Thoughts and Notions

This year we didn’t buy our pumpkins at the grocery store but instead went to a real pumpkin patch to choose them. We went to all the work to walk out to the patch, pick out three pumpkins, and carry them plus our kids back to the car. There was just one problem. We were having temperatures in the upper 80s and our pumpkins decided they couldn’t make it till the end of the month. So we set aside our three rotten pumpkins and bought two at Horrocks for a buck each. Then, last night Chesley and Kaden together gutted the pumpkins. Chesley decided he wanted a beetle on his pumpkin so I went to work on carving them both. Karl was busy behind the camera, getting some great pictures. It was a family effort and in the end they turned out pretty good, at least I think so!

I couldn’t believe it. I was reading the news and it said something about the Canadian dollar being equal with the U.S. dollar. I checked it with my Firefox extension called Exch. (It’s installed from the Exch page at Firefox Add-ons and uses data from Yahoo! Finance). Sure enough, $1 USD == $1 CAD. It hasn’t been this way since 1976 (I have heard stories from Canadians that have verified the equality of old).

Read more at the places below:

Dollar for dollar - Edmonton Sun

Canadian Dollar Reaches Parity With U.S. - The Associated Press

Canada dollar reaches parity with U.S. for first time since 1976 - Chicago Tribune

…and so the battle continues! This morning I was again taking the time to clear snow and ice off my new Alero; something that those of us in Michigan haven’t done as much this year but is an expected chore for this season. My father-in-law likes to boast about his luxury of having a garage to park in, making snow clearing his car a thing of the past. But for the rest of us who work so hard in the ice cold morning after morning… I’d like to commend you for your hard work and encourage you that winter won’t last forever! You’ll soon be winding down those windows again and enjoying the smell of freshly cut grass!

I saw this commercial in Lansing, MI on broadcast television (Ch. 66 Flint, MI). Yeah, Tim Horton’s is pretty good.