October 1st

Rain, and snow in Northern Alberta. Winter is coming. I still hope to golf quite a few times next week to see if golfing everyday makes a difference. I will need to see if Mr. Grace is available one night, I have my men’s league and I will go as a single in the shotguns.

We are leaving to Lethbridge this morning and wont be back until Monday evening when I will update what I get done.  I for sure want to finish the fence. Have a good weekend.

First the weather in Lethbridge was amazing. 17 degrees on Sunday and 15 today. I worked on the fence from 10am to 5pm on Sunday and just about finished it.  A lot of cutting down boards for the top two sides and bottom plate. It is always a little difficult when you have to finish a job someone else started. Sometimes it would be easier to just go all the way back to bare bones. That would be a lot of work and require two people so I compromised and designed it to look ok and work. I am not 100 percent pleased with it as the brackets were installed incorrectly but I couldn’t lift each panel and adjust by myself. The girls experienced more than normal warp of posts and rails which I replaced or modified the best I could. From when I started to finish a 100% change. I believe the fact that every post was installed at a  different height and some a way to low it threw the original construction workers off.  I cut the boards all down to a reasonable height and installed self made post caps to even the height. After the posts are stained dark the extensions will be mostly hidden.

Had a lot of fun with August after working. He is a very well behaved boy and enjoyable as he is smiles and cuddles the bulk of the time. I worked with him to try to get his confidence in walking. He walks perfect but is scared and reverts to a crawl out of a safety concern. Having a giant dog pushing into you, it is understandable. He did well. I do have to say he tosses and turns in bed like no other. Foot in the gut, then head into head  and arms a flying. He uses up a lot of bed. Sleeps very well and didn’t wake us up early which was nice.

Look at this picture. It reminds me of Home Alone as it looks like August is screaming ” Don’t leave me with my Grandparents all alone”

Help ! you left me alone with these old guys.
HELP !

He also loves phones and grabbed mine. I turned the camera around so he could see himself and wham he pushes the button. Does the perfect SELFIE.

The SELFIE ! He took this himself.

Had to go to the Depot to rent a compound mitre to make my post caps as Ward Rentals my favorite place had theirs all rented out. Now the Depot has nice tools as they were brand new. Using this brand new Makita saw was nice but I do have to say I prefer the Hitachi or Dewalt model a lot lot better. A way to much plastic for a work saw.

All done except for stain. Needs a solid dark stain on the posts and cedar transparent stain on the boards

Worked from 10 to 3pm today and finished. The caps were glued and screwed and done. Cleaned up a bit, pulled some weeds and then drove home.

A cool week coming up but I am going to try to golf each day.  We have tried to get the Graces out to golf numerous times this year but as a young working family they are very busy so it looks like our golf with them is done for this year. Odd as I golfed with Jeff very few games this year. Wendy or Jeff were busy or gone or I was gone. Yet in Alberta I golfed more games than ever. I checked and we golfed together fewer games than when I first starting keeping track in 2007. Hopefully next year we will have a way more games.  I will carry on golfing until the end of October as a few courses in town and south of the city stay open quite late and midday it is still warm. I remember years ago golfing in Strathmore Nov 5th and even later down near Lethbridge.  This Thursday I believe is my last men’s day so last chance for an excellent score there.

The merge of Bass Pro and Cabela’s hopefully won’t change the stores. They are both unique and have strong areas compared to the other. Hopefully Bass will let it run as a separate identity. Mergers in most cases are not good, as stores get shutdown, always huge layoffs and we the public end up losing. I think the Safeway/Sobeys merge was handled perfectly.

Have you guys seen the new Ford Bronco. I love it. I would NEVER buy a Ford but this one looks great and I wouldn’t mind this one.  Perhaps Chevy will make a 1972 Blazer version.

Looks great. The Mustang, The Thunderbird and now the Bronco.

Thought of the Day

You can learn a lot from children.  How much patience you have, for instance. 

October 4th

Checked out a few different interests rates for Mom and discovered her savings account is only paying .30% when she could get .75%.  That’s close to a 1/2 point which makes a big difference.

Weather forecast for 10 degrees today so I dressed a little warmer to golf today. It got up to about 11 degrees but with no wind which made it not bad at all. I golfed with a very nice couple that live in High River but are members at TV. I asked them why when High River has a good course themselves. The said they love the mountain view especially when they are snowed capped and they love the course being so beautiful. I have to agree Turner Valley is an exceptional course and extremely picturesque. Also very difficult. I have to say that buying my membership at Turner Valley was a good move as I enjoy the course very much and it has a lot of nice people as members.

I golfed fantastic today. There was no pressure and the couple was a fun pairing. If only I wouldn’t have taken a triple boogie on hole 8 I would have been under 80. Still very happy and it also helps knowing I missed numerous birdie chances by inches or less. Great day to golf !  Score like this on Thursday and I am in the money. Pressure does get to me and I need to learn to be better at that.

MY RANT

Demanding people– Now this is a generalization but most often a woman. Below the last weeks experience.

At McDonalds this lady is holding up the line and being very adamant about what she wanted and what was the issue. She ordered a burger with only a bottom bun, two pickles, no lettuce, only one piece of onion, and no sauce. Lady, McDonalds came into existence as a mass produced burger joint not a one of custom made burger palace. Quit holding up the line with your demands. Understand where you are at and get real. 

At Boston Pizza this lady marches up to the counter and demands her pickup from the young clerk. ” You told me 15 minutes for pickup and it’s being 20 minutes already. Where is my order ?”   Lady,  the young girl doesn’t control the cook. She can’t control the timing to be exact. Relax and take a pill and quit holding up the line for patrons that are normal .

I have always said if you go to a Pizza place and order a burger what kind of timing or quality are you going to get. Order a burger at a burger place and the pizza at a pizza store. Realize the kind of place you are at. Are they custom order ? Are they very busy ? Are you being a way way too picky? Food likes is a very  individual thing. Some don’t like runny yolks, others don’t like any pink in their meat. It is just about impossible to please everyone. Suck it up and perhaps your tastes will change when you realize a different way can be good. They are cooking for a 100 people,your meal  may not be perfect to YOUR liking. They can’t be everything to everyone.

BUT THAT’S JUST ME

They did it !

In the play offs. Canada’s team

Thought of the Day

Feelings of guilt at being able to retire when so many others are likely to have no opportunity or work a lot longer than they would like. We were able to retire due to thoughtful (or lucky?) strategies of investment and a frugal lifestyle ( never cheap) combined with never trying to keep up to those Joneses. Bought one brand new vehicle in all of our years until we retired. Never stayed in a 4 star hotel or spent money on extravagant meals or clothes, never had exotic vacations,and always under bought what we could have qualified for on our home. Luck came into play to help us but the decision was made a long time before we were dealt a good hand. Still, when I see so many hardworking people – and there ARE many hardworking poor people – who have no real hopes of retiring, I have to accept that the world is indeed not fair. Still, it rankles me that working hard does not guarantee some kind of retirement opportunity (CPP alone, though helpful, is not enough). Everyone deserves a fair pension after earning profits for what ever company they worked for. As a society we need to work on this. A odd feeling as very very few friends of mine are retired which I would like that to be the opposite of ,but I am meeting loads of new people everyday. Fellow retirees on the course or at the lake. I think that is why I love Arizona as everyone is retired and free to do what and when we want. I can emphatically state that in almost three years I have NEVER had one bored day. I have NEVER become lazy and watched TV ( at night only with Jackie) and I have NEVER regretted leaving the workforce.

October 5th

First talk about an idiot that makes all Canadians look bad. The guy that threw that beer can should turn himself in. He will get caught as it is only a matter of time and it will go a lot better on him if he is the one concluding it. He just needs to apologize.

Boy is it cold out. I thought a little too cool today to golf so I went to winterize the motorhome. My hands were freezing as they were wet and it was 2 above. This year it went a lot faster but still the double bypass is weird and in the end of it I didn’t use the filter bypass. There are a lot of lines in the motor home and I ended up using 3 gallons to get it where I am happy. The sewer tank maybe a little too diluted but I am sure it will be just fine. I was going to cover the wheels etc. but the canvas was so stiff I waited. Warm air next week. Emptied the last few things out ( jug of windshield washer as it is only good to -5 degrees.) and the odd and ends then jumped into the Jeep to warm my hands. It was so cold I had to put socks on with my sandals. Mesa I miss you.

My feet got so cold I had to break down and put socks on with sandals.

Got that all done and then started on the plumbing. I hate cheap ! These guys to save $40 per unit don’t install shutoff valves. Dumb. I had a pex leak and replaced the lines with braided lines and shutoffs. I had one pex clip move but on a accurate measure it still is completely covering the ribbed protraction. I guess if you save $40 per unit and there are 200 units it adds up. I believe code should force them to put valves.  Jackie discovered this leak in the bathroom and by the looks of it has been leaking for years. Pex can be an issue if it is hit, if the collar isn’t on far enough, high expansion and retraction or a plumber just forgets to clamp down on one like happened to us at Jess & Pen’s basement.  It was a very slow leak but still damaged the floor of the bathroom cabinet a little. Lucky we have the sauna below us so they wouldn’t know if we were leaking.

The cheap way ! Notice the small drip !

The proper way

Another huge mistake by the Oilers. Naming a Junior player as your Captain isn’t fair to this child or fair to the team. Yes it goes down in the record books as the youngest Captain ever. Big deal. Doesn’t win you games. Mc Happy Meal doesn’t need the pressure, most likely will not be effective in the role and for sure getting hurt and having to sit out for most of the season as the Captain isn’t good for the rest of team. The poor judgement errors continue for a struggling team wanting to be good but haven’t got past bad yet.

Drove Jackie over to get her pedicure and this time she did it right. I don’t care what “women” say ( hooker look, etc) but RED fingernail and toe polish along with RED lipstick is the best looking. This purple or sparkles or black is just a phase until the red comes back. Red is not only the sexist looking it draws attention to the fact that this girl knows what guys like. Think if you choose NUDE. Why even bother just polish them with sandpaper yourself. Pink is ok.  French Tip is great. Black is bad. Green is ugly. Blue is weird, designs are weird.I never look twice at a girl with gothic looking nails, or lips. RED RED  Trust me. According to Cosmo Cherry Red is number one for 40% of men followed by pink then the other colors all over the map.

Talking to my golf partners the discussion of wintering came up. They travelled to Mexico each winter. Last winter on the way to Walmart they were held up by gun point and robbed. Jewelry and all of their money were taken including their feelings of security. They are never again going to Mexico and are looking at Phoenix this winter. This is the second couple now that I know that have been robbed at gunpoint in Mexico. I have no desire to go to Mexico as it is much like any other third world country where the difference between the rich and poor is far to great. One can say being in the wrong place at the wrong time but why risk it when there are numerous other safer choices.

Thought of the Day

One of the biggest misconceptions that women have, is that a man has to accept her the way she is. No we don’t. I don’t know who told you that. We like the bright and shiny. Be like our car.We like the red nails, we like the red toes, we like the long hair, we like it when you are all made up, we like the sexy dress.  If you stop the makeup, stop the nail polish, stop the nice clothes you will lose us. It’s just the way it is. The reverse is exactly the same. If man starts shaving his chest, starts getting pedicures and manicures, starts getting fancy haircuts, shaves his back, gets a toupee, he will lose his woman. She doesn’t want a BFF she wants a man that is a little rough on the edges. A provider. A security blanket. A handy man.  How many Metro sexual men to you see ? Any of them married ?  Few and NO. Don’t deny it.  Go RED  or go French Tip and if a man be a MAN.

October 6th

Well I had a surprise and have to have more blood work done. You know doctors they like to find something to talk about. Hopefully just a minor hiccup as the requisition is asking for some additional testing that is odd. I will find out when the office phones me.

What a wonderful fall day to golf. It was cloudy for most of the day but the sun did come out for a bit.  A few of the greens had been punched so were a little more difficult. Today was an off day. On the one nine I ended up with a 43 and that is with taking a 9 on one hole so I was pleased with that one. Greens, lost balls resulted in the other nine being a lot higher. Some great shots and some very bad shots. I could say it was due to the cold temperatures and especially cold hands but in reality it was just poor golfing. The lost balls off the tee got to me today unfortunately.  I had three great guys to golf with again today. Some wonderful holes and some screwed up holes. A fun day. One more Thursday Men’s left. I have won very little money from this group this year so hopefully a great game will happen on the last day. It has been a great group to play which I have thoroughly enjoyed.

I revisited my one PEX connection and decided to do a re-do as the clamp wasn’t close enough to the fitting. I didn’t want to take a chance in a condo with any kind of leak so re plumbed the one shutoff to ensure no issues. Having taken it apart it was great and would have worked most likely forever but now it is perfect. I hate going to sleep and thinking about it. Won’t have to now.

I have my Men’s league last game on Thursday next week and a one man scramble golf tournament on the following Friday to golf in. I may squeeze in one before the events.

Thought of the Day

It was cold enough today I saw every teenage boy with his pants pulled up.

October 7th

Up at 6:30 am to head to the lab again for more blood work. I now have both arms bruised again. Looks like I am a drug addict. I didn’t make an appointment as the online system showed none available so I used the walk in system. Left the house at 6:30 and back before 8 which was fantastic. Now to wait again on the doctor.

Got home and watched the news and then looked outside. SNOW is coming down and it continues to get heavier and heavier. I like to see it fall but I hate the fact winter is coming really.

First day in a long long time where I think I may just relax and do nothing. I have lots to do but today I just don’t feel like doing it. That’s a great benefit of being retired. LOL   Watch the Jays perhaps or the golf tournament . Not a lazy day but a relax day .

Winter !!

Now that was a baseball game.  Can you imagine how a 100 mph ball feels when it hits your head ?  Our pitcher just walks off the field.  Amazing more pitchers don’t get hurt as there is no time to react. Luckily he was able to turn a bit.  It was a baseball game that left you with no nails left to bite and ending with a win. One more to go. GO Jays GO

2-0 one more win for this series

October 8 -10th

Drove up to Edmonton with Jackie and Victoria for Thanksgiving Day and to visit with family. Snowing and raining most of the way but the roads were in good shape. Nearing Leduc ( Edmonton received a lot more snow than Calgary) we saw a semi truck upside down in the ditch, a rolled a few times 1/2 ton and a car all ditched. The roads must have been icy prior to us going by.

Jackie and Victoria headed to Amanda’s baby shower and I stayed to visit with Mom.  She doesn’t care for the food at her retirement home which is unfortunate but she is used to home baked and home made everything before she moved in. She has a wonderful unit and overall I think she enjoys the place with being able to watch people and have activities do to. I said to her ” You know if you DON”T really like it her you can move anywhere you like ” But she they will all be the same so I think she likes but dislikes it.

Jackie & Victoria then arrived and we headed to David’s for his birthday and supper.  Dave cooked some amazing ribs both beef and pork up for us along with mashed potato’s and corn.  A great meal. Kristin was there along with Erin’s parents so it made for a nice visit. Erin’s parents are retired but her Dad works part time at the Devon Golf course cutting grass three days a week and stays there in a large 5th wheel at the campground. They used to winter down south but now as they feel the dollar is so disadvantaged they stay in Oliver BC. It is a place in Canada that doesn’t get too warm or too cool all year long. They can get snow in Dec and Jan but they also can have golf courses open all year.  So we had a great meal, good visit and wished David a Happy Birthday. The visit worked out great with David and Erin having a large table in their living room which fit us and the four dogs perfectly.

Mom had a roll out bed delivered to her room which worked out perfect. Her large grandfather clock didn’t tick toc all night and the temperature was perfect for a good sleep. Our hide a bed couch turned out to be comfortable enough so all was good.

Mom made us breakfast in the morning and then we headed to Darlene’s for our Thanksgiving Dinner. As usually Darlene is an awesome cook and serves up the best Thanksgiving dinner you can get. She added perogies  and cabbage rolls and some other dish which none are my favorite but others love the different dishes to the traditional. I prefer classic which Darlene makes wonderfully including the pumpkin pie. My brother Alfred, his two boys, Garrett and Graham along with Graham’s three kids, Mom, Darlene, Jim, Kari and us so it was a nice sized group.  Jim had to leave early in the afternoon as he had to work that day. Garrett had a nasty cut on his forearm where he hacked into it with a chainsaw. He was tree topping and slipped and cut himself really bad.  Pretty amazing he cuts himself and doesn’t drop the chain saw and climbs down the ladder. Tough guy. 24 stitches later. His arm is the start to a perfect Halloween costume.

Visited to about 6pm and then headed home. Roads were dry and the traffic quite light which was nice. Left turn signal burnt out so I will need to replace the bulb right away. Took a while to figure out there system which turned out easy once I had the system.  Sure hope a bulb doesn’t blow on the lift gate as that one will take a long time to replace as you have remove the entire back inside interior to get at the bulb.

7 robins in one tree

A cool day but very interesting watching outside. We had at one time 7 Robins sitting in our tree. It is a rare sight to see a few but to have 7 was amazing. Jackie threw them some apple slices and raisins which I am sure they will love in this temperature.

On track to break all time record of 11 consecutive misses from making the playoffs.

The Oiler now have 10 only players from last year. The management team is trying anything out of desperation. Remember the sports experts are predicting a 28 to 29th place finish for them. Getting rid of Yakupov is a perfect example of poor team management. ANOTHER former 1st round pick that couldn’t play with them. Why ? should be the question. And just like the Hall trade they got NOBODY. It is shame really as it is fun to have two competitive teams as rivals not one that is a walk over.

GO STAMPS GO !!!

Watch the Stamps today. They are a good team. A good Thanksgiving as Sask won their game and Edmonton had a easy time with a weak team.

Having Peter, Alan & Maryann over for supper tonight to celebrate Thanksgiving. We are not having the whole big deal as we are full from two days of eating. So a nice meal on a smaller scale.

Thought of the Day

I smile because you are my family, I laugh because there nothing you can do about it.

October 11th

The Oilers and Flames first game of the season at the new Rogers Place tomorrow. A lot is new for the Oilers: they dumped the cheerleaders, axed the oil derrick players skated through to start the game, and introduced Hunter the Lynx, a mascot with an oversized fur head, mesmeric eyes, and fangs that kids seem to love but parents worry will induce nightmares. A new arena smell, new exorbitant pricing on beer, pop and snacks. Beer is $12. Mostly new players. It is going to be fun to see how they do. If they come out this season slow it is over for them again. If they come out strong they will have a little better season than the last 10 seasons. The Edmonton Oilers have  a new captain, and an overhauled defence.But a lot of things still have to break right for the orange and blue in 2016-17 if this once-proud franchise is to avoid setting an historic NHL benchmark for futility.For 10 consecutive years it has been unattainable, leaving the Oilers ridiculed as hockey’s bum nephew, getting rich handouts in top level junior talent every year, squandering it then coming back for more. All I can say is GO FLAMES GO show them what a team built around heart, lesser talent but cohesive and not spoiled first round picks can do.

I picked up some eye glass screws for my glasses, I dropped off a parcel at the Bank and I had a prescription extension on my pills from Shoppers. It was a sunny say but still cold as the high only hit 2 above.

Worked out in the gym today for a while, read some and played on the computer. Watched some TV in the evening so I had a quiet day.

Thought of the Day

Lazy people fact # 237165490

Bet you were too lazy to read that number weren’t you ?

October 12th

A wonderful sunny COLD day. Now I remember why I don’t like Alberta in the winter time. I checked the web cam at Turner Valley and they have snow . I need this to melt before noon tomorrow for my last men’s league last event. I need to win some money back.

TV today 24 hours the snow needs to be gone

Went grocery shopping which is always a pleasure to do in the morning as no one is in the stores. Makes for a quick easy trip. My old hard sided grocery carriers from Safeway sure work well and make carrying the groceries up stairs a lot easier. I also like to shop as I get to pick some of my favorite things I like to eat.

Not much on the agenda today. Pay some bills. Washed and waxed the Jeep with my arms feeling like the Karate Kid’s after his wax on wax off training. A couple of scratches on the Jeep I don’t care for but life does that to a vehicle. Two of them are our fault lifting off the roof top. Nice and shiny so hopefully no snow for a couple of days. Get out all of the pieces I need for my soft top and hope I haven’t lost any pieces which I think I will work next week not to do too much to fast. LOL

Going to Dixon’s tonight to watch the Oiler/Flame game and I am hopeful for a win for the Red team.

USA elections are amazing. They are so unreal with the personal attacks instead of plans to fix the country. Both candidates should be disqualified and lets start over. If this is the two best the USA has to offer the world they must think the USA is in worse shape than it really is. Now we have the worst Premier that will go down in the history books and a very weak Prime Minister but either one of them are heads above Hillary or Trump. Notley not so much but close. Now going back to the fiasco about Trumps vulgar language. First the media jumping on this is ridiculous. Because he said stuff that guys sometimes say to each other? It’s absurd. It’s all phony outrage. The people who condemn this condone everything else. A lot of the celebrities are the people who make Sex in the City, Fifty Shades of Grey, and now they have moral outrage about this ? It was a private conversation. Yes vulgar but private and EVERY guy has made some rude or crude remarks about women. Testosterone and the human need to procreate is strong along with the male ego saying a lot of stuff that would never come to fruition. Everyone speaks differently behind closed doors ( which this was) It cant be considered harassment as NO ONE knew about the conversation except the two guys involved. Trump needs to be judged on what he can do for the USA not what he said behind closed doors. I am starting to lean a bit towards Trump. Not a good choice but the better of two evils.

It is like the announcer stating he wont use the word Cleveland INDIANS when he is broadcasting. Give us a break. If I was an Indian ( sorry Aboriginal ) ( no sorry forgot Indigenous ) I would be proud that a sports team uses a name from our history. Warrior, Black Hawks, Chiefs etc are great names. What is this world coming to ?

MY PREDICTION SO IT IS ON RECORD.

OILERS TO FINISH THIS SEASON WITH 79 POINTS AND FINISH 5TH SPOT IN THE PACIFIC AND MISSING THE PLAYOFFS FOR THE ALL TIME RECORD OF 11 CONSECUTIVE YEARS.

FLAMES TO FINISH THIS SEASON WITH 89 POINTS AND FINISH 3RD SPOT IN THE PACIFIC MAKING THE PLAYOFFS

I love Wayne Gretzky put Oilers why ? Why have you opened up an opportunity for him again. You cant live in the past. He title is  Vice Chairman and partner in the Oilers Entertainment group. It would be interesting but partner to me implies he put money into the company. He is now the boss of Kevin Lowe and Craig McTavish. How many more old Oilers do they need ? It is funny in a way.

I got the “winnings” list from my 2016 Men’s Golf group. I think this maybe the first time in my life I have finished last in anything. I spent more and won less than anyone in my group. BUT I can say it was money well spent as I am positive I finished first in having fun. It is an excellent group of guys that I thoroughly enjoy golfing with. Turner Valley is a tough course for me as every game I end up losing one or two balls which can kill the score. I can have 9 pars but take a 8 or 9 on a couple of holes and it means nothing. My handicap is what it is and no one can say I am a sandbagger when they see the money paid out. I can score a 79 on Mckenzie Meadows and the next day score a 91 at TV due to the lost balls. I will do better NEXT YEAR. I will work on this this winter and hopefully come back much better and consistent.

Our night at Dixon’s pub was excellent. They have a lot of TV’s and great food so you cant go wrong.  I will say this though. The pricing for going out is getting ridiculous. Beer at Dixon’s was $7.25 and a pound of wings $15 . That’s gouging but they need to make money especially with the wages they now have to pay. As you all know the outcome wasn’t what we wanted but next time will be different. Getting home after 11:30pm isn’t desired but guess what. I don’t have to get up early. LOL

An email I sent to my Edmonton friends :

Worked downstairs most of the day  and have everything ready to remove the top and over head Kongo Master and out on the soft top. Rear carrier and bag is all sorted out. Hopefully soon I can get this done.

Tonight Jackie & I went to watch Jackson play hockey. He as gotten very good but most proud of his effort. He worked very hard all of the time and is one of these guys that follows instructions explicitly. Good thing he was the only one with bright green laces as telling them apart was very difficult. The skill level at this age is pretty consistent with only a few being able to skate a little better. He tried so hard it was fun to watch.  Poor parents though having to get up early on weekends and be in the arena’s a lot. Although I remember when the girls were in soccer and we travelled up to Edmonton for tournaments how much fun us parents had in the hotel, bar etc.

Jackson wearing #4

Everyone the exact same size

Temperature is 11 degrees tomorrow so my One Man Scramble tournament is a go. This will be fun.

Thought of the Day

Grandkids get 90% of their awesomeness from their grandparents.

October 14th – 15th

Golf course is open so off to the Scramble today. Weather forecast a little cooler than expected as it now sits as a high of 11 degrees. Also looking outside I see moisture on the road. Hours of washing and waxing gone in one block. Darn.

Great weekend of sports coming up with baseball, football and hockey games.

Shot a 72 in the tournament . Yahoo best score ever !

What a beautiful day for a golf game

Now there is a caveat to this statement. It was a one man scramble which I will say is the most fun way to play of any tournament I have been in. There is zero pressure to get 3 or 4 drives in to support your team. Your team is you. It does give an indication of the type of score YOU are capable of, if everything goes good. It was super organized with printed out score cards with the names of each grouping and the handicap to determine the final scoring off of. The two gentleman I played with which were 10 year members at TV were best friends. Best friends that were hilarious. One German and one English so right away you know there will be a combative element to the game. They ribbed each other the whole game. ” Go ahead and shoot you know you aren’t going to hit them. We all have seen your drives ” “Look you have water and bush to hit on this hole ” You sure you have the right club, we have seen you do this before” ” Are you considering the wind with that iron” They made the day a fun fun day full of laughter . I had a great time as they did. We all were equal handicaps and odd enough all finished within a couple of strokes of each other.  My NET was 64.3.  I wish I knew what the low net and low gross was. We had a nice meal and lots of prize money handed out. I didn’t get any!!  What even makes it more challenging is the tee box selection. My second shots were coming in with 50 and 60 yards. I had greens I could drive or attempt to. We had par 3 with golf tees down to 60 yards. A lot of different club selection and course management. AT first I was hitting trees and water just not knowing the course from this box. It is a way of playing a tournament that is as I said the most fun of any  tournament I have played. I hope I get invited back next year.

Nice meal and great prizes ! And BEER included

Got home about 6:30 and was met by an excited Jackson as he was staying overnight at our house. We played games, watched a couple of movies, played pool and lego and he hit the hay around 10:30pm very tired. Me too. LOL

He slept like a log and didn’t wake up to almost 9 am and comes into our room stating ” I am hungry ” I laugh and say to him ” Hi hungry, I am Larry. How are you ?” Eyes rolling he leaves the room. I get him again. LOL

French toast, bacon and a mini Hitler look a like from Grammy’s smoothie

Nothing is better than a big breakfast to start the day off.

Off to help Michael and Audrey with their sailboat. Jackie and I helped him lower his mast and winterize his boat. Just looking around the yard Michael has one the better looking sailboats. His is a 17ft Hunter that looks brand new and looks classy. Had a great Tim’s lunch on the shore of the Glenmore which is a beautiful view of the city. Another wonderful sunny fall day.

Great picnic site.

There a few cities that have wonderful river valleys in them in BUT very few cities with such a large lake only a few blocks from city centre on the prairies. Glenmore is beautiful and it is used for all kinds of recreational purposes.

Thought of Day

Its funny when you are working and the alarm goes off at 6 am, you close your eyes for 5 minutes and it already 6:45 am. But when you are at work and it is 4 pm you close your eyes for 5 minutes and it is 4:01

October 16th

Up this morning, had my smoothie and kissed Jackie good bye as she heads to Lethbridge for a visit. I got ready, prepared for a cooler day of golfing as today was the last day Turner Valley is open.

It looked like a full slate for the shotgun start. I golfed today with Larry from our condo , Reg who I golf with in my men’s league and another TV member. Well, Larry had his best score ever today. He was playing sick. Really sick when you consider we were facing some strong winds today. We had quite a few holes were it made a huge impact. In fact on one par three Larry used his driver and landed on the green. He scored a 73 today. Yes 73. Reg didn’t putt that well today but still scored ok and I played ok but lost a couple of balls which killed me. One of them in the middle of the fairway. I was hoping the last game would be stellar but the score doesn’t indicate that. Ok game but we all had a lot of fun and it was warm enough to enjoy it all.

Last day golfing this year at my home course Turner Valley

To use up my Tee Off book I am going to play Monday and Wednesday with Larry at McKenzie while it is still warm enough.

There are a few people I would love to beat one day at golf. Just once. LOL  Larry Poirier, George Modzjewski ,Gary White, Bob Ferris, John Matheson, All much better golfers than I am today but I am working on it and hopefully it will happen in the future.

Great day again. Jackie texted and is leaving Lethbridge at about 5:30 so should be home just around dark.

Thought Of Day

I was one under today. One under the tree, one under the bush and one under the water.

October 17th

Another great fall day. A little morning frost and lot’s of fog but still a pretty sight. I meet Larry at the McKenzie golf course. We were frost delayed so started about 1/2 hour late of our tee time. Larry talked to the pro and as were only two he agreed to put us out before a couple of foursomes even though their tee time was before us. Good thinking and service from the pro shop. We get to the tee and right behind us comes a foursome. Remember what I said about demanding women ( My Rant October 10th) This middle aged lady comes flying up demanding to know what time our tee off is. She states she has been waiting an hour and why are we going. Very upset. Our third that joined us and us just hit the ball and left down the fairway with the third saying ” I have never thought we could get into a fight over a tee time”  We never ever saw them again and finished in just over 3 hours. I don’t understand the reasoning for so many women to get upset and angry. First I personally believe anger is a weakness of people. It is self induced and in most cases unneeded and never reasonable. This should be a taught life skill in school.

The temperature was cool and stayed cool our whole round hovering around the 4- 5 degree mark. But no wind. We all commented it was plenty warm and the only thing that did get cool for me was my fingers. I will get some more hand warmers for Wednesday. The new Climawarm clothing they make is very light weight and is very warm. Layered works well.Walking the course also helps. The cold didn’t affect the running of my remote walking cart at all. Now knowing the temperature I am never considering the day to one of my best scores as the ball flight will be less, your muscles wont be as relaxed and the air after fog and frost is damp again limiting ball distance.

Golf Course in perfect shape and very few people out enjoying it

Here it is ; Yes Yes Yes I beat Mr. Larry Poirier. This is the gentleman I golfed with that scored a 73 on Sunday. I have never beat Larry until today. Gross to gross and net to net .Mr. John Matheson you are next. You are on notice. Now the conditions are what they are and the game is what it is. Every blind squirrel finds the odd acorn but a win is a win and something to build on. I will see what happens on Wednesday.  The  win is one thing but taking the money from Larry was sweet. He is a fierce competitor so the next game will a fun event.  It was a very fun outing , the course was in immaculate shape and our golfing partner was a great guy.  I didn’t have one slice today which was perfect. A couple of shots I would like to have back but some nice over all second and third shots. Ok putting. I have to take pleasure in every small victory as playing with some of these guys wins they don’t come often. Fun Day.

Had our condo AGM meeting tonight. All I can say is people are funny. They like to complain, they like to pretend they know everything and that their opinion is right and no one else is as good as them. Overall I was pleased with everything except the $20,000.00 bill to replace sprinkler heads. On the last inspection it was discovered they had paint on the tubes which changes the heat required for them to burst. 9 years of inspections and now it is discovered. My first instinct would be someone is trying to pull the wool, but the board is convinced they now need replaced. You would think a Q tip and solvent would fix the problem at a cost of labour only which could be the owner. We will see what is happening. Our lawsuit for the balconies is a good news/bad news thing. Still in the system and potential for an agreed amount in spring 2017 or court date 2018 at the earliest.  I would take a 50% reimbursement and be happy.

Thought of the Day

Winning is great, sure, but if you are really going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose. Nobody goes undefeated all the time. If you can pick up after a crushing defeat, and go on to win again, you are going to be a great someday.

October 18th

“Mercury Forecast ”  Mesa   32 degrees above  Calgary 3 degrees  above

Watching the news this morning they were showing the north part of Calgary nearer COP park and the amount of snow on the ground and I laughed. The north part of city forever is colder by at least 2 to 3 degrees, gets more hail storms, and they always get the bigger snow falls.  But getting out of bed I looked outside and we did get a bit ourselves with the odd tree and top of the fence but none on the ground.

Outside temperature is 1 above today so I think I will wait for another warmer day to finish the motorhome off. Too cool to be using ratchets etc. on the hands to remove my tow bar. Warmer days are coming.

Sports-

The Stamps are playing wonderful even though against Montreal they slept a little.

The Blue Jays are in trouble. TO win 4 in a row is difficult but can be done. Odd they cant hit all of a sudden . The whole series by both teams is extremely low scoring. Fingers crossed

The Oilers- they should be fined by punishing the players just because they lost. They are going to lose and lose a lot. The NHLPA has rules that were violated. I would fine them big !!

The Flames- struggling a bit getting over the fact that the first loss was rigged and having to play so many games tight together. But played ok against Vancouver and hopefully tonight will get on track by burning Buffalo.

As my plans have changed today will just catch up on a few things on the computer.

Paid my taxes today for Mesa AZ. They are very high when I compare them to Calgary. In our 2400 sq ft house with land in Calgary we paid $1800 a year. In our 900 sq ft house and no land we are paying $600 a year in Mesa.  Doesn’t seem right but nothing you can do. In fact they are $30 lower than last year so that is a good thing.

Got my new AHC card so this time I will get it laminated to last.

Last night before supper I finally got my doctors appointment. Here is one of the life lessons we all need to adhere to. I didn’t which is odd for me but I didn’t heed my own thoughts or words. There are  lot of sayings related to this:

1. Don’t sweat the small stuff
2. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch
3. Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow
4. This is pretty obvious, but until things happen, they haven’t happened. And often things aren’t what they seem.”

I had my blood work done and then the doctor asked for more tests. Start to worry ? Look up tests on the internet and self diagnose  Start to worry more ?  Look back at old tests and see trend. Start to worry more.  Sleepless nights and worry about something you can’t control. The things on the testing if they had come to fruition would have been bad. Lump in place you don’t want. Start worrying ?

Finally met with the doctor and the additional testing was recommended by her to discover why certain numbers were high. After her investigation and testing again of blood and urine she concluded I have high baseline numbers and she wasn’t worried. My doctor is the most thorough and involved doctor you could ever get. Finally after all of the discussion and paper work and a huge sigh of relief everything was ok. I have to run the rat race tread mill again with dye and listen to another doctor lecture me on Statins but everything else is ok. I think some times it is better not to know things and let nature take it course. Instead of wasting money on space programs and elections lets find cures for diseases .

LIFE LESSON : Do not jump to conclusions, don’t self diagnose, and don’t worry about something until you are sure. I will say my entire life, worry has been my Achilles heel . Glad that is over though.

Thought of the Day

If you cant do anything about it, don’t worry about it. Easier said then done but very true. I am going try harder next time to live by this.

October 19th

“Mercury Forecast ”  Mesa  32 degrees  Calgary 14 degrees

Oilers won, darn, Flames won, great

Have a tee time for 11:30 today. The weather is fantastic and it hit 14 degrees this afternoon. Again the course was relatively empty. Larry and I were hooked up with two older guys from Inglewood golf course. Quite good golfers. Well my rein of the golf course over Larry was short lived. He came to play today and did. Not as much fun to watch as the 73 score but he did score 81. I had a bad day, with NO luck, and poor shots. My back even though it was warm out was a hurting a bit which is odd as when we golfed in the cold it didn’t hurt at all. McKenzie is an easy golf course to walk and my power walker works great. I would love to have a great back but that isn’t going to happen so I live with it. A real fun day, great golfing partners and  the only thing I would like to change would be my scorecard. LOL  Larry played well and I handed back the money I won from him on Monday. I am hoping to have a good game on Friday to win it back. Looking at the weather that is the last day for golf as all next week the highs are around the 6 degrees. Possible but we will see. Maybe have to go a little south of Calgary again like last year as we played into November last year. Fun Day. I have I said I love being RETIRED.

!4 degrees out today and a wonderful day to golf. Too bad Larry STOLE my money.

Trump vs crooked Hillary tonight should be fun to watch. The pollsters are everywhere. Some with Hillary leading by 11 points others Trump by 4 points. Remember last election everyone thought Romney was going to win and the polls were wrong so it is still to close to call.

Our Blue Jays lost so one team we all wanted to win is out.  60 games or so before we see the Oilers are out.

Some funny moments in the presidential debate. First it was the most civil. In my mind I believe Trump won the debate. He bought up some good points and seeing the body language of Clinton hit some stress points. I am glad it didn’t get into the personal attacks with all of the news about Trump and women and Hillary and the emails. As I said before neither is a good candidate but I do believe Trump would fix up some real issues that the States has. I agree keep the button far from him though. I am not sure if the “rigged” part is working. Hillary made a great point that Trump says anything that goes against him is fixed. Having said that I do believe there is a lot of corruption in politics and rigging by using dead names, arranging bus loads from senior homes after a hour of propaganda, illegal immigrant voting etc does go on. The thing people don’t like is the fact that as a democracy, free and unencumbered elections are the backbone of a free nation and they don’t want to believe corruption exists.

Thought of the Day

Joseph Stalin once said :  It is enough that people know there is an election. The people that cast a vote decide nothing. The people that count the vote decide everything.

October 20th

” MY RANT”

Statins -Lipitor

This will be my last time on this subject and only again because of the medical profession pushing this poison to so many people including my doctor and cardiologist. This will be a little mixed up but hopefully by the end the points will be made.

1. First is the manipulation of the statistics.  Remember drug companies are in the business to make money not cure people. Marketing companies are hired to push the benefits and still follow the rules set out by the government to protect the layman person. Here is Lipitor’s take on stats.  Have 200 people in a study. Give 100 a placebo and 100 Lipitor. 10 people die of a heart attack from the placebo group and 5 people die in the Lipitor group. That is a 50% reduction in deaths contributed to Lipitor use.  10 deaths down to 5 deaths is a 50% reduction but they fail to tell people that it is only 5 lives saved. 5 lives saved out of 200 people is 2.5%. That is the real number. Are you willing to poison your body for a 2.5% reduction in deaths and face all of the known side effects ?
2. Some people ignore side effects as we are bombarded on TV with the side effects of so many drugs. It is the law to divulge any known side effect.  Constipation,diarrhea,nausea,fatigue,heartburn,headaches,muscle pain, rhabdomyolysis,confusion, memory issues,fever,dark urine,jaundice  and the list goes on. I believe the four biggest issues are the connection to the memory loss , liver damage and muscle loss and diabetes. Liptor themselves in a clinical study state 10% of the people on statins are removed due to adverse side effects. Muscle breakdown is serious , raised liver enzymes is serious, asthma suffers will have issues, and the potential increase by 48 % of diabetes.
3. 25% of the cholesterol in your body is found in your brain, where it plays important roles in such things as membrane function, acts as an antioxidant, and serves as the raw material from which we are able to make things like progesterone, estrogen, cortisol, testosterone and even vitamin D. In fact, in a recent study available on the NIH Public Access site, researchers showed that in the elderly, the best memory function was observed in those with the highest levels of cholesterol. Low cholesterol is associated with an increased risk for depression and even death.This understanding of the important role of cholesterol in brain function raises concern as we now see changes in recommendations for prescribing statin medication. Some estimates indicate that moving forward, the number of individuals taking statins to lower cholesterol in America may actually double! This presents a worrisome proposition for brain health. I don’t think being alive but dealing with Alzheimer’s is better than dying of a heart attack. Another article in the Journal of American Medical Association is forward is stating memory loss and the potential for depression setting in is fairly substantial.
4. The number of Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease is growing — and growing fast. An estimated 5.4 million Americans of all ages have Alzheimer’s disease in 2016.
   • Of the 5.4 million Americans with Alzheimer’s, an estimated 5.2 million people are age 65 and older, and approximately 200,000 individuals are under age 65 (younger-onset Alzheimer’s).
   • One in nine people age 65 and older has Alzheimer’s disease.
   • By mid-century, someone in the United States will develop the disease every 33 seconds.

   These numbers will escalate rapidly in coming years, as the baby boom generation has begun to reach age 65 and beyond, the age range of greatest risk of Alzheimer’s. By 2050, the number of people age 65 and older with Alzheimer’s disease may nearly triple, from 5.2 million to a projected 13.8 million, barring the development of medical breakthroughs to prevent or cure the disease. Previous estimates based on high range projections of population growth provided by the U.S. Census suggest that this number may be as high as 16 million. WHY HASNT ANYONE SEEN THE CORRELATION BETWEEN THE RAPID INCREASE IN ALZHEIMERS AND MASS PRECRIPTIONS OF LIPTOR ? Doesn’t it seem odd to you ?

5. Statin Diabetes Safety Task Force 2014 Update, which stated that statins lower the relative risk of heart attack, stroke and death by 25 to 30 percent. They increase diabetes by a relative risk of 10 to 12 percent compared to placebo or usual treatment. So if you are at high risk for diabetes, a statin will get you there faster.
6. If Statins are reducing the risks and deaths like they state they are wouldn’t the average life span be increasing exponentially. We have dramatically lowered the infant mortality rate, we as a society are eating better, have more food product knowledge and I think we are exercising more all influencing the average lifespan. Plus we are extending and curing cancer more and more each year.Lipitor brand name was brought to market in 1996 . Average life span for a male in 1996 was 79.1 yrs old. Average life span for a male in 2015 is 81.56  http://www.indexmundi.com   That is 2.46 years longer with all of Lipitor’s help.Has Lipitor being the lifesaver they think they are ? I don’t think so…..

Each person has to be comfortable with their decision. I believe Lipitor usage should only be used after a heart event or in cases of people with extremely high cholesterol. The human body is an amazing machine.If we do not eat enough cholesterol the liver will make it for us. Sometimes the liver just makes to much. I also believe that inflammation of the body not cholesterol is the culprit behind our increased heart diseases.  

As I said before STATINS are the biggest scam ever played on the human race. 

BUT THAT’S JUST ME !

Shopping for groceries again with no one in the store is great. It does make it easy to shop and quick.

What a beautiful day hitting 14 degrees again. For late October the temperatures are great.

Planned out my closet organizer that I will start building next week. I will take off the roof rack and hardtop from the Wrangler this weekend ( with help) so the Jeep is ready to go to Mesa.

Worked on my budget today to update it. From before retirement to now we have been spending about $1000 more a month than planned. As Jackie’s contract has been good to us no adjustments needed as of yet. I do need better returns as my plan of a 5-6% withdrawal will result in a zero balance before 90.  It is something I will need to watch in the next few years.

I was just thinking about trips for next year. We did the Northern Sask and Southern Sask. We did our Southern Alberta trip and our Invermere Valley and Kootenay trip. We did our Western Alberta trip Jasper etc. We currently are planning a trip to Wales and England for early spring next year. I think a Northern BC trip or Vancouver Island trip maybe fun. Larry & Anita with Rob & Sharon with us are supposed to make it to Writing on the Stone park. Two years we have tried but hopefully next year and perhaps other places. We always have a week long golfing trip in the fall with Keith & Jenny which will happen again. We used to have a great weekend get away with Jeff & Wendy for years golfing until work and kids etc got busy for them and got into the way. They are always too busy.LOL  Young people today ! Hopefully in the upcoming years we can get this going again.I know I will include lots of fishing trips with Fred, Larry and Jeff  in again somewhere.  We have our traditional wintery May Long Weekend trip this year at RV There Yet with a large group of friends and our annual golf, floating the river ,camping September long weekend trip. Blueberry Hill is booked for late August again but Fred & Terry are heading to Ireland for their 40th.  We will take Jackson out for a week and possibly August this year.Planning and executing is fun. I love taking trips with just Jackie & I as it is a little more relaxed but I enjoy having another couple to experience it with. Separate units or rooms which allows individual scheduling and timing and cooperation of getting together. Sometimes you just have to make time to do things like this and forgot about other things as a whole.

So if anyone has an idea of somewhere to go to see new things or just out camping let us know and we would love to be there. Our trips have to be in Canada though for us to make them work. It’s funny how we all get so busy and time gets away from us. It seems including us with Jackie working on contract we forget to take the time for ourselves and friends.

Next week other than a few doctors appointments I have no commitments for golfing, fishing, camping, etc. I am going to build a closet organizer and that is about it which will take a few days to do. Have I said I LOVE BEING RETIRED !

Starting to look forward to Mesa.

Golfing tomorrow which I am hoping will be great. The temperature is wonderful.

Thought of the Day

True friendships multiple the good in life and divides the evil. Strive to have friends as life without them is like living on a deserted island.

October 21st

Watching the news this morning in bed about the charity event with Hillary and Trump. The zingers back and forth were priceless.  Very funny stuff really. Only a few weeks left for all of this to be over.

Got ready this morning for another golf outing in wonderful weather. The temperature today hit 14 degrees again in the sun. The course was open and in immaculate shape. Heatherglen is a fun course and is not easy by any stretch. The greens were really fast today. Larry, Dave and I went out and decided to ride today. Next Tuesday golfing we will walk again. I started off great and was on track for under 80 then I screwed up on hole one second nine. I was one shot behind Larry at the turn and decided to take my risky short cut but ended up taking 3 over out of stupidity. Next game I will play smart. So very little money exchanged hands today, it was a very fun day, golfing with two nice guys. Larry won again easily with my mistake then compounded with the next hole so after two holes I was more over than the entire front nine. Larry played very well and consistent as always especially with his putts. He is the best putter I have played with. You can’t beat the warmth, great course, inexpensive for my friends and the fun of playing together. The weather is staying  amazing and next week I will continue to golf until it gets cold. I want a good game on Tuesday for 18 holes.

Golfing with Larry & Dave in late Oct in 14 degrees

After golfing we went for supper at  Boston Pizza with Michael, Audrey, Victoria, Jackson and Corey. As always a great meal and fun get together. Jackson wasn’t feeling the best but he still was very good.

Then off to his school to see a play he was in. There were hundreds of parents in a long line waiting to get into the gym. Standing room only for the play. I said to Jackie this was the best organized, most professional , hi tec play I have ever seen from a school play. It was exceptional with the lighting , sound and production. The kids all were awesome. I am sure Jackson loved being it as much as we loved watching it.

In the car discussing the play I say to Michael, Audrey and Jackie ” I see why our educational system sucks. 20 teachers all girls around 22 years old and one male teacher. Why are there no older teachers that are much more strict, demand respect and can teach the kids about real life.  Why not more men so that the kids experience a different point of view.The lady teachers even presented the organizing teacher with flowers. Give me a break. Flowers and recognition for something you are supposed to do and are getting paid to do.” Some well say look at the time spent after school they spend. In ANY organization after hours work and weekend work is considered normal and the expectation is their to do it without pay.

Then Jackie says ” they weren’t the teachers. It is a production company the school hires”

WHAT ! We have extremely high paid teachers that are hired to teach our kids and we hire a outside production company for a elementary school play?  Who is paying for this ? It is ridulious to spend money this way. Things sure have changed. LOL   Amazing really.

A fun day, a fun night and always nice to have the Indian Summer happening.

Thought of the Day

At the clubhouse being asked what I had to shoot to beat Larry and Dave, I commented both of them.

October 22nd -23rd

Gorgeous fall weather. In fact it was so warm today I had to wear just a shirt with no coat.

Lots of birthdays today. Jenny Harry hitting the ripe old age of 57 and Jim Alseth also hitting that number. I would have loved to stay at the young age of 57. Jim is the same age as his wife my sister Darlene. Funny when thinking about Darlene’s age she is only one year younger than me for one day each year. Now figure that out. LOL

It is funny how people look forward to birthdays until they get older. Then when they get real old like in their 70’s or 80’s they again like them as they figure hooray I made it another year.

I had Corey and Jackie help me remove my roof top cargo rack and hardtop. Engineers by far have the most over rated jobs. If any of these engineers would experience real situations we would have a lot better designed cars and road systems.

I needed to remove the license plate bracket in order to flip my rack back which I believe is the safest and easiest way. The ENGINEERS designed it that you basically have to remove the back bumper to remove the bracket. Dumb. After working on this at least for an hour I was finally able with a small socket and flex extension and just trying to start them turning I did it. We were able to do just that and it worked perfect and relatively easy. Then we removed the hardtop. Overall it probably only took about a hour to finish. I put wood blocks on the bottom of the boat and stacked the rack with the top under it over the boat. I was then able to completely tarp all three of them and hopefully come spring everything will be perfect. Pulled all of the batteries out of the clocks and remotes in the motorhome including the engine battery so all done and put away.

Jeep all ready for Arizona

It took about 5 hours to put on the soft top. Half of that looking for the parts I needed as they weren’t where I though they should be. I removed all of the contents of the storage locker and reloaded it again not finding my needed pieces. I searched everywhere and finally discovered them in the perfect place in my tool section covered up in the storage cabinet of the Jeep. Now trying to remember where all of the pieces go and in what direction etc was a challenge as I have only did it about three times. Plus due to no heat and sunshine to relax the tight canvas it was difficult getting zippered in. Got it all done which I am happy about. Jeep is ready, cargo carrier is attached for golf clubs and suitcases . Tow bar and connectors are in the back. So that part is all done. When I took off the heavy rack and top it is like I gained 20 horsepower. Yahoo!

Next week is fairly busy with two doctors appointments, two golf games, one day doing a tune up to the Dakota and then starting my closet organizer.

Not happy with the Flames !!

Don’t you hate it when you trying to do something and your computer runs sooo slow.

Thought of the Day

Be strong , I  whispered to my WI FI signal !

October 24th

Up this morning as my phone had a few emails come in.  Had my smoothie and drank a bit more water do pump up the veins. First thing on the agenda was Canadian Blood Services appointment. They have made this so easy now with the technology . You get to take the test at home answering all of the questions and the temperature, blood pressure and signing off is all done in one step instead of multiple stops with staffing. They were busy today telling me that they have 100 appointments. While in the waiting room a lady came back in after being refused to give blood. They told her that her temperature was too cold. First time for everything. So she sat in the waiting room with her coat on trying to increase her body temperature for a retake. I guess they don’t like frozen blood. Well it happened again where I come out of there looking like a pin cushion. Both arms will be bruised and battered after another go around. After missing the first time you always get the “expert” who does a great job. Everyone has to learn but poking holes in people isn’t the safest thing at not being good at. The lady that finalized me was a nurse that  came from Poland. Canada doesn’t recognize this which is stupid. We have engineers driving cabs etc because our gov’t isn’t smart enough to figure out a test to ensure validity and a upgrade course instead of saying your four years of education and any experience isn’t worth anything. It is amazing how so many common sense things our governments don’t do. She was good and was done in 4 minutes. Good vein.

Beaten up again

I then stopped into the Dodge dealership to get parts for Corey’s Dakota. It seems that after so many years ( 15 ) they discontinue product after they are sold out so some parts they didn’t have and others I had to go to two different dealerships to pick up and one other had to come from Toronto. So I told them I need the part numbers and would phone to order if I couldn’t find them elsewhere. I HAD to stop at the best burger place in Canada, Harvey’s for lunch as it was right next door and I haven’t had one for maybe years. Man those are good. Right next door about a block away was Parts Source. I haven’t really bought anything from these guys but I was impressed with their store, inventory and sales knowledge. I was able to get all brand name components there. Everything in stock and a great rep that was knowledgeable.

While at Big 4 I walked thru the showroom and fell in love with a new vehicle. They had a new 2016 Jeep Wrangler fully loaded that was amazing. $66,900.00 for it but would be a fun truck to drive and sure would garner up some quick looks.

Wednesday I will fix up the Dakota. The engine in that truck is stuffed in the front and getting at the distributor isn’t the easiest task so planning on it taking a few hours. One good thing Ford did is by putting the distributor in the front.

Thought of the Day

Trust me, when I woke up this morning I had no plans to be so sexy.  But, shit happens

October 25th

Had my ultra sound this morning. A young tech worked on getting pictures for about 1/2 hour then leaves and brings in another tech to take more pictures. They didn’t comment on anything so must be a girl in training and needed confirmation. It is hard not to laugh when the camera is moved back and forth over your ribs. Made me squirm a bit. They sure do use a lot of grease.

Rushed home and changed my clothes to get ready to golf. Jackie made me a quick lunch; Loaded up my power cart and warmer clothes and headed out. The course was empty. The temperature today hit 14 degrees. That is beautiful for late October weather. It started off a little cool so it required a toque and hand warmers but wasn’t bad at all. I did have one finger after finishing golf that was numb. LOL   As it was a empty course we golfed 27 holes today. Larry and I both had higher scores on the third 9 as I think we were letting up a little and tired a bit. Both of us golfed reasonably well today. I did collect a nice amount of money (again) from Larry. I enjoy that, as Larry is a very competitive guy and will try even harder next time we golf. Scoring 81 and 83 is good but we had numerous chances to be below 80 but I missed putting and Larry had a few chips wide. He is one amazing putter. This is how a typical 400 yard hole would go. Larry drives 210 yards, I drive 300 yards, Larry second shot 190 yards close to green or on, me with 100 yard wedge. Larry then would putt it in or right beside and I would take a 2 putt. Repeat. If Larry and I’s skills could be combined we would be professional. LOL   It was a fun day again golfing in late October with the course in amazing shape. I did notice the tarps are pulled out so they must be watching the weather. I do know they said the end of the month so we will need to go a little father south to find another course.

On our third nine of the day. Golfing 27 holes is a lot. LOL

Got home about 5:30 pm had a great supper and relaxed. I may have to have a nap I worked so hard today. LOL

Thought of the Day

My doctor told me to take out my irons everyday and live on the greens. I think she meant vitamins and salads not golf. Oh well !

October 26th

Up this morning after watching the news. You know I have an inkling that Trump is going to win. Here is why. He has so much hype behind him that everyone that believes in the least in him will go out and vote. I expect the turnout to be huge. Remember Romney was leading in the “polls” and lost to Obama. Christians don’t like Hillary’s stance on abortions, while radical Trump has some good ideas on immigration, foreign investment and making people pay for protection. The military will all vote for Trump, the white male redneck and his must vote the same wife are all Trump, business people as taxes will be lowered and a portion of blacks and women that don’t believe all of the media propaganda against Trump. People are tired of the same old and Hillary is from the old boys club. We will see.

To cold this morning to rush over to work on the Dakota so I waited until about 11:30 to start. It has been a while since my hands were covered in grease. When I was young it was common as every second weekend I was working on my Camaro. Either installing new headers, pulling the tranny after too many races, or installing a new cam to get that extra bit of speed. Every paycheque was spent on my car. It was a beautiful car and fast. Helps to have a Dad that was willing to help when I got stuck or to handle the real technical stuff. Today I was greasy.  With Dodge they stick the distributor a way at the back and lower than another vehicle. Not knowing the firing order I had to be careful with the wiring arrangement so I contrived a plan. On a paper I drew the motor and numbered each plug 1 thru 6. Started on #1 i replaced the plug and tagged the wire. # 2 and so on. I then removed the cap with the numbered wires all attached. Laying awkwardly on top of the engine isn’t easy on one’s body. Managed to get the cap off and squeeze it out of the engine compartment by removing a few hoses . I then removed and installed the rotor and then worked on the cap. I laid it on the floor and just matched lengths of the new wires with the old and went around clockwise matching the sequence of the old cap. I don’t know the system professionals would have done it but this worked perfect for me. I then reinstalled the cap squeezing it in which like I said is tight tight.  Quick tied the wires away from the manifold covers and done. First time I have seen heat shields completely around the plug. Lucky I still had the correct size spark plug socket in the tool chest. The wires were still original Mopar wires. Either very old or were replaced before at a dealer. The plugs were shot. The engine is running quite well air to gas mixture but the centre electrode was very short and the gapping was huge. The rotor was shot and the cap in so so shape but may as well change everything at once. Should run very good now except for the stagnant gas Corey needs to burn through quick.

My way of making sure firing order is correct

I took back another battery from the Cherokee to Canadian Tire and received another under warranty. I will say CT is good at replacing under warranty but they shouldn’t become defective. The Cherokee has had a power draw for years that I can’t isolate. I took out the hood light as internet has stated this is an issue with these vehicles. I removed the rear 10 disk CD player as it seemed to make noises even after the ignition was off. I removed the after market alarm as it wasn’t working correct. I would turn off the a/c, heater radio etc when I locked up the vehicle. It had a rear door power lock that didn’t work correct for years so I disconnected it today to see if it was the culprit. No matter the new battery should last at least 2 years more. LOL

So a productive day that got a few things done and it was nice and warm out to do it. The Dakota battery not being charged for 8 months is still ok hopefully. It is on the charger tonight and hopefully will accept a charge. Batteries can not be left uncharged. They will handle a full winter if left fully charged.

Thought of the Day

Doing things is not the same as getting things done !

October 27th

“Mercury Forecast”  Mesa 37 degrees Calgary 17 degrees

Wow what a beautiful day. 17 degrees in late October is amazing. We are very lucky.

Today I went over to Tor’s to check on the Dakota. The battery didn’t take it’s charge as it had been left too long uncharged. Batteries are a pain and expensive  and require a fair amount of maintenance  to keep them lasting. Hopefully after a few hours of 12 amp charging it will accept a charge. I put my motorhome battery in as I wanted to check my work and do a few things to it. Started up right away but was running pretty rough. I put a weight on the pedal and let it rev a bit.  Had to drive about two blocks to a service station and I filled it up. Did an exterior wash at the station. No more than 5 minutes after filling with premium gas the idle smoothed out and the check engine light went out. Running as smooth as a babies butt. 8 month old gas doesn’t fire the best . Starts like new now. Drove it over to Minit Lube ( Mr Lube had a 30 min wait) and got the oil changed, and fluids all topped except the power steering. I am going to add an additive to stop a small leak.  Quite funny as the young attendant come to my window and says” Sir, you know you a few leaks? ” I laughed saying 300,000 kms and not getting them fixed they will happen. Shampooed and vacuumed the interior so it is looking pretty good. Rear signal light is out but the back is full so I didn’t want to open  the tail gate it  and not get it closed again.  Good little truck. The manifold gasket has been trouble for years as it continues to leak exhaust and I hate that noise. I originally thought it was the donut but Dodge didn’t use these. They use a flare fitting and two plates with bolts to squeeze it together. Reading up on these it appears Dodge has had huge issues with leaking exhaust on these Dakota’s.  The manifold bolts heat up and eventually after all of the contraction and expansion they break off and have to be bored out. A huge job to get at them that requires removing the inner fender.

A good day. I picked up Jackson from his bus stop as Tor is sick today. She missed the flu shot I guess. A great smile as he leaves the bus seeing me. Very nice kid. The weather is odd right now as it is cold in the morning and today 17 above when he got home so he was just soaked in sweat. They need to have clothes that they can take off and still be warm enough with out getting soaked. Hard to do.

it sure cooled down fast as a cold front starting coming in with rain/sleet late this evening. Hopefully won’t turn into snow overnight that accumulates.

Thought of the Day

It cooled down so fast I had to check to make sure I didn’t key our neighbors car with my nipples when I was getting in.

“Mercury Forecast” Mesa   33 degrees  Calgary  4 degrees with snow and drizzle

Good thing I cancelled my tee time today as it would have been a little wet and cold. The snow is coming down lightly. I am torn as I don’t want to drive as I just washed and waxed the Jeep again. Getting very close to the end of the golfing season. I see next Wed and Thursday are in the mid teens again so hopefully a course will be open or I may have to go for a drive.

As it is so ugly outside I think I will work on my Oct budget today up to today to be ahead of the game for Monday months end.

As I was doing my budget my thoughts turned to retirees with pensions and how lucky they are.

“PENNYWISE TIPS”

I will forgo the jealousy and frustration that the playing field between “normal” workers and those that are union, large corp and govt workers is ridiculous.

The following numbers are real, and do not include cost of living, interest or time value of money in the true sense. They are simplified to be explained easily.

A defined pension monthly payout of $3000 a month ( normal pension amounts are between 1900 and 3200 a month depending on tenure and time) is equal to  having saved $540,000. Think about this, a couple that worked 25 years as a nurse, teacher, airlines, govt ,auto workers( as examples)  can be considered millionaires without saving ONE PENNY.

• Note formula used is (3000/100)*18000=$540,000 if you want to plug a different monthly  number in.

To put this in perspective a couple would need to save $925 a month at 5% interest for 25 years. Do you think that is fair ?  Now if I worked a job that had this benefit I would be very happy but I think we need to look at this very closely as we are creating a society of have nots and haves only due to retirement benefits.

This is why I see so many pensioned people retiring early. If they even saved a small amount they are golden.

There are very very few couples that are able to save 1 million dollars in their lifetime. In fact Stats Canada says the average savings of a 65 year old in Canada is $175,000.  The max CPP payout is $12,700 a year plus OAS at $6839. That is $1628.25 a month if you get max and very very few people do.

If we take the average of 175,000 and bump it to 200K for ease and look at the results it is scary. $200k saved at a 4% withdrawal = $8000 a year /12 = $667 a month

$667 savings + $ 1628 CPP/OAS max X 2 = $3923 a month to live on minus tax.  A typical middle-class Canadian couple can live comfortably on $50,000 to $72,000 a year which leaves a huge gap.

Food for thought.  FIND YOURSELF A COMPANY WITH A PENSION AS YOUNG AS YOU CAN EVEN IF THE MONTHLY SALARY IS LESS AS THE BENEFIT MORE THAN MAKES UP FOR IT.

Or Marry Rich

Thought of the Day

Advantage of retiring at 65 is that a lot of the people you may owe money to are already dead. One inexperienced financial planner plotted out all of his clients data and stated ” You can officially retire according to my worksheets 5 years after your dead ”

October 29th

The Oilers are having their best start of the season since 1985. Good for them. All of this hype though when injuries and good luck runs out is going to be hard on the fans again. I noticed with all of the Oilers “star” power the Flames have more goals for and it fact are in first place in the league with goals for. Grinders everywhere rejoice !

Looking a little dull out today without the sunshine. The clouds have us covered.  First day in a long time with no plans. I have my closet to start but will wait when I can work on it without interruption. So may just relax, work out in the gym, watch golf, get groceries ( yes I know on a Saturday but timing is we need a few things)  and enjoy the quiet of the day. Jackie is already up and reading so she has a good start on it. The moving I have been doing, walking the golf courses and meals I have eaten have dropped my weight down to the second lowest it has being so I will need to eat a little more. I have my rat race treadmill testing coming up so I need to have the endurance to handle that very well so that means running each day.

Last night making a salad I discovered our lettuce was quite wilted. Very limp but I needed to finish off our salad so I “googled” and used the nets trick and guess what it worked perfect. It took very limp wilted lettuce and made it firm and crispy. Awesome. I left the lettuce in a bowl of cold water in the fridge for 20 minutes and when I took it out and it was wonderful. Dried it an made the perfect salad. Who would have thought ? Normally I would have just thrown it away.

Garmin watch is all charged up and ready to golf tomorrow in 12 degree weather with Corey. The weather looks good enough that even next week Wed/Thurs we will be able to get the last few games in if we get lucky.

First time in years I had to change a tire. I had a flat on my Wrangler. I was going to phone Good Sam as a test of their abilities but decided to do it myself. I had to read the manual to find the jack and lift position. I had bought a special socket and strong arm when I put on the mags so had all of the tools. Got my hands greasy twice in the same week. LOL  Lifting the tire down and up again on the rear carrier surprised me as I don’t remember wheels weighing that much. Need to go the gym I guess. Jacked it up, removed the flat , installed the spare and replaced the flat tire on the rear carrier. The flat had a large nail in it so on Monday off to get it fixed. I have only 44k on them under their own power and I haven’t kept track of pulled mileage but they are getting close to having to be replaced. I may look into this in Mesa with one of the discount tire places private label tires as Fred got a great deal on his truck tires. Usually Good Year Wranglers are good for 100k so a little surprised.

Went and did my grocery shopping on a Saturday but got quite lucky as there were not that many people. Sobey’s didn’t have one pumpkin left as I wanted one to make a pie. Canned pumpkin just isn’t as good.

Went to the gym with Jackie and ran/walked on the treadmill for 1.5 miles and 2 miles respectively. Working my way up for endurance as I would like to run continuously for 5 miles before my testing.

Jessica & Penny sent us this picture of their barn wood wall in their living room. I love these walls. They are very expensive but look fantastic and this gentleman that sells and installs did a wonderful job. Dusty Lumber in Magrath.

This wall looks fantastic. Their house was entered into a interior design competition before this wall was done. They should come back and take more pictures.  Dusty Limber Co.

I have been remiss in posting pictures under the headers of August and Jackson for awhile so I will look at updating. We are so lucky to have two absolutely lovely grand boys in our family. Both of them in our minds are the cutest and smartest kids on this planet. I know they bring a lot of joy watching them grow up and grow up so fast. They are also so very lucky to have incredible parents. Both kids have the best parenting you could experience. It makes us proud of the way our daughters turned out.

Thought of the Day

Grandparents are there to help their grandkids get in mischief they haven’t thought about yet.

October 30th

Got up this morning and looked outside and I said YES. It was nice and bright and sunny out. I was going to pick up Corey and meet Larry & Dave at the course. I made sandwiches for us ( saves a bit of cash) and put my few  coins in my pocket just in case. Not the positive thinking one would like but better to have brought IF I owed then not to have.  Jackson ran out to met me on arrival. The little guy along with his mommy have been sick or ill with the flu the last while. He is looking forward to the pumpkin cutting tonight at his house. Jackie and I will go over to his house for Halloween.  Arrived at the course and I was surprised at the quantity of cars In the lot but still not enough to call it busy. The temperature started rising and it was 15 degrees out for the second nine.

Corey in motion with Larry & Dave checking the form and shot

That is beautiful golfing weather for anyone. We had a very fun day. No one killed the course today but it was very enjoyable to be out and playing in the sun. Corey played awesome with his limited outings this fall after his men’s night shut down. He has drastically improved and is good enough to play competitively with any threesome. Awesome. Other than a couple of blow up holes he golfed wonderful. Dave is always the steady eddy down the middle as is Larry but today is the first time Larry missed a few more putts than normal for him. End result was no change of money between Larry & I but $6 Larry to Dave and $2 Corey to Dave. The end result on the score card was Larry W winning by 3 strokes. A very close game with me taking a out of bounds ball on the last hole. Darn!  Everyone had a very enjoyable day with only the odd circumstance happening. Corey had one OB over a fence, one right under a tree, Larry P with one under a tree, one in the water and having to go over trees and myself twice having to open the face to go over trees plus the OB on hole 18. Good overall golfing by everyone with each having the odd little difficulty.  And warm out so a great day.

Peter is over for supper tonight and we are having pulled pork sandwiches. I need to try Larry G’s pulled pork as he smokes that also. I am sure if it is anything like his jerky or ribs it will be better than our store bought stuff. Coleslaw with this should be great. The only thing I like that someone may consider odd is mustard on it. Have to have the mustard. Turned out excellent !

For dessert Jackie brought out Fred’s canned Cherries to have over Vanilla Ice Cream. Those cherries are so sweet and excellent tasting they are unbelievable.  Fantastic dessert ! Had to have extra.

Weight this morning was the lightest I have been since maybe 1975. The golfing, treadmill and eating correct have been good to me so the extra ice cream and the few candies tomorrow will be fine.

Thought of the Day

If we are not supposed to have midnight snacks why is there a light in the fridge ?

October 31st  HALLOWEEN TONIGHT

Happy Halloween and I hope you all did a trick to get a treat.

Took the spare into Kal Tire for repair. And it was wet this morning so a messy truck again and dirty hands wheeling the spare into the shop. My Dodge dealer on my last oil change marked in the caution checkmark for tires so I asked the mechanic here to give me a reading.  They read 5/32 which means they should have at least one more year if not more. Law states 2/32 but most people change at 3 or 4/32 mostly due to the fact garages are telling them to. Tires are one area where caution is fine as worn tires are not as safe as new tires. I will go for another year as they don’t see winter driving.

Ordered my new windshield for the Buick to be installed Nov 7th. This one is expensive as I want  like the OEM shield to have the third layer of glass and the acoustical membrane. This thicker glass is what Buick uses to make the quietest cars in the market. I could save over $100 bucks going with standard glass or more if I went with Chinese glass but I feel the quiet is worth it. Plus Chinese glass does pit a lot more. I will install the Chinese glass in the Wrangler the following week at less that 50% of the Buick as it is flat and has no sound properties.

The weather is looking fantastic and I have a couple of games booked already in anticipation of warmth.  Hitting over 20 degrees this week except for tonight wouldn’t you know it but better for the kids than a lot of years.

Had a video chat with Penny & August this morning as he is all set to go trick and treating in his neighborhood this evening all dressed up as Batman. It is always interesting to see the young ones take on the masks etc. And the dogs. Poor Nellie.

Went to the gym again today to build up endurance and getting better. It is amazing how slow and steady you can build up your endurance. Besides burning more calories and building heart muscle the longer time builds the endurance level up. Want to get to 5kms without having to slow down.

We stopped at McDonalds to pick up supper for everyone and it was busy as everyone was wanting a quick supper before the kids start hitting on the door. Tonight a younger man become the impatient loud mouth guy. The store was BUSY and no was at the counter till for a few minutes and he is yelling ” where is the till clerk ?”  McDonalds has self order kiosks so you don’t even need a counter till clerk.  I laughed with Jackie that I was disappointed this time it was a man that was the complainer. Perhaps he couldn’t figure out how to use the kiosk. LOL

Corey arrived home, gobbled his supper and then Corey, Jackson and I headed out to the streets.

All set to hit the streets. FYI Corey and I are the Duck Dynasty brothers

Good temperature which was nice. I was surprised  that there was so many homes not open for the kids this year. A lot of dark homes. This year there were more homes offering “self serve” which is a good idea . You always hope the kids are considerate of the kids to come and only take their share. Jackson dressed in his Ninja outfit made it up one block and back down the other. He is a neat kid and the goal for him wasn’t to get the most candy possible but to have fun and then go home. At home we sorted thru his candy, stole a bit and played a few games. Hopefully he will sleep tonight with the high. His coughing is still there a bit though. But there are very few kids as responsible as this young boy knowing he had more than enough candy to last weeks.

Sorting out the candy

Had a video call with Jessica who was all dressed up as a Nerd with a few people over at their house. August was playing with a few kids in his Batman outfit after a endurance run of one house to collect candy. Next year he will be doing the block. It looked like they were having a blast.

The NERD Jessica and August aka little Batman

It was a spooktacular night !!

Thought of the Day

Diet today for everyone. 95% candy 5% real food . Warning to all weigh scales for tomorrow’s weigh in . LOL