Tuesday, June 7, 2022

Another cleaning day and hopefully Blake Newsletter work

 Yesterday was an amazing day. I did clean all morning and accomplished quite a bit on the top and middle floors. But we also planned a run to the dump with all the metal (and there was a lot) plus wood that we have not yet been able to put to the street garbage. We loaded up the car and that took about 1.5 hours to organize it carefully so that it wouldn't damage the inside of the car. There was so much metal. All kinds of eight foot fencing for snow fences and just a lot of metal poles, siding etc etc. We drove to the dump using our GPS but I did not realize it was all the way across the city and we didn't want to use the Queensway to travel across since we would have to go a bit slower perhaps around 60 to 70 kilometres per hour. So we took the back route which we haven't taken in years and as we travelled along with the GPS we were remembering all of our trips back home along this route when we used to visit our families in southwestern ontario. It was a fun trip and worked out very well. We have 200 pounds of metal and wood plus some building materials. It took us maybe half of an hour to unload all of this material and back home along the Queensway for a much faster lighter ride. We decided we needed one of the ice cream pies from Dairy Queen to celebrate so did that and made our dinner a lovely sweet and sour pork dish which is a favourite of my daughters. Then reorganize the garage which is getting emptier and emptier once again after filling it with all the contents of the shed. Another load to Salvation Army and it will be much emptier. But still there is a lot of stuff and we will continue with our downsizing of the basement into the shed. The Tool Library is our next place to discover in terms of placing Edward's tools in a new home. He had a lot of tools and some of it is already gone but still a lot to go. There are four metal racks in the basement loaded with tools. Then the canning supplies will go next and we will have another dump run with very long metal poles that we need to take apart - I will try CLR to see if I can loosen the joints. The  house must be smiling as the load on its floors lighten I am thinking. I also had a marvelous thought on how to use up all the laminate - Edward always purchased two extra boxes just in case. We will lay down thin cork and then laminate on top in the basement living area - it is just one end that Edward partially finished and has nice area rugs that could be rolled up and the laminate put down and then put down again with their thick underpad of children's square rubber mats to make a really excellent exercise room which is what it has become these days. Plus the treadmill could sit directly on the laminate as it does not sit on the rugs and would make it nicer to use since it is on concrete. Another project but probably not before next summer. 

I did not finish all the dusting yesterday so will do that today along with the robot vacuuming the rugs in the basement and then I will wash that concrete floor and dust down there. As always, cleaning takes up a goodly amount of time but it does keep the dust down. 

Perhaps a little time to work on the Blake Newsletter today. Lots of time though as it is not due until the 1st of July. 

President Macron of France taking a lot of criticism for how he is wanting the illegal Russian war against Ukraine to end. Not humiliating Russia is his aim and he is looking backwards in time to the Treaty of Versailles signed in 1919 after the First World War. It was a punishing Treaty against Germany and was always blamed for the rise of Nazism in Germany. Russia has no such excuse though for invading Ukraine except land greed which Putin and his enablers share with the Nazis in the Second World War; that and a total lack of respect for the people of Ukraine. Although I would not like to see Russia humbled and humiliated when this war ends they will be a pariah nation for a while until we can trust them not to invade the countries around them. That goes for any country in the world really that tries to forcefully bring territory into their control. Surely mankind has fought enough wars in the last century and we can move onward towards a peaceful existence where people can live their lives always prepared to defend ourselves but without this constant desire of some people to be dictators destroying people in their own country who oppose them and for other dictators and their enablers to steal land from their neighbours and murder those people. 

Really as I sit at my computer I find it impossible to find any legitimate reason for Russia being in Ukraine. If the people that the Soviet Union moved to other countries do not wish to be part of those countries they can go back to Russia - they have no right to be fifth columnists upsetting the balance of power in countries and creating conflict. Putin who is just like Hitler is also becoming very like Stalin caring not a whit for his people other than his enablers although he pretends to do so. People have short memories - tons and tons of war materials and food were flown to Russia (and China) from the so-called West (really we are just a whole bunch of countries that happen to be West of Russia but also East so is a funny description is some ways) after the Nazis invaded to help them fight the Nazis. We just happen to think that the world can be preserved and be a fantastic place for all people to live if only the dictators would go away and let people live in the countries as defined. Obviously dictators do not if one judges Russia's actions at this moment in time - they are just greedy.

No comments: