We don’t usually go away until November/December, but we’re sneaking an extra one in this year.  June 18 we’ll be heading to this joint

Gran Bahia Principe Ambar, Punta Cana.  Never been to the Dominican Republic before,  so this will be a new adventure

LOL

So we try to get away every year around November/December.. and this year is kinda special, as we’ll be celebrating my *cough*th birthday.  Ok, so it’s not that special, but I’ve decided I want to turn 40 in another country.  H1N1 be damned, we’re going to Mexico again.    This year’s hot-spot is The Royal Playa del Carmen.

We leave November 13… which incidentally is a Friday.  Nonetheless, I can’t wait!

LOL, I just realized my last entry was from April, in the throes of a major snow storm.  I’m happy to say summer finally did arrive in southwest Ontario, and I’ve been enjoying every minute.  We’ve been busy doing all the exterior landscaping projects we didn’t get a chance to do when we moved into the new house last fall.  We’ve found that everything is dependent on waiting for something else to be done.  They sodded 90% of our lot last fall, and stopped short a couple feet of our property line, and called it a season.  Our neighbour’s house was still being built, and didn’t close until early spring.  Of course, they weren’t graded on closing, so we had to wait for them to get graded before the rest of the sodding could get done.  We had put up a make-shift chicken wire fence/dog-run off our back door for our dogs.  So, we couldn’t do our back patio first like normal people, because we couldn’t take down the dog run until the yard was fenced.  So with a little help from our friends, we built the Taj Ma Fence.  That was one of those projects that got away on us, lol.  Bigass 6×6 posts, and wrought iron toppers.  Pics to follow.  Luckily, both side neighbours and the people behind us are great, and there wasn’t much dickering over the property boundaries.  But of course, the one guy we happen to share 8 INCHES of property with in back had to be the biggest dickhead of them all.  Every neighbourhood has to have at least one, right?

So now the fence is up, a patio or deck is next up on the list.  I’d like a stamped concrete patio over a deck, but it’s going to be an asspain with the fence,  because nobody can get a bobcat through our 4′ gate.  We’ll either have to temporarily remove an 8′ section of our fence, or just go the deck route.  We haven’t decided.

I won’t even talk about my obsession with trees, and trying to decide the best kind to plant in the backyard.

I love our house, but NEVER AGAIN will I build in a new development.  There’s just too much crap to wade through.  But then, the next move I plan to make will be to our retirement home :p

So this is the scene in the GTA this morning

Before we go any further, it’s important to note that it is APRIL 6.   Just a few days away from Good Friday.  There are unconfirmed reports that the Easter Bunny will not be making an appearance this weekend.  He caught wind of what was going on over here, and hi-tailed it back to Bunnyland.   The North Pole is in a state of confusion, and Santa, who has reportedly been suffering from early stages of Altzheimer’s, was spotted loading up the sleigh.  This is not good.

So by now you’ve probably heard the uproar over comments made by douchebag Greg Gutfeld of Fox News on his “Red Eye” show demonstrating complete and utter ignorance of Canada’s military efforts in Afghanistan.  This came on the eve of 4 of our soldiers killed in Kandahar returning home.  For those who missed it;

Yeah.

I realize  “Faux News” is a joke at the best of times and are rarely taken seriously, but this was an all-time low even for them.  They’ve pissed off a lot of people, including our government.  The heat is on, and apologies have been issued.   If you want to call it that.  I’m more than a little annoyed with Gutfeld’s so-called ‘apology’;

Gutfeld, the host of the controversial segment on Fox’s Red Eye show, said he never intended to make light of Canadian military efforts in Afghanistan.

“However, I realize that my words may have been misunderstood,” Gutfeld said in a statement released by Fox News.

What the hell is that?!?!    Um, yes – you did intend to make light of Canadian military efforts in Afghanistan, and no, your words have not been ‘misunderstood’.  Your words were loud and clear, so stop trying to minimize it, asshole.

He would have done much better to say “It was uncalled for, I’m an ignorant, blithering idiot, and I apologize to the families of those killed”  Anything less than that adds insult to injury.

Mostly I’m just angry for the families of the 4 soldiers who came home yesterday, amidst all this Fox crap.  Everyone should be focused solely on laying these boys to rest.

“Heaven done called another blues stringer back home” — Jimmie Vaughan

I was fortunate enough to see Mel Brown perform last April at the Centre in the Square here in Kitchener, alongside Buddy Guy.  What a treat!  Some of the best music I’ve ever heard, and I’m so glad I had the chance to see them together.   Mel will be sadly missed by Kitchener’s blues community.

Thoughts and prayers to his family….

Click here to read an article in the KW Record about Mel Brown’s passing.

Natalie Imbruglia – Torn

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I wouldn’t say spring has sprung, but it it’s trying very hard!  Picked up some cheerful tulips from the grocery store yesterday.

Tulips make me happy.

We still have patches of snow here and there, but I expect most, if not all of it to be washed away by the end of this weekend.  We’re expecting some warm temps and a lot of rain.  I’d rather look at brown grass than brown snow any day.

Could this be the end of the ‘worst winter in recent memory’?  I’ll keep my fingers crossed.  All I know is I’ve never been this excited to turn my clocks forward in my life

Okay let’s be serious here.  6 more weeks of winter, according to ‘Wiarton Willie’, an ill-tempered rodent, who may or may not see a shadow depending on whether February 2 happens to fall on a sunny or cloudy day?

This groundhog is clearly on crack.  I mean, look at him

Dude is messed up.  He’s grossly overweight, albino (so probably half-blind) and in dire need of a manicure.  He even looks like an asshole.

No way am I buying into this hokey crap.  Spring WILL arrive this weekend, and the rodent will be assassinated.  That’s all I’m going to say.