The Big Pause - Day 79 - May 29 - A Visit from Uncle Mitchel

A bit of excitement today. Kerry's parents were talking to some friends and one of them needed a ride down to Surrey. They volunteered to drive them with plans to stop by our house for a physically distant lunch before heading back home. We weren't especially strict about staying apart but there weren't any hugs with the exception of the puppies on both sides of the families. Oliver was excited to see his Uncle Mitchel who is a Labradoodle. He doesn't have access to grass at his house and he and Oliver had a great time running around in the back yard. Mitchell is a bit skittish so I decided to chase him around. I think it actually helped. We ordered McDelivery for lunch and Carter made a red velvet cake with cream cheese icing. It was quite delicious. Kerry came home for lunch but then she didn't get home until after 7:30 pm. They are spending a lot of time getting ready for kids to go back next week. There seems to be a big discrepancy in the amount of planning each school is doing. Should be interesting next week.

The Big Pause - Day 78 - May 28 - Carcasses Ready for Paint

Slow progress on the shelves. I've now got the cases done and they just need a sanding and a coat of paint before I install them. On the weekend I'll start on the doors. I'm using a mix of materials and techniques. The plywood is all pre-finished birch which is very nice to work with and I like that I get a good quality finish for the inside areas. It does mean I have to use different techniques to build them because I can't sand any of the inside areas. I've been using mostly pocket holes, dadoes and a bit of glue and with the right techniques I end up with something that is very sturdy.

The Big Pause - Day 77 - May 27 - Down by the Crick

When I was younger I lived in a relatively new subdivision that was on the edge of town. This meant there were fairly extensive forested areas  and there were two ponds that were about a 10 minute walk from our house. Some friends and I would often go to the ponds and catch frogs and explore the streams and wetland areas. I've always felt it was a shame that my kids didn't have that same opportunity. We are living in the lower mainland of BC and there aren't a lot of unspoiled forested areas that aren't official parks.

Recently I've been riding my bike in random directions and I came across an area that I've never been to. It is an official park but it's also on a right of way and it's separated from the main park area so it's quite secluded. I knew that there was a creek running through the area and after a bit of investigation I managed to find some trails that took me down to it. You can tell that this has been a local destination for people for a while. It's very clean but there is also evidence of kids with trees partially chopped down. There are probably more unruly things happening but at least they cleaned up after themselves.

I had recently told Carter about this in a mysterious ways and today he wanted to go check it out. It's about 2.3k from our house so I biked and he took his scooter. We found the creek and he had great fun exploring the area. I suspect when he gets a bit older him and his friends will probably come down here. Being in the city we don't seem to let kids explore. Covid isn't helping that. 

The Big Pause - Day 76 - May 26 - Around the World

Carter and I had a great game of 'Around the World' today. Carter has a competitive streak but he also doesn't like to lose. I've been beating him at 21 lately so rather than having him be discouraged we've adopted an approach to 'Around the World' that only sort of has a winner. We both have our own ball and start on the closest spot. We each play on our own trying to get to all five spots and starting over each time we miss. This means there are times when he's ahead of me and times when I'm ahead. Today he managed to get to the fourth spot and I managed to do all five. I think he enjoyed himself.

The Big Pause - Day 75 - May 25 - Mondays

Mondays tend to be days that I put in more hours at work and then I slowly do fewer hours as the week progresses. My role at work typically has me kicking things off and then waiting for people to do their part so getting things out the door on Monday is important. We had a meeting with our CIO this week and he indicated he finds working from home exhausting. Days start early and go later then you expect. This is definitely my Mondays. I did manage to find a bit of time after work to spend some time on the shelves for the family room. I'm using poplar and I like to cut them rough to size before milling a few days later to reduce wood movement.

The Big Pause - Day 74 - May 24 - Hike Up a Mountain

We started the morning with a hike up Burnaby Mountain. Carter found a great trail called the Velodrome Trail that starts at the velodrome on the far side of Burnaby mountain. When we arrived the gate to the velodrome was closed but we were able to drive to the next parking lot and then hike back to it. It was only 2.5 km but with 500 steps up the side of the mountain it was still a rewarding hike. The top has some sort of conservation area with some Japanese totem poles. There is a restaurant that was closed. We'll go back post Covid.

In the afternoon we had our first physically distant visit with the Dukes. The plan was to meet in the Gazebo but it was nice out and it would have been a bit cramped so we met on the back lawn. Was good to finally interact with other people in person. Harvey came as well and both families swapped dogs for a bit. Hopefully they don't carry Covid. Harvey seemed quite out of sorts and at one point ended up behind the bench on the deck. I think he was looking for shade. We'll probably start arranging more of these with people through the summer. Meeting outdoors is safe and easy.

The Big Pause - Day 73 - May 23 - Hair Cut Day

It's hair cut day! I realize that in the middle of a pandemic, getting a haircut isn't the most important thing but it's been 2 1/2 months and the hair studio near us has finally opened for business. As much as I think that everyone should be minimizing their contact with people, this disease will be with us for a while so we need to find a way to get back to some semblance of normal. The hair dresser also needs an income. The process wasn't too bad. We use Great Clips and they have an app for signing in so we drove there at opening and waited in the parking lot until the online signing opened up and we ended up with only a 20 minute wait. Some of the people in line were quite disappointed so even though they showed up before opening, they weren't able to or didn't know how to sign in and ended up having to leave. We had missed a full hair cut cycle so we left that as a tip. In my view, that money was theirs and we just had to suffer through long hair for a while.

In the afternoon I went to Windsor plywood for some plywood and thick wood for shelves in the family room. You could now move around Windsor plywood with physical distancing measures in place. I got lucky with the 2 inch stock. They happened to have 40 inch pieces of some hardwood that are the perfect size which meant much less waste if I had to buy 8 foot stock.

The Big Pause - Day 72 - May 22 - More Peanuts Please!

Chloe came back from the vet today. She looked very sad with her shaved back legs and band aid on her IV hole. She will need to be kept very immobile for the next few weeks and even needs help lifting her back legs with a sling. She was eating and drinking well and it was easy to get her medication in her so those are good signs.

We went out in the morning and found Covid on the lawn staring at us from the grass. I guess she wanted more peanuts. I do feel somewhat guilty that we are feeding wildlife however squirrels in the city seem like a bit of an exception to me. There aren't a lot of nut trees in our areas so they must be getting much of their food from humans anyways. I will limit how much we put out though so they don't get too dependent on us.

It was Fast Food Friday again. Carter and I ordered McDelivery and Kerry, Callie and my Dad had Indian food.

The Big Pause - Day 71 - May 21 - Dreaming of the Cabin

Another day spent dreaming. We now have 'Cottage Life TV' and there is a show on there called 'Main Cabin Masters'. They live in Maine and refurbish old cabins in locations that you'd never be able to build in today. This has sent me to Realtor.ca to see what kind of property is available in BC. Unfortunately there isn't much. It would be nice if it was within 1 or 2 hours, on the water and reasonably priced but that ship sailed many decades ago. I've found a nice one on Salt Spring island but it's $800k. A bit out of our price range. For now I will just have to buying my lottery tickets.

The Big Pause - Day 70 - May 20 - Chloe Recovering from Sugery

Chloe is still at the vet for her surgery. She got two procedures on her back legs so they are keeping her for 3 nights total. I think the first night is so they can control her diet and then the next two nights are recovery. The surgery apparently went well. I managed to suck my Dad into watching an episode of Tiger King. I'm not sure they should even bother making a movie of that guy. Real life was already incredibly unbelievable. The flowers in the planter in the front yard are at full bloom. I'm getting some pictures because I now have to replace this tree. It's mostly died off and I never did get good soil in it. I will wait until the fall to put in a new one.

The Big Pause - Day 69 - May 19 - Rose Bush in Full Bloom

A fairly uneventful day today. Kerry went into work and I spent most of the day in my office. It's also my Dad's guest room while he is staying so I have to kick him out during the day. This was okay since he was dropping Chloe off for her hip and knee surgeries. This will now be a total of six surgeries where we have acted as the recovery home. Four for my dad and two for Chloe. I was in the yard a bit trying to get a good picture of Covid. I'm still trying to get one with her eating a peanut and sitting on the bench instead of the table. She does it frequently but I'm never quite ready with the camera. Rose bush was in full bloom so it wasn't wasted time.

The Big Pause - Day 68 - May 18 - Tiger King

My Dad and I started the day with a test drive into Vancouver to see where Chloe's vet appointment is. It was pretty easy to get to as it's right off the highway. We also saw that there is a 'pet transfer tent' in front of it. Vets had to stay open right from the start of Covid but they are doing what they can to protect their doctors and their patients. Chloe will get dropped off for her appointment and picked up outside. Perhaps a bit more traumatic for her but probably better than some of the big cat sanctuaries. (See that smooth transition to the picture on the left?) I broke down and checked out Tiger King on Netflix as it seems like it's part of Covid culture. I'm two episodes in and I'm interested to see where it goes. They really seem to be trying to present both sides of these places.

In the evening I worked with Carter to expand on games for the basketball hoop. We marked out some locations so he can play 'Around The World'. Each player has to get it in from all five spots. If you miss you lose your turn. If you make it you keep going. First one to get all spots wins. He should like this one because the spots start off close and get farther as you go.

For dinner we had a delicious roast with mashed potatoes. Yorkshire pudding and cheese biscuit loaf.

The Big Pause - Day 67 - May 17 - A Second Dog

My Dad is showing up today as his dog needs hip surgery and they don't do that surgery in Prince George. This meant I had to reorganize the guest room so Kerry and I decided it was a good time to do a bigger organization. This started by removing the large dresser from the guest room that had become a haven of junk drawers. Without the dresser we needed to hang the TV on the wall. I ordered the same mount as Carter's room and it showed up the next day. I also moved my desk setup so that we could get in and out of the guest room closet. I'm set up for another few months of Covid.

Carter has wanted a new dresser to replace the old change table that has been in his room since he was born. I do plan on making one but in the meantime the one from the guest room will do. We moved the change table downstairs to the front door and put the dresser in his room. The one we replace it with will be similar size so this may have demotivated me from doing anything quickly but I expect I'll eventually be inspired with some picture of a nice dresser. We plan on selling the old change table. Everyone in the family already has what they need for their kids.

Kerry spent the morning at SuperStore. Even though we had a $120 dollar credit she still managed to spend $400. Superstore has become a bit of a pain with the new rules and even though she goes early, she still wants to avoid going very often. I expect that we will continue with a once a month large Superstore or Costco trip and then fill things in with Fresh Street which is much easier to get into. We got everything done in time for my Dad and Chloe who arrived around 2:00 pm. He left PG at 5:50 am and made very good time.

The Big Pause - Day 66 - May 16 - Hummingbirds and Woodworking

The hummingbirds have been enjoying the flowers in the backyard in addition to the feeders that I and the neighbours have up all year. All day we see them buzzing back and forth and taking breaks in the trees. This morning I saw one was stopping on the wires for the raspberries and I got my camera out to try to get a shot of him sitting there. I used my telephoto lens to take a few quick shots and they started to walk closer. I managed to get within 8 feet of him before he left. He seems to be comfortable with the guy that feeds him.

Later in the morning we had a Zoom meeting with our financial advisor. We've been with him for years and he typically does all business in person but with Covid they have switched to virtual meetings.

After the meeting Carter and I headed to the mall. I didn't think anything was open but he wanted a new video game to pass the time and EB games had recently reopened. The mall was virtually deserted though several stores appeared to be in the early stages of re-opening. Going to be interesting seeing all the lines to get into stores with reduced capacity.

In the evening I spent some time working on the shelves for the family room. I managed to get the plywood portions done which was a reliev. It means the project is far enough along that I have more incentive to finish it and the pile of plywood I had set aside for it was finally out of my way. In this first phase I need to add face frames and doors and get a coat of paint on. I can then install the lowers so we can start storing things in them. After that I will add a counter-top and charging station and then finish up the upper shelves. I'm looking forward to the storage for all our puzzles and games.

The Big Pause - Day 65 - May 15 - Crispy Chicken Sandwich (not)

It's Friday and another week has come to an end. Work routine is fairly good. I'm able to get about as much done as I did before and maybe even a bit more. Some days end up with very few meetings and I'm able to get some items done that take more time.

After work I did some weeding in the garden. It's nice not having a commute because it gives me an extra 45 minutes of time in the morning and the evening. It's going to rain this weekend so I wanted to get the weeding done before Fast Food Friday.

Fast Food Friday was fine for me but Cater wasn't happy. We went with Burger King and I got exactly what I was expecting but apparently Carter's Crispy Chicken was no where near Crispy.

In the evening I rough cut the rails and stiles for the shelves.

The Big Pause - Day 64 - May 14 - Toilet Planter

Kerry got most of the pots planted yesterday and I had to wait until she was done before planting my toilet. We replaced one of our toilets with a better flushing one that used less water and I kept the bowl of the old one as a planter. It's porcelain so I'm assuming it will last as long as any porcelain pot. It's in an out of the way corner so it's not too conspicuous but if you look out into our yard you will see it right away. Kerry had a few plants left over so I put some gravel in the bottom and then added dirt. The gravel makes up for the fact that it's still a toilet and captures just as much water as an ordinary toilet would before it drains. I filled gravel up to the high water mark and the water drained nicely. A bit of dirt, a yellow plant of some kind and my garden has some additional whimsy. I don't have specific plans for more whimsy but if something interesting comes along I won't say no. The bird bath and squirrel picnic table are getting good use.

The Big Pause - Day 63 - May 13 - Planting the Pots

Although I'm out in the garden starting in February, Kerry usually does the pots later in May. Anywhere from the first weekend in May to the May long weekend. The trouble this year was that we didn't know what was open, when it would open and what would be available. The nursery we like to go to is local and closed in March though they continued to have curbside pickup. The big box stores however never closed and have plants as well so I think the nursery decided they would open again sooner as well. Opening has meant that they have all their plants outdoors and have closed anything indoors that might involve high touch surfaces. Kerry went in the afternoon during the week and there was only a handful of people there so she got in and out quickly. The parking lot was had a different set up that caused enough confusion that while she was there, two cars got into a major fender bender. The noise was apparently horrific and both cars had quite a bit of damage. Not something you expect in a nursery parking lot.

The Big Pause - Day 62 - May 12 - Rain

We had our first real rain in a few weeks and it rained a lot. At least a couple of inches. That meant it was an inside day for everyone though I will admit the rain died down enough at lunch time to allow for a bike ride. Kerry was home during the day and in between meetings spent some time with Carter making pretzels. He was torn between the 'Bake With Anna' pretzels and the 'Wetzels Pretzels' recipe. He went with Wetzels and did a great job. I was able to honestly say they were the best pretzels I had ever had. That was probably a combination of his execution and the fact that they were fresh.

In the evening I finally got started on the bookshelves for the family room. I've had the plywood for months but had to pause when we needed to replace the fire place. They will be simple cabinets with shaker doors on the bottom and fixed height book shelves going up to the ceiling. I'll also include a charging station for devices. Looking forward to the storage.

The Big Pause - Day 61 - May 11 - A Close Encounter

The day started very early for Kerry and Callie. They were out the door before 6:00 am to for a photography hike with Pete. This was going to be the last day before the rain started so they wanted to get in some good pictures. Apparently Pete had been talking about going on a bear search which was comical because that's exactly what they found. As you can see by the shot it was a close encounter. It's a good thing there were no cubs because I don't think Pete would have been able to react to a charge though he would get some good pictures before dying.

In the afternoon I had to make a trip to Rona to get string to stake some plants. Rona has gotten a lot better at managing physical distancing. I guess someone complained before I had a chance. They were finally using their outdoor line up and there was about 10 people ahead of me. I had actually tried the day before but there was about 40 people in line and it wasn't worth it for string. As I got to the front a poor couple in front of me found out that they couldn't return the fan they bought. They weren't even allowed to bring it in the store so they had to take it back to their car and get in line again. Rona is not accepting any returns at this time. This is irritating for me as well because I have some light bulbs that were the wrong size that I need to take back. I bought them, got them home to find out they were the wrong size, took them back and realized I could not return them. I finally got my string and took care of staking all the plants before the rain toppled them over.

The Big Pause - Day 60 - May 10 - Mother's Day Creatures

Yesterday we picked up some peanuts for the squirrel picnic table. My hope was that with the peanuts on top of the table, the squirrel would be forced to sit on one of the benches. Unfortunately I was foiled by some crows. I have no idea how they are so smart at deciding something is food. They had never seen a table like this before and we had never put peanuts out before but some how they knew these peanuts were food. They swooped in, took several at a time and took them to a nearby gutter. They then brought them one by one back to their nest.

After being foiled by the crows, we went for a family hike. Surrey has lots of parks that are still open and the trails are wide enough to stay six feet apart. We went to Surrey Bend which is a marshland area near the Fraser river. We heard lots of interesting birds and even found some frogs in some of the ditches. It was about a 5k hike and was surprisingly warm for 9:00a in the morning. I think next time we'll have to take the ferry over to Barnston Island for a hike.

When we got back, we all did our own thing and Carter got mother's day tea ready. Callie had already done a lovely crepe breakfast and Carter got afternoon tea ready. Fruit, tea, shortbread and cheese & crackers. Carter was very diligent to fix some of the mistakes he felt he had made in his previous tea. Most notably, not having enough short bread. It was nice to be able to be in the backyard in the gazebo. The garden is coming along nicely and the weather has been very nice. Still clouded by the fact that we can't go anywhere.

When we finished up with the tea there were a few slices of peanut butter and jam sandwiches so Carter asked if I wanted to put them on the picnic table. I was expecting the crows to get them again but a few hours later we were surprised to see that Covid the squirrel had found them and he was using the bench to eat at the table. I now have a great shot of a squirrel eating a peanut butter and jam sandwich while sitting at a picnic table. Finally something accomplished during isolation.

The Big Pause - Day 59 - May 9 - Ring the Bell

Saturday was very warm. It got up to 28 degrees which is not necessarily out of the ordinary but was a big jump from the high teens we have had for the past few weeks. Sunday is Mother's day so Carter and I went to Fresh Street to get a few things for his plan to provide noon tea. We were both thrilled when we saw that they were selling plants including cucumelons. These little cucumbers that look like melons are quite tasty and I've only ever been able to grow them from seed so it was nice to see some seedlings ready to go. I also picked up some lettuce and tomatoes. The garden is almost full.

The afternoon was spent teaching Oliver a new trick. A few weeks ago I saw a pet training bell available on Amazon and figured that would be a fun trick to teach him. It has a button with a paw print on the top. Some might use it to train him to do something but I felt it would be more fun to teach him to tell us something. For now that means he rings it when he wants a treat.  It probably only took about 20 minutes spread over the course of the day to teach him. I started by having him shake hands and I placed the bell in my hand. When he hit it he got a treat. After a while I put the bell on the round. He can now be told to 'Ring the bell' and he will h it it with  his paw. We even left it by his food accidentally and he came along and rang it and dinner time. He is one smart dog.

The Big Pause - Day 58 - May 8 - Outdoor Dance and Hot Tub Chemicals

Success! I was out in the yard earlier this morning planning my weekend activities and I happened to see Covid running along the top of the fence. I quickly ran inside and grabbed some Cheerios and placed them on the picnic table and along the top of the fence. He seemed to know exactly what I was doing because he came over for his meal immediately. I got some nice shots of him sitting on top of the table but I still want a shot of him sitting on one of the seats. This weekend we'll grab some peanuts so it won't be comfortable for him too sit on top.

In the afternoon Callie needed me to video tape some more of her dance moves. This time it was for her Contemporary class at school. Not sure what the goal was but we did four short dances all to the same song. I think she is doing a Zoom duet with one of her high school friends. I'm not entirely clear on how that will work so I'm looking forward to seeing the end result.

Right after work I had to go to the hot tub store to get some chemicals. I had run out of one but made sure to buy enough of everything else to last me several months so I don't have to go for a while. I'm not clear on how the hot tub place gets to stay open. I guess they fall between the cracks of the directive to shut down. They were fully open and were not super good at dealing with customers. A lot of people were coming within 6 feet of me and there were lots of places where I had to touch common surfaces like the key pad for their customer program. I'm glad I don't have to go back for a while.

The Big Pause - Day 57 - May 7 - Scenic Lunchtime Bike Ride

The weather has turned very nice this week. Over 20 degrees and sunny. I'm continuing my daily routine of going for a bike ride at lunch. I usually head out in the direction of the Kilden's to see if I can say hello to them in the backyard. So far only been able to catch them once. I then head back on 156th until I get to the hydro right of way. It's all downhill until you reach the Serpentine river. Even in PG I didn't have access to such a nice creek near my house.When you get down to the creek bed you can't even tell you are still in the city. The water is quite clear for being in the city and it's a very tranquil location. I've decided I really need to work on getting Carter riding his bike. I really think he'd enjoy coming down here. Once I get down to 168th there is a steep climb up 88th back home. It's about a 10k bike ride and takes about 30 minutes. A pleasant break to being stuck in the guest room working all day. I will say though that the one good thing about working from home is being able to work with the window open.

The Big Pause - Day 56 - May 6 - Waiting for Dinner Guests

I was unsuccessful in my first attempt at getting pictures of dinner guests. I found a nice spot on the fence to attach the table and I had the camera set up inside with the zoom lens. I tried using a cracker to attract a busy tailed friend and at first I was encouraged when I saw the cracker was gone. Later, after adding more crackers I watched as the smallest bird ever carried off my squirrel cracker. I even got a picture but accidentally deleted. Tomorrow I'll have to try something a bit heavier. Ideally we'll get to the store to buy some peanuts.

The Big Pause - Day 55 - May 5 - Beavers and Squirrels

Kerry and Callie started the day early again. They are enjoying getting up early and heading out for morning wildlife photography. I think it makes them grumpier the rest of the day but at least they are happy in the morning. Kerry managed to break her luck of never seeing any animals. Getting out earlier allowed them to see the beavers before too many people show up and scare them away. They also saw a deer and of course lots of ditch birds also known as cranes. They always seem to be in the ditch fishing.

I had my own plans for creature photography that were closer to home. I first saw one of these squirrel picnic tables last year but it appears to have gotten popular during the COVID era. It's a quick project and based on what I've seen so far, it doesn't appear to be difficult to attract squirrels for a photo shoot. We've got at least two squirrels that frequent our backyard and I had wanted to create a nut roost for them for a while. This approach seems like more fun. The whole project needed a single fence board and took 45 minutes. Now to set up the camera.

The Big Pause - Day 54 - May 4 - May the 4th Be With You

Carter had big plans for May the 4th this year but he was thwarted. This was the first year where we decided we would try to do something to celebrate Star Wars day. Carter made Han Cola Cupcakes including a coke cream cheese icing and we picked out an old movie and a new movie to watch. The highlight was going to be Cineplex popcorn but unfortunately they only deliver on the weekends. It was also supposed to be a family affair but Callie wasn't happy that it interfered with her dance schedule. She tried to reschedule May the 4th. In the end we watched Jedi and decided we would try to redo Star Wars day on Mother's day. Maybe next year.

The Big Pause - Day 53 - May 3 - Installing a TV

A rather uneventful Sunday. It was raining quite heavily all day Saturday and cleared up on Sunday afternoon. I managed to get the yard weeded and the garden is starting to look greener. The radishes, Kale and peas are coming along nicely and the carrots are starting to sprout. I always assume my carrots aren't coming up because they take so long but they seem to come up fine eventually. Makes it difficult to weed because you can't get too close. I also cut the lawn and reinstalled the garage door in the morning.

 In the afternoon we got a package in the mail we weren't expecting. Amazon Prime has not been very quick lately due to the increase in online shopping and the mount for Carter's TV wasn't expected until Monday but came a day earlier. We installed his new TV and hooked up his Play Station so now he can avoid run-ins with his sister. The TV was $299 and the mount was $27. My first TV 30 years ago was $499. I'm amazed at how low they've managed to keep prices for electronics.

The Big Pause - Day 52 - May 2 - Painting a Door

Two years ago I bought some paint. Today I used that paint. The door leading into our garage was terribly marked up and the paint on it was deteriorating. My assumption is that the previous owners used indoor paint when they tried to paint over the old green doors. The paint they used seemed to be turning to dust and was impossible to clean. I took the door off Saturday morning and spent an hour or so sanding down the old paint and prepping it for new Rustoleum paint designed for outdoors. The sanding went much quicker than I was expecting. My orbital sander worked great on the flat parts and I had a sanding sponge for the profiles. The painting went not too bad but drying took much too long. It was about 17 degrees out and I had no door so what should have been 4-6 hours at room temperature was still tacky after 6. I created some supports by taping over some wood and flipped the door and did the second side. I was worried it would stick permanently but luckily it came off with no damage. Two year task complete.

In between coats I went over to the trail to pick up garbage. It's a bit spooky walking through the woods around here because there are homeless people in some of the empty lots so when I heard a knocking sound that seemed to be only feet away I was a bit freaked out. Turns out it was a wood pecker pecking into a stump. Based on the amount of wood around the stump he's been using this tree for food for a while. It's about half the original diameter and only about 10 feet tall. I'm not saying he chopped it down but he probably made it fall quicker than it would have without him. I'm assuming it was a him. I'll have to do some research on which of the wood peckers is more colorful. This one had a lovely red head dress on.

The Big Pause - Day 51 - May 1 - Fire at the Mister Lube

I've been mixing my bike rides up for the past few weeks. Surrey is a big grid so I've been trying to take a different grid route each time. Today I made sure to head down 152nd and Fraser Highway. It seems the Mister Lube had a fire last night and I wanted to see the damage. I was a little suspicious because this is now the 3rd fire on the new Sky-train route. It appears the damage wasn't so bad but that was likely because they are literally next door to the fire department. They wouldn't even have had to get in their trucks. Just hook up the hose and spray over the fence.

After work, Carter and I headed to Home Depot. I know we are supposed to stay home but I don't think we're going to get to zero cases and we have to figure out how to live our lives. This means standing in line ups out side so that the number of people inside is kept to a minimum. I wanted to get some 6 x 6 post caps so I could figure out how big my pathway lights needed to be.

After Home Depot, Carter reminded me about the need for a TV for his room. His sister has one because we had a spare so it seems I didn't have a choice but to get one for him. Just a small one mounted to the wall. His conditions for purchase were that he can't get mad at me when he doesn't win at 21 in basketball. So far it's working.

For dinner Carter and I had McDelivery and Kerry and Callie had Indian food. I should also mention that the kids had a Pro-D day. Not sure that means anything anymore.

The Big Pause - Day 50 - April 30 - Cutting the Lawn

I would love to have something more exciting accomplished to title this blog post but 'Cutting the Lawn' is all I've got. April is now behind us and by my count we are now 50 days into this. It seems like forever but in the grand scheme of things is nothing. All the major wars went for years and were much more impact-full than what we've had to deal with. The one similarity though is that there is no specific end in sight. Our leaders throw around dates like 'January' but really no one knows how long this will be. I'll probably feel better once one of the Disney parks opens and remains open for at least 4 weeks. At least then we can start thinking about what kind of vacation we would want to go on so we have something proper to look forward to. The numbers in BC still inch up but most seem to come in batches with facilities like jails or nursing homes. This is a good sign. I actually think BC will be one of the first provinces to open things up like hair salons and restaurants with room to social distance. In the meantime I'll keep cutting the lawn.

The Big Pause - Day 49 - April 29 - Garbage Day!

After about 7 weeks I finally got the last of the green bin waste and dirt off the front driveway. Every day for the past 7 weeks I've filled the extra large green bin to completely full and even added some waste to the neighbors bins in the middle of the night. I didn't feel like paying to take it to the transfer station. I also brought out the pressure washer and cleaned off the basketball court. It was a bit of a pain playing basketball because the ball would end up in a dirt party every few shots.

I also got a delivery from Lee Valley. I've been trying to figure out the best way of lighting our front walkway and I was tired of purchasing the garden lights that eventually stop working. If it was just a matter of replacing the rechargeable batteries I'd be fine, but usually the solar cells deteriorate as well. I'd like to do something a bit more interesting that will last 'forever' meaning that I can repair and refurbish them if they get worn. I have some thoughts on a concrete post with a wood top and a small led with a deflector that directs the light onto the walk way. The fun part is that it comes with a color controller so I can have different colors based on season. Halloween Orange, Christmas green or red etc. Now to figure out how to cast the concrete and attach the wood. Should be fun.