The weather has settled into a pattern of just below freezing at night to a couple of degrees above zero in the day. A little wind all the time, but not really uncomfortable. Just normal November weather. Compared to last year, I like it. We have even had some sun so for me, anytime we have sun, that's a bonus!
No hoar frost to report. The weather next May I expect is going to be pleasant. Good seeding weather. Come next spring, check the wheel bearings and grease'r up and away we go! My land is fit to seed, How about all you zero tillers. Are you ready to seed?
On the home front, nothing has happened on the farm as far as outside work. I have paper work that seems to keep me busy.
We now have been two weeks without a landline telephone. People who tried to fax us couldn't. People who tried to phone us couldn't. The people who were phoning us, it sounded like it was ringing and ringing but no answer. The phone in the house did not make a sound. We reported the phone out and after a week, they came on a Friday to fix it. They discovered a broken wire under the deck where our phone entered the house. They fixed that but reversed the wires. Now someone who phoned the house would get the fax line. It is set to ring twice and then go to the fax machine but the fax machine was on the other line. If you phoned the fax line you got nothing as we had to be right there to answer it. Again we reported the phone trouble. Can't come for another week! Finally we shut the fax machine off, because by the way we couldn't receive any anyway! Now today, another Friday, they have come back and switched the lines back and everything is back to normal. (I hope)
Ithas really been the (cow manure)( bull dung) (dog poop). I don't know what word the editor will let me print but the word I want to use is the (s---s). We can't receive or send a fax. We can't get all our emails. You send an email and the computer says it's gone but did the other people receive it? We don't know unless we phone them with our cell phones and ask them. We have had to use our cell phones and that has really run up the minutes we have used. I don't have a cell phone that gets emails or maybe I'm not smart enough to use it. I am an old dinosaur who still doesn't know how to text. I don't personally have anyone I want to text anyway, I'd rather just phone them. I leave the texting up to my wife, Beverly. She can receive emails on her phone and she sends texts. She has upgraded twice so her phone is newer. I like my phone. It is a simple flip open that protects the numbers from accidentally being hit. It is small and I carry it in my pocket. It has a protective case. It does everything I need. They will have to pry this cell phone out of my cold dead fingers one day.
We have had problems with these phone lines all summer. We have phoned them before, reporting loud buzzing on the phone so you could hardly hear the other person. When they came to fix it they always claimed "wet pedestal." This very well could be but I think it's obvious it has been the connection under the deck to the house all the time.
Sasktel has agreed to not charge us for the two weeks that our phones were not working. Credit for the extra minutes on our cell phones is at the moment under discussion between them and my secretary!
In world news the giant storm that hit the Philippines has decimated the people who live there. They had very little before and now most have nothing. No place to live, no food or safe water. None had any food stored up ahead. It is the custom for the women to go shopping every day. That way the food was fresh and most do not have power or refrigerators. Now the market where they went shopping is not there either. It is all very devastating and you can't help but feel sorry for them
In political news the senate story has gone quiet. Thank goodness! In Toronto they are still battling with Mayor Rob Ford. Every day there is another scandal coming forth. There is somebody doing a professional job of character assassination on Rob Ford. The way the scandals are being doled out, obviously someone has a vendetta against Rob Ford and is using the media to pull him down. He does enough damage, shooting himself in the foot, he doesn't need more media help. I think he will have to quit and that's not right. He has yet to be convicted of anything. All he has had is a kangaroo court and trial by media. The voters should be the ones to decide if Ford is done. Not the media!
Joke of the week: After a husband and wife have a heated argument, the wife calls her mother. "He fought with me again! I'm coming over to live with you." To which her mother replies, "No, no, darling. He must pay for his mistake. I'm coming to live with you."
