Holidays

We are in Boissevain, having just spent a fine three days together with most of the Martens clan. I say most, on account of:

• K and M continue to struggle with some serious health related issues.
• Mr. Kincaid needed to stay in Seattle to work (and possibly avoid snow and sub-freezing temps).
• Mrs. Kincaid was only half there, due to her heavy schedule of visiting the restroom and sleeping off the latest virus.
• and last but not least (well, they are the least in terms of size) P & M. They're still illegal to bring to Canada. But we thought of them and missed them!

Kludge?

My eyes were opened to my long-lost brethren in creative repair and other solutions yesterday. Dad sent me a link to thereifixedit.com. What revelation! What kinship! I am not alone in my need to make and do things with ingenuity and thrift.

I need therefore, to share my latest workaround for cycling training. Why spend unnecessary time and money at a gym when you can make a leg press?

Sit Here.

Push on this 5/8 plywood.This structure transmits the force from your legs to the load.
Through this linkage.
And lifts it off the floor. If you plug it in you can have entertainment whilst you work out.What is a kludge anyway?

RD Funny?

Ramona always has our family's best interests in mind. Whenever I come home with a good joke or story, she groans and says "RD funny?" Meaning - could you submit that to Reader's Digest and get us some cash?

Here's a funny thing that happened at school. I just submitted it online to rd.ca. See what you think (if anyone besides me reads this).

Sixth grade students collect and recycle pop cans in our school. Partially full cans are emptied into a bucket. An eighth grade student said "Drink some. It's really sweet." When there was no response, he put the bucket to his lips and took a good swig. "Mmm. It tastes good!" As he walked away, they looked at him with a mixture of disgust and awe. In true junior high fashion, it was only a few minutes later that I glimpsed the can collectors gathering around and testing it for themselves.

I think it needs a snappier ending to be rd funny.

In other news, my weight training is on hold. I think I strained a muscle in my back when I was trying to get a 70 lb bag of cement into my backpack.

Did I mention I'm too cheap to go to the gym?

Our trip to Ethiopia is also on hold. The powers that be (Canadian High Council in Nairobi?) didn't like the birth certificates supplied for P and M. They want new ones, to be issued from their region of origin. Hmm. I'm thinking remote corner of the country, mud huts, jungle. Print me a nice official document on a piece of forest vegetation please.

That's an exaggeration. I know there are regional authorities and courts. I just hope it doesn't take too long.