Did you know that it is really easy to put your organization on Google Maps?
Feel free to follow this Google Maps Link if you need directions to the library. (I really enjoy choosing "avoid highways" on road trips).
The link also lets you check the opening hours or ask a question and confirms that the Stick Library is a safe space.
Here's a time lapse of me clearing the driveway today.
While you can watch the embedded version here, I recommend clicking through to YouTube and watching it full-screen for the full cinematic effect.
We had our first snowfall of the season yesterday.
I was almost all set. The snow tires are on the car and the shovels, brushes and scrapers are all where they should be, but I did not have the time lapse set up.
So there was a bit of accumulation before I started.
In the better-late-than-never news category, I am happy to report that the Stick Library now has signage in French. [Dans la catégorie des nouvelles, il vaut mieux tard que jamais, je suis heureux d'annoncer que la brancheothèque a désormais une signalétique en français.]
The Stick Librarian wishes to thank our friend Aline for the French name and she apologizes to her translator friend Patricia-Anne for taking so long. But the Librarian's assistant bears some of the responsibility for it taking so long. [La branchothécaire souhaite remercier notre amie Aline pour le nom français et elle s'excuse auprès de son amie traductrice Patricia-Anne d'avoir mis autant de temps. Mais l'assistant du brancheothécaire porte une part de responsabilité dans cette lenteur.]
I am happy to announce that yesterday, the Stick Librarian reopened the Stick Library here at the corner of Lebreton and Louisa.
The library assistant has been instructed to not add any sticks from the inactive stacks to the lending portion of the library without informing the librarian because she will be carefully tracking the annual statistics this year.
Previously in Stick Library news:
With the upcoming reopening of the Lebreton-Louisa Stick Library, the Stick Librarian was concerned that the branch's stacks were getting low.
Unfortunately for some neighbours, but fortunately for the library patrons, a recent windstorm brought down an old tree and the librarian was able to source replacements that just needed a little work this morning with a pair of loppers and an electric saw.
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| The library assistant/retired urban lumberjack lopping a branch |
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| Sawing a branch |
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| The Stick Librarian is happy the stacks are ready for a new borrowing season |
We have no jack-o-lantern this year, but the sea monsters are back on the window, so we may get a few trick-or-treaters tonight. If there are any leftover mini-chocolate bars, I will just have to buckle down and deal with them.
Manon had a brain wave this spring to further redirect the many dogs that come by from messing with her garden. [You might recall a previous effort from 2021] In addition to having a water bowl, she decided to add a stick library.
I was very happy to help her with a sign.
The first version was done with felt tip pens on yellow paper with a plastic cover. It did the job, but within a few weeks, the sunlight had faded it.
Manon decided she needed a better sign. She found a blank wooden oval at Dollarama and asked me to do the lettering with acrylic paint.
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| The Stick Librarian chalking directions featuring Stick Library Sign Mark I |
Although I have a steady hand with felt tips and pencil crayons, I'm pretty useless with a paint brush. So I made stencils.
Here's what I did:
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| Keep those old computer parts! |
While I'm a big fan of libraries encouraging access by not having late fees, I'm afraid that Manon's adoption of the no-late-fee policy means that sticks are seldom returned and the collection is getting depleted. If you have extra sticks hanging around, you'd be welcome to drop them here.
Or we'll just wait until the next derecho
It might be my imagination, but I've noticed that when we're out on the patio in the evening, people walking by with their dogs seem to be smiling at us more than they used to.
On Saturday morning, I made the trek up to Somerset Street to shop at the Lim Bangkok. I wanted some of their excellent bok choy and gai lan, but I needed a bottle of hoisin sauce and I thought it would be a good idea to get a new 3.5 litre jug of sambal oelek because I am getting low - only a couple of weeks left.
And I need my sambal oelek. It is a straight-forward and simple blend of ground cayenne peppers, salt and vinegar. I eat it with every meal. Particularly breakfast.
At the Lim Bangkok, I started in the sauce and oil aisle. Found a bottle of hoisin sauce no problem. But where were the jugs of sambal oelek? Not in the regular place. No 3.5 litre jugs, with or without garlic and not even the little 8 or 18 ounce jars. I feverishly checked the other aisles in case the jugs were moved. But I was not hopeful. The Superstore moves things on a regular basis. I assume to make us walk back and forth in the store more and interact with the staff, but I haven't seen products shift spots at the Lim Bangkok in ten years.
So, I picked out healthy bags of bok choy and gai lan and a bundle of green onions and went to the cash. The cashier whom I suspect is the owner is always friendly, so I asked about the sambal oelek.
"The factory is closed," he told me.
"Forever?" I asked.
"Don't know if they will come back."
After a sad trudge home, I did some internet sleuthing. News reports indicated that Huy Fong Foods who makes sambal oelek (and the very popular Sriracha sauce) had suspended operations in 2022 because of the world wide cayenne pepper shortage, but there was no news about a current suspension.
The Huy Fong Foods website actually has an easy-to-find email address for their customer service office! So I sent an email:
Subject: Is your factory closed?
I am in Ottawa, Canada and I went to the nearby market called Lim Bangkok to buy a new jug of Sambal Oelek. I was surprised to find none at all. Not even in small jars.
The store owner told me that your factory is closed and he didn't know what would happen.
I read that you had to suspend production last year. Has the same thing happened again?
Will I one day be able to obtain your sauce that adds such pleasure to my life?
I understand that this is harder for you and all the people at Huy Fong. I wish you all the best.
Thank you,
This morning I received this reply:
Hello,
Unfortunately, we are still experiencing a shortage of raw material. Although some production did resume this past Fall season, we continue to have a limited supply that continues to affect our production. At this time, we have no estimations of when supply will increase.
Because we do not sell directly to retail/market levels, we cannot determine when product will hit shelves again and/or who currently has product in stock. We are grateful for your continued patience and understanding during this unprecedented inventory shortage. We are currently working on trying to avoid future shortages.
Thank you,
Customer Service
HUY FONG FOODS, INC.
There you have it. In a very short time, it seems that I will have no sambal oelek. It's going to be harder to motivate myself to get out of bed in the morning.
In our loft last night, we were startled by some loud rumblings. "Nothing to worry about, it's just ice sliding off the roof."
But this morning, I looked out the window to see that a substantial limb had fallen off our big elm.
All we have left are some twigs we'll sweep up when things dry out.
I am very happy with my latest artistic collaboration. It is with my next door neighbour, five-year-old Elly.
Elly and Manon have a joint garden. It is really nice. But it suffers from the many dogs who relieve themselves on it. Elly and Manon decided to put in a sign asking the dogs to behave differently and use the water bowl they installed.
They decided what words they wanted on two signs. I cut two pieces of pressed board and inked on the words with a Sharpie. Then Elly applied her design skills to colour the letters and add attractive images. I sprayed on polyurethane to add water protection and affixed the signs to an old broom handle.
This morning we planted the sign. Manon put out the water bowl and a refill can and Manon and Elly did a formal ribbon cutting to launch the sign.
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| The ribbon cutting ceremony |
Two nights ago, over on the other side of Bronson, we saw a hydrant wearing sunglasses. So last night on our walk, we paid attention to the hydrants and almost every hydrant we saw is also sporting shades.
By an odd coincidence, I used to have a bag full of old sunglasses that were no good to me (because I wear regular glasses), but now I don't seem to have any sunglasses. So I won't be making a sunglass mobile.
The hydrants in our neighbourhood are all yellow with blue caps, although there are at least two different cap designs. Apparently if a hydrant has a blue cap it means it will deliver at least 15 hundred gallons or more a minute. This seems like a lot of water to me. The yellow body means that it is a public rather than a private hydrant. [source]
The residents of our block of Lebreton Street had a bagpipe concert last night from the talented Rose Roberts (contactable through Facebook). The concert was terrific and it was great to see all the neighbours outside smiling. The toddlers seemed to be especially delighted.
I feel that my contribution to Neighbourhood Window Walk today is on topic and has a question with relevance for the young folk staying at home.
Next theme:
Saturday, April 18 - Rainbows
There will be a wonderful exhibit of work by Reuel Dechene at Gallery 101 this coming Saturday.
Along with many of Reuel's works, you'll be able to see Reuel's True Love, and Eliza's Reckless Abandon, which normally hang on our living room wall next to each other.
There is more information on the G101 website.
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