May 1st

 

What in May another white out while driving on the QE11.  This spring weather has been horrible. Luckily it only lasted for about an hour. Look below at the temperatures coming up. Highs hitting 1 degrees in May. I am sure this is climate change. YES the start of a new ICE AGE.

Made it up to Edmonton in good time. Mom was transferred to another room so another search to find her. The U of A Hospital is a big one and appears to have addition after addition added on so makes it a little convoluted to find your way around. I have been there often enough now that I am familiar with the layout somewhat so it wasn’t to hard finding her.  Funny thing when I got there I was walking across a pedway in the air and right at the corner I see Mom sitting in her chair looking out. We exchanged waves. But to find her room was funny as it is at an angle and the numbering system a little off. So I was 4 ft away but couldn’t find a way to get to her room. Due to the angles I had to go quite a ways up the aisle and work my way around a corner. She is very lucky as she has a private room by herself. That is such a luxury when you are in the hospital.

Her recovery has been good. Her speech is relatively back to normal and her facial drop only slightly noticeably. Both things are exaggerated when she tires. But lucky. She had two wonderful meals. No one should complain about the quality of food from this hospital. Awesome. We sat and talked for hours and then went for a walk. She started off very strong but weakened fairly fast. The shuffle of the feet was slowed considerably on the way back. I kept asking her if she was alright and is this far enough. It was quite a ways but short by her standards only a short time ago. She fell into bed after the walk and had a 1/2 hr sleep which is good. Anyone laying in bed for three weeks gets weak quickly. Especially when you are in your late 80’s.

I have to say every doctor and nurse we met was extremely pleasant. Now for my but ! I was shocked in the carelessness of the nurses on room visits. If you don’t ring the bell to send an alarm and a light flashing you could go hours without seeing a nurse. Hours !  It was not due to being short staffed as there were a lot of nurses around. I blame the head/charge nurse. Even Tim’s or Esso demands an employee to check the bathroom every hour. There is no reason a person in the hospital shouldn’t be checked on regularly. That is why they are in the hospital and especially on a heart ward. I was disappointed in the attention of care practiced by the nurses. As I said a simple directive from the head nurse to ensure every patient is checked on is all it would take. People don’t like to bother them by pushing the button but there is no alternative.

We had a video chat with Jess and the kids which Mom enjoyed and then I left around 6pm.

Victoria had wanted me to pick up her coat from Courtney in Red Deer. She sent me a text with Courtney’s  phone number as they were going to meet me on Gasoline Aisle with it. With a text you don’t dial you just push the number and it will dial for you from the text. The phone number comes back  ” Out of service” . So I sent a text to Courtney’s number. No response.  Then I texted Tor back. No response. I tried to phone Victoria.  Did not answer.

There are very few things in this world that get my goat but unresponsive, no reply , and not answering your phone, texts, or emails tops my list. I have in the past not included someone, gave something to someone else, have bought from someone else all due to the no response. I do have one caveat to this. When I am golfing I leave my phone in the car. Nothing is important enough to wreck my game. That is basically what is happening that someone or company etc believes their time is more important than the callers and they will get back to them when they see fit or at their will. If you don’t want communication don’t have a phone. Now if you are: on the toilet, having sex, at a funeral, in a security line, in a meeting, at a movie you may have a valid reason for not answering.  Below are 5 reasons people don’t answer.  Reasons, but should not be the standard accepted norm.

I believe in todays world people are “scared” to talk to others and just feel more comfortable texting so some text after listening to a message.

A quick response is a sign of respect to the sender.

I know quite a few people that monitor, won’t answer and expect a voice mail , or just don’t answer . Baffles me.

Corey helped me get the address via text and it was only 6 minutes out of my away so I whipped  up there to pick up the coat. Just a little back tracking.

I had supper at the Donut Mill. I have always loved this place for their sandwiches and beef stew. Another wonderful tasting meal. But I think they are going to hurt themselves with their pricing. $20 for this kind of meal. Teen burger $3.50. Steak sandwich anywhere $11.99 . Love the bread, taste and all of the veggies you get to add to the sandwich. Great donuts as desert.

I worked out at the RV lot all day. My fingers were cold in the morning but quite pleasant in the afternoon.

My men’s league was supposed to play golf today but too much snow still on the course and cold. I was semi happy about that.

I attached all of the wiring for my antenna for Xplornet. Buried them in spots and stapled them to the underside of my deck. I attached the router wiring and installed the splitter to allow me to remove easily to take the motorhome out without any issues. My electrically cargo bin had power in it and room. Nice ! The internet speed is wonderful. Nice to not have to worry about data charges with unlimited LTE service.

I removed my range hood carriage and rebuild it with Plan C. Plan C  worked like charm. I had Jackie foil wrap all of the joints. I installed the vent piping, cut the 5 inch holes in the walls and re installed my hood. Everything came together. Now just a little tinkering with a MDF shroud to make it look trim and proper. A bit of figuring for this to make it look right. Starting to feel the look I am going for. Love it. Next the countertops and barn wood back splash.

Jackie came out after work to help me which was nice. I had her foil wrapping and cleaning up plus helping with the install.

The warmth also to have supper outside was awesome. Who would have thought I would refer to 12 degrees as warmth. LOL

Big rain storm on the way home. Half slush, hail , rain and snow.  Farmers will like it but they need warmth. Real warmth.

Working with Corey tomorrow doing some beams in a renovation project.

Thought of the Day 

Buy a TV-  watch some great shows

Buy a watch- you get to see the time , have a schedule 

Buy a car- transportation, image, 

BUY A PHONE- COMMUNICATION, relationships, good news, bad news ( BUT YOU NEED TO ANSWER IT or why have one ?)

May 3rd

A cooler day again.

Corey picked me up at 8am and we headed out to do another fir beam project. This was in a new house near Millarville. A very nice house when done. The view from the deck is spectaular. They are on a hill and the view of the valley and the mountains is amazing.

I am not sure the reasons but having lived on a acreage my whole child hood I don’t understand why we didn’t go that route. Our RV lot I guess now is our acreage. LOL

We were using clear fir this time. As the lumber yard only had shorter lengths Corey had a brilliant idea to have metal straps cover the joints. This will add alot of character to the look of the beams. Holding beams above your head takes it toll on your shoulders when it is not something you do everyday. We got more done today than thought and will finish the job up tomorrow. I don’t have to work tomorrow as the high is only 4 degrees. Yes 4 degrees.

There is one intersection of the beams that is somewhat convoluted that we will work on tomorrow  as we have to design a 6″  drop to end up flush with a cross beam.

This kind if work is enjoyable as it is different and interesting.

I had a nice talk with the siding company at the house. They are installing Sierra Canexel siding. The first time for them as they usually install James Hardee. I like LP much more than James with the coloring, and the realistic look. They decided to use caulk joints versus the metal ones. The house is going to look wonderful when done.

One of our elite Golf Courses Bearspaw Golf & Country has ceased operations. This was a $40,000 share and a $10,000 annual fee private course. Lots of money in the Bearspaw area. The golf businesses  must be struggling as Heritage Point an elite semi private course that was just got bought out also. I beleive the issue is the dollars. Take a $60 green fee once a week that is $250 a month right away. People are deciding different things to spend their money on. Selling a service you would think they would do a profit analysis to decide the best price to sell more tee times and still increase the bottom line.

This reminds me of when we had our fast food  franchise and we sold subs on Tuesday for $2.00. A lot of people thought we were crazy but my thoughts were : our profits were minimal but the increase of soft drink and other sales helped bring the bottom line to be more than a normal day. You also have to think of the return in the terms of advertising and building customer loyalty that it brings in. The increase in dollar sales has to be high enough to have to have the increase in profit dollars. Like losing weight it is a simple mathematical equation.

Today is a Special Day up north.  Mr Fred Keys  is turning the ripe old age of 65 years today. Never mind the aches and pain that have crept into his life it is the huge salary he will now receive of CPP and OAS that is the real pain. What do to with that large sum. The real reason for Fred’s excitement in turning 65 is the FREE fishing licenses he now gets.  Happy Birthday

Thought of the Day 

Helping others is like helping yourself.

May 4th 

1 degrees today. May 4th and 1 degrees out. It is freezing and snowing all day. It is starting to get very annoying.

Corey picked me up and we headed again to work on the fir beams. The convoluted intersection took us awhile.  I lot of cutting to get everything to work out, I took my heavier jacket as the house does not have heat and a couple of pocket warmers. The coat was warm enough the pocket warmers not so much. I checked the date on these and they were from 2016 and unbeknownst to me they lose their effectiveness. Just the slightest warm. Slightest is a stretch. Fingers were cold and numb.  Worked until 4:30pm and we were done. The beams look awesome. Our drop down looks wonderful. It always would be nice to see them after staining and drywall painted but we can see the affect this will have on the home. Stunning !!

Muscles were just fine. I must be a natural athlete and didn’t know it. LOL

5pm and the snowing is heavy coming down.

Thought of the Day

Why is there no graduation ceremony for people being adults then becoming seniors ?               I think I maybe on to something. 

May 5th

Waking up to snow covered ground again and cold. -1 degrees and 2 inches of snow on the ground. I did notice by the end of the week it is hitting close to 20 degrees. About time !!

We looked after Jackson while Tor & Cor went out for a bit. As always he is a fun character to have around. He is missing his IPAD after it got squished a couple of weekends ago. Just needs a new glass front which means taking it to a Apple Store and paying thru the nose but still cheap compared to a new one. New Ipads are $600.

He finally got a haircut which is cool and looks awesome. He had too long between cuts and he would jerk his neck sideways all of the time to get his hair out of his eyes. For whatever reason that drove me nuts. Funny how such a minor thing is annoying. Love his new cut as does he.

Might have a hiccup at our beam job. The owner says she doesnt like the angle beam down to the main beam. The home builder supplied and installed our ledger boards for attachment and we followed his format. He did this as the roof angle was odd with a peak valley meeting a cathedral ceiling. It looks like we may need to change out this area. Not easy to do due to angles and having used PL400 to get it all apart it will be difficult. We will need to cut out a piece and splice a patch in. I believe with a good cutting job and wood patch we can hide it entirely. The PL400 hopefully will not hinder us to much. A 2 ft section we will be working on will take us at least 3 to 4 hours and it is at the highest point in the ceiling and a correction. Corey will need to charge more as we did the job perfect following the builders system. But the home owner always has the final say. We agree with the home owner on this one though as right from the beginning we thought of it as  a little off. Builders !!

Lots of hockey one and two teams on the verge of elimination. I haven’t been watching the games but will once the final is on. Would be nice to see Colorado against Carolina.

Corey picked me up and out we headed. I brought my new pocket warmers with me today and I am glad. Everytime now in the cold my fingers go numb. These things worked great having them in my gloves the full day.

The destruction of our construction went a way way better than expected. I think due to the cold the PL400 didn’t set up so we were able dismantle and clean off areas we needed quickly and easily. Got lucky. Then we had to figure out a system to hold the beam in place as the rooflines are all merging right at this spot. Done and done. The complete process took 3 hours to complete but Corey’s patch on the beam and extension with the rooflines slanting worked out perfect. He is a prefectionist in detail so the beams looked fantastic. The owners came to the  house and were very pleased with it all. That is all that matters.

Great job Corey !!

Below are pictures of our first look and the second look approved. After all of the work I sort of am leaning to liking the our first option. Either one once stained and drywall in place will look awesome. The owners are very nice people and pleasant to work with understanding the additional work we did etc.

All done and hopefully Corey made some good money on it.

A muddy mess at the jobsite. Leaving we started to back up the hill with the trailer behind us and we are spinning and unable to get anywhere. It appeared to me Corey was trying to back around to turn around. Then I discover the Jeep is sliding sideways and moving the trailer in the opposite direction. We put the Cherokee in locked  4 x 4 and slowly worked our way to turn around on the grease. Good thing we had 4 x4 or we would still be there.

Another good day. Nice to have these enjoyable days every once in while.

Thought of the Day

Most people spend their whole lives planning their retirement but when they actually retire, they don’t know what to do. Don’t let this happen to you. Keeping busy doing things you love like golf, building thngs, fishing, sleeping, travelling, or visiting as this is what it is all about.

May 6th

Left the house fairly early today and headed to Lowes. I bought some 2×4 PT sticks and a Acacia wood butcher block counter top. Loaded every thing up and headed out to Oasis. The temperature today turned out just perfect, I was able to work without freezing my hands. A good day. I build the structure of cabinets and installed the counter top. The countertop is a Acacia wood butcher block and the structure is PT which I will cover with OSB and make drawers and doors and use barn wood for the outside.  Starting to look great. I had another gentleman stop by and state his wife thought our lot looked awesome and was the most interesting in the complex.   I like that. I do have to agree. LOL I worked until I ran out of lumber and time.

I now just need to make the drawer and door fronts. I headed home and changed to golf with Jeff. The temperature was 12 degrees but felt a lotwarmer. I dressed in my Climax undershirt, golf shirt and Calvin windbreaker and was perfect. I also had my hand warmers and winter mitts along which I kept on until I had to hit. Jeff played the back nine excellent and only the odd errant shot in the front. He is hitting the ball much better again with great drives. I had a ok game finishing with a 82 but left a way too many shots and putts out there. Another fun filled day doing project work and golfing. Life is good.

Thought of the Day 

I think the best answer of when a project will be completed is ” When it is done”

May 7th -8th

Same old same old weather issues. Showers off and on for the next couple of days. I am getting pretty tired of it. Annoyed really.

We headed for Lethbridge to see the girls and boys. Atticus is growing up very fast and August is getting a neat personality. Besides the visit my main goal was to “summerize” Jess’s and Margy’s trailers. Lucky I brought an extra piece of garden hose as the units were parked quite  a ways back this year. Worked on each trailer letting the water run to rid if the antifreeze oil in the water. Filled the tanks and emptied them. Double checked to make sure the water pump pressured the system and all is good on both trailers.

We stopped by the girls new house and it is coming along very well. The Knotty Pine T & G ceilings are wonderful and they even did that in the garage. The cupboards were in place with some already installed and the tiling was in on the bathroom floors. The house is starting to look great.

We decided after our work we would head to Boston Pizza for supper. Then their front door supplier phoned to say it was ready. We drove in to help load the door as the shop had a cripple working there that said he couldn’t lift a door. Turns out Penny grabbed one end and I the other to load it. 6.5 Jamb, fiberglass door with 4 smaller glass inserts with amazing handles it weighed a lot more than I remember. Warehouse guys used to lift a 6 1/2 pre-hung themselves. I was very impressed with Penny. That lady is STRONG. Also impressed with the door as it looks wonderful with it’s 4ft long brass pull bar. The two workers at this place were a little off but the door and pricing exceptional. This Nail & Hammer store was very near our old Henderson warehouse.

Boston Pizza as always was very good. The girls bought our supper as a pre Mother’s Day gift and trailer summerizing gift.  Very very nice of them. The kids were great during supper.

The condo board has a meeting arranged for me tonight which hopefully goes well. The facts are behind me but stubbornness and attitude sometimes gets in the way of what is right. Hopefully they will see it from my perspective.

I worked out at the lot for most of the day. I will rephrase that. I tried to work as it poured rain. I was covering tools and trying to work under tarps and my hands were cold so I didn’t get as much done as I wanted.

I cancelled my golf game to meet with the board so hopefully everything goes well.

Thought of the Day 

You can’t convince anyone.  You have to just give them the correct information so they convince themselves. 

May 9th

First men’s day at Turner Valley. It is such a great group I golf with that have varied handicaps from 3 – 22.  I have yet to meet a grumpy guy. Today another great foursome which included one guy I have golfed with for 5 years plus. Funny as I have been a member at TV for close to 10 years now and still meet new members.

I wasn’t displeased with the way I golfed ,as the only issue was the score. It was nice out. The course was in remarkable shape with the greens being the best I have seen so early. I ended up tied for low score in our group. I only lost one ball off the tee which was great but had 4 -3 putts and the odd normal screwed up shot. I will do better next time I am sure.

I was surprised to see our slope rating increased to 125. It is a harder course that unfortunately I have a history of scoring higher on it than normal. BUT LOVE THE COURSE !

Had a great meeting after golf and the season is on the way. A fun day !!

Thought of the Day

BLANK

May 10th

Finally a decent day without and rain or cold. Wind though as this seems the norm now. I headed out to Oasis. The first day where I had all day to work without having to rush to golf, work, meeting or something else. Awesome. I am pleased with what I got done today. Still working on the kitchen. I used every power tool in my arsenal today. Compound miter saw, table-saw, reciprocating saw, oscillating saw, jig saw ,circular saw, air compressor, and brad nailer. I installed one box of barn wood, extra screws to hold counter top down, and worked on the range hood fan enclosure. Things sure have a way of taking time. I had a single end on my extension cord which drove me nuts switching each time for a new tool. I had to use my cube for the internet hook up and couldn’t find my multi end short cord. Lots of up and down for that. I do have to say a sheet of 3/4 MDF is heavy. Trying to lift it and cut it on the table saw isn’t easy. I had to make a long 17 degree angle cut. Free handing a long diagonal cut on a table saw doesn’t give the most accurate cut. In hindsight I should have used my circular saw. I was planning molding anyways to cover the joint but until I get to that point my cut looks off. A good day, a good amount done, warm, and enjoyable.

We had a quick Tim’s supper and then headed to Jackson’s concert. I love this things as the do the kids. The presentation again was excellent. Jackson played the perfect evil lobster. Fun

His school hires a 3rd party planner to do these. Originally I thought how bad is it to have highly educated teachers having to hire out for a kids concert but now I have changed my mind. It frees up time for real teaching, and the creative thinking this 3rd party company comes up with couldn’t be matched. Everyone wins.  The concert was wonderful. The only thing a little off is the Principle of this school insists to be called Doctor. Yes it takes a large commitment as most doctorates take 4 to 7 years but I am not sure if using it as a way to introduce yourself or be referred to as, is appropriate especially for a  kindergarten to grade 4 school. First thing that comes to mind is insecure, second thing is egotistical.  I think kids would relate better to a Mr or Mrs courtesy title rather than doctor. I am sure most of the kids think she give needles.

Wonderfully produced concert. The kids were exceptional and the organization was excellent. A fun night !

May 11th -12th

We are heading to Edmonton on Saturday to visit Mom for Mothers Day. She is the Glenrose Hospital as it is a rehabilitation hospital. We will see how she is doing, give her some flowers and take her out for lunch if she can get a hall pass.

We arrived right on time. I made myself smile as living in Edmonton until 30 years old I thought I knew the city quite well. My choice of routes had a couple of detours in it. Man has that city changed. The thru roads etc are all different. I still made it taking a short cut fairly quickly through downtown.  The ICE district is well done. I do love the underground LRT. The river  elevator is a waste. The Glenrose is adjacent to the Royal Alexandria Hospital. We found Mom’s room easily. She is doing quite well. Very weak still which with rehap should get a lot better. She is still listed as 1 person assist to do anything. Her speech is getting better and only slurred near the end of the day when she was getting tired. Her facial droop is still there albeit fairly minor and should also slowly go away.  She just needs to build up her strength again. We decided to got to Tony Roma’s. Awesome ribs. BUT holy man a way way to much food. I thought I was back in the States. Mom got her ribs and ate a lot of them but she got her baked potato which is what she craved. Great meal and visit. It was a nice day out so we decided to go for a drive around town. First visit was by Darlene’s house to see her new metal shingles. These are relatively new in the urban market. I love them. They have a great look to them and will last a lifetime. Second drive by was Aunt Jeans house. Aunt Jean lives in Wedgewood Estates which used to be miles out of the city. Now completely surrounded by the city. These lots look around 3 acres each and if there are 20 lots 16 of the houses have been knocked down and monster mansions built. Some look like 10,000 sq ft they are so huge. Aunt Jean still has her 70’s originally split level. I am guessing but I bet these lots are 1 million bucks. Someone will just knock hers down and build a mansion. Jackie’s Dad house was bought for $500,000 and a year later knocked down and a monster built on it. Location, Location Location.

It was a nice day visiting with Mom. A lot better than sitting in your hospital room with nothing to do. She doesn’t like to read or watch TV.  A good day. A nice Mother’s Day

I was in shock with the decay and lack of maintenance on the city of Edmonton streets. Streets by far is an exaggeration. It is shame that Edmonton has a mayor that is more interested in speed camera’s and bike baths that he has let the infrastructure fall apart so badly. I wonder what his socialist plan is now that Edmonton is an island of orange in a sea of blue. I don’t believe the purse strings will be wide open for them. Oh well great business for garages and keeping visitors away.

Good drive home.

Mother’s Day. Always a special day. Mother’s are pretty special.

Victoria, Corey, Jackson , Jackie and I went golfing this morning and afternoon for Mothers Day. It was a warm 22 degrees and beautiful out.  Corey had booked the times at Heatherglen for us. I don’t like to use my special privilege on weekends as it takes away from a paying customer so I was tentative to golf there. With Jackson I couldn’t allow him to drive and then tell other parents they couldn’t. I couldn’t have 5 golfing which is against all normal golfing rules. Everything turned out perfect though. I didn’t use my special privilege, Jackson only sat on Cor’s knee to drive the odd time, Jackson only tee’d off on a few holes and we were more than keeping pace so all is good. It was a fun day. There were some great shots and some bad shots but just fun to be out with family.

These special days are a little odd. There is an expectation that the husband has to treat his wife for Mothers Day. People- she is your wife not your Mother. First come back always is “but she is the Mother of your kids” which means kids step up. If no kids are available maybe something special but why do we fall for the marketing that it is the spouses responsibility. A simple hand drawn love you card from a kid should be enough. Powerful marketing forces at work here.

We had a Facetime event with Audrey in Wales for Mother’s Day with Tor, Jack, Cor and us.  Unfortunately  it must have been a bad connection as Audrey couldn’t hear us very well which is too bad as it would have been nice to hear about her adventures.  Could be the connection but she wasn’t in the most talkative mood. Unusual for her. Still nice to see and hear from her.

Victoria and Jessica were awesome. Jessica bought both of us supper at Boston Pizza and Tor bought us golf at Heatherglen. A wonderful finish to Mother’s Day

A few other Mother’s Day pics:

22 degrees and the course was empty. A week of crappy weather I thought for sure it would be packed. But I do remember last year on Mother’s Day it was also quiet. Big difference between Fathers and Mother’s Day golf course crowds. Having said that I was supposed to work tomorrow and they have cancelled that schedule also. Surprising.  People are fickle and I guess it takes them a while to get their feet wet again and in the swing of things to golf again.

Checked the weekend weather and NOT happy at the moment.  In over 40 years of May Long weekend camping I bet 80 % of them we had not so perfect weather. It appears the same for this year unless things change which they can. I don’t mind cold. I hate snow and rain. Especially now for Tor and Jess with their brood of four legged friends. I am glad they aren’t in my unit. LOL  Lots of towels and sponging feet off to keep them semi clean.

Thought of the Day 

There is only one beautiful child in the world and every Mother has it. Love is blind. LOL

May 13th

Whipped out to Costco to buy the start up of the season food for the motorhome. $ 527 worth of food from Costco. Some of this will last us all season. I am positive if they would make their sizing a little smaller they would sell a lot more. There were many things I had to pass over as the quantity was just too great. At least the huge pieces of meat can be cut up and freezer wrapped in useable sizes.

Then off to Sobey’s for the stuff I couldn’t handle buying a truck load of. Another $230 worth of food. We still need to go on Thursday for the milk and produce and beer.

Always the first trip out you are missing things. I plan to stay out at the lot after the weekend to get more done so we should be able to get everything we need by the end of it.

I am looking forward to it. It is a odd feeling to feel too busy. Too many things to get done. Not enough time. Rushed. Oh well this too will pass. LOL

Unpacked and loaded the motorhome. Lots to do. I just need to pull in the slides and we should be set to go after gas and propane.

I see in the news today Onex bought WestJet. Onex is a Canadian company. For those that don’t know Onex bought JELD-WEN and still owns 32% of them. They were the start of taking a incredible company, JELDWEN a family owned company and slowly bleeding them until they are just a fraction of what they used to be. At the end they turned JW public and made a fortune. They put in place new board members and cut cut cut to make the bottom line look different to sell the company or go public .I predict in about 2 years they turn WESTJET public and make another fortune. Not good news for those that like WJ today. It will not be the same company.

Thought of the Day

It even seems like everyone wants to text or email when you are busy. When you are bored, nothing !  

May 14th – 15th

I stopped and picked up another package of wood from Lowes and  headed out to the lot. I made myself a great lunch to have out there. Lifting that 12 inch compound mitre saw and stand is a killer on the back but as the boards are so wide I need it to get the 45 degrees. I got a lot done today and it was as usual a lot warmer than the forecasters suggested. I am not impressed this year with predictions being off by so much . I have about 80 percent of the barn wood up, I have the aluminum backsplash done. My completion of the range hood is the bog down of production. I will complete that to carry on hopefully next week. I am praying I have enough barn wood as that stuff is ridiculously expensive. Then the time consuming drawers and doors. It is starting to look good.

The weather guys LIED again and it turned out to be a wonderful day. 24 degrees when you are calling for 16 isn’t right.

I headed home to change to go golfing with Jeff & Kelly. The condo water was turned off as they were doing repairs so I had to make a bit of mess to wash my hands.

Tonight was one of those nights. Out of the 14 holes that were not a Par 3 I had 13 holes where I was birdie putting. I did NOT sink one. Having said that some were a long ways away from the hole but you would have thought one would have dropped. The course was relatively empty. I have to say the greens tonight at McKenzie were the worst greens I have played on in a long time which was a putting issue, Jeff played well tonight and ended up breaking 90 so he was happy. It was a enjoyable game when every shot goes well and I ended up with a 78. To have two games in a row below 80 is awesome.

Great company , some food and couple of beer after made it a nice evening.

My golf course changed my hours so I had to get up a little earlier than expected. Between the outside air and getting up early when I got home I was tired. Closed my eyes for a bit. The golf course today was only semi busy with everyone booking in a clump and dead spots before and after. Some nice people on the course today.

I even witnessed a eagle today. I saw it drop and was very excited. The two older gents didn’t have any reaction so when I approached all happy I ask him does this happen all of time not to get excited.  From their view they could not see it fall. We laughed and he was so excited to get to the green.

During the clump of tee times I asked one group to speed up a bit as they were a good hole behind. Always that one grumpy guy that believes he isn’t in the wrong. But they did catch up after a hole. I always like to thank the group later on and he managed a to smile a bit but still not friendly.

Thought of the Day 

Golf ! You hit down on the ball to make it go up. You swing left and the ball goes right. The lowest score wins. And on top of that, the winner buys the drinks.

May 16th

Cold and rain. I was very glad to get a message that my men’s league was cancelled for this week. Cold is one thing but with rain it is brutal and I can golf enough not to worry about missing one game.

Got up and watched the opening round of the PGA. Tiger did well except for putting. He is a ways back as Koepka was hot and lucky. I am hoping he Tiger has a awesome round tomorrow. If Tiger can’t win my hopes are with Ricky, Dustin or Matt.  Always fun to watch. I love to see the iron of choice and the distance they go. I hit my irons fairly long compared to most but these guys in most cases are unbelievable. My 5 iron is 200 yards. Pros seem to be 230 or more. My 7 iron is 170 yards. Pros are 200 yards. The accuracy is amazing. Fun to watch.

Finished off the groceries and headed to pick up the motorhome. Got it all set and headed into Calgary. Filled up with propane at Co-op. It appears my 20 pound tank this is it’s last fill before recertification. I am thinking this is more of a money proposition than an safety issue. Oh well.

Found a parking spot out front and had to back up really close to a car behind to fit in from the fire hydrant. Sure enough a car parked tight in from of me and in FRONT of the hydrant. He may get a ticket tonight but if he doesn’t leave before I want out I will struggle.

A relaxing day. So much so when at the grocery store my blood pressure reading was 117/74 which is fantastic. It is amazing what losing 40 pounds and no work pressure can do for you.

Thought of the Day 

Retired- the ability to multi slack instead of multi task.

May 17th to May 21st

First comment ” When is spring coming ?”   This weather in 2019 has been ridiculous. I am not sure but going by memory one of the worst years for a long long time. Having said that the May Long Weekend weather was better than forecasted. BUT it was cold cold and windy windy. I do not remember the wind being so constant and steady. Everyday it is windy. All week end it was brutal.  It rained most of the way up to Rocky

We only golfed 18 holes due to the cold and wind. Jason and Corey snuck in 36 holes.

Our stay this year was at Canyon Creek Golf Course north of Rocky Mountain House.  Here are my thoughts:

1. Wonderful clean, fresh and modern washrooms and showers.
2. Very nice clubhouse and pro shop.
3. Excellent golf course. Some extreme elevations. Great greens and nice layout
4. Great camping spot. We were in the new section with out large trees ( older section is fantastic) but the sites are full service and huge so lots of distance between sites
5. Here is where this place goes wrong. They are RULE oriented overkill. Here are a couple of stupid ones.
   • Check out is noon. Means you can’t have a nice lunch before leaving.
   • Check in is 2pm no exceptions. You come early you sit in the parking lot even if your site is empty.
   • No children allowed on course unless golfing and you have to pay full fare for a kid to golf and they just can’t ride along with you.
   • No firewood delivered to you site before 5pm. You can sit with no wood all day as they wont deliver or allow pick up before 5pm.

This happens all too often when someone forgets customer service and wants to make their job easier instead of what is best for the customer.

We had 7 units this year. 1- Seba Beach, 3- Edmonton,2- Calgary and 1- Lethbridge people.

Some people are just odd. Jessica has one dog that is a bit noisy. It likes to bark. I don’t like barking dogs but it wasn’t that bad and a long distance away from others. This odd crazy lady comes into the site and threatens to use a bat and kill the dog using fowl language in front of young children to the point some of them were upset.  I don’t disagree with having a quiet site but it was handled very badly. She even came a second time but luckily Jackie was there this time to “straighten her out” instead of just young kids.I have always said anyone with a temper that loses it especially the quick to anger person have a weaker mind than normal. Self control is a learned trait as is having a temper. We are the only ones that control that. We can learn to control.

The potluck Saturday meal this year was the United Kingdom theme based on the fact I am 83 percent English pure. I am going to say this was our best pot luck EVER and the best I have been too.

A sampling of the dishes we had :

1. Shepherds Pie
2. Guinness stew
3. Toad in a Hole
4. Beef Stew
5. Bangers & Mash
6. Fish & Chips
7. Pureed mash potatoes
8. Veggies
9. Bread Pudding
10. Carrot Cake

One awesome meal. We managed to eat outside huddling behind our motorhome for a wind break. Fun times

Golf is a  funny game. The day I went out it was cold and windy. My heart really was not into it but it is always still fun to golf. Between stiffness, four layers of coats and freezing hands the first nine I sucked. Jason for the back nine wants to bet us. I played a way better and Keith & I killed them. Having said that Kieth beat me which I have to try to not allow again. Even Tiger & Rory miss the odd cut. LOL

Campfires, visiting, drinking always makes for a fun weekend. This weekend turned out to be very expensive for a few of us.

1. Ron when turning into the campground actually had a golfing pencil stab right through the side wall of his 5th wheel tire. Usually side wall punctures mean the tire is toast. He plugged it and hopefully he made it back to Edmonton ok.
2. Jessica drove miles and I am going to assume right from Lethbridge with her break away brake plug pulled out and broke. When she pulled into the campsite her trailer was making some loud noises. Loud music in the cab as every young kid does drowns out everything. As the plug was broke our only two options where to cut the wire to release the magnet or remove the brakes. I choose to remove as the pads were gone and the  shoes were just about melted into the drums. They are very lucky not to have the wheel catch on fire. Next day Fred removed the shoes, brakes, magnets and repacked the bearings as the grease was now basically oil it was heated up so bad. He did a great job. I am thinking $500 to repair Fred thought a bit more.
3. One of our grandkids broke our back up camera monitor. Jackie & I tried to put it back together but it wouldn’t start up after being smashed through the dash. I will need a new one as the screws broke the plastic when it was pushed. I am looking at $500 to replace it. I need some way to keep kids out of the front as there are too many switches, buttons that can be pushed or turned that will wreck something else. An unexpected bill again.
4. Keith’s portable gazebo broke under the wind pressure. I don’t think a replacement part will be available. $ 199

MaryAnn and Alan came for a nice visit on Sunday and stayed most of the day. Unfortunately they are not campers so they don’t have a RV and it is not something they really enjoy. It does not help to have only so so weather. We had a nice supper together before they headed home. Everyone has their own idea of fun. Jackie & I have camped together since 1977 together in tents, tent trailers, trailers and motorhomes. Always have loved the campfires, the food, the socializing and visiting with friends.

Another May Long done. It would have been a lot better if the weather would have cooperated but we weren’t so lucky again this year.  Always a fun time though.

Up early today as my start time was 9am to be at Heatherglen. It was 6 degrees outside and raining. I phoned the club to make sure they still wanted me and I was still on.  The early Men’s corporate league had the buk of their members cancel so it made it a little less hectic. The Senior Men’s qualifying tournament started at 10 am. They had to show up as they need to score well here to get to Medicine Hat for the next tournament.  I even knew a few of them. Dick the owner of Timbertown was in it. It was cold cold and nasty out. My fingers were freezing. I had my Under Amour tee on. Then my Heatherglen shirt. Then my Heatherglen sweater. Then my Helly Hanson clim-a-warm pullover and topped by my Heatherglen overcoat. I had ear muffs on and my Nike winter gloves with pocket warmers. This should NOT happen in late May. It is stupid. No wonder the NEW name is climate change as climate warming didn’t cut it. LOL

I did have a great time visiting with these old farts. I can state emphatically that I have never seen such poor golfers for a group that you would think would be great . Alberta Senior Open winner may have an easy route to the title. It was cold was my rationale for them. LOL

Looking at my calender I may not get to work on my lot until Saturday as I have a lot going on. Oh well.

Jackie picked up her Mom, Audrey today at the airport. This is about 2 months earlier than her original plane ticket which is unusual. I love Brecon,Wales as it is such a quaint friendly village just like in the old British movies so I would have thought she would rather stay there longer than here. Her knees are bothering her badly and Brecon is very hilly but the knees will hurt here also. It is always nice to be home though no matter what the reason. Home is always special unless you make the other places in your life like a home away from home. I think of Arizona as home just as much as home is here.

Thought of the Day

Golf really is just like an adult version of the Easter Egg hunt .

May 22nd

Finally a spring day. Sun shining and 18 degrees which is nice. I got up early and headed out to our lot to pick up my Camo tool bit for Ralph and Fred. I planned to pick it up and drop it off at Mel’s place in Red Deer. Done !

I arrived at Alberta Springs Golf course about 15 minutes early for our tee time. I was meeting Keith for a golf day in Red Deer.  Yahoo the perfect day to golf so after two straight games below 80 I was ready.  Or so I thought. First hole on in regulation and 3 putts. At least 4 holes with 3 putts and on two Par 3’s I took a 6. I struggled all day with every shot. I would hit the perfect shot only to walk up and find it went too long and ended up in a lake.  One beautiful drive on a 330 yard hole where I ended up 5 yards short of the green on a dogleg. Luckily the group in front of us was already on the green. I ended up with a 5 after being 5 yards short of the hole. The greens were exceptionally fast but it was the operater that caused the problems. This was my highest score in 2019 and the second highest in 2018 when I ended up with a 96. Ouch ! Luckily for me Kieth experienced the same fate ending up with a 97 so I won a couple of bucks. Overall he played better than I except for a few blow up holes. Golf is a frustrating game.

We had a wonderful fun day. Nice to have it and only because the housing starts are stagnant and Keith had a day off.

Thought of the Day 

May the course be with you !

May 23rd

Near the end of May and FINALLY a perfect day. It ended up being 21 degrees and no wind. One would think a perfect day to score well. For most of us that didn’t happen today. The course was in exceptional shape. I did find the rough a little longer than I prefer though. The greens were perfect. I had two games in a row below 80 and now two games in a row higher 90’s.  In both 90+ games I experienced the odd shank which is a scary thing that make you think and start to pull your shots. I did not lose a ball today which is good. BUT I had 6 holes with  3 putts and a 9 on one hole where everything went wrong. I never knew Turner had so many sand traps as I was in everyone of them. I love golf but it sure gets frustrating when you don’t golf consistent. My whole group sucked with a 96 93 and 98. Must be the full moon.

Didn’t win any money which was no surprise. Had a fun great visit with the guys at our after golf gathering.

Thought of the Day 

For me the hardest part of golf is hitting the ball  where it is supposed to go.. LOL

May 24th

Up early and headed out to the lot. First thing on my agenda was to revisit my back up monitor as it is very expensive to replace. Couldn’t get it to work. I removed and unplugged it completely from the dash. When it was forced back into the cavity the small screws holding the body together broke the plastic around them to hold the unit together. I tried numerous methods and finally  I found some wood screws the perfect length that are a lot larger than the eye glass screws and screwed it together. Held perfectly. Then I reinstalled , hooked up all of the wires, ensured all connections were tight due to the stress on them being pushed in , reset it and held my breath as I turned the key and put it into gear. Yahoo !  it is working perfectly. Saved $ 500 bucks with about 2 hours labour, sore back reaching under the dash and a little ingenuity . I was very happy.

I then started to work on the range hood fan enclosure and with a little difficulty managed to complete that. I give full credit to work alone carpenters. Managing 3/4 MDF is heavy especially trying to install it upside down and in tight spots. It is difficult to get perfect cuts and square installs with one guy so the need for moldings arise that will complete the look and add a lot of character and make the job look perfect.

It was a perfect work day. I had to leave early as we have Jeff’s retirement party tonight.

Jeff’s retirement party was held at Atlas Pizza on Memorial Drive. Go there if you want a great pizza and great service. Nice pub restaurant. It was a dual person party with Jeff and Doug both leaving at the end of this school year.  Jeff running the welding program and Doug the auto body program. It was a very well organized party for friends and peers to celebrate a major milestone in their lifes. Loads of people coming out for food, drink, congratulations and fellowship. Even former students showed up which I would say is indicator of how Jeff impacted their life. A great slide show , a picture book of years past in Jeff’s life and wonderful speeches. A great gathering.

Jackie and the girls ordered Paralyzer’s.  The waitress asks them if they want mini jugs. Yes she said jugs. If I was a girl I would be insulted with that term especially if you were on the larger side.  Speaking of being sexist in the world of alcohol, isn’t it funny we refer to beer as women’s hair color. Blonde, amber, red, brown etc. Then we have names like Panty Dropper,  Kilt Lifter, Dizzy Blonde, Phat Bottom and on and on.  We all need to lighten up and embrace the FUN.

I especially like the reason for this party as I strongly believe everyone should retire as early as possible. Jeff is 57 which is the perfect age to leave. Remember 82 is the average life span of a  Canadian male. That at least gives 25 more summers of fun.

Funny with the speeches.  Two introductory speeches , two honoree speeches and one friend speech. Shandi , Jeff’s daughter ran out of space on her camera with the time being so long. They say public speaking is one of the greatest fears of most people but I can say here that didn’t exist. All interesting speeches and fun to listen. The friend speech did seem to go on. LOL

Knowing Jeff I am positive he will LOVE retirement.

It is ONE of the best things to happen in one’s life.

Happy Retirement !

Thought of the Day !

Retirement takes all of the meaning out of weekends.

May 25th

Weather was not perfect today. Supposed to be 11 degrees and rain most of the day. I phoned at 7:45 to the golf course and due to lack of tee times the course cancelled my shift. Sort of glad as it would have been cold out there. Having said that it is now 11 o’clock and still no rain.

I will work on a few things today to catch up.

Today is the anniversary of us losing Peter. I don’t really like that term anniversary but I am not familiar with any other term. Time does go by fast.

Always good to remember people when they were at their best rather than when ill in the later part of their lives. Peter retired at 55 years old and had a wonderful 25+ years of living the life he wanted.

or perhaps this one ?

We had a nice a visit with Audrey and I checked out her car. Seems to run very well. I will need to get some strapping to repair the rear bumper as after a hit in the rear the bumper it is rattling again. You make a car from used Coke cans it will rust and fixes need to be done. A great car except for the insidious rust that is inherit to Mazda’s. She does need new wipers badly though. Other than that a perfect little run around vehicle.

Alan & MaryAnn dropped by and brought their new dog. A Chihauhau . Normally yappy and not too cute but this one is very nice. Tia is cute, quiet and being so small a very nice dog. Perfect age being 1 years old as it has already passed the chewing and potty training stage. I am sure they will spoil this dog rotten.

Scares me a bit as Jackie loves little dogs. I loved our dogs especially Teddy but having a dog is a huge commitment not only financially but in care taking and time consuming. I believe there is only one breed I would prefer to get and that is a Shorkie. Time will tell.

Still raining so very glad I didnt have to work. Although I did have to get up at 7am to phone in. The new GM’s thought process is a little company one sided and not the fairest to the employee’s.  I didn’t get anything done I wanted but that’s ok. I did watch the Canadians win against the Czech’s and get into the finals for the World Hockey Championships. Great game.

Thought of the Day

I wouldn’t want a Weiner dog. Can you imagine someone asking you want kind of dog you have and I would have to answer ” I have a small Weiner”  Not good 

May 26 to 28th

Wow, busy. Lots going on and add internet/phone issues things get backed up. I will summarize the last three days in short form.

Jackie & I snuck away to Oasis which was nice as it was I believe only the third time she has had time to come out. I like her coming as she is very good at cleaning up and organizing my work, the motorhome, food etc. It make my work a lot easy when it is a little more tidy than I keep a workplace. I work until tired then I am to tired to clean up well so just throw things away until next time.

We made a trip into town for a short visit with Alan & MaryAnn to see Peter’s Memorial Wall Plague and tree.  Nice to have it close rather than hours and hours away. Their new dog which I love turns out is deaf. That is not a bad thing but makes training a little harder. She won’t come back if running away, it will be difficult to teach tricks with voice commands but the good thing is her anxiety will be limited as she can’t hear thunder, or other dogs barking. Cute dog !

I had my 5th Annual Drive for Thrive golf tournament at Silver Springs. Fantastic course. This a charity fund raiser for a special exercise program for rehab of cancer patients. This program sounds extremely well liked by cancer patients and has a huge impact on their life. I forgot to mention how we all first entered this is the organizer used to be a VP at Totem that called on friends for help. He had tongue cancer. Something I learned is chemo “eats” up muscle mass and Colin for instance last 40 pounds so this program specializes in combating that. It is an expensive venture at $250 for a entry fee and another $100 min for charity holes but I am so fortunate that Ken Crockett the VP of Star Building pays for our teams entry fee as he is a generous sponsor for the tournament. Especially in this economy. We have a fun team and golfed quite well finishing in 3rd place with a -11.  Ken Crockett ( Totem, Star) Ray Laberge ( Totem, Igloo) Kurt Westergard ( Totem, Harmony Reno) along with myself. Fun guys fun day. Ken can hit the golf ball like very few can. I have golfed with scratch golfers before and he is right there with them. On the long drive hole at 308 yards he was about 3 yards short. When the winner walked up to get his prize he was a muscle monster.  To be 11 under par is very good but the worse part is I think we had 5 mulligans left we didn’t use. We saved them on the front nine and just got hot on back nine. Everyone was an equal contributor which was nice. Ray had some great chips and putts. Kurt some wonderful drives and chips. Ken with some amazing drives and putts and I had the odd drive, chip and putt go my way. It is always fun when no one struggles. The meal was spectacular. FUN DAY  Can’t wait for next year.

Jackie was volunteer today for a school field trip with Jackson. I know both Jackson and Jackie had a great time. Downtown in a high end bus with a washroom. The kids thought it was just like a plane. LOL  The neatest thig about the trip was getting dressed up in authentic Ukrainian clothes and learning their dance style. Jackson loved this. Jackie would have loved it. A full day field trip. Now that is a worthwhile field trip learning culture. Good idea !!

Over 10 hours of work today and still not done. I have doors to make, wood putty, sanding, hinges, caulking, trim work and details.

I installed one of my Lanterns tonight but I may change my mind on these and use them in the Saloon.  They take up too much room in my kitchen. I will let Jackie look at them and decide. I am thinking not in the kitchen. Too bad as they are real cute looking lights.

Thought of the Day

I was just thinking with the amount of work and add some golf to that, my back is going out more than I am. That’s not good. LOL

May 29th-May 31st

Just about finished my cupboards. Only one more to make before I start the painting. I am going to try the farmhouse distressed look. A dark brown coat covered by a teal overcoat with the distressed look. I will love it if done right. Extra work but I think it will be worth it. I had to make a trip into Strathmore for another handi panel of 3/4 mdf. Wouldn’t you know it. NO STOCK.  I hate that. I used 5/8 for the side walls as know one would ever know and the strength doesn’t matter. I love my hinges as a plan B. It is all coming together.

Out to Turner for my Men’s league. Another dismal performance. It was very windy which didn’t help. Let’s say it killed us a group as we all did bad. It shocks me that I can’t score well on this course. I will not let it win. It is harder than most courses but I have scored very well in past years. Either the competition or my head is just getting in the way. Next week. Great playing partners and nice social after which is always nice.

Spend another day working on the kitchen and cleaning up. Always a foot short of material and a dollar short on estimate. LOL   I enjoy the days were I can work without interruption and get a lot done. Love the cool quiet nights in the country with the odd whiff of cow manure from a long ways away. Peaceful is so nice.

Met Jeff out at Speargrass for men’s night. Love this course. Today was wonderful. I played as well as I like and am pleased with every aspect . Throwing darts and hitting long straight is always nice. Could have been one of my best scores except a couple mishaps on the last three holes.Great meal, drinks and fellow golfer made for a fun night.

Have you guys seen so much smoke. This morning it was thick. I had a 6 hour shift to work today. Turns out the course wasn’t that busy with the smoke so I only had to work 3 hours. Getting my free golf has not been easy. This is my fourth year working there and this is the first year where 3 times they refused to give me a tee time. I understand not wanting to give up paying tee spots but my fellow players pay ( albeit at 50% off ) but they also may like the course to come back themselves and they always buy beer and food. It is not a loss of revenue. It is a gain in providing an employee perk for retention, cheap word of mouth advertising by my playing partners and incremental sales in food and beverage. New GM. I won’t say anything yet as soon as Jeff is out of school getting a tee mid day is never an issue. Everyone including league play is always after work.  If nothing else come this fall I will use this perk 3 to 4 times a day when the other courses are closed. Things usually have  away of balancing. LOL

I had a challenged young man celebrating his birthday on the course today that let a twosome play through and I gave him a Player of the Day chip that he absolutely loved. It is a good feeling to make others feel good. I also had Talk about in good shape.

Another month passed and not enough accomplished. Hard to figure what the hurry is but it seems that way.

Temperatures all above 25 degrees next week. Hopefully smoke free. We need a south to north wind to send it back.

Thought of the Day

Summer IS here. BBQ’s, camping, vacation for some, cold beer on a deck,lakes, sunburns, hot dogs and hamburgers, people watching, playing on the beach, fishing for hours, sunsets, thunder storms. What is one to say about June, the time that we get a perfect young summer, the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, and still so young we see no sign of it’s fading beauty. But inside we know it only lives a short time each season. LIFE IS GREAT. SUMMER IS THE BEST. ENJOY EVERY MOMENT !