A Day in the Life-Walking in the Rain

How about walking in the rain with the one you love? Well I do walk alone. And I do love myself in a healthy, wholesome manner. I do consider myself good company out there.

I discovered a small lake on my walking route this morning. A lone loon took off as I arrived. During the walk I also spotted a couple of great blue herons in flight.

I went to bed early last night at 2230. I woke up, all slept out by 0350.

The day started with two glasses of water, 1/2 a cup of white grape juice and 3 teaspoons of cottage cheese and two of plain yogurt. That was followed by a ten minute meditation. Then a shower. I was dressed and out the door by 0550 for the start of my two hour and forty-five minute, 17.5 km. walk.

I went through the process of getting ready to go, only to discover it was drizzling rain. So off I walked into the early morning drizzle, content in the knowledge that I am a walking warrior. No mere spring drizzle is going to dampen my passion.

By the time I approached Jebbs Creek, 4 kilometers later, it was pouring. No big deal. I carry a zip lock bag to put my driver's license and phone into. It didn't pour for very long and I found it refreshing. It added to the beauty, to the natural environment.

So yes, I am a walking warrior, but a safe one too.

When there is traffic I walk on the shoulder of the road. It is gravel and it slows me down a bit, but it adds to the intensity of the walk. Once on the road I can assume more of a power walk. That is intense also because of the ability to walk significantly faster. The walking surface dictates the type of intensity.

It was a good walk: 17.5 km, 1,523 calories burned, and 22,134 steps.
I drank only 250 ml/8 oz of water and only had to urinate once.

On my return home I drank 750 ml of water and 250 ml of water mixed with whey protein. For breakfast I made 1 serving of organic oats with half a banana, cinnamon and maple syrup. I also ate three more teaspoons of cottage cheese.
Then I washed my shorts, shirt and socks and off to bed for a sound 2 1/2 hour slumber.

I awoke just after 1400. Got up, washed. I made some quinoa, (pronounced keenwah), and put it and cauliflower, diced chicken breast, garlic and artichokes into home-made chicken stock. So for lunch I had the soup. There is a fair amount of liquid in the soup so I will separate some of it from the solids and drink it in place of water sometimes.

I will be working tonight around midnight.

The car goes in for service Friday morning. A Spanish lesson on the weekend.

A day in the life.

Keep well all.

It Was A Good Week!

But seriously ... life is always good. Life is a lot of fun too isn't it? Yes there are situations, stuff. Still it is good to get through the days and know that it is okay. And it is okay and better than that. I'm starting to take life a lot less seriously. Oh sure, I procrastinate sometimes. In the end it gets dealt with. It gets resolved. That is what makes life so interesting. Dealing with the issues in our lives the best way we are able to, and seeing, when all is said and done that we either handled it correctly or bounced the ball until we got it right.

The walking passion is starting to deliver results. A 15 pound reduction in weight. Feeling very good physically and mentally. I am enjoying the walks immensely. I get out of town and walk away from the main roads enjoying osprey and great blue herons and horses, cows and goats. Wind in the trees and sky and water.

It does take a time commitment of 2 hours per walk but the health and happiness are worth it. Just over 47 miles/75 km this week.
Tomorrow is a new day, a new week.
Of course half the week is urban walking in Scarborough. Busy, busy, busy!

The exercise is one half of the program and the diet is the other half. That is working very well. I am starting to understand how the exercise and diet are inseparable. The weight loss is only a benefit when the basis is a healthy intake of nutrition. The two go hand in hand. They both need to be present. And they are working together to achieve the weight loss goal.

Life is good.

Peace.

PS: You an also check out www.phototrainphotography.com also if you like.

Just Walking

Yet another beautiful day for a walk.

Here are the stats:

Kilometers-24.67. Steps-25,127. Calories burned-1,993 Time 4:14 (4 hours 14 minutes).

Avg spd ranged between 6.1 and 7.3.

For over the first hour and a half the average speed was 7.1 or more. So it was a pretty intense start.

I walked from my place in Perth to the middle of the bridge in beautiful downtown Rideau Ferry, population 400.

I took a bottle of water with me and grabbed some toonies and loonies to buy a bottle of water in Rideau Ferry for the 12.5 km walk home. Unfortunately I forgot to put the change in my pocket. It was not an ideal situation. I need to hydrate every 3 kms.
Nonetheless,  I soldiered on. About 7 kms north from Rideau Ferry I stopped to empty the few pesky bits of gravel in my shoes and to retie them. I stopped off to the side of the road and found a big rock in the shade to sit on. To my surprise, in the shaded grass was a  still sealed bottle of Coors Light. I love Coors Light. I looked at it for a few seconds and the words of Bryan Stevenson's grandma ran through my mind. "Always do the right thing even when the right thing is the hard thing.". God bless that wise woman who was born into slavery.
Anyway I left the beer.

Up the road I went another 3 kms, through Jebbs Creek, (Jebb I am, I am Jebb). I had been nursing this urge to urinate for a few kilometer's. So I decided once past the homes and out by the fields I would relieve myself. I found a suitable spot away from the road with the knowledge that cars on the road would not be able to see me.
I pulled down my zipper and thought I better scan the area one more time before I went any further an lo and behold, there was an OPP cruiser sitting back of the trees on the other side of the highway waiting for speeders. He was watching me. I did up my zipper and trudged onto the road again thinking what an interesting walk this was turning out to be.

I resolutely strode north avoiding looking at the cop as I went. No worries, he never spoke or approached. I found a spot up at Wildlife Road and continued onward to Perth.

I saw a number of osprey's. They are busy with their spring young right now. Just north of Rideau Ferry there is a colony of 5-6 nests with the mom's sitting on eggs or defending newborns.

All in all a wonderful walking adventure.
Once I got home I commenced hydrating generously.

For supper I used steam. Steamed potatoes, brussel sprouts and mushrooms, garlic and of course the steamed salmon. Cooking by steaming is my preferred method.

For desert, one last time at Dairy Queen. From now on it will be no, no, no!

To bed early tonight. Paperwork in the morning. New running shoes on Thursday ... I have earned them!

Good night all ... enjoy our lives!

Thanks for reading,

Jebb.

Walking Jebb

Another walk to Jebbs Creek and back. Today's walk was an intensive average speed of 7.3 kms./hr. for just over an hour. The remaining 20 minutes of the walk was 6.5 kms/hr avg spd. The weather was beautiful so the conditions were perfect.
So far this week I have walked 36.4 kms an burned 2,715 cals.

Good thing I treated myself to a medium Farmers Pizza from my local oven. This is the first time this month that I have eaten out of the home. $20.00 including tip.

Back to walking. I am down to 208 lbs in weight. So far I have lost 12 lbs and I am shedding the weight at a rate of 2lbs a week. I drink a lot of water. I also drink white grape juice and whey protein every second day. I eat a good amount of cottage cheese, plain yogurt and instant couscous. I love couscous along with marinated artichokes, fresh cremini mushrooms and steamed brussel sprouts.
I also eat asparagus once a week and broccoli too. I am still drinking organic milk and eating oatmeal. Real oatmeal, not the flavored instant junk.

Fast food except for pizza once a month at most is gone from my diet as well as bread. I eat a lot of salads and fruit.

The payoff is obvious. In spite of my wacky work non-schedule, my sleeping has improved and of course, exercise is always good for my brain.

 

Here I am at Jebbs Creek. This was one of the first places I fell in love with when I first arrived here just over three years ago. I have adopted the name as an alter persona and even had it imprinted on my work jacket.

 

Forgive the big, toothy, head shot. The walk to Jebbs Creek and back is about 11 kms. It is pretty out there. Farmers fields between here and there and then closer to there the little hamlet with it's houses. Ian Millar the Olympic horse jumping gold medal winner has his farm nearby.

 

My longer walks continue south of here to Elmgrove Rd. That is an 18 km long trek. It takes over 2 1/2 hours there and back. It burns well over a thousand calories.

 

Here is  shot of you know who at the longer location.

 

 

In closing, life is good. Summer is coming. I'm gonna get some new running shoes to walk in. Asics Kayano 19's. Now that I'm doing this kind of mileage the quality shoes are a better buy than the cheap runners.

Enjoy your life. Life is good.

Living Below My Means

After many years of wanting to ignore the facts of my spending habits, I somewhat recently started doing the very thing that motivates me and helps me to not waste my money.

I started keeping a written record of everything I spend money on. I call it a budget book and in it I write down the money coming into my hands and the money going out of my hands.
In any case it is a very good habit to acquire.

Take the subject of drinking coffee. I used to buy 2 to 5 coffees a day. Adjusting for my day quite often being 36 hours long, I believe that an average of 3 coffees in a 24 hour period is close to correct.

As the benchmark I have used a medium coffee from Tim's.

So 3 mediums at $1.60 and I always pay $2.00 for that coffee equals $6.00 per day x 365= $2,190.00.
Stunning!

Well a few months ago I started drinking only home brewed coffee. In the last couple of weeks I have stopped drinking coffee altogether.

This is just one example of how the "budget book" has improved my financial life.

Once I started writing things down I was able to see patterns. I was able to see clearly the costs of those patterns as well.

I used to have a really bad habit of being an impulse shopper. The only store I go to on a regular basis is the grocery store. That is where my impulse buying occurred. I would go to the grocery store for  2 bananas (.57) and a small container of cut up watermelon ($2.99) for a total of  $3.56. Sweet!

Then I would notice that 1 litre of coconut milk is only $4.99! And the cream filled bun is only .99! And that roasted chicken is 50% off at $5.99!
So now I have spent $15.56. That is $11.97 more than what I needed to spend. This behaviour of buying more than what was on my list happened nearly every time I went to the grocery store. It has cost me dearly!

In the last 72 days I have paid $3,700.00 towards my credit card balance. This would not have happened without this major shift in my thinking. Now this major financial change has been intentional. This credit card balance was supposed to be cleared off last year.
But it wasn't paid off because I wanted to move, and then there was the strike at work, and right after I recovered financially from that, the furnace and central air unit in my income property had to be replaced.

So now the concept of delayed gratification is firmly enforced in my habits, in my life.
There will not be any golfing this year, but at the end of the season I may get a very good deal on a golf membership for next year ... because I have earned it.

I will still rent a cottage for a week this August.
The only camping I will do is during my other 2 weeks of summer vacation.
The vacation to Central America that had been planned for March 2014 (March 1st off-season begins), will now be delayed until late 2014 or early 2015.

My new hobby is walking. I am losing weight! And a top quality pair of running shoes will only cost me $225.00. I am still walking in the $200.00 pair I bought 6 years ago for now. Walking is a cheap hobby ... a pair of running shoes is all you need. Forget the fancy shorts. Forget the fancy purchases. Be frugal!

I have reduced my church donation from $20.00 per visit to $5.00.

I have looked at my needs list. The question is "do I need it now"? Why now? Why not later?

I will continue Spanish lessons of $60.00/month.

To sum it all up ... if you'll pardon the pun, writing it all down allows me to see where I don't need to spend money.
It allows me to spend money on the things that will improve and enhance my quality of life.
It will allow me to pursue my passions.

It will allow me to be the minimalist that I have been in the other aspects of my life.

I am still doing laundry with the laundry detergent I made in November of 2011. One year and seven months of clean clothes without spending money on laundry detergent!

The key for me was writing it all down.
Now I understand. It doesn't matter how much or how little I earn. All that matters is what I spend.

Finally, I am living below my means.

My Name Is Mike

My name is Mike.
I am not who they said I was.
I am not what they said I am.

I am not what I was.
I am not what I used to be.

I am not the victim.
I am not the dysfunction that they bequeathed to me.

I am part love.
I am part hope and faith.

I am true with trust.
I am sweet with kindness.

And I am smart with curiosity.
Open with wonder.

I am blessed with value.
And I stand on principle.

My life is not fear.
I judge myself, and do not accept judgement.

I claim only what is mine.
Only what I am.

Only who I choose to be.

My name is Mike.

Freedom Friday Night!

Sometimes I choose to work more than I know I should. These past three days I worked a lot because:

1) I wanted to get my miles (150 miles short).
2) I wanted to be home tonight because I wanted to write this bitchin' post about bitching about working too much.
Really I just wanted to have a Friday night at home.

So the plan is working except there is no need to bitch Baby!

Just for the record, life is not a bitch, it is a gift. A wonderful journey through the universe of time and space.

A supper of salad, wine, water and raisin toast with butter.

I would like to get my miles for next month, and maybe get a few days off. Camping has been on my mind a lot these last few days. It's time to drag out the gear and test it all before I get a mile or two into the bush.

I'm digging my singleness and enjoying the freedom of both having time to myself and also finding new avenues to socialise.

I'm finding that to be a "single" or a "lone" is actually broadening my mind. It is freeing to socialise as a single I find. When I was half of a couple, we used to spend a lot of time doing things as a couple. Of course my wacky "non-schedule" or non-existent schedule was responsible for that to a large degree. However it is quite enjoyable to be with a group of people and work the group alone.
Fun!

Life is busy but enjoyable.

Friendship

It is so wonderful to have the friends we have in our lives. I am grateful for them, as we all should be.

We should all take conscious, intentional action to better ourselves. We all have a responsibility not only to heal ourselves if need be, but indeed to actively pursue an agenda or program of self-improvement on a daily basis. We are better off for it. Our lives improve. Our relationships with family and friends function with peace, love and happiness. All is good.

I recently read a quote by none other than Ms. Bonnie Raitt, musician and artist extrordinaire. Her remarks went something like this: Religion is for those who want to avoid going to hell. Spirituality, on the other hand, is for those of us who have already been there. How true Bonnie, thank you for sharing that insight into my life. Lol!

I know a little about self-improvement and recovery, and I am extremely grateful for that.
I am a bonafide expert on a life gone wrong, a life that for decades existed only with extreme dysfunction, chronic depression and dump truck loads full of neediness. A desparate, enduring torture.
On the inside.

Gratefully, I was unable to self-destruct in spite of the condition of my mind, my life.
Fortunately, in 2005 I commenced a program of recovery and self-improvement.
That program has raised and improved my life substantially.

Here is the situation. Decades ago I met a friend. On many levels, he is wonderful person.
Unfortunately he still exists at somewhat the same level of dysfunction. That same moral vacuum we both dwelt in when we met 30 years ago. I changed and with that change came clarity and vision and morality. My life became a life worth living. A very happy, responsible life. A total life makeover. And I'm cute too.
So even though I still like my friend, or at times still somewhat like him, the relationship takes a lot of work on my part for me to still accept a dysfunction that has become totally unacceptable in my own life.
I can maintain this for the most part. However it becomes extremely difficult for me to morally accept the dishonesty and other moral shortcomings that he still desparately and so needily clings to and embraces.

This is Canada. There is help for those who want it and are willing to work for it. I love Canada.

I sought and worked very hard for the help I needed and got. We all have a responsibility, a moral obligation to heal ourselves if we are able to. I am not here to pass judgement on those who do not agree with the foregoing principle.

I hope that he realises after my last communication to him about honesty, that his using the basis of our friendship to obtain goods and services valued at thousands of dollars from me, for his personal benefit could be an impediment to our continued friendship. This is the second time he has attempted this same, highly manipulative, technique. In the future his continued fishing for consideration will not bode well for our friendship.

So that is the item I write about today. It is fine that I was able to crawl out of the swamp of a life gone wrong. However I am tired of overlooking and excusing bad behaviour, the repeated attempts to take advantage.
The patience is wearing thin as I age. As I get older it is obvious how valuable my remaining time is.
I am no longer willing to waste time on someone who repeatedly refuses help and seems to enjoy and delight in his dysfunction.

I hope he takes the steps necessary to improve his life.

Good luck, dear friend. Stop crying for help. Stop punishing yourself. Get up and get on with it.

Signed,

 A friend.

Praying For Peace

So here is the question that I am asking: In order to pray, does one have to believe in God?

Here is my answer: I believe it is possible to believe in prayer without believing in God.

Prayer and meditation has proved to be an asset to my time.

Relax ... Really ... Just Relax

4 am is a very relaxing time of the day. Asleep or awake I do enjoy 4 am ... if I am not at work. To tell the truth, it makes no difference where I am or what I am doing, I enjoy every second of Mike's life.

The above picture is of the Andes in Colombia near Santa Fe de Antioquia. As you can see it is stunning geography.

Yes I am relaxed.

2012 has been an excellent year. After nine years of positive, personal change life has very much pleasantly surprised me. The positive results of a life well lived are a testament to the success of the character changes. So how did it become possible for these changes to occur? Firstly, the time was right-I was ready for change. Secondly, in order to achieve the goals I had specified, I changed how I viewed the process of change itself.

This is how it worked for me.

I took the time to recall some of the most significant changes that had occured in my life over the years. There were some difficult curves and there were some less difficult curves. This is what I noticed about the curves that life had presented me. The less difficult curves were positive changes, changes that I looked forward to. For example the births of my children. Having kids is a huge, wonderful change. But I had determined before their births that I would always accept them as they are.
Life also presented me some very difficult challenges that could only be resolved by long term  character/psychological change. Bringing about that kind of change was difficult because it required a lot of self-analysis, and that takes time.
Gratefully, regardless of the negativity or positivity, and the time required ... I changed. As the needed changes occured life improve immensely.

Change became a way of life for me. Eventually I came to embrace change. I had come to believe and accept that even in those very difficult, negative situations, there was always some good. There was always a silver lining so to speak. Sometimes it was hard to see the silver lining through the tears, but it was always there.

Now I love change. Good or bad, happy or sad we cannot control what will happen today or tomorrow. However we can control what we will think and do when life gives us changes. In that context we can control it by the choices we make.
Change, with or without pain, is a gift, a lesson and an opportunity for growth and progress.

That is what change really is. It is progress. It is growth. It is starting you at the good place you are already at, and pushing you forward to a better place.

Change is all about taking the lemons that life sometimes gives us and making lemonade out of them.

Change is the reason that I am living here pursuing a passionate life, living every minute, enjoying every second.

I will live here in this small one bedroom apartment until 2014 when we will change our circumstances. That's the other side of the 'change' coin.We have the ability to change if we choose to. So plan your changes whenever possible. Dealing with change is like everything else in life. To be good at it, we need to practice it.

I like the advice in the last line of Desidarata by Max Erlichmann:

"Be careful with life. Strive to be happy.".

2012 was a wonderful year. There were so many good changes.

Purple Passion

Purple Passion, a photo by Phototrain Photography on Flickr.

It's funny to admit that I don't even know which photos I have stored.
I remember, when I saved them that the thought was to use them eventually, But I don't know when eventually is! So this photo has served as a reminder to deal with these hundreds or thousands of images.

Advice To Self: good luck!

Texture Points

Texture Points, a photo by Phototrain Photography on Flickr.

Finally, a post! Only a small one though. The summer has finally slipped away it seems, replaced by the rainy winds of early autumn.

The rest of my stuff finally made the journey from southern Ontario. Nearly all of it is destined for thrift shops and recycling. The previous de-cluttering was good practice for this last bunch of ... well, junk.

This is a photo from June 2009, taken with the Nikon D200. The D200 expired in the summer of 2010, when I fell out of the canoe! Since then I have learned how to get in and out of the canoe without capsizing.

Enjoying Life

Here is your humble, slightly unclothed scribe, enjoying the fruits of his, and hers, relaxation.
This afternoon going out in the canoe, with Jacqui, and doing some fishing, is actually a reward to myself.
What did I do that I feel it necessary to reward myself? Well I don't mean to brag, and I'm not ... but; because I did a somewhat significant de-clutterisation recently, my life has become a lot more enjoyable.
How has it become more enjoyable?
Firstly, my/our small cabin on the lake looks nicer.
Secondly, not only is cleaning easier-it is actually possible.
Thirdly, and this is the big one-this is the big payoff ...I now have more time for other things.
Canoeing and fishing for example. Now there is time for posting to this blog also.

Another plus was the fish we caught: a nice chubby bass, and three good bluegills. They were a delicious addition to our meal of steak, and squash with apple and cinnamon.
It is nice that the proof was on the dinner plate, so to speak.
This life of Mike's is becoming very convenient to maintain.

My place is small, but it has a lot more space available for living and enjoyment, now that all that stuff is gone. Stuff that I wasn't using. If I really "needed" those things, I would have used them sometime in the last few years. What is really unbelievable though, is that I hauled this crap over 350 miles, over 550 kms, when I moved here.

Jacqui and I also had time to work on both canoes, sanding and painting. We spent the last few evenings duelling it out by playing backgammon and crib. We both won ... we both lost.
We take photographs, as well, so we spend some of our time with those images. It was a bit rainy, on and off , for the last few days, so we chose to delay our camping trip until the week after next.

Now that I have time to do the things I like, I am thinking about what should or shouldn't be on the passions/bucket list.

Back to the fish story. We soaked the fish in brine for over an hour and a half , and we were pleased to discover that there weren't any worms.

Only 51 months to to go until my earliest retirement date of  December 31, 2015.

Feel free to comment, discuss, or ask. Thank you for your interest.

Fall Cleaning

The process slowly continues, one day at a time. This photo of the shirt, underwear and socks, represents today's progress.

Today I got rid of:

2 pairs of track pants
21 pairs of socks
18 T-shirts
9 pairs of underwear

All freshly laundered in AAA condition.

Out the door and off to the Sally Ann they went. At the very least, these items will be torn up, or sold to jobbers to tear up and sell off as rags. Or they will be recycled for manufacturing. Nearly all of the items are made of cotton.

Imagine how many natural resources will be saved, because maufacturer's are able to use the cheaper recycled cotton. Plus all the water and chemicals, and other natural resources, energy for example, that are used in the production of raw cotton will not have to be disposed of, which causes further environmental damage.
I never used to think of things like that, but I do now.

I am an 'accidental' minimalist. I got started out of necessity ... living in a smaller place compared to my previous, palatial home. So I clued in a little and realised most of the 'stuff'' I was maintaining, was costing me time, money & space.

At one time, I had over 40 pairs of underwear! They have weird reality shows about people who collect things in that manner. Even weirder, apparantly, even weirder people watch those TV shows!

I don't watch television. The best things I ever did was stop gambling, smoking and watching television. I believe those things will kill you.

Anyway, the fall clean up continues and I am really looking forward to a winter full of camping, dancing, game playing and cooking with, my best friend, Jacqui.
There will be some other stuff too; going for walks, reading, taking photos, and just sitting and staring into space and wondering 'what if'', and then finding the answers to that question.
Jacqui and I always find an answer, but even if we don't, that would be okay too. We solve most of the worlds problems, snuggled up on the couch, looking into each other's eyes and sipping hot chocolate or wine.

And if that isn't proof of a good happy life ... then consider this:

Today is the 40th anniversary of Greenpeace. I think that is great news!

I wonder: How many people has Greenpeace saved in the last 40 years?
Does anybody know?

Is it 1,000?
Is it 10,000?
Or 100,000 or a million?

I think the 2 best stories in the news this past week, were about Greenpeace and that 3 year old boy that was returned home, in Sparwood, B.C.

But enough about what I think.
When you put your head on the pillow at night ... what do you think about?
Is it something that  is helpful and happy?

We's likes happy stuff ... doesn't we, Jacqui-Mae?

As a friend said recently,
"Be the change".

PS: The above photo also can be seen at flickr here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mike_55/6150523289/

The Simple Living Guide by Janet Luhrs

The Simple Living Guide by Janet Luhrs, a photo by Phototrain Photography on Flickr.

This is an excellent guide to making life better. It talks about simplifying or minimising your very hectic, busy life.

The author suggests that we focus on our passions. She writes about learning how to focus, how to learn to cut out the distractions and time-killers that prevent us from reaching our potential.

This book is an excellent introduction to minimalist concepts and philosophies.

Her writing has already helped me change my habits to get more value out of my life.

Click on the image to go to flickr.

I Will Get Rid Of This

I Will Get Rid Of This, a photo by Phototrain Photography on Flickr.

It's just a matter of time!
Be strong, good soldier.
Click on the image to see more at flickr.

Enough Is Enough

Enough is Enough!

My exasperation with the cellphone provider I have been using, has finally made me ask: why do I give these corporate thugs my money?
These scurrilous, corporate hooligans will soon get very little, or preferably, none of my money.
I get the internet for free and I have CAA. At the very most, all I need to have is a cellphone and a pay as you go phone card.

I feel better already knowing that I must, that I will, finally get a very firm hand on the ludicrous rates that these 21st century robber barons charge.

Only in Canader you say? Pity, in't it?
Chuck you farley, aiss my kss!

Anyway, now that I'm back to my normally civil, relaxed self, what other alternatives can I think of.
Having a cellphone gives me a certain sense of security.
So that begs the question: what will happen to me if I don't have a cellphone? Will I suddenly die? Will my car all of a sudden break down? Will I get a flat tire and be preyed upon by thugs, beaten and robbed, and left at the side of the road to die a lonely, painful and humiliating death?

I wonder exactly how cruel my life will become for me without a cellphone?
I am resolved. I will throw cellphone security to the wind and risk life without a cellphone.
I will revert back to the old fashioned house phone/landline.

Besides, cellphones pollute the planet. They have to be replaced every few weeks, months or years because they are built so flimsy. Why aren't they waterproof and shockproof?
What we need is an indesructible, cheap cellphone that lasts forever, that can have apps uploaded for FREE, by our somewhat less than generous cellphone service providers, to improve them as required.

Speaking of generous ... exactly how much do these corporate kingpins earn in a year?
I'll bet they are ridiculously generous when it comes to their salaries.
So why can't they throw their customers a crumb, and reduce the rates by a substantial amount?
Instead of saving money by importing these things from some sweatshop, why don't they start right here, right now by cutting the fat at the top?

I wonder. One can hope, can't one?
No matter, one way or another, there is going to be a change in my cellphone habits.

Feel free to make a comment or suggestion or a criticism.

What do you think?

What a great week. I got rid of three tables, the armoire is emptied and ready to go. A stack of clothes and some other stuff is ready to be donated. What a breath of fresh air. I haven't watched TV for weeks, I don't miss the commercials from the corporate sponsers one bit.

Well it wasn't all heaven on earth. The walk that myself, and my best friend took today was a little short. It was invigorating and relaxing too. Off to work tomorrow again. The week off was really refreshing. The Gatineau Balloon Festival was a joy. Our new tent was a joy.

I really enjoy getting rid of this stuff. Why would anyone need more than three pairs of jeans anyway? If I used them for work, then nine of them would be reasonable. They were just junk taking up space. If they are needed that would be reasonable, but they aren't needed. Maybe somebody else will have a need for them.

Good night, sleep tight.

I am,

indeed,

a king,

because, I know how to

rule myself.

Pietro Aretno, May 10, 1537.

Quoted from: http://quotegarden.com/integrity.html

Two people that have been an inspiration recently, to me, are-

Amanda Lindhout and Jaycee Dugard

Both ladies refuse to live their lives as victims.

Lindhout recently returned to Somalia to continue her goal of helping people there.

Dugard has published a book, and continues to move forward in her life. Recently, she has been on a speaking tour, describing how she refused to accept the role, or label, of "victim".

These two ladies are proof positive that one person can make a difference.

Thank you for your help, ladies!

This is the MEC Camper 2 tent that Jacqui and I bought last March 20. Since that time we have spent 15 nights camped out in it. We will be using it this weekend to camp at the Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival this weekend ... maybe! More than likely we will splurge and spent a couple of hundred dollars on a MEC Camper 4 tent. The Camper 4 offers more square footage. So now we will be the happy owners of two good quality tents.

Our weekend won't be starting until Saturday, due to work/time commitments. It is somewhat unfortunate that we will miss David Usher, followed by Roger Hodgson, but as they say in Quebec-c'est la vie! We will still get to see Roch Voisine and some other very good musicians, in addtion to all the other events that we may enjoy.

Today is a full day. I need to purchase wood for the shelf building project, and the paint has arrived for both canoes. Also on the list is a minimal grocery shopping trip.

Okay back to the tent. Last night would have been my second night camped out on the 1.1 acre lakeside backyard. However, a slightly boisterous pair of marauding racoons, turned the neighbours dog into a noisy doggy. Of course then the neighbour came out to speak sharply to 'Scamp', before taking him inside. So after being roused from my short sleep, I was somewhat awake. After lying quietly for nearly an hour, I retreated to the cabin to get some sleep.

It's a beautiful morning here in Rideau Ferry. There are 120 entries into the last big fishing derby of this summer, so the hamlet is buzzing. The area motels are full, some will have to stay in Kingston or Ottawa, or further afield.

We are off to Gatineau, Quebec for camping, music, fireworks and hot air balloons.
Have a great weekend!

With kindness and respect,

Mike.