A few days ago my neighbor D brought home a very old and dilapatated wood burning cook stove. Some parts were missing and it was a way after best before date. She wants it to cook with out in the yard. Here husband is a welder so there's no problem to get it back to where it is reasonably usable. She wants to cook pies and promised she would make me a pie if I was very, very good.
Seeing this old stove brought back many memories. On the farm in the 40' and 50's all we had was a wood cook stove to do all the cooking. We didn't get an electric stove until 1953 and then my mother kept her old wood stove. So my Mom had her electric stove and wood stove in the same kitchen. It took her a long time to get used to the electric stove.We would use the wood stove to keep the kitchen warm.
Women using wood cook stoves really knew what to do to keep a proper temperature when baking. They knew about wood. They could work with dry wood, green wood and wood from any species of tree.
I will never forget the wonderful smells of food cooking and things being baked in the small kitchen. Mom made large meals every day and was an excellent baker. we were spoiled with cakes and always had cookies in the house.
I will never forget the comfortable warmth when sitting around the wood cook stove. If it was cold in the house, we sat around the cook stove. If we'd been playing outside and got cold the old cook stove would warm you up quickly. One chore for little boys was to keep the wood box filled with wood.
For the weekly Saturday night bath the water was heated on the stove, the bathtub was in front of the stove and we sat around the stove to get drier. If we were really good we got hot chocolate.
Toast? I've never forgotten the toast. You would take off one stove lid and make your toast over the open fire!
So D has brought back many memories . I'd almost forgotten about wood cook stoves.
I looked on line for good photo but couldn't find anything that suited me.
Saturday, June 6, 2020
Tuesday, June 2, 2020
TWO BUMMERS IN ONE DAY
Some things that happen around home are definitely calamities. We had two of them yesterday and it wasn't funny.
I think most people have had the experience of putting a kleenex through the wash. It isn't funny. It's enough to make a grown man cry. It happened to us yeterday and was the first time in 54 years. Nevertheless it's traumatic. It's a rude surprise when you open the washer and see the mess. You look at all the little bits of paper on your clothes and in the washer. You wonder how it will ever be cleaned up. After some initial crying you get to work and clean it up. It's Mr Nobody or Mrs Nobody who say it's not their fault that the kleenex went through the wash!
Along with that the one toilet quit working properly and the signal was if it was used it had a good chance of blocking. This same problem had happened before. We had tried many things to get it working properly. Last time it suddenly started working but I'm not sure which I did made it work. Yesterday the same thing happened. I don't know exactly what I did that made it work.
Some plumber! eh?
Maybe I chould check Youtube next time.
And I didn't make any of this up!
I think most people have had the experience of putting a kleenex through the wash. It isn't funny. It's enough to make a grown man cry. It happened to us yeterday and was the first time in 54 years. Nevertheless it's traumatic. It's a rude surprise when you open the washer and see the mess. You look at all the little bits of paper on your clothes and in the washer. You wonder how it will ever be cleaned up. After some initial crying you get to work and clean it up. It's Mr Nobody or Mrs Nobody who say it's not their fault that the kleenex went through the wash!
Along with that the one toilet quit working properly and the signal was if it was used it had a good chance of blocking. This same problem had happened before. We had tried many things to get it working properly. Last time it suddenly started working but I'm not sure which I did made it work. Yesterday the same thing happened. I don't know exactly what I did that made it work.
Some plumber! eh?
Maybe I chould check Youtube next time.
And I didn't make any of this up!
Sunday, May 31, 2020
A SURPRISE BIRD IN MY BIRD COUNT
Most of you know that I am a birder. I do Christmas and spring bird counts. I've done the Christmas count over 40 times and all in the same area.
Yesterday was a very good count day for me. I saw more than 18 species. Well, how do you know that? At this time of year there are many warblers here. They are hard to spot among all the fresh green foliage. I can recognize one warbler species by sound. There were several warbler calls that I could not recognize nor find them. There were also some sparrows that fly up quickly from a patch of brush and just as quickly settle in another patch of brush. So there were probably 5 or 6 more species that I couldn't identify. So I consider that I had a very good count.
The count started off well before I ever left my yard, I heard a flock of Canada geese. They were quite high up and flying directly north. So that was easy.
On my way home in the afternoon I stopped on my favorite walking bridge to rest and also watch for birds.
Here I am on the bridge watching for birds , but the photo is at least 20 years ago.
A woman came along with a very attractive spaniel. We got talking about dogs birds and other things. We had been talking about 15 minutes when in one part of the conversation she said she was brought up in one of the nearby houses. Since I've lived in the same area for 50 years I would probably know her family so I asked who her family was. Yes, I knew them well. So she told me she was J. Now , I said you know me. Do you know who I am? Of course, she didn't have a clue since she hadn't seen me for about 40 years. So I introduced myself.
I had taught J and her brother and sisters.
So now the conversation really got started. It was great to meet J and recall old times.
Did I also tell you that I like meeting old students.?
Yesterday was a very good count day for me. I saw more than 18 species. Well, how do you know that? At this time of year there are many warblers here. They are hard to spot among all the fresh green foliage. I can recognize one warbler species by sound. There were several warbler calls that I could not recognize nor find them. There were also some sparrows that fly up quickly from a patch of brush and just as quickly settle in another patch of brush. So there were probably 5 or 6 more species that I couldn't identify. So I consider that I had a very good count.
The count started off well before I ever left my yard, I heard a flock of Canada geese. They were quite high up and flying directly north. So that was easy.
On my way home in the afternoon I stopped on my favorite walking bridge to rest and also watch for birds.
Here I am on the bridge watching for birds , but the photo is at least 20 years ago.
A woman came along with a very attractive spaniel. We got talking about dogs birds and other things. We had been talking about 15 minutes when in one part of the conversation she said she was brought up in one of the nearby houses. Since I've lived in the same area for 50 years I would probably know her family so I asked who her family was. Yes, I knew them well. So she told me she was J. Now , I said you know me. Do you know who I am? Of course, she didn't have a clue since she hadn't seen me for about 40 years. So I introduced myself.
I had taught J and her brother and sisters.
So now the conversation really got started. It was great to meet J and recall old times.
Did I also tell you that I like meeting old students.?
Friday, May 29, 2020
WHAT'S NEXT?
Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. Covid 19 isn't over yet and may never be over.
But I can't help thinking about what people are going to say once this is over.
They are still writing about the flu from 1919. Research is still being done on that epidemic.
After this catastrophe , if there is an after, what will people be saying?
Will they ever come up with an answer as to where and why the virus started?Right now we are flooded with conspiracy theories that usually come with a fair amount of racism. Science will have its work cut out for many years and they may not come up with a precise answer. I hope they learn many other things as they're trying to chase down an answer.
Commentators and writers will find work for themselves for a long, long time dealing with how the virus was handled.
Was quarantine effective? Did quarantine start too late? Should there have been a much tighter shut down? Were masks effective? Was the two meter space effective? Did santitizers do any good? What simple routine did we miss that would have been very helpful? We will be reading books about this issue for a long time.
How have our governments handled this as far as the economy is concerned? Was it the right thing to close down business? Did the government propping up the economy help us to come out of the situation? Did economists get it right in forecasting the future? I'm sure comparisons will be made between the different approaches to support the economy.
Politics? Politicians? What will be said of their actions.
Blame? Who will be blamed for so many things.?
So even though we're not there yet , I'm sure that some books are well under way and we will probably have some books to read before the end of the summer. Somebody will want to be the first with a book to come out.
Some of this will no doubt bring much benefit to the situation and other things will only muddy the waters.
But I can't help thinking about what people are going to say once this is over.
They are still writing about the flu from 1919. Research is still being done on that epidemic.
After this catastrophe , if there is an after, what will people be saying?
Will they ever come up with an answer as to where and why the virus started?Right now we are flooded with conspiracy theories that usually come with a fair amount of racism. Science will have its work cut out for many years and they may not come up with a precise answer. I hope they learn many other things as they're trying to chase down an answer.
Commentators and writers will find work for themselves for a long, long time dealing with how the virus was handled.
Was quarantine effective? Did quarantine start too late? Should there have been a much tighter shut down? Were masks effective? Was the two meter space effective? Did santitizers do any good? What simple routine did we miss that would have been very helpful? We will be reading books about this issue for a long time.
How have our governments handled this as far as the economy is concerned? Was it the right thing to close down business? Did the government propping up the economy help us to come out of the situation? Did economists get it right in forecasting the future? I'm sure comparisons will be made between the different approaches to support the economy.
Politics? Politicians? What will be said of their actions.
Blame? Who will be blamed for so many things.?
So even though we're not there yet , I'm sure that some books are well under way and we will probably have some books to read before the end of the summer. Somebody will want to be the first with a book to come out.
Some of this will no doubt bring much benefit to the situation and other things will only muddy the waters.
Tuesday, May 26, 2020
COVID DECISIONS
The prominent news lately is "opening up " concerning Covid 19. The opinions are sharply divided. Opening up means having to live by a strict set of rules. However, watching things on the weekend shows that many people are not willing to live by any guidelines. The news showed parks and beaches that were crowded on the weekend.
I'm of the opinion that we should wait for things to begin to open up. If we fail in opening up, I think the cost will be tremendous. We will have to close down for a long period of time again. Costs would be added to what we have already spent to fight the virus.
So here's my situation. I lead a bird watching group. Spring is an excellent time for birdwatchers with migration and breeding season. We've been missing this excellent time for bird watching.
So what should I do? Our small city of 100000 has had 37 covid cases. One is still active and no one has died. It's easy to think that there is little risk out there. But we don't know how many cases are out there that we don't know about.
We are allowed groups up to 50 if spaced by 2 meters.
We decided to not open up our bird watching season. We decided that we couldn't maintain a constant 2 meter distance. Also half of our birders are in the senior classification and one in the eighties (me) . Many times there are six heads close together looking at photos or bird apps. Try getting birders to not have their heads together. Good luck.
It was a hard decision to make as the activity is outside . However , I would find it tough to take if one if the birders caught the virus from being out birding.
I'm of the opinion that we should wait for things to begin to open up. If we fail in opening up, I think the cost will be tremendous. We will have to close down for a long period of time again. Costs would be added to what we have already spent to fight the virus.
So here's my situation. I lead a bird watching group. Spring is an excellent time for birdwatchers with migration and breeding season. We've been missing this excellent time for bird watching.
So what should I do? Our small city of 100000 has had 37 covid cases. One is still active and no one has died. It's easy to think that there is little risk out there. But we don't know how many cases are out there that we don't know about.
We decided to not open up our bird watching season. We decided that we couldn't maintain a constant 2 meter distance. Also half of our birders are in the senior classification and one in the eighties (me) . Many times there are six heads close together looking at photos or bird apps. Try getting birders to not have their heads together. Good luck.
It was a hard decision to make as the activity is outside . However , I would find it tough to take if one if the birders caught the virus from being out birding.
Time for a group photo
Where are all the other birders?
See , heads together
Chickadees come to the hand
Otis the owl who is used for educational purposes.
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
YOU TUBE CAN TAKE YOU TO SURPRISING PLACES.
I discovered YouTube three or four years ago. I still haven't really discovered how it works but I've found many very interesting things. Some of the things I've blundered into have been a complete surprise and I sometimes say, "How did Youtube know I liked or wanted that."
Okay, here's what happened. I like to look for things in music that I haven't heard before. So I do some searching. Something comes up and that leads to something else and suddenly there's a whole lot of surprising sites just waiting for you.
Some of the bands I've listened to lately have an accordion. So I checked out accordion and found a few sites and listened to them.
All of a sudden I was surrounded by music that I had seldom heard. The sites youtube gave me were Austrian folk music videos. So there were many videos featuring people doing Austrian folk music. The singers and dancers were in traditional costume. Settings were mostly in the Alps with some concert halls and street scenes. Bands were quite different but feature several instruments. So the most common instrument was the accordion. I didn't know that there were so many types of accordions. Then other instruments were guitar, violin, the odd percussion, harp, a few horns. There were a few instruments that I had never seen before. These were put together for many different sounds. It looked like a few people got together as friends. If there were three accordions well that's fine. Most of it included singing. It appeared that most of these performances were amateurs.
Many of these groups were kids.
It was all very lively and joyous.
So I'm listening to music that I've rarely listened to and it's most enjoyable.
Find some of these sites and give a listen.
Okay, here's what happened. I like to look for things in music that I haven't heard before. So I do some searching. Something comes up and that leads to something else and suddenly there's a whole lot of surprising sites just waiting for you.
Some of the bands I've listened to lately have an accordion. So I checked out accordion and found a few sites and listened to them.
All of a sudden I was surrounded by music that I had seldom heard. The sites youtube gave me were Austrian folk music videos. So there were many videos featuring people doing Austrian folk music. The singers and dancers were in traditional costume. Settings were mostly in the Alps with some concert halls and street scenes. Bands were quite different but feature several instruments. So the most common instrument was the accordion. I didn't know that there were so many types of accordions. Then other instruments were guitar, violin, the odd percussion, harp, a few horns. There were a few instruments that I had never seen before. These were put together for many different sounds. It looked like a few people got together as friends. If there were three accordions well that's fine. Most of it included singing. It appeared that most of these performances were amateurs.
Many of these groups were kids.
It was all very lively and joyous.
So I'm listening to music that I've rarely listened to and it's most enjoyable.
Find some of these sites and give a listen.
Sunday, May 17, 2020
MAY LONG WEEK END IN CANADA.
This weekend is a long weekend in Canada, At one time it was called Victoria Day weekend where it was meant to celebrate Queen Victoria's birthday. Now Queen Victoria died long before I was born so that makes it a long time ago. Now we simply call it the May long weekend.
It's the first long weekend in Canada when we can actually get outside and enjoy activities. So it's the first weekend of camping.
At one time in my life, the May long weekend was one that we made sure we were out. Now many times there is very inclement weather for this weekend. When I was younger we tented. With my little kids we had a small holiday trailer. I have camped in the snow on a May long weekend...more than once! Camping became a little loonier than I wanted to experience...much alcohol and partying. So the May Long Weekend camping experience in campgrounds ended.
We then latched on to a piece of recreational property and spent some pleasant May weekends weekends in our patch of trees by the lake. There were some good times but when the kids grew up and left , we gave up the camping.
Now there are two unforgettable May long weekends for me. First, I got married on May 21, 1966 which that year was a long weekend. Second, the next year, 1967, May weekend , we had to go camping. So we took our tent and camping gear and headed to a northern lake and campground. We'd never been to Grieg lake before. When we got there we were impressed by the beauty and quietness. In fact, it was so quiet that we were the only campers. The weather was perfect for a long weekend. The lake was about 2 mi long and half a mile wide. We rented a canoe and had a great time on the lake. For the whole weekend we were the only campers.
That was the best long May weekend camping that I ever had.
It's the first long weekend in Canada when we can actually get outside and enjoy activities. So it's the first weekend of camping.
At one time in my life, the May long weekend was one that we made sure we were out. Now many times there is very inclement weather for this weekend. When I was younger we tented. With my little kids we had a small holiday trailer. I have camped in the snow on a May long weekend...more than once! Camping became a little loonier than I wanted to experience...much alcohol and partying. So the May Long Weekend camping experience in campgrounds ended.
We then latched on to a piece of recreational property and spent some pleasant May weekends weekends in our patch of trees by the lake. There were some good times but when the kids grew up and left , we gave up the camping.
Now there are two unforgettable May long weekends for me. First, I got married on May 21, 1966 which that year was a long weekend. Second, the next year, 1967, May weekend , we had to go camping. So we took our tent and camping gear and headed to a northern lake and campground. We'd never been to Grieg lake before. When we got there we were impressed by the beauty and quietness. In fact, it was so quiet that we were the only campers. The weather was perfect for a long weekend. The lake was about 2 mi long and half a mile wide. We rented a canoe and had a great time on the lake. For the whole weekend we were the only campers.
That was the best long May weekend camping that I ever had.
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