Oct 1st-2nd 

“Mercury Forecast   Mesa 42 degrees, Calgary 23 degrees, Edmonton 2o degrees”

Fall is a wonderful time of the year and we hope it lasts for a long time. It would be so nice to have it stretch into Nov with warm temperatures.

I paid my Mesa taxes and utility bills this morning before heading out to Turner Valley. Today was the last organized event for my men’s league. This year was my worst performance within the group with lack of winning money and playing exceptionally poor every Thursday. I go from a high 70’s to low 80’s score and then Thursday every time over 90. I only broke 90 twice on this course all year.  It is like bad luck, and poor shots come out of the woodwork only on Thursday’s . Today I was in every bunker, I was behind a tree, blocked out by a willow bush, hit the water  etc. For whatever reason this course does not fit my eye and I struggle on it. I can not hit my driver full swing for fear of going out of bounds. Other courses no problem. Wide enough fairways but if you are ONE FOOT off the fairway it is a lost ball. No PGA golf course is like that. To be penalized stroke and distance is unfair. I believe they should put a local rule in place and have it played with “resort rules” by playing your ball where it went out with one stroke. It is a love hate thing with this course. I haven’t decided for next year if I am going to torture myself or play a course I can excel at. TV is in such wonderful shape this year but I wish they would remove the willow bushes ( which do nothing for looks and hold up the game ) and underbrush at least 6 ft back to make it more playable. I am leaning towards Speargrass but not for sure as of yet. I will give a read on the first few holes of Turner Valley.

#1 left pull lost in bush or right slice in water.

#2 left pull in trees put it is cleared out so no issue but right side in thick bush. Can’t use a driver on a Par 4 hole is not a good design.

#3  go straight and you are in the thick bush, right slice in thick bush and 10 ft right of green thick bush land lost  ball.

#4 right fade into trees put cleared but left/straight lost in willow trees.

A way way too many holes where you are in trouble if not going straight and in the middle. It plays unfair. Hole 1,2, 3,4 ,8,12,15,16 are all trouble holes. I like McKenzie, Heatherglen, Boulder, Speargrass, Nanton,  Claresholm, and Darcy Ranch to name a few where they are much more friendly to play. I say this and I look at my group scoring 72 to 79’s a lot of the time and have to attempt it is MY FAULT. I will wait till Mesa for courses that offer forgiveness.

Jackie and I went for a nice long walk tonight. You sure can’t beat the warm nights now.

Ok I bought a FORD. Wouldn’t you know it after owning it for two weeks it is in the shop. Both FOBS stopped working. There are a way too many electronics on this car and a person can’t re program them without a shops computer. That is wrong. I just hope they don’t think I am going to pay anything because trust me they will have returned car.

Fix Or Repair Daily better not be coming to fruition.

We picked up the car and it is working fine now. It had no codes and they believe by placing the FOB in the emergency start up module it reset itself.

BBQ’d some wonderful Kabob’s tonight which I love. I like the cooked onions and peppers with them. Great tasting.

Up this morning and deciding how to spend the day. So many choices on a wonderful warm sunny Saturday. We decided to go for a long walk down into Fish Creek Park. For those that aren’t aware this is the largest park within a city limit in Canada. And it is beautiful with loads of trees, two rivers in it, plenty of picnic sites and even a lake with a beach. Let me say it was BUSY . Every parking lot full with people everywhere and bikes galore. It is awesome to see so many people enjoying themselves. We went for a long walk with Daisy thru the pathways. We ended up having to forge the creek to get back to where we came from. Rocks hurt the bare feet. LOL It was very nice, Daisy thoroughly enjoyed it and Jackie & I enjoyed the sun watching the fishing boats float by.

Four boats went by in the hour and not one bite. Fishing isn’t as good as the brochure. LOL

Narrowly getting across the river and back to our vehicle we decided to take a trip on the new 201 Ring Road.  When this is done it will make a big difference getting from the SE to the NW parts of the city. It already most likely saves around 5-10 mins and it is only 15kms long. The new Costco was packed. Parking lot full. We won’t be going there as Okotoks Costco is easier to get in and out of and is only 1/2hr away.  Big draw also as it is on Native land is the cheap gas. Line up of 20 cars deep. People are just plain dumb. $1.05 versus .90 a liter . Take a average gas tank of 40 liters you save $6.00. Six dollar savings to wait in line for 30 minutes, drive perhaps another 25 or more kilometers to get there and the trouble getting in and out of there. Even being retired my personal time is more valuable than $6 a hour. Now if I was filling the motorhome it would be a different story as it is about $300 to fill it.  So at 284 liters the savings would be about $ 42 bucks.

It is funny living in Calgary and seeing the HUGE change and not knowing where you are going  is odd. Nice to familiarize ourselves with a new area.

Another walk with the dog and a great BBQ’d supper.

Thought of the Day 

“People who are frugal understand the value of a dollar and make informed and thoughtful decisions. People who are cheap try to spend as little money as possible.”  

October 4th

“Mercury Forecast   Mesa 40 degrees, Calgary 23 degrees, Edmonton 17 degrees”

Just a beautiful fall day with lots of sun and just a hint of a haze in the air.

Jackie was busy with family so I headed out to the lot to get a few things done.

I can’t do a lot as we are having the kids out for a Thanksgiving meal and campfire. I have to have a Thanksgiving turkey meal no matter what. No turkey is like someone not decorating or putting up a tree for Christmas. I will cook a full meal out at the lot which is a little more difficult but with a few modifications it can be done. Turkey in the BBQ. Ham in the slow cooker. Mashed potatoes on the BBQ and the side dishes in the motorhome. I have to bring a few things out as we don’t store flour there or a mesh screen for the gravy. If a little on the cool side a heater in the gazebo works well or the campfire. Normal Covid restrictions will apply.

There are very few lots still up and running as the bulk of the people have packed all up and closed up their lots for the season.

Daisy and I walked every row in the resort. They have made so many nice changes in the last month it is amazing. All of the under bush has been removed and wood mulch applied. The older buildings by the pool have been removed, the shower building has been fixed up, new sand on the beach, and the play court has been paved for ball hockey, basketball etc. Even the lots from 3 years are night and day as people work at fixing them up. Makes the facilities look good.

I removed my 4 way splitter as the water is being turned off today. My tank is full which is 74 gallons so should last for a while. I cleaned up huge amount of leaves and made a smudge fire to burn them. It was smoky. Before the fire was out a new batch of leaves covered the yard. LOL  The yard behind us has being cleaned up but the dust is blowing our way. I dusted  the outdoor kitchen and cleaned the BBQ.

The neighbor right across the street  was out and is always a fun guy to converse with. There was a long line up at the store as it was the last day open and everything was 50% off.

It was a very enjoyable day !

Watching the Covid cases between us and Arizona and they are doing well. There case numbers are lowering while ours is on the increase. It will be a horrible Nov/Dec that I am not looking forward to but very hopeful for Jan 1 exit from winter.

Thought of the Day 

People can say what they want but snow is not beautiful, cold is not a reason to enjoy a fire, hibernation is not good for the soul. 

October 5th

“Mercury Forecast Mesa 40 degrees, Calgary 23 degrees, Edmonton 18th” 

Many of us are between the age of 60 and death. Below is great advice for aging that I think everyone should follow.

1. It’s time to use the money you saved up.  Use it and enjoy it.  Don’t just keep it for those who may have no notion of the sacrifices you made to get it. Remember there is nothing more dangerous than a son or daughter-in-law with big ideas for your hard-earned capital.  Warning: This is also a bad time for investments, even if it seems wonderful or fool-proof.  They only bring problems and worries.  This is a time for you to enjoy some peace and quiet.

2. Stop worrying about the financial situation of your children and grandchildren, and don’t feel bad spending your money on yourself.  You’ve taken care of them for many years, and you’ve taught them what you could.  You gave them an education, food, shelter and support.  The responsibility is now theirs to earn their own money.

3. Keep a healthy life, without great physical effort.  Do moderate exercise (like walking every day), eat well and get your sleep.  It’s easy to become sick, and it gets harder to remain healthy.  That is why you need to keep yourself in good shape and be aware of your medical and physical needs.  Keep in touch with your doctor, do tests even when you’re feeling well.  Stay informed.

4. Always buy the best, most beautiful items for your significant other.  The key goal is to enjoy your money with your partner.  One day one of you will miss the other, and the money will not provide any comfort then, enjoy it together

5. Don’t stress over the little things.  Like paying a little extra on price quotes.  You’ve already overcome so much in your life. You have good memories and bad ones, but the important thing is the present.  Don’t let the past drag you down and don’t let the future frighten you.  Feel good in the now.  Small issues will soon be forgotten.

6. Regardless of age, always keep love alive.  Love your partner, love life, love your family, love your neighbour and remember:  “A man is not old as long as he has intelligence and affection.”

7. Be proud, both inside and out.  Don’t stop going to your hair salon or barber, do your nails, go to the dermatologist and the dentist, keep your perfumes and creams well stocked.  When you are well-maintained on the outside, it seeps in, making you feel proud and strong.

8. Don’t lose sight of fashion trends for your age, but keep your own sense of style.  There’s nothing worse than an older person trying to wear the current fashion among youngsters.  You’ve developed your own sense of what looks good on you – keep it and be proud of it.  It’s part of who you are.

9. ALWAYS stay up-to-date.  Read newspapers, watch the news.  Go online and read what people are saying.  Make sure you have an active email account and try to use some of those social networks.  You’ll be surprised what old friends you’ll meet.  Keeping in touch with what is going on and with the people you know is important at any age.

10. Respect the younger generation and their opinions, even when they are wrong. They may not have the same ideals as you, but they are the future, and will take the world in their direction.  Give advice, not criticism, and try to remind them that yesterday’s wisdom still applies today.

11. Never use the phrase:  “In my time.”  Your time is now.  As long as you’re alive, you are part of this time.  You may have been younger, but you are still you now, having fun and enjoying life.

12. Some people embrace their golden years, while others become bitter and surly.  Life is too short to waste your days on the latter.  Spend your time with positive, cheerful people, it’ll rub off on you and your days will seem that much better.  Spending your time with bitter people will make you older and harder to be around. Choice wisely the people you are close to. Negativity breeds negativity and is a curse to a fun happy life.

13. Do not surrender to the temptation of living with your children or grandchildren (if you have a financial choice, that is).  Sure, being surrounded by family sounds great, but we all need our privacy.  They need theirs and you need yours. Your kids are not your friends or caretakers. Live your own life whatever that encompasses. If you’ve lost your partner  then find a person to move in with you and help out.  Even then, do so only if you feel you really need the help or do not want to live alone.

14. Don’t abandon your hobbies or friends.  If you don’t have any, make new ones.  You can travel, hike, cook, read, dance.  You can adopt a cat or a dog, grow a garden, play cards, checkers, chess, dominoes, golf.  You can paint, volunteer or just collect certain items.  Find something you like or someone you like and spend some real time having fun with it or them.

15. Even if you don’t feel like it, try to accept invitations.  Baptisms, graduations, birthdays, weddings, conferences.  Try to go. Get out of the house, meet people you haven’t seen in a while, experience something new (or something old).  But don’t get upset when you’re not invited.  Some events are limited by resources, and not everyone can be hosted.  The important thing is to leave the house from time to time.  Go to museums, go walk through a field.  Get out there.

16. Be a conversationalist.  Talk less and listen more.  Some people go on and on about the past, not caring if their listeners are really interested.  That’s a great way of reducing their desire to speak with you.  Listen first and answer questions, but don’t go off into long stories unless asked to.  Speak in courteous tones and try not to complain or criticize too much unless you really need to.  Try to accept situations as they are.  Everyone is going through the same things, and people have a low tolerance for hearing complaints.  Always find some good things to say as well.

17. Pain and discomfort go hand in hand with getting older.  Try not to dwell on them but accept them as a part of the cycle of life we’re all going through.  Try to minimize them in your mind.  They are not who you are, they are something that life added to you.  Think not of ill and disease and thou shall defeat the foe within. If pain and discomfort become your entire focus, you lose sight of the person you used to be. You will be prisoner to your pain and not move.

18. If you’ve been offended by someone – forgive them.  If you’ve offended someone – apologize.  Don’t drag around resentment with you.  It only serves to make you sad and bitter.  It doesn’t matter who was right.  Someone once said:  “Holding a grudge is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die.”  Don’t take that poison. Forgive, forget and move on with your life.

19. If you have a strong belief, savour it.  But don’t waste your time trying to convince others.  They will make their own choices no matter what you tell them, and it will only bring you frustration.  Live your faith and set an example.  Live true to your beliefs and let that memory sway them.

20. Laugh.  Laugh A LOT.  Laugh at everything.  Remember, you are one of the lucky ones.  You managed to have a life, a long one.  Many never get to this age, never get to experience a full life.  But you did.  So what’s not to laugh about?  Find the humour in your situation. Try not to be the only one laughing at your own jokes.

21. Take no notice of what others say about you and even less notice of what they might be thinking.  They’ll do it anyway, and you should have pride in yourself and what you’ve achieved.  Let them talk and don’t worry.  They have no idea about your history, your memories and the life you’ve lived so far.  There’s still much to be written, so get busy writing and don’t waste time thinking about what others might think.  Now is the time to be at rest, at peace and as happy as you can be!

REMEMBER: “Life is too short to drink bad wine and warm beer.”

Getting older to a certain age is wonderful. It is something that I believe most people say is the best time of their life. Referred to as the Golden Years for a reason and it should be cherished as many never get the opportunity to. You sow what you reap.

The weather today again for October was amazing.  Golfing with Jeff & Wendy today was perfect. Well perfect till the second nine. The winds came up and were blowing quite substantially. It was a great day golfing though.  Here is the scoop (stole that line from Biden). I thought today both Wendy and Jackie played quite well. On the first nine Jackie had a 51. Today Jeff hit the ball better than he has in a long time. His drives and irons were good today. I was semi pleased. Some amazing shots but still a few too many drives that caused a few issues. Front nine before the wind was a 40. A 280 yard 3 wood landing on the green ( wind assist) 310 yard drive off the tee measured. It was a fun day. We decided not to stop for a after drink as the wind was too strong for the patio. Next time.

Shandi came to get a car seat from Jeff & Wendy and we got to visit for a bit which was nice. Shandi and the girls when we first moved to Calgary were together quite often.  Great to see her again.

Daisy as usual was the perfect dog watching us golf.

Thought of the Day 

I had a wonderful experience on the golf course today. A hole in nothing. I missed the ball and sank the divot.

October 6th

“Mercury Forecast    Mesa 38 degrees, Calgary 14 degrees, Edmonton 17 degrees”

Here is a very disturbing and disgusting attempt by the unions of Alberta to encourage voters to vote NDP. We need Ralph. If I was Kenny I would immediately reduce all public workers salaries by 20 percent. If they strike FIRE everyone of them and promote Alberta to the world to fill the positions .Which will be easy as the salary will still be very lucrative and Alberta a good place to live. It is time to remove this “cancer” out of our work place and economy. To encourage people to HURT companies by not buying from them especially during Covid due to a political contribution is asinine and incomprehensibly. It should be criminal. It is blatant intimidation and should be considered a threat. I just don’t understand the mentality of unions and their supporters. Everyone wants higher wages, better benefits, shorter work hours, better work conditions but we all have the mechanisms in place to encourage and enforce this without a union. I am surprised with Kenny staying so calm. He should hit back hard.

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/alberta-unions-call-for-boycott-of-businesses-that-support-jason-kenney-s-ucp-posts-names-on-website/ar-BB19KygN?ocid=msedgdhp

I was pleased that a writer in the Sun agrees with me on unions. I hope more people start thinking for themselves.

https://calgarysun.com/opinion/letters/letters-oct-8-unions-are-going-way-too-far-here

Trump is up to his games again. We had to know if he got out early he would say Covid is nothing. I agree we cannot run scared of it completely but it has killed over 200K Americans. There will be those that think he is an idiot and risking more lives and those that think he is a hero. This covid has brought out the worst and best of our leaders.  It is sad to say that in most cases they have not been good leaders. It still is very interesting how the world is struggling with Covid and the Chinese have no problems what so ever. Odd that China with 1.4 Billion population has less half of Canada’s Covid cases with 37 million people.  Why the world isn’t investigating this is unbelievable. 1.4 billion – 85,000 cases, 37 million- 160,000 cases .Most would say that is impossible. So the record keeping may be off or a cover up big time or what? It doesn’t make any sense.

Jeff & Wendy found a great deal on a motorhome and asked me to come with them for a look see. This is a very nice motorhome. Jayco 29 ft with lots of options. Full body paint ( a $8k option) the easiest system for water supply/ winterizing I have seen, super floor plan, 2 slides, tub/shower enclosure and walk around bed. A great electric folding bed couch, convection microwave, 2 TV’s and the V10 F450 chassis. I was surprised on 16″ wheels though. The motorhome had only 30,000 kms on it. Basically brand new. I would give this unit a 9.5 out of 10. Just a couple of things that aren’t an issue and wouldn’t stop me from buying it but worth noting are: It does not have leveling jacks and it has a low slung waste connection with a long backend. One requires driver caution but no big deal the other a simple fix with inexpensive jack stands or more expense scissor jacks. I would change out the one 12v for 2- 6volt batteries if I was dry camping much but as it has a built in genset there is no real need.

If they are serious about it I would make him an offer and see what happens after taking it for a test drive and equipment check. Test everything to use as a bargaining tool and to see if you are comfortable driving it.  Being so new I am sure everything is perfect but the driving part and the dollars paid have to make sense.  For me if I was looking for another I would buy this one in minute.  I sold my first motorhome without a test drive and I bought my second one without a test drive as when you have such low kilometers you know nothing is wrong. I would do a equipment check only as a bargaining tool. Stove fridge, micro, lights, TV’s etc. I love the floorplan and actually like it a little better than my current unit.

Very nice find if they decide to buy it. It is always nice to have another couple to go camping with. This year was an off year for camping for us with Covid issues, full campsites etc and family issues. Plus I didn’t want Daisy in the motorhome until she was fully trained. Next year I want to do a lot more as I find it one of life’s little pleasures.

Wow I am surprised and pleased. Jeff & Wendy ended putting in a offer and have a verbal agreement.  This is one nice unit and they will have years of enjoyment out of it. Looking forward to next year for a caravan run.

Thought of the Day 

No one has died of old age since March 2020 . Odd 

October 7-9th

“Mercury Forecast   Mesa 39 degrees, Calgary 19 degrees, Edmonton 13 degrees”

Wonderful fall weather. I do like the colors, I really enjoy the coolness in the air and the warm sun during the day and fast cooling off at night makes it a great time of year.

Today I picked up my sandals at Midnapore Repair. This guy is awesome. Cheap and good. What I really like about him as a person though is his approach to things. He is an ex oil patch guy that got laid off and bought this shoe repair business. He is a pretty neat character that is eccentric a bit. Believes in the New World Order and is anti government and mask. Neat guy and a lot of fun to talk to.

I met Jeff & Wendy at Heatherglen today.  I smiled when they arrived as they were bundled up ready for a blizzard. Multiple layers and toques. The day warmed then cooled  and was like this for most of the entire time. Even some wind gust thrown in for good measure.  It was a good day golfing. Wendy had a great day with some very good shots. Most likely her best score. Only 2 slices and missed putts kept me from breaking 80 but anytime a 82 pops up I am happy. Loads of Pars but just couldn’t drop the Birdies.

Disappointing news. Jeff & Wendy’s motorhome deal fell thru.

Two things here. First the seller if he accepts a verbal offer should honor that and tell any new lookers it is pending. If someone offered him a higher price he should have given a first right of refusal to Jeff & Wendy. This is common courtesy and surprises me as the guy seemed like a decent person but as the saying goes, money does talk. Having said that if you are committed to buying something a deposit in most cases holds it as the seller will tell any prospective clients it is sold.  The art of negotiating includes not only getting a good and fair deal but finalizing it. Without a deposit I can understand the seller looking after himself. I always said to my reps until I see a p.o. signed it is not a deal. I think differently than a lot of people. If I like something  and want it, I commit fast. I do most things in life fast. Get your mind out of the gutter ! I left a $1000 cash with an older couple on our motorhome in Edmonton when we bought it and came back two days later to pick it up. One time though  I left a $100 down on a car but after reconsidering it and not really happy with my decision I gave up my down payment in all fairness to the seller.

What is unfortunate is this motorhome will be very very hard to duplicate. Very hard. Good pricing and in immaculate shape. The new tires he just put on alone would be about 2K.  RV tires go by date not wear. Full body paint is hard to find and is a 8K option. There will be other motorhomes but this one will be hard to beat.  I hope they find another that works for them as I was excited of the opportunity to do some more camping, golfing trips. Time will tell.

Today was most likely the last day golfing at Turner Valley for this year. And wouldn’t you know it. The best golf score at Turner Valley this year and it was not in my league and the last of the year. What is up with that?  If only a few more putts would have dropped I would have been real happy. It gets the monkey of my back in not scoring well here. I lost one ball in the leaves but still managed a double boogie so not bad. It was a fun day golfing and hopefully not the last. Hopefully the Graces and us can get out a few more times even with the weather not looking great.

I found another texture guy for our ceiling so hopefully he works out for us. I have decided on Pergo or Mohawk Brand laminate after a lot of research so will check that out after Thanksgiving. We have our Saturday Turkey dinner for our kids on Saturday, I plan to close down the lot on Sunday including the motorhome, and Monday we go up to Edmonton to visit Mom in her outside gazebo. I am going to being my firepit for us. I plan to go to Lethbridge on Tuesday to blow out the irrigation system.

This picture is a snap shot of the year 2020. Here is Jackson going to school for class picture day. Yet no class picture . LOL Sad really !

I went to Sobey’s and picked up the turkey and everything else we need for the weekend. I splurged this year and bought a Butterball. They are a better turkey and I like the pop up telling you when it is cooked. Controlling the heat on a BBQ in cooler weather is a little more difficult than a house insulated house oven.  They had lots of fresh turkeys which is great. And yes a lot more smaller turkeys this year as predicted. This 12 pound is the smallest one I think I have ever bought. We should be all set and the weather looks pretty decent. Between a good campfire and gas firepit I think I can keep people warm.

If I was on deaths row in prison my last meal request would be a full turkey dinner. It is my favorite meal. I am a traditionalist though so the standard meal is the best. Mashed Potatoes, Turkey, stuffing or dressing, peas , carrots, gravy and I am happy. You can have a few side dished but not really needed as salads, beets, pickles, cabbage rolls, corn, coleslaw, etc.

Do you call it stuffing or dressing ? I believe if in the bird it should be called stuffing and if made as a side dish dressing. Fancy people most likely call it dressing as it sounds better. Similar to us having a Turkey Dinner at noon. If it was later it would be a Turkey Supper.

Thought of the Day 

What are you thankful for if you are a turkey ? Vegetarians. 

October 10th-11th

“Mercury Forecast    Mesa 36  degrees, Calgary 19 degrees, Edmonton 14 degrees “

Looking at the upcoming weather unless it changes radically I may have golfed the last time in 2020. It is taking a nasty turn and the 14 day which puts it near the end of the month it is rare to see a double digit temperature. Sad as I wanted the fall to last a lot longer and to get in a few more games.

Jackie and I headed out the lot as today was our Thanksgiving Covid gathering with the kids. Getting out there leaves were knee deep. I started the BBQ up to get it to temperature and then started raking, blowing and stuffing bags full of leaves. A LOT of leaves. What is odd is these popular trees even today are dropping sticky buds attached to small branches. I then put the turkey in and started fixing up everything else. Readied the water, hot water heater, ran a power cord from the neighbors post as I had the slow cooker, fireplace, electric fry pan etc to use. 30 amp is a pain. I put away all of the coverings and placed the cushions out in the chairs. What a great thing to have the gazebo  with curtains. It was a very wind day with a wind warning gust up to 80 kms per hour. It was windy but we were very protected. Having a small group makes the cooking and arranging of people so much easier. Today we had Audrey, Tor, Jackson, Jessica, Penny, Atticus and August with Jackie & I. The nice thing is we can be close yet separate to be safe especially being outside. Being at the lot we kept the Thanksgiving meal simple. Turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, and peas. I was impressed with myself on the cooking of the turkey as it was the first time on a BBQ and it turned out perfect.

Probably a hour earlier than expected it hit temperature and I had to let it rest. One time fast and another slower than normal is common with turkeys.  I am biased a bit but the meal turned out fantastic. Jess brought a apple pie and Tor a pumpkin pie. The pumpkin pie was exceptional and was completely gone. It had a different ( more nutmeg) taste and a different pie crust that was unusual but very good tasting.

We sat around talking, the boys played around the lot and we visited the new basketball court and playground. August is getting pretty good especially for his age at playing Connect 4.

That lady in the background sure has a good push up bra.

Warm enough, windy , sunny but a wonderful fall day. I think everyone enjoyed the meal and the day. I know it was nice to have a semi normal gathering with the family.

Today also was our good friend Jeff Grace’s birthday. He is the youngest of my friends and for whatever reason never seems to catch up.  Once you are his age though it really doesn’t matter if you are 58 or 59 as with both ages you are tetter tottering between middle age and senior. Here is to a wonderful day!

We whipped out to the lot and worked out there from 10am to 4pm. It was close down time that takes a lot of time to get right. Our first mission was to bring in the slides and auto store the leveling jacks. Jackie worked inside putting things where they need to be for this and organizing and cleaning out the closets, the pantry and cupboards. We had a car load full of stuff to bring back to the condo. My next step in the process was to winterize the unit. I had picked up two regular jugs of water anti freeze and started. It actually went a lot faster this year as I had Jackie inside turning on the taps while a made sure the hose was in the jug and switched jugs when needed. This was the most important thing to get done. I forgot to mention just before this I dumped the black and grey water. I installed my center pole in my gazebo to handle any snow load and started packing up the furniture. We have a ton of cushions that we put into the shed and stacked them up in front of the outdoor kitchen and tarped them all up. I also pulled out all of the beautiful flowers ( miracle grow is amazing) and moved the planters and pots to the back and turned them upside down or covered them for winter. Took down the lanterns and put away all of the solar lights. Jackie heated up a full turkey/ham meal minus dressing for me to have at lunch time. It only hit 13 degrees but it was lovely and warm. It was a full days work but it was enjoyable. I have a quick trip in a few days to fill and charge up all of the batteries and install my solar chargers then I will done except for and their always is the exception I will need to get a whack of tools for the condo reno.

We got home and we rested for about an hour than headed to Audrey’s for a pizza supper and a quick visit along with MaryAnn and Alan. Always fun people to converse with. If only Alan hadn’t inherited a British sense of humour. I like to laugh at jokes and that is hard thing to do with his. It was a fun evening.

Thought of the Day

A palace can’t make you rich but a RV on a  lot can. We become rich only through simpleness and modestness.

October 12th

“Mercury Forecast  Mesa 38 degrees, Calgary 6 degrees, Edmonton 9 degrees”

Can we all say WINTER. Looking ahead the 14 day forecast sucks.

Up early this morning and we heading up to Edmonton to visit Mom. The above sentence mentioned winter and we saw our first snow of the fall in 2020. It started off leaving the condo in rain that turned to sleet and snow. I discovered in rain or sleet the adaptive cruise control won’t work. The sensors get covered and the system for safety reasons shut down. I had to over ride the system to get manual cruise.  Amazing how many vehicles were on the road especially considering the current Covid crisis in Edmonton.

We hit Edmonton just a little early and drove to Swiss Chalet and waited for about a 1/2 hour. I bought three Swiss Thanksgiving Specials, which is chicken, mashed potatoes, dressing and a bun along with a Lindor and pumpkin pie. It was very good.

I booked the outside open gazebo for us. Alfred, Mary, Darlene, Jim and Kari joined us along with Mom for a nice Thanksgiving Dinner. The temperature was cool and adding the wind to the picture, one could say it was cold. I brought my outside firepit and we all huddled around it which worked very well. No wind and it would have been fine. Each family brought their own meal.  I was impressed with Mom at 7-10 degrees out and a cold wind to sit outside for three hours was great. Almost 89 years old and a trooper. Under the circumstances it was an exceptionally nice visit as Jackie & I haven’t seen Alfred or Darlene since December 2019 for Christmas. A fun day.

The drive up and down was excellent and Daisy was perfect . Nice day !

Have I said I hate the cold. I am so looking forward to Arizona. It killed me to wear shoes and socks.

Reading the news another golf course in our area is closing. Lakeside is a beautiful course that I have played many times including in a annual golf tournament. It amazes me how poor of operators a lot of golf courses have. They just don’t just get. The pricing is too high for the average person to spend. They could increase the tee times drastically with consumer friendly pricing.   You increase the tee times and the food & beverage will see exponential increases.

I dropped the margin 3 basis points at Henderson’s in the second month of being the General Manager and set an all time sales record/profit record. A year later the sales were double that. Every company has that sweet spot of maximum sales/profit. You look at the break even point number and adjust the margin to what the market can bear to maximize sales. Make a 50% margin on NO sales is not success.

We have lost too many golf courses and I am positive it is due to pricing. I consider my golfing dollars very carefully. McKenzie Meadows, Blue Devil, Heatherglen and Turner Valley all could increase sales and profits if they would think outside the box,  Most would think less competition means you can raise the price. What they are forgetting is the reason for the competition being gone. Raise the price and join them. Just saying.

Jackie’s birthday went on for a week and now Thanksgiving just keeps giving. A cold week so no golf with only a few things to do. Tomorrow Lethbridge to blow out the irrigation and Wednesday Stablock and battery charge then DONE just in time to start laying a floor.

Thought of the Day 

I wonder if shivering counts as exercise ?

October 13th

” Mercury Forecast    Mesa 38 degrees, Calgary 4 degrees, Edmonton 6 degrees”

As we still have the Buick I park on the street. Coming out to it this morning there was a whack of frost on the windshield.  That time of year.

I headed out to the lot to pick up my air compressor and some tools to blow out Jessica’s sprinkler system. I put away the firepit back in the motorhome and installed my cargo carrier for the other bigger air compressor I was going to rent.

The drive down this morning was wonderful. You have to love the country in the fall and the highway with it’s miles of flat fields on either side looks awesome. Driving with no traffic, country music on low and a Ice Capp in your hands makes for an enjoyable trip.

My first stop was at Ward’s Rentals. I love this place.  I have rented a lot of stuff from here over the years including chairs tables etc for Jessica’s wedding. They have a great selection, priced right and very helpful. Very Covid friendly this time though. The compressor fit perfect in my cargo carrier which was good. A two man job to load and unload though.

My system I built for Jessica has three 100ft zones. It takes a lot of air. My 2 cfm compressor couldn’t handle it with it’s 6 gallon reserve. The big one handled it well except the reserve tanks weren’t big enough to keep constant pressure. I had to blow out a zone and then wait for the pressure to build again. I did this over and over getting all zones as empty as possible. The heads are designed as self draining also so everything is set for spring. My homemade adapter using a tire valve actually was restricting and removing it and going direct helped a lot.  All done for another year.

Luckily Lethbridge was warmer hitting 9 degrees but it started to rain while blowing out the lines.

I have one more day at the lot with filling the batteries with distilled water, charging them all to full and adding Stablock to the gas tank for the generator and motorhome. Then I am done except for a tool run.

A good day and quite enjoyable with the driving and small job needed.

Finally some cutting with the AHS taking a big hit. If you can save 600 million a year by out sourcing I am all for it. Why pay HUGE salaries and benefits when you can out source to a company that is non union and can do the same job for less .They should have forced a salary reduction on the CEO. I wish the UCP would move faster though on everything. Get rid of the RCMP, opt out of CPP, cut public wages and budgets with in health and education, off load any service such as parks, open private clinics to ease the burden on the public system and look at any way we can to get out of the equalization payments. Give the oil industry special tax incentives to get the world to invest even with our idiot Trudeau. Just to name a few things. CUT everything we can HAS to be done. If that means less snow plowing, pot holes for a while, longer waits for things we need to do it.

Thought of the Day 

I wonder how a Nascar driver turns right on a normal street. I bet they struggle. 

October 14th-15th

“Mercury Forecast  Mesa 38 degrees, Calgary 5 degrees, Edmonton 5 degrees”

First snow on the ground for the fall of 2020. I HATE IT

There are always conspiracy theories on most events. In most cases not founded but makes news and people think.  In some cases the theory does have substantial evidence of being possible.

Covid is no exception as it would appear the media is taking a virus and a way way over blowing the situation. 99.9% of the people recover.

The “supposed” coming vaccine is the most controversial with a lot of internet noise. I was going to post the link but then changed my mind as no one should ever believe QAnon.  Utube and Facebook are filled with this propaganda. I will say this though. It will be a long time coming for me to have a COVID vaccine shot. Even the normal vaccines are not good for people injecting aluminum and mercury into their veins. A flu vaccine DOES NOT stop you from getting sick and in fact makes people sick.   Measles, chicken pox, polio vaccines saved a lot of lives but prevented a disease. But that is just me !

A lot of flooring research today and paint color checking. It was a get r done day with contacts that didn’t respond.

I got a hold of our ceiling texturing guy and arranged a time to have this completed.

I received a response to have our couch and ottoman re covered from the factory were we ordered them from years ago. We are still up in the air on this as it is a custom built high end product and the cost of recovering is equal to buying a new one that is standard in the industry.  We will see.

I received numerous emails back from the factory of the Golden Select flooring with answers on my questions. Everything is good. The only issue I have is the STC rating while higher still doesn’t meet the condo spec as they require a sound proof underlay. The Select flooring already has a backing so I can’t install a under pad under it. Have I said a I hate RULES.

We received about 3 inches of snow so no bad. Yet it is cold at -5 degrees and no let up. My tee time his morning looks like it is cancelled. LOL   It is interesting to watch people across the street shovel their snow. At least I don’t have to do that.

October 6th I wrote about what the Alberta unions are doing asking for a boycott of businesses supporting the UCP. It bothered me then as now. Today I found this letter to the editor that I thought was worded perfectly and well written:

SUE THE UNION
Defamation of character. This is the legal term for slander. The definition is, by Canadian law, the willful detriment of harming a person, or a company’s reputation by publicly denouncing their legal rights. The publishing of a list of companies who donated to the UCP, and actively suggesting their members and the public at large boycott said companies, fits this definition. The leadership of Alberta unions are actively trying to undermine the legal right of who independent companies can support by threat of causing them financial harm. This, in my view, goes way beyond fundamentally wrong, but in fact should be deemed illegal. If my company loses one dollar because my name appears on a list published by a socialist organization that doesn’t agree with my views simply because I support a particular political party, I’d be looking to my lawyers for a lawsuit. Who I legally donate my money to is my business. If I want you to know, ask me and I’ll tell you. Publicly and willfully trying to harm my name and livelihood, and that of my employees, is and should be illegal. Period. As far as I’m concerned this is just another reason unions have not only existed past their expiration date, but exist only for the weak of mind that need to be told how to think. Welcome to socialism people. That’s how it works.

It is a shame what we are coming with the socialist’s slowly working their thinking into our Canadian culture. And people are buying into this blind. If the Green & NDP gain anymore support as a country we will be changed forever. I could lump Liberals in here but their policies aren’t bad if not lead by Trudeau.

I have done a lot of research on laminates. There is NO GREAT brand with the reviews but I think we have finally decided on Pergo Hickory. We are going with a darker floor than we wanted due to inventory, and mostly due to rules from the condo board. I hate RULES. They have high expectations of sound dampening.

We have all of the paint picked out, the flooring picked out, the underlay and now just have to wait for condo approval. A sale starts October 22nd which I want to buy so hopefully a quick turn around.

My texture guy showed up. A semi retired quirky guy. Nice guy. I will say he does know what he is doing. Just squeaking out a living now though. He showed up in beater truck with all of equipment, compressor etc all covered in snow. Listening to his life story was interesting. He just recently lost his wife. He used to own his own larger drywall company. Now he just works as needed using Kijiji for work.

He got it all done. I would say 95% perfect match. To match sizing of the splatter is hard enough but also color as a 12 year old ceiling’s color does change. I plan to have the entire ceiling painted which will make it look the same and good.

Have seen messages from numerous people not going to Viewpoint this year, some waiting for January and two that I know about that are already at Viewpoint. I wish I was. LOL  Our plans still look like January if the border opens.

Once I start working it will take me about two weeks to complete everything, Remove baseboards, remove carpet and under-pad, install flooring, re-install trim and new molding where needed, paint the walls, move furniture to get covered or new stuff, and look at changing the living-room curtains.

Wow is it cold outside. We went for our walk outside with Daisy just a few minutes ago. It is -8 degrees but with the wind chill feels like -13 degrees. It felt like it. How sad is it that in the middle of October we are wearing toques and heavy winter coats to go for a walk. And we needed them.

Good golf game on today with Phil and Weir battling it out for a win.

Thought of the Day 

Going for a walk today was cold. I did a 360 and carried on with it being much warmer.

October 19th-20th

“Mercury Forecast  Mesa 34 degrees, Edmonton -1 degrees, Calgary  0 degrees”

We are averaging 17 degrees or more cooler than normal. What happened to global warming ? Daisy actually loves the cold. I have yet to see her raise a paw or balk at going for walk.

We had a horrible spring weather wise and didn’t get summer until mid July then had a wonderful stretch until  October 14th then winter came. I was extremely likely with the timing of Jessica’s irrigation system as the next day winter hit. I looked back in years past and Jeff & I or Larry & I golfed up to Nov 5th.  I keep saying to myself even with no Covid we don’t go south until Nov 1 so we would still be here anyways. They announced today the border will remain closed until Nov 21st now. We could fly and rent a car but the flying part and the rental part are not enticing to me right now. Come January it might be a different story.

Not nice of Mother Nature to give us a year of ugly weather while being hit with Covid.

Getting closer to starting my reno. Ceiling done ( will paint the complete ceiling in the future) and I have submitted all of my paperwork needed. Drives me a little nuts having to ask permission to do anything in MY OWN HOME but that is the way it is with multi family living. Wall color selection is done and final flooring selection done. I will head out to the lot tomorrow to pick my table saw, mitre saw, jig saw, oscillating saw, compressor and nail gun and numerous other tools required. I will store them and ready them for use on the deck. It is a fairly big project that will take a while. I hope in two weeks to get everything done. I just don’t want to be rushed or bothered due to inconvenience. I want it done right and perfect.

“Memories”

When Fred & I gutted his house In Mesa it was so nice as we could work on our schedule, make a mess if required and clean up when needed and complete it as required without any interference.  In all cases this makes a renovation much easier. 

Headed out the lot and picked up my tools. As I have said I am not meant to be Canada in the winter. Even with gloves on my hands froze putting all of my tools in the Jeep. Age is a funny thing. I now notice a slight decline in strength. I never found anything too heavy. Today picking up my cargo carrier to install it was heavy. Picking my 10″ mitre saw with it’s stand attached it was heavy. I hate that. I haven’t found anything yet that I can’t or won’t do but it is not as easy as it once was. I hate that feeling though of thinking something is too heavy. A flooring reno requires a full load of tools. Mitre saw, tablesaw, jig jaw, oscillating saw , sliding bevel square, undercut jamb saw, smaller pry bars, carpenters angle square, olfa knives, marker, rubber mallet and i think I got everything. I don’t want another trip out if I don’t have to.

This morning with the ice on my windshield my wiper blade broke. I whipped to Canadian Tire to get a new one. I hate that they carry universal ones but I picked up a Premium one for $22.  I spent 1 minute taking the old one off and try as i might I could not make the new one work. Stupid design. I decided to take it back as it must be the wrong one. On the way I thought I will stop at the Dodge dealer and get the correct one. $ 9.50 and only 1 minute to install. I returned the other wiper to Canadian Tire. Lesson learned !!

I made a stop at Lowes to pick up some shims and marker to get ready for the install and to check on the quantity they have as the sale starts Thursday.

Coming home today from the lot I took a huge hit from a rock thrown at me by a truck going the opposite direction. Quick reaction time saved it from smacking me dead center but it got me bottom left hand corner.  I must be getting a little slower. Hopefully doesn’t spread to fast as I don’t like changing out the glass until after spring sweep up.

One of my favorite vehicles gone today. The Enclave is wonderful vehicle that we loved. A very luxurious quiet smooth riding vehicle that easily holds 7 people. This was the loaded model with everything. I love wood grain and leather.

Sold.

I had only one complaint on this SUV. Low profile tires stopping in ice sucked and I think companies should move away from these.

“Memories”

I had a 2004 Acura Vigor. A wonderful car.  The first winter when I couldn’t stop on the ice I was quite upset. Coming up to lights with the ABS pounding and not being able to stop was horrible as I do drive a little quick. I phoned Darren Wood my purchaser at Henderson’s and said I need winter tires now. Darren found a deal on Blizzak Tires. Wow what a difference. 

My pink card finally is getting down to a manageable size with only three vehicles on it now.

Thought of the Day 

We are all supposed to know that small cars are good for us. But so is cod liver oil and jogging and who is dumb enough to do these things.

October 21st-30th 

“Mercury Forecast  Mesa 34 degrees, Edmonton -4 degrees Calgary -3 degrees MORE SNOW “

Getting another snow blast. Wind from the east which is odd. Have i said I hate winter.

Watching the news this morning the uptick in Covid cases worldwide is amazing. I agree we can not shut down the economies again but the people have to start taking responsibility.  Simple distancing, washing hands, and masks can and have reduced the case loads but we all have become complacent.

If we are in a lock down situation for Christmas, and you don’t get to visit your family, remember, it is not the Government’s fault – it is the public’s fault! It is YOUR fault !!

***This is your 10 week warning!***

Wear a mask.
Wash your hands.
Stop having home gatherings.
Stop meeting in groups. 

The list goes on…………AND…….
Don’t ruin it for everyone else.
I for 1 would like to spend Christmas as we usually do….. as a family.
It’s really time for people to start following the guidelines more carefully.

I had to include this commercial. Wonderful subject matter and well done.

https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.chonday.com%2FVideos%2Fbsutytranpl3&data=02%7C01%7C%7C3a9d6f658c50465ea3f508d865d44695%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637371309674884175&sdata=l%2BJHuKxuhej0TzPf12ZGPMGmzhUIbTemLHOEaPiANr0%3D&reserved=0

Well the house is in full reno mode now.

Day 1 RENO-

I removed all of the carpet in the hallway and dining room. I removed all of the underlay and staples. I removed all of the smooth edge without causing any blood. I took off the baseboard. I undercut the door frames. As we are doing it in sections and moving the furniture from room to room it takes a little more time. A bit of a pain but the only way with limited space.  I placed and cut the new under pad. Nice stuff to work with and odd that a 3mm product is supposed to reduce the noise so much.

Day 2- RENO-

Up at 8 am and heading to Lowes as the sale starts today. Any time you get 25% off it is a good thing.  It saved a good $700 bucks. I put in the order and had them get it ready for me while I went a picked up my rental van.

I MISS the Dakota. LOL .

I picked up my van from Uhaul as they advertise  $19.95 for the day. They should be charged with misleading advertising. I am not upset at the real cost but don’t advertise something that is impossible to get. Nice van.

Lowes had it already and they loaded up very fast. The fork truck driver was wonderful working in a tight spot. This flooring is HEAVY. Two pallets sucked the van down to the ground. I had hoped that the van was low enough to get into our underground parking to unload. I drove to our garage door and saw the sign saying 7ft height. A large sign on the dash stating 7’2″ required for clearance. With the weight I could get in but not out of the opening. LOL

“Memories” 

Going to a company sponsored golf tournament in Saskatoon for Sterling Dist my friend Earle Pollock drove his Dodge van from Edmonton to Saskatoon. I took my Vette. We get to the hotel and they have a multi-level parkade.  Earle figures he has enough clearance and we both drove up to park. All is perfect . Jackie & I get out of the Vette just as a bunch of guys are getting out of Earle’s van. His van pops up and you can hear the roof get squished as it hit the rafters in the parking spot. Funny but not. To get out he had to fill the van again with a bunch of guys.

So I backed up to the overhead door and unloaded the flooring onto my new dolly that I got at Princess Auto for $29 that holds 1000 pounds. This worked out excellent. We used the dolly and rolled it to the elevator and up to the unit. Two pallets is a lot of weight and quite a few trips. Jackie was awesome in her helping but it still is a LOT of work. We opened each carton to acclimate and stacked them hopefully where I won’t be moving them again. A little tiring.

I whipped the van back putting on a total of 39 kilometers. It all worked out well. A quick stop at Tim’s and got home to have lunch.

We then threw the carpet and underlay over the balcony and loaded it up into/on to the Jeep. Everything fit in well and I headed to the dump. Our dump has a min charge of $25 which I think is too high. Lower this and people won’t be dumping in the country or any place where they shouldn’t. I have at least two if not three trips coming up from the other rooms.

Enough for today.

A funny thing did happen today. As I was leaving and at the outside door our elderly neighbor comes up to me and says ” I am not complaining but are you doing a reno. We heard all kinds of noises yesterday? ”  I found this a little annoying but understand it is due to her age. First of all if you are not complaining why even mention it. Second under cutting jamb is NOT a noisy event. I pray I do not become one of these “old people”. A nice lady but is it complaining or just being nosy. I hereby promise to make every effort to remain “normal” what ever that is but I will never become paranoid, grumpy, a complainer, talk about medical issues or become affixed on what others are doing.

I watched the debate tonight and was impressed by the moderator and Trump. He did very well and made Joe look quite bad. The poor Americans having to choose between these two guys. I will say Trump by far will be a lot better for Canada.

Day 3 Reno

First of all it is cold outside. I took the tarp off my table saw and mitre saw on the deck. Ridiculous amount of snow coming down for the last few days and still a few days to come. And cold with it minus 9 feeling like -16 degrees. My hands were getting frozen.  More undercutting  required in the hallway doors and a bit more carpet to cut back to make my pattern work. Then the first row. Normally you like to start at the longest wall but we have multiple angled walls in every room being a angled corner unit. To make the angles look good other than going at a 45 degrees I chose the wall at the entrance. Lots of undercutting and obstacles to get around. I started at 9am and worked today until  4pm. Getting the first rows right was a pain. Very painful. After about the 5th row I started to get the hang of everything. What angle, when to push and when the tap block is needed. Getting into the dining room from the hallway is when it started to get a lot easier. I really like the look of these floors and we are relatively happy with the click system.  I expect tomorrow to be a good footage day. A little too much waste with angled walls on both ends and I only calculated 10% extra. I did wreck one board with a mis-cut. A good day !

We took a walk before supper with Daisy. She is like a bunny hopping thru the snow. Her short legs letting her tummy hit the snow with each hop. It is funny to watch especially with the hopping tracks looking rather odd.

Another day done.

I got to bug Jenny yesterday as she experienced another birthday. They seem to come fast nowadays. This is Jenny when she turned 60 years old which seems so so long ago. Today we wished her a Happy 64th Birthday which naturally she will deny.  Denial is always the first defense.

Kids love snow. Me not so much

Day 4 Reno- 

Cold outside when I uncovered the equipment on the deck. First on the agenda today was flooring. Having got the hang of it a bit I had hoped for a lot of footage. We did fairly well finishing off the hallway and dining room. I installed the baseboards back on in both sections.

We then removed most of the carpet in the living room. Remember we have to work around loads of furniture. Took off the baseboards in living room. Working around furniture is a pain and does add a lot of time to the process. I loaded up the Jeep with the carpet and underlay and few other items and headed to the dump. I had the back full, the cargo carrier full and loaded rolls of carpet on the roof rack. The dump was busy today with a line up.

We laid the underlay and called it a day . Another 6 hours work day. It does take a long time.

I have laid a lot of flooring over the years and every time it takes forever. I have laid with different helpers the following:

• Entire basement in St Albert with a composite barn wood flooring
• Main floor and second level in Shawnessy with Natural Red Oak Solid Hardwood.
• Kitchen and dining room in Shawnessy with laminate tile flooring.
• Main floor and second story for Victoria with Brazilian Walnut Solid Hardwood
• Entire basement for Victoria with vinyl plank flooring
• Two bedrooms and bath at Jessica’s with a Dark Brown Laminate flooring
• Luxury Vinyl plank flooring in the Saloon at Oasis
• And now Pergo Hickory laminate in our Condo.

Jackie took Daisy out for a walk I whipped to Wendy’s as we were a little tired and didn’t feel like cooking.

Another good day ! It is a little daunting though we you realize how much there is too do.

Thought of the Day

A jellyfish has existed as a species for 500 million years, surviving just fine without a brain. That gives hope to quite a few people.

Day 5 Reno-

Up this morning and started laying planks in the living room. A much more difficult chore than thought. Due to us having a corner unit with one curved wall and every wall angled it caused issues. One end which was easy was a 45 degree angle to the plank. The other end 10 degrees which you cannot cut on a mitre saw. And with the curve wall it changed a few degrees each plank. So I had to use cardboard templates and the jigsaw as the cut on some board was 36 long angled. A little father down the wall the curved wall angled changes on every board again. Cutting two angles on each end wastes boards as typically the cut off from one end can be used on the other. Not in this case so I may be short of boards in the end as I only used a 10 percent waste factor. Another 6 hours day so slowly getting there. I am past the difficult section so it should be a lot faster.

Alan & MaryAnn stopped by and brought a Tim’s which was nice and gave us a short break. Alan volunteered to help tomorrow which would be awesome. I hate to ask and wouldn’t so to have the extra hands it will be much appreciated. My helper Jackie today was good though. LOL  She is earning money tomorrow.

I had an interesting comment made. ” Larry you always say old people are always complaining yet you are complaining about the complainers. Why ? I had to think about this as it is true so I will need to change somehow. I do have to say old people are the worst but how do I express this without it sounding like a complaint ?  I will just have to state a TRUE FACT and leave it at that.

Day 6 RENO

Started off the day removing more carpet and underlay. I had to remove the curved wall baseboard which I have to be very careful of as it is not made anymore. It is from Continental Door and was a special molding made for this condo which is no longer available from anywhere.  Out with the smooth edge and down with the special sound proofing. Alan arrived and helped big time with everything. We started with me measuring, both laying and Alan cutting. Worked out great. At the start of day we both thought we would be done in time at all. It is funny though as a few hours later we both thought we were not going to get done today. But it ended all well with us finishing it up. So now we have the hallway, dining room, study area and living room done. I don’t know why but i am more tired today than before. Most likely the accumulated affect. So I plan to just relax in our chaos for tonight.  Started about 9am and worked to 4pm so another 7 hour day done.

The floor looks absolutely wonderful. I am very pleased with it.

Day 7 RENO

I installed the TV  from the living room onto the swing bracket in the bedroom.  Out TV in the bedroom decided after 13 years to stop.  I am sure it is the on/off switch/module and I could have bought the part. But we are a throw away society today as the repair shops soak you for a simple repair. The old one was heavy on the removal. We have come a long ways in 13 years with the bracket not have a slide so you had to install line up the holes exactly. We got it done and I would say the newer one is half the weight.

First thing was a dump run with more carpet and underlay and the TV.  Wow !  are we ever a throw away society. At the dump there were pallets of large screen TV’s. Pallets of microwaves. It is shame as I am sure a lot of them just need some minor repair.

I stopped at Lowes and picked up a sample can of the paint, rollers brushes, can of trim paint, Drytex repair, spatula, and my 3/4″ – 1/4 round, dap sealant, construction adhesive, and painters tape. You know there will something I forgot.

Started reinstalling the baseboard ( glue included as the curved wall has a lot of pressure on it). It takes a lot of nails and glue to hold the curve. I installed all of the weird angled corners where I needed the 1/4 round. I trimmed and installed a bottom header board for entrance door. I patched the walls filling in picture holes and one small crack. I planned to have it all caulked today but ran out of time.  The T molding transition took a long time. The design is to screw it into the floor which I can’t do with the radiant heat. I don’t care for the overall design of it. Once the T mold is snapped on it doesn’t come off with breaking the molding. My idea ended up using construction adhesive and gluing it to the T mold with metal clip and pressing it down where it is supposed to go. It is a high traffic area so I am very hopeful this works. It is starting to look great.

I wanted to clean off the deck with cutoff’s and sawdust but I forgot to bring my blow gun for my compressor from Oasis. I whipped to Princess Auto and picked up a new one. $2.99 for one. It takes one hour to drive back and forth to Oasis. And it turned out to be a better one than the ones I have at the lot. Princess also had a oscillating saw blade set for $13.99. Awesome deal as the laminate eats thru these quite fast.

Jackie cleaned up and the front room is looking great. New paint in the next few days will finish it all off.

It will be nice to get some resemblance of a normal living room soon. LOL  Once that is done then the bedroom chaos will begin.

One other thing the temperature hit 15 degrees today. Most of the snow gone in one day !

Just a couple of thoughts.

First it is too bad for certain labor laws. The UCP should break them as they are dealing with outlaw illegally striking UNION workers. If they feel they can break the law then they should accept the termination letters. What a great opportunity to dismiss them all and award the contract ( that will save us millions) to a third party company. On the compassionate side some of them will get rehired. It amazes me how they feel it is ok to break the law  plus cause issues with health care system without ever considering the poor patients and the millions that have lost their jobs without any notice.

Second.   With the new restrictions Christmas and Halloween will different also. It is getting a little tiring. 15 maximum group setting, only 3 cohorts and funeral exempt to 50 people.

Thought of the Day 

With the new restrictions I am thinking of having a funeral for our dear beloved turkey on Christmas so we can have 50 people instead of the 15. Just a thought.

Day 8 RENO

I am getting a little tired of the chaos in our condo. Having to move furniture around and back and forth is a pain. In a large home you can move it all to one room or to the garage to make things easy . Not so much here. Another 7 hour day. I have never used so much painters tape in my life. 3 full rolls which is 600 ft of molding. I can imagine the cost and the time for a painter to cut in. I taped and taped. Filled all of the picture holes and any wall defects. I caulked with Dap all of the removed baseboards. Reaching over my head to do all of the crown mold was a killer. I caulked all of the 1/4 round. Jackie helped me wrap and move the chairs we are giving away and took them down to the parking garage. That made a little more room. Still the couch to get rid of as with the new color scheme it doesn’t fit. A $2800 couch in perfect shape that really people don’t want to pay anything for.  Start off tomorrow is painting with mostly cutting in which I don’t think I will finish off in one day. Most likely two full days. The grey shade looks great for us using the sample.  We applied felts to the legs of all of the chairs and tables.

After we finish painting I could say we are about half done.

Other than the reno we haven’t done anything or plan to for the moment.

Trump better win or Alberta will take another massive hit. Kenny needs to get a way more aggressive with unions. They have zero common sense.  Close to 4 million unemployed in Canada, 80,000 businesses closed in Canada since March and they think striking to “hurt” people and trying to get support to keep their job is right when it  is just dumb.

Day 9 RENO

I started at 9 am and worked until 5 pm today. It was full on paint day. My professional grade drop cloth is amazing. I will never paint again with plastic. This thing was awesome. A long day with the massive amount of cutting in around the baseboards, crown mold and window and door frames.  My arms were hurting with all of the over head work. The color is perfect the job very very good. We both love the new look. I will remove the tape and reverse it to start painting the new trim and any touchups required.  It is finally starting to look near finished.

I helped load up the lounge chairs we gave away. Very nice chairs that I hope the new owner is pleased with.  Made a bit of extra room for me to paint easily.

I finished all of painting in ONE DAY which was awesome. I left a 1ft by 20 ft section over the cupboards for Jackie to do as she is the right height and cuts in good to the textured ceiling.

Rest and watch a bit if TV.

Day 10 RENO

I removed all of the tape, installed all of the switch plates, did touch-ups, and cleaned up. Jackie after work completed all of the moldings. I hung the few pictures that have permeant spots. I also hung up my  grandfathers Coo Coo clock. We wrapped up the couch and dropped it off and Ottoman to Tor’s place. Good thing Jackie is strong as carried this thing out, in the elevator and loaded it into the Flex. Then we pushed it upstairs at Tor’s. Tor help and she is getting a little stronger with her training. More clean up and moving stuff around.

Time to start in the bedroom. I think each one will take two days with all of the unique cuts  at the entrance and closets and walk in. I have my fingers crossed on the placements as I can’t adjust them. I don’t want a 1 slice or close to that. Fingers crossed.

I think I will take tomorrow off and go shopping with Jackie to see what we can find to replace some of our stuff.

 

WORDPRESS HAS COMPLETELY CHANGED THIER SYSTEM. My Classic Editor can no longer be used. I have tried to figure out a new and in my mind a weak system to no avail. 

I CANNOT PUBLISH ANYTHING FOR A WHILE UNTIL I GET THIS FIXED.