Still rambling

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

ok, this is starting to make me a bit uneasy


I have heard stories about the war, when they used to ration gas.......


I fill my car every other day ...... seeing stations like this that have no gas left scares the snot out of me......


ugh
Truckers say Ontario fuel shortage "critical"
By Jennifer Kwan
February 27, 2007
TORONTO (Reuters) -
The Ontario Trucking Association warned on Tuesday that the big rigs used to transport everything from chickens to car parts could soon be parked on the roadside if nothing is done to alleviate a growing fuel shortage in Ontario.

Tight supplies of fuel have bedeviled motorists in Canada's biggest market since a fire at an Imperial Oil Ltd. refinery slashed output two weeks ago. And the situation could quickly become "critical," said David Bradley, the trucking association's president.
"We're not in a crisis situation at this moment, but things have been gradually getting worse as the days go by," Bradley said.
The situation in Ontario, which accounts for about a third of Canada's demand, was aggravated by reduced transport capability, partly due to a strike at Canadian National Railway Co. . The combination of factors meant dozens of gas stations across the province were forced to shut off their pumps as fuel supplies ran out.

CN Rail reached a tentative contract agreement with workers on Saturday, but services were not expected to return to normal for several days. As well, Imperial has said its Nanticoke, Ontario, refinery will not return to full production until mid-March.
Imperial is apportioning supplies to its chain of Esso gas stations and other customers, but rival oil companies have found their pumps running dry as they feel the spike in demand.
A growing number of trucking companies are also reporting that their bulk storage facilities are empty, or close to being depleted, and fuel suppliers are saying relief may not come for days, Bradley added.
If the fuel shortage persists, he said, smaller firms could go out of business -- and eventually shortages would be seen on store shelves. Ninety percent of consumer products and foodstuffs are shipped by truck, he said.
"If you started to see trucks being taken out of service because they couldn't get fuel it would make the CN strike of the last couple of weeks look like a tea party," Bradley said.
Imperial had already closed about 100 of its 400 Esso stations across the province since the fire, according to media reports, and on Monday the shortages had spread to Shell Canada and Petro-Canada .

An Imperial spokesman could not confirm on Tuesday how many of its stations were closed.
Imperial hopes to help relieve the tight supply situation with several measures, including importing petroleum products where possible, the company said.
Supplies will likely be tight through to next week, said Steve Erwin, spokesman for Ontario's Ministry of Energy. He added consumers will be able to find gasoline, but they will be inconvenienced.
The Ontario Trucking Association is still awaiting official word from Ottawa on a proposal to allow truckers, in the short term, to use diesel fuel normally designated for off-road use such as on farms.

(c) Reuters 2007

Monday, February 26, 2007

Snowy Monday

well..... the kids didn't get their snow day today.... Abby has a PA day today, so she is home with me..... The older two were REALLY hoping for a snow day today.. it did snow, and is snowing... but the roads were fairly decent this morning.....

sigh.... good snow ball weather though..... I think Abby and I will go have a snow ball fight after a while..... whoo ahhh!!

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Weekend

well.... it's sunday night already.... hard to imagine how the weekends can rush by so fast..... but then again, it's cause we try to squeeze too many things IN....

This weekend was a complete panic... GOOD, mind you, but busy....

Friday I got back to Brantford just before 2:30....... had time to unpack my car, empty my mail box, and admire my tidy town house .... for the first time in how ever many years, I hired a person to clean my place.... man was it ever nice to come home to a vacuumed house!

Picked the kids up and we were back home by 4.... Around 5, we headed over to Paris to let the kids walk their dog, and get some clothes for the weekend.... then on the way home, picked up pizza and came home and scarfed.....mmm Heartburn!

Friday night, Taylor went to a Brantford Blast game, they are a Senior A hockey team in town... While he was there, I left the girls at home to watch some tv, and I went to help some guys work on a house in town .... A friend of ours from Central was moving into a home built by Habitat for Humanity.... there were lights to hang, and some trim to put on.... so I spent the evening there: They wouldn't let me near the compressor or the nail gun.... but I did get to hang some lights and do some wiring in the bathroom...
..... so far, the lights are still up, and the house hasn't burned down!

Saturday morning, the kids and I went over to help them move into their new place.... we were there until almost 1... came home, showered, filled the car with gas, went got Taylor ( who'd been drafted for the second load with the truck )... then just before 2, we left Brantford and headed to Oshawa.



We went to celebrate my parents 45th anniversary ..... it was a wonderful time.. Bruce and Tanya and the kids, and Mom and Dad came up from Belleville... and we all met at my sister's .....




We had a great supper and a really good visit there, albeit short. The cousins always love getting together, even Isaac is starting to fit in with the wrestling matches with everybody... it was really fun.



We left around 7:45 to head back to Brantford..... Anna had to get back for an overnight birthday party .....

We dropped Anna off at her friends house, and Taylor and Abby and I got home around 10 .... we watched a movie, and fell into bed as if we'd run a marathon!

Anna's sleepover lasted until 11:30 Sunday, so , so I decided I'd go to the early service ( 9:15 - 10:45 ) so I'd be done church cvin time to pick her up!.... But when I opened my eyes at 9:21 Sunday morning, I realized I wasn't going to make the early service (is this a LONG story paul???jeez )

so I went to the 11:00 service .... and left early so I could pick Anna up.... she and I stopped at the mall on the way home... I had to pick up some groceries and pick up a gift for me my counsellor friend Shirley: She turns 50 this week.... so there was a big party for her this afternoon.... I went hogwild on things like Anti Aging Cream, Rolaids with Gas Relief, A-535 cream, Bran flakes etc..... sure hope she appreciates the gift!!!















Anyway, after an hour at the mall, I'd reached my limit... not credit limit, sanity limit!! We came home, unpacked the groceries, and then I headed out to the 50th birthday party

.....I got home from that around 4 .... baked some muffins, and some banana bread : which takes a LOT longer to bake than muffins I discovered - The bread fell, in the middle... looks like somebody took a stick and ran a ridge down through the middle of the cake... jeeeeeeeez.....

anyway, after a while, the kids and I went to Walmart return something for Taylor, and to pick up a few things... we drove over there in the middle of the worst storm I've driven in,in weeks.. it was WILD out there..... The kids are hoping for a snow day tomorrow!!

we got home from Walmart around 7 and now I'm vegging on the couch, writing to YOU!

The kids got to stay an extra night here tonight.... it's kinda nice, to have an extra evening after all the rushing...

OK then.... enough about me...lets talk about YOU for a while!

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Back from the dead

well this week has been a blurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.......... I got so far behind this week, that I lapped myself!!!!

anyway..... the week is almost over... and my head is still spinning....

I inspected all 4 days this week, and have not been in the same bed two nights in a row... so I'm way behind in my paperwork... so much for my good intentions this week....

I have the kids this weekend, and I can't wait..... we're going to my sisters for supper on saturday to celebrate my parents 45th anniversary.... only a week late... par for the course of MY life this week!!

anyway, here are some pictures from my week :




































I was in the boon docks today... saw a sign at one point for four towns... I didn't recognize ANY of them.. jeepers!















Some points of the turf up there are very barren...you drive for miles, and all you see is rocks and hydro towers.... UGLY UGLY....

I came around one corner... and spotted a sign that said For Sale 11 acres..

YEAH RIGHT.... lovely place to build a house and start a farm.....what'll I grow there? MOSS??????





























My third inspection today was North West of Cloyne.. 2 kms down a half plowed cottage road, I got half way up the driveway... and couldn't go any further.....















when I finally did stop, the car started to skid backwards... scared the snot out of me...





























This was the view coming south from Bancroft on Highway 28 .... I was behind the snow plow for a little while... 45 kms an hour ... 10 other cars were in front of me, behind the plow... going slower and slower..... I couldn't figure out why they wouldn't pass!!! Finally I couldn't take it any more..........
whoosh... this picture shows why all those other cars refused to pass ! duh!

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Post Script to the toyota in the ditch

If you happened to read yesterday's blog, you'll remember that Toyota Rav4 that was buried in the ditch.....

well......I got to have lunch with my kids yesterday( ok, we went to McDonalds...... "having lunch" is a bit of an overstatement... but I digress....)

Just after lunch I drove them out to show them the car.... sadly though, it had been pulled out already.... check out the imprint of the hub caps in the snow! funny eh?!





























Late afternoon yesterday, while I was cleaning up my place, I dropped my phone ( that'd be it below, the one with the uh.. cute little chick cover... tsk ) ...... it didn't seem to bother.... I started it up and it looked ok.... two hours later, the display quit...... #)$(*&)(*Q&)($*^)(*#^ ugh....


so today, I went to visit the Rogers Booth in the mall .... and was "eligible" for a free upgrade... also known as a rip off...... as long as I promise to stay with Rogers for another 23 years, give or take ( actually only 3 ) ... I get a new phone for free...... except they bill my phone bill $50 ... and then give me a mail in rebate form, that I have to mail IN .... and wait til they issue a cheque.. which takes oh lets see...... 6-8 weeks is what I think they said....
last mail in rebate I sent took nearly 4 months....... ironic that they BILL my account sooner than that EH?? yup, GLAD I WAS ELIGIBLE FOR A FREE UPGRADE...

ok, enough of the grumpy talk.... going to have a nap!!!


Saturday, February 17, 2007

Hey Karl... I went BACK

Karl Riimand and I delivered newspapers tonight..... for four hours in the country side of Brant County.....


we were delivering on Golf Road, and as we came up over a hill, we saw this Toyota completely BURIED..... from what we could tell, he hit a patch of drifting snow, and lost it... he must have been FLYING.. holy smokes!!
I came home and got my camera and went BACK...... photo ops like this don't happen all that often!!!








Friday, February 16, 2007

Miscellaneous Photos from this week
























I saw this make do Basketball board and hoop... cool eh???
























Saw this is on Galway Road, east of 121 near Kinmount... the path of the tornadoe/wind storm last summer went right up through there... it's kinda freaky to see how many trees are leaning....


sigh... it's sad.....














I saw these drifts at a place on Rice Lake near Bewdley.... almost as cool as CLOUD pictures EH??!!















This is a photo of the Sun ( NO KIDDING PAUL.. JEEZ ) .... setting in Buckhorn..... look at the picture from a long ways back... you can see a star in the reflection.....















This was taken AFTER the sun picture above, a little farther south from Buckhorn... near Selwyn....... pretty eh?


Thursday, February 15, 2007

Night Shots of Maria Street

I went out just now and took some night pictures..... froze my fingers, but it's kinda cool out there this time of night.... no, I mean FONZY cool!



oh never mind... just look at the pictures...!!!

























































This is the Canal skating rink across the road and over a bit... I have yet to go skating on that thing....

















Check out this one!.... just as I was coming in, a fox came running across the lawn of the house across the road and took off down the street..... pretty cool eh?? sorry for the blur.. he was FLYING!!