Virtual Front Porch

Happy New Year to you also, I can only hope 2018 will be more civil and compassionate to our fellow man than the train wreck of 2017. May the hate and vitriol of the current administration be overcome by the human compassion of the majority of our countrymen.

As I raise a glass of bourbon in salute to you all, my toast is "confusion to your enemies, and peace in the coming year".

Happy new year to one and all. May all the wealth and health grace you all. Luke

Wishing everyone a happy New Year. I used to post on here a lot, but now all I seem to do is lurk. I hope everyone's 2018 is better then 2017.

I tried calling a friend from the 1960s, today. I had not spoken to him since last New Years because he never answers the phone. So, after some Google time, I found his son and got the bad news. My friend is in advanced care. My friend has Alzheimers and he is deteriorating rapidly. Visiting is not an option, for me. I live 1000 kilometers away and I was told my fiend would not recognize me anyway.
HIs daughter-in-law said my friend is 81. That was a shock, for me. I still had this mental picture of him being much younger. I moved out to the West Coast in 1971, so daily contact was lost.
My Dad used to tell me, " NNS, if you live long enough all of your friends will be dead."
Dad often called my Nikkinutshop because he thought I was not wired right. Dad thought I was crazy for "wasting my time" on his old R120. Then he thought I had really "lost it" when I spent a grand on a 1932 Ruston Hornsby Canadian Elevator engine. He remembered my telling him that I wanted to have a Ruston Hornsby when I grow up, that was in 1950.
I bought the Ruston in 1984. Dad came to visit, from Calgary, after I paid his return on Air Canada. Dad sat on a 5 gallon bucket and we both recalled the days of decades before when I was a pre-schooler and I would ride along when he took a load of wheat to the Alberta Wheat Pool Elevator. This is where I saw my first Ruston Hornsby.
There was not a dry eye in the shop. We went for ice-cream in the R120. I could use an ice-cream right now.
Dad died in 1989.

I want to open my Wells Cargo car hauler trailer to inspect the contents and maybe do a little reorganizing. I will not open the ramp door while we are have this downpour. I do not want to seal a bunch or rain inside this otherwise dry trailer. I do not mind the wind and I do not mind the rain. These two in combination are a PITA and uncomfortable. This is rain country, after all.
WE are lucky to have the rain. My friend lives Up the Frazer Valley about 100 kilometers east and he and his wife are having snow. I mean snow measured in numbers of feet. I sent my friend a link to a place where he can rent Husky Sled Dogs. The attempt at humour was lost on him because of his sore back, from shovelling snow.

We had some very high wind blow through town last night The wind was well over 100km this morning. I got up earlier than usual to check for damage, if any. Our new last summer carport canopy was destroyed. The canopy was being held against the neighbour's wires. I was not going to touch the canopy, so we lassoed one of the canopy leg and pulled the structure back onto our property. The wind kept fighting our efforts and it would be a short time until we would lose control, so my son and wife slashed the canopy cover. The cover and canopy structure collapsed and the drama was over.
Fortunately no IHC parts were damaged. I will be moving some important parts into better storage and other stuff will go to recycling.

That really blows about the wind damage, Brian. I don't imagine those temporary-type shelters get covered by insurance. I don't mind the rain, or lake-effect snow we get here in Michigan, or even the super-low temps, but the wind is nothing but a pain. The last three or four years seems worse than ever, I don't remember constant wind for days when I was a kid. Lately I can relate to the dust bowl days, spring summer and fall.

These rag and tube structures are tolerated by the city even though they are outside of the bylaw allowance. The land use inspectors do nothing about these "temporary" structures until someone complains.
Absolutely, there is not insurance coverage. I would think the insurance premiums, if available, over a few years could match the cost of another canopy from COSTCO. This is our third canopy in 15 years. I got almost ten years service from the first canopy, the next one lasted five years. This last one was put up in August, 2017.
I have to agree with your observations on the changing weather. The West Coast gets rain and we get strong wind. It has been this way for the nearly 50 years I have lived here.-These last few years, the wind had become more destructive and the rain is more like a tropical monsoon. In one morning we went from freezing cold and overcast to an inch of hail then then a monsoon and then the sun came out just after lunch and we had "T" shirt weather. The road was dry and the weather of earlier that day was like it had never been here. By supper time the temperature was below freezing.

Big bags of DORITOS are on sale for $2. My wife bought one bag for me to try and if I like DORETOS, she will pick up more tomorrow. So here I am munching on Doritos and slurping COKE ZERO. We are having cheese burgers for supper. My wife baked cinnamon buns and I might have a C'bun for dessert. I feel absolutely presidential.
I was watching Jimmy Kimmel last night and this goddess Stormy Daniels walked out on stage, looking like a dream come true. My mind went blank when I heard her laugh and all I could see was her beautiful big...........................eyes. I did a few hours of research on Stormy this morning. Time well wasted.

Hey , what do you guys think about the oil pipe line and the mining of the oil sands ? Just saw the extent of the operation , pretty big . Searched the topic and didn't see anything .