tuesdays and Thursdays and alternating Fridays. DUH!!!

I'm the pretty good neighbour too. I do the sidewalk for about 4-5 houses on either side of me. I don't do the driveways though, if someone wants to use my snowblower, no problem. I'll be out later cleaning the windrows after the plow comes by for a few of the neighbours.

Could just be a bad tire. Best take it in and have the front end inspected as well.

Just be careful when lumping all of your insurance under one carrier. Any claims affect everything so it can be very expensive if something ever happens. Just shop around.