Thursday, April 7, 2022

Kids rule!

 

Why was the small crowd gathered on the court, I wondered. It was such a mix. A retired lady, two school kids and a mother with her young toddler daughter. What could be of interest to all of them? The answer was right there, at their feet: the toddler. 

Mom took her young daughter for a walk and the nearby world came to a halt. Gosh, I wish I had that power. What a boost to the ego. Sadly, it ain't going to happen. 😄

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

April Showers

April showers bring May flowers--at least, that is what I tell myself as the chill-you-to-the-bone rain continued to fall all day.

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Symmetry is the theme; Hearst Castle Roman Pool is the subject

 

Symmetry is the this month's theme. Symmetry is found everywhere. For instance, think of indoor pools. Often, these have a strong symmetrical design. For an example of this I reached back into my files and found this image of the Roman pool at the Hearst Castle in California. The shot also shows the small pool found in an alcove connected to the main pool. Ah, once there was money, oodles of money, to be made in the newspaper business.

Monday, April 4, 2022

No excitement accompanies the sight of a cardinal

 

 

Why is there no excitement surrounding the sighting of a northern cardinal on the seed bell? Because northern cardinals are year around residents of southern Ontario. There is a reason these birds have northern in their name.

To stay warm over the winter northern cardinals have evolved some very sophisticated techniques but some, like shivering, are very energy intensive. For this reason, putting out seed bells all winter is appreciated.

 

Sunday, April 3, 2022

Buying Canadian made pasta saves money

 

Some things are cheaper when made in Canada rather than imported. Pasta is one of those items. The Italpasta in tonight's dinner cost less than a dollar on sale for a 900 gm bag. Pasta made in Italy can cost six times as much and it may even contain Canadian wheat. More than ten percent of the wheat in the global market originates in Canada.

With inflation in the wings, threatening to take centre stage and push the price of goods through the roof, finding ways to cut costs is increasingly important.

Seniors on fixed incomes are facing growing problems as inflation diminishes the buying power of their pensions. One great way of keeping costs down is to design meals around the food stuffs one finds on sale.

It the items has a long shelf life, like pasta, buying lots is a fine idea. Some would argue that putting $20 into sale priced pasta beats the return earned depositing $20 in the bank.

Saturday, April 2, 2022

Are charity fun runs returning?

 

It was cold today. It barely got above freezing. Yet these four teens were spotted warming up prior to going for a group jog. Outdoor events were not cancelled as often as indoor events but still there did seemed to be fewer charity fun runs held over the past two years. Seeing these teens jogging in London's biggest park seemed to be one more indication that the hold COVID-19 has had on our lives is weakening.

Friday, April 1, 2022

Red hot housing market

 

I saw this posted by the local newspaper on Twitter today. One unit of a high-end duplex that sold for $1,778,500 back in late January is now, not three months later, back on the market. The asking price? $1.3 million!

Those of us who bought our houses some years ago are flabbergasted at the steady increase in the price of housing. When I was young, we had a term "house poor" for folk whose home devoured every extra cent in the budget. Today, I think we may start talking about folk who are house rich. They bought their home for a mere fraction of what it is worth today. Many retirees have almost all of their wealth in the family home.