APRIL 1ST  I am returning to work effective April 7th. NOT  . This retirement gig is so  enjoyable that I don’t even think about work except missing the people. Another wonderful 82 degree day with lots of sun. As we were picking up Corey, Victoria and Jackson in the afternoon we thought we would just relax and enjoy the day reading etc. Headed out to airport in the afternoon after picking up some groceries. The kids plane was a little late and it took them a while to unload. Received the text they were on the ground but they were told  the cell lot was to far to walk. ( we laughed and did a quick explanation on how cell lots work)  Picked them up with Jackson running towards us just like in the movies yelling Papa and Grammy. It was great seeing them. On the ride to our place the little guy kept us very well entertained. Made a quick supper and had some fun with everyone and fixed up the beds for them.

 APRIL 2   Got up and had breakfast with everyone. Hung around a bit and got ready to golf. Corey had a great game especially for his first game. My neighbor who won our little fun contest was sick. He scored a par on all of the holes except 3. The only way we could beat him was to get a birdie or eagle. His team won  by 9 holes. I had one of those bad games not driving well and missing a few ending up with a 86.Next time !!  On a par 3 hole I hit a shot to the right going over a few trees. Looked for at least 5 minutes for my ball and couldn’t find it. All of a sudden a ball fell out of a tree almost hitting Corey on the head. Turns out it was mine stuck up in the tree and a wind burst let it fall out. Stopped after golf at Chuck’s house ( a Stony Plain resident) for a few cocktails with all of Bob’s friends. Had a great supper with BBQ chicken and salad. We then all went to the pool for a long swim which Jackson,Corey and Victoria. Jackson had a lot of fun and did extremely well. Spent some time in the hot tub  and then headed home. Today was the coolest day we have had in Mesa since arriving around 72 degrees with a cool breeze. Need a trip back to Costco as our home phone just quit working and they will take it back.

APRIL 3 Had cereal with and a Smoothie with Jackson this morning. Jackson had a smoothie mustache  just like Papa’s this morning. Easy to get hard to get off. LOL  Everyone getting ready for a trip to Costco , off to Bass Pro shops . Bought two swivel fishing seats and clamp on for the my boat. Need the soft padding and to swivel to get the “big” ones. Picked up 2 paddles for the kayak we bring along everywhere we go.Met a new retiree from Edmonton and our industry, Ernie from Mitten Siding who just retired in the Costco store. Ernie and I with different companies ( Maco Dist and Sterling Dist) would meet for breakfast every morning with our fellow in town reps for years in the early 80’s.  Jackson spent a ton of time at the pool today. I had to make a quick plumbing repair to the toilet.  Gave the neighbors some of my Jello shooters and we had a great spaghetti supper made by Jackie. Watched a bit of TV and talked. Seems with company we actually don’t get as active.

APRIL  4    Another wonderful 80 degree sunny day. Had our breakfast and headed to the Mesa Market to get a cell phone cover for Wendy.  We couldn’t  get one this trip as we didn’t have the model number. Next trip perhaps.  Checked out the market and then headed up to Tortilli Flats for lunch with everyone. Listened to a great band on the patio had a beer and burger and checked out the sites. There was a huge contingent of  Harley bikers visiting the site.Before leaving we all had a ice cream cone . Fixing up the ribs for a great BBQ supper tonight. Off to the pool as soon as Jackson wakes up from his afternoon nap.Watched a movie and Fred,Terry and Mel came over to finish off the Guinness before they head home in the morning with a truck full of LandCruiser parts, boat trailer, boat cover, bed sheets etc. All of those less expensive US items.

APRIL  5    Another wonderful morning and supposed to hit 90 degrees today.Up early this am with a early phone call and getting ready for a big day at the Gold Mine with Jackson.Jackson spent the morning visiting with Pat & Bob on their deck showing them his special collection of bugs he received from Pat and playing with the named rocks. Made a funny comment to Bob. ” Bob, you know what? You have white hair! Had a great day at the Lost Dutchman Mine Goldfield Town. Jackson had a ride around the ghost town on a train. He saw a high noon gun fight, got a cowboy hat and visited the snake and scorpion exhibit ( actual cried as he didn’t want to leave)

Can’t beat an old fashioned gunfight. Three against one and the good guy wins every time !! I have two great videos but the web page wont accept them as of yet.

I may need a Romi intervention. The train ride was excellent as the engineer was a old cowboy with a long grey beard, engineers hat  and dry sense of humor. And everyone learned a lot of interesting information on the ride. The Superstition Mountains were formed from a old active volcano, jumping cactus, and the age of the protected  Saguaro Cactus . It seems that cactus with 6 arms are at least 200 years old. They are a protected species in Arizona.

It was a very warm day with a lot of people at the town. As usual we saw the large quantity of bikers make this their other stop of choice.Booked a few golf games for the group on Sun/Mon and Tues.

APRIL 6th      Looked at the weather forecast and we are looking a low 90 degrees everyday this up coming week. Big breakfast, bacon,eggs etc as we ready ourselves for the petting zoo and a golf game later this afternoon. I thought I would show you Jackie’s and I’s newest certificate. Not first place but a participation certificate from Fred and Terry. It’s a keeper.I think we will be able to handle our new position quite well. I know I can chill. I have a pair of party sandals. I like the never ending date.We have decided to come home leaving here on April 15th to make Easter with everyone.

The buying activity with Canadians still buying home is huge. People are discovering the “good life” and affordability here and grabbing up a lot of homes. At the petting zoo which was on a organic working farm. It was very well done. We saw some very stinky pigs, chickens where you picked your own eggs, ostriches, feed the billy goats, saw a huge bull and had old fashioned ice cream in the farm house. Hurried back so Victoria & Corey  could go golfing. Went swimming at the pool later with Jackson and our new throw water balls. We were the only three in the pool.

APRIL 7th     Starting to hit the high 90’s now. Expected today 97 degrees. Nice to see the melt finally happening in Calgary also.Checked the TV web cam and I can finally see green grass. Yahoo !  Corey and I golfed ( 83 again)  and then went to the Monday night Fat Willy’s burger special.Came back home and had a laser light show at the neighbors. Bob & Pat had a electric laser light that throws different patterns around. The lights are quite bright  and project quite a ways across the street.

APRIL 8TH     Relaxed a bit in the morning and then went to a splash pool in Chandler. This pool was excellent for young kids with waterfalls, water guns, slides etc. Jackson had a great time. I must be getting old as we had three young mothers beside us and the sound of their annoying voices could drive you crazy. High pitched Californian accent with a bit of dozy mixed in.It was hard to take. I was thinking poor kids. LOL . Headed back home as Victoria and Jackie were golfing today. Dropped them off at the clubhouse and my gauge read 93 degrees. Mesa weather is awesome. We are running out of things to do with Jackson. A two year old only has a short attention span, requires mid day naps the odd time and needs new things to do every few minutes unless at the pool or snake pit. Went to the pool in the afternoon when the gauge went over 100 degrees. At the pool I noticed a younger lady looking at Corey and smiling. Victoria had applied suntan oil on his back and left some areas undone. He had a perfect butterfly tramp stamp on the bottom of his back and a heart shape on the one shoulder. I think it was very funny but he may not.The pool was awesome and Jackson was very well behaved. Picked the girls up from golfing and the pizza from Fat Willy’s and settled in for the night. Jackson went to bed fairly early and we watched a bit of TV.

APRIL 9TH    Got up and made my birthday wish call to my MOM in Edmonton. She says the snow is just about gone in town but on the acreage there are still piles behind the house etc. She is doing well and has plans for today and tomorrow to celebrate her birthday with friends and family. We will see her and stay with her on Easter a couple of days as I need to pick up my new boat in Stony Plain on Thursday or Monday of Easter. Looking forward to just a relaxing day today. It has been a while coming as we have been busy every day for a long time. Hopefully we can keep Jackson entertained enough in our own down time. Temperature today will be over six digits. Weather station expects 99.But yesterday they expected 95 and we hit 105 at the pool. Just noticed my window in the front has a cracked brick mold corner. Good thing for silicone. LOL  Looks like Jackie is arranging a get together with Anita & John on Saturday which will be nice. I will spend a while today looking for a new laptop as the XP one I have looks like it needs to be replaced. Even with the company and extra meals we are having I have been able to keep the weight down below my set number but still need those last four down to get to the target number for the doctor. A high tech blood pressure system at Safeway sends me emails with my numbers. My numbers are great being around 114/76. Perhaps too great as yesterday when i was golfing in the heat i felt dizzy the odd time when I went to tee off. Decided to drive to the one and only Tim Horton’s in Phoenix. Wasn’t a full compliment store but the ice cap and Timbits were awesome.Spend the day at the Glendale arena, watched Jackson and the girls play in the water park while Corey and I had a $3.oo pint and a couple pounds of chicken wings from Wild Buffalo Wings. The local car show was also held there with a few nice rigs. Awesome day !! Had our nightly walk and then a bit of TV and to bed around 11:30. Don’t have to get early except to book our golf game for that day. The courses have all switched to summer rates now so we can golf for $50 for two people.

APRIL 10TH  Another interesting day in Mesa. Corey and I walked a long long way to the golf course to play his last game before leaving.  We both didn’t play that well. I am still struggling with slicing off the drive. A score of 85 which was the result of slicing and the tricky putting on this course. Jackie, Victoria and Jackson all went to the Phoenix zoo. They said they had a great time but where a little disappointed in their expectation. You would have thought Phoenix would have had a better zoo than Calgary. They stopped at the dollar store to pick up water balloons, and water guns. Corey and I finished our game early, decided it was to warm to walk so sat on the patio at Fat Willy’s having a beer or two until Jackie arrived. Drove home and as soon as Corey got of the car Jackson attacked him with his guns. Very accurate shooting on the little guys part. Ate outside i a BBQ’s chicken supper by Jackie in the the high 80 temp until 8 pm and then watched American Idol.  Making a few plans on what to do the last day with the kids.

APRIL 11th  Had breakfast with the kids. Jackson went outside and had a last visit with his new best friends Bob & Pat, and talked a while with Annette and Horst. Lucky boy received small gifts from each one. Corey and Jackson played outside for a while throwing the ball and shooting the water guns. The girls decided to go one last time for a short visit to the Mesa market to pick up a few things we needed.It was over 105 degrees so the guys went to pool loaded with water guns etc. We stayed at the pool for over 3 hours playing and keeping refreshed. The skin sort of wrinkled up a bit but we all had fun swimming,playing and shooting each other. My middle name is Rambo. Got back from the pool , the kids packed all up. cleaned up and we headed for the airport. Thought as it would be rush hour the traffic would be slow but  it turned out to be very light so we were a little early. Returned home , had a great supper sitting outside and ending up moving over to Bob & Pats patio. Gail from across the street joined in a little bit later. Was a lot of fun listening to the stories of peoples lives and I am sure if we had the power we could have solved a lot of the problems in society today. We just don’t have any power. LOL   Two interesting comments that will stick in my memory bank . First when talking about hi-tech, internet, new words to the dictionary etc , Bob stated that “search engine” really isn’t new. The US Cavalry had them years ago but called them “scouts “( search ingine)   The second is remembering the acronym for the colors of the prism. I will use this in the future.  Cowboy name RoyGPiv.  See and you thought following this blog wouldn’t teach you anything. Read a little after visiting and noticed how quiet it was. Just about forgot. This day was also very upsetting for Jackie and I.  At the mall Jackie received a large dent/scratch door ding. I hate door dings and have instilled the same hate passion into my family.We will park a long ways away to avoid them but this time were unlucky.Jackie may have to drive home as I don’t know if I can be seen in a door dinged car. Elderly, larger people, children and inattentive parents are almost always the cause. It is hard to understand how simply courtesy and respect for others property doesn’t happen. I do have to say that the lady that dinged Jackie did phone from the number Jackie left on a note on her car. That is very very appreciated and if she offers anything I would be willing to accept half due to her acknowledgement.( note- emailed bill and did not receive any payment)

APRIL 12th      Slept in a bit this am . Received this picture of Jackson in training as a pilot for his flight home. How cool is that !

Getting ready to hit the driving range and then to Johnson Range golf course with John & Anita.  I will take my special muscle relaxation pills today as i want to try to give John a run for his money. He  is another great golfer with over 100 games a year under his belt. Today could be my lucky day !!! I believe if I can be around 80 I have an outside chance. Well what happened today was unthinkable. Unbelievable,disheartening,and emasculating. I apologize to every husband playing golf with his wife. Today Jackie beat me at golf. Not only did I not come close to John’s score I was beat by Jackie. My worst game for a long time with nothing going right. The drives were horrible, the putting sucked and the chips never hit the the green. Odd thing is I didn’t lose any balls until the last hole. Jackie scored a 96 and I scored a 98. This hurts. I may not be able to carry on with this blog as I fall deep into depression , and start drinking heavily, perhaps some medication. Who knows.  This could be a critical point in retirement. All that been said we had a great day in the high 80’s but with a breeze to keep us cool. Golfed at a beautiful golf  course, great scenery, cool drinks and without hardly any waiting. John scored a 80 as I thought he may.  After golf we stopped at the SanTan Flats bar for a fantastic meal with John and Anita. I will wake up hoping to make up for today on the course. We did see the neatest thing today though. As we pulled up to the 16th green we saw a fairly large snake trying to work it’s way down a gopher hole. It was interesting to watch.Notice though I did stay a fair distance away.

April 13th  The 13th is going to be my lucky day !! It had to better than yesterday. Had a golf game with our neighbors Pat & Bob from next door set up for 10am this morning.A wonderful day with mid 80’s and a slight breeze. I was happy with today, did not play super great but played quite well just missing a few putts and chips. Scored an 83. Jackie , Pat and Bob all had good games, not their best but decent. Came home after golf and sat outside watching the end of the Masters on Bob’s deck and enjoying some sandwiches and awesome apple crumble. Two games in one day is tiring.!! Trying to use up the rest of our food before Tuesday so we don’t have throw a lot away. Our own potluck supper tonight pieced together.Jackie did a few things to get ready for our departure tonite. I will get up a little earlier than normal and fix a few things up before heading out to golf ( last game with our fancy carts here in Mesa)and then to Fat Willy’s. We plan to head on Tuesday morning.

APRIL 14 Well our last day until fall here in Mesa. A great day ahead with 90 degree weather and sun. Packed up a few things this morning. Had a bigger than normal breakfast as we where golfing over lunch. Headed to the golf course to have our best game ever. And Jackie did. She ended up with a 95 but had a remarkable 41 on the front nine. That is an awesome score !!. I had a so so game but still golfed ok. After having a beautiful day on the course we headed for Fat Willy’s $5.00 Burger Monday’s. Fantastic as usual. At the restaurant we met up with our neighbors Pat & Bob, Gail & Ian and a few other Saskatoon friends of Bob’s , Merv & Barb , Ron , Danny ,Harvey and his wife Pat for supper. As usual a great bunch of people to discuss a variety of subjects. Tonite is the rare occurrence of the RED MOON which happens very rarely. Sorry but I can’t stay up to watch it.  Got back home and carried on packing with Jackie being the loader. Hope to leave for home by 10 at the latest . It has been an amazing 6 weeks, absolutely flew by and a tremendous amount of fun and enjoyment. If ANYONE believes they will be bored let me me tell you NO way possible. I love listening to the new and long term retired friends talk about how much they are enjoying their life. Trust me re-engaging is awesome. The only thing I need to watch is the amount of drinking of alcohol.   It is not like a vacation where you can party for 10 days this vacation is for years. A lot of fun though and the most amazing people you could ever meet at  Viewpoint.It is about the community. It is a resort not like a street with homes on it that everyone drives into their garage and doesn’t even say hi to the next door neighbor. I say HI or how you are doing 100 times  a day. I wish everyone could experience it and unless you are an absolute introvert it is impossible not to love the people, the experience, shows, golf course, social events, atmosphere and climate here. Looking forward to Nov already. APRIL 15th Off to the office to pay our HOA fee and then on the road. Got on the road a little later than planned with our getting ready and saying good byes until November. Went thru the car wash, stopped to check BP and pick up some lunch and headed out. Drove to Mesquite but the hotel we wanted was full so headed up to St George. If you are driving on the I15 and need a stop check out the Casa Blanca Resort. We missed as they only had a smoking room left but the place looked wonderful and Fred & Terry have stayed there a few times and give it’s a thumb up. Big Casino and a $4.99 ham  steak and egg breakfast. Next time we will reserve. Stayed at the Comfort Inn in St George which was great. $72 a night. I stopped at the Hilton Garden Inn but they wanted $169 which I said forget it. This Comfort Inn had a king bed,suite with couch and a free breakfast.Nice hotel for a good rate.  You know St George has at least 6 top end golf courses in their city. Looks like a great stopping place for a day or two.Went out for supper at a new grill which was fabulous.Forgot we lost an hour here so ate a bit late (7pm which is Utah’s 8pm)and if anyone knows  Jackie eating late isn’t a good thing.LOL  Fixed that all up and getting ready for a 1400 km drive (11 hrs)drive tomorrow to Great Falls.

APRIL 16th Had our free breakfast at the hotel and headed out. The I15  has a limit of 75 mph most of the way and sections at 80. I was able to set the cruise around the 135 mark and drive.We get about 500 kms per tank and had to make a few stops. Beautiful surroundings, very nice drive and the traffic through Salt Lake was amazing. It is a 2 hr drive through that city. Ended up at Butte for the night which leaves only a few hours tomorrow. Had supper at Perkins and without even asking I was given the over 55 menu pricing. Awesome I think. LOL  Second time this month I received the discount. Also everyone is giving me hotel deals. I like that also. I ask what discount is available and wham everyone  has given me a deal. I wish Alberta would change their speed limits to ones that make sense for the current cars we have. Jackie being the good navigator she is directed us everywhere we needed to go. I just learned to follow her directions after missing one hotel stop. LOL   It is cold outside 45 degrees. Why am we coming back so soon !!  That is 50% of what we are used to. A few reasons : Easter, family, see how Jenny is doing, see how Dave is doing,boat pick up and taxes.Just typing while we watch American Idol.

APRIL 17TH Another free breakfast after getting up a little later as we had made such time the day before. Still 45 degrees. Headed out on the road.Great driving and then guess what snow covered ditches and hills. Burr.

The border crossing guy wasn’t too friendly . He asked how much we had bought and I told him. He then asked about alcohol which I said $100. He asked how much again and I said do you want to see the receipt?  He said again what did you buy. I started to say One bottle of Bailey’s  and he again asked how many bottles. I said one bottle. He meant in total which I finally gave  him. I little like Abbott and Costello for a while there. LOL . You want to make sure to say and have everything correct for those guys.  On our way again and just enough time to sneak into Lethbridge and had a short 1 hour visit with Jessica. She says she is coming to Edmonton for Easter so we will see her then with the rest of the family. Stopped for groceries and froze running into the store. Why are we back again ?  Unloaded the vehicle and rested. Had a great time down south and looking forward to the much much longer time we stay next year. APRIL 18TH- APRIL 21ST Just hung around the house in the morning. Went downstairs, washed the Jeep, got all my stuff for boat hauling ready, and packed. Jackie made a wonderful Good Friday meal for us and her Dad. Had a great visit . Got on the road to Edmonton and drove through Red Deer which had 6″ of new snow on the road. Supposed to be spring!!! . Meet with my entire family ( except Cassie & Garrett). We are very lucky to have my sister which should win an award for best home cooking cook in the world. She uses our Grandma’s, Mom’s and her own inventions to make the best turkey dinner there is. Nothing like turkey,mashed potatoes,corn, carrots, peas,stuffing,salads,lazy cabbage rolls, ham,buns, and gravy. I have eaten at a lot of places but her “home cooked style” is the best there is.Back to Mom’s place with Jess, Pen, Toria, Cor and Jackson. I forgot the alarm code as we were there first and had the alarm screaming at me for a bit. The alarm company phoned and I had to explain myself and provide the password. Lucky no cops showed up. LOL. Met with Keith & Jenny in the morning at Albert’s for brunch. Nice to see them and to see Jenny is doing so well. We are so very happy things are progressing so well. Tried to figure out when we can get to together for golf this summer. Jenny has very limited vacation days this year with her time off she had.We then met with Dave and Erin and again it was great to see him moving so freely after back surgery. Great progress after what most would consider major surgery. Funny thing is now if Dave bends over someone may think he has a butt crack half way up his back. LOL . Drove back for a visit with Mom and supper.I do believe she is looking at selling which is good. We will do a yard cleanup and some repairs and move forward slowly with this if she is in agreement. Off in the morning to drop papers off at Peter’s accountant and then to pick up our new boat. Picked up the boat and Jackie loaded it with me perfectly. It is the perfect size , looks great, and will be a lot of fun this summer. It being a special super wide flat bottom it is the safest and the most steady boat on the water. All of my thinking ( pvc rollers,pipe insulation, stops and strapping) worked out extremely well. We had no problems on the highway and didn’t even know it was on the roof at highway speeds. Only thing is the fuel econo lite doesn’t stay on. Looking forward to catching the first fish out of this boat. Perhaps a Trans-Atlantic crossing in the future for the boat >LOL

April 22nd –   Worked on putting stuff away in storage, cleaned out the Jeep and empty a few things into the garbage. Relaxed a bit then went golfing with Jeff at Heatherglen. This course is often overlooked but is a very good course and plays difficult with the trees in play. Scored a 38 on the back nine. Great to finally have the first game of the 2014 season. Hit 17 today and the course had perfect greens and was in good shape. Just need to put two 9’s together. I am confident of starting to break 80 more often. I know Jackie will break 90 this year !!  This is really the first day at home in our re-engagement. Jackie actually is fully engaged babysitting Jackson tonite at Victoria’s house. I have been put in charge of our Willard camp-out this year. I look forward to organizing this. I enjoy this type of thing. I would like to thank everyone that has been interested in looking at this blog. We have had over 1100 hits since starting it. I know I enjoy doing it and try to  make sure to have Jackie involved as much as possible. I always try to make sure to comment without compromising anyone the best as possible even though my tongue and cheek style may be present.

APRIL 23rd  – Off to donate blood this morning. Had a bit of an interrogation with my BP pills and baby aspirin I have to take due to the blockage I have. Had to sell the fact to the nurse it is for prevention nothing more , no heart or health issues , prevention only. She was very kind to me in giving one of her more experienced nurses which turned out great. No bruising or swelling as usual. Still experience the white coat syndrome though.  Picked up a few things from the Depot that I needed to work on my truck. Dropped off my clubs for new grips. ( at least a two stroke difference I am sure)Arrived home and David, Jackie’s brother was there to visit with his Dad and us for a while. Had a good supper . Special roasted potato recipe I used worked out great.Dave and Jackie drove Peter home while Sheba ( Dave’s dog) stayed with me. One of the best behaved dogs I have ever seen.Jackie’s other brother Alan and his wife MaryAnn arrived. We had an excellent family get together discussing everyone that wasn’t there. LOL   Used our new PVR system on my FREE Telus TV for the first time while we were visiting.

THE RIGHT THING TO DO  I have always believed that doing the right thing is extremely important in one’s life. I especially believe it when dealing with companies and personnel. Over the years I have written personal cheques to my assistant manager and warehouse foreman when I received a bonus ( they were not eligible as per policy) because it was the right thing to do. I used my personal Aeroplan miles to purchase a vacation trip for Eddie Y on his retirement because it was the right thing to do. I used my personal Aeroplan miles for Mike Lopachuk to have a golf vacation in Nevada on his retirement because it was the right thing to do. If an employee lost a close relative and needed extra time off I paid him his wage during their difficult time because it was the right thing to do. I would put my own reputation and credibility on the line for a staff member or customer if I felt  it was the right thing to do .I loved working at JELD-WEN  as the Wendt family that owned the company had entrenched into their business philosophy the “GOLDEN RULE” . For those that aren’t familiar with this the Golden Rule basically means :

• One should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself

I am writing about the right thing to do and the Golden Rule as the corporate JW is much different now that Onex is in control. Bottom line is the only priority. For sales managers within JW they were paid a fair salary and had the opportunity for bonus based on meeting their goals. The bonus puts the combined salary higher than the average in the industry.The last two years with Onex in charge the structure was changed dramatically.It became a tiered( layered) structure based on the corporation as a whole, the area, the plants and your own objective. Overall the concept is fine except for the cap. I am writing this as I did not receive any bonus for 2013 which should have been paid out in March. I exceeded every goal, direct sales, dealer  sales and big box. Canadian management says they will not be paying out any 2013 bonus as corporate did not meet their target. Even if the company lost money but certain tiers where met a bonus should be paid out because to is the right thing to do. It should be substantially reduced as the overall goals weren’t met but never should a goal within the tier format if reached not be paid out. There would be no value what so ever in having a goal then. It is not in the companies best interests to have a non-motivated sale staff knowing that if they meet goal there is no reward or benefit for doing so. JELD-WEN  in 2013 made 600 million in profit. Not their target but they should fulfill their commitments to their employees within the tiered bonus structure. Onex’s fiscal year ends Dec. 31. Onex also reported results for Jeld-Wen Inc., the window and door fabricator in Klamath Falls, Ore. Jeld-Wen 2013 sales were $3.5 billion, a 9 percent increase from $3.2 billion in 2012. Cost of sales was $2.9 billion. That’s the biggest difference between a large public owned company and a large family owned company.I was hoping the Canadian corporate management group would step up but no avail as of yet as there are more than one way to make things happen.That’s some of the issue when you leave the company or retire from the company they really aren’t concerned anymore about you.Jackie has said let it go ,it is not worth the trouble and it is only money.It is not about the money, it is the principle, it is about the integrity of the company , it is my feeling of not been treating fairly and it is about doing the right thing.   There are quite a few analogies that fit this scenario. Karma can be  a wonderful thing, what goes around come around , eye for an eye and the Golden Rule to name a few. Haven’t decided yet but I am sure I can win based solely on precedence if I went to small claims court.(have had a bonus from 1991 to 2012 only missing one year when JW took over Henderson’s. I didn’t make my goal that year with the dollar at .65 cents that year)I loved JELD-WEN and this will pass but right now it is very annoying and frustrating.

APRIL 24TH  Dave left early this morning after breakfast. The weather was supposed to be wet and cold but it turned out for a drive,a wonderful day with the sun shining and only -4 at 9 am. I have lots of projects on the go for today. I am still waiting for a a decent day to springize the motor home as the May long weekend is rapidly coming up. Did a  few things around the house, boosted the Cherokee with my Wrangler as the battery was dead after our time away.  Went over to Victoria’s and Corey’s house and helped Corey hang some ledger boards for a balcony in the garage. Worked on the books a bit, had our wonderful left over pork loin for supper and then watched our first PVR show . Didn’t realize what I was missing. LOL. Checked out the home golf course leagues to see what I am going to sign up for. Most of them are a little too structured  as we will be camping and visiting different people on a consistent basis this year so I haven’t decided to join a league or just golf as wanted. A few of the plans :

1. Spring clean-up, tree removal and house fix up at Mom’s place
2. A few days at Jessica’s fixing up her backyard.
3. Deck, fence staining , front landscaping at Victoria’s.
4.  Plus I have to fit the 100 games of golf and my big fish. LOL

APRIL 25th Had to leave a message on Jessica’s voice mail this morning to say “have a good trip and we love you” as she is off to Lisbon, Portugal for a week on a business trade show. Lucky girl. I am sure they will work very hard though. LOL.  Lisbon is supposed to be a wonderful place . We cruised by but didn’t stop there. Hope she has a great time as it will be a fantastic experience. Spitting rain today so won’t work on the motor home. Jackie will work on our taxes and I will paint my truck brackets, clean it inside out, and then get ready for Jackson this afternoon. We are babysitting him as Corey and Victoria are attending a wedding and spending overnight in Canmore. Can’t believe the horrible spring in Alberta this year. Perhaps a great summer. The weatherman has indicated we are supposed to hit 20 above by Thursday. I will work at adding some interesting or related pictures as I see it has been a while since I added some. I know some of you only look at the pictures in books and I want to make sure you have that opportunity. These pictures though maybe a little different.

APRIL 26TH -APRIL 27TH  Babysitting is very very tiring. We had an excellent time all weekend but you forget it is a constant thing. There is no down time and it wears you out. Here is just a short list of some of the things we did with Jackson:

1. We went to see the movie RIO 2 at the theater. It is a greats kid movie and Jackson was a very well behaved young man throughout the whole show. Two pee breaks for him though. Pop, popcorn and licorice makes a movie.
2. Played for hours in the Castle downstairs. Was a bad guy. Was a monster. Was a giant. Hid on Grammy in the Castle, played golf, had Nerf gun fights, karate fights, catch ( he just figured out how to catch the ball perfectly) , pretended to be Noah, to be Hayden, to be Superman, Batman and beat up Spiderman. Had car races, traveled miles on the road on the floor, went trike riding, went for a long walk, and played and played. WORE me out.
3. Had Atco gas come to the house as the furnace was leaking. Had that repaired along with a cleaning of the igniter. House was cold until it was fixed.Funny thing Victoria or Corey hadn’t smelled it before. It was quite strong. I guess playing downstairs with Jackson for so long was a good thing. They said they haven’t had any headaches or such which is a good thing.

Got back home Sunday afternoon and getting ready for our weekly supper visit with Jackie’s Dad. Cheating tonite ( tired) and buying a pre-made lasagna from Sobey’s. Meal turned out fantastic as they make it each day there so it isn’t like a frozen one. It was very very good. Have booked a golf game for Wednesday ( with Jackie) Thursday ( with Jeff) and Saturday at our courses opening tournament as a single.We will see how the group is before committing to the league.

APRIL 28th Received a phone call from Jessica in Lisbon. Unfortunately she has contracted Salmonella and is bed ridden in Lisbon. Being very sick in a foreign country and not knowing the language and being alone isn’t fun.She isn’t sure but thinks it may have been the chicken on the plane. Usually with Salmonella a whole bunch of people get it not just one meal so we will wait and see. Bet she doesn’t eat the chicken on the way home. Funny thing everyone is switching to chicken because they believe it to be better than red meat. A lot of diseases and food poisoning come from chickens. They are a very dirty bird. Jessica has had the doctors visit her in the hotel which is good. They have given her antibiotics so you know it is more than a mild case. She needs to remember to drink a lot of water to keep hydrated as she has and will be visiting the washroom often. If it is the plane food wouldn’t it be nice for her to receive free tickets for two anywhere the plane flies as compensation.Hint Hint! Jessica is only in Lisbon for a week so this has really wrecked her free time and sight seeing experiences which can’t be replaced.Hopefully she is feeling well enough to attend the gala event tonite. I did my April books, Jackie finished off our taxes ( poor tax refund as we needed to save the RRSP room for 2014 with the cashing in of her pension) . Picked up a few things for Peter at Walmart, got a new antenna for the motor home at Canadian Tire , picked up some groceries and actually laid down a bit in the afternoon as I wasn’t feeling that well.Jackie dressed up today like she was going to the opera to go shopping. She says just because she is retired she doesn’t need to dress like a slob. ( referring to me in sweats LOL )

APRIL 29TH The first wonderful weather day since we came back to Canada. It was sunny, clear skies and 17 above today. Jackie got up early this morning as she needed to babysit Jackson as the day home was closed today. She also had a dentist’s appointment with her Dad so I went to Victoria’s house to babysit Jackson. Went outside at 10 am  and never went back in until I left. We put the battery in the Razor and took a few test drives with it. He hasn’t got on to using the steering wheel as of yet. I rode my trike at 1 yrs old ! I will need to work on him. Moved over to a trike. Adjusted the seat with his help and he could ride quite easily. Just couldn’t steer. I will work on this. We played with every toy in the garage for about 10 min per toy. He had a lot of fun as I did. Around 1:45 pm Jackie drove her Dad home so I put Jackson in the wagon for a ride around the block. This ride turned into a just about an hour walk as he fell asleep in the wagon and I didn’t want to stop to wake him. Finally I wore out and moved the wagon into the shade in garage he continued to have dreams about building roads in the front yard with his Papa. As I have said no amount of money or job satisfaction is near equal to this fun time. Picked up my golf clubs at Golf town but they forget the head sleeve on two of them so will pick the two clubs up in the am before our tee-time. A wonderful day. Didn’t feel up to par ( pun) all day but had a blast with the toys. LOL

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is also our second full month of retirement and it has been spectacular. We have been able to baby sit when needed, visit friends when we want, shop in the middle of the day, help out Jackie’s Dad when needed and tomorrow golf at high noon when no one else will be on the course. I highly recommend anyone considering to retire jump into it. We actually spent 2K less than budget in April which was great. We did turn down a fantastic trip to Vancouver Island with close friends as it was just a little to costly at $ 200 a night for rooms plus another $200 a day to golf plus food and essentials. Just too much for a such a short trip at over $500 a day plus the airfare.Would have been fun and nice trip but we have to pick and choose where we can as every penny spent doesn’t come back into the coffers like a pay cheque used to. LIVING THE GOOD LIFE is amazing and we can only thank one person for that !

APRIL 30th  Getting ready for the golf course this afternoon. Making a few phone calls to get quotes for Mom’s furnace. It seems that Atco has told her to keep it off as it is leaking carbon monoxide and is not safe to use anymore. Our luck with this crappy weather as usual May weather she wouldn’t need to worry about fixing it right away.She had a estimate from a plumber of 14K to replace. I am trying to get the current one repaired if possible and a couple of quotes for a new one if absolutely needed. I am sure I can get a good boiler system for 6K installed. My first choice is to have the current system repaired properly and will pass any building inspection. I will see if I am dreaming but checking on-line a can’t find a boiler over 5k and with install I believe my pricing to be correct. We will see. I have two companies that specialize in boilers to check it out. Unfortunately I don’t know anyone in that industry to have a trusted opinion.I will drive up to Edmonton on Friday morning to get everything all fixed up. Hopefully the weather will be good enough to get a few other things done around the house. Just got back from golf. Had a great time , hit over 23 degrees today, the course was in good shape and golfed with two nice gentleman. Finished with an 85 because of the stupid slice again on the odd tee shot. Jackie did well but not her usual low score she gets. Nice to finally be up and running at my home course. Booked myself into the men’s league so will see how that goes on each Tuesday.First tee time is with the two guys I golfed with today which are a lot of fun as they heckle each other on every tee. My kind of guys.  I will need to use Paul B’s question on the tee. “when you hit the ball do you breathe in or out” or the old undo the Velcro glove trick. Talked to Alfred and Mom tonite and the furnace repair is going on. Just waiting for the confirmation from the plumber. But tonite the sump pump went at Mom’s house but luckily Alfred can get it fixed. With a  50 year old home things start to go.Sort of like some old farts I know.I should start a home repair company called ” Viagra for Homes” .