April 1st      APRIL FOOLS DAY

I could try to pretend I was going back to work but we all know that isn’t going to happen. I could try to pretend I have run short of money but the TSX has had the best recovery in 3 months since 1933 so I am ok for a bit again. I could say I am bored and need to do something but that wouldn’t fly and I know no one would believe me.  I could ask you all to phone the zoo and ask for Mr Wolfe but that wouldn’t fly.

So here it is . No joke . I am serious now. Trust me.  ” I have some water front property here in Mesa I would like you guys to invest in. Now the water levels are a little low and you can see only dust and cactus but as soon as the climate change happens you will be sitting on a fortune with water front property. Send me directly $100 as a deposit to get in on this new investment at ground level. I will respond with a official certificate issuing a share to you. Don’t wait  to get them before everyone else.

“Mercury Forecast” Mesa 25 degrees  Calgary 19 degrees

Went to the Mesa Market with Fred and Mel to pick up my outdoor flowers for our deck that is supposed to be finished by the time we get back. As it is the end of the season as the snow-birders heading I negotiated  a very good deal. Two large flowers that I will get pictures of when I place them on our deck.Are you really getting your money’s worth ?  I cancelled my CIBC credit card today. During my conversation with the agent I have been a client for 40 years. She was adamant at trying to salvage a customer. If anyone uses travel points you how hard they are to actually use without them sending all over the world to get in a straight line.

Talked to our campsite today to finalize everything for our May long weekend excurision. As always will be fun and hopefully with good weather.  If we have camped 40 years on the long weekend in May we most likely had 20 of them with not so perfect weather. The group we have now loves camping with golf thrown in for fun and loves to sit around a large campfire having great discussions. With the additional grandkids along it also makes it quite entertaining. I have at least 20 movies in the motorhome for them.

My golf course where I Marshall phoned me as they have full tee sheets and wanted to know if I was available to work this weekend. With the temperatures 19 above Friday thru Sunday the courses are packed.

We are heading back to Canada just a little earlier than originally planned due to an unforeseen but good circumstance. I expect to be in Lethbridge the 9th or 10th of April. Just missing getting back in time for my Mom’s birthday so we will make a trip later up to Edmonton to visit with her.

Fred today found a orange in the middle of his tree. This thing is huge !  It is also still very firm. I can only imagine the juice in that thing. He was thinking about drilling a hole in it and adding vodka straight into it. Now that would be fun !

Ordered my new tires today for install as soon as we get back. The factory ones lasted 115kms so I am happy with that. These new ones have a 80 mile warranty on them so I should even get a little longer. The originals would have lasted longer but with the outside wear ( usually caused by under inflation or mis-aligment ) at 1/32 I have to change them now.

The weather here is amazing hitting over 30 degrees everyday. I love summer weather and hopefully we get a great summer in Canada this year. Relaxed the rest of the day. Had a wonderful spaghetti with Italian sausage meat sauce that was fantastic. Trying to use up our remaining food before we go so may have a the odd combination meal in the next few days. I think this time we may just load up some of the cans and cartons of food and bring them home.

Thought of the Day

You know the best part of retirement isn’t so much about being able to rest and relax, it is the fact you get to watch everyone else scurry off to work.

April 2nd

“Mercury Forecast ”  Mesa 30 degrees  Calgary 21 degrees

21 degrees in April is amazing for Calgary.No wonder all of the shut in golfers want to get out.  Problem is the trees and flowers will think spring has come and a cool spell in the future may hurt them. But we will all take weather like that. As long as the farmers get spring rain everyone will be happy.  For all you environmentalists, no climate change isn’t the cause. ( has anyone else noticed the word mental right in the middle of environmentalists)  It is called a El Nino system and Western Canada is located in the perfect place to benefit from this system unlike our eastern counterparts and other parts of the world.

Tree trimming day today so started early to beat the heat. Whipped up to Fred’s place to get the tools and then Bob & I started to trim. Pat was doing cleanup and Jackie joined in right after the gym. Desert trees are mean. The thorns on these things are amazing. They are dangerous. We had one beautiful Bougainvillea tree, two Hack Berry trees, a Oleander tree and a few other bushes. Looks good now but they will all be over grown by the time we get back. Bob and I are going to split the cost for a summer trim if the Mexican landscapers will do it for us.  Pat almost killed herself as Jackie had splashed water on the patio and she slipped and fell on the concrete.We don’t need another injury. Our neighbor from BC across from us, Gail was trail hiking on the Usery Mountains when she slipped and fell. Banged her head as she fell so quickly and ended up breaking her kneecap which will require surgery.  If it was me I would jump on a plane first class seat for the room, take my paper work from here and head home. Get to a emergency room and get fixed up as it can affect your walking forever if not fixed correctly. I would assume such an injury is time sensitive.  Hope everything turns out for her ok as she is very active and doesn’t need any kind of hindrance.

Things with Home Depot for Fred’s decking are looking good. It appears the manufacturer is going to give Fred free material to correct the issue. BUT as with my decking the new stuff is 1/8 or more thinner than the existing. The rep thinks he can supply the rim boards also so the deck has a consistent thickness. If this all works out we will do the decking in the fall or in the spring. The only project I really have left is to replace the carpet in the Arizona room with Laminate and a bit of painting to change colors in the bedroom. Things are good.

We went over to Fred’s place to play crib and for supper as Fred had a beef roast he wanted to use up before going. At crib it was a bad night for me. Jackie won a game and Mel won a game. I lost one and got skunked on one. All I can say is ” I will be back”.   The temperature is staying at least 24 degrees until 10 pm so we ate and played outside. Fred created homemade Au Jus which was excellent. The roast was perfectly cook and sliced very thin so we had wonderful beef on a bun which was fantastic. Good cook.  A few three fingers the wrong way Rye’s and it was close to 11pm before we got home. Needless to say the street was dark.  Fun night !

April 3rd

“Mercury Forecast’  Mesa 31 degrees Calgary 16 degrees

I see for the week coming up Calgary is going to be 20 degrees on Thursday. Amazing spring for sure. As today is Sunday we don’t have a lot planned. I am going to take out the loin and spice it for our mini block get together and I am going to cook the bacon up to use. We still have a fair amount of food to consume in the next  3 days. Fred is leaving on Tuesday and I think we will head out Thursday noon or so depending on our speed of packing. Sad to leave but looking forward to being at “home” again and seeing everyone. I have a lot of work already planned for myself on return. The Buick goes in for it’s new tires, and the motorhome requires a oil change, generator oil change and filter, water pump filter, water purifier filter, sanitize the water system, graphite the doors and windows, and test all of the equipment. There are still a lot of features I haven’t used or tried that I would like to attempt and understand. I haven’t tried the set up and take down of the couch as it is air filled mattress.

We are going golfing this afternoon with Pat & Bob which will be fun. It will be a hot one as we are hitting over 30 degrees. Hoping for a great game. I have one game at Whirlwind left and then we will be gone.

Golf was another fun event out. Both Pat & Jackie did very well breaking 100 which is excellent. I would say Bob and I only had so so games. I finished with a 86 only due to losing one ball and stroking on a ball in the creek twice. Those incidents caused 5 extra stokes which would be at 81 a score I don’t mind.

After golf Pat trying to use up left overs made us a delicious supper with pasta salad, chicken and quiche which was fantastic. Bob & I had talked about going to Fat’s but the ladies won. The neatest thing was Pat put a large pitcher in the fridge and we filled it with beer “just like at Fat’s” A lot less expensive meal and very good. Hitting the 32 degrees it was warm but not really hot. A wonderful night again sitting on the deck in the warmth.

Thought of the Day

Two older guys on the course yesterday right after the eldest one tee’s off. ” Did you see where that ball went? ”   ” Yes “the other guy states ” but I forget exactly where ”    You got to love the old guys.

April 4th

” Mercury Forecast”  Mesa 32 degree Calgary 16 degrees

Noticed on Wednesday we are going to 37 degrees ( (98.5 degrees) so it maybe the first day over 100 for the year. Good thing I am golfing at 8am that day.

I caulked all of the west windows and trim. Didn’t take that long and turned out great so should be weather tight for another few years.  Fixed up a few things around the house and relaxed bit reading and writing.

Our flower in the patio tub ( used for beer when company coming)  is looking wonderful and only two days left before we go

Went golfing with Mel & Jackie for a fun afternoon. Mel did very well considering it is his second time golfing this year. Jackie & I had good games with Jackie breaking 100 again and myself breaking 80 which is always good.  Had a bit of conversation with Fred on his deck and checked out how he was able to fit all of the stuff he was bringing back in his truck. Great packing job.

We decided to have our “Last Supper” on the deck of Fat Willy’s for burger night so went a little early to beat the rush and to get Fred & Mel home as they were leaving early in the morning.  Jackie & I walked up the restaurant and met them there. It was warm out. We had the perfect  outside table in the sun for the four of us.    Jugs of beer and burgers are like heaven and as it was our “Last Supper” and with my new beard I played Jesus. Struggled making the American water taste like beer though. LOL   Just a wonderful evening to spend in the sun with the cold mugs and fantastic burgers.  We only finished 5 jugs which is a little on the light side but the burgers fill you up fast. We decided to come back to our place for a bit. On the way back Jackie & I rode the back of the cart. Try as I might I could not make the cart do a wheelie. Had fun trying though. Sitting on the deck having a few cold rye and cokes we were joined by our neighbor Henry and the a little later Bob & Pat.  It was a fun night and in the morning the Keys will be gone.

Thought of the Day

Sometimes I pretend to be normal. Then it gets boring and go back to being me !

April 5th-6th

“Mercury Forecast”  Mesa 36 degrees Calgary 16 degrees

Hot weather has hit.  Two busy days.  We had a wonderful mini block party that was arranged for and sort of by our neighbor who fell and shattered her knee cap. We had Jackie & I, Pat & Bob, Craig & Barb, Jake & Donna. Julie and Lorne  and Ian for a bit. Everyone chipped in and we enjoyed a wonderful meal and company.  We had 3 pork loin roasts, salads, rice dish and amazing desert dishes. Gail had changed her surgery date so she wasn’t up to coming over but still provided wine, desert and a loin. A fun night sort of as a going away party as the block is just about empty. Pat is an amazing host with napkins, plates , décor and organization every time. Fun night and always fun to hear everyone’s stories and events in their life.

Funny as we get older it is very true people talk a lot about aliments. The weather is always too good so it comes down to aches, bruises, cuts or one of’s. I hate get older. LOL

Up at 6:30 again for my last golf game in Arizona . I have been playing quite well and had great hopes on todays game. Well the first five holes were golfed poorer than I ever have played. I mean bad. Doubles, triple , skulls, etc. It was nasty. Most times a poor game doesn’t bug me but the last game and on a great course I wanted to do well. The all of sudden things starter to happen.  A birdie and 8 pars help keep the score down but still a way to high for me to be happy. I can score a low 80 or better on that track and ended up with a 89. Next year but it is shame not to go out on a high. My only condolences are I played quite well on 13 holes.

The temperature gauge on the car read 98 degrees F. Hot out. Actually it was one of the few times where it felt tiring and hot hot outside.

Helped Bob and Pat with their door as it needed to be caulked. Sat and had a few beer. Printed off some boarding passes and had a rum and coke. Relaxed. Jackie had worked like a mad women as she had just about everything packed up by the time I got back. We worked on putting everything away and just about finished. Boy it was hot out.  Locked up Fred’s place  and watched American Idol. Getting up in the morning doing a few things, checking out and then heading to Mesquite the first night.

If hotels connections, being lazy or timing is off, I may or may not enter a couple of days as we will be on the road. See you soon.

April 7th – April 10th

Made it home. A lot has happened in the last few days. Things won’t be in chronological order, a little scattered here and there and only the high lights.

It was very hot packing up to get ready to go. Over 1oo degrees for a few days. We had a very full load in the Buick. Between suitcases, Christmas presents, decorations we bought , stuff coming back from the neighbors house and numerous other things it was full. Squeezed in the bottles of alcohol we bought including a 24 pack of Diet Pepsi that doesn’t have Aspartame. We said our good byes to the neighbors that were still there which can take a while and headed out about noon. Speaking of neighbors our friends Ian & Gail had the surgery on her knee and are doing ok and was booked to get back to BC on Friday. With her knee cap shattered I can only imagine the pain riding a airplane for three hours. We hope it goes ok for them and she gets home to rest up a bit without incident.

We left the block directories with a neighbor to hand out the first block party in November. Right now we aren’t planning to return until January 1st 2017. I will send the additional cards needed in November to be added into each book.

Taking the 202 to the 303 which cuts down the time to get out of Phoenix is a nice short cut. The traffic there is amazing. 6 lanes wide a full of traffic. I do find the drivers in Mesa much better than in Calgary and I can’t explain why. Our first day was a short 6 hour drive to Mesquite NV. We pre-booked the hotel and planned this as we didn’t want to be rushed leaving. A uneventful drive to Mesquite. When I booked into the Eureka they had a deal to post your stay on Linkin or Facebook and receive a free upgrade. Excellent !   On arrival I checked in and found out they have no upgrades available. I understand if there are no rooms it is impossible to upgrade but during the conversation the clerk made a false statement which I don’t care for. Jackie didn’t let me push the point. I wasn’t happy being played, by posting and advertising for them and not receiving something promised. I would have been happy with a future upgrade, a further discount but I didn’t get the chance. LOL

The Eureka is a great hotel. Beautiful rooms, quiet, and wonderful décor. Love the Casino and the restaurant is very good. I would give this place a 5 star rating other than the marketing scheme and lack of follow thru. We will be staying here again. I even won $190 bucks in the Casino.

We have had an issue with our USD visa so many times on this trip. We will need to get this 100 percent fixed up before next time. One time it works the next it doesn’t. The US is a little behind us with chip readers, interac and technology. Most of the issue is when the software asks for postal codes. When it does work it works well as we can pay in USD and not have the daily rate in effect.

Up early and had a great breakfast and were on the road by 8am.  Our plan was to make this a longer day and then hit Lethbridge midday. I think it was about 10 hours and we stopped in Helena.  Our pick was a Hampton Suite by Hilton. Very nice hotel and decent rate.  We phoned and got a rate of $129. Checking in I had a bit of fun with the agent and ended up getting the room for $109 which for this 4 star hotel was a super deal.

We went out for supper to a Ma & Pa shop across the street and had an excellent meal. Can’t beat a home cooked type of meal. The quantity of food was huge. In fact Jackie packed up her Quesadilla and brought it back to the hotel fro the desk clerk that worked with me in getting a good deal. Karma is a wonderful thing. Wonderful hotel and if in Helena check it out as it is new, priced right and exceptionally nice.  And includes a free hot breakfast which is at least a $30 bill.

Up early and on the road again. SNOW in the mountains and cooler temperatures. It looks nice but not something I care to see.  A freeway where you can set the cruise at 135 kms and not worry about a ticket is nice. The miles fly by. There are curves on this road that are just a little too tight for a Enclave fully loaded at 88 miles per hour so I had to keep kicking off the cruise during the mountains.

The border crossing went well as we had right on our limit worth of goods and just over on booze but he didn’t care. It only took a few minutes.

We stopped in Tim’s for a quick Ice Cap and Steeped Tea which tasted fantastic. Why isn’t there a Tim’s in Mesa AZ.

Headed over to Jess & Pens place. They have that house fixed up very nice. Neat designs  and some nice ideas. We hung up there cow skull in the livingroom.  It adds a neat look. They are planning a barn board feature wall that will be the crème de la crème. They are planning to have it varnished before installing it.  With a new home there is always lots of work to be done. It only takes money and time. August was being his beautiful self. He is such a good looking baby. He sure attracts attention. This is a hard curse to live with but I will help him.  Off to Boston Pizza our old favorite restaurant. Can’t beat a spicy Penne with a spicy Ceaser.

A nice long visit and then off to Calgary. The 110kms per hour seems SOOO slow now. It was still relatively early so we thought we would just drop into Victoria’s place. We texted Tor and said to leave the front door open so I can sneak in to scare Jackson. I told him on the phone a while back to be aware as when I arrived I would scare him. I snuck into the house as luck would have it they were watching a movie and I was able to get right up to them before leaping and yelling at him. I got him good. A good scare, a few hugs, and jabs at each other and it is was like I never was gone. Lots of plans with him this summer. Good timing before he starts going to school.

A fun day seeing both girls and the little guys. Jackie and I are lucky to have had two wonderful daughters and now to have two amazing grand boys.

First sleep in our Calgary beds. The windows were open which is nice but we forgot about the traffic noise. It is unfortunate that road is so busy. It doesn’t quiet down until  midnight and starts up again around 7am.  They moved the a/c unit when they weren’t supposed to so I haven’t tried starting it up yet. Oh by the way. Two years and our deck is finally done!!!. Two years and 16k not bad eh!

Alan & Maryann phoned for a get together so we decided to meet near Costco as we needed groceries anyways. We met at the Boston Pizza.  The big dipper is one huge beef dip sandwich. It was a great visit and catch up on everything that is going on.

Big mistake. Note never go to Costco on a Sunday. A way way too many people. Filled up the cart with the pallets of toilet paper, towel and a few groceries. I even managed to get the two chairs I needed for the motorhome that the Costco in the States ran out of and discontinued.  They need to have a few more items in smaller sizes though. One can’t eat that much of anything before it goes bad.

Off to Sobey’s as you can’t get everything you need at Costco. Veggies, milk etc you need to get from another store. Out shopping and I run into  Gerry Dubanski from Regal and had a great talk with him.  At the till I run into Jason Cameron JW again it was fun to get caught up.

Back home and watching the Masters. I feel for Spieth.

Busy day tomorrow putting everything away.

One quick comment.  I am so proud of the Edmonton Oilers. They finished the season strong ended up only in second last place ( one point out of last). I hate to say I told you so but they even surprised me with their skill level.

Thought of the Day

The best things just happen !!!

 

 

April 11th

Nice to be back in Calgary but already missing Arizona. But our deck is done so it just needs to be washed and the furniture set out again. To bad the thieves stole my pressure washer. I will go to Canadian Tire and get a pail and bucket and do it the old fashioned way. It will cost me more now to wash the motorhome also. Oh well can’t wait to use the deck.

Worked on putting all of the clothes away and unpacking everything else we brought back. That takes a while. Went downstairs and washed the Jeep ( without my washer) which was covered in dirt from Jackie’s visit in Feb and dust from the parkade. It took a long time to get clean and may even need one more wash to get perfect enough to wax again. I may go the car wash and use the brush.  Checked my weight and even after the two day trip and eating out so much everything is good.

Applied for a number to enter my CPP online application and filled out the TD1 forms for the Heatherglen Golf Course.

Finished up the chores the best possible for today and talked to Victoria to stop by when picking up Jackson. Corey had been here just before as he has been driving since Jan 1 our Cherokee without the plate sticker on it. Good thing he didn’t get caught.  Jackson and I played in the house for a while and then headed to the park to try out the new pail and shovel kit. We dug down in the gravel at the park right to the bottom. The plan is to have a big hole that some kid will trip into so we can laugh. No kid fell for our trick. One little girl says ” I can see the hole you know” Smart ass kids !!!   So we had to have Jackie & Tor pretend it caught them.  Jackson stayed for supper and my mini me did everything I did. Ate what I did etc.  I love the admiration be bestows on me and have to make sure to never wreck that. Sitting at the table we hit the table and chant. ” Ice Cream Grammy ” ” Ice Cream Grammy” until we achieve our goal. Fun kid !

When he was leaving I gave him his fishing rod to practice casting. He is doing awesome but I wouldn’t want to be to close if a real hook was on it. LOL

Watched a little TV and relaxed the night away. Watched the Voice one of our favorites.

“PENNYWISE TIPS “

You may have noticed I am applying for the CPP benefit to arrive on my 60th birthday. I want to give the logic for other to consider.

The math alone is still a very powerful argument for taking CPP early. A important part of this equation is , “How long do you expect to live?” Remember average age for a man is 82 years old to die in Canada.

Under the new rules that went into effect in 2012, the mathematical break-even point will change again in 2016, when the reduction factor will increase from 0.58% per month to 0.6%.  This will move the break-even point from age 74.4 to age 74 in 2016.

The important question to ask yourself is when will you most enjoy the money?

When are you most likely to enjoy the money?  Before age 74 or after age 74?  Even though the break-even point is three years sooner, for most people, they live the best years of their retirement in the early years.  In the first 10 years of retirement it is the go go years where you do more and spend more than the balance of retirement.

Some believe it’s better to have a higher income later because of the rising costs of health care.  Whatever you believe, you should plan for.  It might be worthwhile to look around your life and see the spending patterns of 70, 80 and 90 year olds to assess how much they are really spending.  Are they spending more or less that they did when they were in their active retirement years.

My two cents

I think if people understand the math of the CPP, most people will take it early.  After 2012 , you could take it early even if you are working.  The bad news is you will get hit with a bigger reduction with the new rules.  Some say its also bad news because you will have to keep paying into CPP if you are working (under the new rules). That’s not such a bad thing because paying into it also increases your future payouts. So it’s not like you are not going to get your money back.  I don’t think the increased reduction is enough of a deterrent because a bird in your hand is better than two in the bush.

One other thing that most people and even financial  planners I have talked to don’t discuss is the impact on the a survivor benefit.

Just to clarify a point, the survivor’s benefit doesn’t change the mathematics of when to start receiving your retirement pension, because the amount of the survivor’s benefit is based on the calculated retirement pension of the deceased, NOT on their actual adjusted amount.

In most cases (especially if you’re not working after age 60 or working only part-time), the amount of any survivor’s benefit may actually decrease if you don’t apply for your CPP early.

All being said it is a personal choice. Even if you don’t need the money take it and put it into a TFSA and you will be miles ahead. We are taking ours early for a couple of reasons. First we need the money, second I am going to be spending a lot more money from now to 75 than after. With  a break even point of 74 and a average death age of 82 it seems like easy math and a logical conclusion.

Thought of the Day

Our grandchildren accept us for ourselves, without rebuke or effort to change us, as no one in our entire lives has ever done, not our parents, siblings, spouses, friends — and hardly ever our own grown children. New beard and longer hair, stupid jokes, funny comments, dumb acting I get away with it all now. Love the grandkids !!!

April 12th-13th

Great day in Calgary. First thing a trip to Canadian Tire to pick up a bucket and mop to clean up the deck. It hasn’t been cleaned for close to three years. No pressure washer so all by hand. It took a while but after many buckets and scrubbing it is quite clean.  Started on the BBQ and cleaned it. I need one new starter so I will order that. Moved the suitcases downstairs into my locker and pulled out the side tables, chairs and pot containers. I got it all organized and I am very happy to sit on my deck. I hopefully will talk Jackie into new cushions for the chairs.  Love my new flowers ( maintenance free)

Noticed on my trip to Canadian Tire my button for my Pella lights is gone. Modern 4 X 4 ran it beside the tilt wheel. Jackie when using it in Feb adjusted the wheel and my switch has disappeared into the dash. I will need to look up how to remove the bottom part of the dash to retrieve it. I may drill a hole and use a toggle switch instead of the double sided tape Pella provided. I should have made Modern change it when they did it.  My $1000 lights are useless for now so on the project to do list.  Hopefully now bare wires to short them out.

I am happy with what I got done today.

First time in close to three years I BBQ’d outside on the deck.  We bought a 1/2 of a pig called pork chops from Costco and I cooked them up. Delicious is all I can say and lovely to be able again to use our deck.

Took most of the gathered new stuff over to the motorhome. I stopped on the way to charge up the battery and will pick it up later in the afternoon. I found spots for just about everything except for the container full of towels, bedsheets etc that I will let Jackie organize. I loaded my fishing rods into my new travel case that will protect them and they won’t get tangled. It is a neat case that allows up to 8 rods to lay flat and not have to be taken apart. Bonus that it fits perfectly in the below bins of the motorhome that pass thru. I should be all set now as I have a bait cast setup, a spinning set up, and a spin cast set up with different lengths and weights of rods. I need some new line though as I am moving over to spider wire line.  I will continue to use the mono filament on the spin cast set up.

I started to work on the motorhome. I installed the battery. I organized the under bins a bit. I lubricated the steps and adjusted the door latch as it wasn’t locking or closing 100 percent. I read the manual on a few things. I will spend a full day this weekend to de winterize it and ready it for spring. I couldn’t find the release latch on power generator so will need to work on that as I need to change the oil and filter on it. The motorhome is booked in for a oil and lube job next Thursday at Fountain Tire for the chassis and to inspect the belts and hoses etc.  I inspected everything and it is looking good. Generator and motorhome started uo perfectly. Ran both of them for about 30 minutes.  Cleaned up in the motorhome, organized the mosue seed ( which you can’t buy anymore due to the do gooders not wanting to kill the mice)  The outside is really dirty from all winter sitting and having the Quarry Park construction right beside us. The solar panels worked awesome. The house batteries were all fully charged and at 100%. I maybe buy a Canadain Tire one for the chassis battery. I was afraid the panels may get covered with snow and not work. This winter really wasn’t the perfect test but I am very happy with them.

Handed in the paperwork and picked up my new shirt and hat from Heatherglen. Heatherglen changed their logo which is neat but rather odd. It looks to me like a flying mouse. I don’t see the connection to the golf course but some marketing genius was most likely paid thousands of dollars for it. Perhaps it being quirky is connected to having fun. The course is looking in great shape already. Should be another fun year as I enjoy the marshalling. I am also impressed with the systems they have in place. They should have great employee moral and superior customer service compared to other facilities with the incentives and programs and direction they have in place.  The group that owns Heatherglen also owns Blue Devil, Glen Eagles and a new course to come Serenity. Each is unique and different. I would love if they gave special rates to play all of their courses.

Watched the Voice tonight and all  of my picks worked out.

Got hit with another unexpected expense. Our a/c unit in Mesa has a oil leak from the coil. I could leave it and it may last 2 weeks or 2 years. I hate leaks and the risk isn’t worth it so I told the mechanic to fix it. We leave it on all year set at 90 degrees. In 9 years this is the second repair the first being the compressor.  Good thing Jackie has a small contract. LOL

April is going to be an expensive month.

1. New tires on Buick $1000.00
2. A/C Repair in Mesa  $2500.00
3. Motorhome inspect and maint  $ 400.00 est
4. Jeep Wrangler alignment , a/c recharge and flush $ 350.00 est
5. Buick alignment  and recall $ 200.00 est
6. HOA in Mesa  $4500

That is life. Sometimes things hit all at once.  I always like to maintain things in perfect shape otherwise they can come back and bite you later with either a larger bill or catastrophic failure which hurts even more. We do get a decent income tax return that will cover half of it anyways.

Thought of the Day  

Running into debt isn’t all that bad it is running into the creditor that hurts.

“PENNYWISE TIPS”

1)Are you really getting your money’s worth ?  I cancelled my CIBC credit card today. During my conversation with the agent I have been a client for 40 years. She was adamant at trying to salvage a customer. If anyone uses travel points you know what a hassle they are. Are they really worth it ? Multiple stops. You need to spend 25K to get one trip in the USA.  Usually they have a annual fee attached to them of about $140 or so.  I decided to switch to the Costco credit card. No annual fee ( saves me $140 a yr) , receive 3% on restaurant ,2% on gas and 1% on everything else, back on all purchases, ( a GIC today doesn’t pay that) . I spend 10 grand and receive $200 or so back. A way ahead of the game. Flights are easier to book, direct and can be found inexpensively if you watch. And the card comes with travel, and rental insurance.

2) Get quotes for insurance every few years. You will be amazed how much you can save. Make the deductible higher if you are confident in your driving. Make your deductible higher if you don’t worry about a theft of small stuff. Change the liability down. If someone is going to sue the 100K or 1 million still isn’t going to be enough on auto and home. Careful buying glass insurance. A windshield is only $250 bucks. How many have you claimed ?

April 14th-15th

Most of the day I spent catching up on budget sheets for April and calculating the exchange costs we concurred during March. I had to add another category a few months ago as this is a fair cost that I need to track. ( never a cost that would deter spending time there) . Booked appointments for repairs on vehicles and air conditioners.

Went to the Costco in Okotoks for my tire install. I have to say I was impressed with experience there. Very knowledgeable and accommodating service reps. I had asked for internal weights only on the balancing as external can and does cause a metal to metal reaction and can wreck your chrome rim. They agreed and did a wonderful job. Quick and right on time. While this was happening I had their hotdog combo for supper. Can’t beat a beef hotdog 1/4 pound. I also had my picture taken for my Executive Costco card for the 2% cash back benefit and as above received my new Costco MasterCard with the cash back program. I also picked up a new floor mat for Jackie’s work chair and some wonderful chocolate covered raisins.

Watched a bit of TV and the Voice sing off.

Up early and out the door as Jackie had another ScotiaBanker coming for a conference call and some training together. I spent the entire day 8am to 5pm working on the motorhome. My arms are dead and I am still not finished as I was waxing the walls. I went to a carwash but the motorhome is just too big even for the truck /rv section. I had 6 inches clearance to try to clean the roof. I am going to replace my STOLEN pressure washer as that is the only way to get it right. Did the best job I could and parked in a lot to do everything else. Tested everything to ensure and to condition everything. Lubed the slide outs, the stairs and tested both furnaces, stove, micro, fridge, TV’s etc. Adjusted the door and lock. Tightened a few screws and cleaned up some of my winter mouse seed feeders.  Only ONE issue and wouldn’t you know it. The A/C on the roof is not blowing cold. I hate a/c units. LOL   These things just seem to always go stale. There is an advantage to running the a/c in winter so it is not sitting so long with using it. I still have about 35% of the unit left but my arms are killing me. I feel like the Karate Kid ( wax on wax off) . Polished up the rims. I need to see if there is a special polished aluminum product as my chrome polish doesn’t work perfect. You can’t use tire dressing on motorhome tires as the silicone or petroleum in them exaggerate the dryness on the sidewalls and can prematurely damage you tires. On car tires it doesn’t matter.  Started the de winterizing process. Filled one gallon of bleach into the system. Ran all of the antifreeze out until I could smell bleach. This took a lot longer than expected. This larger motorhome has two bypass valves, a pickup valve and a diverter valve. Trying to get this all correct was a nightmare. I was running in and out to test taps and pressurize the system like a Billy goat. One valve has no markings on it so it is a guess. With the bleaching I want it to be everywhere, tank, hot water heater and all lines and filter housings. Finally I got it. I will take pictures of it which may help next year. So I will leave the bleach in overnight and then empty everything and run fresh water into everything which will take a few times to sanitize everything.  I may need to add baking sode to the tank to remove the bleach smell.  A good days work.

Received notice of my first shift of work at Heatherglen. I have a game booked with Jackie and another with Jeff coming up.

Thought of the Day

Ok Christmas is over. I am ready for a Alberta summer !!!

 

August 16^th

Wow what a beautiful day. I was lucky enough to get my smoothie in bed while watching  the morning news.

MY RANT

Interesting the reaction to the NDP budget. Be afraid was a newspaper headline. You can’t spend your way out of a recession. The Premier of Ontario has destroyed that province with that exact concept. We are going into debt like no other province and at a pace that is going to be very difficult to get out of. 82% of Albertans think the carbon tax is a dumb thing. The $15 per hour is going to destroy small business and cause every store to lay off staff and provide poorer service levels. You have to cut and she is unwilling to.  She had an opportunity to put a hold on some of the negative concepts to the economy  but she refused to. Good thing only another 3 years left but I pity the poor government that wins the next election having to deal with this. Having our credit rating drop is going to cost us billions in additional interest payments. Like any household budget is you don’t have the money  you can’t get something. I see it as pretty simple. CUT, CUT and reduce and reduce. If any government got on TV and said “ Look guys we are in trouble and we can’t afford to live like this any more so here is what we are going to do”  First every department has to be scrutinized, do we have too many people, where can we cut, how will it impact service and demand. Cut salaries everywhere you can. Reduce a percentage aross the board. Would this people like a job at 5% less or do you want to go on EI. Lay off all of the overage in staffing. If a road is scheduled to be paved every 5 years until we can afford it change to 6 or 7 years. Let the economy determine salaries. Arizona has no min wage. If no one applies to a certain level you can be sure if needed the employer will raise the rate to attract someone. CUT CUT CUT it is the only way. You can raise taxes AGAIN as the carbon tax, sin tax etc have been raised but that only brings in so much It is unbelievable to me why she hasn’t cut. I remember JELDWEN when we had a 65 cent  dollar and we were losing money. Every week I had a meeting with my guys to figure out ways to cut.It is amazing what people can come with. Here are just a few items as a small company we did until we started to make money again. Motion sensor lights in sections of the warehouse, auto timer on furnace to start the heat one hour before start time and to end one hour after instead of running all night, plastic curtains to keep the heat in and cold out, paid workers 44 hours regular time and then any overtime instead of 40 plus OT, phones in the trucks to talk to our customer for late deliveries so they didn’t have to stay another night of town, Plastic strapping instead of metal, 1/16 thinner jamb to reduce cost,re organized every deliver route to reduce mileage, switched to every second week delivery if the route was a weak one unless the truck filled, re organized the sales routes to concentrate on the higher volume accounts, just to name a few. There are a lot of ways to cut other than just salaries and staffing even though that has to be the starting point.  We need to get a way better and smarter and I don’t see anyone that is going to deliver us out of this mess.

I pulled the motorhome up to Victoria’s place and continued to sanitize it. I ran three tanks through and the water is crystal clear. It has a very very faint odor ( antifreeze and bleach) but tastes and smells good. I have to say though this new motorhome is giving my brain a workout. There are a way to many valves and bypasses and I can’t get handle on them yet. I have a bypass valve, a pick up valve, a inlet valve,and a diverter valve on the side where the water is fed and managed. I also have another bypass valve, and a drain valve right beside the hot water heater plus the drain valve and relief valve on the tank. I have been jumping in and out back and forth all day trying to figure out what is going on. I have the hot water tank to empty and a filter canister also to empty.Getting tanks filled and emptied and trying to figure which way to turn to pressure up the system. It is amazing to me that I haven’t quite got a handle on it. I remember when I changed the two valves last year how confusing it was and three RV mechanics had it wrong. It sure is a test. LOL

I have everything done that I need done. It goes into Fountain Tire this week for it’s service and we are ready for the year of camping.

It is so nice sitting on my deck using my laptop in the sun. Everyone needs a sunny deck. Pulled some chicken out to BBQ tonight and all is good. It just seems everyone is happy with spring like conditions hitting.

Jackie arrived with Peter and Jackson so we headed to the park for Jackson to play. Some of you may remember my horrific pool accident when I cannon balled into the pool to splash Jackson when he was in Mesa with us and the massive injury that resulted. Today at the park I experienced a catastrophic injury. I was pushing Jackson along with about 6 other small children and I decided to hang on the twirl about after running around to pick up speed.  They don’t make these things tall enough.

A lesser of a man may still be laying on the ground in agony with

such a major injury but I managed to get back to the car. I wasn’t having all of those mean 6 year olds laughing at me.  Jackie bandaged me up after a long drawn out painful ordeal. Luckily the bleeding stopped and I think I will be ok. Jackie did leave me alone in such a state as she drove her Dad home but I did survive.  It a dangerous world out there. Ps Jackson laughed also !!!

LESSON- Playing with grandkids is dangerous !

Change of plans and I cooked up some wonderful hamburgers that we had corn on cob with. Great summer meal. Lucky to be able to use our BBQ again and enjoying it. Both Jackson and Peter ate up their entire meal. You know it had to taste good then.

Played for a couple of hours with Jackson and then watched a bit of TV and another wonderful day has passed.

Ps: knee is sore LOL

Thought of the Day

Wouldn’t it be a drag to die and go to heaven and find you have no friends there ?

March 17th

Woke up this morning to the wonderful sun and a blood soaked knee. I am sure Jackie was bumping into it all night. Thing is with a knee cap scab every time you bend your leg it breaks open and blood runs out. Good thing Jackie bandaged me up well last night. I bet she giggled to herself thinking a grown man injures himself at a kids playground and he may bleed to death in bed tonight as I turn over and hit his knee again and again. I am sure she thought that.

What a beautiful day to today. It is the perfect day to go for a long limp in the park.  I watched a middle aged lady walk down the street and just about fell. She was reading her phone and not paying attention. Perhaps another new law ?

I also watched a special news event with Notley. Sad . Speaking of dumb a robin thinks he can build a nest on our deck. Not again. I am not being kicked off my deck due to a birds nest.

Caught him with a mouth full of poly and twigs and later discovered he was going to try to build in the window sill. Not again. LOL  Hopefully I have scared him away. I will need to keep checking as 3 years without a deck some little but beautiful bird isn’t going to keep me off it.

Met Victoria and Jackson at the park. Great day. Had a perfect picnic lunch and played at the park. Lots of kids there today out in the summer like weather. Jackson hurt his knee today and it really hurt. Wonder where he learned that.

After the park we went to Victoria’s and Jackson played in the backyard. Tried hooking up the sprinkler and sprayer but Corey needs bib washers for both of them to work properly.

I still set it up and Jackson had fun running thru it for quite a while. Jackie and I headed home and enjoyed the rest of the late afternoon on my deck.

Cooked up some fresh chicken breasts on the BBQ with Lady Di sauce ( unknown expiry date) which turned out fantastic.  Sure did miss this.

Thought of the Day

Life sure was much simpler when Apple and Blackberry were just fruits.

April 18th

Sun shining brightly through the window wakes you up. Jackie was up early anyways as she had a conference call to attend. I watched the world news and it is horrible to watch the disasters in Ecuador  and Japan.  These area’s are prone to earthquakes but it is still very difficult for the people to handle. We don’t realize how fortunate we are to live in Canada. The ODD tornado, flood or fire but overall an incredible country to live in.

Headed off to Costco to get them to re-torque the wheels. I am beginning to love Costco. I think I am going there for a eye exam and glasses. You can’t beat there pricing and they have great service. I wonder if I have to buy 10 exams as a package.

I have a lot of little things to do today and then I golf for the first time in Canada in 2016 this afternoon.

Put the new chairs in the motorhome, picked up my gaskets for my boat motor and fiddled around until 3pm.

Golfing first time in Canada in 2016. Great day until about 1/4 way done and the wind came. We were having 30 to 50 km per hour gusts. Makes golfing a little more difficult. I golfed not bad with only a few hiccups but the wind made it extremely difficult to gauge what club to use. Jackie ended up with a 101 and I ended up with a 82. A young 17 year old playing with us shot a 74 but was playing from the white tees. KIDS !!    New at Heatherglen and if anyone is golfing there you have to try their FULL 12 INCH hot dog. Now that is a dog !!  Awful nice to be back golfing again here in Calgary. My home course Turner Valley is still playing shotgun starts and has three temp greens so I will play Heatherglen more until they normal up.  I have another game tomorrow with Jeff which will be fun as it has been a long time since we played together. I love the wings and beer after just about as much. LOL

Watched the Voice and headed to bed.

Thought of the Day

If you play a lot with a bunch of the same people, you get to know their game and sometimes their rather bad excuses for hitting an awful shot. No ” that was just plain bad” here.
Some of my own favourites are ” I can’t understand it – my practice swing is perfect”.
Or the obvious ” did you see that leaf move as I swung?”
Other gems like – “I never hit a shot like that”, or “I think the lie may be off” or “I didn’t follow thru ” are common lame excuses, not to mention “I’ve just had a lesson”.
My own personal favourite is: “I don’t usually play like this. Just an off day” as I chunk it again.

April 19th

“Mercury Forecast”  Calgary 27 degrees Mesa  30 degrees

Wow Calgary is supposed to break a 106 year old record today with our warmth. Fires are starting up everywhere so the standard May Long weekend fire ban may come into effect. This is beautiful weather. I love it. Supposed to be breezy today again but hopefully not so much I have to use it as an excuse golfing this afternoon.

I am not a Ric McIvor fan as we are fairly familiar with him on our city council but he did impress me yesterday in the legislative building. Getting escorted out raises his integrity level very high for me. He point is 100% correct when he caught the NDP and the speaker of the house playing backroom politics and really fraud. The speaker is supposed to be  neutral with no party favoritisms played even though he is appointed by the gov’t but this guy needs to be removed. It will be interesting where this ends up. Good for Ric for standing up !!!

MY RANT

AHS ( Alberta Health Services) which as everyone knows has been a joke and have been the most poorly ran corporation in Alberta for years with continuous greed, corruption and inept management,has been shot in the foot again. AHS management by contract are allowed 16 WEEKS OF SICK PAID LEAVE. Information has come forward the people are taking all of this. Huge cost for us the people for no reason. Beyond believe really.  That’s 30.7% of a year they are allowed paid sick leave plus holiday and stat time. 50% working and getting paid for a full year. No wonder we spend more than any other jurisdiction in Canada. Stop the insanity.  The AHS was out of control with the PC’s for years but you can be sure the NDP will think this is reasonable. For on the floor health care workers I believe we need to back them up with paid leave if taken ill as they are put into contact with a lot of germs etc that a normal person wouldn’t be. I can’t see 16 weeks and it should only be if they are sick not just because it is given to them. Thinks that make you go hummmmmm.

Have computers made things easy or what. Banking is a breeze but the dreaded taxes we all hate to pay but have to pay is also so easy with the programs available. The direct deposit to the bank account for a return is incredibly fast. Got to love the technology. Having said that watching W5 expose a weakness in the phone system for hackers is a little scary.

Love UTUBE. I had to take apart my Wrangler Dash to find the switch wire for my fog lights. Without UTUBE it is a real guessing game. I had the exact video for the proper removal and re install without breaking any pins, plugs, or snaps. Awesome. Took it all apart and found my switch a way in the back. I pulled it thru were I needed it and reinstalled the dash. It using double sided Velcro to adhere to the dash. This was worn out so out came the trusty Crqzy Glue which looks it is going to work perfect.  Maybe until next time Jackie decides to move the steering wheel in a abnormal position.  Here is something to ponder. Why do women and I mean just about everyone of them move the seat as close to the steering wheel as possible, lower the wheel to the lowest setting and drive like it is two handed monster trying to get away from them. Relax and enjoy. I would like to see a study of women drivers versus men drivers in accidents which one gets hurt the most. I think women with the closeness to the wheel and dash but they do have additional build in airbags to help them. Interesting study to see. Found my answer and yes it nice to be correct, again.

Posted By Bennett & Johnson, LLP || 25-Sep-2015

When getting in the car, most people don’t think twice about the way their seats are adjusted. However, the position of the driver’s seat plays a significant role in driver safety. To ensure you are not putting yourself at risk, consider the position of your seat and check to make sure it is in a comfortable and safe position. In addition, it is crucial to examine the position of your steering wheel. These factors are extremely important due to the impact of the airbags and how this impact can be worsened if you are seated too close to that area.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety report that a distance of 10 or more inches from the steering wheel is the safest position for the driver because of the amount of power an airbag can yield during a car crash. In fact, research shows that a steering wheel airbag produces a force of about 2,000 pounds and inflates at speeds faster than 200 miles per hour. Individuals seated too close to the steering wheel face the risk of suffering catastrophic injuries and serious impairment.

For extra safety measures, consider the tips below.

• Use the base of the seat that glides forward and backward to move the seat further away from the steering wheel.
• Angle the steering wheel downward to avoid an airbag impact to the head or chest.
• Seek professional attention to have pedal adjusters installed. These will allow you to use the control pedals while remaining far enough away from the steering wheel.
• Recline the top portion of the seat back while maintaining current base distance. This will place your chest and face further away from the steering wheel once you are seated.

New technologies, such as the pedal adjusters mentioned above, have given shorter drivers the ability to adjust gas, brake, and clutch pedals without having to move their seats closer to the front of the car. Some manufacturers have made this an option upon the initial purchase of the vehicle.

No excuse for being short, fat, or a women. Drive safe  !!!

Sitting outside on the deck relaxing after working on the Jeep and it was down right hot. Wonderful !!

Well golfing this afternoon was adventure. I met Jeff at Heatherglen and we were all set to go. Great to be back golfing in Canada again at a course I enjoy. We were hooked up with a gentleman that was a walker and quite a good golfer. The course to protect their grass do not allow the carts to be on the fairway. It is cart path only.

On the third hole we come to a group that are beginners and very slow so we ask if we could play through. Very nicely they agreed knowing they were slow and the course was relatively light with players they could relax and enjoy themselves better rather than worry about trying to stay ahead of us. Playing through is always difficult for some reason and we succumbed to the pressure. I hit mine straight left but only about 150 yards and Jeff slices bad into the other fairway. Jeff grabs his clubs and heads to his ball while I wait in the cart. He hits a wonderful recovery shot close to the green and starts to walk back. He decided to jog took three steps and falls to the ground in pain. I attempt to run the cart over to him but the GPS shut me down 3/4 of the way. I run and two others run to help me help Jeff to the cart as he is in a lot of pain.  He thinks it is his Achilles tendon as heard a pop from his leg. Before the game I teased him about his new shoes and his remarks were he needed them because he feet hurt in the previous set he had. He was able to drive so we decide dot head to the urgent care centre. First one we stopped at closed and changed to a standard medical centre, carried on to the second one and luckily got in just before it closed. The doctor wasn’t 100 percent sure but believed it to be a broken ankle so asked us to go the emergency room in the hospital. This time as Jeff was hurting pretty bad we left his car here and I drove him. First let me say there are a couple of things I hate about the ER. First people hacking and coughing, blood from cuts, people looking like they are dying from pain and people that aren’t ill but feel they should come to the ER just in case.

Jeff got in and Wendy arrived to pick him up after picking up the car. Jeff actually got in less than 2 hours which isn’t bad at all.

I headed and was hungry as we had planned to have beer and wings after the game and stopped at Fat Burgers. They make a great burger !! But do miss the wings and beer.

Later in the night Jeff texts to say it is his planter fasciitis that has torn. He is to rest it for week and then return for an evaluation. Planter tears are quite common and rest is the cure and slowly exercise later. A complete rip is another thing. He should be back to running, walking etc perfectly in about a month or two at the max. Hopefully he recovers fast. This diagnosis is a way better than the Achilles.

Jeff has bad luck with injuries. He broke his ankle in the school field just before getting married. He threw out his back and had to sleep on the floor and couldn’t walk for a long time a few years ago. He had a hernia in the groin on both sides from skating on the pond. He has dislocated his shoulders.  And I thought I was bad with my skinned knee injury. LOL

April 20

Very busy day. Up at 7:30am in the morning. What retired guy wants to get up that early ?  Drove the Buick to the dealer first thing. I walked about 3 blocks to a McDonalds and had a great experience. They have hired a bunch of older people that meet and greet . Sat down and had quite a relaxing enjoyable breakfast while reading the paper. Lots of bad news about the economy and our government. Walked about another 4 blocks and picked up the motorhome from the storage lot and drove it to the condo to hook up the Jeep. Took them to the dealer for the motorhome service.  I need a cross piece for my new boat motor stand that Fred is building for me so I stopped into to see Ed at JW as a old piece of redi-rack cross beam would work perfect for this. Lucky for me he had a old piece buried behind some racking just laying around.

What happens at JELD-WEN anymore really doesn’t matter to me much, so I won’t comment on anything except stating one small sentence. ” Holy Crap are they a disaster”  They say timing is everything well all I can say is someone was looking after me as my timing was perfect. It was great to Ed and Cory again. Two very hard working loyal dedicated guys .

Got the call and went back to pick up the motorhome and the mechanic said everything was perfect.

Arrived at the storage yard and the a/c was not blowing cold. So booked it back in again for Monday. Leaving an a/c unit and not using them are hard on them. It has no leaks at was supposed to pressurized so it will interesting if another recharge works.

Thought of the Day

It is luxuries like air conditioners that brought down the Roman Empire.  With the air on the windows were shut and they didn’t hear the Barbarians coming.

April 21st

Up early again. What’s with this. Telus was here around 8:15 as we needed our WIFI looked at. It has been coming and going and kicking us out. The tech did all of his tests. Issue was mainly due to wifi traffic. Too many devices in the area on the same channel. Telus uses three channels mostly but they were all full. Switching to a 5 kb unit may help but the distance is less with these and the channels were still busy. Luckily he found a channel with very few people on it and our WIFI is is working great so far. He was here for at least 2 hours. Great service from Telus and while here even gave us a few tips on our Optic TV.

Off to my men’s league today at TV. First the course and greens were in great shape.  My playing partners today were amazing golfers. One was a 4 handicapper the other a 9 handicapper. I played ok today but missed a dumb putts and a couple of errand shots ending up with a 83. I will do better next time !

Off to visit with Jackson as Corey & Victoria were going to a work out camp tonight. Love that kid he is so funny and so cute. We had a great time. We had a shooting contest with the NERF guns and Jackson beat me. Yes a 4 year old beat me at shooting a bear. Before all of you animal right get upset. NO BEAR WAS HURT IN THIS EVENT.  For all of you anti-violence guys . THE WERE NERF GUNS and it is fun game that has no affect on any kid. No they won’t turn into mass shooters by playing with guns.   ( may affect someone if they see a psychologist and the patient actually believes the guy they had a bad childhood with violence involved and that their gardener while changing a diaper may have “touched” them)

Thought of the Day

Ever notice you never hear ” It is only a game” when someone is winning.

April 22nd

After having a restless sleep knowing a 4 year old beat me shooting NERF guns at a bear I awoke to watch the morning news.  Lots of guess work on the Prince death. Oversdose, or had serious illness but being a Jehovah Witness didn’t get help or heart attack from the large amounts of drugs in his system. We will know in a few days.

Shoulder is a little sore this morning. Trying to keep up to the big boys from the silver tees with the extra little pressure exerted. Nothing that time, hot water and smelly lotions can’t fix.

My knee bandages has grown into my scab. Now that is going to hurt getting off. Tried in the shower for a long time but no luck. Jackie put Polysporin trying to soften it up but no luck yet. Ouch !

Was going to wash the trucks but the weather for the next few days says no.

Went and did the grocery shopping and just got back.  I decided I had to bite the bullet as the gauze being embedded in the scab will only get worse not better.

I wetted it and slowly pulled it. Yes a grown man can cry. This HURT big time.

Probably worse than child birth. But success I was able to get all of the gauze off the scab. Bring me another tissue. Have I ever said I don’t like pain. At all. !

We babysat Jackson for while as Tor & Cor had a few personal things to get done.

That means running up and down the hallways, going into the gym and using the equipment and playing at the pool table. It means a lot of running for me with one straight leg. We even watched Sponge Bob on the big screen in the theatre. Had to have popcorn and pop you know. Papa is allowed to spoil.

I cooked up some Shish ke bab’s and Jackie made rice and veggies and we had Corey, Victoria and Jackson stay for supper. We then decided to watch a kids movie. The blinds had to go down, and all of the lights off as per Jackson. Covered in blankets and watched the whole movie. Norm the King of the North. Fun evening.

Thought of the Day

With kids today special moments are tomorrows memories so you may as well have fun. I don’t think Jackson liked our dancing to the movie though.LOL

April 23rd

Had a horrible sleep last night as my leg with the sheets on it hurt and I couldn’t turn towards Jackie as fear of her hitting it.  Hopefully the scab will fill in quick.

Watched a bit of HGTV this morning and then got up to see snow.  Yes the snow was falling quite heavily. Jackie was on her way to Lethbridge to help Jess & Pen do their taxes and I was going to help Corey with his trailer but it is a little too cool today to do that.

I finally received my ACCESS code for my Pension Plan. I filled out the forms and submitted so my first cheque will be here March 2017. I won’t reiterate with the details but taking CPP early is the right thing for most people. If I had planned to work until 65 it would be worth waiting but that is the only circumstance and I would argue even then the dollar difference and the break even point still indicate taking it early will result in a greater return if you stick into a TFSA each month. Looking forward to that fisrt cheque hitting my account.

Helped Corey today in the snow de-winterize his trailer. They have a 20ft travel trailer that is a wonderful unit. The floorplan and layout is exceptional plus the fact it is easy to haul and handles well with most tow vehicles. Bleached the tank and all of the lines until nice and clear and smelling great.

Received a call from Heatherglen to cancel my shift for tomorrow. They had cancellations and do not have enough tee times booked to warrant the need of a marshall.

With Jackie out of town I headed to Swiss Chalet for a great supper. I love the 1/4 chicken and salad combo they have. While eating I watched one of our free movies that Telus gave us due to our internet issues. I watched the Big Short which is amazing the details and it being based on fact is a little scary how we are so manipulated by the banks and Wall Street. I only ask that a stock market meltdown doesn’t happen again in my life time. I still am quite heavily equity based and need the TSX to perform to give us the money needed to maintain our current standard of living. My hope is if history is any indicator the TSX should be generating decent returns. In the last few years we have had a 35% and a – 31% return for a year. All I want is 8%. Last year we did 10.55%

Thought of the Day

A different thought. Your house is not an asset it is a liability . Think about it.

April 24th

No work today as it is too cold. Pain still keeping me awake at night so I think I will watch golf and nap on the couch. Why because I can !

What a day. I watched the PGA tour and was happy that Hoffman won. His 4th win and a nice one. I also watched a few hockey games. The games are getting much better to watch now. LIke it that Washington is doing great and I hope the Blackhawks lose. I was switching back and forth all day. Had a bit of HGTV thrown in also.  It was a very relaxing day and needed as the knee still is painful to move it a lot.

Jackie arrived home and brought Peter over for supper. He was in good spirits and his mind was very clear today making jokes and getting punchlines. A nice easy light supper we all had and a nice evening talking.

So overall a lazy day, but a very good day anyways !

Thought of the Day

I had a very busy day converting oxygen into carbon dioxide. I better be careful and not breathe to heavily as the NDP may want to tax me !! 

April 25th

Larry from Med Hat sent me this.   What is going on ? It is hard to do lawn work, get ready for fishing, go golfing or anything with this on the ground.

It is typical of spring in Alberta though. What I do like though is this may help so that they don’t impose a fire ban on the May long weekend. Let’s hope.

Larry & I were planning to go fishing May 1st to Crawling Valley but as it was supposed to be 20 again but the regulations are stating we can’t fish until May 7th. Government rules !!

Sent a few jokes today with some of them having a lot of meaning about the issues in Alberta. It is no joke !

So I hooked up the Jeep behind the motorhome and took it back to Fountain Tire to double check the a/c as it was cold when I picked it up and blowing hot air when I got to the storage lot. Hopefully they get it right this time. With no leaks found it is odd. I am going to guess that they under over filled it. We will see.

Both units now are filthy as it is raining and the yard has gravel roads. Another round of washing coming up. AT least this time with it being waxed it should come off pretty easy. That goes for the Jeep also.

Loaded up the boat motor into the cargo carrier as Fred is going to create and weld up a boat motor stand for me tomorrow. I also have a redi rack piece to use as a cross bar.  Headed to the dump to empty the gas out of the boat motor tank. I screwed up last year on the needle valves so am hoping it starts right away and doesn’t need to much of adjustment.

Waiting for a call on the motorhome and then will pick it up along with a new light bulb to put into the Enclave. I checked Utube and they sure don’t like to make a bulb change easy anymore. May take me a hour or so. I have the bulb number so will stop at Canadian Tire on the way home to get that and will start that change.

Smashed my knee twice and all I can say is a bog OUCH !  This is becoming a real pain and hopefully heals quickly so I can use my knees normally.

Mashed potatoes and meat loaf for supper. Love it !

On tonight’s agenda is a Utube session then removal of the rear tail light assembly on the Enclave. Love UTUBE. Found out all of the info needed and got it done. Funny how changing a bulb has become so convoluted. I remember changing a bulb on my Ram if I hadn’t had UTUBE I would never have found the hidden passage for the screws. Try changing out a fog lamp on a Nissan.

 

Thought of the Day

Isn’t it ironic that the most feminine male died at the same time as the most masculine female died. How it that ?   Prince and Chyna   Things that make you go hummm !

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 26-27th

I was just saying to Jackie how we only have been home for two weeks but it seems a lot more as we have done a fair amount of things and haven’t had time to do others. I have only golfed 3 times in the last two weeks. Mostly due to weather and doing other things. I have spent a lot of money on maintenance in the two weeks and still have one vehicle to do. Motorhome is still in the shop as the a/c mechanic can’t figure out why it doesn’t stay cold air when fully charged and no leaks. Some relief valve is switching and the ambient temperature isn’t warm enough to fully test it as he has a no fail in the shop.

Today I am going to Red Deer to build a boat motor stand with Fred. Fred will be doing most of the work as he is the welder. I can design and create. LOL  My plan is to have it light enough to be able to lift it in the cargo carrier myself. I plagiarised the net for plans and will modify them to make it work for me. Most critical is to stop the side to side motion of the carrier. I am sure it will work out perfect.

Arrived at the plant and Mel & Fred where already there. That feed mill is a nice smaller one that is very well organized and seems to run on it’s own. I think they have three people working there. The plant has a wonderful rolling welder table with the power plug and the welder built into the side of table. Makes things easy. They also had a large cutoff saw and a large drill press that I understand is Fred’s personal one. Cutting 2 x 2 angle and drilling holes was relatively easy with the correct equipment. Between my design, Fred’s creativity and skill and Mel’s input the product was close but a little different . Fred made the welding look easy. It takes a while to cut everything and weld it as we going by the seat of our pants and sizing as per the cargo design. I also had Fred weld up the tongue and receiver of the drop down to eliminate any sloppiness.  A plan on how to attach the holder to the carrier came up and it was perfect in design. 8 bolts and it will lift out to put away. Everything turned out fantastic and worked well. On the last weld the heat sort of put pressure on the one leg. It’s too bad as it takes a ratchet strap to pull two legs together. I think I am going to drill two holes after it is all bolted in and have a strap go between the legs which will work great.   So great design, great workmanship, and great ideas on the problem solving.

I LOVE my new boat engine holder thanks to Mel and Fred.  If it starts to rain and the water is getting deep I can just run around back and start my motor for a amphibious adventure.

After finishing we went to Mel’s place and his daughter Courtney had Shepherd’s pie for us. Awesome meal. A few beer and few rye & cokes and I decided to stay overnight. I poured my own and only used two finger instead of three. Canadian Crest Rye is a way better tasting then Canadian Club.

I ended up with a very comfortable bed. The heat was a little high which surprised me as Fred usually likes it cooler. The pillows, the quiet and the bed were perfect. It is a RV queen so my feet did stick a little out the end.

Up early ( Fred’s alarm went off in error). Mel took off to work and Courtney, Fred and I went to Ricky’s for a big breakfast. Got home and went to Tor’s place to paint the rack. I was going to use Plastic Tip but taking the motor off and on again it wouldn’t work great. So I ended up with the standard black Tremclad to spray it with. It was a breezy day which didn’t help.   During the rebolting process is when I decided to add the additional strap which I will do in the next few days. When Fred was welding it the heat caused the one piece of angle to move out a bit so when lining up the holes it makes it a little difficult.

Picked up my motorhome and everything is perfect. Nice COLD air and constant. Dirty contacts that wouldn’t allow the shutter to open on the switch demand.

Put the engine away downstairs easily and am liking the process. While in Red Deer Fred looked at my boat motor at the screw that I thought was a air mix but he thinks it is just a pointed plug screw. That would be great. First time will be the test unless I load it up and but into a bucket.

THANKS to FRED & MEL  for all the help with the boat engine stand. I am sure I will have numerous people ask where I got it from.

Thought of the Day

A good friend will come and even bail you out of jail…. but, a true friend will be sitting next to you saying ” Wow that was fun!!”

April 28th

The weather for Calgary next week is going to hit 30 degrees. Now that is the El Nino we like. Received a bit of moisture not quite enough and no significant amounts to come unfortunately.

“My Rant” 

BOYCOTT EARL’s Restaurant

Here is a Canadian chain refusing to use Canadian Beef.

As most of you would agree Alberta Beef and most Canadian Beef is accepted as one of the best meats in the world. Not only are we far advanced in our medicines, health care ,accountability and treatment of our animals ours just tastes better. Earl’s states they are doing it for humane reasons. Give us a break. Some big American company is supplying you cheap beef !! Do you think in Alberta we don’t treat the herds the best we can. Yes some do-gooders may look at feed lot and say we are being mean to the cows. Most of these cows are there for only a short time before going to the slaughter house. They have had the best care, pastures, and treatment of any animal. They are only in the feed lot to “fatten” up just before going to market. They have seen lots of sun and green pastures in their live. In the states cattle arrive after living for six months on pasture and grass to be finished for another six months or so on a diet of corn and other grains. Because a diet mainly made up of corn wreaks havoc on the digestive systems of cows, which are ruminants and designed for grass not grain, they are fed daily rations of antibiotics. And this is better ?

The humane handling and slaughter of food animals in Canada is a shared responsibility of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), industry, stakeholders, transporters, operators and every person who handles live animals.

Canadian law requires that all federally registered slaughter establishments ensure that all species of food animals are handled and slaughtered humanely. The CFIA verifies that federal slaughter establishments are compliant with the meat inspection rules.

The CFIA‘s humane slaughter requirements take effect when the animals arrive at the federally registered slaughter establishment. Industry is required to comply with the Meat Inspection Regulations for all animals under their care.

Sections 61 to 80 of the define the conditions for the humane slaughter of all species of food animals in federally registered establishments. Some of the provisions contained in the regulations include

• guidelines and procedures for the proper unloading, holding and movement of animals in slaughter facilities;
• requirements for the segregation and handling of sick or injured animals; and
• requirements for the humane slaughter of food animals.

Market anyway you want Earle’s but I know it is all about the money. Shame on you being a Canadian company and treating your own suppliers this way.  I see people get incensed about a lot of things that I may consider odd or stupid in fact. How about these people being incensed over a chain deciding to support American product over Canadian.

One more point. Americans feed their cows the cheapest food source possible. CORN. Our cows are feed on high quality grain. Makes a huge difference in the taste of the meat. Steaks cooked with the extra fat marbling of the USA beef isn’t near as good tasting as Alberta Beef.

There is so much marketing gimmickry going on with Steroid Free, Antibiotic Free , Grass Fed, Free Range etc. A lot of it is purely marketing and out right lying to the general public.

Some info :  There are more cattle living in Alberta than humans. 50% of all Canadian Beef is produced in Alberta. Where there is beef there are farmers growing crops.

Another do-gooder decision because they have to think about a cow being killed.  Go eat your veggies and get sick.

Why do we want to support a chain that is taking this dumb stance ?   I hope their sales plummet in Alberta. In BC due to the type of general person there they might do well.

“BUT THAT’s JUST ME ! “

BOYCOTT EARL’s  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enough already. Let’s see we had a government destroy our economy with policy, we had the world oil pricing plummet, we had the government destroy our coal industry, we are having the government destroy our small business with unsustainable wage increases, we have a corrupt AHS destroying our health care, and now we are having a backlash to our beef industry.

We need a new slogan. GIVE ALBERTA a BREAK

Wow what windy day. Only 10 degrees but with the right clothing it wasn’t to bad to have a golf game. I had three great guys today for partners. Wind gusts up to 50 kms per hour sure makes golf difficult. Guessing what club to use. Where to aim etc. So everyone of us had a off game. I ended up with a 92 which is my highest score for while. The worst part is golfed ok just got fooled to many times. I also did though keep coming up short on the greens as they are very slow. Funny thing is I only lost one ball and scored that high.

The Irish guy and Dutch guy broke me up as they were funny. We all had a great time .  My partners again told me to slow down. They said I could dramatically lower my score if I took the time over the shot and putt. Not the first time this has been said so I will concentrate much more on this next time and see what happens.

Stopped at Costco to get a few things on the way home. My only complaint about Costco other than the bulk quantity you have to buy is that you still need to go to another store for a few things that Costco isn’t good at. Veggies, milk, pop etc.

Thought of the Day

Shop local, buy local, enjoy local, eat local. If you don’t whatever industry will disappear.  AND in most cases the local product is better ! BOYCOTT EARL’S

April 29th

It’s funny I feel I have a lot to do. Lots going on but I don’t. I need to correct this way of thinking. Having said that my blood pressure this morning at the Safeway was 113/80 which I like. There really isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done and I don’t know how I did it while working. Being retired time and money are the only concerns.

Safeway this morning has removed all of the coin collectors on the carts. HOORAY !  I hated those having to put in a quarter or loonie. Did they really think a lazy person is going to go back for a quarter. This is a company that is listening to their customers.   Maybe if all of us refuse to eat at EARLS they will smarten up. They are brilliant playing into the current trend of buying natural or organic even though it is all about the pricing only. They are trying to expand into the USA which helps if they already have a US supplier. Close to 40% of their stores are in Alberta. Good move !

Washed the Jeep. Saw a new scratch and if anyone knows me I hate these things. Most likely happened in the parking lot !

Jackie & I went with Victoria & Jackson to see the movie JUNGLE BOOK. What a great movie . They do such a good job having life actors and animation together. If there would be one complaint the two famous JUNGLE BOOK songs they did were not as good as the original movie. But Baloo the bear played by Bill Murray just wasn’t the same singer as the original. Popcorn, hotdog, nibs and soda along with a great movie was a fun night. They made it full of action with very little slow parts in the movie. I was surprised at the age of the audience as most were young adults and older people with very few children. It could be scary for young children as the tiger Shere Khan is betrayed as a very nasty mean beast. Wonderful story and great move. Interesting how Jungle book was written in 1894 and Tarzan in 1912 with a similar story line.

BOYCOTT EARL’S

Thought of the Day

Funny how in every scary movie a girl walks into a dark house or room and shouts out ” Hello”  Like the bad guy is going to answer ” I am in the kitchen ( knife in hand), you want a sandwich?)   Better yet they yell ” Whose there or anybody there ?” Who writes these things

April 30th – May 2nd

Started vacuuming this morning and the power head was making some loud noises. A little ball bearing on the roller brush was gone. I took it apart and it is amazing how much hair gets tangled in this thing. It is no wonder why our drain plugs all of the time. I can’t imagine a house with multiple long hair people living in it. They lose a lot of hair.  I had bought when we moved into the condo an expensive Meile vacuum. Turns out my simple part was $100 bucks. They wouldn’t sell me just the end piece I had to buy a whole new roller.. Now that is a money grab. I will check the internet as I will only by the end piece next time.

Half way finished again and the head plugged so I had to take it all apart again to remove tangled hair. Finally got the condo done.

Jackie finished up some tax business this morning. I went over and adjusted and fixed a bunch of cabinet doors at Audrey’s place. They look a way better but a little paint touchup to do now as some of them where very crooked. That took a few hours.

Jackson and August are very busy with Jackson in swimming and Tee ball and August in swimming already. They are both having fun.

BOYCOTT EARL’S

Washed the Jeep again and unsuccessful cleaned the inside. The one thing I wish for with condo living is to have more storage space. I have some stuff in it if it was easily accessible I could store.

Jackie went to babysit Jackson as I headed to work to Marshall. It was a interesting day. The course was busy with Sunday golfers. First order of business was a take another cart out to a customer that had his break down on him. He phoned the proshop to ask for help. I headed out with the head pro with two carts. We dropped off his new cart and the pro pushed the other cart back to the cart barn for the mechanic to repair. On the way back another anxious golfer say us and waved madly to get our attention. He cart had broken down also. Bad day for carts. The mechanic normally has these things running pretty good for not so new carts but just a bad day. We got another cart and did the switch and push again. Fun to joke with the golfers saying all of your bad luck is used up now you should have the game of your life. Everyone is in a good mood with the warm sun and no wind. A few hours later on my rounds I see 4 of our young landscaping crew struggling with the tractor with the sand trap blades on it. As they were struggling I asked if they minded if I helped. They were eager for help. Luckily in the tractor’s tool bin they had extra tarp straps. I was able to attach the straps to the blade to lift it enough to allow them to pull the tractor back to the shop. The mechanic will have a busy day. Quite well behaved golfers this time. Only one incident of a group bringing illegal alcohol on to the course. The golf cart girl confiscated that  and I recheck with them a hole later to see if they had more in their bag. Birdie juice in the bag is ok but bringing beer onto the course doesn’t quite work with the rules. Years ago I snuck the odd beer on myself. But if you think about it, you don’t try to bring your own beer into a pub or dance. You don’t try to sneak your own beer into a concert. The rules of off site alcohol being brought on is a legal one where the course has to protect itself against the liability of a law suite. The “laymans” way of explaining it is the course if it serves too much liquor is liable for it’s patrons. If outside liquor is brought on they cant control the amount anyone gets.  It would be nice though if the courses would keep their pricing down a bit which would help discourage this. It is funny though in Viewpoint play and both my men’s leagues at Whirlwind AZ and Turner Valley no one drinks until finished golf. I do like to though have a couple of cold beer while golfing and I don’t mind paying the course for it. If my budget doesn’t allow it I am ok with that also.

Speaking of golf here are some of my pet peeves:

1. The semi-regular, 20-handicap golfer who has made millions as an accountant — and must be great with numbers, right? — but can’t seem to count past five when it comes to tallying up his score on a given hole. I literally just saw you hit at least eight shots — not including however many you hit from the trees — and you’re telling me you made a five!
2. The “Good Lord, they’re pairing a woman up with us” guy. The outrage! I think we’ve all been in a situation, where someone in your twosome or threesome sees that the starter has added a lady to fill out your group. You hear the groans, or at least feel the displeasure. Moments after tee off — and it almost never fails — while the tough guys are looking for their golf balls in the woods, the lady is kindly waiting to hit her shot from the middle of the fairway. Guys, let’s get over ourselves, OK?
3. The “Cellphone talker” guy. Aren’t you on the course for a little peace and quiet? You know, to get away from it all for a while? Why then must you constantly be on or checking your cellphone?
4. The “Oblivious to the open holes in front of us and the people on our tail” guy. Why do people have such a hard time admitting to themselves that they’re tedious or slow on the golf course? Has anyone ever had a good time knowing they’re holding people up? I sure don’t take any pleasure in it. In fact, when I’m stuck in a slow group, I’m downright antsy and I can’t enjoy the golf. I always speak up. You should do the same. If your group is slow and behind, let the folks on your tail play through. Not only is it the right thing today, but also it likely says on your scorecard, “Let faster groups play through.”
5. The “One second… let me count up my strokes” guy.  New rule: If you’ve hit so many shots on a given hole that you’ve lost track, just pick it up and take an “X.”
6. The “Member who acts like he owns the course” guy. The point I am getting at here is that your membership — no matter how much you paid for it — does not mean you have a free pass to follow your own set of rules. You spent $15,000 this year for a course membership? Business must be going well. Congratulations. But, you still have to follow the same rules as the person who just spent $100 on greens fees to play your course. Treat others the way you’d like to be treated and treat your golf course the way you’d like others to treat it.
7. The “Leave the green messy” guy. This is the person who refuses to fix their ball mark on the green. The person who thinks spitting their sunflower seeds, tapping the ashes off their cigarettes or cigars, or the excessive foot movement ripped the greens apart on the twist.
8. The “Since I’m not playing well, I’m talking to everyone in the group/or I’m going to complain about everything” guy constantly ! This is one of my personal favorite golf course pet peeves. It’s not the end of the world that you’re not going to shoot the course record in your Sunday morning league,. It’s never happened before, so why did you think it would happen today? Relax. Shut up and let the other golf in peace and quiet.
9. The “Where’s the beverage cart?” guy.Golf is meant to be fun and relaxing. In most cases, you’re there to unwind. I get that. But is it necessary to down as many beers as holes you play? Feel free to have some drinks, but can you at least pay a little attention to your playing partners who are there for the golf? Drunks are loud and obnoxious.
10. The “Do you think I can hit yet?” guy. This is the person who is far from a long hitter. Next thing you know, he’s got 300+ yards left for his second shot into a par 5 with the group ahead on the green. He declares to his playing partners, “I should probably wait until they’re off the green.” For what?

As a Marshall and even golfing I am seeing more and more people bringing music on their carts. I love music but everything has it’s place. Music should not be played on a golf course. It amazes me why people need it. Try going camping to get the back to nature feeling and someone brings loud music. WHY ?  So many pet peeves so little time ? LOL

Came home and BBQ’d some Souvlaki Chicken . I like it but it is like Teriyaki to me. Only in small amounts and not very often. I prefer the American way of cooking chicken. Deep Fried !

I finished off my April budgets this morning. As expected it was an expensive month with us just about spending double of what my budget month is. Luckily our tax return came and Jackie will get paid in two weeks time. TSX I need you to go higher. LOL  I dislike seeing those kind of numbers but there are the real numbers. If the interest return rate was even decent t wouldn’t matter that much.

Funny in todays horoscope for myself it read:

You may feel broke this morning but later this afternoon you will find new ways to create income.

I better go buy a lotto ticket. LOL

Thought of the Day

Do the things you want to do NOW !. Don’t worry about the money, just make it work. Experience is far more valuable than money ever will be.