Season's Greetings

Wishing everyone a safe and happy festive season!

...from the internet

from the internet

See you in 2018.

Government's Competition: Fair or Not?

...Not!

Your local government spends your tax dollars to buy a building and then rents it for an event or function.  You and other business people in your community are zoned commercial.  So...is government using your money to compete with private enterprise? 
Sure they are!

 
Local government has competed with private enterprise in their own community.

But you're the taxpayer whose taxes helped the government buy the property that competes with you.
And they'll continue to compete with your business.
Yessirreebob.

And then they'll want to renovate the building.
So you the taxpayer will contribute towards that too...

The following from Coldstream Mayor Jim Garlick, Community News, Dec./17:

"Council would also like to get community feedback in a process to look at a replacement plan for the Coldstream Women's Institute Hall.  Council has budgeted money to carry out a planning process for a future hall to replace the existing hall next to the Cenotaph Park.  We would like to engage the public in the process in 2018 to create a plan for the community to use when it comes time to replace the existing hall which has had a long and well-used life...."

And in that same Christmas letter to residents, local government promotes their rental facility too:

There's also the offer of general liability insurance through government's "municipal user policy"...sheesh, how does private enterprise get in on group (municipal) rates?

The City of Vernon also competes with private enterprise within its boundaries.
They own the old Lakers Clubhouse and rent it out to functions and events.


"Deck their halls..." Kia would've sung the popular festive tune.

Perhaps the W.I. hall isn't the only thing in need of replacement.

Signs...

Some are definitely worth keeping...at least on the blog.

The first is one of my favourites...from Sundial Lighting in Vernon:

Me too!

This in the U.K. after Canada's Trudeau (T2) paid Omar Khadr 10.5 million bucks.

Well...why NOT?

This during the Spring 2017 flood event...that saw three weeks of rain.

Alternative to expensive groceries...a sign in the U.S.

This just after T2 won the election in Canada...

Is this indicative of high dropout rates in some areas of the U.S.A ?

a fav of mine from March/April 2017...our non-spring.  Brrrrr!

GVW customer?  Nah...

This "secret society" never seems to get good press...they work without fanfare.

lots of tears...from lots of people.

Appeared to coincide with Albertans moving here after the NDP won there!

And this one may be THE winner:

The most popular sign, according to the email Inbox.

Enough Snow for L'il Man

Our grandson is now 3-1/2 years old and I'm reminded of a comment from my Mother when he was born: 

"A grandchild is God's second chance to enjoy a child."

My Mother was right.

L'il man getting familiar with gliding on snow in our yard...

As Christmas approaches, simple pleasures become a tradition with the next generation: an Advent calendar that helps count down the too-numerous days of December until Santa arrives, sleepovers in one of our bedrooms now that he has outgrown his home's crib, special breakfasts that include pancakes and peaches, a little stepstool that allows him to place ornaments on the bottom half of the Christmas tree.

Our daughter enrolled l'il man in Silver Star's excellent ski program.  Here he is at his first lesson:

The little people are in Silver Star's "Rippers" program.  L'il man is in foreground.

And the skiff of snow we have is perfect!  Temperatures aren't too cold for this grandparent to enjoy the outdoors with l'il man.  Unlike that freak snowstorm we experienced in early November:

Way too much snow and cold in early November.  One night saw -16C.

That was quite the storm...heavy wet snow that brought down tree branches...and bent my laundry umbrella!

And l'il man was adamant about decorating his own home...albeit in November!  Here he is with his idea:

L'il man talked his Mother into decorating their house...in November.

I'm delighted that my Mother--his great Grandmother--is still able to enjoy him.  Here he is visiting her at Coldstream Meadows, her assisted living care facility:

Fourteen days until Santa's visit...an eternity for l'il man...a flash for a senior!

"Each day is important as we age," Kia would've said.

Yes it is.

Coldstream's Revival?

...At least the sleepy community of Coldstream appears to no longer be stuck in reverse since the loss of 300 jobs with the 2008 closure of Consumers Glass by parent company Owens Illinois.

about time the blue arrow began to turn upwards...

So nine years later, the announcement by Coldstream Ranch Owner Keith Balcaen that Quebec's Vegpro is investing $60 million into a vegetable processing plant on the North side of Highway 6 has long-time Coldstream Mayor Jim Garlick smacking his lips.

Garlick's lip balm equates to a windfall for the community's tax coffers.

The Vegpro value-added farming operation won't recover the lost property taxes since Consumers Glass closed, but 200 new jobs (reportedly paying a minimum $15.00 per hour) will be welcome indeed in a community where young people have been forced to leave and look for work elsewhere.
That's not all.

Another uptick to the property tax and jobs base is from the shuttered Consumers Glass site with Restoration Lands' production of magnesium-oxide boards, expected to commence soon as their certification is now in place.  One hundred jobs are expected to be added at the Lavington site.


"Good that Highway 6 was widened a few years ago," Kia would've said.

Good point.

Busier than a Hoot Owl on a Starry Night

Oh man...busier than I thought I'd be since September 30th when the course closed.

It started early October when we decided the ceilings had to be redone.
Why?  Well, it became recently apparent that the wrong painting contractor was hired during renovations--some seven years ago.

Either the wrong paint was used, or primer had initially not been applied to some areas, but patches of ceiling paint were hanging--triangle-shaped, like a pizza slice--from numerous corners of the ceiling!  There was no way to fix only the corners.

So...when I left for my Wenatchee trip in October, I was happy to believe that the work would be completed when I returned.  Not so...as a second contractor had to be hired by the first contractor; one who was "more experienced in fixing the screw-up", as the first contractor bluntly stated.

Returning from my trip, I found the room much as it was when I left.
The work was completed over the next four days:  stripping, scraping and resealing, re-primering and then repainting.  The gentleman who completed the work actually put in a 15-hour day on his last day--a Friday--by saying he wouldn't leave until he was done so that we wouldn't have to put up with the mess over a full weekend.  What a sweetie.  And, yes, we were grateful.

Lots of restaurant meals...couldn't get to the microwave, or stove, or even make a pot of coffee in the morning!

.

 

 

Imagine living like this for nearly a week...

Next was the replacement of the last of the old windows.  Three living room windows and one den window were installed by Centra Windows, the company who did such a wonderful job replacing our original windows during the first renovation.

Great company, owned by its employees, who did a fine job.

Then it was time to finally remove the last of the main floor carpet...in the family room...and install plank flooring.  I love how practical this flooring is...vacuuming takes all of eight minutes.  It looks and smells so clean!

The plank flooring is finally finished in the family room.

So here we are and it's December 8th...the grandson is asking if he can help decorate the house (..."where's the Christmas tree, because Santa is coming soon?").

The ceilings turned out beautiful!
The new windows are beautiful!
The new flooring is beautiful and clean!

"Glad you left the carpet in the family room as long as you did," Kia would've said.

Next job...drag the Christmas decorations out of the basement.
So the grandson can help.