the '08 bug collection has started

[The Masons]

Well it was a bright and sunny morning, the cottages have been opened up.
That process was like some thing out of a 3 Stooges short.  First I find 
that due to my worrying about getting all the new plumbing (washer/dryer, 
water conditioner, and well) flushed with plumbing antifreeze and blown out 
I forgot the first thing after you turn off the water "Flush the Fucken 
Toilet!!!"  I bailed and mopped out the bowl but the tank was full of water 
and it cracked.  It was 25 years old so I pulled it and $140.00 for a new 
one plus fittings and and hours labour replaced it.  Once the water got
turned on I ran around looking for leaks and found none but I did notice the 
kitchen tap wasn't running.  I checked and it was on, and without thinking I 
unscrewed to water diffuser on the end of the tap (didn't turn of the tap.
It came off with a loud bang like a large balloon bursting and all the crap 
that was plugging the diffuser blew into the sink and back into my face. 
Yeah I looked like I'd been hiding behind a screen door when the shit hit 
the
fan.  Marilyn was cleaning up at the rental cottage for the upcoming 
Victoria Day weekend (this is the week end we get the magazines to show us 
the new ungarments we will be dressing our livestock in this season)when the 
core blew out of the kitchen tap.  She had the presence of mind to run 
through the wall of water and turn off the
pump before it emptied the Ottawa River onto the floor.  I guess last years 
tenants didn't understand when the valve hits a stop to quit turning and had 
loosened the valve core in the body.  Marilyn had the tap on and I it 
vibrated loose--wish I'd been there.

Any way I made a 350 km loop down to Calabolie, south to Lanark, west 
MacDonald's Corners, Elphin, Ompah, Plevna, Venachar, Dendigh, Griffith, 
Khatum, Dacre, Clontarf, Lake Clear, Eganville, Wolftown, home.  With the 
exception of Bogie, Lanark, and Eganville you could count the number of 
dwellings in each of them on 2 hands.   I didn't mention the 7 or so one 
hand places.  I had to stop at a creek, river or lake every 100 km to wash 
the bugs off my visor.  The bike took 16.4 litre of fuel.  The gas guage was 
flashing for the last 12 km and I thought I was out or nearly out of gas, 
and I still had 3.6 liters left when I filled up.

Jim