Dog On A Root

- jim Young “You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.” - Abraham Lincoln Two of my childhood heroes wore masks that they refused to take off in public. The Lone Ranger and Zorro wore masks in their fight to save lives. The Lone Ranger and Zorro Although I am no superhero, for over a year now, I too wore a mask in public to help save lives. But I’m ready to take it off now. 50% of Canadians have received their second dose of vaccines to protect themselves against Covid-19. 80% have received at least one dose and are partially protected from the virus. It stands to reason that the 30% difference have likely signed up and are in the process of getting their second dose. Or maybe they're not. That's up to them. But it’s estimated that the remaining 20% of Canadians may not get vaccinated - ever. Half of those are anti-vaxxers that will exercise their right not to be vaccinated. That’s their choice. The other half are either un

- jim Young 20200719 “You say you want a revolution.  Well, you know we all want to change the world. You tell me that it's evolution. Well, you know we all want to change the world. You say you got a real solution.  Well, you know we'd all love to see the plan. You ask me for a contribution. Well, you know, we're doing what we can.”                               - Lennon/McCartney I think we have all pretty much adjusted to the idea that we will not be going back to “normal” but that a “new normal” awaits us once we have emerged through all stages required to reopen our communities following the coronavirus pandemic. What has many people anxious is not knowing what that “new normal” will be. Will face-masks in public become a permanent practice? Will the widespread use of hand-sanitizers that had been primarily reserved for hospitals and medical facilities become commonplace? Will social distancing remain a way of life and how will that affect us? Can we expect to see line

Update to My Our Marantz & Me We - jim Young If you read my column last February you will remember I was in the process of having my vintage Marantz Receiver Amp restored to working status. Shortly after my Marantz went in for repair the last time, we were hit with Covid-19 and the repair shop was closed due to its classification as a non-essential service. Audiophiles such as myself might tend to disagree with this classification but there you go. Regardless, we were pleased to receive a call from R&J Electronics in North Bay when they reopened that “our” Marantz was finally ready to Rock ‘n Roll once more. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of Randy in California at irebuildmarantz for tracking down the elusive parts and Sergio’s relentless repair expertise at R&J Electronics in North Bay, we are once again enjoying our tunes from Beethoven to the Beatles with the clarity and oomph that the artists intended their music to be heard. Of course, as always, apologies go out

- jim Young “I will gladly put my name to and accept responsibility for every piece of work I create, but I also expect to receive credit for everything I create as well.” - anon As a writer, I choose my words carefully. At least most of the time. Sometimes I’ll sit down after a couple of beers and start spewing forth anything that pops into my head. The words are not always so carefully chosen then. The end result might be a page or two full of garbage destined for the recycle bin but surprisingly, more often than not, the results are refreshingly rewarding even if they do require extensive editing and a more careful selection of words. Regardless of how I end up with an article that I feel is worthy of publishing here at the Great North Arrow, online at DogOnARoot.com, Quora or elsewhere, I proudly sign my name and take ownership of my words - good and bad, right or wrong. When I wrote in high school (mostly poetry) I used a series of pen names. While collecting poetry from other stu

 - jim Young Hands up everybody that likes bacon! Okay, now hands up everybody that likes buffalo wings! Yep - just as I thought. Pretty much all the same hands were up for both. So why not add a bit of bacon flavour to your next feast of buffalo wings? And for good measure we’ll throw in a little bit of honey too. Prep Time: 5 min. Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 min. Total Time: 1 hour, 15 min. Serves: 2 Stuff Required: 1 dozen wings ¼ cup bacon grease ¼ cup butter ½ cup Frank’s hot sauce 2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce 2 tbsp honey 4 tbsp vinegar Do This: Preheat oven to 400° F. Bake wings for about 1 hour, turning once. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a small pot. Heat on the stove until bubbling, stirring occasionally. Remove sauce from heat. Toss the wings in the sauce and return to the oven to bake for 5 or 10 more minutes. Toss the wings in the sauce one more time and serve.

- jim Young “Happy Anniversary, Happy Anniversary, Happy Anniversary, Haaaaapy Anniversary, Happy, Happy, Happy, Happy, Happy, Anniversary... “ - Fred Flintstone & Barney Rubble This month marks my first year as a columnist for the Great North Arrow. I would like to thank Cyndi and Jim for allowing me to be a part of the Great North Arrow and for all the hard work they do in putting together and publishing this informative and fun paper.   Of course I would also like to thank my readers. I hope you enjoy reading my column. I have decided to update my photo to mark the occasion.  Queen Elizabeth’s portrait has changed on our currency on average, every 13 years but I am not royalty nor can I take the chance that I will still be writing 13 years from now, although I hope I will be. You may be aware that I also write articles on a semi-regular basis on my Dog On A Root website. There, you will find articles, poetry, reviews, memes, photos, videos, recipes - just about anything. When Cy

- jim Young “I love the smell of lawn mower gasoline in the morning!” - adapted from a quote by Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore as played by Robert Duvall in Apocalypse Now  We are cutting our own lawn this year for the first time since we purchased our home in Loring. Al and Diena of the now defunct “Cottage Crew” have retired from the lawn cutting business and we wish them well in their retirement. The first time I cut the lawn however, I pondered if in fact, I had been paying them enough for this chore all these years? However, as some of you may know I often like to turn “chores” into “adventures”. So with my 60s Che Guevara bandana proudly displayed on my head, I like to pretend I’m a biker on my way to Mardi-Gras. In my mind, our Ariens riding lawn mower is an Indian motorcycle and although it may not be “The World’s Fastest Indian” it flies across our lawn like a “Bat Out Of Hell”. As I speed across a sea of long grass I stir up the mosquitoes who are quick to attack. But within