Zoom w a View: Finally, a sunny day

The flowering tree on my front lawn will produce a million apricots this year - if I’ve counted the number of blossoms correctly.




[“1004, 1005, 1006...”: Photos by GH]

All I need is a visit from a healthy hive of bees.




***

Please click here for more Zoom w a View.

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It Strikes Me Funny: Decluttering. I’m doomed.

My most recent column in The Londoner, ‘Without firm rules, my decluttering days will be short-lived,’ mentions a discussion I had with friend Don, followed by a setback.

Don read the article and emailed today with fresh perspective, hoping to help.

Gord:

On my way to the dump this morning, I noticed an easel that looked awfully familiar and then on second glance a toboggan leaning against the wall and a golf cart nearby. All three were precious possessions I clung on to for years and then donated to the church for their sale three weeks ago.

They are available today at the follow-up sale and I am sure will resurface again somewhere in London.

My point ... it is quite humbling when your possessions have little or no value to anyone else... kind of puts things in perspective.

Don


["Don tried to pawn off the Doobies": photo GH]

I replied as follows:

"I could use a good golf cart."

Above is the first thought that went through my mind after reading your email. I'm doomed.

You shared an excellent perspective. I must learn more from you, wise sage.

Gord

Don replied almost immediately:

Read this quote and then immediately think of a golf cart ...

"For a moment of night we have a glimpse of ourselves and of our world, islanded in a stream of stars - pilgrims of mortality, voyaging between horizons across eternal seas of space and time."
 
Henry Beston 1928

Don

I read the quote. I replied:

I need golf balls too.

***

Yes, I’m doomed.

Please click here to read more about decluttering adventures.

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Zoom w a View: Apricot blossoms blossoming

My small corner of Canada is cool and wet (again) today. But the weather, though frustrating (I’d get blown off my motorcycle today), hasn’t stopped my apricot tree from bursting at the seams.

From the front porch, the tree looks like a few snowflakes have survived the rain.




From under the tree’s loaded branches, it looks like one million blooms are but a step away from filling my front yard with a pure white greeting.






I’d appreciate just one sunny day!

Photos by GH

***

Please click here for more Zoom w a View.

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Series of Significance: Time (again) to declutter

[The following posts were originally posted separately over the course of two weeks. They appear together below for your convenience. And I’m still decluttering. Will be for 40 more years, I’d say. gah]

Live Small PT 1: Time (again) to declutter

Good grief.

It’s time to declutter.

Time to turn on some tunes and dust my room.

Actually, every shelf, table surface, cardboard box and mystery pile in the house needs a workout.

Otherwise, I might pull out what’s left of my hair.

Someone wise once said, “The best time to plant a tree is 40 years ago.”

So true. However, about the tree, I got distracted. And though I now think I should have started to declutter 40 years ago, I didn't.

Forty years ago my wife and I met, married and began to accumulate the flotsam and jetsam of everyday life. And because we didn’t follow any important rules related to decluttering in the early, middle or later years of marriage, I’m afraid to say... THINGS have kinda gotten outta hand around here!

First thing I’ve got to do is tell myself to relax. Three inches of dust (it could be laundry) on my dresser is a bit much but Rome wasn’t built in a day. If it took 40 years to accumulate mountains of stuff and dust, it will likely take a good deal of time to tidy up and lighten the load.

Maybe the dusting and decluttering will take the rest of my life. I’m okay with that, as long as I see weekly progress.


["Box Number 1 is ready for the door!":photos GH]

Now, professional cleaners and organizers likely follow some sort of rules or policies or procedures. For example, the pros might say, clean up one room at a time, have lots of cardboard boxes handy, sort things into ‘keep it’ or ‘toss it’ or ‘identify it, then give it back to the rightful owner’ piles. And some of that makes sense.

So, I’m going to start with my study. And because my time is valuable, I’m going to try to make some money out of the decluttering process.

Is dust worth anything? Anyone? Anyone?

***

I just found a pair of jeans I’ll never fit into again. I might get 5 bucks for these.

More decluttering news to follow.

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Live Small PT 2: Time (again) to declutter

On Monday I took up a serious challenge - to declutter one room - my study.

I know professional organizers likely follow rules laid down in a thick book of policies and procedures but I just climbed over my laundry hamper, found what I thought was my desk, and went to work.

I made a small dent.

It’s two days later and I realize I should formulate some sort of game plan, with more goals in mind than the two I expressed Monday.

I said then, ‘maybe the decluttering will take the rest of my life. I’m okay with that, as long as I see weekly progress.’

Though my attitude about the work ahead is positive, I should have more goals than the already stated, i.e., ‘I’m going to start with my study. And because my time is valuable, I’m going to try to make some money out of the decluttering process.’

Knowing what I’m like, I need to set goals that suit my character and are within my limits. The whole house decluttered in one week, one month - forget it. I like to motorcycle in the summer, play hockey once per week, write every day if possible, hit the workshop several days per week (birdhouses don’t make themselves, you know), exercise, eat, cook meals, watch TV, visit with friends at The Roaster... and so much more.

I know. Point to any of the above and you have a reason why the house needs decluttering. You’re right.

But, I think I can add the following goal, develop the ‘declutter bug’ as a habit and move on with my life without a huge weight (of stuff) on my shoulders.

Here’s what I think: I’ll still sell a few items if the process isn’t a huge effort. Otherwise, stuff goes into a box and onto the curb or to Good Will Industries.

I’ll also attempt to rid the house of one full cardboard box of stuff every two weeks, on average, for the remainder of 2011 (20 in total). Twenty doesn’t sound like much, but I’m after the ‘habit of decluttering’ for the long term.


About my study. I have one pile of papers to sort, two shelves on my desk to sort and two clothing racks to look at. I should have my first box ready to go by Friday p.m.

Unless I run into friend Don again before then!

More to follow.

***

Gord’s current ‘Goals for Decluttering’

Start with one room

Keep positive. Rome wasn’t built in a day

Sell a few items only if it’s worth the effort

One full box of stuff leaves the building every two weeks in 2011 (20 for the year; I started late - like 40 years too late!)

Develop the decluttering habit

Don’t meet up with Don until Saturday

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Live Small PT 3: Time (again) to declutter

[After 40 years of being distracted by stuff, I have started to tidy up the house. I started on Monday, and I’m still at it : ) gah]

If I mention to a person that I’m decluttering a room or shelf or closet, it isn’t long before they tell me they’re up to their knees in stuff too.

I say, welcome to North America, home of the brave, beleaguered and bewildered.

What to do with all the stuff that keeps me from seeing my hardwood floors?

Set some goals.

One of mine is as follows:

One full box of stuff leaves the building every two weeks in 2011 (20 for the year; I started late - like 40 years too late!)

Over coffee this week, friend Don told me he was tidying up too. He had his own guidelines, developed as he went from room to room.

“Ask yourself,” he said, “what use is an Acker Bilk record? Especially if it has been sitting in your basement for 20 years and you don’t listen to records anymore?”

I thought that was as a good question to pass along.

He continued: “Don’t get too sentimental. Do I need my father’s old metal lunchpail? No. I know what one looks like. It’s gone.”


["Note to self - Stay away from Don's stuff"]

My wife said she would have kept it. She has hung onto a few things that once belonged to her own father.

Me? I sold a metal lunchpail at a yard sale last year. But it was my own, so I don’t miss it. Had it been my dad’s the story might have ended differently. I have a few things tucked away that were my father’s. I’ll get rid of a lot of other first stuff if a certain shelf in my closet gets too crowded.

Don also asked, “Do I really need a playpen from the 1980s?”

That one was easy to answer. It’s gone.

“How long should I hang onto freeze dried food?” he asked. “I’ve kept it for 11 years so far, in case I ever go camping again.”

I told him to have it for supper.

Don then mentioned a special lesson he learned about hanging onto stuff for the sake of the kids. He had kept a tricycle in his attic for 40 years and when he got it down and showed it to his son he received a memorable response.

“Would you like your old tricycle?” Don asked his son.

“Why?” said Brian, now an adult.

It was good that Don asked. It puts a few (or many, depending on the size of your attic or basement) things in perspective, doesn’t it?

Yesterday I wrote something about my own goal to clean out my study: “I have one pile of papers to sort, two shelves on my desk to sort and two clothing racks to look at. I should have my first box ready to go by Friday p.m.”

Then I said, “Unless I run into friend Don again before then!”

See, after speaking with Don over coffee, we walked together to his car and looked at the stuff he was taking to the Good Will.

I suffered a setback.

I ended up taking a shirt and three old LPs. Not Acker Bilk, but three I didn’t really need nonetheless. I’m a sucker for old rugby shirts and albums with interesting artwork.

So, where am I at today?

I sorted out the two shelves on my desk, tossed a few items and will have a full cardboard box of stuff ‘to go’ by Friday, including more than 3 albums.

***

Gord’s current ‘Goals for Decluttering’

I’ll start with one room

I’ll keep positive. Rome wasn’t built in a day

I’ll sell a few items only if it’s worth the effort

I will remove one full box of stuff from the building every two weeks in 2011 (20 for the year; I started late - like 40 years too late!)

I will develop the decluttering habit

I’ll ask myself, what use is an Acker Bilk record?

I’ll try not to get too sentimental

I’ll ask my sons to help if they might benefit from the experience

I won’t look in Don’s trunk again


["I took a picture of this LP then gave it away."]

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Live Small: PT 4: Time (again) to declutter

[Today’s big financial numbers: 40% - The number of Canadians who trash more than $400 of unwanted household items instead of selling them in their annual spring clearouts, according to a survey by Kijiji. April 14, London Free Press]

While I declutter one room at a time, I hope to earn a little money from the sale of my stunning trash. Most will go out to the curb or to Good Will Industries, but some will be lovingly photographed and posted on London Kijiji.

I have a pair of jeans, almost new, that I planned to sell. But I tried them on this morning. Good grief. They fit again. My ‘fun and fitness routine’ must be working. I wearing them now and will consider selling them again in the future.

This morning I found one of the last pairs of ‘school pants’ hiding at the back of the closet and... they’re in the ‘out’ box. But not for sale. Who would want to wear an old pair of an old school teacher’s pants? Ha! Not me.

However, I think I’ll try to get a few bucks for 3 LPs, hat pins and a Bob Dylan scrapbook.

Five bucks.

Anyone? Anyone?

.

I Ask You: "Have you ever seen this LP album?"

I’m in the process of decluttering the house, one room at a time.

But I suffered a setback the other day. I brought someone else’s stuff home. I took it right out of his trunk. Three LPs. One rugby shirt. That’s no way to reduce the amount of gear in a house. I know.

However, one album just had to be photographed before it goes back out the door.


I ask you: Have you ever seen this album? Do you own it? How much would you pay for another one?!

In my opinion, it’s very funny on a few levels, but... now that I’ve taken the picture, it’s out the door, baby.

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Live Small PT 5: Time (again) to declutter

Here’s where I left off related to decluttering:

“Who would want to wear an old pair of an old school teacher’s pants?” I asked.

“Ha! Not me,” I said - quite truthfully.

Then I added, “However, I think I’ll try to get a few bucks for 3 LPs, hat pins and a Bob Dylan scrapbook. Five bucks.”

In other words then, the pants are gone, along with three shirts and a vest I haven’t worn much if at all in the last 10 years. And I’ll put up an ad on Kijiji London to see if anyone wants to pay big bucks for a few LPs and a Bob Dylan scrapbook. (“We all gotsta pay the freight, Bob.”)

As you can see in the photo, I have one full box of STUFF beside my study door. One room done, several more to go. One full box out (ahead of schedule). And another empty box is needed.


["The house feels 10 pounds lighter!":photos GH]

That’s where Earl comes in. Earl works for the LCBO or liquor store at York and Ridout. He’s the guy I see for empty boxes. And Guinness.

Someone may well ask, “Do you have the habit of decluttering yet?”

No. It will take time. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

“Will you reach your goal of filling 20 boxes with STUFF by the end of 2011?” another may ask.

Well, if I can get into the decluttering habit, and fill one box every two weeks for the next four or five weeks, then yes.

And I’ll be able to see the floor in the basement!

.

Live Small: Decluttering update

I’m not a professional declutterer.

I think I’d make a good one (I can say with authentic surprise, “Come on, buddy. Ask yourself. What good is an Acker Bulk record album?”) and I know where people can get one free, empty cardboard box every two weeks without fail.

However, I’ve only been decluttering for three weeks and I don’t even have the habit (to declutter) coming naturally to me yet. I walked right past Box Number Two this morning and didn’t give it a thought - until I put away my laundry.

I don’t need six white towels, I thought. One went into the box. It’s half full. Right on schedule.

That move reminded me of a nice blue vest I’d set aside for the Good Will box. I bought vests of every colour when still a teacher. I retired 9 years ago. Guess how many times I’ve worn a vest since then. Once.


I could take a half-dozen books out of the box and fill it with vests alone. But because I plan to rid the house of one boxful of stuff every two weeks in 2011 I’ll save them for future trips to the second-hand store.

I’m on a mission. I think by June the habit of decluttering will be formed.

More updates will follow.

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The Workshop: Apartment duplexes for rent - cheep

A friend who is installing a new ‘old’ floor delivered a bit of hemlock scrap to me recently. Not much is left.


["Not much is left. Just wee bits": photos GH]

I knew what I would build almost immediately. Tall, old-looking structures; apartment duplexes with a large door at the back.




The hemlock was brittle, chippy. Every fresh-cut edge required careful sanding. Every day I pulled several slivers from my thumbs.

But the end result seems unique to me. Once I apply all the hinges I’ll add a coat of linseed oil to enhance the natural colours and grain. (Please note: I applied very little paint. There’s a good reason for that.)




I will attach one to a tall pole (or two-inch diameter branch) for my own yard. I think small birds will love them.

BTW. When finished, you’ll be the first to know.

***

Please click here for another visit to The Workshop.



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Live Small: Decluttering update

I’m not a professional declutterer.

I think I’d make a good one (I can say with authentic surprise, “Come on, buddy. Ask yourself. What good is an Acker Bilk record album anyway?”) and I know where people can get one free, empty cardboard box every two weeks without fail.

However, I’ve only been decluttering for three weeks and I don’t even have the habit (to declutter) coming naturally to me yet. I walked right past Box Number Two this morning and didn’t give it a thought - until I put away my laundry.

I don’t need six white towels, I thought. One went into the box. It’s half full. Right on schedule.

That move reminded me of a nice blue vest I’d set aside for the box. I bought vests of every colour when still a teacher. I retired 9 years ago. Guess how many times I’ve worn a vest since then. Once.


["Old vests could fill this box": photo GH]

I could take a half-dozen books out of the box and fill it with vests alone. But because I plan to rid the house of one boxful of stuff every two weeks in 2011, I’ll save them for future trips to the second-hand store.

I’m on a mission. I think by June the habit of decluttering will be formed. Then I'll get my papers and hang out a shingle. (I'm pretty sure I have a shingle in the basement behind my old golf bag).

More updates will follow.

***

Please click here to read more about decluttering.

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Live Small and Prosper: Gord’s Frontier Stew is a winner PT 2

[Consumers will eventually feel the impact of a 40% rise in basic agricultural commodities in the past year. “That will work its way down to the grocery stores...” Apr. 8, London Free Press]

I pay less than 10 cents for a large mug of coffee.

And that includes milk and sugar and 15 seconds of ‘silly dance’ as the caffeine enters my system whilst I stand at the kitchen counter.

I pay less than 20 cents for a healthy bowl of homemade breakfast cereal.

And that includes diced banana on top. Gotta have my diced banana. It also powers the silly dance.

But what do I pay per serving for my ever-popular Frontier Stew?

I can fairly accurately determine the cost of my latest batch. I bought a few supplies for $13.70 and added supplies I already had at home.


The $13.70 covered a can of peas, can of corn, two cans of maple-flavoured beans, two cans of five-bean medley, one Spanish onion and a boneless pork rib roast ($5.32 @ $4.49/kg; on sale). These supplies were halved ($6.85) in order to make two batches of slow-cooker stew.

From ‘on-hand’ supplies I added half a bottle of dark ale ($0.65), 3/4 cup of red wine ($1.00), seven potatoes ($1.00) and five carrots ($1.00) to each batch. ($3.65)

Total cost of one full, large pot of slow cooker stew (enough to fill two large casserole dishes) - $10.50.


["Delicious stew and photos by GH"]

Cost per serving varies, of course, depending on my appetite, but (and I’ll be honest) I’ll easily get a dozen or more meals from each batch. And when I compare my stew to even the cheapest restaurant or fast food offerings, I have to say (and I’ll be honest), Frontier Stew is cheaper - AWESOMER!

Every other day the media will announce that hard times are coming, grocery-, mortgage-, taxes-, and lifestyle-wise. I also proclaim - regularly - “reduce spending, pay down debt, save money for the tough times ahead” because I know (I’ll be honest here) they are coming.

However, here in North America we are a very capable, creative bunch. We know how to shop for deals (Oh, do we ever know how to shop!), we know our way around a kitchen, which is the most expensive and under-used room in most new houses. A little more self-reliance won’t hurt any of us at all.

If higher grocery prices move us toward (for example) our own kitchens and healthier eating, I say, the sooner the better.

In the same way, if higher fuel costs drive us toward other healthier lifestyle choices (e.g., smaller homes and less furniture, smaller closets and fewer clothing items, smaller cars and fewer driving kilometers and more mass-transit, smaller meals and fewer manufactured individual servings, etc.), I say, the sooner the better.

Okay, where’s the darn spatula?

***

Please click here to read Gord’s Frontier Stew is a winner PT 1

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Zoom w a View: Spring, cool, damp

Seen: Grey sky, maple branches in bud, wet clothesline

Photo 1: "Blue skies, maybe next week"


Photo 2: "Dry my clothes? Maybe tomorrow"


Photo 3: "Raindrops running in line"


Photo 4: "Grey skies, get used to it"


["Cool wet photos by GH"]

Not seen: My motorcycle, wet tarp

***

Please click here for more Zoom w a View

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“IT STRIKES” Again: I’m still a few quarters short of a health card - Exciting Conclusion

[The following story was first published in The Londoner on Oct. 24, 2002 under my current byline, It Strikes Me Funny. Please click here to read PT 1 for context. Also, the story is funnier if you had to renew your Ontario Health card recently. gah]

I’m still a few quarters short of a health card

A short, dark-haired man with wire-rim glasses stepped passed me to get to counter number three. I then noticed there were eight counters in all and began to feel better. Things were moving along. I calculated there were 28 people in queue ahead of me but with eight counters ticking along at five minutes per photo I would be out of there in 15 to 20 minutes max. - with several minutes to spare on the meter. Perhaps I would make a slight detour to Dr. Disc on my way back to the car.

In the next three minutes eight more people entered the office and I noticed sadly that not only was the population at the Ministry of Health now higher than Dorchester’s, but the temperature in the crowded room had risen five degrees. A115 was still being processed, no photos were being taken, there were only three employees on duty behind the eight counters and one of them seemed to be preparing to go for lunch.

It was then I recalled my wife’s earlier words: “You may be there a long time.” And here I was without a book to read (Learn Spanish in Four Hundred Easy Lessons, How to Build a House in Your Spare Time, 1000 Easy Crosswords or From Here to Eternity).


["Time stands still and the temperature is rising": photo GH]

“Excuse me,” I said to my neighbour on the right. (He opened his eyes slowly and rubbed them gently with the backs of his hands.) “Have you been here long?”

“What day is this?” he replied, partially stifling an enormous yawn.

I’d already forgotten: I looked at my watch. “It’s Wednesday. Is that good?”

Without waiting for a reply, A136 rolled onto his side and went back to sleep.

Number a116 flashed onto the LED screen. The next-in-line shuffled slowly to the counter. I should have taken more money for the meter.

***

Time seems to stand still when we wait in line.

Why is that?

Please click here to read Pt 1 ‘I’m still a few quarters short of a health card’

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Live Small and Prosper: Gord’s Frontier Stew is a winner

[Doug Porter, deputy chief economist for BMO Capital Markets warned consumers will eventually feel the impact of a 40% rise in basic agricultural commodities in the past year. “That will work its way down to the grocery stores but it will take about 10 to 12 months.” April 8, London Free Press]

I spent part of yesterday afternoon in the kitchen, then visited my workshop wearing a big smile.

And why the Cheshire grin? I realized, while peeling spuds, I get paid good money to cook supper in my own house. Really good money.


Already my brain registers delight daily when I brew morning coffee. The $19.38 I paid one week ago for 1.6 pounds of fresh beans has already been repaid (thanks to my 2 - 3 cups per day habit), and most of the coffee has yet to be brewed.

I bet, including the money I save by not driving to a coffee shop on a regular basis, the price of a cup of coffee is under 10 cents. When it goes up in price, say 40%, I’ll still be paying less than 15 cents per mug, for a savings of $1.35. Why, it’s like paying myself almost $5 every time I brew a pot of coffee. Brilliant.


["Better than bacon and eggs any old day": photos GH]

Already I feel I pay myself $20 or more, after the cost of supplies, every time I make a large batch of porridge. Ten servings cost very little compared to one or two restaurant breakfasts. And my heart thanks me for the mix of oatmeal, Red River cereal, bran, flax seed, raisins, currants and dried cranberries.

But what about the cost of my ever-popular Frontier Stew? I never thought about it closely, until yesterday.

Stay tuned.

***

Please click here for “I Ask You” and more about the price of coffee.

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Cartoon in Progress: “Life’s like that, eh” 4

“Mick loved the little cheese snacks that Ruth put out at her house parties.”

gah

***

Please click here to view “Life’s like that, eh” 3

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“IT STRIKES” Again: I’m still a few quarters short of a health card

[The following story was first published in The Londoner on Oct. 24, 2002 under my current byline, It Strikes Me Funny. The story is funnier if you have just finished renewing your Ontario Health card. gah]

I’m still a few quarters short of a health card

“Take lots of change for parking.You may be there a long time.”

I didn’t believe my wife’s words at first. I had all the necessary documents in hand, and more, to renew my Ontario Health Card at 217 York Street.

I had my birth certificate, Canadian passport, valid driver’s licence, social insurance number and three box tops from PC brand gourmet English-style Muesli cereal (with over 50 per cent fruit and nuts and more dietary fiber than you could shake a stick at: I’m one healthy lad).


["Everybody needs a Health Card": photo GH]

I just had to park, negotiate five flights of stairs and get my picture taken once again (though I hadn’t really changed much in five years - I was wearing the same grey shirt as last time). How long could it take? I grabbed four or five quarters from the edge of the dining room table and confidently left the house.

Parking was a cinch. I dropped a few quarters into a meter on King St. (48 minutes worth - lots of time) and walked the three blocks to York. Saved a few seconds by taking the elevator to the fifth floor.

“Hi, my name is Gord and I’m here to get a new Health Card,” I said to the woman behind the counter inside the door.

“Do you have your driver’s licence?” she asked as she handed me registration number A143.

“Yes, I do,” I replied, patting the thick wad of identification material in my side pocket. (I was pleased. The process was going so smoothly. I didn’t bother to tell her I had enough documentation to choke a horse.) I turned to find a seat. Only then did I notice the office was practically full and that the LED screen was flashing A114. There was one empty chair on the other side of the crowded room.

Five more people walked into the office behind me, so I took the vacant chair without hesitation. A114 continued to flash overhead for a few more seconds then changed to A115.

A short, dark-haired man with wire-rim glasses stepped passed me to get to counter number three. I then noticed...

To be continued.

***

What did I notice?

A. Everyone else in the room was sleeping?

B. I needed to go to the washroom?

C. My 48 minutes had expired already?

D. A party began?

E. All of the above?

Stay tuned.

***

Please click here for another exciting episode of “IT STRIKES” Again

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The Workshop: St. John’s streetscape - colourful, rustic

They are going out the door. I don’t want to add another thing. They’re done. Finally.


While watching a hockey game the other evening I cut six strips of metal, painted St. John’s street names (Thank you, Google Maps.), tacked signs into place, then washed my hands and sipped a small and tidy celebratory drink. (Elderberry Ale if you must know).


Unfortunately, the living room floor in our house is flat. So, they are not arranged on a steep incline as they would be in Newfoundland.




Still, the set looks a bit like a rustic row Of Jelly Bean houses one might encounter on Water St. or Duckworth.


["Jelly Bean birdhouses": photos GH]

It does, doesn’t it?

***

Please click here for another trip to The Workshop.

Easy Schmeasy.

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It Strikes Me Funny: I’m set for life, under 3 bucks

Headline - Playbook Sales Weak

“Research in Motion’s Playbook tablet computer launched in almost-empty sores on Tuesday, in a far cry from the frenzy that accompanies the debut of anything from rival Apple... RIM shares were down 2.2% at $53.62 on the Nasdaq.” (Apr. 20 London Free Press)

Yesterday my wife was given a free pen at our local bank. She has a deskfull. She gave it to me.

It matches my three notepads beautifully.


The notepads, total cost under three bucks, are perfect for me. When I think of an idea, I write it down. When I want to communicate with someone, I jot them a note. Birdhouse idea? I sketch it. New song? I scribble it down.

Online research? On my iMac at home, with a cup of freshly brewed coffee. (Coffee - less than 10 cents per large mug).

I think I'm set for life.

RIM shares down.

Money in my wallet, holding steady.

(Live small and prosper, eh).

***

Please click here for more It Strikes Me Funny.

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I Ask You: How much is one cup of coffee?

I know I already get a deal when I fill up my travel mug at The Red Roaster. (I am charged the ‘one mug’ price and grab my own refill when the staff is distracted).

And I know I get a better deal - price per cup - when I buy bags of Red Roaster coffee and brew my own at home.


But... and this is a big but... how much is one cup of coffee when I brew it at home?

Why do I ask?

We’re going to hear a lot of news and negative reaction related to rising food costs; but the move toward brewing our own coffee and cooking our own meals (in order to save money) will seemingly take forever.

Some people will react like this reader who emailed the following in response to an earlier post about ‘dropping the drive-thru’ coffee habit and making java at home:

“I don’t have to. I don’t want to. And I won’t.”


["How much does a hearty breakfast really cost?": photos GH]

So, when people start complaining I want to be able to tell them - honestly - how much they’ll save by using the room in their house with all those shiny appliances.

I ask you: What’s that room called again?

***

Please click here for more I Ask You.

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The Workshop: ‘Easy schmeasy’ is fine by me

Simple birdhouses come together so quickly compared to complex models.


Didn’t I start eight houses with common or off-center peaked roofs just a few days ago? And didn’t the St. John’s streetscape series take me about 10 years?


The only thing that slowed me down with the basic models was the addition of two-colour trim.


The rest was easy schmeasy.


["More lumber just arrived. Hemlock. What's next?": photos GH]

I’ll display a couple of matched sets at the Red Roaster this morning. That should brighten up the joint.

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Please click here for another visit to The Workshop.

PS - the painted signage is finished for the Jelly Bean houses, except for tacking it into place. News at 11.

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Climate Change Concerns: Will we ever be rid of coal?

[“The Liberal government had promised to shut down all Ontario coal plants by 2007, but pushed that back to 2014. Two of Ontario’s remaining coal-fired units are to close this year.” April 15, London Free Press]

Ontario is having trouble closing down coal-fired (energy producing) units as promised.

Those Ontarians concerned with rising carbon emissions and average global temperatures will not appreciate the government’s ‘shut down’ record.


And though Ontario Energy Minister Brad Duguid recently announced that there has been a 90% drop in provincial coal use (During his term? Since the beginning of time? The announcement is unclear.), the transition to sustainable clean energy cannot come fast enough for those interested in clean air, lower emissions, fewer climate change concerns.

What is blocking the transition? Could it be...

the high price of alternative energy?

consumers’ resistance toward alternative, more expensive energy?

that coal is so much cheaper than, for example, solar panels?

good money can be made selling cheap (coal-fired) energy to the US?

the rise in energy consumption by home owners and industry?

And more?

While we wait for governments to slowly, gradually close coal-fired plants (it may take forever), perhaps more emphasis should be placed on reducing carbon emissions and the warming temperature trend through energy conservation.


For example, hydro companies could take bold steps in this regard when sharing information about heating and cooling your home.

At present, Milton Hydro says the following:

“The largest portion of most hydro bills is attributed to controlling temperature. An energy efficient heating and cooling system can significantly contribute to savings on your hydro bill and may improve the comfort in your home. When shopping for a new heating or cooling system, be sure to take into consideration the equipment costs, costs of fuel, fuel delivery, warranties and any predictable maintenance costs over the life of the equipment.”
(miltonhydro.com)

Perhaps people could still be encouraged to purchase energy efficient heating systems but do without cooling systems in their homes.


["Fewer single homes. More doubles": photo GH]

Perhaps hydro companies could encourage people to buy smaller homes (“My gosh, folks. They’re cheaper to heat!”) or live in shared living quarters (semi-detached homes, duplexes, triplexes, sixplexes, apartments, etc., rather than single-family homes.

Hydro won’t get cheaper. Perhaps our lifestyle can. Perhaps then carbon emissions will decrease and global temperatures will become more stable.

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Live small and prosper.

Please click here for more Climate Change Concerns.

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The Workshop: Welcome to 6 Flower Hill Rd.

Jelly Bean Row will be ready for visitors by tomorrow or Saturday. At long last, I say.

Assembling the windows and doors was fussy work. But then, I’m a fussy character.


Last jobs: I will paint ‘welcome’ onto the small strip of wood left of the opening. I will add the St. John’s street address onto the larger strip over the opening.

E.g., Welcome, 6 Flower Hill Rd.


Welcome, 12 Newfoundland Drive.


["Welcome to Jelly Bean Row, St. John's NFLD": photos GH]

For sure, the next batch will be easy schmeasy in comparison to the St. John’s streetscape.

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Please click here for another visit to The Workshop.

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