Sweeping Sidewalks With Feline Supervisors Blues: Sunday, January 8th!

A society that presumes a norm of violence and celebrates aggression, whether in the subway, on the football field, or in the conduct of its business, cannot help making celebrities of the people who would destroy it. -Lewis H. Lapham, editor and writer (b. 8 Jan 1935) 

Illustration: Alex McCrae

Hi Patrick, Thanks for your concern about the scissors, but I think they are sayonara.  Yes, we landed at SW Florida airport, only about a 25 minute drive.  We chose a really nice Nissan Murano from National Car Rental.  All the mod cons, and I splashed for Sirius XM.  Weather here  is going to be cool here for a couple of days, then back up to 28 by mid week.  Cheers, Peter

Illustration: Alex McCrae

Re the Mountaineering Cat episode, Lynne and I were given a quite expensive clock by the ladies from my office as a wedding present, one with a horizontally back-and-forth rotating movement that we had on the living room fireplace mantel in our Richmond house. It was fascinating for our kitten of the day and ended up on the floor smashed beyond repair.  I was loathe to ever invite to our place Letta, who had been responsible for the gift, as she would surely have noticed its absence and thought we didn't like it. Cheers Peter                         Hi Fancy Car People! Glad you'll be able to listen to CBC when you are swooning around the Everglades! Felt nothing but sympathy for you and Lynne over loss of clock! Lady Dar put a vase on the mantle this morning. I wonder how long it might take Mountaineering Cat to knock it down!

In a slightly different take on your situation, we have had a number of gifts, over the years, which haven't quite met Lady Dar's home decorating standards and we have had to scramble to display them whenever the friends who presented us with said items, to begin with, were over. This to hide the fact that Mme Coriandre really didn't appreciate the gifts, as far as her home decorating taste, at the time, went! For my part, I like everything, as you well know, and if something doesn't fit in with her aesthetic sensibility I can always use such items as bridge prizes, as long as I don't re-gift to original presenter!

Speaking of gifts, I should say that I made a huge crock-pot of soup/stew,(Featuring parsnips you gave to me when I accompanied you to the airport, as well as your own garden grown, fabulous yellow onions, along with the ham-bone which I put in the freezer after our Open House. [No, Mighty Grigor, it had no been in the freezer since Expo '86!]), last night while we were watching a Netflix offering, (New, at least to us, thanks to Patrizzia and Amos, Walnut Creek Survivalists, who passed along a number of tips over lunch in San Francisco.), The Break: "...a TV series from Belgium, full of dreams and surprises. A murder mystery and police procedural set in a Belgian village, La Trêve starts as standard, but interesting, fare. Then it increases intensity, taking us under the surface, where the locals lead criminal, dark, or dangerous lives. Some have trouble with the line between fantasy and reality."

Not sure if you've seen this hilarious clip but thought it might remind you of what you've escaped: The Joy of living in Canada...Montreal Curling:
http://newsandbusiness.rogersdigitalmedia.com.edgesuite.net/videos/13639244001/201612/2850/13639244001_5238239279001_5238231028001.mp4

Really is a hoot. I usually moan when such Internet "jokes" appear in my mailbox but I'm tickled by this one.

Had a bowl of my goulash, a few minutes ago, after sweeping the walks of the light dusting of snow which fell last night. Etta and Duke were supervising! Lady Dar is at church so I must away as there is a mile-long list of chores I'm charged with finishing before her return. Have attached a snap of my favourite Hindu deity, Ganesh(a), conqueror of obstacles, to help you settle in! Cheers, Patrizzio!

  

And now for something a bit different…Hi Old Farts, This Thursday, the 12th, is the night of a full moon. So, we are not going to snowshoe by day, but rather in the evening. We will: - meet at Home Hardware parking lot in Penticton at 8pm (2000), (1940 at IGA in Summerland). -carpool and drive to the Snowflake parking lot -snowshoe around the Snowflake area by headlamp and by moonlight. The forecast is for not only a full moon, but clearer skies. Lucky us! -return home when we have had enough.

The weather will likely be quite cold. Dress warmly! Bring your own headlamp! We may not need headlamps at all, but you never know. Bring your own snowshoes, in good repair. Bring a snack and something warm to drink. We will keep this outing fairly easy, but there is a chance that we will challenge a couple of hills. So, don’t assume this is for rank beginners just because we are going to Snowflake. Please send me a reply if you are intending to participate, so we have an idea of numbers. Cheers, Jim 

Hi James! I've been following the notices for the various hikes, green with envy! Thursday's outing looks to be magical. Trust all goes well. My very best to the gang. Hope to see you in the not too, too distant future. Cheers, Patrizzio!

Hi Patrick—Thanks for passing on the video clip of life on the streets in snowy Montreal. It was hilarious … and makes me so glad that i no longer live in eastern Canada. I don’t know what the temperature was when this incident occurred, but I doubt it was that much lower than it is here now in south Florida. Overnight temps last night and tonight are in the single digits! It’s beautifully sunny but COLD and windy. No pool time in yet, alas. No BBQing either much to my regret as now I am full chef, etc, etc. Cheers to you both.
 

Hi Curling Fans, Tinsel Town and Uppity Northern Cal! To help sustain us over the next few weeks of sub-zero temperatures I made a huge crock-pot of soup/stew last night. More importantly, not sure if anyone has seen this hilarious clip but thought it might remind Californians of what they have escaped as well as help to improve Clan Sutherland's dodgy, always mercurial game, let alone that of the Wannabe Winnipeger's suspect skipping! Happy sweeping! Cheers, Patrizzio!

Pics: Mt Everest Mountaineering Kitten and his handiwork! I was only worried that he might have knocked off my prized snow-globe, a wonderful Christmas present from Alejandro and Samantha, which my grasping, favourite Mother-in-Law, Rosie-the-Riveter, already has designs upon! Cheers, Patrizzio, on behalf of ReadSafeBC, a little known subsidiary of WorkSafeBC!

Glad you've found yr feet...an old but hilarious metaphor that's outed too infrequently Hi Stefano! Trust you are both well. A big smooch for Kathleen. 

Cheers, Foot Loose and Fancy Free Patrizzio!
   

Hi St Kilian! Happy and Healthy New Year to you and your family! I must really apologize for not being in touch sooner, especially since I received one of your messages on December 24th! As I have had to say, on far too, too many occasions, "No excuses but plenty of reasons!" At any rate, we drove up from Vancouver on New Year's Day and are settling back into winter life rather nicely. I'm delighted we have a wood burning insert in our fireplace and love tending the fire. For her part, Lady Dar loves sitting in an armchair, close to it, reading, usually with a cat on her lap!

I have noted all the messages to the hiking/snowshoeing group and all of the outings, actual and proposed, sounded/sound wonderful. I'm glad that you are optimistic about leading a ski outing once you are able to hit the slopes again. How, in fact, are you doing with your recovery? For my part, I'm back at the pool and doing about an hour, or slightly more, of deep water walking. Really enjoy this particular form of exercise, as well as stints in the steam room and hot tub afterwards. However, I really miss not being able to bike outside as rides in Tinsel Town were simply wonderful. 

Not complaining but must make do with stationary bike, so kindly loaned by Josinta and Aarturo, until spring, I suppose.Lady Dar is at a movie, Lion, [Five year old Saroo gets lost on a train which takes him thousands of miles across India, away from home and family. Saroo must learn to survive alone in Kolkata, before ultimately being adopted by an Australian couple. Twenty five years later, armed with only a handful of memories, his unwavering determination, and a revolutionary technology known as Google Earth, he sets out to find his lost family and finally return to his first home.], so I'd better attend to the chores she left for me to complete before her imperious return. Hope to see you soon, one way or another. Until then, take care of yourself, St Kilian. All the best. Cheers, Patrizzio!

Yes…..thank you Patrick and a Happy New Year to you and family! Good to see you are getting out and about or at least somewhat too! I also am recovering slowly but surely and realizing just how lucky I was to not have been injured more seriously or permanently! I went to Apex Saturday for my patrol shift but was not skiing at all. If we are injured but still mobile we can fulfill our duties by working the first aid room or the dispatch room. It allows us to still make our shifts and the able bodied folks to take up the slack on the mountain.

 

This is my first injury where I was unable to ski the next day so I count my blessings. However it’s at some cost because my ski friends like to bug me when we have new powder and I am unable to get out there with them. I just say Oh well your turn may come too and then look for my getting back at them! I will go back up there again this weekend for another shift in the first aid room again. I have now ditched the crutches as I’m able to walk almost normally on my sprained ankle however ribs are still sore with certain movements as you can imagine. I hope to be back snowshoeing and skiing this month but we will see how it goes.

When do you think you may be back hiking or snowshoeing? It sounds like you are quite mobile however you have had a major operation so it behooves you to look after yourself and prepare yourself as you are doing through the rehab process. So……take care and we will talk again soon Patrick!