July 1st

Canada Day. We are so lucky to be living in Canada. It is a wonderful country with such beautiful scenery, wonderful culture, traditions and people. Even with extremely poor governments we have survived and thrived. Perhaps our only fault was admitting  Justin Bieber is Canadian and voting in Trudeau.

The fireworks last night were amazing. They started off slow and I thought ok it was nice but the display ended up going on for 45 mins and was spectacular. Every time we thought we saw the big finale another round of works. Pretty amazing display.

Today I build a box to protect my electrical cords from moisture and installed more solar lights. Both look good and should work out fine.

We made a short trip into Strathmore to check out a few things but came home empty.

Corey, Jackson and Tor came out for awhile. Cor and Jackson said the pool temperature was fine but I would say it is a way too COLD. Lots of kids playing it in though with it hitting 26 degrees today. Jackson does love swimming so that means Dad ( Corey) has to go swimming no matter what the temperature. Always fun to see the kids having fun.

Had another surge protector kick out so I moved to a different plug to see what happens with it. I emailed the fault code to an electrician for some ideas but without seeing or testing it is difficult to know so I  didn’t get any help. Google hasn’t helped. The brochure even didn’t show it. So another day of testing.

Thought of the Day

 I have always said ” When the light flickers, 1% possible  electrical issue, 99 % possible demons and shit”

July 2nd to 4th

First thing I think of ; Does anyone else believe this is the worst spring/summer we have had in along time ? We have had more snow, more cold days and more rain than I can remember. We have not had consecutive warm days at all. Today again rain and a high of 11 degrees in July. So much for global warming. No wonder they had to change it to climate change.

I had plans to golf today which started with 4 people and ended up just being me which  was changed last minute while I was in the parking lot putting on my shoes and caught me off guard so I whipped home and changed into my work clothes and headed out to the lot. I played with my pedestal electrical again as when leaving last time I plugged in my surge without the Y . On arrival I noticed it did not trip off the surge which is a good thing. So I hooked up my Y and then my surge to try this format. Working that day into the evening it did not trip also which is good. Next thing is to plug in the Y to the kitchen and give that a try. I am thinking the high ground voltage error code is coming from the closeness of the Y together sitting together on the moist ground. I built a cedar box to protect and separate the cords and will test this.

I worked finishing up the rough in electrical. I used a lot of left over short pieces of 14/2 from different jobs and it all worked out with only slight adjustments to box height etc. I have about 10 protecto plates to put on which will take 5 minutes. Next step is the insulation and vapour barrier. I have decided to go with Pine T & G paneling for ease and save time of mud,taping and sanding etc. I am going to use the original box steel type of barn door track so I can slide the doors from one side to the other of the 8ft section. Not as fancy as rollers but when it is boxed in and with a wood valance it will look great, cost a fraction of the  new systems and works perfect.

Next morning a full day at Heatherglen from 10:30 to 5:30pm . I was marshalling the Oil Industries tournament again. If you remember last year I believe their caddies were ” working girls”. This year the “caddies” were younger and more appropriate looking and most likely were hired from an modelling agency. Having said that 5 hours on the course with older men feeding you liquor and attention, things start to happen. This year the event overall was very tame. I had a young lady dancing on the roof of a cart, I had a young lady squatting behind a tree, a couple being very amorous in their cart, numerous twerking episodes, numerous cart infractions, one drunk guy driving through a wet spot to spin his wheel and make tire trenches and numerous carts with drivers that were directionally challenged. It did surprise me that I did see anyone with beer that they brought on to the course themselves. Our cart girl today had to do very well. Their format is quite unique and a fun way to play with non golfers as it is basically a HOLE IN ONE GAME. All 18 holes are set up as Par 3’s by us moving the tee box to approximately 150 yards out from the green. This was laser measured as the insurance company needs verification if they are going to pay out. So every player on all 18 holes has a chance to make a hole in one. As you know the odds are 10,000 to one for an amateur.  Add booze and beginner to that scenario and it is not something to happen. But sure enough today we had ONE.  Makes for a little excitement.  Good thing there was a spotter at the hole to confirm.  We supplied a putter and had a golf bag with assorted clubs at the tee’s for them all to use which adds to the fun and makes it a easy tournament for the participants.

After the tournament I set out to collect putters from each hole, golf bag and clubs and move the white markers back to where they belong.

An enjoyable busy day which does make it go by fast.

Jackie made a wonderful supper and we relaxed watching Big Brother.

It seems Thursday is a bad day for golf. I have my men’s league every Thursday and this is the third time it is too wet or cold to play. Not good. We all know it rains every year when the Stampede is on but this is a day early. LOL

I was going to insulate today but looking outside seeing the rain I thought to myself the universe is telling me different. Do you like that ?  One of our young cart girls was talking before the tournament and was stating how she believes in astrology, horoscopes and the universes power over us. I am so far on the other side of the spectrum.  I had a lot of fun ” bending” her when we passed each other on the course. ” I feel the universe telling me you are going to sell lots of beer to the group up ahead”   You got to make your day fun.

Budget will be affected in July with the overhead door incident bill and E Transfers today gifting some cash to the girls  but with the market being so strong it should be recovered by months end. Say what you will about Trump but the markets continue to hit all new highs with his policies and our TSX gets dragged along. Having said that Trudeau is killing us with China. He is more embarrassing than Trump on the world stage. Canola, detainees, and meat products being banned from Canada is going to kill our farmers. How would you like to have your best canola crop ever and no place to sell it to.  Only a few months left of Trudeau stupidity.

Just a relaxing day today. I don’t like to sit around too much but ever once in awhile it is welcomed.

Weather is breaking up so I may head out to get some work done. We were also looking at golfing tomorrow but the weather sucks again. There has to be better weather ahead so we will most likely wait.

Thought of the Day 

Forget astrology, karma, superstitions, bad luck. Positive thinking can overcome just about anything Did you know even a dead clock shows the correct time twice in a day. 

July 5th-6th

The Worlds Best and Biggest Outdoor show in the World.

Interesting fact on the parade today. It has been 21 years since we have had rain on our parade. This morning it was raining but about 1/2 hr before parade start time it stopped and didn’t start again until after it was finished. It was a cool day being only 10 degrees to start and 12 degrees to end. Overall I was a little disappointed in the parade. Lots of horses, and lots of marching bands but the floats were weak and poorly done. A sign of the economy. It will be interesting to see the numbers this year as we normally get about 300K to watch the parade and around 1.2 million at the gates of the grounds. Hopefully all goes well as we never want to lose our Stampede like Edmonton allowed Klondike Days to disappear. It looked like the streets were fairly full with parade watchers  on TV.

Another cold damp day to add to the many on the 2019 season so far.

I headed out to the lot and got to work. I insulated two walls and started vapor barrier on the wall I want to start putting mu shiplap on. Took a long time getting the plastic behind the boxes. Stapled up the vapor barrier and started to use acoustical sealant. I have used this in the past but in small spaces and a bit of stuff in the way I have decided to go with Tuck Tape alone.Tape has worked for years so to save the mess that is the route I will take. Messy stuff that sealant.

I had Jackie out today doing some insulating and cleanup plus helping me nail on my boards. Love the look of my shiplap. One issue is the protector plates. Under drywall they work fine but with shiplap without a locking edge it causes them not to sit plumb. I won’t use them on the other walls. As I am nailing on to the studs I  can see where my wires are running. I got a lot accomplished today. Love the look. My power switching to the neighbors plug is working perfect. I never feel ill but the last few days my gut has been turning. I think the turkey I had wasn’t sitting well with me.

Listening to our neighbors today didn’t sit well with me either. I am positive that individuals that resort to numerous swear words for communication, lack the intelligence to articulate themselves with common sentence structure. For years the stereotyping of bikers, truckers, road crews, sailors, miners, laborer’s etc had them using foul language. In years past these could have been our least educated individuals in society. I hate swearing and question the credibility of anyone that has to resort to using it. Insecurity, lacking self esteem and the need for attention or feeling tough are the motivators. Quick to anger and loss of control of emotions are the same.

Came home and with Jackie did some prep work for tomorrows meal. My Grandma’s recipe for potato salad and Jackie is prepping pulled beef roast in the slow cooker. Should be a great meal. We are having a get together at our lot for Audrey’s birthday.

A storm passed through tonight with heavy rain and the after rainbow was fantastic.

Thought of the Day 

I simply do not think , swearing, anger, threatening, or belittling will get you to the place you want to be faster than respect, kindness, understanding, patience and a little willingness to compromise. 

July 7th-12th

Busy times yet relaxing times. Having a hard time fitting in the time do my blog.

First thing on Sunday the weather turned out wondeful. It was Audrey’s 81st birthday so we had a family get together out at Oasis for her. Jackie did an amazing job getting the food ready. After going back and forth what to make for a large group that was both good and not that difficult or time consuming we decided on homemade potato salad and pulled beef sandwiches. I had two larger beef roasts from Costco that we cooked in the slow cooker for 12 hours. Jackie added her choice of spices and beef broth. She decided people could add their own BBQ sauce when they made their own sandwich which is a good idea as some people don’t care for it. As always the potato salad was loved and we had very little left with us using up the entire bag of potato’s to cut up. Great buns and add a salad and you have a fairly easy meal that most like. It would have been expensive but Costco meat deals at times are unbelievable if you can live with the short best before dates.

For Audrey’s birthday this year we had Kennedy, Jessica, Kristen, Sheldon, Michael, Audrey, Victoria, Jackson, Corey along with Jackie & I.  With the campfire setup and the gazebo we can fit a larger number of people with ease. Having the warm dry weather was also nice. It turned out to be a good event with a birthday cake and well wishes. Audrey managed to walk from the parking lot to our spot which is quite a ways which is good as moving is supposed to help to a degree with the knee pain.

Jackson is staying the week with us. After the party we played Connect 4 which he is getting good at. Drew a lot of pictures on Henderson 9 x 11 paper still and talked. After supper a movie which didn’t end until 11pm.

He slept in to 10 o’clock which is good for him and us.

Today along with the games mentioned above we played Horseshoes. I have a heavy set of authentic horseshoes we used. Due to his size and the weight we had to move up a bit. We had a lot of fun and he did very well. The last game I was winning 9 to 1 ( played up to 10) and he got three leaners in a row to catch up and win. He was very happy and loved the game as we had to go a few times to play.

We paid a visit to the camp store for a fudge and a walk. He has put a lot of miles on his bike racing around the resort.

Then the warmth hit so we headed to the pool.

We all headed into town in separate vehicles.

Jackie had her eyebrows “bladed” years ago which were fantastic looking and worth the money as in the morning no need for special eyebrow prep. Today is lash extensions. They look fantastic. They look sexy. I like them. What’s next ?

Another late movie night and sleep in.

On todays agenda is basketball, biking, swimming , horseshoes and golfing 9 holes with Jackson hitting every shot. The weather today is a little cooler at 18 for a high but still nice.

Turns out as usual the weatherman was a way off. It turned sunny and hot hot. We had a packed day today. Getting my order correct we started off with Jackson making numerous bike trips around the park. Then it was a horseshoe tournament with the three of us. Each of us from a different distance to even it out a bit. Close calls in every game. This is one game Jackson does very well with and most know how heavy a set of shoes weighs. He kept getting leaners. It was fun time.

Next thing was park time with Jackson climbing every which way you can think of. A little basketball to finish off with.

Lunch then off to golf. Mistake here as I didn’t wear a hat which I never do anymore and I burned my head a bit. After a couple of liquid nitrogen burns with precancer I take care but it started off cloudy and the news said cloudy all day. I used my power cart and walked the course with Jackson and Jackie. Jackson did extremely well with one drive at the 100 yard mark. 98 yards to be exact. At 7 to hit 100 yards and extrapolate that, at 14 he will hit it 200 yards which I lot of seniors only hit. He had fun even though the heat was getting to him.

On our way back there on the first hole centre of fairway a helicopter landed. We waited and we loved watching it take off. Helicopters are neat and a close up flight looks neat.

Then off to the swimming pool. Not that crowded today which was nice. Jackson is a great swimmer especially with flippers on. Extremely strong but still needs to learn to use his arms when he isn’t wearing his flippers.

Another great supper Jackie prepared and then back to riding and the park. We played at the park until about 9pm and headed to our lot for another movie. Fun day !!

The kid slept like a log literally.  Didn’t get out of bed until 11am. I don’t blame him as all year going to school he has to start school at 8am which is a way to early for a younger child to have to get up. That is the brain wave of educational system to try using the buses for the a 8 start and 9 or 10 am start. You would have thought the older kids would be the early ones.

My head hurts from the sunburn so no shower today as water hitting it isn’t a good thing. A great week for weather still coming up which is good for us and the Stampede. Haven’t decided as of yet if we will go down to the exhibition.

I do know we have the weekend in Lethbridge for August’s birthday. Yes I know it is July not August . Jess & Pen are having it at their new home which will be nice.

Next week I will start finishing the Saloon interior. Odd as I haven’t worked for a few days now but my muscles are sore. Proves moving keeps them loose.

We had our first MOVIE night in our gazebo.  Ninja Turtles was playing. This was AWESOME. I loved the room sizing, the darkness and the curtains drawn and the couches all made the experience fantastic. The 32 inch TV we brought back from our house in Mesa when we upgraded to a 50″ worked out perfectly. I am positive this will be well used. Plus the nights have been very warm which makes it extra special and comfortable. Jackson loved it !

You cant beat the fun of a beach night and pond swim. We had the whole beach and float to ourselves for hours until a couple of girls came. Jackson swam, used the slide and floated the dock out to the middle of the lagoon.

Basketball was my sport I played in High School. Jackson and I played this for a while but the heat and my 3 pointer EVERY time got to him. I couldn’t miss. It was a lot of fun.

Everyday you need a project to work on right ? Today our mission was to create a trap for a squirrel or gopher. Lot’s of planning and execution to finalize our plans and now we wait. Exactly the same odds of the Edmonton Oilers winning the cup. 0.0% chance but we have high hopes. Jackson is ready to pull the cord when needed.

Up in the morning earlier than normal as we had the  Annual Regal Building Materials Stampede BBQ.

I am not sure of the years they have put this on but at least 25 or more and I have attended every one. Regal was always one of my pet accounts. Roger Cundy, Bonnie and Barry the owners all were exceptional people. Roger used to come to my office every month to drop off his cheque and we would have long talks. He is extremely clever, a wonderful business man, and entrepreneur. I loved discussing business and ideas with him. As a brand new start up company I had my head on the line many times with the receivables for them. They grew from a 3 person operation to the largest, and the best managed finish house in Calgary with at times over 100 employees. Roger was one of those people that as a customer became a freind. Today at the BBQ we meet Racheal which is his new name. To have the courage, strength, and will to have such a change in your life in your 60’s can only be considered admirable. Racheal’s transition has been remarkable. It was very heart warming to see all of the support Rachael is receiving from everyone. It should be everyone’s mission in life to be happy and do what is needed and right for you alone.

The above 1957 Chevy has been in the Cundy family since brand new and has been handed down generation to generation. It now is owned by Michael Cundy , Racheal’s son. Love the 440 six pack Cuda though.

Came home and Jackson and I hit the pool for a couple of hours. Started another Gazebo movie and had another wonderful day !

Another project done with perfection was the bouquet of flowers we created.

One spare moment. No it has to be filled so we created a new Super Hero. Please meet TIM MAN the newest hero to save the day if you are struggling with lack of caffeine or need a doughnut.

Interesting Wimbledon this year on the men’s side with arguably the three best players in the semi and finals. Nadal ( the bum picker ) Federer ( seemly nice guy, good man with two sets of twins) and the best player ever Djokovic along with a wonderful personality. Novak is one super star that when he got married it didn’t affect his game. Still ranked #1 in the tennis rankings and deserving everyone’s support. GO Novak !

Another sunny wonderful day coming up.  Tonight Jackson will leave us to go to Lethbridge for his cousins birthday with his parents. We will go down and back on Saturday.

Interesting article in the EDMONTON JOURNAL I rather enjoyed reading this and agree with the accuracy.

https://edmontonjournal.com/sports/hockey/nhl/cult-of-hockey/the-verdict-is-in-edmonton-oilers-given-0-0-per-cent-chance-of-winning-stanley-cup-in-2020

I love having fun with my Oiler friends. Perhaps 11 out of 12 years NOT making the playoffs I should have some sympathy for their plight. NOT !  Not kicking them when down, it is the hopes of  them learning humility in failure and not living in the past forever. One of my small pleasures for sure. Go Flames Go.  I have a feeling Talbot is going to win the Vezina trophy this year.

Jackson was in a lazy mood today ( made our day easier lol ) . He slept in and played for hours on the tablet. He loves his UTUBE. We let him today to rest him and ourselves. I was all set to go swim or golf again but I didn’t need to. Wonderful sunny day.

Victoria & Corey picked Jackson up and they headed out to Raymond. We will pick up some furniture and Audrey and head south in the morning.

Talking to Jessica via video chat the place was busy with fence posts going in and painted and wood coming to install. Jess & Pen bought the kids a trampoline. Kids love them myself not so much as I have seen first hand the damage they can cause.

Quote :

Trampoline jumping poses a high risk of injury for children. The activity can result in sprains and fractures in the arms or legs — as well as potentially serious head and neck injuries. The risk of injury is so high that the American Academy of Pediatrics strongly discourages the use of trampolines at home.

A manager of a wholesaler in Edmonton that I used to have breakfast with every morning for years wife tries a somersault and ending up breaking her neck. Luckily she wasn’t paralyzed but suffered for years and had pins in her neck.

If just for jumping and one kid at a time they are relatively safe. But when kids start trying to do flips and multiple kids enter injuries are for sure going to happen.

“Memories” 

Gary Leedahl, Dwayne Sproule and I were at Al Martyzenko’s house for a manager meeting. After a way too many drinks we head out to the backyard and find a trampoline. Gary jumps up and is doing forward flips, backward flips etc. I thought he was going to kill himself. A good laugh seeing a drunk excelling at jumping. 

Thoughts of the Day 

• If you think I am mean I am doing my job of being your Dad. If I were nice  you would call me Papa.
•  There is a saying why men dont want to marry. ” Why buy the cow when you can have all the milk for free.” We are living in equal times now. There is a saying why women don’t want to marry. ” Why buy the pig when can get all the sausage you want for free”
• 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 children.     

July 13th-14th

Road trip to Raymond, Alberta

A warm maybe to some hot day with the dash reading 30 degrees. We picked up two dresser drawers from Victoria’s that were Peter’s. Furniture years ago were made out of real wood everywhere. One out of teak the other out of walnut. And they fit into the Enclave.

The girls house is 99.5% done and is fabulous. I love the mix of commerical, rustic, and modern. I love the black rebar for spindles. The live edge counter is amazing.

August was super thrilled with all of his transformers. It seemed like everyone had the same idea and not one duplicate. A special cake and freinds to jump on a new trampoline.

Penny ordered enough pizza for double the amount of people. I think the pizza shop was building business and over exaggerated the quantity each person eats.

It was a great 4th birthday for August.

Pen & Jess had bad planning having a child so close to their anniversary. August was born one day before the anniversary. So this year his party took priority .

On the way home we hit a storm. The highway was covered in water. Makes it a little dangerous as the dips from heavy trucks hold the water and hydro planing  is easy to do. Quite dangerous if you don’t pay attention.

Jackson got picked up from the lot before noon and Corey says they are heading to the Stampede. Jackson was excited and looking forward to winning a stuffy. It will be worth $ 5 and cost Corey $100 but the kid will have fun. LOL

Rare for Jackie & I to have a disagreement while renovating so I will chalk up the episode today of her being tired after babysitting a week with late nights and going, going all day long. She worries so much about others she forgets about herself. I was worried about a razor cut in my electrical wires and she didn’t care for the direction in being careful when cutting the vapor barrier around the electrical box.  I used up smaller pieces of wire so didn’t have the luxury of leaving at least 6 inches loose before each box. One small cut means hours of re-wiring, new vapor barrier etc. We got it done. Made me laugh thinking about it as we have done thousands of hours of reno’s helping each other with only a wall paper hanging issue which I refuse now to do. I am hoping to get a lot done tomorrow. Up early pick up product and get a wall done then whip into Strathmore to get different product and finish more walls. Time well tell.

Thought of the Day 

Did I tell you the joke about my home renovation roofing job.  Probably went over you head. 

July 15th-16th

Out of bed and at Lowes by 9am. I loaded up my shiplap and headed out to the lot. Skipping to the chase I worked all day and came back to the condo around 8pm as I had to work the next day.

I finished off one wall of shiplap. I finished off three walls of 1/2 plywood for the storage room. I build three interior walls for bath/storage/living divide. I had to insulate and vapor barrier these walls first. Jackie came and helped and I had her insulate a little a further and build a few stud walls with me.

First time EVER ( actually second as I lost a footstool on Hwy 22X years ago)  that I lost something while towing or carrying it. Just as I entered into our lot I lost one bundle of Shiplap. Luckily only one broken piece and a couple of scraps but very lucky it didn’t come off on the highway. My ratchet strap hook slipped off as I usually loop the end over. First time ever but won’t happen again.

It was a real long day of hard work. Lifting 4 x 8 sheets and holding shiplap while nail gunning and with the up and downs tires you out. I have three sheets of drywall to install and one more wall of shiplap to complete the wall system. Then on to making barn doors and a huge amount of painting.

We use Hwy 22x everytime to the lot and have travelled it a lot of times in the last 2 years. In two years I have seen two people killed in head on collisions. One of them I was the vehicle right behind it the other after the police arrived. This is why I believe EVERYONE should be forced to take a drivers road test every year. Poeple do not know the rules of the road, text, extremely impatient,are aggressively fast , slow drivers and do not follow common sense. To witness two deaths in 2 years is stupid.  There is a saying ” Speed kills” which is far from the truth. Aggressive speeding does. The person doing right on the speed limit or slower is 100 % more of a hazard on the road then the guy doing 120kph. This is generic and biased but old poeple, young girls and aggressive guys are a danger to all of us. Impatience, easily angered,aggressive,slow reaction time, slow thinking and moving, texting and stupidity all cause these deaths. I know we can’t regulate stupidity but at least once year we can weed out poor drivers. You fail the test you lose your license immediately and can only get it back after classroom and driver training. If you can’t parallel park, or reverse for a block, or back into a spot or drive a traffic circle, no license for you. I can drive from my house to the store and see so many infractions and dangerous situations it is amazing and scary.

I was booked to work today but woke up to rain and after phoning in the tee sheet was light enough not to need me. I got a little lazy after yesterday so stayed home and worked on my budget.

Life is funny. Now our high end washing machine with steam that is 12 years old is screwed up. The motherboard is worn out and isn’t sending currents when it is supposed to. $ 700 to fix so we decided on a new one at $1100 which hopefully will last another 15 years. Technology isn’t great as it is the thing that always breaks. I need a month or 12 months where I don’t have another unexpected hit. LOL

That is reason my Jeep has manual windows and cloth seats. I am keeping it for  along time and ever option means another thing to go wrong.

In the last year or so we have been hit with :

1.  A/C on Enclave $3500
2.  Heater core on Jeep $1500
3.  Roof repair Mesa $1200
4.   Motorhome baggage doors $1500
5.   Dishwasher in Mesa ( $750 ) but repaired it myself $200
6.   Demco tow hitch ( ($1500) but repaired it myself    $150
7.   Heater core on Dakota ( $1700 ) but bypassed hoses
8.   Laptop repair twice $400  lost a lot of data
9.   Back up monitor ( $750 ) dealer was able to reset ( $150)
10.  New mattress $ 1100
11.  Washing machine  $2100

Turns out doing a cost analysis by splitting the washer from the dryer the pricing only makes sense to buy the pair. The dryer is 12 years old also. So to replace a perfectly working dryer seems dumb but it made financial sense in the long run.

Thought of the Day 

Our luck with things breaking is so bad if I bought a cemetery I am sure people would stop dying.

July 17th-18th-19th

I know according to the weather guru’s our rain total already has passed the July average. No kidding . Heavy downpours just about everyday.

Two weeks without really golfing I thought I would get some in. Jeff and Isaiah met me at Speargrass for men’s night. Golf, cart, range balls, sleeve of balls, beer and a steak sandwich for men’s night at $60 is a sweetheart of a deal. This course also has the fastest greens I have seen for a long time. The weather started off very nice then on the 15th hole a downpour. We sat for 15 minutes as it was raining too hard to play. Plus the fact the day didn’t seem to be a rain day so we were a little unprepared.

Not one slice until the last hole. Played semi ok scoring a 84 which I can live with. My playing partners had a bit of trouble but that is golf.

The steak meal was exceptional !! . A fun day.

Got home and took the pedestals off the washer and dryer in hopes they fit the new machines. These things are heavy !!  Jackie had everything cleared out. She even got the bed ready for the new box set. We decided to go with a stacked system which will free a lot of space and use the drawers beside as a unit.

Men’s league today at Turner Valley . I wore pants as it showed cooler and possible rain. Turned out to be nice hitting 23 which is 5 degrees warmer than they thought but at 4 pm torrential rains again. Golfing today was horrible as I couldn’t do anything right. Bad luck under trees, 2 ft off fairway I lose my ball etc. I LOVE Turner Valley but I HATE Turney Valley. First game since 2017 I scored over a 100. I felt bad until I saw Tiger and Rory missing the cut. And David Duval scoring a 92 in tournament play. It is amazing one day good, one day horrible, one day great. I lost 7 balls today off the tee. That is 14 strokes right there. I missed two deuce chances from less than 4 ft and a two birdie chances from the same distance.  I keep saying I will beat TV and it hasn’t happened yet. I have gotten a lot better at golf and then these days happen when you wonder what happened. My handicap is 11 so when I entered in this score the computer asks ” Are you sure? ”   I will beat TV yet. LOL

My JELD-WEN golf bag the guys bought me for my 25th year work anniversary  broke last night. The bottom split open. It had one zipper that broke sometime ago also. This was an expensive personalized Taylormade leather bag. Most likely at least $300 plus. I checked Golf Town and was looking at a Callaway one for $199. I golfed with Larry  P today and he had a older bag he said he would give me that was in perfect shape. 10 years old but must have only used a few times. Bad golf good day. LOL An  Ogio bag which is a higher quality unit so it will serve me quite well. Much appreciated.

I have bought SASS sandals now for years. They cost $ 150 but work so well for my Achilles heel injury. The only issue is the elastic bands for the back straps break. This pair is two years old and again the broken strap.  Our shoe repair guy fixes these for me but I would like them to last longer.

Finished off the dryer and washer pedestals  tonight.  Everything is ready for delivery and set up.

Out of the house early and headed with my sandals to my repair place. $20 and another two years out of them is a good deal.

Then off to The Brick as we needed to add the stacking kit before delivery. The admin office staff were exceptional and we got it all done. It will work out good for us.

Off to Lowes to pick up more Shiplap. This time extra strapping on the rack to make sure it wouldn’t get lose.

Another long day. Luckily no rain but windy and cooler.  Jackie came out to help all day. Today we installed three walls of drywall for the “bathroom” . Finished insulation and vapor barrier. Built the one divider wall with the door openings. Another design change trying to make the best use of the small space. I have now framed for a 4ft bypass door and a 2ft barn door. Installed shiplap on both walls. Another productive day.

Stopped at Wendy’s for supper as it was already 7pm .

Thought of the Day 

My cell phone must be screwing up. I keep pushing the Home button but I am still out at the lot working.  Duh!

July 20th

Wow this is one unbelievable weather year. Numerous times today we received literally downpours of rain. The ground has to be saturated. The poor farmers need heat now. I will say up to now having no bugs has been wonderful but with all of the sitting water and soon to be summer warmth that should change.

The Brick as usual was very proficient. One hour before, 1/2 hour before and when arrived we received calls and 10 mins after the delivery was made. Great service. The two young kids are workers. Those are the kind guys you would have loved to have worked for you as they were amazing. They handled the washer and dryer like pros and worked fast hooking and setting it all up. This time we went with the stackable full size which most machines today are equipped to do and it made a huge difference in the room space wise compared to having them side by side.

One guy handled the box spring and mattress and removal of the old washer himself. Equipment for the job makes a huge difference.

It allowed a lot more space for storage including the pedestals from before as cupboard beside the unit.  A little cleaning out of junk as Jackie organized helped and the room is a lot better.

I watched Lowry today play some amazing golf. I will miss not having Tiger or Rory playing this weekend.

I have a 6 hour shift tomorrow Marshalling so hopefully no rain !!  Looking outside right now it is black with thunder and lightning happening.

It was fun watching a young girl getting soaked as she walked to the bus stop. That will teach you to not leave the house without a jacket. LOL

I moved my clubs all over to my new old bag. IT has a couple of smaller things wrong with it like one zipper and ball holder but it will work just perfect for me for a few years anyways. I do like the separate tubes for each club as my old didn’t have that. It still turned out to be quite heavy with the rain, and warm clothes I keep in it. I like it !!

Thought of the Day 

How do people with a open mind not lose their brains.

July 21/22nd

A nice day with no rain. Wonderful day to work as the course was full which makes the day go fast and means a lot more interaction with the groups. Some fun people out today on the course. The course was flooded on many holes after the rain the night before so that kept me busy making sure people stayed on the cart paths. Always the returning of the lost clubs happens or head cover but today was the first time I gave out bandaids. I guy had a blister break and this helped out wonderfully. An usual amount of singles and doubles which slowed the course a bit but overall the pace was good considering the cart path only rule. I had a lot of teasing the golfers or in most cases want to be golfers.

“MONEYWISE TIPS”

Reading a few articles last night it was very interesting the perspective we as a society have on things.

First– worst investment in your life is a car. Most vehicles depreciate anywhere from 35 to 45% of their value after three 3 years. The NEW car feeling and pride hits us all and we get caught up in buying new when if we could find a 3 yr old car with low kms we would be miles ahead. Jackie and I have bought 3 new vehicles in our lives ( lots of used ones) but now as retirees the next one will for sure be a couple of years old.

Second – a place to live. I have numerous calculations considering all factors where we as a society feel a need to own a home or invest in a property. I did a lot of checking on this and the numbers don’t lie. It is like a gambler saying they won $ 400 bucks on the slots. What is left out is they may have spent $1000 over a couple of times to get that win. Consider this: Take a 400,000 house. 20% down for CHMC rules. Maintenance costs, taxes, and mortgage payments. A person sells it after 5 years for $500K and feels he made $100K.  That is $80K down , payments of $1800 a month and with interest a cost of $111,668. Without considering interest gained on the 80K and related costs to owning a home a person is already behind the eight ball.  Renting has a negative connotation and it shouldn’t as financially in the right situation you may be better off. If you take the historical numbers of gain between the stock market and housing stocks are always higher. Take the average rent in Calgary at $1400 x 12 = $16800. That is what 320K would pay you a year in interest.

Third – trends- why we all get caught up in brand names. Must have a IPOD, IPAD , Cartier, Rolex , Switch , 50″ TV etc. Everyone is guilty of these things and they are a huge MONEY WASTER

You have to live life and enjoy it but it is something to consider heavily if you want to enjoy a retirement and life without huge debt.

“BUT THAT IS JUST ME”

July 23rd-24th

Summer weather is great and about time. The temperature today for the first time in 2019 hit 30 degrees. I picked up my lumber and headed out to the lot. Another 8am – 8pm work day. I used pine boards for trim. I made the window sill boxes and attached the casing and architraves to each one and placed them with one nail in there opening. I trimmed out the door openings with jamb and one side casing and architrave. Again placed them in the openings including the sliding door set. Finished off the small shiplap wall. Cut the corner pieces and two pieces of base. When Jackie arrived late afternoon we had supper and then she started to stain. I bought American Walnut ( I assumed as the pic was dark brown) When we opened it and we looked again it was American Chestnut. I wanted dark brown but after the staining I am happy with the chestnut which never would have been my first choice. It has a reddish tint to it. It was a Minwax stain and varathane which I will never buy again. It is extremely difficult to work with.  The room is looking wonderful and getting close. I think another three full days and it should be close. I have a trim board, the complete washroom, barn door and sliding door, the flooring and painting the entire ceiling. I was pretty tired after the heat and work. It was so nice having the cooler air at night coming thru the window.

Jackie posted on Facebook and were able to get rid of a few extra building materials we had which was nice. Free sometimes is a great motivator for people to pick up things.

Wind today was unbelievable with it hitting at least 50kms per hour. Jeff, Isaiah, Kelly I hit the course Speargrass. The wind sure made it interesting and affected the scoring. But a fun day, sunny day and warm and a amazing meal again. Mashed potatoes, gravy, carrots and two large chicken breast. Wonderful tasting. Best deal in Calgary as for $60 you get golf, cart, sleeve of balls, one drink ticket, driving range, and the wonderful meal.

I received my August work schedule and it is a way to much. I feel I am busier now than when I worked with everything going on. At least at work you knew you had weekends off. Now working 2 or 3 days each week, the week and the weekend are screwed. The free golf is nice but I have been refused a tee time 3 times which doesn’t sit well with me. The $15 a hour to wreck my week and weekends and make me too busy is not worth it. I will live with it this year and change it a bit for September but I am not wasting my time working and trying to fit everything else in. Every year you waste working you can’t get back.

Thought of the Day  

Never get too busy making a living to forget to make a life.

July 25-26th

Summer love it. The warmth , the sun, the flowers. HOW anyone can love winter is beyond me. I know poeple that love to ski or outdoor hockey or looking a white stuff but really it is not better than summer ever.

My Thursday men’s group today. Great bunch of guys again. Great course conditions and weather. Poor ,poor, performance. My back from working at the lot is killing me. I don’t care to take pills so I didn’t today. Back was ok for about 9 holes but then it got to me. Front nine with a low 40’s score is livable. Lost balls off the tee again racked up the score with 3 snowmen on the back. Another disaster of a score. I need to correct this. I still can go low on courses like Spear, Heather or Boulder but Turner is my nemesis that I have to beat. Still a fun day that I enjoyed very much.

Got my Sass sandals back and just like new and should be good for another year or more. Cost $20 for repair.

Headed to a few stores to look for a storage cabinet for the DVD player and DVD’s. We didn’t find anything we liked or at the price we liked. I will make one with wrought iron pipe and the left over counter material.

I had my hours changed today again. Beautiful day and busier course. 100 great wonderful people, 4 difficult poeple and 2 complainers.  The one nine hole course was moving very slow so I moved one group over to a less busy 9 hole course after they finished their first nine. They were beginner golfers and were slower. Then 4 guys when I pulled up and checked were 2 full holes behind. I asked them to try to speed up and catch up to the group in front on them. Immediately they were defensive. They were correct in that they weren’t holding the group behind them at the time but further back people were getting frustrated with the pace. I tried to explain and they should have known that the premise of golf is to keep up to the group in front of you not to worry about behind you unless it is a smaller faster group which you should let play through. The younger guy  looked like AquaMan with his muscles and hair had difficulty in understanding. He was about the same height as myself so when I approached him the second time I stood on a small hill making myself at least 6 inches taller.LOL  It is always amazing to me how easily people anger. After it all they hopefully caught up as I was just finishing up my shift. There were a few slower groups today.

Just got home and Jackie got a text from Wendy.  We met Jeff & Wendy at Tommy Fields on the patio. We used to with our kids go out every Friday night to Boston Pizza on Friday nights so it was nice again to do it. Wonderful Ceasers and appy’s were just right. Fun meal and laughs on the patio in the warmth, Live is good !

July 27th- 30th

The weather has been fantastic. Finally summer.

Jackie & I worked another 8 hours on the interior. I finished everything now the barn door, the sliding door and the “bathroom” . Painiting that ceiling is a pain in the ass. Difficult, annoying and frustrating. My garage sale find for an electric sprayer didn’t work. It wouldnt even spray water. I should have tested it but it was only 10 bucks so no big deal. I am going to rent the big sprayer for 4 hours from Home Depot. 1 hour of driving, 20 minutes of spraying and 1 hour of cleaning the machine and I will be done and will have saved hours of work,  I bought Minwax for the casings etc with what I though was American Walnut as the label showed a very black color. My eyesight falied me as it turned out to be American Chestnut which has a reddish tint to it. I would have preferred the brown stain but the door jambs and window liners etc look wonderful now but a little fancier rather than cabin chic I was going for.

During the clean up process I have jammed/sprained/broken or fractured my thumb. One doesn’t think about how much you need this digit. I can’t open the car door or turn the ignition on, never mind golf. I have a week off of golfing, and renovation which maybe good. I never like to complain but I have a back that is killing me, a useless thumb that is extremely painful, my Achilles heel is acting up again and sore muscles everywhere. A week off will hopefully heal everything.

We have been busy with the boys. It is too bad the age difference wasn’t a little closer but August is trying everything. We have been to the pool a few times and both kids jump full force into the water. They love water.

We have been to the pond and they love the sand and playing in the water.With the warm weather the water is nice and warm.

Playground trips but the most fun is watching movies in the gazebo at night. This is working out fantastic with the room, the couches and the warmth.

I have to work for two days which is too bad and I will have a tired Jackie. LOL