Christmas 2012 -- Birth of a New Tradition

*Just for the record: I did not write this article,it was sent to me from a friend. I agree with it, lets keep Christmas simple. Merry Christmas you all. Its something to think about.


As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Canadians with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods -- merchandise that has been produced at the expense of Canadian labor. This year will be different. This year Canadians will give the gift of genuine concern for other Canadians. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by Canadians hands.

Yes there is!

It's time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper? Everyone -- yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local Canadian hair salon or barber?

Gym membership? It's appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some health improvement.

Who wouldn't appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, Canadian owned detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a book of gift certificates. Don’t forget the Health Food store, it has more ways for you get better if you wish.

Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plunking down the dollars on a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course.

There are a bazillion owner-run restaurants -- all offering gift certificates. And, if your intended isn't the fancy eatery sort, what about a half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint. Remember, folks this isn't about big National chains -- this is about supporting your home town Canadian with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.



How many people couldn't use an oil change for their car, truck or motorcycle, done at a shop run by the Canadian working guy? Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would LOVE the services of a local cleaning lady for a day.



My computer could use a tune-up, and I KNOW I can find some young guy who is struggling to get his repair business up and running. OK, you were looking for something more personal. Local crafts people spin their own wool and knit them into scarves. They make jewelry, and pottery and beautiful wooden boxes.

Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave your server a nice tip. And, how about going out to see a play or ballet at your hometown theatre. Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.

Honestly, people, do you REALLY need to buy another ten thousand Chinese lights for the house? When you buy a five dollar string of lights, about fifty cents stays in the community. If you have those kinds of bucks to burn, leave the mailman, trash guy or babysitter a nice BIG tip.

You see, Christmas is no longer about draining Canadian pockets so that China can build another glittering city. Christmas is now about caring about us, encouraging Canadian small businesses to keep plugging away to follow their dreams. And, when we care about other Canadians, we care about our communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn't imagine.

Forward this to everyone on your mailing list -- post it to discussion groups -- throw up a post on Craig list in the Rants and Raves section in your city -- send it to the editor of your local paper and radio stations, and TV news departments. This is a revolution of caring about each other, and isn't that what Christmas is about?

BUY CANADIAN - BE CANADIAN - The job you save might be your own.

Doesn't he deserve a chance too??

Lulu and a faux pas about eggs.

*Preamble: another true story, talk about been lucky, lucky, lucky. Its, not what you say, its what is misconstrued, that gets a debate going, such as I have done. So, this is what I am writing about, with no interruptions.

To-day, its about a statement that I made about eggs, from a chicken. Envision the scène; It was a warm and sunny day in the back yard of the condo and as luck would have it, a “women” was there and of course, I, make a faux pas about eggs.

Because of the circumstances that occurred I nicknamed her “ Lulu” and I don’t remember if it was spoken out loud or psychologically became apparent ??.(this could be another story) . Its what goes thru your mind when you face arrogance. No matter, make it so Mr. Worf.

By definition a lulu is; An outstanding example of a particular type of person or thing. i.e. “outstanding in the field”, and can think what ever you want.!

And I should mention that she is a friend of my son’s, either that or give out her name. Hey, Gwen, which would you prefer.??., neither, ok, I got it.!!. Readers, please strike the name “Gwen” from your reminiscence. You didn’t read a thing and for-getta-bout-it, ok.

I, don’t know how it got started but my response come out as “eggs are vegetables” and then there was a petite discussion of what I had said and it came down to “you can’t out argue me / or out think me”, a challenge again from this women. Hmmm???, go for it.

I was thinking “eggs are edible” and you heard “vegetables” which I could have said, but that’s not what I meant and I didn’t get a chance to explain myself. It was not easy to get in a word.!!

Disclaimer: although I was in the area of the malted beverages I did not par take of them.!
And I never drank or quaffed any. Now, that’s a bummer, eh?. Looking, back at all of this, I should had the beer and discussed the merits of it as a food source. And I would have mentioned eggs any way?.

So, my thoughts were quickly turned to a “defend mode” because you were challenging and not giving me a chance to start any rebuttals. Aka, (your-hoof-in-my-mouth), sound familiar?.

“So, Yeah, of course, have you ever heard of, egg-plants?.” Try, that on for size. Is, that eggs are vegetables enough for you.?

And I stand by my opinion that an egg is edible and has many purposes in a lacto-vegetarian divergent way.(I don’t know if it has any allusion to the subject?) not been a pure vegan precludes me from any intellectual dialogue, with this person, now or ever!.

Because, this can be disputed. And, for the record, Gwen, “you have to get up early in the day to stay even with me” and silence does not mean I agree or do I lack an answer back??., I was been courteous as I deferred my reply, with a raison d'être! I, rest my case and you say what??.

You may rejoinder or just concede there is no match to be had. Thank you, for the amusement and I bid you, adieu., .

. I, didn’t want to be moneyed or eminent and I have achieved that plateau rather easily, so I have impertinence.

Bruce.



Did you say there were eggs here.?



The lady with a bike at the Canadian Tire store.

Hi Joe;

Today’s adventure for me is not unusual as you know. I don’t go looking for trouble, it finds me. And today was what I expected.

The first order of business for me was to return some tile back to Home Depot and then go look for a replacement for it. It was not suitable of course. Here, is where the misses should be and decide for sure instead of me, I like everything even if it doesn’t match.

So, I can’t find a associate in the store, so for get about it, I am leaving and I need to go to the tire store for something.???, I can’t remember so I will cruise the aisles and maybe it will pop out and find me.

So while I am in this store I spot a lady with a bike and she is pushing it out the doors to the parking lot and a very nice lady at that and the bike, what bike.?? So, what was I looking for again. I bump into some people and I don’t need what I want anyway.

I leave and would you believe it or not I spot the bike lady again right beside my truck. Karma . And she is struggling to get this bike in to the car. It’s a small cross over SUV and it couldn’t hold more than 4 people or 4 children empty .Plus, some other stuff in the very back of the car.

I offer to help. Yes, I offer to help, I should have just went back into the store and let another Boy Scout help her. I can’t do that, I had to help, it’s a compulsion thing. So in the middle is a infant car seat and we have to remove it in order to lay down the folding seats.

Easier said than done. Its better if only one person does this operation instead of two. To say I was bumped and elbowed would describe these actions which followed and never mind the lady’s soft voice purring  in my ear. (instructions) Yes, its close, warm and getting warmer and dangerous, but a scout can handle it.

Diplomatic, Sauvé, is the word that comes to mind in our discussion of how to get the bike in. She has one idea and the “caveman” has another, the boy scout is now off duty. So, we try her idea first and then mine. This bike is getting heavier by the minute and my batteries are in need of charging.

So, I stop to gather my breath back and have a small discussion of the project. Bad move, should have kept on stuffing the bike in the car. Why,??, because I now am looking at a very beautiful women and she is just smiling her face off at the situation we are in. I feel my batteries starting recharge.!!!

Its very hard to concentrate at the job at hand when you have such a able bodied partner helping while all the while I feel like I am in a movie on u tube or A F V. All I can say is, the bike did get stuffed into the car and I am too humbled to describe this any further.  (:)

With the doors closed and she is safely packed into the car, I make another gaff and ask if she will need a hand to “unstuffy” the bike at her place.?? Luckily, she says no and shakes my hand and thanks me for the help and I mumble “no trouble” its all in days work.

I know you are thinking, why don’t you just offer to use your truck and take it back to her house.??. Yep, another mystery in life and I am going to let you think about it, I was having fun here.

I didn’t go back into the store because I was unable to think what I wanted. But, I certainly got what I needed. A helpful gesture, a work out better than the gym, and a gracious thank you. Boy Scouts, what a job.!!

See you all later.




 

Happy Father’s Day, to you-alls. And Mothers, out there, enjoy yourself.

Happy Fathers Day you all!!


I, for one once was a big fan but, now not so much. My two oldest are in their Early 40’s so its no big deal for them,so I have to play along. I get a phone call and a bottle of Jack or Tennessee Honey and we share and they go home happy.

We have burnt offerings on the grill and if the other kids don’t like what we burnt, its back to spaghetti and sauce for them or Kraft dinner, which when made correctly is a real dish, esp. when you are HUNGRY, its made on the grill,….well, it’s a long story, but not now.(u tube short movie)??.

We try and leave Moms outta the cooking part, because its Fathers Day, don’t mean you escape household chore and such, as a matter of fact you get to do double duty. That’s where the, I ain’t so fond comes in, it’s a lot of work and I forget its in our humor or honor been a Dad and all.

I wonder if this happens on Mothers Day too.!! A flash of wisdom has occurred. No, wonder Mom doesn’t want to be fussed over either, it’s a lot of work. Do, you think this is more like kids day instead???, this bears further investigation.

We have three grandsons we are raising all under the age of 11 years old now and its real cute the stuff the little guys, the 7 and 5 yr olds, make in our celebration of Fathers. The 11 yr. old dude is not really into it much, so we can’t blame him, its seems a little below his viewpoint, because his friend doesn’t have a Dad in his life, so its rubs off.(another story).

So, slowly I begin to steel myself for the gathering which I don’t want to happen, but I guess I can be un-grumpy for a day, you never know could be the way to go.??? And having said that, don’t expect miracles here please.!!, it’s a doable, but do I want to??.

Happy Father’s Day, to you-alls. And Mothers, out there, enjoy yourself.

p.s. they fooled us this year, they sent us to a restaurant and they stayed and took care of the kids. (the Dad and the Uncle). That, was a treat, thank you boys, olive of you or all of you-all?.., Smoked up salmon, that was gooood.!!.



Don't laugh.it works just fine.



Update on the Cavemen!!.

Dear Joe;

Just a quick update to let you know the Cavemen are all well and feeling much better. As you know, “duh Leafs” had decided to go out early and start to work at greener pastures such as the garden centers and golf greens to pay back the ticket purchases we spent on their dismal performance this year.

We decided at our “playoff” meeting to let the men wear whatever jersey they wanted and cheer for what ever team as long as we agreed to watch the same game. Its like a city hall meeting; motions suggested, finger motions on disagreements and a general discord on the whole meeting.

Should a dead lock occur: a innocent bystander would break the tie, more on this later.

The cave is slowly returning to its old routines, cleanup, purchase more snacks and certain beverages and on the weekends we allow a strong mixture of “juice” since most of us have the time off.

The wife keeps asking what the noise is about and the neighbors still go to bed early and we are thinking of putting up a flashing neon to announce “game time”, so all doubt is removed about what is going on.

We thought of holding a short meeting to agree on what game to watch. In order to make up our minds, the TV is on the “Tree house Channel” so the intent is, to make up our minds in a hurry or else you watch “the Wiggles” or something.

Don’t you just love democracy in action, even at the “cave level mentality”, you just can’t escape politics in your life any where. I wonder if you can make money been a political person??. That will require a factious study to find that out.?? (is that a word) ??

So, we have a new mascot in the house now, a kitten. She looks a “Tampa Bay Panther” well black and white anyway. One of the kids had a birthday and guess what he wanted, “a pet”. Picture enclosed.

The neighbors were offering all of their pets to us,…….hum, mighty nice of them. But, in the end a kitten was chosen. I think the tank full of exotic fish was a sure winner, at least you have a different snack each day, as in the movie” A Fish called Wanda”.

So, it will be interesting to see who ends up in the final, finals and then we can wager our monies to see who gets what. The winner if he wishes can buy a “jug” and then celebrate the winner, (of the jug) as the game and purpose of it will be forgotten. We are such simple stones, as the cavemen.

How we manage to keep the world on its feet, is feat in its self, never mind trying to balance all the changes that occur. Well, lets hope our kids will be able to make sense of it, we want to keep our shit simple. Amen

p.s. we sure hope that Ottawa stays in it. !!!!!
p.s. with the Senators gone......hum,a meeting to be called ,maybe during another game??.

See you later Joe,

Duh caveman.



"Oreo" aka O.C. (oreo cookie)



Stuff our kids want to eat”

Grandparents face parenting challenges; Retirement years being spent raising grandkids


By DOUG EDGAR

– Doug Edgar, wrote the original story about our Family and its time to let him know what the scoop is.

I should rename this story “Stuff our kids want to eat”



Doug Edgar wrote: ”Bruce Nuckowski thought his days of fishing toy cars out of the toilet and explaining why cereal is a better choice for breakfast than Goldfish crackers were over.”



They weren't.

Well, Doug, if I was to tell you that Goldfish are indeed now acceptable as a breakfast food, would you laugh at me?. Don’t get me wrong cereal has its place but there is something about the smell of a fresh box of Goldfish in the morning. Dip them in butter,you can't quit eating them.!

You should try it, its good. First, we have to get them to eat some cereal or toast before the replacement food is requested. But, if you ask what do you want for breakfast, then you will get the following answers.

Here, is what else that can be had at the breakfast table, so folks if you always wondered what will kids eat, I might be able to answer your question shortly.

Pizza-cold or reheated, but in the oven only please. Tastes good. Fingers only.

Cereal-with milk, but its not eaten, just the milk is drank and a refill is asked for or the cereal is eaten, but the milk is left, or its half n half. Could use a spoon but forks and fingers work.

Baby dill Pickles-they can be Valasic Kosher baby dills with garlic or Bick’s with garlic. Fingers or forks.

Pepperettes-they can be found at Zehr’s deli and they are made by Schneider’s. fingers only.

Cheese- a slice of Kraft or old cheddar and a piece of ham from the same deli. utensils optional

Nachos n cheese-again only Kraft cheese or jalapeno' chips.!! A finger food

Pergories-reheated in a frying pan with some sour cream. They must be Chemo’s brand. Fingers or forks.

Bagels- must be sesame seed and the top only, toasted, with peanut butter or cream cheese and no butter. Fingers.

Toast- white bread. Lots of butter, can have peanut butter, no crust, cut in 4 pieces, on a plate being optional

Eggs-scrambled with cheese and no toast and if there was bacon in it, that would be eaten first, utensils optional.

Frozen pancakes / waffles-with butter and tons of syrup, cut in bite size pieces. Forks used here.

Yoghurt / pudding cups- I am ok with the yoghurt but not pudding, a discussion always is requested.

And pie; what ever was for desert the night before, its ok for breakfast the next day.

And after that has all happened, guess what ”can we have a “snack” now, please”? Did I miss something ?.

Well, after reading all this is, it does appear to be usual food requests no matter what time of day I guess and if it makes them happy and fills that hole I guess it works. I am sure other Families have the same menu, don’t you?.

Breakfast should run from 6:30 am to 7:30 am and after they all dressed and teeth brushed, then they require a snack, no way, didn’t you all just finish eating something?.

Well, that’s it Doug, I have to go, I hear a Hot Wheels car is in the toilet and its not going to make it unless I rescue it, before somebody flushes. .