From the blustery city, good morning all:

“knock knock at a New Orleans door:

answer from old-timer Saints fan on inside: Who dat?

person outside: Who dat? Who dat, say who dat, when you say who dat?

old-timer Saints fan: Who dat fiddlin’ wit’ people’s talk — Ed H, in the WSJ objecting on NFL laying claim to the phrase “Who dat.”

Starting last weekend the television weather wienies started their weeklong refrain of way-over-the-top-end-of-the-city-river-banks-over-flowing-and-smashing-big-buildings-doom-and-gloom-Mother-of-all-Storms kind of language. It was like a steady drum beat, heard no matter what you did to escape, you couldn’t. Now, before I continue, I need a bit more coffee just so that I can read the “Wisdom of the week” out loud and not get tongue twisted.

Back to the weather, yesterday they just gave up on reporting any news and went home. To fill the time they left the weather reporter standing in front of a green screen supported by a myriad of underlings all shivering on highways and byways, all except for one. She stood on an 87,000 ton mountain of salt surrounded by 125 yellow dump trucks. I thought it quite symbolic (virgin in the volcano kinda thing) and expected The Who to start playing any second. Oh wait, I got it wrong, The Who is playing tomorrow at the Super Bowl halftime spectacle. I remember them giving a fantastic concert in Scarborough the summer of 1953—remember that one?

Finally that one remaining weather person could contain himself no longer and uttered the dreaded “seek immediate cover in advance of the approaching white death” line.

For years I have been unable to comprehend the meaning of the “white death” phrase. Now that I am not getting any younger (birthday later this month), I finally figured it out. People, it has NOTHING TO DO WITH SNOW!

The reference is to the cancellation, for hundreds of miles around, of each and every scheduled Bingo tournament. Do you realize how this is affecting tens of thousands of little white haired ladies—little ladies who only live for weekend Bingo and will now, figuratively speaking, die. OK does the phrase “white death” now start to make sense?

This morning it’s very pretty outside, an authentic winter wonderland. I believe there to be 2 to 3 inches of snow.

I had meant to use this picture of Derek and Kellen a couple of weeks ago. However, with my computer in repairs, I struggled mightily getting anything posted. Anyway, Vince and Kirstin took the kids on an organized adventure. They first sought permission and once secured the little guys went into people’s property to glean any left over fruit. This was then packed and taken for distribution to needy folk. I was told that these two guys filled twenty bags. What a great lesson in a bunch of ways. Thanks for doing this you guys!

It was not a New Year’s resolution. What precipitated it was the fact that I discovered that I am stiff as a board. Panic set in when I realized that in only a few short months I will want to be back climbing into my Folbot kayak. Getting into the kayak is not really the issue, I just sorta plop. It’s the getting out bit that becomes somewhat more challenging. Events have a way of making sense. Marcia asked me to take some throw-away stuff from the basement. It was there that I discovered the long unused/forgotten copy of my old official Royal Canadian Air Force Exercise Plans for physical Fitness, the 5BX plan.

So, I am back doing a start-up daily regimen of exercises; much of it being stretching. The first thing I am discovering is that pain precedes gain.

Make it a great week everyone. We’ll be enjoying the Super Bowl event at A & Ts with family and friends. I hope that you’ll also have a great time. Factoid: the first Super Bowl – 1967 – best seats cost $12.00 each, for tomorrow’s game these seats went for $1,000.

Cheers,

Dirk