Grandad, what do the colored flags and spray paint on lawns and streets mean?
Call before you dig
Well, I knew yellow was for gas and after that I wasn’t sure. They all mean something is buried there and don’t dig in that spot unless you know what you’re doing.
Here’s a key to the flags’ colors:
RED – Electric Power Lines, Cables, Conduit and Lighting Cables
YELLOW – Gas, Oil, Steam Petroleum or Gaseous Materials
ORANGE – Communication, Cable TV, Alarm or Signal Lines, Cables or Conduit
A while back I decided to make an effort to be more thankful. And to that end I started a list on the iPhone Reminders app and I get a daily prompt to put something on the “Thankful” list. Now not every day gets and entry but most do. Another facet of this initiative is to monthly review the list to remind me of all the things I’m thankful for.
As a part of this month’s review I thought that once in a while I’d share one of these “Thankful” items on the blog. First up is this one.
Easton is my Grandson and this phone call was quite out of the blue and I don’t normally get any phone calls for the Grandkids so this was kind of special. The tree fort is at the lake and for me this meant he was thinking of good times at the lake and planning for more good times in the future. ?
On Friday, May 20th, I spent much of the day just tidying up after the fall shutdown putting things back in place for the summer. In the evening all the family came out and we had some nice conversation over a few beverages. (Part 1 is here)
In the morning Scott and I watch the F1 practice sessions, after all it is his birthday weekend and also an F1 race weekend in Miami. After breakfast the boys and I tend to some of the heavier dock work. Well, actually the guys do all the heavy lifting, I’m just directing traffic.
The aluminum boat is flipped right side up and the Merc outboard is put on the boat. After a few pulls (14 but who’s counting. Need to get that electric start fixed) it fires up and we go retrieve the sailboat ramp which floated away to the bay next to us. It’s still all intact so it’s repositioned and winched up to a higher location and tied to a large tree.
The boat roller ramp is re-positioned and comes in handy in dealing with the extra high water levels this spring.
It’s not all work and late in the afternoon there is a walk down the road with everyone
and smores around the fire pit. Along with roasting worms and other “boy stuff” ?.
Worm RoastSmores – much tastier
Dinner is the classic lake burgers with “cheese goo”, potato salad, beans marinated tomatoes and all the condiments. Plus a special dessert for the birthday boy.
On Sunday the family is packing up to get back to town for a number of different commitments. Scott and I watch the F1 race before he goes, well the start anyway. I finish it up after they have gone.
It’s early in the day and all the family have left so before tackling a few more startup tasks, there is time for the coffee on the deck lake tradition.
Then it’s back to “work”, which is always more like fun at the lake. I take the kayaks down to the dock mainly so I can use one to paddle over to some friends on an island near us to say hello.
Lots of docks are weighted down against the high water
After that it’s cut up some downed trees on the path and haul the brush up to the road. The yard gets a raking and the property gets the leaf blower cleanup treatment. Things are looking pretty tidy. The boat is washed out and battery installed, ready to go for the season.
With the high water I get the garbage cans from 2014 down to the dock and fill them up with water to hopefully stabilize the top of the dock against the high water and waves.
On Monday I’m up at 6:15 but still miss the sunrise which is 5:26am these days, perhaps tomorrow. Generally a relaxed morning then a quick bike ride over the Rushing River.
Rushing River from the Highway BridgeRushing River at the Cook Shelter
In the afternoon it’s cleaning the eavestroughs front and back both of which were more that a little plugged up with leaves and gunk.
Tuesday I am up for the sunrise at 5am on a totally clear and cool (8°C) morning. After easing into the day with several cups of coffee and a light breakfast I start the investigation on replacing the rotted beam that supports the deck in the front left corner.
This years major repair job
This could be a bit of a job as it’s 2 – 2×10 – 16′ and 10′ in the air at the high corner on uneven ground. New footings and a temporary support system will be required to do the replacement. Always something fun happening at the cottage.
We pack up in the early afternoon and head back to town. As we pass through Kenora we make the first of the season stop for a little treat for the road. The perfect end to a great opening weekend.
OK, so I’m a bit of an Apple fan, not quite a fan boy, but up there.
With the latest iOS and the ability for widgets on the Home Screen I did some playing around and settled on this Apple widget at the top of my screen.
By default it shows my 6 things in a sort of random, but also some what intelligent way.
First thing in the morning I get a display about what apps I might want to launch, scarily predicting what I might like to do based on past usage. Then the weather, generally useful, the calendar for the day with the next 1-2 events, again useful. Top Apple News stories which is OK but I have not yet succumbed to subscribing. A Map, a bit of a mystery for me and not yet useful. And then there is the best of all!
It’s the photo! Generally, some combination of Grandkids like today’s where we were going to the 2019 Santa Claus parade with all of them together, which is a bit of a rare event to go somewhere all together with just Shirley and I. As I recall it was like hearing cats, but a lot of fun.
If it’s not Grandkids it’s some other photo that Apple has figured out as a “Featured Photo”. Not sure how they do that. Some of them I’ve flagged as “liked” other are well… just photos that show up.
Always brings a smile to my face and an extra bit of happiness to my day.
I had a fabulous Christmas with family and friends! An awesome Christmas Eve church service, a long standing Christmas Eve party with friends and a very special Christmas Day with family.
Here is a little video of the Christmas Day highlights.
