Have a happy Sunday. It’s a bit of a struggle this morning – however, a solid ‘sit’ while gulping coffee seems to have put me on track.

This from Cleese’s A Fish Called Wanda: The Screenplay

Otto: “Apes don’t read philosophy.
Wanda: Yes they do, Otto. They just don’t understand it.” — John Cleese

This past week I needed to make a small change to my RBC account (Royal Bank of Canada). It was the usual telephone-tree hell to eventually get a person and then repeat all the personal identifying details I had already given to the phone-robot. All to do something easily managed on-line if they would only set it up that way.

Later, I received a request to enter details about my “phone experience.” I chose to ignore the request. Three queries later I succumbed. What followed was a never-ending questionnaire which took about ten minutes. Think anyone really reads, understands, and has the wherewithal to make change? Not!

Fifteen Tons and What Do You Get? – Possibly you get the ‘WOW’ factor. Marcia ordered a dump-truck filled with mulch— something the wholesaler referred to as a; “fourteen-scooper.”

Yesterday, the first day of spring, was designated as mulch distribution day.

What took little 98-lbs Angie minutes to dump on our pad took us 5-hours to disperse – and we’re only ¾ of the way done. I believe that I rolled in the neighborhood of fifty wheelbarrow loads here, there, and everywhere. Meanwhile Marcia did similar things with buckets and raking.

I pulled ‘raking’ to the forefront since that is something I cannot do. See, it has to be raked to an exact depth for the specific venue – something I (and men in general) have no sense for. Again, as Wanda was quoted earlier; “They just don’t understand it.”

Oratory Festival – This year the oratory festival at North Avondale Montessori School had students select a Nobel Prize winner. They then gave a talk where they took on the character of their selected prize winner.
Winners were selected for the all-school presentation. The photo shows best buds Vai as Helen Schweitzer wife of Albert Schweitzer and Shiloh, as Peace Prize winner Mother Theresa.

Little Details – Retirement when moving into a new place and getting a house ready for market means that one is about as busy as it can get.

For the past two weeks I’ve been searching for a slot to run out for a quick haircut – without success. In the meantime I’ve focused on the smaller details. Here and there I’ve managed to apply my little touch-up Wahl clipper to all critical hirsute areas; nose, ears, and eye-brows. What is it with age and guys where any hair lost top-side moves down to those areas?

Fini – This coming Tuesday Marin and his sixth-graders will climb aboard a tour-bus at 4:30 in the morning and head for Washington, DC. He’s got an arms-length long list of sites he wants to see. Knowing Marin, he’ll get to do it all – assuming he gets any sleep. A bus-load of sixth graders, no parents, and a couple of chaperones (read; do-good parents who allow their kids to do anything they want) – well you get the idea.

Stay safe and be well, make it a great week. Next weekend we have our Canadian neighbors (should be; neighbours), Barb and Bulent, roll on down from the snowy north to spend it with us.

And if you don’t believe the snowy part, this was Northern Comfort, taken last weekend by Donn.

Cheers.

Dirk