tb4me

Funny stuff Roy! awesome picture too!

Nothing here in Brantford at all..Unlike others I want it..Bring it on Ma nature!

So far so good! Now where are the damn fish pics?

Nice report fang! Looks like it was an awesome trip..I enjoyed reading this..Please do post up pics when u get them..

Nice Jacques.. Love the report. How deep are those fish?

lol good one..

Nice report! Thanks

Nice Jacques! Looks as thou your ready to go..Much like me. I had the hut out a month ago and aired it out..All gear is waiting to be used ASAP.. No ice here yet thou..

Nothing Special photo wise, just my dog and the Rose of Sharon bushes covered in snow for the first time this year! Happy New Years to all..Now bring on the ice PLEASE!!!!

Loved that show..

LOL Simon that Pic of Jack with the choclate bar.....Priceless.. Great times my man!!

dinner looks great! Need less fruit and more beer, or any beer...lol.. I know that Santa would rather a coors light over a glass of milk any day..lol

Merry Christmas to you Garrett! Your post was well written. Although I'm sorry for you loss, you have your chin up high and proud..Good for you. I hope Christmas is wonderful for you and your family!..Sure set priorities strait for me..I almost got caught up in the rat race here. Thanks for reminding me what really matters. I think im going to pick up my daughter at school now and give her a BIG hug..

Right back at ya! Nice fish

Nice! Love the new look myself

I have seen a Outfitter haul huts out on Calendar with pickup trucks, on ice so thin he was driving with his door open on his brand new f150 incase he had to bail out..I thought he was crazy, but he never went thru...

lol That was cool. Im going to do one fo rmy 10 year old daughter..She of course will make the nice list...Good one

lol awesome! Love it..

Sorry for your loss..I had my Oscar die while away on holidays..My neighbour was looking after things and I suspect he wasnt, cause when I got home Oscar was on the floor completely dried out long dead..He was 5 at the time and had a long life ahead of him yet...However there is a silver lining to a grey cloud..Burry him under a rose bush or your favorite plant in the yard..Makes exellent compost over time..

This was very informative..It taught me a TON on the way we celebrate Christmas around here.. I got this from the Westfield Heritage Village (in Rockton) website. Enjoy! Christmas in Upper Canada Posted on December 16, 2011 Early Canadians did not celebrate Christmas the same way we do today even though the Christmas holiday was old in tradition by the time Canada was settled by Europeans. Most Canadians did not have a Christmas tree. In the first place, there was no room for a tree in a small log cabin. In the second place, most of the United Empire Loyalists were of English, Scottish and Irish descent and the idea of having a Christmas tree did not originate in those countries but actually originated in Germany. The settlers who came from Pennsylvania and who were of German descent brought the idea of a Christmas tree to Upper Canada before Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband, introduced it to Britain. The custom, which came from the British Isles, of hanging “greens” was much more appropriate to the cabins of Upper Canada. The “greens” of Merry Old England, however, had included holly, ivy and mistletoe, which were not available in Upper Canada in the winter. Other native evergreens were made into garlands. Garlands were used to decorate mantles and banisters of great staircases and were hung around exterior doorways. In England, there was the custom of the “kissing ball”. A large sprig of mistletoe was hung above an interior doorway. Often the mistletoe was surrounded by a framework ball of evergreens. In Upper Canada, the garland and “kissing ball” took on different forms. Exterior doorways were not very large, so the garland became a doorway wreath. The mantle was still decorated with a garland. There was no inside door to hang one in, anyway. Instead, a garland was worked into a hanging ball which was decorated and hung from the rafter. This ball also took the place of the Christmas tree. Decorations were “natural.” Little pine cones, nuts, bright bittersweet berries in place of holly berries, feathers and other attractive bits from the woods were put on the ball. Early decorations were cranberry and popcorn chains. Cranberries were a late fruit grown in bogs and popcorn was one of the early corns developed by Canada’s First Peoples. Later, pieces of ribbon, lace and even bright coloured bows of calico were added. Children often made straw or yarn figures to put on the ball or to decorate the garlands. Gingerbread men and other cookie dough figures were not added to the tree decorations until the later in the Victorian period (1860′s). Christmas wrapping paper and Christmas cards did not exist; however, there were stockings hung on the mantle or the bedposts. If the children had been good and if the harvest had been successful, the stockings contained presents. There might have been a gingerbread figure but it was not usually cut out with cookie cutters because there were few available. Usually, someone formed little balls of dough and shaped the figures. There would have been an apple or maybe even an orange. There might be a treasure such as a jack knife or a “house wife.” Perhaps there would have been a homemade toy such as a puzzle, a puppet, a doll or a wooden horse. If the children were very lucky, they would have found such treasures as a sled or a Noah’s ark or snowshoes waiting for them. Special gifts were almost always clothes of some sort. Even an orange was a big treat. Children made gifts for their parents, brothers and sisters and other friends and relatives, if they could. The list of gifts children could and did make was limited only by ability and available materials. Preparing for next Christmas usually began on December 26th. Potpourri or sachet and pomander balls were a great gift for both men and women. There were times when men liked to sniff a pomander ball. Hankies could be hemmed or scarves, mitts and socks knitted. Any little girl of five or six could hem and knit. A “housewife” for women might be a gift from several children and even from the husband whose pennies would buy needles, pins and thimble. Boys might make boxes as presents. Boxes could hold many kinds of treasures. There were many different toys to be made for other children. Grandma or Grandpa would enjoy a footstool or pillow for an aching back. There would be candy as well as cookies. The candy was usually in the shape of sticks or balls. It was a hard candy to suck for hours. These sweets were flavoured with fruit juices such as cherry or peppermint. These were the forerunners of our modern peppermint candy canes, lollipops, jawbreakers and even lifesavers. On Christmas Day after stockings were emptied, games were played, such as hide-the-thimble and blind-man’s-bluff. Dinner would be of the best quality possible. There would probably be mincemeat pie and plum pudding made with fruits that grew naturally in the forest. After Christmas was over, it was visiting time because farm work was almost at a standstill. Sometimes visiting began at Christmas and the house was filled with friends and relatives. Friendship, food and firewood made the Christmas gathering a wonderful time for everyone. Christmas and Children It was Queen Victoria’s influence which began to allow children to be children; they were allowed to play more and work less. Parties were held not only for the adults but for children at Christmas time. The following is a poem that was printed in a newspaper in the 1860′s; it clearly shows the change in the approach and the concern for children in general. “Christmas has come, with gifts and toys, For little girls as well as boys. Mary has got a picture-book, And Jane has got a gilded fan, And something nice has come for Ann,| Baby has got a neat doll, dressed In scarlet coat and bright blue vest - Mary and Jane, and Ann I know, When Christmas comes with frost & snow Will think upon the girls and boys Who get no pretty Christmas toys Who suffer want, and cold, and care, And help them both with alms and prayer.” A Christmas Chronology 1510 – A decorated Christmas tree recorded at Riga, Latvia. 1610 – Tinsel invented in Germany. ca. 1660 – Record of a tree lit with candles in Germany. ca. 1800 – Tree ornaments manufactured in Europe. 1819 – Popular sketch by Krimmel released depicting an American family with a Christmas tree on the table. 1822 – German merchants living in England have decorated trees in their homes. 1822 – Clement Moore, an American, writes “A Visit From Saint Nicholas” for his family (now known as ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas) -published in 1848. 1833 – Red poinsettias sold in Philadelphia. 1841 – Christmas crackers manufactured in England. 1843 – Charles Dickens writes A Christmas Carol. 1846 – Illustrated London News publishes a picture of the Royal Family gathered around a Christmas tree. The picture helps popularize the table top Christmas tree. 1880 – German glass ornaments sold in Woolworth’s. 1882 – First electric Christmas tree lights sold in New York 1892 – Wire hook for hanging tree ornaments is patented in the United States. 1896 – The T. Eaton Company produces its first Christmas catalogue. 1905 – Santa Claus arrives by wagon at the T. Eaton Company store in Toronto. 1917 – J.C. Hall (of Hallmark) imported fancy decorated envelope linings from France to sell as “gift dressing”. 1923 – Pink poinsettias produced. 1939 – “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer” created by Robert May for an American department store as a Christmas promotion. Hope you enjoyed!

Ahh but why not..There will be enough room!

For some reason we always did the side, but right along the bottom..I dont know why we didnt do the bottom, but to find out id have to ask my Grandfather, unfortubately he passed 7 years ago..

We used a burn barrel for many years..If you want to make it last longer and burn faster do the following..Get 2 pcs of 3x3 angle iron slightly longer then the barrel is wide. Set the angle iron on the ground so that the pointed end is up. Then take a pick axe and punch about 10 , 1 inch holes in the barrel on the side at the bottom all the way around. Then set the barrel on the angle iron. Water can drain out and when you burn the air can get under the barrel and things burn much hotter and quicker. Our barrels would last for many years this way..Also yes a lid is recommended too. If none available we just used a piece of plywood. We would never burn our barrel until it was almost full..This was long before recycling was available so everything that could burn went into it..Kind of nasty when I think about what got burnt.. Happy barrel bashing, many a good beer will go down there...

Just thought id post my favourite Christmas movie of all times. Perhaps it is the favourite of others too..I like to think I'm doing my part in the spirit of Christmas here...lol Anyway with any further adieu here it is....Enjoy! <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uMlXCIPJqqs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Feel free to post yours!

That was awesome..Great idea to fire the youngsters up...I am SOOOO going to do this to my 10 year old daughter....