Horse'n Around

I think I already used this title - no matter.  I know for sure I used A Horse's Ass or A Real Horse's Ass.  But I found myself once again in the company of these four legged hay burners this week in Clinton.  The storied and historic RCMP Musical Ride Troupe were at the REACH Centre doing what they do best; go around in fancy dancy circles and intricate patterns to the delight of a crowd in amazement.  I wanted to go up to the leader and share my equine grooming and dietary skills - but they probably were okay and had plenty of handlers.

Remember - Me clipping ole Lucky's nails and feeding her beer!

I half expected to see Bill Bentley on one of these Mustangs the RCMP brought.  But I guess Bill hasn't put in his application yet.  Alls I know is there were 33 of them and I was still able to elude being arrested on my outstanding federal warrants!  Until another time suckers!

And other then that - not much else is going on. 

I got a surprise phone call from a dear ole buddy from Windsor the other day.  Nathan Fevreau gave me a ring and I didn't have too much time to talk and let him know about what has gone on in my world since 1999 = So I directed him here and told him this is a great stop to at least find out about the previous two years of my whereabouts and happenings.  So I will undoubtedly talk to Nathan in the next few weeks and cross paths with him and his family.

Hot June Weather

I don't know where to start...  It has been since June 1 since I posted.  Lots of pictures to share and stories.  It is so much easier just to keep more up-to-date.  But this doesn't happen all that often.  Not in any importance:

1. Connie had a fall, had a quick surgery to pin/plate her shoulder - sorry about your luck.
2. Shelly's brother Andrew and his wife Nathalie had a 2nd baby recently - a boy
3. We were at a really fun wedding the other weekend out at Benmiller Inn
4. Had some great visits from the Grails and Wrights
5. Had a funny farming story changing a flat tire on a tractor and delivering a load of hay in the rain - well, sort of in the rain = it was quite embarassing to be out in the misty weather with a load of hay and flat tire on a tractor
6. School is pretty much done and it has been quite the great, great year with a super class of willing learners
7. Had my first Father's Day

The bride, Caley Moore, & husband Alex Eddington = He was dressed like you would think a person with the last name of "Eddington" would dress like, if that makes sense...

And Shelly at the wedding...

A few quick pictures of Molly with Rachel Grail, Wendy Macaulay, Claudia Baskerville, Sydney Macaulay, Sherry Miller & Shelly, and just by her silly self.

So there are a few other pictures, but you get the idea.  I didn't get one of the three of us at the wedding, nor a picture of Shelly or I together, nor of a "Father's Day" picture of the little ding-a-ling and me.  Oh well - gives me lots of reason to update the blog more frequently.

One Last Turkey Story - The Season is Now Done!

I opened up my work email on Friday morning to read the following message from my colleague and hunting buddy Larry:

When I got home and started cleaning it, I noticed the wildest thing.....there was a hole in his chest that had sorta scarred over. When I got into the breast meat, there was a  pellet stuck right against the breast bone (I was using copper plated shot). This bastard's been shot at before! Drew?

You gotta check out the pics!

So obviously Larry shot another Turkey on Thursday - which was the last day of the season.  He really does know what he is doing - Although he did tell me he put two shots to it.  Anyway, like I wrote a few weeks ago, I smacked a turkey pretty good, but it got up an took off!  Perhaps this was the same bird?  Who knows.  Larry said it looked initially like it was a parasite, or something really odd on it - it wasn't until he got a closer inspection when he realized that it had been shot before.  Was it by me? - probably not/who knows.  But it was in the same field/area.

Good job Larry on the 22lb Tom.  Big enough spurs and beard too.

$20 Makeover

Before the $20:

After the $20:

Damn did I need a haircut...

There is always a funny story to most things on the blog...  Well I find them humourous, and my brother Trevor - Happy Birthday June 1st, has also indicated such, and this story is the exception perhaps...  Nothing funny going on here.

I have generally had my haircut yearly in the 21st century.  I have had it pretty long for the most part - thinking it looked pretty cool and unique.  The yearly reduction simply trimmed it up and kept it presentable.  During the first half of this time frame, the clippings were religiously done by my cousin Amada - She is superb at cutting hair!  But that is the problem - She is too accomplished, thus too busy to take any such vagabond off the street who just needs a hair cut.  Appointments have to be made well in advance - I just can't operate like that with my coiffure.  So I haven't had a haircut from her in sometime.

So it is off to First Choice which has been my place of business in noted capacity over the last few years, and let me tell you - no disrespect but they attract some really odd stylists... And who I would say their talent is suspect....  And always have aweful haircuts themselves....  (But A+ personalities and friendliness - always).  I am making this affirmation having had interactions with 4 or 5 of them, out of tens of thousands of employees nationwide, for a total of 30 minutes each....  So this is an extremely uncredible story and account from yours truly about this franchise...  Do I just have bad luck?  Do I draw odd and crazy people around me?

Why do I return?  Hair grows back and I never have to wait for an appointment.  It is that simple.  So I entered First Choice today thinking I know I'll get a crappy cut, I will hear some terrible life story from some scissor-hand who's single, hates living in Goderich, indicates repeatedly that there is nothing to do here, blah, blah, blah, blah, but since my hair looks horrific the way it is....  What do I have to loose - $20 is no big deal.

Well today was the exception.  Today is the day I eat crow.  Today is not the day I will proclaim First Choice as the best place to get a hair cut, yet - Another stylist over said to either me or the girl cutting my hair, "You're not going to cut all of that!"  The stylist I had was young, but her counterpart who was doing the announcing was older, and the very first thought I had was, once again, great, I get another one who lacks a certain skill or talent in this business....  My second thought was what are you stupid or blind (towards the older split-ended engineer)?   Did she not or was unable to notice how shitty my quill looked?  (Look at first picture again for a connection.)

But the long, and now the short of it (get it - hair reference) is, like always, I had a very social and personable employee of First Choice make a genuine concern that I walked out of their shoppe a happy customer...  That has always been evident.  Today I just so happened to get a great chop from someone who wasn't at all....  you know....  I don't want to be disrespectful or mean because I am certainly not perfect...  But weird or unusual....  Right on Jill.  (Not her real name.)

I just typed a semi-long account of the weekend and it went "pewff" into cyber oblivion - I am sure this has happened to others.  Anyway - Great weekend with some Windsor folks in town to help Phil Dalton celebrate his nuptials....  Lots of good eats, some running, lots of beer.
I also typed up an account of a bit of an impromptu family gathering the other night.  Lots of babies...  But just a get together to say hello and re-aquiant.

Long Weekend

2 birthdays this weekend - Shelly's 33rd on Monday.  I don't think she minds that I write that.  And Shelly's mom's _ _ th, which was on Sunday.  She might mind....  Oh, and Julie Hanson's/Gillam's (I am not sure what she goes by) 40th on Saturday.  Yes, that was 3 consecutive days of festivities.  They were all pretty fun, yet I don't really have any good pictures to share....  Not a one.  Even though I had the camera and was planning on capturing the moments.  Great food and company too everywhere.

Southern Ontario had some great weather though - the best since March Break actually, all weekend long.  It was just a total beauty!  Hot, sunny and just great to be out in.

Turkey hunting is soon ending - I all but guarenteed a bird to my friend Bill - And I said I would shoot it on Saturday.  So on Saturday morning Thuss and I hit Forbe's Fields and sure enough, there were gobbles and gobbling and I had that feeling, you know.  So these suckers start falling from the trees left, right and centre.  Patiently, I awaited there arrival.

Sure enough a few Jakes took to their morning routine walk and ambled in front of me about 20 yards away or so.... One puffed up and indicated his likeness to my plastic decoy.  It would be him, that bird who was going to get-it....

It took a few more strides and I pulled the trigger.  It hit the ground and began flapping its wings as I have seen other shot turkeys do.  It was early.  About 6:10 am.  Lots of light though.  Anyway I waited a few minutes, got up and walked over.  It flew away. 

This is the 2nd time I have shot a turkey, with no witness - Thuss was sitting else where, and it got up and flew off.  The first time was a few years ago and it literally rolled, did a 360 and got up and flew off.  I was only about 5 yards away from it.  And then this weekend....  Those suckers are tough as nails!  You got to hit them right or else you won't be going home with one.  Although the story, all in all, sounds like some golfer bragging about his hole-on-one, with no witness(es) of course.  Which reminds me of a story for another time.  My friend Guffer who once got a hole-on-one, but he was with a dog.  Trust me - the dog wasn't able to collaborate the story.

So that was the weekend give or take... 

Oh, and one other hightlight - Seeing those righteously radical Wrights on Sunday afternoon.  They were in Dungannon for a visit.  I stopped in to say hi on my way to Glady's party....  Molly's party dress lasted about an hour before she upped her afternoon snack on it.

Terrbily Toasted Tractor

There has always been a standing joke or two around Kinloss Township that the Johnston's have notoriously had tractor troubles.  The Massey 2706 that won't go into reverse without a hammer, the flat tires and worn out treads which are more common then the dandilions, and the fork-bucket attachment which has just but one prong remaining to stab the large round bales of hay or straw - reminds me of a one thumbed hitch hiker.  Yes, there has been a few jokes lobbed their way regarding these follies. 

Brother (in-law) Andrew has infamously carried on the tradition in probably the biggest way as the picture indicates - He just had his 2009, $70k tractor spontaneously a-light!  Indeed, it just started on fire! This was a week or so ago.  I never really got a complete explanation - He fueled it ($), used it for a few hours in the morning in some capacity, and went in for lunch - or "dinner" as they refer to a meal at 12 noon as such.  He was looking out the window, and instead of seeing the fruits of his labour, he saw the machine engulfed in flames.... There is surprisingly more plastic in a tractor then you would expect, and the tires, well, trust me those suckers burn like Rome did in 64 A.D., coupled with the diesel fuel....  And goodbye.  The transmission and gears are still sort of usable!  The rims would make a fine fire pit.  Being a farmer now myself, I am beginning to see the usefullness in just about anything...

On the most serious note - No one was hurt.