This year, 2016, is a an excellent year for my crab apple tree. The blossoms are really pretty, and the weather has cooperated. They will stay fresh for only 5 days max, and then will die. For now we can enjoy them, as they splash their pink hue from outside into our house. The tree is male, so bears no apples.
2016 Crab Apple Tree, male, a couple of days before full bloom. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Photo by Don Tai
2016 Crab Apple Tree bloom, a couple of days before full bloom. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Photo 1 by Don Tai
Welcome to my web site. If I can break the boredom of your day or put a smile on your face I am happy. These are some visitors that are unexpected but welcome. Most of these are government agencies, because I think it is odd that any government would be interested in my writing. There are lots of educational institutions that visit, but they are not as interesting to me. Note that just because they visit my site does not mean that they are hunting for bad stuff. It usually means that workers are human, looking for general life information and find it on my site for specific topics.
Not possible, I thought, to royally screw up sardines. There is really not much to them. Remove the head and tail, put into container, add oil, seal, right? Wrong. You also need to remove the scales. These S&F Food Importer sardines are simply terrible. They were so bad that I went back to the grocery store here in Toronto, Canada, and asked for a refund, which I rarely do, and they refused.
Old it is, but made of metal and therefore still serviceable. Our Presto 6 quart pressure cooker model 126002 is over 20 years old and works well for cutting cooking time down for tough cuts of meat. We needed a new gasket, or what they call a “sealing ring”. Tried as I might, no stores in Toronto, Canada carry it that I could find, so I had to order online at…Home Hardware, a store I rarely even consider.
Presto pressure cooker, model 126002, still good after 20+ years. Photo by Don Tai
Not new, global warming, as a topic for conversation. Oh no. But I fear that it may be unfair for First World countries to point the finger at developing countries around the world and tell them to reduce emissions. They have a valid point. Let us look at CO2 emissions per capita instead.
Talk about a huge inequality. Even in the top 10 countries for CO2 emissions per capita, the bottom 2, Poland and the UK, use less than half of the top 4 polluters.
Not being one to was the car often, I’ve opted to install rear splash guards. They will keep the rear of the car cleaner, as there will be less splash up of water and snow. The front splash guards came with the car. As all Canadian Fits already come with front splash guards I only had to install the rear ones. I did not need to remove the rear tires to install the splash guards, but did need a really short philips screwdriver. Here in Canada these rear splash guards cost $61CAD for the pair. The quality of the splash guards is quite good. The fit was also great.
Difficult as it may be, hard decisions often need to be made. The Toronto District School Board, Toronto, Canada, has seen an average of 4% falling enrollment for their students for a good decade or more. This is a well known problem, but has been highlighted recently because of funding shortfalls and possible scandal at the school board. The under utilization problem is very well known. There was even a Queen’s University study on the subject.Yet there is no political will to close schools, even in the face of an obvious decline in students and therefore, government funding. Elected school trustees seem to not be able to do their jobs.
How did the world here in Toronto become so rude once people have a mobile phone in their hands? There was once a time when people walked around and acted with much more manners. These times seem to have passed as people gab on their phones, oblivious of the inconvenience they cause others. You think you can multitask, like talk on the phone and walk. Well, no, you cannot.
