Old Ironmaker

Some mighty fine fish you have there dear Sir. My favorite is the pic of the young lad with the smile on his face. I threw a few lines out, caught a few Smallies but for one reason (excuse) or another didn't get the bottom of the boat wet. 2020 sucked, no 2 ways about it, it was the most dismal year in my 66 years, absolutly terrible but no where nearly as bad as some that had to suffer in an intensive care ward, alone, then die, alone. It puts fishing on the bottom of a long list of important things in life, like life itself.

On the suggestion of my then BIL chemist that worked for Proctor and Gamble we slathered the dog with Crest toothpaste, let it dry and brushed it out. Thank goodness most of my in-laws worked at P&G and the toothpaste was free. That was after we spent way over 100 bucks on useless stuff from the Vets and more on tomato juice. I felt terrible for poor little Farah our Stafforshire Terrier also known as a Pit Bull to those not educated in the breed, a big Staff male is about 45 pounds, an American Pit Bull can go over 100 pounds. They are certainly related though and get a terrible reputation. She got it right in the eyes and her eyes were red for days. She was never let out again until I knew the coast was clear. My wife worked with the public then and missed an entire week because she smelled like a skunk. Crest tooth paste worked on her as well. I just smelled like Blast Furnace gas like I normally smelled. We had the insurance company to the home the next day. Had the place not been less than a week old most if not all of the soft materials that was in her path i.e carpet, furniture etc. The bedding went right in the backyard that night. Had the place not been brand spankin' new, we were in the home less than a week, the insurance guy had no idea what could be done. It would have been big money. The smell was actually gone in a few days. I don't remember where we spent the night, I do know my wife spent a week at her parents airing out. Another waste of $$$$. (edit: don't know why that's in here but it fits.)Crest tooth paste, who knew. Now I know about peroxide, baking soda and Dawn. The pic looks like Farrah the Dog but she didn't have male body parts like in the pic. Did it's fur turn white from the peroxide Akrisoner ?

I didn't read all the posts so if this was suggested sorry. I use NADA.com. It is the Blue Book for used boats, from canoes to yaghts. Find your manufacturer, find the make, year and fill out the questionaire. It will give the average selling price in USD. It is very close to our prices in southern Ontario once converted to CDN funds. Of course things like location will vary prices. A boat in Florida is going to be less than a boat in Nevada.

Albert, I grew up having a full size kitchen and dining room in the basement. Not just us, all my Zio and Zia's, compare and commare, cougino and cogina, amico and amici. The only relatives that didn't was my Nani and Nono in the USA. That home was old when I was born. It had field stones as foundation walls. I remember helping my Nono shovel coal into the furnace in the late 50's. More than 1 Communion and Cristening parties were held in our rec room and the coal fired BBQ's in the driveway cooking all the good stuff. It's not as simple today. For some reason they book banquant halls for 1 year olds birthday parties. ????? I know the reason.

I said generally. We want a deal unless it's our turn to get paid for what we do. Generally cheap doesn't include you lew.

Big Dave Drifter, I hope you haven't permanent damage. It sounds like you beat the Grim Reaper. Remember what I said long ago about enjoying things while you can. Dave I missed where you said Dad passed. Our deepest condolences to you. We lost Mom and Dad within 8 months of one another about a year or so ago after living very long fruitful lives, 92 and 86 respectivley. My wife and I are glad that they didn't have to live through this covid thing sitting in thier apartment isolated from us all.

Albert, a kitchen in your basement??? You must be Italian. A buddy of mine who's wife is 50% Italian decent was having dinner with his 8 to 10 year old kids one evening. One of the kids was talking not so nicely about the "Italian" kid in her class. Barry was quick to point out that she is 1/4 Italian because Grand Ma is 100% Italian. She said "Come on Dad we aren't Italian because we don't have a kitchen in out basement." From the mouths of babes.

We just finished the second reno here last fall, fimally. A 6 week reno took 11 months because I could not get reputable people here an hour from Hamilton. I will not live long enough to pay back all the favours I got from contractors I know, actually some sons of former colleagues. Good contractors out this way are booked ahead of time for months. Electrical and plumbling was a 4 tom 6 week wait. A good contractor isn't going to bring his crew out this way from Hamilton or Niagara when they can drive in minutes to a job and charge great money. Supply and demand, simple. That makes opportunity for fly by night guys that are quick to take money and slow to start let alone finish a job out here in the boonies. I once told a very high profile TV contractor who works on Holmes that a guy loses his job at the plant or wherever, throws a skill saw in the back of his family van clips a tape measure on his belt and sticks a pencil behind his ear and he is now a contractor. Ontario is very lax when it come to licensing "contractors". The consumer is thrown to the dogs, the dogs being fly by night so called contractors. People are sucked in because we are generally cheap, we want to pay a guy 20 bucks an hour rather than the 75 bucks an hour or more by a licensed contractor. But when it's time for us to be paid we want top dollar, when it's time to pay we want a deal. Ya get what ya pay for.

20 years since I took my very, very early pension and moved from deep in the bowels of the big city to what country folk call the sticks. If I can find someone that can read the business end of a tape measure it is rare. You know the guy that says "It's 2 little ticky tickies past the big tickey, tickey." If anyone has handyman skills they are booked for months ahead of time. Ask those guys or gals if they have liability insurance they need a definition of liabilty. Because of my health and shot body I have to hire the pro's for anything but shoveling an inch of snow for 15 minutes now. And paying someone to do something I have been doing for 50 years, other than electrical, absolutly kills me, especially when I have to leave them be and keep my mouth shut, sometimes I can't help myself. To reach in my pocket is the real killer. I paid a guy on a Bob Cat $115.00 an hour for last Friday. I hear you Big guy. But at least they are working rather than sitting on their arses collecting social assistance. My guy also charges 25 bucks. But it will hold 6 cars and he snow blows another 30 to the door and around the same to the shed. It takes him 10 minutes, maybe 10 minutes. I didn't need him once last year and only 3 times in 18'. We are protected by the woods to the north and big spruce SE of us. There can be 4' of snow at the entrance of the laneway at both ends and a few inches here, maybe. I know because I keep track. He wants a flat rate of $200.00 this year. It's all a gamble and a guess. I'm going to gamble.

Our year old pup was let out of our 6 day old brand new home. It went outside to do her business when I heard dog barking then a huge dog whine. She messed with a skunk. Covered in skunk spray she ran back in, across the brand new braodloom up the stairs and into our bed. That "new house" smell lasted a week. PM me for the way to get the skunk smell out of everything. WAY off topic.

Oh I can think of worse things. T Bone, anyone ever tell you that you look like Pike Mike from a cuplull of Friday night fight

Rick, there is a shortage of this seasons flu shot. My wife works at a Shoppers that will administer the shot. They made the same numbers of the vacine pre Covid-19 and this Fall most everyone wants the shot thus the shortage. Those with pre excisting conditions such as Diabetes, Cancer, heart decease and age to name a few will get this years vacine first. The same will go with the C-19 vacine.

Everytime I hear that song the hair on the back of my neck stands up. I was a young shipping/recieving clerk in the plant. I did the books for the docks that brought in Metalurgical Coal and Iron Ore pellets for Ironmaking. That Ore boat was at the plant with Iron Ore many, many times and our Dock Foremen knew many of the souls lost. I was lucky enough to get invited, or I should say my wife was invited to a concert at McMaster University in Hamilton that Gordon Lightfoot put on with all proceeds going to his charity. He suffered massive heart failure and was treated at E.R. at Mac who he credits for saving his life. Not many dry eyes in the house when he played that song.

OK, finally some good news. Thanks Dan D. I talked to one of my many relatives in the USA this afternoon. He tells me 2 of our cousins have tested positive for the virus. One is fine and other is in hospital and not doing as well, he is in Atlanta in his 70's. I only know of one person here that has tested positive who is the daughter of old frends. I haven't done the math, someone here will, with the number of positive cases and the number of citizens in Canada I wonder how do we stack up per capita with the US?

How about gusts measured at Port Colbourne of 150 KPH just before the bouy sunk. I could write a book if I could spell. When the power is off and all one can hear is the wind blowing and the clinking of glassware in the cupboards and the sight of the candle flame dancing the Bossa Nova from the shack shaking when a wave hits the break wall can be unerving. I need spell check. Help please. PM me.

Odds are you won't get covid-19 the less time you go into public. It only takes 30 seconds of exposure in the few hours you are out and about every 2-3 weeks. Now it's said that puppy you walked by can give it to you. So add no petting of puppies and kittens to the lisy of no no's. I can't imagine being 23 and single today. Ah the horror of it all !!!!! (Coronal Kurtz, USMC somewhere in Cambodia 1971.) We have to laugh someday.

I'll be 1st in line. I had a real Dr's visit Monday, not a phone appointment. I got my flu shot and was happy to get one, I usually don't get it, when I did I got a bad case one year, when I didn't I got a bad case one year. I was told the flu shot is 94% effective where the 2 C-19 vacines are 95%. A line from an Arnold movie Conan the Barbarian " You want to live forever?" Now I will go back and read what you folks wrote. I wonder how many are practicing medicine here. I'll be back. OK I'm back. Looks like the split in opinion here is 50/50. Much like democratic elections. No one practicing medicine, just well thought out opinions for the most. What I will say in favour of getting the vacine is I wonder how many of my classmates parents decided they didn't want thier kid to get the Polio vacine? If I'm not mistaken a parent could decide that little Johnny or Betty not get the Polio shot, but they weren't allowed into the school. A letter from the family Doc was required. 1st it was one kid that showed up with braces on both legs and crutches, then there was 2, then 3, That's when Mom pulled me and my brother out of school, I remember that. I don't know for how long this debate went on. This was 1959 or 60' I think, come on man that was 60 years ago, 60 not 16. edit: TB, that was another comunical decease that required a vacine baxk then and today. Would you pass on getting the shot for Tuberculosis? I know we have epidemicalogical numbers now but didn't then. When all the iron lungs were full up at the old West 5th sanitoruim in Hamiltoneveryone chose the injection. I can't get spell check on. If ya can't spell it don't use it. JD/2020.

Woke to white all over the joint outdoors. Not a pleasant site. I should be lounging by the pool in Port Charolotte Fla. about now having drinks with fancy fruit in them.

Thanks Lew. Ya don't know till ya know. Yes Fisherman these duffuses stand out in the middle of the storm so people stay tuned in. They want to see and later say they saw a reporter get washed into the ocean and drown live on TV.

I have saved hundreds if not 1000's of dollars because of this lockdown. As I no longer drive by PA like I did before I don't stop each and everytime no matter what town I'm in and buy stuff I don't need or even know what it's for at times. I think I have about 75 ratchet straps, most still in the package. I have never driven by a Princess Auto, ever, including Nova Scotia a few times.

I need to read posts closely, no EDIT feature anylonger?

We hadn't been able to get equipment, materials and manpower in to replace rock on the breakwall that slid into the lake from the Haloween storm of 2019. The foreman from the local company I use over the last 23 years showed up last Thursday, I had him here to look at what needed to be done last November, a year ago and back in April. Talk about just in time. Other than the 3 cords of wood on our property from peoples docks, a few not so small trees, firewood split and not split and a few tables and chairs from patio sets. Some folks will never learn. A new neighbour was walking the beach today looking for thier new lake side $10,000.00 Gazebo big screen TV and $5000.00 patio set. It was still blowing with smashing waves yesterday. They were warned, oh well that's a tough and expensive lesson. Batten the hatches and lash down anything you don't want to loose in August, not December. This is the 5th 100 year storm in the last 5 years, I've lost count of 50 year storms. I don't think that analogy has any meaning today. It wasn't any worse than other storms it just lasted much longer than most, like I said it was still The waves smashing the breakwalls flew over the homes and laneway over 150' from the lake into the woods in the backlakeblowing hard yesterday, around 2 hours in the dark, lost hydro. I could have taken videos but I don't want to be one of those talking heads from the Weather Network or CNN standing in the middle of a hurricane to show how bad it is. Believe me it's not fun anymore.

It all depends on what year it is. Not many Canadians were catching much of anything in Florida this past Summer. We have caught plenty of nice sized Large Mouth Bass in July next to a highway of the same name.

Just like when one of our crew was refused entry at the border by U.S. Customs concerning an old Marijuana conviction and tried to explain to that U.S. Customs officer that he had been granted a Queens pardon for that old charge the American told the Canadian citizen as soon as America got themselves another Queen he would reconsider his decision. Same goes for an Ontario law in New York State.