Meow ...

Well, amazingly enough, my most popular Flickr image, Kittens, hit the '4000 views' mark.

To view the image on Flickr, see http://www.flickr.com/photos/papa-ellis/6303296444/

You can view lower resolution image below:

Enjoy!

Zoom, zoom ...

Finally, my battered 'old' red 2006 Escape Ltd. has been replaced by a 'new' silver 2011 Escape Ltd. Funny, they don't call it a 'used' vehicle these days; no, it is a 'previously owned' vehicle. Regardless, I'm quite pleased with it and all of it's new features. Things like a back-up camera and parking assist. Woohoo!

Coming soon ... a photo of the new 'beast'.

Tired of Winter

It's so cold here in Winterpeg ...

... when will winter end?

Here comes the Sun ...

"Here Comes the Sun" is a song by George Harrison from The Beatles' 1969 album Abbey Road.

… "Little darling, it’s been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it’s been here
Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun, and I say
It’s all right…
Here comes the sun" ...

I usually begin my day with a good cup of coffee. By the time I finish my first cup, I'm ready to talk coherently and see my good wife off to work.

They say the days are getting longer and, maybe warmer. Today is certainly warmer and the short-term forecast is for even milder temperatures.

Happiness is ...

Keeping Track

"I'm not writing it down to remember it later, I'm writing it down to remember it now". That's the slogan of Field Notes notebooks by http://fieldnotesbrand.com/shop/.
Although I always seem to be writing notes to myself, I sometimes let things I 'need to do' go undone.  But the notes certainly help me.

My favourite place to make notes in this digital age is Evernote. It's a wonderful tool to record all sorts of information, photos, and ideas. You can use the Evernote app on your iPhone and it automatically synchronizes to your Evernote on your laptop or PC. It's one of my best software packages I've ever used. Although I'm retired, I imagine it must be of immense benefit to anyone with a hectic lifestyle. There's a free edition but I bought the premium edition with it's extra features.

It's my way of 'keeping track' ...

Families are Forever

Those three simple words have been promoted by the Mormons for decades. Families (and everything that is associated with them) are an underlying principle of their church.

Our families go back at least as far as we can research them. Different churches have kept track of births and deaths in their jurisdictions, enabling family historians (or genealogists) to trace our roots. Immigration officials have also archived the arrivals of our ancestors into North America. Similarly, our military has archives of documents about our soldiers. Even some of our newspapers have searchable archives.

Sometimes, our family members have kept daily journals.  All of these sources can be rich mines of information.

The internet is a rich source of tools for family historians. Some are free; others have fees attached.

If you have a family historian, you should make sure you pass on information to him or her about the births and deaths of those closest to you.  Information about their occupations, marriage(s) and anecdotes about their lives, in addition to photos, would also be appreciated.

Bending ...

I gave up trying to go against the Google Chrome grain. I've signed back in and I've found some ways to avoid excessive ads on my pages, all this is so that I can post comments on the blogs of friends and relatives. I missed those direct communications.

In my last post, I gave some information on our current Winterpeg weather. I should have mentioned that some poor souls still have to work outdoors in this dreadful weather.

Think of the drivers of snow plows and side-walk machines. Think of all those people clearing their driveways. Think of those people manning the pumps at gas stations. The list goes on.

Fortunately for us, we have a driveway clearing service. It's not cheap but it's sure worth it, especially this winter with the blowing snow and frigid temperatures.

We were lucky to be able to go out and get some groceries today. We were low on fresh vegetables and fruits. Happiness is a well-stocked larder!

Todays News from the Winnipeg Free Press

"The good news is there will be plenty of sunshine in southern Manitoba the next few days. The bad news is Environment Canada forecasts below normal temperatures. For today, look for clear skies and a daytime high of -25 C. This morning, wind chill values are in the low -40s. And the ugly news is the situation will get worse before it gets better. Monday through Thursday, Environment Canada is calling for high temperatures to reach only into the -25 C to -29 C range with wind chills around the -40 mark. On Friday, the daytime high will get 'warmer' at -19 C. The normal high for this time of year is -13 C; the normal low is -23 C".

All I can say is "brrrrr!"

Your Posts are Being Read

Since blocking Google cookies on my PC, I've lost the ability to comment on the blogs of family and friends. It's frustrating but it minimizes an increasing number of unsolicited ads popping up on my computer. Just note that I read and enjoy all of your posts. If I must comment on something, I will email my thoughts to you.

Christmas is Coming

Just think, a week from today and both Christmas and Boxing Day will be history. It makes you wonder what all the fuss is. Then, you realize the fuss, in my case, is all for the grand-kids. What a pleasure it will be to see their eyes light up as they open their gifts. Hopefully, I'll be able to capture that excitement in some photos.

This Sunday, the 22nd is Greg's birthday. He'll probably have to wait until Christmas Day to get his birthday gift from us. I think he's used to the slight delay. Happy Birthday, Greg, if you read this before we see you.

I'm amazed at how many Christmas sale flyers have been stuffed in my mailbox over the past couple of weeks. Some of the sale items are tempting. They'd be even more tempting if I had a vehicle and extra cash right now. Maybe, in January, a suitable vehicle will turn up. However, I can't say there will be any extra cash.

I've not written many blog posts lately. I have no excuse. I've been spending too much time on YouTube, learning more about cooking, wood carving, and bushcraft. Researching such topics is fun. One video quickly leads to another. Then, you realize the day is nearly over. You promise yourself that tomorrow will be different. But, it rarely is. Oh, well, life is to be lived moment by moment.

If this is my last post before Christmas, I wish all of you my best for happy and healthy times ahead.

2727

As any of you know, I post most of my photos to my Flickr page. Today, I reviewed some of the statistics for my photos. It seems one of the most popular of my photos is of the one called 'kittens'.

I was amazed to find it has been viewed 2727 times since I posted it, a couple of years ago. The photo was actually taken in September, 2003, over 10 years ago.

Cuteness counts, at least when it comes to kittens ...

Happiness is ...

... being married to Margaret. Today is our second wedding anniversary.  Hopefully, we'll celebrate many more years together.  This weekend, as we did last year, we'll be going out to dinner somewhere special.  And, just a word of thanks to all of you family members who have supported our life together.

Bits and Pieces

I said goodbye to my Escape today, at the MPI compound. It was by far, of all the vehicles I've ever owned, my favourite. In the blink of an eye, it was totalled last Saturday.

Most of the bits and pieces from the front end are tucked in the rear compartment.

Now, I have to find a replacement for my vehicle and start all over.

Stupid Driver

I did something stupid last weekend. I totalled my Ford Escape in an accident. I was at fault. Fortunately, I was the only one injured and they were not serious injuries. Now, I'm starting to look for a replacement vehicle. MPIC has written off my Escape. Thank goodness for car insurance. Someone told me that this is a terrible way to get a new car. I couldn't agree more, especially because I really liked my vehicle. Life goes on ...