When Will Spring Be Here???

We woke up this morning to another big dump of snow.  This time it is extremely wet and heavy snow.

We shoveled the driveway and then headed over to our neighbor (Kim's) to take care of hers also.  She looks after our place when we are away and we don't often get the chance to pay her back.  She is at work so we managed to get her driveway done before she got home for lunch.

Rick (blogger "It's About Time") always says that Tom needs to stop washing the truck.  Every time he does a snow storm hits Toronto.  You are right Rick.  I need to lock away the garden hose.  It happens in the summer also.  I hate for him to wash the vehicles too close to a long weekend.  You would think he would learn...ha!ha!  But again you can't let those salt munchies stay on the vehicles for too long.

Granddaughter, Taylor and her boyfriend, Cam,  headed to Cancun yesterday.  I wish she had room in her suitcase for her Grandma!!   I am sure they will have a great time and I will look forward to seeing the pictures when they get back.  The sun and beach will do wonders for the healing of that broken ankle Pookeroo!!

Our son, Stuart, works for a company called Invisible Fence.  They sell collars for dogs and install wiring that allows animals to run free in their yard without a fence.  The dogs are trained so that if they go past the perimeter they get a small shock from the collar.  They learn quickly what their free area is.  This saves the owners from having to install expensive fencing and protects the dogs from running off the property and getting hurt.

He and his dog Ellie were on CTV News and the following article appeared in the Barrie newspaper yesterday.  A great program that will help to save the lives of many of the furry friends in Barrie and area.

Ellie, a three-year-old retriever, tries on an oxygen mask with the help of Invisible Fence’s Stuart Reece, left, and Barrie firefighter Kirby Clancy. Invisible Fence donated 10 kits of the life-saving masks to Barrie Fire and Emergency Services. Known as Project Breathe, the Invisible Fence program will provide kits containing three masks of different sizes to be supplied for fire trucks. J.T. MCVEIGH BARRIE EXAMINER

Ellie is a patient dog.

For nearly an hour, the three-year-old retriever was petted, photographed, videotaped, and even had to wear a tiny plastic fire helmet, all while she modelled the latest in rescue gear for the Barrie fire department.

Invisible Fence of the Greater Toronto Area has donated 10 pet oxygen mask kits to the city’s fire department.

“Every year we attend house fires, and we have the misfortune of having a lot of family pets die,” said Deputy Fire Chief Rick Monkman. “It’s devastating for the family, because the family pet is family.”

The credo of any fire service is to save lives, and pets are no exception. The Barrie fire department has had donated masks in some of its vehicles and have been used with some success, but this donation brings the force up to a full complement on all of their front-line vehicles.

Invisible Fence’s Project Breathe was established by the company to equip every fire station in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.

To date, the company has donated 10,000 pet oxygen masks to fire departments.

“We just want to recognize the hard work that the Barrie fire service does in protecting families as well as four-legged members of the family. We know how important they are as well,” said Invisible Fence’s Stuart Reece. It’s not unusual for firefighters to see family members already safely outside a burning home and go back inside for the family dog or cat.

“Our crews in the past — when it is safe to do so — go into the house to search for the pets,” Monkman said.

“We do treat the animals as family and we do go out of our way to find them and if we need to, treat them at the scene.”

“Just like any oxygen mask, these ones are fitted to be able to deliver oxygen to the animal who has suffered smoke inhalation,” Reece said.

In the past, a mask designed for a child was held close to the animal’s snout, but it wasn’t as effective in delivering life-saving oxygen. The three sizes of the pet mask kit accommodate any size of household pet.

“This gives us the opportunity to treat the animal with a fitted mask that is made for that purpose, whereas in the past we have not had that opportunity on all of our units,” Monkman said.

“So this is a very big moment for us as we are now able to give that extra bit of treatment for the families.”

Until Next Time - Safe Travels !! 

Family Day Weekend

The holiday was first celebrated in 1990 in Alberta.  The holiday was proclaimed by Lieutenant Governor Helen Hunley, on the advise of her premier, Don Getty.  Premier Getty said it was important for all Albertans to take time for their families.  This holiday would reflect the values of family and home that were important to the pioneers who founded Alberta and give workers the opportunity to spend more time with their families.  One of the reasons for introducing Family Day was that there was a long period when there were no holidays from New Year's Day until Good Friday.  

Family Day was introduced in Saskatchewan in 2007 and in Ontario in 2008.  British Columbia observes Family Day as a statutory holiday for the first time in 2013.  

Manitoba introduced Louis Riel Day in 2008 and Prince Edward Island introduced Islander Day in 2009.  

Some people think this is a waste but when you see people enjoying a day off in the middle of the long winter with their kids on the toboggan hills and skating rinks I think it is much appreciated.

Our long weekend went by quickly.  Friday night we had friends Dave and Helen over for dinner.  We alternate hosting Friday night dinners and it was my turn to cook.   Saturday morning it was snowing but the weather man said that would stop so we decided to take Big Mo for a run to charge the batteries and blow off the dust.  So we headed to Peterborough which is about 1 1/2 hours from here.  We stopped at Tom's sisters for a visit before heading home and into a snow storm.  We were glad to get home when we did. 

Sunday the sun was shining and the temperature just about freezing.  Tom got out the garden hose and gave Mo a bath to get rid of the road salt and grit we picked up yesterday.  And on Monday we had the kids, as well as Dave and Helen for a turkey dinner.  Turned out to be a nice weekend.

What a motley crew!!  Until next time - safe travels.  

Change in Florida Law----Important

Andy Johnson, CTVNews.ca
Published Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013 9:52AM EST 

Canadians packing their beach towels and flip-flops for a winter getaway to sunny Florida, must now also pack an international driving permit if they plan to get behind the wheel of a car while in the state.

Kirsten Olsen-Doolan, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, confirmed to CTVNews.ca on Thursday that state law now requires Canadians and other non-U.S. citizens to carry an international driving permit in addition to their regular driver's licence.

She said Florida quietly brought the new requirement into law on Jan. 1, though few people even noticed the new rules at first.

Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canadians-in-florida-now-require-international-driving-permits-1.1156483#ixzz2Ku34vRxR

We just heard about this today.  They say this has been brought in due to the hassle the police have dealing with licenses in foreign languages.  They did not stop to think that Canadians have licenses in English already.  They say that this will be reviewed and clarified but the earliest this could happen is March.  Anyone non-resident of Florida stopped without an international driving permit could be arrested!!    

You can get one at CAA or I assume the local AAA down there.  

Please check your computers and read up on this.  Hate for any of our friends in Florida to get in trouble down there.  

Nascar Favorite

The Canadian Motorsports Expo has uploaded the professional photos taken on the weekend at their show. So just to keep you completely bored with my favorite Nascar driver I am going to post the professional photos.  They are not any better than the pictures taken by Tom but here we go anyway.

 This is the little girl that asked the best question at the Q&A - "Can I hug you?".  Pretty cute.

Okay I am finished now.  No more Kyle Busch until we get to our first race this season.  Not sure where that will be or when but we are checking the schedule as we speak.  Will keep you posted.

Off to the pool.  Until next time - safe travels.

More Snow But Kyle Warmed Things Up

I had purchased tickets for the Canadian Motorsports Expo for the weekend. We had planned on attending on Saturday but Saturday morning we got up to find all the snow we shoveled on Friday replaced by more snow.  It had stopped overnight but the wind came up and caused lots of drifting.  The snow plow showed up in the middle of the night and according to our neighbor got stuck so just left.  And what a mess he left!!!  There was a wind row about 10 feet out from the bottom of our drive and about 3 feet deep.  We were not going anywhere until we either shoveled some more or they brought in a front end loader to clear out our cul-de-sac.  

We got the driveway cleared off again.

Then cleared off Big Mo. This is the hood.  He was buried!!

Tom is surveying the end of the driveway.  The black line about 10 - 15 feet out is the little bit of sand the plow dropped as he took off.  From Tom to that line is about 10 feet of 3 foot deep snow and then ruts that are about a foot deep.  Yikes!!!

 Our neighbors had shoveled to the end of their drive last night also.  They are not going anywhere either.

So we shoveled and shoveled and cleared a path big enough to get the car out of the driveway.  We figured we could back out onto an area that the plow had sort of cleared and get out of Dodge!!  We had finished ours and the neighbors spent a couple of hours clearing theirs.  Then in comes a front end loader to clear up all the mess and make a huge pile in the middle of the circle.

He should have come a few hours earlier and would have saved us all that work.  We reportedly received 34 cm of snow  in about 24 hours.  That is more than a foot of the white stuff.  After we finished the front we moved to the back to clear off the deck so we could get to the bbq.

Even more buried today

It does look very pretty.

 We headed over to our friend's Dave and Helen's for dinner Saturday night after we were finally able to get out of the driveway. . Other friends Ellen and Rahm were also there and tell us they are getting ready to head to Siesta Keys, Fl.  Another lucky couple heading to the sunshine.  Hope they have a great time.

This morning the sun was shining, the streets are all cleared and we headed off to the International Center to the Motorsports Expo  Lots of cool race cars of all different types were on display.  Here are a few that I thought were pretty interesting.

The Rail...almost as long as our 5th wheel!!

 The special guest at the show today was Kyle Busch who just happens to be my favorite Nascar driver.  I, of course, was sporting my Kyle Busch t-shirt.  I received numerous comments from people asking if I was going to get my shirt autographed today.  I didn't think so because the line up for autographs after the Q&A session will be miles long and I don't do line ups!!!  The Meet and Greet before hand costs $150 per person and that is not going to happen.

As we were walking around one of the Exhibitors handed me a wrist band and said " Head over to Room B and go to the Meet and Greet with Kyle Busch".  Well you didn't have to tell me twice.  I headed across the floor, dragging Tom along with me.  I told the fellow at the door what had just happened and he said go on in and see what they say.  So in we go and when I was asked for my pass I explained again about the wrist band.  He said "come on in".  Yahoo!!

There was a maximum of 50 people allowed at this.  Kyle was working the table next to where we sat.  When he finished he headed right for the Kyle Busch t-shirt..........me.

 I got his autograph and got him to sign my t-shirt.....  Make my Day!!

 

Later at the Q&A a question came from a little girl of about 3.  "Can I hug you?".  He said that was the best question he has ever been asked and the little girl got a big hug.  She was all smiles.

As we were walked around later I got comments again from many people about the autograph.  I looked for the man that gave me the wrist band to thank him but I wasn't able to find him again.  Whoever he is  = Thank You so Much!!

The Trailer Park Boys were also supposed to appear at 11:00 am today at the show.  Unfortunately there was a huge snow storm in Halifax this morning and they were delayed.   They did finally arrive at about 3:30 this afternoon and we watched their Q&A session.  They were promoting their new movie "Swearnet" which is racing themed.  They don't seem to be much different in real life than they are on their show.  The show ran for seven seasons and it sounds like the series may make a come back in the near future.

Julian, Bubbles and Ricky

We headed home after listening to "The Boys".  With the deck cleared we were able to bbq dinner tonight and relax.  Another great weekend and one more week closer to spring.

Until next time - safe travels.

How Big Is Your Snow Shovel?

It started to snow here Thursday morning and has not stopped since.  I shoveled the driveway and walk yesterday afternoon while Tom was out on an appointment.  It was only a couple of inches deep.  Well that has all changed.

 This is our front step.  When I went out I sunk into over a foot of snow.  My shovel has decided it needs a bit of a rest.

 The big pine tree in the back yard is loaded down with the fresh soft snow.  The story of this tree started 16 years ago.  Our oldest Grand, Taylor and her Mom were here for Christmas that year.  Taylor was 3 years old.  We had gone out to search for the best Christmas tree at a tree farm after they arrived from Alberta.  When Christmas was over we dragged the tree out through the patio doors and around to the front for garbage pick up.  A cone dropped off the tree along the side of the house and the next spring it sprouted.  We dug it up and planted it in the back yard.  It was named "Taylor's Tree".  It is now likely 20 feet tall and Taylor will be 20 in March.  Since we started to travel each year at Christmas we have decorated Taylor's Tree in the back yard instead of having a tree in the house.  Today the decoration is the beautiful white snow.

 Tom helped our neighbor two doors over.  Her husband passed away about 5 years ago.  She always looks after our house when we are away and we try to give her a hand whenever we can.  She was out shoveling her drive when we went out to do ours so he headed over to help her first.   An hour or so later we had our's done also.  Big Mo is pretty much loaded down.  But that snow will be staying where it is for now as Mo doesn't drive much these days.  Just a very large decoration on our driveway.

 Here is the amount of snow on the tonnel cover on the back of Mo.  Yikes.  A lot in one day and still more to come.

I think we will have to find something to cook on the stove tonight.  The bbq is pretty much buried.  We didn't get to the back deck with the shovel.  Maybe tomorrow.

Hope our friends in Florida will enjoy the sunshine even more today after they read my blog.  Wish I was there!!    And so does my back  ... ouch!!

Cheryl

Tom

I am sure we will be out there for Round 2 before the day is over.  It is still snowing.

Until next time - safe travels.

Green Tea

Saturday afternoon we dropped in to visit our friends Helen and Alex.   They moved into the house next door at about the same time as we did twenty so years ago.  Their son, Nicholas was just a little fellow at that time.  They had just arrived from Hong Kong and were ready to start their new life in Canada.  Over the years Stuart gave Nick lessons in basketball, street hockey and boy stuff.  Tom gave Alex lessons on how to change taps, fix a fence and boy stuff.  They became good friends as well as good neighbors.

They bought a new house and moved a few miles north of us a few years ago.  Nick finished high school, went to university  and became a pharmacist   But he first love was medicine.  He is now twenty-seven and recently left for Australia where he is attending medical school.  Good luck Nick.  We wish you well!!

Alex is a branch manager at a local bank and Helen works in a medical clinic.

It was so nice to see them and get caught up on what they have been up to.

Before we left they gave me a box of green tea from Hong Kong.  Delicious!!   Thanks guys.

Sunday was a cold crisp day with a sunny sky and no wind.  We took the opportunity to walk to the mall for something to do.  It is about a two kilometer walk return so it was a good jaunt.  I am having issues with arthritis in my hips and one knee so walking has been limited  for a few months.  Swimming five days a week certainly has helped and the walk on Sunday was almost pain free.  So refreshing.

Our friends, the Hollinger's have been under the weather for the past few days with colds and the flu.  Hoping they are getting back into the land of the living and back on the road for another of their great adventures.  We are thinking about you guys down in sunny Florida.  Get well soon.

Other friends, the Burgess's have also arrived in Florida for a two month stay.  They are spending the first month in the Keys.  Hope you guys have a great time.  Glad you arrived safely.  Enjoy.

Until next time - safe travels.