Author: Rae

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(Advanced) Voting Day

With all the shadiness, corruption, and fraud surrounding the last few elections (so bad that we’re getting an international observer this time around), I wasn’t taking a chance with not being able to vote in this one. So I took advantage of advancing voting this time around and headed to town today to cast my ballot…

Polls opened at noon, so I got in quite early to get propane first since I was turned away the last two times. The manager was there and was quite upset when I told her this, saying that her staff had been advised to call her if anyone needed propane. Someone is going to get a talking to!

I then went out in search of the polling station. It was buried deep in town with absolutely no signage except right on the door. It was only 11:15 and there was no one in sight, so I went for an early lunch. By the time I got back to the polling station, it was bang on noon. One of the returning officers works for the Willow Bunch Museum and knows me very well, so she had me witness the putting together of the ballot box. Then, I got in line to vote. There was only one person ahead of me and one person behind me.

Then, the fun began. Despite all the time I spent on the phone with Elections Canada and their confirmation, both verbally and on the website, that I’m registered to vote, I was not on the list today! I was registered on the spot and, just to make doubly sure that there wouldn’t be any issues, the lady who knows me also signed an oath to that effect and that there is no doubt that I was voting at the correct poll. I was then able to vote. All told, the process took a measly 10 minutes. I don’t know what it would have been like if there wasn’t someone there to vouch for me. And I can’t believe there was someone who could vouch for me!

The outcome of this election won’t change my plans to move to Mexico next year, but could very well be the deciding factor in whether I keep ties here (ie. Haven) or decided to tell this country to go fornicate with itself and put Haven on the market. I’m that fed up with the ever increasing gap between my values and that of the the average Canadian voter. If Canada and I were in divorce proceedings, which I suppose we are in a way, I’d cite irreconcilable differences.

The drive home was wonderful. I spotted a coyote in broad daylight who was not afraid of me. I took many pictures of him from several angles because he was blocking the road and I didn’t feel comfortable moving past him.

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Then, a short way up the road, I had to brake hard to let someone else cross the road. By the time I managed to get my camera up on my phone, this is all I could capture of him:

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(That’s an antelope (pronghorn), by the way!)

Today coincided with some of the most amazing weather we’ve had since I got home in May, very HOT and sunny. Wow! It’s downhill from here, though. No worries, I will be somewhere in Colorado this time in two weeks!

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A Gift of an Afternoon

After several days of grey, damp, and cold weather, plus a grey, damp, and cold morning, this afternoon erupted with sun and temperatures in the high teens! And it’s not just a one-off, we might hit the low 20s by the weekend. I love Indian Summer!

I made a sale on eBay today and decided to head out after work to ship it. I was going to go to Willow Bunch when I realised I had enough errands to make it worth doing a couple of trips to Assiniboia this week. So that’s where I headed instead. And I wore sandals! 😀

This week has been so different from last week, energy-wise. I pretty much lost the Monday to Tuesday night of sleep last week and didn’t recover till the weekend. I spent the whole week in a bit of a fog where all my energy went to work, of which there was an inordinate amount. This week, I’m caught up on sleep and doing full nights, so I’m awake before my alarm. Not being woken by it makes all the difference. I’m productive during my day, have good focus, and still have energy to spare to do overtime, although it looks like I’m done putting out fires and I can take it easy the next couple of days…

The trip to town was a bit frustrating as the Co-Op gas bar has had some staffing changes and they rarely have anyone available to do propane. So I haven’t been able to get my 30lber refilled in my last two trips! Thank goodness we’re going into a warming trend or I would be seriously concerned about freezing! And I’d be really worried if I was going to be spending the winter here. I’m going to have a chat with the manager next time I see her.

One of my stops was to order two new tires for my truck. I had priced some at Walmart when I was in Moose Jaw and Kal Tire’s price of $122 per tire installed was competitive enough for me to feel that I wasn’t being a schmuck for supporting my local store.

Off to make dinner. I know I’m almost a week early for Thanksgiving, but the roast chickens were on sale today, so I’m doing a bird with a few trimmings for dinner tonight. 🙂

 

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18 Sleeps Till I Leave For Mexico

BRR. It’s been very cold and damp here the last few days. I’m trying not to heat too much so I can acclimatise, but it’s hard. I’m dreaming of palm trees and beer on the beach!

My neighbour Caroline asked me to come over yesterday afternoon to see her latest purchase for the kitchen and we had a nice chat by their wood stove (lovely) while sipping black current tea (yum!). She then presented me with a gift that showed an extraordinary amount of sympathy to how I feel about the current weather:

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Yes, that’s a union suit, complete with rear access flap. 😀 Every time I look at it, I burst out laughing. I do have to say it makes for wonderful pajamas! I usually wear pants and a top to bed, but then the top rides up and my lower back gets cold. With a union suit, you remain covered no matter how much you wiggle in bed. I was pretty comfy until about 6:00 this morning, when I had to turn on the mattress warmer.

We should have a warmish afternoon tomorrow, so that will be my chance to give the truck bed a good wash and then I can start working on filling it. I’ve started doing a bit of packing, but with nights heading below freezing, everything is staying piled into the RV. It’s getting pretty cramped in here!

The payment I wasn’t expecting to be here before leaving landed on Friday (!), so now I can leave with complete peace of mind and not be on such a strict budget for hotels. I am going to have to average 775KM per day between here and Nogales to get there by the Monday afternoon, so I’ll be glad to not have to hunt too hard for the cheapest motels along my route.

It’s going to be a very fast trip to the Mexican border! I am going to be somewhere in Wyoming the Friday night (probably Gillette, unless the border crossing goes exceptionally well and I decide to push on to Cheyenne). Then, I’ll probably be in Walsenburg, Colorado, Saturday night. After, things get fuzzy because I took a heck of a lot of my time between Nogales and Walsenburg in the spring! I’ll probably be somewhere around Deming, New Mexico, on Sunday night. Monday, I’ll hit the Walmart in Benson for as much of my shopping as I need, then get to Nogales by mid-afternoon.

Work in Arizona is going to be brutal as I will be starting work at 5:00 a.m.! I am considering the possibility of staying in New Mexico to work, getting the bulk of my errands done there, and then doing a run to Nogales on the Thursday afternoon after work. I’d finish at 2:00 and could be in Nogales by 6PMish. I’ll see how I feel as I get closer. The weather will play a role in my decision as will whether or not I can buy some pesos wherever I land in New Mexico.

It’s really good to have a firm departure date as it is making it so much easier to work through my massive to-do and packing list. The bulk of it will likely be done when I get off work the day before I leave, but there are a few things I can do ahead of time. I’m playing a lot of the ‘what are the odds I’ll need this before I leave?’ game and putting things into totes only to pull them out again! But I think it’s safe now to put away all the summery clothes. 🙁

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Great Plains Concert in Willow Bunch

Tonight, I had the great pleasure of attending a Great Plains concert for the second time. Great Plains are Saskia and Darrel, who happen to be good friends of C&C as well as lovely people and very talented folk singers. They play both their original songs and covers of famous songs, like Jolene and The Boxer. My favourite is My Father’s Land and I bought their Celtic CD, which has that song on it.

I left my hearth and home when I was barely grown
Set my eyes on foreign skies and distant roads
I wandered aimlessly without a care or plan
I always thought I’d once more walk my father’s land

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I’ve been a sailing, I crossed the ocean blue
And I’ve seen old Mexico, I’ve walked those desert sands
There’s just one thing more in this life I have to do
That’s to walk those green hills of my father’s land

The event was a fundraiser for the Willow Bunch Museum. There were goodies at intermission where, after getting a brief glimpse of the eclipse and the blood moon (two shows in one night!), I enjoyed a glass of crisp white wine and some cheese, and perhaps a Nanaimo bar or two, before listening to the second half of the show.

Saskia and Darrel are wonderful performers, very lively and funny. Their music made me sob one second (Porchlight) and laugh the next (Cabin Fever, where the bit about the propane freezing during a practically brutal cold spell is when I started to cry mirthful tears at the memories of my one SK winter in my RV).

What an unusual treat for a Sunday night to go listen to some live music! I am so fortunate that arts and culture are valued in this area and that events like these just 10 minutes from Haven aren’t unusual. I really should take better advantage of them!

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A Day In Moose Jaw (and the Western Development Museum)

I made a rather spur of the moment trip to Moose Jaw today. I just couldn’t stand the idea of another day at home just doing busy work, so late last night, I headed to Trip Advisor to see if there were any museums in Moose Jaw I hadn’t seen yet and found the Western Development Museum, which, as a bonus, was on its last weekend of a traveling exhibit about the Franklin expedition, a topic of interest to me. It has been seven years almost to the day since I visited Saskatoon’s Western Development Museum!

I set off around 8:00 this morning and after a couple of stops in Assiniboia, made it to the museum around 10:00. It’s very easy to find, being the only turnoff between the TransCanada and Thatcher Drive, plus there’s lots of signage. The museum’s name only hints at what is on display inside. In fact, I found very little on western development per se, and rather lots on transportation. In fact, this used to be the Moose Jaw transportation museum.

You could spend hours in this museum with its warren of rooms if you read every placard, but I was there about 90 minutes, only reading up on things that caught my eye.

The Franklin exhibition was a bit small, but still interesting. It focused on the forensics of what happened to the expedition team members and how Arctic survival has, and has not, changed since then. Definitely not an exhibit I would have driven 300KM roundtrip for, but it definitely added value to my $10 admission fee.

Here are just a few things that caught my eye in my wanderings:

The museum's drab exterior belies the treasures within.

The museum’s drab exterior belies the treasures within.

I miss these old phones that had style!

I miss these old phones that had style!

First models of smartphones.

First models of smartphones.

Rather scary looking fella!

Rather scary looking fella!

Snowbird planes.

Snowbird planes.

Homemade plane. Such a tiny cockpit!

Homemade plane. Such a tiny cockpit!

Lots o' planes!

Lots o’ planes!

Telex machine (I've always wondered what they look like!).

Telex machine (I’ve always wondered what they look like!).

Love the midnight blue paint job.

Love the midnight blue paint job.

Ambulance.

Ambulance.

Early snowcat.

Early snowcat.

Autoboggan.

Autoboggan.

Model T.

Model T.

All the difference SK license plates over the years.

All the difference SK license plates over the years.

Just a small smattering of the many cars on display.

Just a small smattering of the many cars on display.

SK is "home of the RCMP"

SK is “home of the RCMP”

I wish I'd lived in the '50s just for the cars!

I wish I’d lived in the ’50s just for the cars!

Car and wonderful trailer.

Car and wonderful trailer.

Look at the woodwork! This is the bunk.

Look at the woodwork! This is the bunk.

Dinette.

Dinette.

Kitchen area and tons of cabinets.

Kitchen area and tons of cabinets.

Even the ceiling is lovely.

Even the ceiling is lovely.

Dinettes really haven't changed much!

Dinettes really haven’t changed much!

I love the bay windows at the front and back.

I love the bay windows at the front and back.

More lovely cars.

More lovely cars.

Old ambulance!

Old ambulance!

Interior of the horse-drawn ambulance.

Interior of the horse-drawn ambulance.

Loved the colour on this one.

Loved the colour on this one.

Electric trolley coach.

Electric trolley coach.

Streetcar.

Streetcar.

The exterior of the trolley car shows that it wasn't a bus, but rather ran along electric wires.

The exterior of the trolley car shows that it wasn’t a bus, but rather ran along electric wires.

Found the Hogswart Express!

Found the Hogswart Express!

Caboose.

Caboose.

Work for $1.50 a day building the railroad... but give up three days' wages for room and board.

Work for $1.50 a day building the railroad… but give up three days’ wages for room and board.

Cozy bunk in a carriage.

Cozy bunk in a carriage.

And here's a kitchenette area.

And here’s a kitchenette area.

See the typo? Bottom right.

See the typo? Bottom right.

Unusual colour.

Unusual colour.

I WANT THIS CAR.

I WANT THIS CAR.

See how the doors open upwards?

See how the doors open upwards?

"The only car for a lady." *snorts*

“The only car for a lady.” *snorts*

Apple II computer.

Apple II computer.

My childhood.

My childhood.

Iron lung.

Iron lung.

Prosthetic limb made from 2x4s, a door hinge, and and rubber tire! The point of this was that the man lost his leg because he couldn't afford medical care and that Medicaid saved future Canadians from things like that...

Prosthetic limb made from 2x4s, a door hinge, and and rubber tire! The point of this was that the man lost his leg because he couldn’t afford medical care and that Medicaid saved future Canadians from things like that…

My neighbour Caroline called me as I was wandering through the final exhibit, needing computer help that I couldn’t provide over the phone. I told her I’d be by when I got home and asked if she needed anything. She had an order for the Bulk Barn. I hadn’t specifically planned to go there, but I was going right next door to the Dollar Tree and nearby to Walmart, so I had a good excuse to go in and buy some nuts! So that was my next stop.

Then I went into Dollar Tree, which I still can’t believe exists in Canada! I was able to get everything on my list for it and even some of my Walmart things, plus a bunch of other things I only realised I needed when faced with them, like a sleep mask! I actually used one of those my first summer in Yukon, but accidentally donated it to someone. I couldn’t get my bedroom on Isla dark enough last year, so that’s the easiest solution. I also got a big tub of ear plugs, but I hope that I get used to the noise this year because sleeping with ear plugs isn’t particularly comfortable.

After, it was time for Walmart, which was chaotic as it appears that they are expanding. There were a lot of people and it was a very unpleasant shopping experience. I didn’t linger, but I loaded up on things I need that are literally twice the cost in Assiniboia and/or that I can’t find in Mexico. It was most of the shopping trip I would have done in Nogales or, more likely, Benson since I don’t like the Nogales Walmart. I also got a bunch of Rubbermaid totes that are $19.99 each at the Home Hardware in town and only $9.99 at the MJ Walmart!

Then, I was beyond ready for lunch and headed to DK Sushi. There was quite a crowd there today and they mixed up my order with another table’s. I got my sushi, no problem, but instead of two pieces each of yam and crab tempura and two dumplings, I got the yam and a double order each of crab and shrimp tempura! By the time the mistake was realised, it was too late, of course, to give the order to the correct table. I cancelled the dumplings and said that I would do my best with the seafood, but there was no way I could eat it all, not with all the sushi I had before! This is what was left over when I’d had my fill!

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It’s an all-you-can eat menu, so there was no extra charge for all this food, but the waste was a shame. I actually took most of the batter off of what I did eat so I could have more seafood, but I can only eat so much!

After lunch, I walked a couple of blocks over to the Salvation Army and decided that I won’t be going back. It’s just not as good as the one in Assiniboia and has a lot of crap. I almost bought a tee-shirt for $5.75 that had a huge stain under the armpit. $5.75 for a used tee-shirt! I did pay that for another one that still had the label on it, though, and got good deals on a few other things.

I headed back to my truck, with the plan being to take it to Kal Tire to have the wheels retorqued, as per their instructions. As it turned out, the Moose Jaw Kal Tire is on the same street where I park my truck when I go for sushi (Fairford), just a couple of blocks past the Safeway. Talk about convenient! They were able to do the work right away and it took all of five minutes. I had to have the wheels retorqued after 100 to 150KM and was already at 175KM, so I didn’t want to wait to get back to the Assiniboia Kal Tire.

My final stop was Safeway for a bathroom break and to grab a cold drink from Starbucks since it was super hot out. I like their passion tea, which has no caffeine, and I always ask for it unsweetened. But dang, it’s pricey up here compared to in the States! I took a sip and must have made a face because the barista laughed and said, “Do you want sweetener after all? It’s really tart, isn’t it?” Actually, no. I thought that she had messed up and added syrup to it! So it doesn’t taste the same up here as it does in the States either. But it was still a very refreshing treat and one I was glad to sip on as I returned to my oven. I mean truck.

At the last minute, I decided to pop into Giant Tiger to see if there was anything interesting, but came out empty handed. Then, it was time for the drive home, which always feels like it takes less time than the drive to MJ. I stopped in at the grocery store  in Assiniboia for drinking water and cereal, which was on mega special. They have opened up the new entrance and it hints at big changes when the renovations are done…

When I got in, I went to C&C’s to give Caroline her Bulk Barn order, have wine, gets lots of canine and feline love, and troubleshoot her email issue. It wound up being very easy seeing as it was a ‘Gmail is programmed by morons who think that alienating their users is the way to get them to switch to other Google products’ issue with Thunderbird that I troubleshooted for myself recently (hint allow ‘non-secure’ apps). Caroline was rather impressed with how quickly I sorted that out, but she has no idea how many hours I put into it at my end!

Then, I went out and helped her and Charles try to get Charles’ motorcycle into his new barn, but the slope into it is too steep so we gave up. I wound up exerting a lot of energy and muscle. So between that and the walking, I should sleep well tonight!

That was my Saturday. Hope y’all had an equally lovely one!