Old Ironmaker

Thanks for the concern Albert, your concern is appreciated. Under the weather for a few months, about 11 to be exact. Had Covid tests negative thank goodness. No energy, it's a chore to turn this lap top on, couldn't care less to go online, even forget to check blood glucose 1st thig in AM. I was told to take vitamin D from a local pot smoker of all people a few weeks ago, I actually feel better. To prove it is working I woke 3 days in a row with something, let me be smart how I explain this as we are PG rated, something that one wakes with generally in the early teens. It has been 11 years since I have been waken with this affliction. Not once since I had a cancerous tumor removed from my bladder 11 years ago. A cystoscopy has detrimental effects on the male prostate. Enough said. I feel much better. I finally got me arse off the reclyner and started walking 4 weeks ago and as they say the new smoking is watching TV, I was up to 12 hours a day, or more chain sitting. My 1st walk lasted 300 yards before I was gasping for air and it will be a year in a few weeks smoke free, quit cold Turkey. We walked 2 miles today, no issues. It's getting better, thanks very much.

Guys, there is a big, very big picture out there. Balance deleted.

Better the few hundred bucks in my jeans then theirs, always. They will get it eventually until then that 2% interest isn't going to make me rich but it makes me feel better.

The timeline is almost bang on my Grand Father on my Fathers side. Born In Italy some how he found himself in a British uniform fighting in western Europe. He took shrapnell to the skull and had to be one of the first to have a metal plate inserted toreplace bone. Fast forward to the late 30's and he then found himself in a prisoners uniform in the internment camp in Pettiwawa Ontario as a combatant of the Crown. Internment Camp, sounds much better than a POW prison or consentration camp, much much better. He spent the duration of the war as a guest of the King. I never got it and my Father wasn't offering any answers whatsoever to my questions. I did get some answers from a gentleman in his mid 60's that I met at 18 when I started at the plant. He was a kid when they took him to what was CNE stadium then eventually shipped off to Camp Pettawawa. Oswaldo Giacomelli, Google him, some intersting reading and he was featured in a Doccumentary titled Barbed Wire and Mandolins. We became friends and he taught me much about the sport we all love here. He told me more than a few stories, some I wish I never heard some I really am glad he told them about my Grand Father I met just twice.

No reports but drove over the Dunnville bridge on the Grand River Thursday and to my plesant surprise saw at least a dozen huts around Steves place south of the bridge a short walk on the ice. No idea how thick it is. Dave would know. That would be near "Fishmasters Marina". He used to have a few pop ups he rented but I doubt he has any rentals in this insane World today. Just thought I would let you hardwater guys know. You and I will never catch a fish sitting in front of this screen. But I hear there is an app now where you can catch a virtual fish. Wonder how they taste? Johnny D/Selkirk On.

Finally some 'good'' flippin'news from the year that we wish never was. I can't even bring myself to speak the numbers. That there is a life time of Musky for me, no a few lifetimes. Congrats on a great year fishing young fella. Back in the day as they say we would hit the gym hard over the winter to fish what I called bushwacking The Mai Kong Delta for early trout from Aylmer to Orangeville way then hit the fish factory known as The Mighty Niagara with enough energy to race each other up the hill to McFarland Park. Good on you guys, keep the good news coming.

Without reading the entire 4 pages my quick answer to the question is "no". But if I want to go ice fishing but while being smart and safe getting there to do it I certainly will. I may have to borrow my wifes note from her employer saying she is allowed to be on the road. There are constitutional questions at play here to be answered by persons a hell of a lot smater than me, or so I'm told. Picton used to be at the west end not the east end, Deseronto is the east end, or it was in the 70's. I've seen many fished pulled out of there by nets and spears, far more, many many more by hook and line. Mr. Crimsongulf. And that would be one very purdy trout you have there Sir. And I agree.

Even easier to make from scratch which is some flour, water, a punch of salt* and an egg. Roll out and cut into strips and bada boom bada bam you just made home made spaghetti, cut strips wider you now made home made fettucinni. Look at you go. * what Al Pacino movie?

Even cooler when you see something like this. In the spring we have swarms of bugs flying around the shore of Erie. They fly in the same type of patterns and the swarm sounds like a pool pump running which is what I thought it was the 1st time I heard it. Thought it was the neighbour getting the pool online. Then we saw the clouds of the bugs moving back and forth up and down and looked like a swirling cloud of smoke. Mother Nature sure is amazing she is.

Rant on young man, rant on. You have paid for the right to. Way back when I'm on my way into a 12 hour shift in Hamilton and I have to pass the old train station now The LIUNA Station on James North where they are filming an X-Men movie. I'm early so I pull over and watch. They drop a Cop car around 30 feet from an overhead crane and yep, boom, boom, boom with black smoke billiowing out from the explosion, or is it an eruption? If I was responsible for an even smaller eruption I would expect to be charged by the Ministry of Labour as well as the Ministry of the Environment. and maybe discharged, discharge sounds better than "fired." Note, you can mix Blast Furnace slg and water at anytime without blowing something up. That in fact is how we make Pelitized Slag or "Popcorn" to be used as an agregate in "cinder" blocks and concrete. All the concrete used to build The Skydome has Stelco Hamilton's E Blast Furnace slag in the mix.

If you worked in Ironmaking anywhere in the world back in the day you owned 3 of everything. 3 cars, 1 for the family, 1 for the wife and 1 to drive in and out of the plant that was never washed why would you waste the time and park next to a Blast Furnace. 3 changes of clothes, 1 set for traveling to and fro for work, 1 set of work clothes and the clothes you wore inside the home. I had to change from traveling garb to home outfits in the garage. I didn't need to be told to do that, the traveling clothes stunk like rotten eggs and Coke Oven gas then the garge did. ( I forgot Men don't wear outfits. ) I am going to venture an educated guess that Dofasco was dumping hot metal AKA liquid Iron, molten Iron or pig Iron at temps between 2500 F and 2700 F. (2500 F is cosidered cold). This hot metal is dumped into Iron pits, sometimes the proceedure is refered to as banking Iron. This usually happens at Xmas, that way the Steelmaking facility can be shut down and the Blast Furnaces can run at very low wind rates, also known as "faning" a furnace. It could however be an operational error that hot metal was diverted into a slag pit that was cold and had moisture in it. More than a few operational errors have to happen to make a Boom, Boom. Dofasco had a similar "eruption" around Xmas a few years back. N.B. an eruption must be far less hazardous as an explosion. We used the same rediculous terminology, believe me if you were withing a kilometer you knew it was an explosion. Stelco Hilton Works stopped this proceedure in the early 90's. It was considered hazardous as well as environmentaly irresponsible. We paid for more than a few power washes to homes and cars in the neighbourhoods depending on the wind direction and new sets of bedding that hung on the line, even when the wind was blowing in the other direction. It could be done however with all the provincial ministries involved permission if and only if an iminent danger to a worker or workers is probable. But Dofasco still does it 25 years latter. That's enough Blast Furnace 101 for 2021. Happy New Year folks. Boom Boom!!!!

Try standing a few feet from that slag pit "eruption." I once blew the slag pit up that they filmed it in Toronto.

When I see what could be an add for a commercial enterprise especially from a newer member with a handful of posts my pesimistic 1/2 thinks, free advertising, how much $$$ does this guy want from us, hair today gone tomorrow. The other 1/2 of me is far less pesimistic and just says "rip off." This is a fantastic app, absolutly fabulous. I would use it myself especially when we are in a group of small lakes that I can get in and out of without getting out of the boat. I always assume the slot limits are the same but who knows. I always say you better bring a copy of the regs or for those that can have the entire book on your phone, not me, don't forget the phone and the charger. Good work minnow p4rp. p4rp means what? You just made many freinds here.

The fish monger located in th commercial fisherman marina east of the river in Port Dover has frozen Pickeral for sale. Frozen of course, 14 bucks a pound, not a bad price. I've seen her get $22.00 a pound some years, frozen as well. No perch or trout available but she said she has Whitefish and something called "spikes.". Spikes? I asked. There are small walleye fillets the size of perch, 4 or 5 inches. They get caught in perch nets. Sad. I didn't even ask how much they cost. I'm not buying any "Spikes." I've never eaten a 5" walleye fillet nor intend on eating one in this life time. I've threatened to bop a few of my Americun freinds and relatives unless they tossed back pics the size of perch, more than a few times now going on 4 generations. Usually open Thurs. Fri. and Saturdays only. Next week because of Xmas they will be open Mon. and Tues. unless sold out.

I'm surprised Fox news let this guy speak on their soap box. The more this Doc spoke the more I became suspitious. I'm not sure about someone that starts a non profit then names himself top dog then calls himself the smartest guy concerning this pandemic, that's purdy smart. At 6 minutes and 8 seconds my ears perked up when he simply said that he just testified, I'm not sure to whom, that "We just found the cure for Covid." Well that's that then.

Around 28 years ago I bought my lady a Shimano spinning rod for her birthday that I would never spend on a rod for myself. Once in a while she asks "Is that my rod Johnny?."

Dan gets it. If it was profitable we would have a lab on every corner. And if we did produce a vaccine here that still doesn't mean we wouldn't be exporting it first.

My former wife wanted to know why I didn't make her wonderful things from wood like her Dad makes everyone in th family. I told her that I was sure shewasn't aware that he had amassed a collection of power tools from lathes, planners, machines that made dato's and dove tails. A collection that would make Norm Abrhams drool over and Norm don't drool. That plus I had no idea how to use the things.

I would love to do wood working, I tried, believe me I tried. I saw my 16 month younger kid brother build a magnificent wall unit in dad's workshop and we carried it up the stairs and into his truck then up the elevator in the high rise to my new sis in law and he rented a 2 bedroom apt. He did a magnificent job. That was 1978, he still has it. Absolutly gorgious burled walnut. I wonder what a 4'X8' sheet of that goes for today? The unit I made was turned into a small dinette table by my father in law not long after I tried my best at wood working. It was never really used as a wall unit as it had to be deconstructed to get it out of the basement. I knew my limitations early in life.

It is sad. Thank goodness there were no injuries as a result of the fire. We live in a village let alone small town, not even a grocery store to burn down. It's a big deal to have a grocery store in many small towns in rural Ontario, a very big deal. I have total empathy for these folks, it's going to be tough for them until they rebuild, hopefully they rebuild, unless another Mom and Pop store it's highly unlikely, especially in a Covid-19 business climate. Fire burned down our local automotive repair last summer. We had all our automotive needs done there. The closest auto repair shop to us now is 35 KMs away. There is a shop closer but I found out years ago when I had a car towed there that they do not take on any new customers unless related to current or passed customers, (welcome to small town Ontario.) With zero public transportation out here a cab is over 25 bucks one way, the number of cabs have doubled latelty, we have 2 now, if you don't want to wait over an hour for one of the two call ahead the day before I was told. I could walk home after dropping off the car or truck at what was the local shop, on a nice day, not now. Losing an essential service in a small community is a big deal. Come to think of it our only gas station closed last summer, that is a pain as it's a 45 minute return trip now to get that gas can filled to finish cutting the lawn. At that station you had to call to see if they had any gas in the tanks. If they didn't answer th phone you could be sure they were out of gas. Or you could call Fay our local Librarian, from where her phone is at the library she could see across the road and tell you if there was a sign on the pump, "NO GAS". I need to keep writing all this small town stuff down for my book. "A Citiot Living In A Small Town in Ontario"

$10,000 sounds like a good hit to the pocket book of offenders, however 3 offenders and multiple offences. If the Justices would add a zero to many of the fines these so called outdoorsmen might think twice about shooting a calf across a road thinking it was a cow and letting it rot. I can't believe one of these guys will not have his Hunting Permit revolked if he takes a hunting course. How about a suspension of more than 1 year plus take every course hunting related there is. Three southern Ontario men being fined a total of $10,000 for hunting violations. – Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources News Roundup (mnrwatch.com)

Every once in a while "New" and "improved" cooking appliances come to market. Remember the "George Foreman" everyone had to have one. Most have been sold for 5 bucks at yard sales. Then there was the roticary that could cook a large chicken in less than 40 minutes with the plastic cover that melted over time, yard sale again. Now there is some kind of counter top grill that goes from room temp to 500F in seconds, cooks a pizza in 6 minutes, a full size roast beef, whatever full size is, in less than an hour, a chicken in 20 minutes. Has anyone bought one? There are a few out there. The names elude me. I will have to write the name down when the commercial is on again.

Why would roofing scare you Albert? I have no problem doing a roof as long as I don't have to be above ground. In days gone by no problem whatsoever, I could climb a ladder with a bundle of shingles over each shoulder, look at me now. I cleaned out 3 window flower boxes and cleaned 5 window sills and ended up in E.R. a few weekends ago with what they call an "arthrtic episode" whatever in hells name that means. I love the old saying that heights and falling doesn't scare me, landing does.