why does Google think I've moved?

A question for the network geeks:

For the past month or so, every time I search for something on Google, Google asks me if I've moved. 


No, I haven't moved, I'm still in Canada (and plan on staying here). 


My default search domain is google.ca and my IP is based in Canada so why does it ask me this question every time I search?   


Did Google change something on their end because I haven't changed anything on mine.


A little annoying......and disconcerting, too.

How a book can get me to read it in 19 seconds

I don’t spend a lot of time picking out a book to read but its got to grab me in some way because there are so many books to choose from.  Like the bumper sticker that laments "so many books, so little time..."

Some times its just the cover that makes me want to read it.  But usually I read the inside cover flap as well as the back cover to get a “read” on the book.  

There's not a lot going on on the front cover of Michael Faber's "The Courage Consort" so I took a look at the back cover which stated “Faber’s writing is chaste, dryly humourous and resolutely moral.”   Sounds like something I could use right about now.

On page one, we meet Catherine:

“....she actually opened the window and sat on the sill, wondering if four stories was enough to make death certain.  She didn’t fancy the prospect of quadriplegia, as she hated hospitals, with their peculiar synthesis of fuss and boredom.  Straight to the grave was best..”


I dove right in.  So far so good.

duct tape love

It started at a pretty young age - the boy's love of duct tape.  To this day he has a rainbow of duct tape - all the colours of duct tape ever made.  Including camouflage.


This is some of his collection.

I remember when he was just little......I had asked him what he was up to and he replied "Looking for something to duct tape."   Another time when a friend came over, I heard him ask if he wanted to go and duct tape something.  


Hey, what can I say, he's a smart & creative kid.  He even makes the odd bit of money here & there by making wallets out of duct tape.  Yes, he takes orders. 

an attempt at outsmarting the birds

This tale contains a little bit of irony.

Sparrows have taken a liking to roosting right above our front door and above our driveway to sit, look around and poop.

Their droppings land not only on our front door step but also on top of our cars.

Not pleasant.

In an effort to keep the birds from roosting we fashioned little spike belts out of tin flashing and roofing nails poking at all angles up from the flashing. The spiky flashing is affixed to the top of a drain pipe where the little beggars would roost.

This seemed to ward them off....we had outsmarted them!

Not so fast.

A few weeks later we noticed white droppings at our front door step again. They must have figured out a safe place to land beside one of the spikes.  Bummer.  Back to stepping around the droppings while we come up with another plan.

This morning, though, we got a good laugh when we spotted the little beggars building a nest at the end of the flashing. The spikes must have created an opportune place to grasp onto the nest structure for them. Rather ironic.

Back to the drawing board to find a way to keep these guys from roosting above our front door!

skulls on children's clothing

This is just wrong. Skulls on young children's clothing?  This is in the girls section, too.  Not to generalize, but what kind of parents want their children in these clothes?  What statement are they making?  I know life isn't all puppie dogs and pig tails but skulls are not necessary nor are they tasteful at this age.  

one of these things is not like the other

So now we have two mailboxes to choose from.  One if your letter's destination is local to the island and one if it has to leave the island to get to its destination.  


For the past several years Canada Post has been ridiculed for sending all of our mail off-island to Vancouver to be sorted, thus taking local job away. This includes mail that has to come right back to the island to be delivered.  They said it made fiscal sense.  hmmm


Apparently they want to take even more local jobs away by making us sort the mail for them.  Does it really save that much money?  I'll bet you a good percentage* of the mail will end up in the wrong box and have to be shipped either off or back onto the island.  


We'll see how long this lasts.**  


--
* My guess is 20% 


** My guess is less than 1 year

rake love

I must say I love love love this rake.  Why didn't these have rakes years ago when I had so many leaves to rake?  It is $17 from Canadian Tire and no they are not paying me to say that I love this rake.  They have no knowledge of me or my blog.  


It's lightweight, doesn't get stuck in the ground or stuck on roots and rakes up whole lot of leaves at once.


If you have a lot of leaf raking to do, I highly, highly recommend this rake.  It makes the job go so much faster.