Labour Day Weekend

The extended break from school ends in a few hours, or one more sleep.  I can't remember exactly, it was around January 26th or so, but that was the last day I was at work and still in the routine of waking early, getting lunches ready, and the daily events of work.  It all ends, but Shelly and I are both signed up again.  February 1st in 2021 will come sooner than I think.

The Labour Day weekend starts with a Bluesfest/Pub Crawl around Goderich.  On Friday night a few of us hopped from this place to that listening to a combination of rock'n  roll, and traditional blues music too.  I think 8 different establishments host some sort of act, and they are all within 800m of one another.  So for $15 you can't do much better for some live entertainment.  

On Friday night Shelly's band was playing, but not on The Square in Goderich.  They played at a restaurant in Lucknow.  Despite missing their fiddler, maybe she wants to be known as a violinist, they sounded great.  Dames Rocket is still rocking the scene from time to time.

On Saturday morning the Huron District Labour Council hosted its annual parade and bbq around The Square.  I've been involved with this for about 4 or 5 years.  This year I quarterbacked most of it as the main organizer over the past 15 years was away on a much deserved retirement holiday.  I wouldn't say I'm second in command, but rather I said I'd take over the planning of it all.  All in all it isn't too much to take on, and we had the event.  I thought the turnout was pitiful, although it is a long weekend and people are out of town.  In saying that there are just about 300 public elementary teachers who work in Huron County, and only 1 was there - that would be me.  However I was glad to be the face of this year's parade and Shelly, Molly and Wally marched too. Maybe if our collective agreement gets stripped and butchered this fall elementary teachers may pay a bit more mind to union activism, or maybe they won't care.  

On Sunday I did some construction repairs out at the farm.  We have an 8x8 shed that had been run into with a tractor.  It was all dented and busted up and looked like hell.  We keep 2 or 3 full cords of wood in it, along with a few axes, kindling, paper, and a sundry of other useful and useless things we need out at the cabin - fire pit things and such.  So I had it in my mind to rip out the damage, rebuild it up, and put barn board on it....  To make a long story short I am absolutely terrible at any and all endeavours related to cutting, sawing, screwing, fixing, measuring, hammering, nailing, caulking, and so on.  I can tear stuff apart like an animal, but I have no ability to recreate.  I am dangerous because I have some tools, not enough of course, but an uncategorized assortment, and I have enough stupidity that I think, and want to tackle these projects that I clearly can't do.  

To make a long story short after everything was clearly ripped apart, beyond any point of return, I went at my recreating.  Now would be a good time for a picture.  By and by I mocked up, and scrambled together a new "face" on my shed.  It looks like it was put together by someone without 1 bit of competency or iota of a construction background.  (Which clearly I don't.)  It looks something like the first project a kindergarten student would bring home during the first week of school.  Parents may say, "That looks great Drew," but really they are wondering what the hell is going on.

Anyway - I will post a picture.  I don't think it will fall down, and I do think it will keep everything tight inside....

Monday was off to Lake Wawanosh Conservation Area on Creek Line for a family canoe.  It is only about 15km from our farm and about 8km from Brookside.  Right in the heart of Ashfield township.  The lake would be almost round-ish, give or take.  At it farthest points you would be about 1 mile from where you put in.  We went for a 40 minute easy paddle and explored some of the far off inlets.  It really is a great spot.  The water is very shallow, yet also very much filled with plant live.  I would assume its bottom is very much soft and mucky.  The water was very warm and we saw lots of painted turtles and a number of herons.  We saw a few fish, but nothing very big.  It was an overcast day and a bit windy.  But there is no ripple or waves to speak of. 

We were out here a few weeks ago and attempted a big walk.  We got stopped rather quickly by a complaining Wally, and also the trail kind of fizzled out.  I'm sure with a bit more spirit we could find some neat adventures.  This place seems like it is way off the beaten trail and hidden, but the last two times we have been there, there has always been a number of other like minded enthusiasts scouting it out.

Wheeling Around

It is pretty easy to convince everyone in the house that we should get out to the farm and turn over the two dirt bikes and go for a rip.  The country roads are absolutely baron except for that procrastinating farmer who was just combining wheat and running his grain bins up and down the road.  There was no traffic to contend with at all.  We took off to our go-to spot outside of Dungannon and down at The Mill.  I tell Molly this is where Joel and I used to go when we were in high school.  And not so long ago it was a pretty common Friday afternoon post school stop to skip rocks and to have an impromptu staff meeting with Mike, Larry and Leisa.  There may have even been a drink or two consumed in the process.  But those days seem like eons ago, they were pre-kids for the 3 of us, not Larry, and we haven't really been back regularly.    

It is a leisurely ride for sure.  We don't get up past the 30km/h range at all.  The bikes just putt-putt away with little effort.  Wally rides in the front, and Molly generally rides pylon with me. 

Playing Mozart Sideways

Summer

There has been no shortage of beach days and opportunities to jump off the pier in Goderich.  July and August has been very, very warm.  It has been a great summer all in all.  There is no lack of water, that is for sure, in Goderich.  The end of the pier, which you can't quite see in the video, is submerged in 2 feet of water.

A few friends and I went to a Def Leppard concert in London back in July.  It was a really fun night.  I suppose the original band from the early 80s is still altogether and touring to make ends meet.  They must all be in their 60s.  They started playing at eight and they were done by ten.  A band called Tesla opened for them, but we didn't get to our seats to hear their set.  So if Def Leppard played 16 songs, 12 were from the Hysteria and or Pyromania albums. I knew most of the songs.  And sure enough the one armed drummer, who I can't recall his name, was beating the skins with all the enthusiasm and capabilities of someone with two arms, and of 30 years of age.  It was a really good time.

Other then that my travels haven't taken me too far away lately.  I did go and attend ETFO's Provincial Annual Meeting a few weeks ago as a delegate.  My new awareness of Robert's Rules of Order and certification as a Parliamentarian served me well, but there were a few occurrences where a delegate called a point of order on another, and it was past me initially, but the chair ruled in favour, and reminded the delegate to be in order....  We got the business of the union complete.  There was an election with a bit of turnover, and lots of solidarity, and the odd cry of "shame" too.

Backyard

To sum up Vegas, it was a good trip.  I was glad to go.  There might even be another opportunity to go back, and if that is the case, I'd go.  It was the type of trip that started out inexpensive at $400 CDN for the direct flights from Toronto, and about $350 CDN for 3 nights hotel, but once you get rolling and going, it added up with food and drink money, with more food and drink, with incidentals like cabs, and resort fees, the basketball was $60 CDN.  So it finished on the tad-ish expensive side..... (a glass of wine at the casino was $18 US, coffee was $3.50 US, breakfasts would get up to $20 without indulging too much, a bit for parking at the airport of course, and just the other stuff there is...).  The company with Bill, Brad and Rich was priceless however.  I ended up playing in a $50 buy in Texas Hold'Em tournament with 22 people or so, and I was probably the 7th or 8th person eliminated.  That was all I gambled away and contributed to the lore of Las Vegas.

The backyard is looking decent these days.  The pond is 70% covered with different plants like lilies, duck weed, and a lettuce type aquatic plant.  Surrounding its perimetre is a whole bunch of yellow geraniums.  The eight fish within are quite content and swimming happily as far as I can tell.  A number of water lilies have bloomed and they are either pink or yellow.  They show themselves proudly during the day, and wrap themselves up at night and on cloudier days.

Noticeably missing are our 3 chickens = no more backyard chickens for us until we sort out a few issues such as keeping them contained.  And as it is the word from Ashfield Township is that our ladies have been targeted by a raccoon and have died.  They weren't laying eggs anymore anyway.

The other part of the backyard is presentable.  There isn't too much going on except some tomato plants, a few more geraniums that are red, and some lilies.  The basil I had tucked in the mix did not take to its location whatsoever.  It could have been the soil, the sun, the water, a combination, but the basil wilted yellowish brown before any of it could be plucked off and used.  However, as I recall this wasn't the first time this plot proved poor for the garnish, so I must find a different location in the future for it.

Last weekend Shelly and I dropped off the kids in Guelph and went to Toronto for a wedding reception.  The couple had gotten married on the Friday, and on Saturday there was a 100 person party at the Ward Island Association clubhouse.  The afternoon was to be a relaxing day playing different yard games and enjoying drinks and hors d'oeuvres.  There was an opportunity to explore Toronto Island too.  We had parked our truck at a buddies and biked the 10km to the ferry dock.  It was a terrible go as my sense of adventure and excitement was nearly thwarted by my companion's fear of the volume of Toronto traffic.  It wasn't without incident and scornful looks, I'll tell you that, but we made it alive, both ways even.  Shelly is not one for city biking. 

Fremont Freaks

One of many iconic Vegas attractions is the half mile block of Fremont Street.  It is at the far north end of Downtown Vegas.  It is also known as Old Vegas.  It is nothing like The Byward Market in Ottawa or Les Rambles in Barcelona.  It is a constant carnival of sounds and sights.  The old casinos still have lettered advertisements that would remind you of a drive in theatre.  There is nothing contemporary or cosmopolitan about this area, but neat nevertheless.

While Rich played in a poker tournament, Brad and I walked and got off this trail.  We got over the Container Park, which is incidental a-new-fangled eatery and social area with some kids playground stuff. From there we walked up to the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop which has the TV show, and then we walked another mile up to a the Arts District.  The Arts District was really neat, and we spent a good hour in and out of vintage clothing shops, antique stores, and a cool oddities store.  Surprisingly it was not busy.  All of the store owners were super friendly and chit chat was the norm.  I didn’t buy anything, but there was a lot of really cool stuff.

But back to Fremont Street.  Things are a bit cheaper and less refined.  In the south end of the city the “show girls” who insist on photos with tourists such as myself are more attractive and not so pushy, where as the girls down here have significantly less clothes on, are pushier, and not nearly as photogenic, perhaps.  In uptown Vegas there are many shows and entertainment is a big deal at the casinos, on Fremont no such luck.

First Few Days In Vegas

There isn’t anything more opposite within a two week time frame from being in Gettysburg, to Las Vegas.  But I have managed....  Bill, Brad, Richy and I boarded an Air Canada flight on Saturday morning and in four hours we touched down in Las Vegas.  We immediately lost on the first bet with an unscrupulous cab driver who hosed us on the fare, but we eventually got to the New York New York Hotel and Casino which would be our put off point for the next few days.

The impetus for the trip was different for everyone.  Bill is really into NBA basketball and the league’s rookie tournament is in play at the UNLV campus.  So that is going on.  Rich and Brad and not only interested in basketball, but some cars play as well.  I was invited and tagged along for both of the listed reasons, as well as wanting to just check it out as I’ve never been to Sin Cory before.  Needless to say, but so far everybody has been able to check some done items off the list, and done a few extras.

The basketball was busy.  It starts at noon, and there are continuous games in two gymnasiums until eleven at night or so.  The games are a bit shorter in length, and there are special rules about which players can and cannot play, but the gist of it all is what you’d expect.  There are a few sloppy plays from time to time, and it can all look a bit disheveled, but there are a tone of guys grinding it out to make the big leagues.  It is not uncommon to run into players in the lobby or walking through the arena.  I mention this not being star struck, but in awe of their size!  They are just massive people who do well to make the court look small.

As for the sightseeing, that is a sizeable event to.  The fountains at the Bellagio and its interior is incredible and well worth seeing.  We have also walked through Ceaser’s and the Flamingo.  The Luxor is cavernous, and Excalibur is also quite impressive.  We have been in and out of a number of the common shops on South Las Vegas Boulevard, but haven’t gone north up to Fremont Street yet.  Undoubtedly everything is big.  Vegas is go big, or go home for sure.

The Real History Lesson

Over the last 3 weeks I have known that this trip was upon me.  I got a book from the library called Gettysburg and it was written by Newt Gingrinch and William Forstchen.  The book starts on July 1st early in the morning, the first day of three of the Battle of Gettysburg, and chronicles the thoughts of the Generals leading both the Union and Confederate Armies, it explains strategy and positioning, it gives a bit of background information and lead up.  But what it does terrifically is explain in graphic detail the fighting and the injuries, hand to hand combat, the way people were taken prisoner, they way horse teams of 6 pulled artillery and limbers - despite even if a horse had its leg blown off....  The way the bullets zipped across the field ripping into legs and skulls.  The gruesome sounds in the field hospitals.  So even though I am not a history buff with this content, I was well enough aware of what was in store for the day's tour.

The southern Confederate army had entered Gettysburg and secured its position north of town, whereas the northern Union army had entered Gettysburg from the south of town.  The town has about 10 entrances/exits to it in all of the cardinal directions.  Positioning was key.  It was really important where to fight geographically to gain the upper hand.  Culp's Hill, Cemetery Ridge, Seminary Ridge, Baltimore Pike, Rock Creek, Steven's Knoll, and so on - These were all many landmark locations in an area about 5 square miles were bloody battles took place.  Each spot had a significance of one way or another for both sides, but finally on July 3rd the battle end with the infamous Pickett's Charge.  General Pickett, in his first ever combat role, marched 13,000 Confederates soldiers about 1 mile across an open field straight into Union fire.  In the end over 6,000 of these men were killed, and the charge was futile.

The tour guide kept a steady narration for 2 hours on the bus.  We started driving down the main street and he identified several houses that were still being used that were around in 1863.  Many of the houses served as hospitals were the injured and shot were taken to recover or have an amputation.  Many of these hospitals/houses served both Confederates and Unionist.  To this day there are still many blood stains, bullet holes, and even canon balls that are visible.  As the tour went on the guide, Dave, pointed out many other places of historical significance; farms that were used as headquarters for generals, roads that had 55 miles worth of soldiers marching on it, and trees, streams and creeks that still provide shade and water as they did 155 years ago.  He knew his stuff.

There is quite the effort to restore the battle grounds to as much as their original condition based on pictures and text.  So orchards have been replanted, fences rebuilt, houses and barns fixed, and modern buildings such as a car dealership had to be moved.  The battle field has enormous monuments (1,320) and statues commemorating brigades, companies, and division who fought in the battle.  As far away north as Maine was represented, as well as as far south as Texas.  There were hundreds and hundreds of them or different shapes and sizes.  The largest monument by far was the Pennsylvania monument which has the names of over 30,000 troops.  150,000 soldiers actually fought in all on both sides, there was over 7 million bullets shot, and 52,000 were killed, injured or captured during this 3 day battle.

There is simple too many facts and interesting points to mention.  I think amazingly the single greatest accomplishment was only 1 civilian death during the battle.  A young girl was inadvertently shot in the back by an errant bullet and was killed.  There were 2500 citizens in Gettysburg around this time and many hid in their basements and cellars over the 3 days.  That seems like an accomplishment.  But the sad fact was the needless war took its toll on the entire nation.  The battles were horrific and more people died from infectious disease then by bullets.  It would only last another year and one half or so before the Confederates conceded defeat.  There were many battles, but none as significant as Gettysburg.

During the tour there were a number of people reenacting canon fire, and a number of people were camped out and marching and shooting muskets.  It happens 365 days a year probably, but every July 4th there is an enourmous set of events marking the end of the battle with quite the display of reenacting.  Gettysburg gets over 1 million visitors a year usually.

Twisting and Winding

Undoubtedly the best 500 km stretch of motorcycling happened on Saturday morning.  The less then trusty KTM 990 fired right up like it was ready to get in a fight.  The air was cool and crisp, no clouds and sunny skies.  It was my obligation to get us to Gettysburg.  The direct way was 420 km of interstate, versus about 500 km of county roads.  We opted for the latter, and had the GPS unit set to our points along the way.

From Portageville, NY we crossed into Pennsylvania within an easy hour of driving.  In Pennsylvania we took a zig-zagged route through sleepy communities called Galeton, Wharton, Phillipsburg, Huntington, Fort Loudon, and over to Gettysburg.  I can assure you this was some of the finest riding my 70K bike has ever taken.  The roads were not busy, the weather was great, the views were amazing, and they were twisting and winding continuously.  The bike was working and starting just fine, and we took these roads that go south and east, south and east.  It was another long day, but much better then yesterday.  By 3:00 we rounded into Gettysburg.

About 3 miles outside of Gettysburg the feel changes.  First there becomes a huge increase in traffic.  You arrive to these huge vast fields with knee high grass with fencing.  Signs start to pop up with directions to the National Cemetery, National Park, Visitor's Centre, and so on.  All of the sudden there are more tourist buses.  When you drive into town there is a lot of foot traffic on the sidewalk with people walking into and out of the stores.  There are placard signs every 100 ft with text and pictures mentioning a historical significance of one kind or another.  It is a long downtown stretch and our hotel was toward the opposite end of how we arrived.  It was appropriately named the 1863 Gettysburg Inn.

The shoppes and consumables were heavily geared towards civil war paraphernalia.  There must have been 10 shops selling t-shirts, magnets, ash trays, coffee cups, coffee table books, DVDs and every other 2019 kind of trinket.  But the other half of the shops catered to selling things from the 1860s; pistols, swords, lots of period clothing and cookware, different coins and stamps, antiques and things of that nature.  There were also a lot of candy and confectionery outlets to buy stuff from.  There were a few stores that also have dusk ghost-walking tours through the cemetery and battlefield areas.  With 52,000 people killed during 3 days, and over 5,000 horses killed as well, undoubtedly there must be some spirits to be roused up.  But the point is it was very busy, and there was a lot to see and look at.  The downtown even had a bit of a round-about that reminded me of the square in Goderich.

Darin and I stayed right in this downtown core and thus we walked up and down the main street a few times.  It started to rain ever so slightly on us, but we brushed it off of our shoulders and kept our momentum going.  Most of the shops were closing by 6:00, but a select few stayed open later.  We eat at a great restaurant by recommendation called O'Rorkes.  And incidentally there were a number of stores that indicated they were Polish, or Irish too in this downtown area. 

So Saturday was a great day all in all.  We decided that on Sunday morning starting at 10:00 there was a $35 double decker tour bus which was two hours long.  It was narrated the whole time, and we'd take that tour before having to return north.  It was a quiet night, not getting too dark until past 9:30, but having been outside all day and in the fresh air, it does sap your energy. 

Goderich - Gettysburg

"Fences had to be horse high, bull strong, and hog tight."

There was a lot more memorable events and pictures over my 4 day, 2000km bike trip to Gettysburg last week then fencing, but for some reason this is one of the quotes and facts that stood out.  These Pennsylvania Snake fences have no post holes or nails.  Post hole digging was too labourous, and the steel it would take to make nails was used for the Civil War effort and campaign.  Fencing was very important for the farmers obviously, but the battle at Gettysburg all but destroyed all the fencing that was there.  They have since been recreated, and upon arriving in Gettysburg you see many many miles of this popular way to fence today.

The trip started at 1:30 this past Friday afternoon as we officially exited Goderich at the Canadian Tire gas pumps.  It would be to Stratford, Tavistock, Woodstook, Delhi, Simcoe, and to Fort Erie.  We'd cross the Peace Bridge, and ultimately end up just outside of Letchworth State Park which is 70 miles from Buffalo.

The first day was a long - I had problems with the bike keeping a charge in the battery and getting it started once it was turned off.  What should have been a 6 hour leisurely day turned into 9 or 10 hours on account of my bike.  Mechanically it worked great once we were driving, but it truly had and has an issue with it starting while hot.  There would be nothing in the battery.  We'd have to boost the bike, and of course the battery isn't located simply under the seat or somewhere else very easily accessible.  But that is all I will mention about that because it was such a let down to have a bike in less then great working conditions.....  It was a huge pain in the ass.

The one memorable quote from this day's journey was from the US Border Patrol agent.  He was nice enough, but couldn't quite understand the concept of a sabbatical, though I told him I did work and was a teacher, just not currently.  That went past him.  As the conversation progressed I explained that Gettysburg was the ultimate destination, and he questioned if I was, "Into history or something."  Like that would be problematic, or very curious that someone may occupy their time with such study.  I said I was.  He said, "Then don't let them give you a Sherman neck-tie down there!"  I laughed and carried on that I knew exactly what he was talking about because I am so into history.  I quickly deduced that it would have something to do with a hanging.....  As it is it is about sabotaging the steel on railroads by heating them up and twisting them.  It was rather ironic he said what he did because my motor bike was working so poorly and I think it had a lot to do with the extra heat and not cooling off properly and starting.

  

But by and by we arrived to our first hotel and all was good - just a looong tiring day with bike issues.  Nevertheless we got 430 km of pavement in, and there was a twisting, winding 500 km more on Saturday morning to slay.  The weather would be great. 

Fleetwood Country Cruize

This past Saturday was the final edition of the Fleetwood Country Cruize just outside of London.  What happens is that Steve Plunkett opens up his estate and garages for a car show.  The 3 or 4 garages house one of the largest private collections of Cadillacs.  Everything from pre-WW1, up to the mid 70s I would say.  Perhaps he has some 21st century stuff, but anything I saw was old.  Each garage not only had 20 different cars, but there were also lots of old gas pumps, oil displays, movie memorabilia, signs, and paraphernalia that stretched from 1900 - 1980s.  It is something else.

About 20 acres of his estate had the car show.  There was everything that you could think of; new and old, vans, cars, some motorcycles, and trucks.  The weather wasn't so great, but my buddy Scott and I ambled for 2 hours or more looking at engines, interiors, exteriors, wheels, rims, tires and exhausts. I think all if it is pretty impressive, though my preference of cars would be a Camero from the late 60s.  There were plenty of them.

So Scott Middleton and I got a bit wet from the rain, but it didn't dampen our spirits.  Scott has a '68 or '69 Firebird, but it has been totally redone with a new fuel injected engine and disk brakes all around.  He has had it for about 30 years, and thus has had it torn apart and reworked many times over.  My earliest memories with Scott is riding in that car, and also taking it apart and trying to get it back together.  I kind of though we'd be taking it to the show, but it was in the Jeep instead.   I would guess there was over 1500 cars on the estate taking part in the show.  Plus there were lots of venders and food booths and a beer tent.  Sadly it is going to be the last time he is able to open up his grounds like this to the public.

A Quick Canoe

Last Friday Wally, Shelly and I went for a quick trip down the river.  Starting in Holmesville just after 11:00, we made it to Benmiller dry, and without any issues at all before 12:30.  The river was full of water fowl and the accompanying ducklings and goslings.  Usually you can see something a bit exotic, but not this trip.  A few dead fish floated past us, but no beavers or deer.  No eagles or hawks even on this day.  As it was within the last few hundreds metres of the route Wally spied a raccoon at the edge of the river and no sooner had he mentioned it to us, it scurried off.  We never even saw any other people which is also a bit unusual. 

It was a gorgeous day with light wind and a strong sun.  The river still had plenty of water as we only scraped the bottom once on our 10 km or so journey.  It is so restful and relaxing actually to be out like that.  I wanted to leave the canoe strapped to the truck so that it would encourage me to get out another time soon, but I didn't think that would be realistic so back into the barn it went. 

I don't know too much about canoeing, but I know enough to keep it straight and to bring lots of snacks and food along for the trip.  Wally was snug as a bug in the canoe while he sat on lawn furniture cushions.  We have it pretty good living where we do.  Most people have to drive quite far to do something like this, but for us it isn't 10 miles out from town.  Although in the middle of the summer there wouldn't be enough water to enjoy the trip as much, it is fine for now.  I hope to get up to the Saugeen River sometime this summer for a day out up there.  It is suppose to be great.

Long Weekend 2019

The four of us packed up a few days worth or goodies and headed out to Hawkin's Road.  We had a fire going inside the cabin so we'd be toasty warm, and we had two more fires outside the cabin lit too to clean up a mess and to make s'mores.  The two dirt bikes are also both going strong after a bit of fine tuning, and all the mowers and weed whackers and other gas operated items were all a-go.  There must be no less then 7 or 8 items that require gas out at the farm, and to have them all starting and working correctly is a bit of an achievement for a guy like me who can't really troubleshoot. 

Things are looking good out there.  It really is a nice spot and though there is still a few things to tidy up, it isn't that bad.  The cabin needs facia and eaves troughs for sure.  It also needs a screen door.  Those would really complete the outside and should really be done sooner rather then later.  The inside needs a bit of counter space and some furniture to really give it that extra something-something.  All in time.

As for the rest of the weekend it rained all day on Saturday and Sunday which stopped our planned canoe trip with a bunch of friends down the river.  So we just sort of hung out and stayed indoors and dry given the poor weather.  On Friday night out at the cabin we lit off fireworks.  Molly was quite worried about the whole ordeal and thinking that it wouldn't be safe nor a good idea.  But she warmed up to the idea and was impressed at the display. 

Scrap’n and Protest'n

I mentioned the urge to blog was at an all time high so I will post just about anything that is going on these days.  This heap of shit, over 1800 lbs, has just been slowly piling up out at the farm.  Some of it has heaved up out of the ground, and I can't recall how the rest of it came to be.  All I knew was that I had to borrow a car hauler to move it away because tucked down in that load are some steel beams off a windmill or something that were well over 14 feet long.  My little trailer wasn't up to that task.  It was all organized and ready to go - too bad the price of it was terrible.  At $0.05 a pound one does not get rich in my position, but you do get rid of it.

I convinced Steve to help me.  Being retired has its many advantages such as having the bulk of most days freed up.  Plus I did him a solid by delivering a huge load of slab wood, a tonne worth anyway, and various other cuts of wood that he needs for a project.  So instead of going only one direction with a load and returning empty, any trucker worth his/her salt would go both ways full - such as myself.  We loaded it by hand, and Tyler unloaded it with the claw!

  

Up next was a civics lesson for the entire family in protesting.  Shelly and her friends got into the spirit of it all a few days ago when people got together for a good-ole-fashioned sign making party.  Then just the other night about 300 people from the education sector mostly gathered in Blyth and demonstrated in front of the Education Minister's office.  It was a pretty tame outing all in all, but we had signs and flags and a unified message that the cuts in the budget to education are too much.  It is sad that this government is sinking below the Snobelem/Harris government policies of the mid 90s.  

School enrollments' are steady, but class sizes are increasing at an unprecedented level.  As it is there will be significant job loses in September for teachers and support staff in schools, there will be decreased options for students in high school and their course selections, and class sizes will dramatically increase in high schools.  There will be less support for the most vulnerable students with exceptional needs, schools are concerned that healthy eating and nutritional programs will not be able to continue to certain locations, and the arts and humanities and tech courses will be in jeopardy.  There is also a key idea that students have to complete 4 online course credits to graduate high school.  It is terrible.  

I would suggest that the government not do these things, 

but at the very least govern from the center.

Find Efficiencies By:

1.  Scrapping EQAO testing all together

2.  Create incentives for early retirement so that younger teachers get into the profession sooner

3.  Have 1 province wide education system

4.  Institute a fee for students who do "victory laps" in high school

5.  Move most teachers into the classrooms by reducing jobs like "learning for all coaches" and such

6.  Put some pressure on Federal Gov't to offset some education costs

Education should not and can not be run like a business.  There is no commodity to trade, package and especially sell at the end of the day in schools.  Business makes widgets as cheaply as possible to sell at a maximized price.  This does not happen in schools.

Maybe not next year Shelly.  Although Shelly didn't get notification of a layoff, she did get a notification that as of now she does not have a job at the school she's worked at since 2008.  So it is back to the drawing board for her of updating a resume and applying to jobs if and when they get posted.  She is just one of many, probably 15 or 20 teachers who may be uprooted from a school that they call home.  A school that is like a tight community.  Plus these teachers may most likely not be able to apply to a job within their skill sets, because those jobs will be cut.  They won't be offered anymore.  Teachers like her coach sports and build extra curricular programs that kids otherwise would not be involved with outside of the education system.  Teachers who volunteer their time to chaperone dances, run assemblies in schools, and provide outreach to other community groups.  Teachers who are like therapists, job counselors, or social workers who troubleshoot problems outside the normal course of the school day.

I have to give credit where credit is due.  I saw a person holding a sign with the exact same or very similar message as what Molly is holding at a protest back last August....  At the time it was really relevant, but since there is a revised Health and Active Living Curriculum, the "No Sex. Ed." isn't really the case.  But it is politics; you can just say anything you want whether it is true or not.   And also the photo credits go to Laurie Hayden as I poached them from her Facebook page.