Lew Pitcher's blog

We have had a long, cold, icy, nasty winter, and I have waited long enough for the return of pleasant weather. Spring arrived late this year, and that has interfered with both my plans, and the very fabric of suburban nature that I live in.

Terry and I just got back from another week-long cruise. This time, we cruised the southern Caribbean, departing from San Juan, Puerto Rico on the Royal Caribbean "Adventure of the Seas". Seven days of sunshine, blue skies, warm breezes, high temperatures and all the pampering that you can only get on a cruise ship.

Dear Friends,

Much has happened since last we talked, and much I have to tell you. First off, please excuse my absence last year; circumstances interfered and kept me from writing. So, rather than begin in 2013, let me start my letter in the fall of 2012.

Last week, I closed the cottage for the 2013 season.

Now that I have the cottage on Kimball Lake, I want to add some of the "comforts of home". I don't want high-tech, power-hungry, electro-gadgets; I simply want some conveniences that can be accomplished in a low-tech, low impact, almost "back woods" manner.

The Bad

• Carpenter ants
• Wood rot
• Fourty five years worth of broken and discarded furniture and boating equipment
• Bad weather

I've had a busy spring and summer, working around the cottage. You can find me there most weekends, fixing something. Mom and Bob tried to keep the cottage going, but in recent years, neither had the money or the energy to do the hard things.

Last summer, I replaced a "deck" that was rotting out; Mom had stepped on a board, and wound up knee-deep in it. Not a good thing for a 79-year-old to have happen. So, I went up with a load of lumber and two bags of ready-mix concrete and replaced the deck with something a bit more stable.

I used the concrete for a footing for the stairs coming down from the deck. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough concrete to properly pour the footing, and the footing that I did pour was akilter enough to make the stairs slope visibly as well. I promised Mom that I'd replace that footing this year, so that the stairs wouldn't be "wonky" any more.

Privacy czar to probe Canadian impact of U.S. data program - The federal privacy watchdog says she will look into any implications for Canada posed by possible U.S. government snooping on a wide scale. Defence Minister Peter MacKay said Canada's spy watchdog has been aware of data surveillance for years. [CBC Canadian Headlines]