Dricore flooring in. Insulation in. And the drywall is all stacked and ready to go. Boy getting that mount of drywall into the basement was quite the job! Lots of crane and muscle work. (You can click on the pic to make it bigger.)

Some nice-looking new apartments in my neighbourhood. But you can probably tell what I think adds most to the curb appeal.

Studs are up and things are coming along nicely! Getting ready for flooring and insulation. (You can click on the pic to make it bigger.)

What will be born of such modest beginnings? Just wait and see. (You can click on the pic to make it bigger.)

On those annual lists you’ve probably seen, lists that are calculated in all kinds of different ways, Canada usually rates as one of the best countries in the world, if not the best, to live in. Though I haven’t lived anywhere else, it’s a judgment I’m on board with. I can complain about the government (terrible and always getting worse) and unpleasant aspects of the national character (we’re passive-aggressive snobs), but being born and raised in Canada was one of the luckiest things that ever happened to me. To paraphrase Robert Frost’s “Birches”: Canada’s the right place for living. I don’t know where it’s likely to go better.

For those of you who have been following the saga of my application for reimbursement from the Quaker company after their recall of a few select products, I’m happy to announce that I did finally receive the proverbial cheque in the mail. Not a cheque though but a Rewards Card. Took twice as long as they said it would take to arrive, but I’m not complaining! Indeed, I’m even a little impressed. I was starting to have my doubts it would happen. Well done! And yes, that does mean I’ll be buying more Quaker Harvest Crunch cereal soon.

Regular readers of this site (a select and treasured few) may remember a post I had back on January 15 of this year where I mentioned how I’d sent away proof of purchase of a bunch of Quaker brand food products as part of a recall they were having due to concerns over salmonella contamination.

I ended that post with this: “I’m curious to see what happens. Do manufacturers actually pay out when they have a recall? You’re on the clock, Quaker! I’m not expecting anything, but let’s see how you do.”

When I originally applied for the refund online I was notified that my request would take up to 8 weeks to process. Then I received an email notification on January 24 from Quaker saying “We reviewed your submission, and you will be receiving compensation in the mail in the next 8-10 weeks.”

Well, by my reckoning it’s now been 14 weeks and no sign of a cheque! Are they just being slow, or do you think they just won’t be paying up? As I said back in January, “I’m not expecting anything.” Still, the email did raise my hopes. Let’s see if anything happens!

“Did he live his life again in every detail of desire, temptation, and surrender during that supreme moment of complete knowledge?” Probably.

This is a service dog I met while out walking. He wasn’t on duty and so didn’t have his vest on, which means I got to pet him. Anyway, when I asked his name I thought the woman walking him said “Curtis,” but when I called him Curtis she corrected me and said it was really “Kurtz.” Like in Heart of Darkness, she told me.

Last week I went on a road trip. It was pretty grim. First a quick drive down the 401, which is plastered with monster warehouses, mass housing, industry, and powerlines all the way to Toronto. I’ve always found this one of the grimmest stretches of highway on earth, but I imagine it’s much the same outside every major city.

Things got foggy after Toronto. Luckily traffic wasn’t bad.

After a night’s stopover just outside Ottawa, I took the train back home, leaving from the aptly named Fallowfield station.

As you can see, I wasn’t blessed by a lot of sun on this trip. But the grey skies fit my mood. I’ve learned my lesson and will aspire to never leave home again.

Some people, even people living here, don’t know that the major metropolis I call home does in fact have an airfield. I’m not sure if it counts as an airport. Probably not. Though there are hangars.  And of course planes and runways.  And a café.  (You can click on the pic to make it bigger.)