Fence me IN

When we took down all the broken brick.  There was a half-wall that partially hid the bins.  Now that is gone and I wanted something so that I could block out the ugly bins.  They wouldn't look so bad if they weren't bashed up by the garbage & recycling truck.  

I've watched how the mechanical grippers crunch the garbage bin and lift it into the back of the truck.  I now know why my lid has holes.

I didn't want to make this a lot of effort.  I didn't want to install posts.  I wanted something like a screen to hide the bins.  Simple.  

I was looking at some pre-made, or ready to assemble fencing systems that would accomplish the exact same thing as what I did above that didn't cost me a cent.  And this is freestanding so it's not a cement post sort.  But simple fence structure stands on its own. 

I had some scrap 2x4 lengths I got from a neighbour.  I repurposed them into an L-shaped fence with 3 ft sections, in case I wanted to add on another 3ft section. 

It turned out to be pretty solid.  Each section is 3ft wide with horizontal lengths from bottom to top on the side that is next to the garden.  I didn't have enough 2x4s to cover the side by the chainlink but you can't really notice since the bins are there.  But if I find any 3ft cutoffs I'll reuse them here to fill in the gap.

I kinda liked it in this unpainted colour.  It looked rustic and warm.  But the standard around here is either Ultra White (CC-10) or Black.

To prevent the posts from rotting from the ground up.  I found a model that someone created specifically for 2x4 posts and 3D-printed some feet to prevent the 2x4 from sitting directly on the damp floor or ground.

In Black, of course.

Duty Free

Back in March, I was trying to recall when I got my letter asking me some questions on jury duty eligibility.  After receiving a letter telling me to report for Jury Selection at the Toronto courthouse, May 22nd.

I'd been through this once before, like 15 yrs ago.  Your employer has to allow you to go, and pay you for the time taken.  Jury selection is a multi-day process.  There are usually several trials ready to go, and they need jurors.  The letter will indicate for you to expect 5 days sitting around waiting to be considered for a trial.  And then one by one, each potential juror will go up to the front chair by the judge and be interviewed.  Then prosecutor and defence teams will decide whether they want you or reject you.

I vaguely remember the last time I went through this, as it was so long back.   This time the entire group of 200+ people were brought into a large courtroom.  They pulled name cards and called your Juror Number and Occupation, like it was a raffle.  They did not call your name, for security reasons.  They were creating 3 groups of 20 people from which they would select 14 jurors and 2 alternates.

Typically it's maximum 12, plus 2 alternates.  But this trial was a murder trial.  The first juror they called was way at the back and had to call his number 3x.  He was also old and took him 10 mins to get to the front to line up.  This was a slow and painful process, we'll be doing this all day, I thought.  They got their first group of 20 potentials and off they went to a room to wait to be interviewed for further selection.

The second group was formed,  and off they went to a separate room to wait until they were called for interviews.  The last group was being formed.  And they called me!  I was the first of Group C.   They would likely form most of their jury from the first 40, but there was a very high probability they would select me for interview to be an alternate.  Our group was marched off to another floor to be sequestered and wait until they had gone through interviewing groups A & B.

We waited all day, it was a dreary and rainy day too.  But it was nice and air-conditioned in the courthouse.  Our group was mostly quiet.  With a few chatterboxes and one particular fellow who was not interested in becoming a juror for the next 5-6 weeks.   He was asking all sorts of questions like - "Do alternates have to come to the trial?", which they do.  They need to be there for the full course to hear and see evidence presented and testimonies.   It only makes sense.   They wouldn't replay everything if they needed an alternate to step in, that would be a waste of time.   Why waste everyone's time when you can just waste the alternate jurors.  That's more efficient.

It wasn't all a waste of a day for me.  I did get in some work.  I was able to hotspot my phone and connect to docs that I needed to update.  It helped to pass the time.  I also got to have lunch at Village By the Grange.  I had not been there in at least 15yrs, when I was working at Sun Micro downtown.  The Caribbean Island roti place was no longer there.  But there was another Jamaican food place so I had that the first day for lunch.  It was good.  I noticed prices were much higher and food portions a bit smaller.  But that's okay for my waistline.

Back to waiting at the courthouse.  We were kept until 530pm.  They were halfway through B at the end of day 1 and had 11 jurors selected.  The bailiff told me judges don't work over the summer or Christmas.  So this trial will be done by end of June.  We were told to come back the next day.

The next morning, I had forgotten my jury selection papers and had to call Kieran to bring them to me at the subway station.  I was supposed to be at the courthouse for 930am.  I was over 45mins late.   And they interview potentials in the order they were selected in their group.  I was "C-1".

I arrived to the room, and noticed it was not as full as yesterday. The bailiff in the room asked me which number I was.  I said I was C-1, he got on his phone and notified someone that C-1 had arrived.  A few mins later the door opened and the bailiff called out for C-1 and took me down a floor to the courtroom to where the other half of our group was waiting to be interviewed.   She told me that I didn't need that paper. They would have just looked at my ID.  Then I took my seat that was right next to the court room door.

Apparently they had selected 14 jurors, and were looking for their 2 alternates.  The chatty fellow as C-3, and he was saying how some people got excused because they were feeling ill.  He asked if he came in drunk would they kick him out and excuse him from the trial.

The door opened.  I was called in and sat down in the chair beside the judge's bench.  It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.  Both the prosecutor and defence and defendant were present.  But I could not see them as there was something blocking my view.

The judge read my questionnaire.  He asked me a few questions, related to the case being tried.  Once he was satisfied with my responses, they made the decision and said I was excused from this trial.  Phew!  I was escorted out of the courtroom and I passed by my other C-group members and said I was excused.  They replied - are you free now?  I said I was told to head back down the main room to wait for further instructions.

There were several other trials looking to get a jury, and they were going and coming.  About 15mins later, the rest of my group came down to the corral to wait like I was instructed.  They selected C-2, and the chatty trying to get out of jury duty - C-3!  We all had a chuckle.  As karma got him.  He was so bent on getting excused.  Next time he should not speak so loudly in the court house, the court gods heard him and made him an alternate for the next 5-6wks.  lol :-)

We all waited in a row by the window, waiting for further instructions.  The 2nd half of group B was also there that didn't get selected.  We all chatted about what questions they were asked.  Mostly they were about the trial.

It was Friday, and at 330pm - they told us not to come back on Monday.  We were free from jury duty selection for the next 3yrs!

The force awakens next generation

I was lying on the sofa, recovering from my ride Sunday, fading in and out of consciousness and watching my body battery readings drain like it's was a crappy NiCd, and noticed that Star Wars: A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi was playing on TV, back to back to back.  

Like wow, this is great.  Then it dawned on me that it was May 4th.

The Unofficial Star Wars Day!

Earlier T asked if I knew? I just got home?  She told me to check the family group chat, May the Fourth wasn't only Star Wars Day.  It marked the beginning of the next generation, at least in our family.   The first kid arrived on Star Wars day [2025].  

My nephew and his lovely wife, had a baby boy.  Congratulations!

Hope this kid likes baby Yoda.

Learn the ways of the force, he will.

Chasing views, a comet and hot springs

If there is one word to describe the Canadian Rockies, it's majestic.  The last time I was in AB was in the early 90s visiting my brother, and he took me to Banff and skied Lake Louise and Sunshine.  I didn't appreciate skiing the Rockies back then as I wasn't as confident of a skier.  

One vision that has etched in my mind's eye was the drive from Calgary to Banff on Hwy 1. You see the mountains in the distance.  Then all of sudden they are there looming over you like giants.  You have to drive to understand what I mean, cuz I am not good enough with words to give it any sort of appreciation.

We live in an amazingly beautiful country and this region is majestic.  We were in the most western part of the Mountain Time Zone.  It gets dark early and that's due to the mountains surrounding you.   Watching the sun set behind the mountains is something to behold.   Watching their shadows move across the landscape is like something from IMAX, just in real life.   Any photo I take will not have the same effect.

Radium hot springs was a great spot to take a road trip break.  We weren't on the road that long, but I found out after that this was much better than the Banff hot springs.  This was a geothermal heated water in a pool that was just off the highway. 

It kinda looks and feels like a rec centre and the pool was below grade and open to the sky.  It was $20 for towel and locker. The Banff one is literally just a hot tub at a fancy hotel.  For sure you'll pay a lot more.  Everything in Banff was more money even the views.

The only less than impressive spot was the Continental Divide.  Basically it's this concrete pillar with AB on 1 side and BC on the other.  And these signs that need some fresh paint.  If you read the Google reviews on this site seeing spot.  It basically said the same thing.  It's a 1min stop, take a selfie and get back on the road.

Banff is more beautiful than I remember.  Maybe it's because I've been to other parts of the world, or I see what we have in ON, and we don't have anything that compares.   In any case, it made us appreciate our country that much more, and excited to visit other parts.

When you are in the Rockies, you feel so small.   But that's nothing when you compare us to the vastness of space.  Then we are so small we are nothing.   This comet Tsuchinshan was passing by our planet and we could see it in the sky at around 7pm in the west, just when the sun was setting.  It looks like a small vapour trail of a plane.  Always in the same West-SW spot.   It's hard to see in the city, but we did get a glimpse.  

But we saw it just north of the city where there's less light pollution and obstructions.  Imagine, the last time comet Tsuchinshan was in visible to Earth, was a couple of ice ages ago (80,000 yrs).  That's long interval between visits.  Makes you feel a bit insignificant in comparison to our solar system, never mind the galaxy or universe.  How they determine celestial specifics is beyond my comprehension.

I was happy to have finally found a solution that T and I were happy with in terms of the trim around our side mail box.  It was once a MILK delivery box back in the 50's.  But when that service ended, it became a Mail Slot.  Our post delivery person drops our mail in this slot on the side of our house.  I forget what the original looked like when we first got the house 22 yrs ago.  All I know is that 15yrs ago I insulated this wall and had a new door made, and never finished the trim on it.

All I knew was that it needed to be low profile.  Trim sticking out can be a problem in tight quarters.  So I thought about it, and 3D printed the trim and covered it with drywall tape and mud.  I didn't have to cut anything.  I glued it on like it was tile for a backsplash.  And its thickness matches the depth the door protrudes from the wall. Which is 3mm.

It turned out really well.  It looks like it had always been there, like it was embedded into the wall.  I saw the nearly finished renovations next door since the fire incident.  And noticed their mailbox.   It gave me the inclination I needed to finish ours.

One checkbox closer to a finished house.

Kevin's gone home

Oct 2014

The street cat that many who passed by thought was ours, has found himself a new home.  This cat had lots of homes.  He's slept at our place, next door, but most of the time he was outside, under a chair or table or inside a shed.  He was tough, and had the scars to prove it.

Sept 2015

This cat was the best pet that was never ours.  Sure we'd often feed him, give him some chicken, milk, cat treats, and even cat food.  And it wasn't just us, he was neighbourhood pet for at least 4 other homes, that I knew of.  He didn't venture far from his hood maybe it's cuz he knew he had a good territory, but I've seen him wandering around other streets.  And on Halloween he's hung out with me while giving out candy, and people have asked if he was our cat because he visits them.  But this cat didn't belong to us.  He's got many humans, but his original human was our neighbour at the end of the street.

He wasn't always looking to be fed.  Sometimes he would just like to rub up next to you and hang out.  When I first saw him, he wasn't skittish.  But he would never come into the house.  I had to coax him in with treats.  I would lay a trail that went inside the house.   And he would look at that door to ensure he had an exit.   If it was raining buckets outside, he'd lie down across the front door opening.  He'd get a bit damp, but he wouldn't come inside.   He kept me company when I was renovating the main floor and the laundry room.  I'd be out on the front porch taking a break and he's wander over and I'd hand feed him some treats.  He was so friendly.  I'd never had a cat as a pet.  I never really considered a pet cat.  This one was easy.

Eventually he grew to trust me.  And soon he'd wait to come into our house and make himself at home.  He learned his spot was in the hallway close to the door.  And came to know the milk was kept in the fridge.

He did spend 1 cold -30 deg C winter night inside though.  It was the 1st and last time.  We weren't sure what he'd mark inside our home.  So T didn't get much sleep worrying about that.  And he would prefer to be outdoors.  We know he had some home in a shed.  But it's not heated.  He would have frozen his ear tips off.  But every year he survives.  Never goes to the vet, supplements his diet of scraps from various homes, with birds he's killed.  He's also killed a few bunnies, a squirrel and big rat.  

This cat was a hunter.  You'd see him walking across fence tops following potential prey.  I've seen him perched in front of our neighbour's big pine tree.  Then he'd pounce in to its middle and a million birds would evacuate!  

I've seen him play with a live mouse in the middle of the street.  I could see its tail wiggling.  He'd let it out and pounce on it again.  Toying with it.  I have seen him kill a squirrel on our lawn.  I saw the squirrel hanging around the tree, and Kevin was lying there minding his own business.  I literally went to the garage and a came back to the front and it was like a lioness with it's teeth in the jugular of a gazelle.  It was gross.   Then he left it there for me.  Awesome.  He's left us with several gifts over the years that he's killed to let us know he's appreciated us and his other humans.

Everyone kinda took care of him.  Brushed him, fed him, sheltered him, gave him affection, meds even, and nursed him when he was wounded.

About a month ago, he was looking rough.  And sure enough he had some more battle scars.  Not sure how he got them, but this last one took a lot out of him.  Our neighbour (not Kevin's owner) took him to the vet.  As he had a massive gash under his front leg/belly region.  It was easy to miss.  He was laying around a lot, and it was hot so I thought it was due to the heat.  But I saw him limp from the side table he likes to lie on, to the chair and then I lifted him down to the porch when I filled his bowl with milk and a few ice cubes.

He spent a week in their house, on antibiotics and a cone of shame.

Finally he was back outside free again.

He was laying on our lawn under our cedar tree.  One of his usual places where he snoozes.  The grass is cool and the tree provides shade.

He looked weak.  And our neighbours commented that food he'd normally devour, he'd ignore, choosing instead to stay where he lay.

Then one morning he was lying on our lawn, with a bowl of water next to him in case he was thirsty.  Then he left.  Our next door neighbour was worried he'd be prey.  We all kinda figured that he was going somewhere to be put out to pasture.   But he was a tough kitty.  He always seemed to bounce back.

But not this time.  He'd gone back to his original human owner, back to the first home he ever knew, and passed away a few days later.   He knew his time here on Criscoe was coming to a close.

RIP Kevin - Aug 25, 2024

June 2024

I'll forever have this image of you on our driveway when I would come home from my morning rides.  You're the best pet we never owned.  We'll miss you.

Freedom 55

There were these retirement commercials over a decade ago, that depicted a couple heading into early retirement, and their dilemma was choosing Tuscany or Provence, Italy, and then driving the winding roads in a convertible like Thelma and Louise.

I don't see those commercials any more.  Yeah.  Cuz it's a crock of s#!t.  Well the travelling the world and all that imagery.  I realize now that I've hit that Freedom 55 milestone, that it's not about that.  It's always been about - "do I have a choice?"

And it's not just about having enough money to pretend to be like I'm in Oceans 55.  I've managed to take care of my stuff long ago, and set things in motion so I could hopefully have a choice at this stage of my life.  I don't want someone to take care of me.  That's just how I've learned to live my life.  I wanted to always have a choice.  You can't have everything.  Or if you got really lucky.  Maybe you can.  You are one of the fortunate commercial people that have a person bust through the walls and encourage you to dream big.

But most are NOT in that position.  And pinning your hopes on stuff like that can be - not so gud - at a stage when you aren't as good as you once were.  Freedom 55 is setting yourself up so you can take care of yourself.  It may not be like in the commercials, but at the very least, comfortable.  

My response to the question above is - I do have a choice.  I consider myself lucky.  But it's the choices I made along the way that put me where I am - good or not so good.  Remember it's all relative.  Not so good for you might be really good for someone else.

It wasn't always so easy, but effort and perseverance can go a long way.  Having foresight is key, starting early, investing in yourself.  All clichés, but all relevant.  I didn't wait for things to happen, I could be waiting a lifetime.  I knew I needed to make things happen, make connections, try new things.  Sure some things didn't go exactly to plan but still it came out on the positive side.

You try, you fail or things go wrong, you work out a solution,  you learn and move forward.

I realize now, how unimportant many things are.  And the simplest things are the most important.  I get to wake up and see the sunrise.  It's amazing.  I'm a bit groggy at first, but it's a miracle every day.  

I'm fortunate to be where I am, and have the family I have, but also to be healthy and capable.  And more importantly everyone I love is healthy.   It's a blessing that I can share my life with them.  I notice these things more now than ever.

Everything else seems secondary.  It's not about wanting more.  But appreciation of what's within my hands to grasp.  In some cases my toes.  Haha.  Certain peeps will get this.

You can't turn back time no matter what. Live your life while you can live it well.  You have ONE life to live.  Don't bet it on some random numbers.  You can...just don't plan your life on them hitting.

Keeping cool

This week we are at the start of a heat wave.  And although it feels like the central air is properly cooling the house.  It's been too hot for me to sleep up stairs and last night I slept in the basement.

I tried, but I just could not do it.  I would have had heat stroke in my sleep.

4 years ago to the day I called Eugene, to recharge our AC unit.  It shouldn't be like this as it's a closed system.  So we may need to replace our central air some time down the road.  It's 15yrs old now.  And should be good for at least 20yrs.

Seems like we just replaced the old furnace and AC unit that was in our home for 29yrs.  Our furnace works fine.  I could just replace the AC unit.  The plan is to recharge the AC unit if it needs it a few more times, then replace both units in 10yrs.

Eugene just turned 80 a few days ago.   I'm hoping he's around the next time to recharge.  I am unsure how I found him, but he used to fix our old washer and dryer.  The ones that came with our house, that were older than me.

So I know he used to work at Inglis, and there's like 6 deg of separation between him and Tresa's godmother who also worked at Inglis.

But I have had lovely chats with him when he'd come and service something in our house.  He'd tell me what not to get, or what to look for if we needed to replace an appliance.  He would explain to me how the AC unit heat exchange system worked.   And he'd show me how to check that it was working properly.

In any case.  I noticed he didn't bring the same gauges as 4 yrs ago.  He said he forgot them.  These ones are for fridges.  But it was fine.  He was still able to get the job done.

Life's a journey where you meet whoever.  Thanks Eugene.  Good to see you again.