Coming soon the big release everyone is waiting for !!!

November 1st

8th month of Retirement !!  Having a great time.

Today also is the first day of Fred Key’s new found freedom. His first day of  RETIREMENT. His first day of the good life about to begin. For Fred he has his LandCruiser,his motorhome, his boat ,fishing and hunting, his fix it all duties and his home in Mesa to enjoy.I am sure Fred will be kept busy and will enjoy his new found freedom. I am looking forward to visiting them in Mesa for New Years Eve and for some fun camping and fishing times this summer.If you see this guy wish him well .

Beside his normal man things he does like hunt, fish, skin animals etc he cans Pickles, cherries, make soups and is a master chef at feeding large large groups of people Christmas dinners. He won’t be so rushed now trying to fit everything in and can sit back read a western novel and enjoy himself.

 

I was very fortunate today to have Corey come over to help me install crown molding and library panel in our bedroom. If anyone has done crown even for a licensed carpenter it is a difficult thing to do. I was lucky that Corey took the lead on the cutting and did a fantastic job. Going from side to side of the saw and having to cut flip the molding over for different angles gets confusing. Our condo being a large multi- family unit does NOT have plumb walls or any 90 degree corners so we faced additional challenges. Corey had a perfect handle on the corners and we have only one that requires a little wood putty. Even the bulk head was whacked as far as plumb goes so on the library panel rather than attaching using the level or measurement we had to go by eyesight to please. Overall an awesome job.  I will have pictures as soon as Jackie has completed the fill, sand and painting of the room. Not as elaborate as Jackson’s room but I like the subtle classic elegance mixed with the  traditional modern design. I used a left right upright concept but when I woke up I considered changing the cornice and use a return on both sides but Jackie said she liked it the was it was.A few accessories and we should be sleeping in the Willard Hilton.

I started doing the month end for October and will finish it off tomorrow. I look outside and see snow and wonder why I am here. Then I remember Jackie is making some short term great money to pay some bills. I did notice the TSX has rebounded again nicely. My small personal investments are doing great with two stocks up over 70%. Would have been nice to have a large amount in these.

Thought of the Day

Question to a retiree: How many days in a week?
Answer: Six Saturdays, One Sunday

November 2nd

Well winter is here.

Where are my palm trees, my heat from the sun ? I keep forgetting I also like the money Jackie is earning on her contract and will have to wait until Christmas to enjoy Mesa.  Oh well I have lots to keep me busy and things that need to be done so will make the best of staying in this cold snowing darn country. It was a wonderful warm summer we enjoyed and we made the most of it camping in our motorhome over 30 days. Throw in a lot of golf, not enough fishing,visiting friends,site seeing,touring,helping family and to top it all off the perfect weather we had on our NYC/ Quebec, and New England cruise. Things are good. Today I will finalize my budget numbers and start nail hole filling and caulking the bedroom getting it ready for the new paint. Can’t wait to see the finalized room.  Got that extra hour of sleep with the time change which was nice also.

Jackie and I worked for a good 6 hours today filling, sanding and the start of the painting. The room is starting to look great. We have completed all of the wood work so tomorrow it is a hour or so of frog taping and then painting the first coat on the walls. While fixing things I also moved back my wall mount TV. The installers had put the receiver box that hit the swing arm and didn’t allow the TV to be swung all the way tight to the wall. Scared myself a little as the TV wouldn’t start after and it was quite a time trying everything. Finally after removing the back panel of the TV the HDMI cord had being pulled out. All fixed. It is very hard on the neck and shoulders bending backwards all day staring and fixing any rough spots on the crown molding. I will need to put on some rub tonight. Jackie fared quite well and isn’t saying she is sore or stiff. First reno job ever though where she was rushing me to get it done. I have done a lot of reno’s, some massive and after 34 years she is now in a rush !! Oh well should be done by tomorrow or the next day which is not bad. I believe her work ( BNS)  pressure is getting to her.

First month where our budget received a big hit.The cruise, car repairs,assessment and I few other smaller things put us quite a bit over.  I save the cruise money separately but have to show the spending part of it and will need to wait to year end Dec 31st to see how all of the numbers work themselves out based on my yearly expense sheet. I will go through everything to determine the need of an adjustment or cut back on spending in some areas as it the year end gets closer I can see we are over a bit more than I like overall.  I still need to remember we planned to spend more than normal for the first few years with travel and things we wanted to do around the houses. The $10,000 assessment though throws things a bit.

Received the email on our Columbia Valley pass again and will wait to see if Jeff or Keith want to participate. It is a good deal but does require 8 courses to be golfed. Hoping the Graces have their time share week in 2015 and the Harry’s want to spend some time there. If not I think I will purchase it again for Jackie and I. Awesome courses for $48.00 each so you do get a good savings. Out of the 8 only a couple of weak ones, The Windermere and Mountainside. Windermere as it is very short and Mountain as it is a little hokee on few holes. It is a beautiful area to camp with lots to do other than golf and is especially nice having the hot springs right there.

Thought of the Day

You know winter is here when you think sexy lingerie is tube-socks and a flannel nightie with  8 buttons and a pashmina thrown over your shoulders.

November 3rd

A wonderful sunny cold winter/fall day outside. The extra hour is really quite odd as I am getting up earlier than I would like. I made our early morning energy smoothie with a few new ingredients such as the carrot juice , strawberries and chocolate milk.Up and at the room. Filled any obvious deficiencies and started to paint. Now painting is the one thing about constructing that I don’t like to do. Finished all of the trim work and it looks great. I am impressed with the visual difference already.Stopping for lunch and will start the massive amount of frog tape I have to apply as we have a lot of trim work to work around. ( pro’s are good enough to cut in but we need the tape)  Hopefully finish painting before the room darkens which is one hour sooner tonight.

Booked an appointment with my DMS massage therapist.   If any of you have a sore back or stiff muscles this process called ( Deep Muscle Stimulation) is amazing. It does hurt a bit but the second day after is like a miracle. What it entails is deep muscle massage, heat blankets, and deep needles into the muscles.( not like acupuncture which just pierces the skin) When the needle hits the muscle you can feel it release and contract.It has worked wonderful for myself and I have recommended my guy to numerous others and everyone has agreed it sure does work.( a few didn’t want to go back due to the little amount of pain) This time it is my upper back and trapz. We moved parents three times in a month and ever since then they just won’t relax.I score at golf a  89 without pills and a 79 with pills so need it fixed.This Thursday is my appointment to get loose before I head to the south to play lot’s of golf.  We have a massage therapist in our complex in Mesa which Jackie and I both use also.

Well 8 pm and Jackie is still painting.Took me 3 hours to frog tape so with that amount of cutting in it will take a while and she didn’t start until after her work day was completed. Room is starting to look great. First coat done and hopefully Jackie will get the second one done tonight and we can start to re-assemble the bedroom.

Thought of the Day

The marital argument over whether to choose the ”Calypso Blue” or the ”Ocean Breeze” for the bedroom walls will rise in intensity according to the degree to which the two colours are indistinguishable.

November 4th

Oh I love retirement. Watched my HGTV shows while having my Smoothie for breakfast in bed. Got up and started ,search and research on oils for my boat leg. Manufactures have become stupid with their specialty requests . I need GL5 oil and to find this is difficult and the so called experts are even confused. GL5 which has a higher level of additive chemistry can be corrosive to yellow metals such as copper and brass and is only used in specific applications. I found a lot of GL4 . Johnson and Mercury sell their own oil but don’t label it with the viscosity or API rating. Finally ended up with Johnson oil ( no label and no info on site with my mobile) and before I add it will do my full due diligence.  Went over to Victoria’s and worked for a bit. Finally dug up the Dahlia’s and re-fixed the compressor. The factory hose clamps blew off under 150PSI so I replaced them with a gear clamps. Cleaned up some more in the garage and then discovered I locked my phone and keys in the Jeep. I believe this is the first time in my life this has happened. Oh no !  Waited for long time for Tor to get home but she was out shopping or doing an errand. Luckily Jackie came to the rescue.Started supper and another first as I cooked up two large Walleye fillets with special coating in oil. Boy do they cook fast. Next time will be more careful with the oil. The fillets turned out crispy brown and cooked in about 5 minutes and were fabulous. Flaky and moist but not fatty. Very nice for a change and not one bone !!!

Jackie finished off the painting, removed the tape and staged the room. I love it. It is amazing what crown, cornice, and library panel can do to a room. Presenting the “Willard Hilton” master suite.

Quite a difference  a few improvements can make to a room. Only three days to complete even though on this job I was rushed !! Due to the push I only accommodated practical perfection.

 

 

 

Still may change out the light for a white fan with a chandelier below it. Makes the summer nights cooler and won’t use the air as much.

Thought of the Day

If you don’t like how things are, change it! 

November 5th 

Today I will finally change the gear oil in my outboard.What looks like a fairly simple task turned out to be quite a lesson in things. First I had to deal with the oil issue and finally a call to the manufacture cleared things up. I now know the difference between GL5 and GL4 oil and won’t forget. Hopefully some of the dealers will learn also as the impact of putting the wrong oil in will take a few years to wreck things and by then people will blame it on something else.Next lesson the pump to fill the leg. Two trips to the marine store and got that  done.Very knowledgeable staff at AutoMarine that helped me.In this world of free trade and every region still has differences that they won’t come together on. Getting a pump I was taught there  is American thread SAE fine and coarse,there is European metric and there is Japanese metric.Similar to US quart and Canadian quart. LOL  First pump with two different ends was not right. I had to get another sized screw in on the end.  Finally got the oil changed and it is ready to sit until spring. I did not fog the cylinders as I believe there is no need as it is being kept in a dry warm location.Another task complete.

 

MY RANT

Customer service :  What has happened to employee training ? Where are all of the helpful and polite people in the service industry disappeared to ? Why is everyone so rushed and want to run away rather than ask a customer if they need help ? It is a shame to say but this is one area I beleive the Americans out do us by a mile. There is pride in doing a good janitorial job or at the McDonalds counter if you do it well.Yesterday I experienced the worst of customer service at a marine job (B+L Marine) and the best at (Princess Auto). If a service employee does not take the time to have the product knowledge needed to do a good job ask someone else or study or demand the company for training.When we had our fast food franchise we continuously tried instilling into the employees how to treat a customer. ( we won two franchise of the year awards) . To argue, be combative,to not be polite or not provide extra help comes back to bite a business and there is no way to measure the impact except for reduced sales or lack of sales which most management would blame something else. Training is a big part of running a successful business and from my experience companies do not focus on this.They all have marketing budgets to draw customers but very few talk about and spend money on the customer experience when they have the customer. Micro managing ( not allowing a $500 return due to the financial impact and not realizing that this customer has the potential to spend 10K in next few months) I always gave the customer a 50% discount on another sub if the store happened to be out of the one he wanted. Leniency on returns is costly but thinking long term a fair policy allows a customer to still be buying customer for years to come rather than leave.  This still today bugs me to no end as the company top management really doesn’t understand. At JW I remember a report managers had to run showing where the credits were accounted for.They were instructed to reduce credit notes and some GM’s and their staff went a way overboard.Instead of looking closely at the reasons and finding root cause it was the slash not considering the customer.Costco is perfect example of a company that understands that impact and has the most lenient return policy but look at their sales and profits. The old Totem Building was a perfect example of employee training to a tee. That is why these companies are successes.  Smarten up companies !   Trust me most people are not OUT to get you and rip you off on a return.    BUT THAT’S JUST ME!

Thought of the Day 

 The difference between try and triumph is a little umph. Put a little umph in your work, enjoy it, get it done right and help people ! 

November 6th

Weigh in today was excellent. I am very pleased where I am right now being the 40 lbs lighter and now just to maintain it. With careful eating ( not dieting) as I don’t deprive myself of anything and exercise it is no problem. My computer software is a huge help to determine the calories consumed and spent and the worth of the calories.Losing weight as I have said before is a simple mathematical calculation .We know 3500 calories represents one pound of fat. Reduce by 3500 in a week ( 500 calories a day) and you can’t help but lose. Some would say 500 cal is a lot to reduce by. Think of at as 3 soda pops, or 3 cookies or smaller portions on the plate and it is very little.Add exercise and you will lose more. It is the same for EVERYONE.

OUCH!! Ouch ! I had my visit with Sebastian (DMS) today. For the first time ever he has suggested to return to him in a month as my muscles were so tight he didn’t think he could release all of them. It is a weird feeling to feel a muscle deep in your back “jumping” when the needle hits it. The trapz are a sore area of the body to be worked on. When I got home Jackie had a heating pad for me which is awesome and will help with the soreness tomorrow.A lot of deep needles and hard manipulation of the muscles which in two days will feel great.

As it was 15 above today I walked to get Jackson from his daycare. On our way home as any good Papa would,we stopped and had a cherry Popsicle. These things are great and they sure gave Jackson an energy boost. LOL . We had a lot of fun with him until Victoria picked him up.

We also had an email from our Mesa neighbors asking where are we at ?  Looking at weather next week I was disappointed to answer not till January.

Watching the financials I see the oil pricing is on a steady decline along with our Cdn dollar.A feel a new rant coming about these so called hypocritical environmentalists, large funded radical organizations like Greenpeace and our First Nations trying to block our sale of oil to the world. I find it amazing how they get exposure in papers and TV. They should be ignored.

Thought of the Day 

 

 

 

 

 

November 7th     Muscles are sore but feel great. By tomorrow I maybe able to spin my head freely just like Linda Blair did.Back and neck feel great overall and with a little more heat today will be excellent. No pain no gain. I recommend this process to anyone that has a sore back or neck. It really works !  Drinking my breakfast smoothie today I noticed the mug Jackie gave me is an old Sterling Dist’s golf mug I received at our Saskatoon Sterling Golf Tournament in about 1977. Those were  fun tournaments with some great guys, Bob K, Gary L, Lloyd M, Don B, Bob R, and Lou to name a few. Now that mug has been around for a lot of years  ( 37 years) and is still looking perfect.I actually have two similar ones that I was given. Looks like the daycare has an appointment today so we will look after Jackson for the afternoon. I think I will pick him up and take him to McDonald’s for lunch and to play in the ball room and slides. That’s a good hour or so of entertainment. My antique railway lighting project will need to wait. Jackie had a brilliant idea for these, to add solar lighting to them instead of a standard light bulb. I can then wire them to hang normal and will not require an extension cord or underground wiring to have them in the

landscaping theme.  Hanging from an arbor and solar powered they should be awesome. Cold enough now though I will need to bring them into my heated garage to spray and wire.

I picked up Jackson at 11:15 and headed to the Golden Arches for lunch and some play time. Sat beside a young mother who had 16 month old identical twins so we had a long conservation about raising  twins and the challenges plus the rewards. Turned out they joined the Twin & Triple Club like we did years ago to get discounted almost new clothes. She liked the cloth diaper idea we used from Stork as pampers are very expensive for her. She didn’t think to ask for a bulk discount like we did on Enfalac  from the Safeway store as we were going thru a case a week. It was an interesting conversation.We decided after twins not to have any more but she is looking forward to the easy task of taking care of one in a year or so. I explained to her she can’t have just one , she needs to have two more. No ride, no table, no game is made for 5 people. 4 or 6 can work.Jackson played for a while then we talked about what else we should do. Tommy K Play came up and I asked Jackson where it was.Could he tell me where to find it. Perfect answer ” You go left and then right” Turns out it was exactly the way to go after looking it up on my phone. This Tommy K Play is

amazing. It is a 10k sq ft warehouse full of a kids play centres, slides, tunnels,scary dark room, nets, climbing etc. They have a great check in system with color matched wrist bands and a electronic gate so no one can leave with out them checking them out to make sure the bands match etc. Jackson found a little bit older boy to play with and spent 3 hours constantly running. I went in one fun centre and had enough. So I sat in the lounge chairs with the 37 mothers watching the kids play with Jackson checking in with me every 15 min or so. They even have camera’s so you can check out where your kid is at.I am sure Jackson had an excellent time and will sleep very well tonight as we did not leave until 3 pm and he was so tired he couldn’t climb anymore.

He spent a lot of time racing on the car track. He wanted to win at this game. I think some of me is rubbing off on him as he races around and around.He had the steering and process to make the cars go down pat. Then off to the climbing spaces and back again to the cars. He was worn out after it all.

He even received a racing motorbike from Ronald’s in his kids meal so a very good day !!

Got home and checked on my calorie counter and I will need a very small supper to make up for indiscretions today. First time in a long time.

 

Thought of the Day 

God put me on this earth to accomplish a certain amount of things, right now I am so far behind I will never die.

November 8th 

Back feels wonderful. Sebastian is amazing at curing back pains. I will see him one more time in December before heading to Mesa. Loaded the motor carts in the grocery cart, headed upstairs and put them away to make room for Jackson, Corey and Tor to ride with us to Keith & Jenny’s anniversary party. Smoothie today actually had a pit in one cherry so had to drink it with my teeth closed. Got lucky with a .2 lb increase only which is fantastic with the extra calories.Will be gone by tomorrow. Now that Jackie is following the program she is starting to see results.Made plans to go to Lethbridge to fix Jessica’s outside tap before she froze another. I am going to install a drain plug at the turn-off valve and put pipe insulation around it. It doesn’t slope to the outside as it is supposed to be as the basement floor causes it to slope the wrong way.Headed up to Edmonton for Keith & Jenny’s 25th Wedding Anniversary. The road was perfect until we hit Lacombe. NOTE to self. Boy I am glad I moved to the south part of Alberta. The roads were very icy with no sanding or plows on the highway. The y got even worse around Leduc with us down to 50 to 60 kms per hour. It is like the storm caught the highway guys off guard.It was a little longer drive than expected. Headed to our hotel to check in , quick stop and then off to the hall in Mayfield. Keith’s children did a wonderful job of organizing and getting quite a group of people together.The Mayfield group is a nice bunch of ladies and guys. They also had a lot of friends and family there. It was a great casual gathering. Amanda had them play the guess the answer shoe game which was fun to see the different way they each think. Some funny answers. Jackie and I wanted to let everyone know what we had experienced as friends with them and talked a little about that. Here are just a few things:

• We rented a speed boat in Kelowna and Jenny being a very green driver just about killed us
• Jackie & I bought our first house in Mayfield in the frugal area with no basement and cardboard sewer pipes. Keith & Jenny also bought in Mayfield in the rich area with proper sewage pipes and a basement.
• Keith driving at 5 mph as he was teaching Jenny a lesson  and then arriving at home stepped on  the gas petal by accident and smashed into his parents garage door.
• Keith getting his long long red hair permed by the girls.
• Arriving at Keith’s place I went downstairs to discover Keith bend over naked looking between his legs with his cheeks spread looking at his ass.He thought he had a tick under his skin. Horrible vision to see but I managed to overlook it and took him to the doctor.The nurse asked Keith what was wrong ( this nurse was a beauty model) and he told her his situation.He proceeded into the office and came out sheepishly telling the nurse and I it was just a hemorrhoid.
• Jenny telling the hotel clerk ” no dog” and the clerk saying ” yes there is I see it in the truck” Jenny “oh yah “
• Jenny screaming out of fear being pulled behind the boat water skiing ” Stop the boat” Me going faster. Her not realizing all she needed to do was let go.
• I always thought Kieth and Jenny were Catholic. They were like bunnies popping kids out. Then they decided to get married as they were pregnant with their fourth. Got married, had the fourth and then no more. Marriage ,no sex, no kids is the question ?
• Keith being able to light his farts on fire through his pants

This is just a few of the “fun” things we could remember. There were more told and a lot more we couldn’t tell or had forgotten. But good friends and a lot of entertaining times.

November 9th 

Jackson got us up a little earlier than we would have liked. He didn’t go to bed until midnight but like he says ” It was a sweaty bed” Had a big sit down breakfast and then headed home. It was a about a 5- 5 1/2 hour drive. Very icy roads, blowing snow and again no plows or sanding. Unbelievable really. I enjoy challenge driving but not with 4 others in the car and it being so slippery.Around  the Didsbury turnoff we were stopped on the highway for an accident. It took at least an hour to get past this one multiple vehicle crash. It took so long Jackson had to make a #2 stop on the side of the road.It seems the storm coming from the north to south covered the entire province.I will load a few pictures from the K& J event in day or so. They said on the news tonight over 200 accidents today. Just started smiling as I won’t be making the Monday morning compute.Pretty nice eh Larry G and Fred ! Coffee and read while others sweep their cars or sit in traffic  for hours to get to work.

Thought of the Day

We’re all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness – and call it marriage and love. Hello to all of the weird people!

November 10th 

I look outside and go burrr ! I look outside and smile. I see the guy sweeping and scraping the snow off his car. I see the neighbor shoveling his driveway. I see the cold wind blowing and people outside trying to keep warm. I smile again.I stretch and enjoy the warmth of my home and am relaxed knowing I do NOT have to go anywhere if I don’t feel like it. I may pick up my lamps and bring them into the warmth so I can paint them. There is nothing on my agenda right now except to go to Lethbridge tomorrow to finish off Jessica’s few things.

MY RANT 

In the news the last few days. This is related to oil, the environment, realities of today’s world and musicians that believe they are the saviors and the scientists of the world.First why would anybody believe what a musician has to say over anyone else.Second why do we keep giving these guys a platform and the media coverage. Only to sell papers ? We need oil to survive on this planet.Our society and life style are dependent on it.As I said before we can do better at recycling, wind energy, electric cars etc but we still will use oil to live. For those speaking out against the oil industry they are speaking out against the way the human race lives today. Oil creates everything and is used somewhere in the process of everything. We let Neil Young, David Motormouth Suzuki , and others like Al Gore spill out inaccuracies and they gather a few weak minded followers that do not really think about the consequence of not having oil. There are over 350 organizations like GreenPeace, WWF, Earthwatch, that are wasting our time, money and energy spinning their wheels trying to convince the population of the “bad oil people’s hate against the planet”. Let’s get real. Agreed the oil companies have to make a profit but they still want to do the right thing to best of their knowledge and that is economically possible. They know they need to protect the environment and they don’t need Greenpeace telling them they are killing the planet. They all have families to protect.Greenpeace is a massive direct mail publicity machine that utilizes media and psychology to part people from their money.They haul in tons of cash, supporting an army of  management and fuel a global public relations campaign which relies on the myth that Greenpeace is saving the world.In my opinion, it is completely immoral for organizations to be paying six-figure salaries to desk-bound bureaucrats sitting in multi-million dollar office buildings as real, dedicated activists struggle in the field to rescue injured animals or to try and stop the horrific slaughter of seals, dolphins and whales or stop a simple oil pipeline .It’s obscene, and it is high time that people woke up and saw Greenpeace, Suzuki, Gore  for what they really are. Imagine if they decided killing cows and chickens was slaughter. They are GUILTY of being a high-powered public relation machine designed to fleece the public not only out of their money but to misinform the general public of oil industry.We think ISIS is radical and brainwashes young people into doing things they want, look at the brainwashing that is going on by these guys. STOP buying the records of the artist’s that contribute to the Blue Dot tour.Bare Naked Ladies, Neil Young ,Fiest etc. I am all for cleaner energy, not slaughtering seals, but let’s be real about it. FYI out of 7 billion people on earth there are only 3 million members of Greenpeace.Less than 1/2 of .1%. Greenpeace, single tree huggers , so called save the world organizations,  have all abandoned science and logic in favor of emotion and sensationalism and are devoted to inventing doom and gloom scenarios to advance an agenda that is essentially opposed to many scientific and technological advances that enhance the lives of  7 billion people around the world.When David S rides his bike to his next speaking engagement I might begin to think he is real about his beliefs. Green Peace must believe their huge diesel engines on their boats don’t count.Did you know that David’s net worth is estimated at 8.2 million. He owns 4 houses.

Do you think he cares about our climate as his furnaces are spilling out waste into our environment?

Do you think he cares about our environment as he travels by jet to  speaking engagements paying him loads of money to spew ?

Let’s all start doing a little bit better ourselves, ignore these media, money grabbing liars, allow the oil companies with guidelines to do their business and we  all will live good lives. Humans are not the enemy of the earth. Let’s just make this world a better place within reason and logic of protecting the world. BUT THAT’S JUST ME !!!

Off to the gym for a bit tonight and then relax and get ready to head for Lethbridge in the morning.

Thought of the Day

Media, Radical Groups = “It does not matter what is true, it only matters what people believe is true.“

November 11th

 

Hopefully everyone had the opportunity for the 2 minutes of silence for our veterans. When you really think about the sacrifices they gave it is overwhelming. The fear, the courage needed and the conviction they had is incredible. I may have been to scared to do anything.

Up and at it early this morning. Headed to Lethbridge and had a highway that was a little wind blown. The snow covered road with the wind had quite poor visibility. I installed the check valve on the sump, insulated the pipes and replaced the valve on the frost free tap.  I brought along a short piece of pex pipe with me and used it but I think next visit I will replace it again as it was a little  larger inside diameter and I want to make sure the fittings don’t leak. I believe different pex manufactures make it a little different and the pipe fitting even though crimped wasn’t as tight as I would like it. So next time. I insulated all of exterior pipes I could get a hold of. Jackie and Jess placed the vapour barrier on the floor to cover all most of the dirt. I figure 70% covered 70% less humidity . The reduced  humidity should reduce the smell of wet soil from the crawl space. As soon as they buy their laminate flooring I will head down for a couple of days to complete that. Drive home was great. No snow on the road and no wind.For Lethbridge this is unusual.

Thought of the Day

This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.

November 12th

Today is the first day I can remember where I had nothing pressing to do. I have my CP Rail lights to restore, my grandfather clock to restore,washing the Wrangler and taking the Cherokee to Canadian Tire for a new battery but none of them are urgent. On weigh today I have weighed the exact amount three days in a row.Odd.  Received a phone call from Ken Reid today whom I haven’t heard from since March. I am meeting him tomorrow for lunch and will see how things are going for him and hopefully help him on job search. Time flies even on a down day. Jackie’s big boss from Toronto phoned today to ask her about committing to their project for a little bit longer. I may be going myself to Phoenix and Jackie flying down when she is done. It is a nice contract, she is enjoying it and the money sure helps ( the 10K assessment can be paid for). Nothing set permanent yet.

Looking at the Turner Valley Golf Club newsletter I see we have contracted Les Furber to give us another perspective on the design and layout of our course. He was one of the designers hired with another firm years ago on the first redesign. It will be interesting to see how 30 years later he decides what we need. Les has designed over 63 course in western Canada alone. SilverTip, Hyde Mountain, Bootleg Gap, GlenEagles, Carnmoney, The Springs at Radium, Trickle Creek and Salmon Arm to name only a few. I am excited to see what he does at our course depending on costs and budgets. I am thinking a few more bunkers, some willow tree removal, a couple of green scraping and possibly new water on hole #10. I hope we have the money to go whole hog with this. We are a first rate course right now and with a redesign of sorts could be elevated to an excellent course.

Worked all afternoon taking apart, sanding, and painting our CP Rail lanterns. I will assemble them tonite when the paint is dry. I have 5 green lenses, 2 blue and only one red lens. All in perfect shape so when we hang them we will need to consider the look we are going for.  Ready for spring to install.

Now down to the gym to make up for the extra great supper I had last night.

Thought of the Day

You know, I looked at my face in the mirror this morning, and I like being old. My face has more content and when I train in the gym now, I am not training to be strong or handsome – just better than I was yesterday. These days the race is just against myself and time.

November 13th

Watched my HGTV show and morning news and made our energy Smoothies this morning. Created a reference letter for Ken and readied myself to go out for lunch with him. We met at the Bull & Finch  which we know always has great food and their special is usually user friendly. Ken is looking good, refreshed and is quite relaxed. Has the weight down and is playing hockey a couple of times a week.We had a great time talking  for an hour or so. I looked at his resume and helped him tweak it to be more specific,expressive and informative. He hasn’t really looked for work as of yet and is just beginning to. Ken has a lot of contacts being in the business over 20 years that hopefully will hire him or steer him in the right direction.Hopefully he will be rewarded with a good paying job he enjoys and deserves. It  is never a easy adjustment losing a job you like and not doing anything wrong but Ken is handling it with great optimism.

Thought of the Day

Dear Karma, I  know a couple of people you missed as of yet.

I have a new event to aspire to. I have always disagreed when President’s ,VP’s and Managers assign themselves private parking spots close to the door while everyone else parks wherever they can but I will compromise for a parking spot at my club like this one. It is definitely an earned spot and is only good year by year. Not an easy feat to accomplish but on my to do list.

Worked out at the gym running my 1.25 miles and lifted weights for a while. Jackie out did me tonight and finished at 1.30 miles.

I will measure up the living room wall for my library panel and crown molding project tonight or tomorrow.

On the internet I discovered quite of few new recipes for our morning smoothies. I think tomorrow I will improvise and add some different products again. I am thinking of  adding a whey powder to boost the protein levels. Love eggs, great in protein, but the cholesterol  in them is a killer.

November 14th

Added apples to our energy drink today which adds a great amount of fiber to the intake. Checked out all of news then headed outside to sweep off the Cherokee and wait for AMA to boost it. As soon as it starts I will take it to Canadian Tire for a new battery as the current one won’t accept a charge and is only a couple of years old. I believe the fancy alarm system I had on it had to much of a consistent power draw.I

like keeping the Cherokee around as I use it for keeping mileage down on the Wrangler and Enclave but mostly  for any dirty jobs like hauling lumber, dirt etc and it has had it’s fair share of work. Still works great and looks good except for a couple of rust spots under the door that have appeared. It is 15 years old now !

Thought of the Day

Driver of a beater in panic  ” Oh NO!  the check engine light turned off “

Big game this weekend. If Saskatchewan counts correct and plays good they should win. I would expect Edmonton is the favorite to win but with Reilly out and Durant ready to play I believe the Riders will pull it out. This years final most likely will be Hamilton against Calgary with Calgary winning. The Stamps have had amazing teams but have had bad luck in the playoffs so haven’t won since 2008. We need this one and are too good NOT to win. Need some luck to go with that skill.

Headed to Depot and purchased most of the moldings I need for the living room. I believe about $200 more from Windsor and we should be set to go. I am making a library panel wall as a feature wall in the dining room, a library wainscoting wall to divide the living room from the dining room and crown molding in the main living area. There will be a lot of frog taping to get this all painted.I am excited about the new look and colors we will be using. May look at the flooring if I can find a engineered or laminate product for radiant heat that is floating and not prone to contraction or expansion as we will be away every winter when the humidity level will drop into the low 20% range.Odd as our home in Mesa has laminate through out and we have zero issues with it and it is in the desert. Moving all of the furniture , and pictures tonight to be ready to start.

November 15-16th

Very busy weekend. Again I was very fortune to have Corey help me on my livingroom project. We worked at least 8 hours on Saturday and another 7 on Sunday. Still have about 1- 2 hours left of sticking the panel with 101 panel mold. It seems this product is very hard to find. Lowes, Depot don’t carry it. One Windsor had some and bought all they had and have to wait for a restock to come in. The 101 being FJ Primed is as expensive as the crown made out of MDF. Room is starting to look greaaattt. I will start the tedious job of nail hole filling , joint filling and sanding tomorrow. This will take at least a day with all of the woodwork involved. Finished off the ceiling feature also today which was difficult to get right but looks unbelievable. Without Corey it would have taken a week plus having two people brings up the quality especially when Corey is good at his job.

Watched the Western Semi- Final which was a good game. Good on Edmonton to win. I will need to see if Ron or Keith want to bet again. Surprised with it being a semi final that the stands weren’t full though even though it was on the cool side. Should be a great game next week.Go Stamps Go !

Family is everywhere this week. Victoria is in Phoenix working and Jessica is in Grande Prairie working. Life is busy when you are young and working hard. I don’t miss the travels trips what so ever. Well maybe a bit as the bar after the event was always fun. LOL

Thought of Day 

Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much !

November 17-22nd

Ohhhh ! I have bite off just about more than I can chew. I week of hard labour.I am in the middle of a hugely time consuming adventure. So far Corey and I have spent  15 hours installing moldings and we still have about 2 hours more to go. This is from a licensed carpenter and a pretty handy guy. I am waiting for more stock to arrive at Windsor from M+M. I have also so far spent 20 hours filling nail holes, caulking top and bottom of moldings and first coat of painting just on the molding. It has been 5 long days so far and the house is in a disaster with dust from sanding and furniture all clumped in the center of the rooms. I am at that stage where I want it done now but know that is at least 2 to 3 days away yet.Will look fantastic but a lot more work than I originally bargained for.

Thought of the Day

The key to success is not biting off more than you chew. This will be a resounding success but very tiring.

I went to pick up the balance of the molding stock I need from Windsor. Finished all of the painting on the trim work other than the wall waiting for the stock. Tomorrow will be Frog Tape again on all of the molding to paint the walls after doing any touch up repairs needed. Will be at least a 4 hour job.Stopped at a Flooring store and checked out their laminate from a discovery online. $7.50  a foot which is a way more than most real woods. But it is one of only a few I have run into that can handle the radiant flooring and lack of Relative Humidity as we will be away every winter. $10,000 bucks is just to much so will continue my search. Funny all hardwood and laminate want that 35 to 50 RH which I believe in Calgary is extremely difficult to maintain.

Took 5 hours of touch-up, and frog taping. Spent  another 3 hours painting the first coat of paint and only got half the room done. I will finish the frog taping and finish the the first coat of painting tomorrow. The room will be near done except the main feature wall where Corey will bring over the tablesaw, mitre saw and air nailer to complete the # 101 panel mold. It’s funny how certain item numbers etc stick in your head. # 37 and #38 hospital base is ingrained into my mind as was #101 plus many others. I think it was unloading the box cars of molding we used to get at Sterling Dist. That plus the many years of selling it. At least I can see the end now which is nice but I am guessing at least another 15-20 hours total. A painter would have done it for $2000 but my hours really aren’t worth money anymore. LOL Funny though I see one wall this evening in the old color Butternut and the other walls in the new color Sandlot Grey and because of the light they don’t look much different. Quite annoying really. LOL

My friends passed on the Columbia Valley Pass but I am going to purchase the Windmill pass for myself to use in Calgary to use again this year as I loved the golf choices.

Another full day of taping and painting. All the taping is done. Complete first coat is done. The second coat ( finish coat) should only take about 5 hours total I hope. Just the molding to complete and can wrap up that color.

Thought of the Day

Hobbies cost money but interests are free

Up and at it early this morning. Lucky for me Jackie volunteered to complete the final coat of paint on the walls. She is very good at painting and will cut the paint time away down. Should have the room completely done by noon except for the main feature wall with the moldings. Gout toe is hitting me again for some reason. Cherries everyday which is supposed to work but I think it is a combo of the weight loss and dehydration. I haven’t had enough water which isn’t good. Drank four larges cups today already. Hopefully with a couple of pills and lots of water I can get rid of it quick.  Finish off if we can today , head to the FAR north of Calgary ( most likely snow on the ground up there) to celebrate a past birthday of a niece  at 3 pm and then babysitting Jackson tonite at Victoria’s place.

Thought of the Day 

Youth would be an ideal state if it came a little later in life.

Corey and I worked like mad men to get our final wall done. The entire room is now complete for everything I wanted to do. We rushed to get to Alan and Maryann’s place for a family gathering to celebrate Kennedy’s 19th birthday. She loves KFC as does just about everyone so we knew we had a good meal ahead of us.But her

birthday cake was unbelievable. Maryann added to it but it was a Red Velvet Cake with ice cream. Incredible cake. Kennedy now being 19 years old is of legal age everywhere in Canada but still has a ways to go to be considered an adult all over the world. Great group with Alan, Maryann, Jackie and I , Audrey, Michael,Kennedy, Brenton, Danielle,Carter, Peter, Victoria, Corey and the mini me best grandkid in the world ” Jackson”.

Jackie and I then headed to Victoria’s place with Jackson to babysit him as they had another party to go to and had planned to come home late. On the ride home Jackson talked straight for 45 min. Not one moment of silence except for our short “quiet” game. He is quite a talker and funny. I sat in the back with him playing his games and had a blast. He has yet to win one. LOL

Watched two wonderful hockey games.One where the Oiler’s were demolished. The other with the Flames winning.Got to bed around 2am.

Remember the big event is just around the corner. Watch for it.

November 23rd

All done. We completed the project today. I will post pictures after we get everything back in it’s place after the carpet cleaning on Tuesday. Jackie finished off the painting after working hours and hours. Did a lot of the cleanup today and will finish tomorrow. Room looks fantastic !!!  We bought 4 new artist paintings on our last cruise but have only received two so hopefully they arrive so we can figure out where to put them all. I tease Jackie now as she is considered a fine art collector having 6 paintings now from famous artists. I won’t say the cost but they look incredible.

I then watched the demolition of the Eskimo’s by the Stamps.  These kind of games are always fun to watch especially when you are on the winning side. Here is an exert of an email to a bunch of friends that live in Edmonton.  I am sure my friends that know me well would agree that I get great  enjoyment out of hassling people over their age ( birthday),their unlucky choice of sports teams,new haircuts, choice of clothes, and their life’s little mishaps that we all experience.Live is meant to have fun even though some may be at another persons expense. Oh well. LOL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We still have  two more to show up and then we will be done. Love the pictures!

 

 

 

Funny how each picture the walls look a different color when in fact they are all the sandlot grey color.

As soon as the Fed-ex truck shows I can hang the balance and take pictures of the other trim work we did.

 

One wall left to hang pictures as soon as they arrive which is the long living room wall.

The only room left is the second bedroom where I need to  put up a cork board wall as our family collection of pictures can be moved, attached and changed as wanted or needed. Another picture showed up and I will install it tomorrow.

 

 

November 27th 

I look outside and see the cold snowy weather and smile. I am not one of the people on the road trying to get to work. It is a very good feeling and does make me laugh as humans how we get caught up in the hype to work we go, work we go every day. It is like a little ant farm. I feel like the Queen ant as I watch everyone scrape their cars, dig themselves out , scurry to work and wrap up to stay warm while I sit here writing on my computer looking outside. A real busy day ahead of me. LOL.  Nothing urgent I have completed the house work and have my grandfather clock project left. I think I will go downstairs and wax the Wrangler to help ward of the salt even though I don’t drive it much in the winter.

Last night I went to the golf screens for the first time this year and played the Troon North. The screens are quite realistic other than chipping and putting. It is a good thing to keep the swing motion going. After golfing Jeff and I headed to the Bull & Finch for beer, wings and to watch the Flames game. You just can’t beat beer,wings and a win  especially with another stellar performance.

Paid another photo radar ticket !

MY RANT

Photo radar–  It is amazing to me how we have such dedicated protesters for a lot of causes and not one against photo radar.Never mind us as ants we are more like sheep. Just following like everyone else and paying through the nose. Photo radar does not stop speeding. It is a cash cow. Speeding does not kill. It is the idiot driver behind the wheel. The cities of Edmonton and Lethbridge have gone overboard relying on this as a means to prop their general coffers. If the fine payments were dedicated to road renewal or new infrastructure I don’t think people would mind the cash cow concept.There are a lot of unmanned units but the units with a cop in them drive me the most nuts. How can that $75,000 a year paid cop go home at night and sleep thinking he is saving the world from the horrible speeders and that he did a good job.Most locations for set up are trap locations where the limit is to low or a constant over the limit area. I am an advocate of raising the speed limit on all highways and secondary roads by at least 10 kms per hour or more. I have driven approximately on average 40k kms per year for the last 30 plus years without as much as a scratch. I have driven 90% of the time over the limit. We have a whole industry now fighting these tickets that is new. If the cities rely on this for income I prefer photo vs traffic cop just due to insurance which is in cohorts and uses the driving offences as a means to raise pricing instead of the actual incident rate.  Let’s stop the madness !

BUT THAT’S JUST ME !!

Have I said how much fun I am having lately. LOTS !  LOL  Retirement is wonderful !

Waxed and cleaned the Wrangler, pulled out staples on our new shipment of pictures, cleaned up a bit and then baked a perfect Cherry pie. Fitting as it is my first pie in Calgary.LOL . It doesn’t look like this anymore. Awesome tasting.

 

 

 

 

Thought of the Day 

When nothing goes right — go left 

 

November 28th

I have the humidity up to about 37% but now that the outside air temperature has dropped it is too high as the windows are steaming up. RH is an odd thing as warm air has the capacity to carry more water than cold yet it is in the winter when RH is needed the most inside of our homes.I think I will complain to my window manufacturer AWW it must be their fault. LOL . I will slowly lower the percentage using my new hygrometer as the guide. I think when we hit the -20 degrees outside the RH inside should be close to 25% to keep the windows from moistening up.It is -22 outside (wc -29) so it is cold.

I will move the Cherokee inside today to load up my tools , head over to Victoria’s to get the mitre saw, table saw, air compressor and gun plus misc tools to install the laminate flooring at Jess’s place tomorrow.  Can’t wait until supper to have another piece of my cherry pie. Apple pie I think I will try next and then venture back to my shortbread cookies as Christmas is coming. I will keep trying these shortbread cookies until it get it right.Take 3. Fun to throw flour all over the kitchen.

Man is it cold outside. -22 but feels -29. Shoveled Victoria’s driveway for them and wore the wrong gloves as my hands froze.The wind just catches their place at the wrong angle and piles the snow up on their driveway.Loaded most everything  I need but will go in the morning to pick up the shop vac as I will cut in one room instead of on the deck as it is just to cold out. Mesa I am thinking of you. LOL  Still waiting on Fed-ex to deliver one more picture. Audrey, Jackie’s Mom and Jackie went shopping for a new coat today. Both bought winter coats to wear. Audrey is bringing hers to Wales with her as she says she freezes over there. Makes you go  Hmmm. Why do you go to a place where you need a winter coat as a destination or vacation spot ? LOL

Thought of the Day 

I like those big puffy winter coats. They are really sexy and look like a big big puffy sleeping bag I would like to climb into to stay warm.

 

November 29th

Well another first in my life. I have decided to wait to go to Lethbridge. The road reports, weather warnings , cold warnings etc have caused me to change my mind. It is -23 there with a windchill of -29 and still snowing with blowing snow. The highway camera’s are brutal looking and the news is saying if you don’t need to drive don’t. This is the first time in my life I have heeded those words. I remember driving back and forth to Ft Mac on numerous occasions where the road was closed, storm warnings , blizzard conditions and just about impassible.I remember driving to Edson for Christmas some years when you didn’t know what side of the road you were on. I remember driving to Ft St John and Grande Prairie and having a 14 hour drive of blizzard conditions.Numerous times on Hwy 2 where we counted over 50 cars in the ditch but I drove on. This time I don’t need to be there. I will go midweek when it is near zero so I can cut flooring outside and not freeze. I hate the decision not to go as I don’t want the reputation of becoming like most old people scared to go on the roads. I loved certain reps like Tim Horan who drove in that GP area some times when no one else would go. I like dedication to commitments and am a little disappointed I didn’t fulfill mine today. I guess the nice thing about retirement is I DON’T HAVE to be anywhere if I choose not to. I used to kid my customers I was like the postman never not getting to their store unlike some other reps. Huge orders came my way. LOL  I think today will be a do nothing day. I am sure I can do that if I try hard.

Jackie made a real funny today. I am starting my month end budget processing and out of the bathroom I hear. “You know Larry you will need to add a new column to your budget sheet” I question. The response.” You know you need a special column for speeding tickets”  She is getting back at me for having a “haircut/makeup” line in my budget for her. She is a funny one. LOL

Thought of Day

Would you bet your paycheck on tomorrows weather forecast ? If  not, why then should this country bet billions on global warming predictions that have even less foundation. Ps  is -30 warming?

 

November 30th

Grey Cup Day. I checked my Telus tv and I don’t get TSN on it.Whatever happened to the good old CBC getting all of the sports. I switched to Telus for a cost saving and received a new TV but the channel selection is horrible. I prefer Shaw a way way more. May look at this after my contract is done. Hockey games I miss and not having the Grey Cup is unacceptable.I could buy the upgrade package but then I would be paying more than Shaw.  We will see. With Telus I can buy right online through the TV. I could buy the sport package for $9.00 per month for football,hockey and golf. But we do have  our theater room upstairs i could use.Decided on making Banana Bread today.

I have to go out into the cold though for butter as we only have margarine left.The windchill right now in Calgary is -31 so it is no fun being outside. It will keep the party’s smaller and less rowdy though as they will be confined to the indoors. Just about finished my November budget numbers. Over budget but mostly due to the house upgrades which we choose to do. It is amazing how fast money disappears  especially when every two weeks your bank account isn’t pumped up. Luckily Jackie’s contract more than paid for the renovations . Noticed on the MLS listing a condo in our complex that is about 100 sq ft smaller selling for $400k so the pricing definitely has come up which is a good thing. You don’t find many condo’s with our amenities and over 1300 sq ft. Too bad about our patio assessment though. You pay the 10k but you can’t get it back on the sell price but if you were to list you would have to lower the sell price for the buyer to accept.We are missing the first block party in Mesa with our delay so we will need to catch up to everyone on a individual basis. Jackie’s Mom phoned this morning as the water lines froze in her building and were leaking into her unit. It gets a little messy when things like that happen but insurance and condo board responsibilities usual make the process relatively easy . We had a similar issue a few years back and it was repaired quickly and repaired very professionally.

 

Well we did. The 2014 Grey Cup Champions Calgary Stampeders. Having the best team in the league for the last few years and finally winning. We have been an amazing team but just couldn’t finish it at the final or cup game. But did it this year. Cornish played a perfect decoy. Very lucky on the run back by Banks to be returned. Only disappointing thing was that we couldn’t convert when we got close to the end zone.Exciting game to watch as it was a nail biter to the last play. Perhaps we should install a City Of Champions sign on our north entrance of the city similar to Edmonton only doing it on their south entrance.  Now would it not be nice to win the Stanley Cup this year also.

Perhaps !

Thoughtof the Day

My friend always said stick and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me. So I lobbed a dictionary at his head.            Sorry words can hurt !