Aged but not deceased

I finally finished all the chores for closing up the trailer, finished packing and waited for our ride. 
Bruce and Mary Ellen were good enough to take us to Harbour Air floatplanes in Nanaimo. Being a few hours early we went to The Bistro Pub for some food and drinks.

The flight to YVR south was uneventful but unfortunately, the last shuttle had already left. We didn’t know this until one of the people leaving after work there asked why we were waiting. She checked and found that the driver had taken off for the day as ours was the last flight. She called for a taxi and gave us a voucher so we wouldn’t have to pay. 

As we were waiting for the taxi, the shuttle showed up again. The driver realizing that we’d been left behind came back for us. The best part was that the driver was Mexican so we had chat with him. They called the cab company and it all turned out fine.

The shuttle arrived at the airport with about four hours to spare. Security was a breeze as there was hardly anybody there. Rosalie had her usual water bottle in the luggage just to see if the guys were on their toes, they were!

It was lucky that we ate something in Nanaimo as the airport was mostly shut down. We couldn’t even get a glass of wine, much to Rosalie’s annoyance. 

The plane took off on time and it wasn’t too a bad flight. We were served food and drinks I had a rum and coke just so I could spend a few minutes with the mask off. Then the lights went down and we tried to sleep. As we got close to Mexico City, Rosalie started to get nauseous and I started to get worried. After a nice long sleep, she managed to shake it off. 

Going through the airport was a bit of a trial. It helped a lot that we had our Residente Temporal. At one point we were inspected; how do you explain sous vide machine, in Spanish, to a Mexican?

Ronda had given us detailed instructions to navigate the airport and they came in handy. We had allowed three and a half hours to get our connecting flight and I’m glad we did. The gate wasn’t posted so had to check the board regularly.

We finally got on board but we sat on the runway for half an hour waiting to take off. When we landed at Manzanillo we took a cab home. On the way, the driver showed us a large banana plantation completely wiped out by the hurricane.

It was good to be back at The Ranchero but boy, were we in for a surprise!

It’s starting to get chilly here. We’re fine as we do have a furnace but going out is a bit daunting especially with all the wind and rain.

I can’t believe it’s only four more days before we go back to Mexico. Where did this year go? On the other hand, with Covid and the fires, I’ll be happy to see it done with.

We’ve had a good summer season here, we love Canada but not the winters, so getting away again is great. Now, reverse that for Mexico. We love it there but don’t like the summer heat so coming back here is also great. What a life!

The problems with the trailer were finally sorted out. The two young guys who did the final work should have been sent the first time and we wouldn’t have had nearly the trouble that we did have. We’ll miss it though as it did give us a few laughs. One time, I turned on one light in the loft, another started to flash and our bedroom furnace came on; great entertainment. Oh! and then we get a recall notice, the propane regulator needs to be replaced.

I’ve finished the picnic table, it looks great. There was a bit of a mystery though. I decided to put the legs on concrete blocks so went to to the lumber yard and bought twelve of them. As I was starting to finish the last few legs I noticed that I was one block short. Rosalie and I looked everywhere for it but to no avail. Luckily I had one on the water feature I was building so borrowed it.

The garden was a mixed bag this year. I had great success with the tomatoes and jalapeños but the rest was disappointing. It was my first year with this soil so I’m not too upset. I’ve added a whole lot of compost so I think it will be better next spring.

The Melaque party was a great success. We had thirty-two people and a great time was had by all. We have also had a lot of people drop by for happy-hour, as well as us dropping by their places.

As of now, it’s work time. We have to winterize and close up for the season. The last day will be the busiest as we can’t do things like empty the tanks or cut off water and propane until the last minute; and of course, all the other minor things that need to be done.

There is also the annual packing challenge. I take things out of the case and Rosalie waits until I’m not looking and puts them back in again. That’s why our carry-ons weigh sixty pounds each.

Next blog from Mexico. Yeah!!

Who the hell do we vote for!

After watching the latest debate I broke it down into three categories: Trudeau and O’Toole: Same old, same old, promises, promises. There were the NDP and Greens who were more in favour of taking from the rich and giving to the poor. Then there was the Bloc Quebecois who has no idea what is going on.

And I have to vote for one of these fools! What a bunch of idiots. They act more like schoolchildren than adults.

I noticed that most of the people who presented questions were women. And they did a great job.

I lived in Nottingham, home of Robin Hood for a few years before coming to Canada and I do believe in robbing the rich to give to the poor; so I’m leaning more toward the Green and NDP. Although I think I may lean too far and fall asleep.

We went to vote early and had a few hassles. When we decided to stay at the campground all summer, we both needed to get new driver’s licenses. When I got mine I was told to use my physical address (Qualicum). but Rosalie was told to use our mailing address (Nanaimo). So, she was registered but I wasn’t. I still can’t get the smile off her face.

The people at the Rutherford advance voting station were really helpful and after Rosalie vouching for me I was allowed to vote. At the last minute, I decided on the Marxist Leninist party not realizing that it had nothing to do with John Lenon or the Beatles.

They say that the Chinese are influencing our elections. This was initiated by the Donald, who some of us know is an idiot. However, I for one, not wanting to take a chance wore my foil hat so that they can’t influence my vote.

These magic hats will be going on sale for $29.95 tax included or two for $60. I noticed that more than a few people at the polling station looked on with envy. One guy even asked where I got it and I proudly told him that it was hand-made by myself.

Rosalie by the way thinks I’m stark raving mad, but her vote may be compromised but not mine. I think we better get out of here pretty soon as I’m beginning to think she’s right.

We’ve heard a lot from anti-vaxxers and it’s getting me a little ticked off.

Some people for reasons of their own don’t want to get the vaccine, and even though I think they are wrong and putting themselves at risk, I respect their decision.

However, I think there is a difference between non- vaxxers and anti-vaxxers. Non-vaxxers just don’t get the vaccine and mind their own business. Anti-vaxxers try to spread their own ridiculous ideas and try to persuade others to join their crazy conspiracy theories. These are the dangerous ones! They persuade one gullible person so they can say “See, I’m not the only one.” Then that person dies from Covid 19 and they have that on their conscience…or not.

I personally heard one Canadian woman tell someone in Mexico that the AstraZeneca vaccine kills pregnant mothers and their babies. What a lot of nonsense. Oxford University who developed the drug has been teaching and doing research for over a thousand years. Does anyone in their right mind think they are going to release a drug to kill a few thousand people?

There are some people who have compromised immune systems who do react negatively to the drug, but it is far safer than smoking or taking the birth control pill.

Here is a link to some more data. Which will be discarded by anti-vaxxers as fake news. Of course, you can go on the internet and get irrefutable proof to back up any crackpot theory that you choose to have. Conspiracy theorists know this…for a fact.

Vaccines have saved hundreds of thousands of lives over the last few hundred years.

And you can add E. Bola, Small Pox and many more to the list.

If you’re on a sinking ship, remember it’s your right not to wear a lifejacket; you’ll still drown but you used your rights successfully.

While I’m writing this I have been looking for some facts to add to the story. There is so much scientific proof out there that these vaccines are safe that it boggles my mind that people don’t listen to them. It may be pride that once you say no, you can’t change your mind. I may be just old-fashioned stubbornness. And it may be followers of that idiot trump.

Supposedly the vaccine also contains a computer chip so that we can be traced at any time. It’s lucky that it isn’t powered by AA batteries as they would need an awful big needle. As soon as you open your phone, iPad or computer, people can track you. I don’t understand why anyone would want to track me anyway, I’m boring.

Rosalie and I are trying to do our bit. We got vaccinated, we wear masks we distance from people we don’t know. We feel that we are not only protecting ourselves but others as well. If everyone got the vaccine this Covid pandemic would be almost over by now.

As a footnote: we just found out that one of our favourite waiters in Melaque has died from the disease. Rest in peace Justo.

I was slightly hungover this morning, but what a great party we had.

Rosalie and I had been working on it for the last couple of weeks making signs, menus, placemats, preparing food and borrowing tables, table cloths and chairs. Mary-Ellen and Bruce, our neighbours, brought us back some bunting from Mazatlan. The girls put it together while Bruce and I supervised. On the morning of the party I hung it all up and it made the whole place so much more festive.

We had invited about thirty people and most showed up. By three-thirty the place was buzzing. Everybody contributed food so we didn’t go hungry. After the appies I recruited Peter as an assistant and opened up ‘Taqueria de Chris’.

I bought a new propane griddle a few weeks ago so was itching to use it. I cooked everything as we went along so it was all fresh. This year I decided to use real beef instead of hamburger and I’m glad I did. Everyone had a choice of that and chicken. We served forty tacos and still had meat left over. We also supplied the lettuce, beans, onions, tomatoes, cheese, pico de gallo etc. for the toppings.

After serving the food Peter and I grabbed a taco each and settled down to enjoy ourselves. Rosalie and I mingled with the crowd and as I went from table to table I realized that no matter what table I sat at, I was with really good friends. It wasn’t us who made the party it was having them there.

I got the giant Jenga game out and watched as the guys had fun with that. There have been a few complaints that the wood need waxing so I may have to look into that; or not, depending on my mood when I next think about it.

Eventually, people started to drift off home and left the diehards behind; that’s when the tequila came out. Rosalie and I were finally alone at about 9:15. and reviewed the day. We decided it was our best Melaque party yet, the weather was perfect, not too hot not too cold and no rain, even the Mexican music was good.

Rosalie was a bit stressed leading up to it but calmed herself down on the day and had a great time. I have to thank her more than anybody for the success we had. Also to our eldest daughter Lisa, who inspired us with the Cricut machine.

This morning we had the job of cleaning up, putting things away and returning borrowed tables and chairs. Mary-Ellen and Bruce jumped in to help once more which made the job a lot easier. The biggest chore was the washing up and Mary-Ellen helped Rosalie with that too.

I’m already looking forward to next years party.

I’ve been wanting to get a DNA test for some time so I sent away for a kit from CRI, an independent company based in California. When I got the kit I did a cheek swab and sent it off. They sent me updates every step of the way until finally eight weeks later I got the results.

My mum’s maiden name was Newman so I wasn’t really surprised when I found that my ancestry was mostly German. Next was British and then French and Spanish. As I looked through the report I was surprised to see that I have a little Italian, Chinese, East Indian, Punjabi, Columbian and…and …and 1% Mexican. I was happy about the Mexican connection.

The report goes back two thousand years and from what I can see my ancestors were from all over the world. For the last several generations though from Northern Europe and Spain and Italy. I truly am a mongrel. Our neighbour said that he once had a dog like that.

The traits that they attributed to me were very accurate. They even said that I had either had brown or blue eyes; most likely blue, mine are blue. 

It would be interesting to see if any unknown kids come out of the woodwork. I will of course deny it and leave the country.

The other thing I like about this is that I can see what my medical tendencies are. The ones they gave me are very accurate. It said that I tolerate alcohol better than most so that’s a good thing. That I’m prone to heartburn and indigestion; yup that’s true. I have a slightly increased risk of psoriasis but less chance of getting eczema. Important to know.

I have enhanced long-term memory, but Rosalie disagrees. Enhanced mathematical ability; yeah right, that’s the only one I found a bit off. I’m likely to be an endurance athlete. Yet I find I’m puffing just running to the bathroom. When I was younger I did a lot of cross country running and was good at that so I suppose it’s true. I have a high pain threshold, which comes in handy when Rosalie disagrees with my long-term memory. Normal or strong body odour. Sorry for that to anyone who gets too close.

All in all, it was an interesting experience, especially the bit about being 1% Mexican. Next, I want to find out what famous (or infamous) people I’m related to.

We hadn’t seen our daughter Lisa and her family for two years because of Covid, so decided to take a trip to see them. We left the campground at 5:30 am to catch the 7:45 Duke Point ferry. It was a long weekend but there was still space when the ferry sailed.

We arrived at Harrison Hot Springs just after noon as the traffic between Langley and Chilliwack was stop and go all the way. Lisa and Peter were waiting for us at the local pub and after lunch, the four of us hopped on the boat and headed to Echo Island on Harrison Lake where their cabin is.

They had just renovated it as a water pipe had burst and just about destroyed the whole place. Part of the renovations included adding solar panels for power. After homemade pizza for dinner, we sat outside drinking wine and chatting. Then we got a surprise visit from our grandaughter Katelyn and her boyfriend Max who were camped across the lake. They weren’t expected until the following day but wanted to see us. Of course, Lisa and I stayed up later than Peter and Rosalie as we had a lot of catching up to do.

The following morning it was cloudy and raining so the solar panels weren’t providing power. At this point, the backup generator should have kicked in to recharge the batteries but for some reason, didn’t. Peter couldn’t even get it started manually so we decided to go back to their new home that they had just moved into in Rosedale. Again Lisa and I stayed up late drinking wine and chatting.

Lisa loves to do crafting and has a whole garage as her studio. Rosalie has been trying to find a new hobby to keep her occupied so was looking for ideas. Lisa had a spare Cricut machine and very generously gave it to us. But first, we had to have lessons on how to use it with Lisa as our teacher. We had a project in mind so spent the whole day having fun.

The studio has everything for crafting including a laser cutter, hot press, a baby chop saw and a huge variety of other tools. Some of the things she makes are quite amazing. She works hard as a financial adviser so deserves the best fun stuff.

She even made us personalized drinks mugs. They look like tin cans but boy, do they ever keep stuff cool? It was hot in Rosedale but Rosalie had an ice cube still leftover from the previous night. And of course, she personalized them with our names.

There was a lot of smoke in the air from all the fires and we could hardly make out the mountain view from our bedroom window.

Whenever we go to visit them Rosalie makes one of her world-famous lasagnas as we know they love them, especially Peter. Katelyn and Max came for dinner on our last evening when it was being served. Peter pretended to be a bit put out as he didn’t want to share. Anyway, there was enough left over for him for later.

All good things must come to an end so we had to come home. We checked the Tsawwassen ferry schedule and all sailings were booked. It looked as though we might have to stay another night. Peter suggested we try Horseshoe Bay. I was surprised to find that there was a lot of space on most of the sailings. After a hasty shower, we said our goodbyes to Peter, (Lisa had already left for work.) took off and caught the 11:05 am. And so, home!

Rosalie’s family decided to make their annual invasion so I had to be prepared. with lots of wine, good food, and infinite patience.

Three of her sisters came down from up north. And of course, they had to bring our brother-in-law Gordie. The only sister missing was Suzanne and hubby Vic.

They arrived on Saturday afternoon and the party began. We had put a chicken marinated 24 hours, in salt and apple cider on the BBQ and opened a few boxes of wine so we were off to a great start. That evening we started watching a movie but soon gave up and went to bed.

The next day the girls wanted to go for a walk in the campground, so Gordie and I went to Qualicum Beach for some supplies. When we got back, the neighbours, Bob and Marlene came over to meet the sisters. In the evening we all gathered in the gazebo to watch more of the movie, drink more wine, with some of us falling asleep. We only watched a bit more of the movie and went to bed.

On Monday I had organized a special meeting of the B & B club so that Gordie could get a pint of real beer and reunite with the guys. But first, we had a few errands to run and also had to stop for lunch. We got to downtown Nanaimo and had a heck of a time finding somewhere open to get lunch along with a glass of wine. We ended up at the Dorchester Hotel, therefore, saving the day.

The B & B club was as awesome as it usually is and we had a good time. After dropping Peter off at home we drove back to Spidey. That evening we watched the rest of the movie.

The sleeping arrangements were fun, Delorie and Marina were assigned to the loft, and Gordie and Giselle were on the pull-out bed in the living room. Rosalie and I, of course, were snug in our own kingsize bed.

Gordie and Giselle bought their little dog Popeye with them. He had a great time. The girls took him down to the dog pond for a swim and after, to the dog park where he ran wild and absorbed all the doggy smells. He was really well behaved and only barked a couple of times.

The thing I liked most was seeing the sisters and how well they get on with each other. I had three brothers but we were never as close as these guys are. So I live my family life, vicariously through them and look forward to further visits; probably in Mexico as they are all going down for February/March, including Suzanne and Vi.

My arm has finally healed up as well as Rosalie’s toe, so off we go again.

Well, the gravel has been spread, shrubs added, plus some flowers in a few key places and various approvals from various friends. Now what?

Nobody asked and I’m sure nobody’s really interested but it is my blog so I can say what I like. I want to tell you why I have my hair cut so short. If I didn’t get it cut it fell into my eyes all the time and was really maddening. From a kid, I tried all the usual remedies Brylcream, gels, sprays, lard. I’m kidding about lard but at times I was really tempted.

When it isn’t cut I look like this:

Rosalie on the other hand decided to have her’s done a little differently. She loved this one so we’ll see. I think it’s cute.

Our picnic table that I built six years ago was starting to fall apart so we decided to replace it with a cedar top. I had to redesign to base for the top as the old design had a flaw whereby the top wasn’t supported properly. I scratched my head for few days and finally came up with a workable solution.

Went to our local lumber store and asked for a mortgage to buy some lumber. As of now, it’s looking awesome; I just have to remember that it is a picnic table and not a piece of expensive furniture. I try to get every single piece to fit perfectly, but with the tools I have to work with, that won’t happen. So it is what it is! I found that the saw I was using was cutting incorrectly and also one of the squares I was using had worn and was way out. Peter loaned me his saw and thing worked out a lot better.

I still have to install a bit of trim, then I have to think of how to liven up the seats without getting a second mortgage.

One evening while watching tv with our antenna the picture died. The following day I checked everything out, even replacing the controller. The final conclusion was that the electronics in the antenna had quit. I decided to try a different one this time and ordered it on Amazon.

Having unpacked it and put it all together I ran it up the pole with great anticipation. I turned on the tv and got…one lousy channel. I contacted the manufacturer and they made a few suggestions that I had mostly tried. Their last suggestion was to change out the cable to the antenna. I had already checked that out so didn’t.

I took down the new antenna and shipped it back, at the same time ordering a new one of the brand that had been working before. When it arrived I put it together and ran it up the pole, and…nothing! It’s lucky my hair is short because at this point I would have been pulling it out.

I checked everything again. Still nothing! As a last resort, I decided to replace the cable as the original manufacturer suggested. Wow! Eight channels. I used to install cable tv and in all my experience have never had a bad cable like that. After I took it down I checked it out and still could find nothing wrong with it.

It’s the dog-days of blogging so I will have to think up more lies to fill the gap. See you soon.

After going to Qualicum and ending up in Nanaimo the other day, we decided to try something different. I had a buyer for some framed prints so decided to deliver them.

On the way to Qualicum, we found out the address was actually in Parksville. Adding insult to injury, I got the days mixed up and I wasn’t supposed to deliver until the next day. We ended up in Parksville at Canadian Tire anyway as we tried to console ourselves by spending more money.

The things I put on Facebook Marketplace are selling well. The problem is that our location is so far out it puts people off. I have delivered a few things so we’ll see if the rest of the stuff sells or not. A lot of people have inquired about my golf clubs and a few have come close to buying; but alas I still own them.

There’s been a mad scramble for the last couple of weeks to book our second covid shots. There wasn’t a lot of luck until Rosalie called yet again and got us dates for the Pfizer vaccine on 24th June; four months to the day that we got the first Astra Zeneca shot. We told them that we would go almost anywhere on the island and so, ended up at Campbell River. 4:30 in the afternoon on pub day. They have to get better organized than that; pub day!

Rosalie saw on her phone that she had a missed call. It was from Save-On-Foods pharmacy where we were on a standby list. Unfortunately for us, we didn’t see it until it was too late so we missed our second shot. We did have another chance though.

Update: We got another call and finally got our second shots.

Last week I was putting a log on the fire when the door on the chiminea came down and simultaneously cut and burned me. It wasn’t too bad so I slapped a Bandaid on it and called it a day. Well, I forgot that I’m allergic to the glue on Bandaids. The next day my arm was red and sore so I took an antihistamine and waited for it to go away. A few days after that it was so itchy and inflamed that I went to the clinic in Parksville. The Doctor said, that besides the allergy it was also infected. He prescribed a cream and an antibiotic. His efforts were almost in vain because when I saw the price of the cream I almost had a heart attack; $78. It’s slowly getting better but at its height, it was pretty ugly.

I was a little reluctant to mention this as it happened just after we had the second vaccine, I can just see the vaccine denyers saying it was because I had got the AstraZeneca shot and my body was now poisoned. Oh Boy!