March Promises

[Toedancer]

Oh that sux Lagatta, sorry to hear about your tire/hair cut. My chain came off yest. close to where I was headed, but I did not want to get my hands all yucky (no tissues on me) and so asked a passerby to fix. He was much younger and was prolly thinking I was some kind of girly girl; then he looked at my shirt and I could tell he was real confused. I was wearing one of M's jean shirts, quite large with 3 distinct tamarind stains on the front. I mean when you think about it I could have just used the tail of the shirt to clean my hands. I think I'm getting sucky in my old age. Hee.

[lagatta]

At least I could afford it, though it cuts into the tiny reserve. If not, I'd be hobbling around on foot, and very limited in my movements.

Toe, please don't talk about old age at least until you qualify for an OAP. If not, it is not cute, as many people in their 50s and 60s have to work and don't have the luxury of being branded with the "old age" stigma.

[Boom Boom]

We had a huge blizzard today and there's a mountain of snow on my driveway, and the forecast tomorrow is more blowing snow. This is really frustrating because our physician was supposed to fly in today, and could not because of the weather - and won't get here tomorrow, either. If he's on a tight schedule, which he always is, then he may cancel until next month - and I need him to fill a prescription for meds, because my arthritis is killing me with pain.

[Boom Boom]

Hello! Anyone home? (off to bed now...) 

[Antonia]

I have been offline all day. The movers took away almost all my furniture.
I can hear the echoes of the years in the empty rooms of my house.

[Boom Boom]

The movers took away almost all my furniture.

Bastards! Did you call the police? 
 
 

[Berlynn]

Ha!  Here's hoping they delivered to the right place!

I've been in transit today.  Back in SK now.  Smells so good here!

[lagatta]

I guess this is just one of those days nobody posts; I was busy with the horrors of accountancy (I have a terrible maths phobia, and financial phobia). And it was cool and nasty - there was actually a dusting of s-n-o-w when I woke up yesterday, though it melted into rain. Nothing like Boom Boom's crap though. The green shoots and leaves that have emerged seem unharmed so far by the dip in temps - they are just in suspended animation. It should warm up again soon but nothing so glorious as the last heat wave in the imminent future.

Ha, Berlynn! A writer friend bought a wee house in the countryside in the Eastern Townships / L'Estrie (brebis noire country) and a PIG FARMING operation bought up the property next door. Not right next to her house, but sometimes when she was downwind... Big city smelled much nicer. She wasn't bothered by normal country smells such as spreading manure, but pigs are something else altogether.

At least I did get all my records ready to see the accountant, when we can meet.

[Berlynn]

Twice, while sitting on outdoor patios in Toronto, I swear I smelled raw sewage.  It was gross, particularly while trying to eat a lovely meal!

[sparqui]

I've been pretty busy and have had to limit my i-time.

Worst smelling towns thanks to pulp and paper mills were Truro, Quebec and Cornwall, Ontario. In some country areas in the Ottawa Valley, the water has a very high sulfur count. It really puts me off my food.

[lagatta]

Trois-Rivières also had that old fart smell, like Cornwall. Even the water in Trois-Rivières was gross (I haven't been there for several years - been through it several times but always either in a bus or in a car with windows up, so don't know if it still smells). I used to attend work meetings there a lot, as it is about halfway between Mtl and Qc.

I'm not familiar with a Truro in Qc. Truro in Nova Scotia is well-known - or did you mean Trois-Rivières Qc?

[Boom Boom]

I've been to Trois-Rivières (Qc) several times for conferences as recently as 2001 and to go curling with my mum in the old days (late 1950s and early 1960s). Don't remember any smells or water problems.
 
Cornwall (Ontario) on the other hand stunk. Can't remember the name of that orange coloured product they made, but you could smell it. Might have been sulphur, can't recall.
 
 
 

[Berlynn]

I'd add Prince George to that list.  Worse than Tdot for sure!

[lagatta]

Berlynn, I also remember whiffs of open sewage in Toronto when I was last there in the spring of 2011. This was in May, just after the Federal elections - we were discussing the new situation with the election of the Cons but also, for the left, of the large NDP caucus. Some of us were attending different events on behalf of Québec solidaire. It was later in the springtime, but strangely cold (after a very, very warm April) so we didn't eat outdoors at all, but the smell was disturbing. Thought it was because there had been a lot of rain - or perhaps one of our Torontonians can tell us if there are sewer problems there.

Our main water/sewer problem is leakage. The water system is antique and wastes a lot of water. I know parts of Mtl actually released raw sewage into the St-Laurent some years back, but think that is no longer the case.

[Toedancer]

I have no memory of what TO smells like, it's been so long. But I do know they leave it too late to suck out the sewers in spring/summer. Earth Day is going to have to be moved as well. Me and my older nabe gyu already did the alleys.