It's about time.

Many of you can relate to Working long hours at your career. Raising your families. Buying a home and paying all the bills related to being homeowners and parents. We're now retired and don't need all that work and expense. Now "It's about time" and what we do to follow our dreams.

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Saturday, July 31, 2021

Really Needed It, Blog Reading and Another Weather Change Coming.

 Our Location today is at Windsor, Ontario.

Click on the pictures to enlarge.

Even though I was in bed at a reasonable hour last night I was shocked that I slept past 8:30 this morning. According to my CPAP Machine we were connected minutes shy of Nine Hours. I really must have needed that because I never woke once during the night. Of course I didn’t even make it to the Kitchen when Kathy joined me.

What our weather looked like today.

Wanting something different for breakfast we had Banana Pancakes but not our normal Plate Sized Pancakes. We cooked both our Pancakes in the same frying pan at the same time. That’s a big reduction in the number of Carbs that we were eating.

On the Computer I reviewed Hundreds of Job Ads but nothing in my field. John was supposed to call me but I’m still waiting. I ended up reading more Blogs today then I have been able to in a long time even commenting on many of them.

Lunch was Chicken Noodle Soup with Cheese on Crackers with an Apple for dessert.

There was more reading done this afternoon until we made supper together. We had Leftover Manwich on Hamburger Buns with Leftover Caesars Salad and a Chocolate Pudding Cup for dessert.

Our 6 o’clock Local News didn’t mention anything about the Coronavirus in the Windsor/Essex Region because they were too busy talking about the Olympics. Our temperature today felt like 86 F (30 C) with a good chance of Thunderstorms tonight through tomorrow.

We later watched a Hallmark Movie for some entertainment this evening. Tomorrow should be a busier day.

Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment unless it personally attacks someone for their opinion or is Spam.

Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

Words of Inspiration

Never say there is nothing beautiful in the world anymore. There is always something to make you wonder in the shape of a tree, the trembling of a leaf.

Albert Schweitzer, Doctor

Friday, July 30, 2021

Twice in Two Weeks and A Birthday Call.

 Our Location today is at Windsor, Ontario.

Click on the pictures to enlarge.

As many of our longtime readers recall when Kathy used to tell me I should make something it would end with me spending sleepless nights because I was basically designing and building it when I should have been sleeping. With the demand for the New Carriers ASAP it would require building an accurate Jig to accomplish that much detail. I kept being awakened by my building the Jig until I finally got up to take an Extra Strength Tylenol. At least I slept like a rock for the next Five Hours.

It felt strange walking into the plant for the second time in Two Weeks that production on the Paint Line would not be working. So the first thing I started working on was building the Jig. I really had a good idea after having designed it repeatedly while I should have been sleeping.

I was making good progress until Paul the Owner walked in around 8:00. Bringing me out to the start of the Paint Line he explained things were being removed and repaired. Two Pumps and their Control Panel were being removed from the Pit that connects to the City Storm Sewer System. When we had the Heavy Rainfall Two Weeks ago it resembled a Geyser flooding the entire plant floor.

Bringing the Torch over it didn’t take long to disconnect the Water Lines and break loose the Panels. When Paul talked of getting the grinder to remove brackets welded to Beams that put a smile on my face. When he returned and saw the brackets cleanly removed he could not believe that could be done with a Torch. That was the type of work I did for most of my Career before I retired.

Once the Pumps were removed we found a piece of Grating to fill the now open void. Using a Forklift Paul brought it to the Compound where I cut it to size. I then had to notch the end of each bar because the Grating was an Inch and a Half Thick where the ledge along the Pit was only One Inch Thick.

It was nearly 1:00 when Paul told me to take my lunch. There wasn’t another person in sight. I spoke briefly to Kathy while eating my Sandwich.

Since this was Friday I didn’t want to have to stay late so I returned as soon as the Half Hour was over. There was still nobody else on the floor so I used a Two Wheel Cart to move the Three Hundred Pound Grating back to the Pit. Using leverage to my advantage it didn’t take long to have it in place. That’s when everyone else showed up only to comment how nice it looked. (Where were they for the hard part?)

After collecting our Mail at Guardian Storage and depositing my Cheque at Motor City Community Credit Union I was walking in the Apartment by 4:20.

I briefly spoke with John and I should hear back from him tomorrow.

Kathy made a Caesars Salad as a side to go with the Spare Ribs we had for supper and a Pecan Tart for dessert.

Our 6 o’clock Local News announced 4 New Coronavirus Cases in the Windsor/Essex Region bringing our Active Cases to 25.

Our temperature today felt like 81 F (27 C) which is a lot cooler then the last week.

As soon as the News was over I actually called my sister Anna to wish her a Happy Birthday. She felt privileged having just read it on last night’s Blog and a Face Book Greeting that Kathy had sent.

My shower felt wonderful. That is the one thing I don’t like about working in that plant is the Chemical Smell on my Clothes and Body.

Thankfully I have the Weekend to do what we need to do.

Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment unless it personally attacks someone for their opinion or is Spam.

Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

You know your getting old when your try to straighten out the wrinkles in your socks and discover you aren't wearing any.

Thursday, July 29, 2021

Change Of Plans and Cooling Down.

 Our Location today is at Windsor, Ontario.

Click on the pictures to enlarge.

After completing my Morning Walk Around and noting more problems developing I returned to the Compound to scrounge around for a Screwdriver. Two Weeks tomorrow Paul the Owner removed the Face Plate on an Electrical Panel and never replaced it once he had the Welding Plug working. Knowing the Dangers and more then I let on about Electricity I felt a sense of relief after remounting the Plate.

As soon as I returned to the Compound I brought in one sheet of Aluminium at a time and started laying out which Panels I was going to cut from each one thus eliminating a lot of Waste. By the time I finished doing so there are now One and a Half Sheets that were not needed for this project.

This morning Kharen the Supervisor had finally retrieved the Modified Carrier to try on the Paint Line. Line Workers were saying it was so much easier to use that Paul the Owner came to the Compound and said he wanted Twenty more ASAP. He wanted all new material used so that they would be accurate. Once those take up the slack we’ll look at modifying some of the older Carriers. That also means putting the Powder Coating Booth Panels on hold.

That also meant I had to haul by hand over multiple trips Four Hundred Pounds of Materials over Five Hundred Feet from the rear storage bay to the Compound. That’s when we discovered the Metal Cut-Off Saw was not working. While I worked with the Iron Worker to cut other Materials both Paul and Kharen tried to resurrect that poor piece of trash. When that failed they brought over a Cut-Off Saw designed for Wood. I was told to make it work.

After finding a Cut-Off Wheel with a small enough Arbour Hole and clamping it to a Work Bench I got the Tubing all cut. I finished cutting the last piece at exactly 3:15 which is when I start my break and wash up for the end of my shift.

When I walked in the Apartment the Air Conditioning felt good. Kathy had opened the Balcony Door for about Ten Seconds before closing it again. It took nearly a Half Hour more for my clothes to finish drying.

I called John as arranged yesterday but was only able to reach his Voice Mail. I haven’t heard from him yet.

I received a Comment about dropping talking the Police about yesterday’s discovery. That was actually what I had been thinking of doing all day. Later this evening a Friend from the Force also advised against it. They claim they know all the addresses in the city where they could possible face those kinds of Dangers.

The heat of the day really got the best of us. We had a Store Bought Medium Thin Crust Hawaiian Pizza for supper along with a cup of Hot Cocoa.

Our 6 o’clock Local News announced 1 New Coronavirus Cases in the Windsor/Essex Region bringing our Active Cases to 22.

Our temperature today felt like 102 F (39 C). We can expect overnight and early morning Showers that will bring tomorrow’s temperature to around 75 F (24 C). That will be a welcome change. So looking forward to the weekend.

Knowing my sister Anna will be reading this in the morning we want to wish her a Happy Birthday tomorrow.

Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment unless it personally attacks someone for their opinion or is Spam.

Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

You Might Be a Redneck If

Your wife weighs more then your refrigerator.

Wednesday, July 28, 2021

It’s A Gun, Another Possible Job and Cops Hanging Up On Me.

 Our Location today is at Windsor, Ontario.

Click on the pictures to enlarge.

Since the Break-In happened this past weekend things have gotten crazier at work. There was a different Padlock on the Compound Gate so I headed to the Office. Strangely the Lights were not on in Paul’s Office. I took a few Keys to try but no luck. When I returned to the Office Paul was just getting dressed. He has a Futon Bed in his Office and will occasionally spend the night. When I mentioned the New Lock he knew exactly which Key I needed. As I opened the Compound I thought it strange that he had slept so late. As I hung the Key back in the Office I noticed the Butt of a Long-Gun sticking out from under the covers where he had been sleeping. He had been on Guard Duty most of the night.

After my Morning Walk Around the plant checking the Pumps, Motors and Rollers I returned to the Compound. Even though the Image of what I had seen kept haunting me I managed to finish the Carrier Modification that Kharen had wanted so badly yesterday.

Just as I was finishing up Kharen the Supervisor started looking through the Company Toolbox looking for a Ratchet Wrench. Since I remembered him taking the last one weeks ago I mentioned it and exactly where I remembered him using it at.

Then he remembered me using a Ratchet on the 30 Horse Power Electric Motor that burnt out. “Where are those Toolshe asked.

I simply answered, “They were My Tools that got stolen on the Weekend and I can’t afford to replace them”. He walked out and never came back for the Carrier.

When I spoke to Kathy during my 1:00 lunch she mentioned that Mary from Healthy Heals had just left and her feet felt wonderful.

I returned to attaching the Aluminium Panels to the Steel Frames using Pop-Rivets for the remainder of the day. As I moved those around in the Compound I realized they had hidden the big Commercial Grade Battery Charger that’s on wheels. Otherwise that also might have been stolen.

When I arrived at the Apartment I immediately told Kathy about my observation. I then called John who had been leaving messages for me to call. He did not remember Interviewing me in the beginning of May before I started where I am. When I mentioned the name of his Supervisor and the plant layout he started remembering me and the Truck. (Everybody remembers the Truck.)

Because we were expecting other calls and Kathy had an upset tummy we had Chunky Chicken Noodle Soup along with Cheese on Crackers for supper. We topped it off with a Chocolate Pudding Cup for dessert.

Bell Wireless finally called around 5:15. I’ve mentioned that we have not able to retrieve any Voice Messages to our Home Number since the beginning of the year. Because it is a Hub it uses a Wireless Connection and the Thousands of Bell Customers using that system were all having the same problem. Unfortunately the fix was not the same for everyone but as of this evening it is now working.

Our 6 o’clock Local News announced 5 New Coronavirus Cases in the Windsor/Essex Region bringing our Active Cases to 23. How can they have 0 one day then 23 the next. The Math does not add up.

Our temperature today felt like 95 F (35 C).

Having discussed this with Kathy once the News was over I tried reporting the Long-Gun sighting to the Windsor Police Department without them using my name. I don’t want an Officer responding to a Break-In and getting shot by Paul the Owner. Sitting in the Bedroom so as not to disturb Kathy my Cell Phone kept losing its connection. In the Livingroom it worked just fine. They switched me from one department to another only for me to be disconnected for a 911 Call. I’ll try again tomorrow.

Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment unless it personally attacks someone for their opinion or is Spam.

Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

My hairdresser is never late for an appointment.

She knows all the shortcuts.

Tuesday, July 27, 2021

Security Gate Installed and Agreeing With Comments.

 Our Location today is at Windsor, Ontario.

Click on the pictures to enlarge.

Last night before I left the plant at the end of my shift I gathered my Welding Shield, Welding Gloves, MIG Pliers, 10” Adjustable Wrench and 7” Combination Square. Those were the only personal Tools that remained after the Weekend Break-in.

When the shift started I immediately returned to building the Security Gate without going for my morning walk or talking to anyone in Management. Minutes later I found out someone had placed a Lock on the Gang-Box where some of the Power Tools were stored and I needed them. Asking Paul the Owner for the Key he had no idea who put it there but found a Key that would not work. His order “Cut it off”.

By 8:30 the Gate was totally welded and I was beginning to haul the Welding Machine outside. Don’t forget this unit is meant to roll around on a nice smooth surfaces. Here I was rolling across Weather Damaged Cement. Once it was where it would practical I then had to pass the Power Cord through the Compound Window so it could be plugged in along with an extension cord.

Inside having gotten Power I was about to head back to the job when Kharen the Supervisor waves me over and starts walking towards the Paint Line. He wanted me to start modifying Carriers. Before he could go any further I said there was the possibility of a storm this afternoon and I needed to finish welding the Security Gate before I did anything else. He was about to say something when I walked away.

Since I was again working at mounting this Hundred Pound Gate by myself I was very surprise when the Level showed it to be perfect. Starting with stitches (Not Medical or Sewing) I was in the process of cleaning the Welding Gun when I saw Paul looking. I pointed at the Level then showed him how I would add Clips that would Bolt through the Old Door to add security. He gave me a Thumbs Up before walking away.

Once all the welding was done and the clips installed it didn’t take long to insert the Homemade Bolts. (They have no Heads.) At that time I brought all the smaller tools inside before pushing the Welding Machine back inside. I even stopped to catch my breath a few times before reaching the Compound.

Kharen was insistent that I see his problem. He wants me to rotate the Clips on a particular style of Carrier so the parts will stay in place better. I brought it back to the Compound to measure so even though things would be different they would be the same. I wrote everything on the Workbench before sketching it in my Notepad.

Thankfully it was my 1:00 lunch and I could talk with Kathy. She had checked out the Balcony but quickly returned to the Air Conditioned Apartment.

When I returned inside the Forklift Driver had finally moved things away from inside the Old Door I had put the Bolts through. Now I could finally put the Nuts and Washers on the inside.
When I returned to the
Compound Kharen asked where was I. “Just finishing the Job.” (I don’t think he likes my matter of a fact answers.) When he said I took too long I replied I used the tools I had. I showed him my measurements and he agreed but he wanted me to modify different style of Carrier like that even though it was far from the one that I measured up.

Then he saw the Lock that I cut off. He started screaming again showing me a Key he claimed would open it. Then told him Paul had repeatedly tried that Key before telling me to “Cut it off”. He left in a flash.

It felt comfortable sitting in the Air Conditioned Apartment while I cooled down. I called our Insurance Company who said my Tools were in fact covered but there was a Thousand Dollar Deductible. I applied for another Job before supper.

It’s been ages but we had open-faced Manwiches for supper. There is lots more that might end up as a Spaghetti SauceWe finished the Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls for dessert.

Our 6 o’clock Local News announced 0 New Coronavirus Cases in the Windsor/Essex Region. That also brought our Active Cases to 0 for the first time in over Fourteen Months.

Our temperature today felt like 97 F (36 C) which I am happy to say I was back inside the building by the time that happened.

Having read everyone’s Comments I totally agree but will keep working with the few Tools I have and bringing them home every night until they supply me with some or I leave for another Job.

Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment unless it personally attacks someone for their opinion or is Spam.

Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

Words of Inspiration

I attribute my success to this, I never gave or took any excuse.

Florence Nightingale

Monday, July 26, 2021

Robbed and A Fun Road Trip.

 Our Location today is at Windsor, Ontario.

Click on the pictures to enlarge.

After a good night’s sleep I felt good walking into the plant this morning that was until I reached the Compound. At first I thought that someone had again not cleaned up after using company tools. Then I noticed My Toolboxes were gone. Looking around to see cut Hoses where the Oxy-Acetylene Torch had been as well as the Portable Welding Machine missing. The new roll of MIG Wire had also been cut and taken due to its Copper Coating. They must have thought they hit the jackpot. Fools!

As soon as I notified Paul the Owner he verified that it happened on the weekend. Walking me outside behind the large Roll-Off Bin that the Roofers had placed in front of the building he showed me how they got in. An old dilapidated Roll-up Door from the early days of the building. The thieves had kicked in a panel, crawled through and had access to the entire plant. Paul’s words were “Make something so they can’t get in again”.

When we got back inside he said, “Make a list of everything Missing”. It was easy listing what Company Tools had disappeared but when it came to what was in my Two Small Toolboxes the list continued to grow throughout the day.

Around 8:30 Paul returned asking what we needed to be able to weld and run the shop again. Showing him a few things on the List he just said “Come with me”. I mentioned I should let Kharen know we were leaving. He just waved his hand in a pushing away motion.

When I asked about replacing my stolen Tools Paul said “It is what it is. You’ll have to replace them yourself”. In other words even though I use my Tools to keep this business going I have to replace them out of my own pocket. That reinforced my feeling about finding another job.

It was nearly 10:00 when we returned from the Welding Supply Company. As I was setting the Compound back up Kharen the Supervisor showed up in a Panic. He was screaming again until I assured him Paul and I were taking care of the matter. We had what we needed to weld and I was constructing a gate that would prevent any future entry. He walked away looking stunned.

Kathy had an early start to her day as well getting up at 7:00 getting things ready to go. She drove to our daughter Karen’s house in Tecumseh. She along with Melissa our daughter-in-law were have a girls day out. With both Karen and Melissa working at home since the start of the Coronavirus Lock-Downs and it is now Summer made it much easier to schedule a day off.

Their Road Trip took them all the way to Chatham about Fifty Miles down the 401 Highway. (Just the thought is making me jealous.) They checked out a number of the Small Shops as well as helping the local economy. They had lunch at the Shady Pines Restaurant all the while getting in valuable visiting time that they have missed out on due to all the Coronavirus Lock-Downs.

By the end of the shift I had all the Materials tacked together for the Security Gate. Seeing Paul I signalled him to come check it out. He pointed at me and gave me a Thumbs Up. I guess he’ll be happy. In the morning I should be able to have it completely welded within and Hour. Then I’ll be bringing everything outside to permanently install it over the old Roll-up Door.

When I arrived at the Apartment Kathy said she had been home less then Ten Minutes. She wasn’t happy to hear about my day.

Kathy remembered to use the Camera today to help document their outing and so I could write about it in the Blog but we couldn’t find it anywhere. She double checked her Purse while I searched the Car to no avail. Calling Karen resulted in her finding it on the floor of her car.

We had a Store Bought Medium Thin Crust Pizza for supper. Unfortunately it was a little too spicy for Kathy’s taste.

Our 6 o’clock Local News announced 13 New Coronavirus Cases in the Windsor/Essex Region. They believe them to be the new Delta Variant but they haven’t confirmed that yet. That also brought our Active Cases back up to 24.

Our temperature today felt like 97 F (36 C) but I didn’t have the camera to picture it.

As soon as the News was over we headed over to Karen’s in Tecumseh to retrieve the Camera. Sanford enjoyed the extra treat that Kathy always gives him.

With Thunderstorms in the forecast for later tomorrow I’m hoping to get that Security Gate completed in the morning.

Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment unless it personally attacks someone for their opinion or is Spam.

Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Krackers

If number Two pencils are so popular why are they still number Two?