Ross (the Boss) of NDG's Blog

Christy and I are not wealthy by any means.  We are both on disability welfare and I get some assistance from my family.  While we are not wealthy financially - we are very much so in spirit.  Monday May 26th was a perfect example of this. Christy had a favourite guitar going back 25 years ago.  It was a round-backed Ovation.  She has dreamed of getting another since hers was stolen from her possession by her former husband.  Over the last several months I have regularly scanned the classifieds (FB Marketplace, Kijiji...) for used models.  I found a beautiful used Ovation for $250 and told Christy that if she could get the $300 a friend owed me from her - she could use it for the guitar.  Well - that came through in the last days and we went and got her the guitar yesterday morning.  And the amazing young man who was selling it let her have it for $220 - with two soft cases!  He is selling off his inventory of guitars at present - so if ...

Sundays are supposed to be the days where we relax and take it easy.  But for us - Sunday is the day where we have more to do - especially in the mornings - than any other day!  And we love it! Today started out as all others - with our visit to Kahnawake - and Playground Poker - for their amazing $15 American Buffet Breakfast - which is really only $5 as you get $10 in Free Play along with the buffet!  We enjoyed the great buffet and then toured the entire facility - with me showing Christy the third floor - which houses the entire poker facility.  It was relatively active - with upwards of 10 of the 50-odd tables in use for regular games. We then went to the cashier and traded in our vouchers for coupons - whereby Christy got an extra $50 in Free Play for visiting the casino for a third time inside 45 days (I got mine yesterday) and I got an extra $20 in Free Play for having liked Playground on Facebook and Instagram.  From there we went to the Electronic Bl...

I see my wife Christy's and my life as a 'continuous upward and never-ending spiral through the infinite levels of Heaven (on Earth).'  Saturday was no exception.  A great young friend - Justin - had been wanting to join us at Playground Poker in Kahnawake to see the venue.  I was up early on Saturday morning and emailed him - offering to drive to Playground for their buffet breakfast and in order for him to get a good feel of the place.  I picked him up at 7am and we were there by 7:15am.  He signed up for a player's card and we toured the facility.  We then went and had a wonderful $15 breakfast buffet - whereby we got $10 in Free Play.  When I went to cash in the Free Play certificate - the lady who served me told me I had also qualified for a $50 Free Play coupon - and gave it to me!  We played the electronic blackjack table - Justin spending his $20 in Free Play coupons and me my $10.  I saved the $50 coupon to play with Christy upon o...

In developing a weekly schedule in order to stay on budget - all the while indulging - I have created a means whereby we can eat out at some of our favourite places locally - while not breaking the bank.  The weekly plan is to eat at Pizza Velat on Somerled either Monday or Tuesday late afternoon, Nikas late afternoon on Thursdays and then to Playground Poker in Kahnawake at 1pm or so on Fridays - and again at Playground Poker on Sunday mornings for their amazing breakfast buffet. This post is about our Friday afternoon journey to Playground Poker for their $7 Lunch Special at The Rail Restaurant .  We got there just after 12:30pm and the restaurant was buzzing.  There were several tables available and we were seated immediately.  A very nice young waitress named Megan came to us inside 2-3 minutes of us receiving our menus - and we told her we were ready to order.  Christy had the Rail Burger with fries and I had General Tao's Chicken with rice. It was not ...

A As regular readers of this blog know - my focus is in helping people to find bits of Heaven - here on Earth - and ideally in or near NDG.  Early on in my relationship with my new wife - Christy - I learned of a catastrophic accident she had when a huge draft horse she was riding slipped in the mud and fell on her.  This happened in 1988 - and since that point she has suffered from severe pain - in her neck, back and legs/feet.  In mid-December she told me she would like to be seen/treated by a reflexologist and an osteopath. In early January I did some research and found a reflexologist who seemed professional and able - and we scheduled a number of sessions with him.  Ultimately we did not continue with him - as reflexology was his sideline and we couldn't find times which suited our needs as he worked 40 hours/week at a local hospital.  I searched NDG for another reflexologist - and found the landscape to be barren - and if it was offered - it was generally ...

For those who follow my blog - you know that it is about finding Heaven - on this Earth - in the normal things. My post today is going to take a different tact.  I was just lying on my bed reflecting - on my life - and on what has transpired in over the last months.  There is no other way for me to say it - I have found my Heaven - and it is in a woman - Christy Anne Strike - who is undoubtedly my Eternal Soulmate! Today I was explaining to a friend at my 'office' how we met - on Nov 26, 2024 - at our local food bank - and how immediately I liked her and knew that she was a person of substance.  The first words uttered out of her mouth in my direction were; 'I love Brussels sprouts' - to which I countered; 'so do I' - as we were served our meal which contained our favourite vegetable! From that initial comment things proceeded rapidly - Christy moved in a little more than a week later - and in early January I didn't ask her to marry me - because I knew she ...

After a relatively hectic week, Christy and I decided to take it easy today and stay close-to-home.  Whereas normally I am up early (5am) and out the door to my 'office' - the two benches outside Metro Grocers on Somerled at Walkley for 7:15am - I chose to stay at my computer this morning and send out emails pertaining to the initiatives I am building with NDG Project . On Wednesday we had done our first order as a couple - at Super C - and had got several great buys - 12 Kraft Dinner for $9.97 (they were $2.49each if bought separately!) and a whole bbqed chicken for $9.99.  I offered to make us KD for dinner on Thursday - but Christy wanted nothing to do with my microwave recipe and prepared an absolutely yummy version - first boiling the water, then adding everything (noodles, cheese and butter) and allowing to sit covered for 10 mins.  She then shaved an onion into the mix - it was heavenly! We decided to have half the chicken for dinner tonight and opted for a baked R...