January 1st  2021

” Mercury Forecast   Mesa 17 degrees , Edmonton -2 degrees, Calgary 3 degrees”

Ok this year was supposed to start off a little better than 2020 but we ran into a hiccup already. Mom fell last night and was taken to the hospital and the x-ray shows a fractured ankle. This will be a hard go for Mom as walking was a enjoyment and exercise for her and this will take a while to heal. No visitors does suck . What would be best is a a short stay at the Glenrose to rehabilitate. The doctors phoned my sister and Mom has to have surgery with a plate in the ankle so she wrecked it pretty bad.  This is where strong willed sometimes isn’t a good thing. Mom always bent down instead of sitting down to put her boots on or pants. In this case she fell which can happen easily. It was her way of saying she is independent and she is but as one ages you have to realize and accept the evitable.  Darlene has just moved over to the U of A Hospital to help out there due to Covid so starting a new work place and this, is a lot going on for her.

Our year end celebration last night was quiet. A little different but nice. The Chinese food was exceptional. We watched a movie which by the title I thought may be a little difficult to watch. Wild Mountain Thyme filmed in Ireland actually turned out to be interesting and funny. With a name like that I thought it might be a sequel to Broke  Back Mountain but got lucky. No nudity, no shoot out or car chases but an ok movie. LOL I liked it.

We watched the NYE events with Ryan Seacrest and even managed to stay up tall the way till midnight. It is odd the stations can’t show the ball dropping at midnight across the country with the times zones but they just don’t get it.

A new year. A new start. A new adventure.

I guess all of the peoples resolutions last year suggesting they wanted to spend more time with their spouse sure got their wish. LOL

I am a little surprised with people.  For us to know of at least three incidents where people are not following Covid rules is shocking. One month of inconvenience isn’t much to ask. If the numbers don’t drop below a 1000 we are going to continue to be locked down and perhaps even stricter. A new neighbor had 8 people together for NYE. They have only been in Alberta a week but should know better. Amazing.

Paying some bills today, look at doing my December budget and putting decorations away. I like putting them out a way more than putting them away put it makes the place seems less busy. There are a lot of decorations and the whole process took a few hours. I even cleaned out the storage bin again and found more Blimpie year end paper we need to burn. I will take a load out to Oasis and have a paper fire. I re-installed the tarps and sealed it up to keep the dust out. I had to back up the Jeep to the chain link and stood on the roof to pull the tarping all the way around. The stretching and reaching happened to hurt my back unfortunately. A little Volteran works wonders. I found 4 more full boxes of paper work, a dog basket that Teddy used to use that Daisy will inherit and my first ever Makita drill. I am charging it up as I write. I am assuming it won’t charge and will check to see if a new battery is still available. If not in the garbage. This drill as per Makita history was the first tool with a NI-CAD battery.

1978 Launched 6010D rechargeable drill (first nickel cadmium battery tool). 

I bought mine in late 1979 or 1980. Numerous decks and fences were built with this thing.

This is how things change with 18 volt and 20 volt being the most common today. I have both. I found a new battery for it on Amazon so my 40 year old drill will be like brand new again. It comes in handy doing small jobs or a separate drill to help out.

Our left over Chinese food was as good today as yesterday.

Thought of the Day

Keep things in good repair and they will last for a long time 

January 2nd 

“Mercury Forecast  Mesa 18 degrees, Edmonton  4  degrees Calgary 7 degrees “

Give us at least 4 more weeks of this weather. That will help make the winter feel shorter. It was beautiful today.

Mom’s surgery has been cancelled until tomorrow unfortunately. Nothing is worse than waiting and having to wait more.

Jackie & I spent the day out at Oasis. I had 4 garbage bags and 5 boxes full of paper work to get rid of. We thought we would just burn it. A lot of Blimpie paperwork and Peter’s paperwork. It takes a long time to burn this amount of paper. It was interesting looking at some of it before throwing it in. Some Blimpie paper work was from 1999 when we bought the franchise. I still had all of the original build quotes. A lot lot of money !!! It was an expensive venture but worth it for the learning process and the fact it kept our girls working while going to school. This is one sheet that made me smile. I created this and faxed or delivered it to every business in close proximity to our store.

There is a saying be careful what you wish for. For 6 straight days we had people lined up outside the door. The just kept coming. We not only set the record for sales but we almost killed everyone. A hard opening and so busy it was insane. A good thing for relatives as we had all of our staff working, Jackie & I plus Audrey managing and added my sister Darlene that made smoothie after smoothie and food prep. MaryAnn worked the till and prepped and my Mom that dressed up as our company mascot for advertising. In hindsight the opening should have been only 2 or 3 days not the whole week. My idea was to make it a “Try it and keep coming back” marketing approach.  All I can say everything we did worked and worked well. Record setting sales, super super busy and not one major hiccup. Very tired after.

There is another saying ” Timing is everything” All the while this was happening Jackie was the operation manager at regional office and my company had just been bought out by JELD-WEN so we had a lot going on. A weeks holiday to work long hours really isn’t a holiday. LOL

The fire got so hot our wiener stick we were using bend or more like melted. We were doing metal art work. Jackie sat on her stool and just kept feeding the fire. I kept feeding the boxes and bags to her. It was an amazing amount of paper and after the day we still have about two boxes left to burn.

My roof vent allowed some snow to enter my shed. The wind had to be extreme to blow back into this as they are designed for roofs. I will need to look into this.

The ice rink was busy today. A great thing to have for the kids. We drove her from our site to the rink and noticed MULTIPLE sites that I am sure are breaking the rules. People !! Lots of golf carts pulling kids on toboggans up down the roads. Being out there only made me wish summer would hurry up and come.

It was a great day out there and a fun day in the sun.. Now we both including the dog smell like smoke. Daisy goes in for a haircut on Monday luckily.

Another fun game to watch. If only we were at a bar with wings and beer. LOL   Go Canada Go

Thought of the Day 

So I am already busy earning my second million, because the first attempt at a million failed.

January 3rd

‘Mercury Forecast  Mesa 18 degrees, Edmonton 2 degrees, Calgary 4 degrees”

Mom went in for her surgery this morning. We are waiting to hear from Darlene as no one is allowed in the hospital and she has to wait to hear from the doctor.

Watching the news this morning I find I am getting more annoyed with the general population. I have trouble figuring them out. It is like as a society on the whole we love to jump on anyone and pounce on one another. This is related to Kenny having another target on his back. First let me say I was impressed as a leader he stood behind and up for his team. They will have lots of respect for him as the general public should yet he is getting lambasted. It is the media !!!!!  and unions and they cause people to get excited. Why interview a union employee as you know they will be anti- Kenny. Ask a “normal” worker” their opinion. The MLA’s and staff that left the country  were very WRONG.  They were stupid not to think of the repercussions. No one broke any law but it does not look good when the government is suggesting to refrain from non essential travel and then they leave. Having said that the media on their witch hunt are the worst. If we had the other party in place during this pandemic we would be so broke we would never get out of the mess but no one thinks about that. Unfortunately for Alberta we basically have a conservative party in power and one only other party which is a socialist, union mongering, libertarian party, with an environmentalist agenda that did and will destroy our province as the only other option. That is scary if people don’t stop to think about what is going on and let the media sway their minds.

It was very nice getting out of the shower this morning and not smelling like smoke. It is amazing how it stays in the hair. I fixed that by cutting my hair short and beard short. LOL

When Daisy is a “good girl” and poops on her paper I take a treat and break it up and hide it all over the condo. Her nose is amazing. It is loud as she goes on the hunt. I kill myself laughing watching her and listening to that nose as she she sweeps the house. She could be a drug dog for sure.  Now when she is a “good girl” she runs to me as she wants me to hide her treats as her Mom just gives her one. That is no fun.

Thought of the Day 

The tendency of whining and complaining may be taken as the surest sign or symptom of little souls and inferior intellects.

January 4th

“Mercury Forecast  Mesa 19 degrees , Edmonton -1 degrees Calgary 1 degrees “

I have been trying to get a hold of Mom but it is difficult in a hospital. The nurse said she could wheel her to the front desk but I don’t think Mom would like that and it is not fair on the nurse to take her away from her duties. I will try her cell phone again in about an hour and hopefully get lucky. I think each room should have phone line.

Took Daisy today for her haircut. As usual she looks beautiful and gets all kinds of comments as we walk out of the office. She smells wonderful also. It s funny as when she comes back she is so tired and wants to sleep. Not stressed though.

“Quick Rant”

Kenny staff taking a break- Come on public. They did nothing wrong. We are all allowed to fly anywhere we choose to. Maybe we should investigate every union employee, teacher, doctor, nurse, gov’t worker, NDP worker and even individuals and expose them for travelling. They are allowed. Get real. News writers like Rick Bell should be fired and charged for inciting people and directing the narrative to the negative. Social media only helps weak minded and insecure people voice an opinion without any repercussions in most cases. ( the odd case of a firing by a posting). I just hope Kenny keeps to the high road and dismisses these irrational but vocal opponents as just a small minority of the population. So far I have yet to meet or know anyone that is upset by what these people did. All are disappointed but understand and in a lot of cases wish they would have travelled.  Enough!  I am just jealous as I wish I felt comfortable to go to Mesa but we are not.  This too will pass. Global news is so slanted toward the NDP it is imaginable.  I will make every effort to watch CTV local more. Report the news not a biased opinion.

I am disappointed in Kenny by accepting resignations and the demoting. He caved to public pressure again. Yes they demonstrated incredibly poor judgement and should have known better but I don’t like the end results. It serves no purpose other than to appease a vocal minority. It changes my thoughts on Kenny and his leadership. We need a new healthy capital C party to be the opposition and get voted in. A party that has guts !!  It was a no win for Kenny and he choose the cowardly solution. 

I am all ready for the game tonight. Special supper ready. Drinks and treats ready and looking forward to it.

Canada played so well. It was a fun game to watch and the score was not indictive of the closeness. Fun game to watch.

I am excited as I am heading to a driving range tomorrow. First time to hit a ball since late October. Looking forward to it.

I finished off my 2020 budget sheets today. As I have said before we want to enjoy life NOW, we want to spend money on things and people NOW. It was a year where we spent more than I would have liked but the dollars spent are justified as they resulted in receiving joy from giving, being able to enjoy our assets better and to enjoy friends. The golden years are short and in most cases are from 60 to 80 years old. After 80 years old most people have issues that result in lack of mobility, and lack of desire to travel that dramatically decrease their expenses so you can budget down drastically.  But, you say your financial planner says you need to use 90 or 95 as your number . Remember they want to keep your money for as long as they can. If you make it past 85 then plan for 90 and create a plan so you are not left with money in the bank. Spend it and enjoy it. We want to be that couple that is in good health and be able to enjoy ourselves well into our 80’s. I know a lot of people like that. In our 60’s now we are lucky so far with no negative issues that will cause future issues. Having said that though one doctor’s visit and your life could change instantly. For us the easy drive to Arizona and the enjoyment down there is what we look forward to for many many years. It is very inexpensive to stay down there for 4 months or longer a year. Our Viewpoint home is our best investment in enjoyment we have done. We have loved it for 13 years now and look forward to 25 more years. Our RV’s and lot have been our other investment in joy. Nature, campfire and travelling is a wonderful thing. In most cases I would rather camp in my RV in the mountains, near a lake and a golf course than visit a museum or castle in some foreign country. There is so much beauty in Canada it is unbelievable.

I was hoping we might just maybe get to go to Arizona but that looks like that isn’t going to happen. Arizona has the highest COVID rate of cases anywhere in the USA.  That is too big of risk to feel comfortable. I know a few people from my  Turner Valley Golf course group are there which surprises me as I know their age and the shape they are in so I wish them good luck. I am jealous yet am still secure and feel good with our decision.

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-health/2021/01/04/arizona-has-highest-rate-new-covid-19-cases-us-cdc-says/4135108001/

USA got lucky but I like the rivalry so it will make for a great game. Have you bought your 50/50 tickets. No wait that makes less chance for me to win. It isn’t worth it.    lol

Thought of the Day 

Dear winter I am breaking up with  you.  Summer is much hotter than you !

January 5th

” Mercury Forecast   Mesa 20 degrees, Edmonton 1 degrees, Calgary 2 degrees”

Not to jinx it or anything but the weather has been very good and I am hopeful it stays that way.

UPDATE :  ARIZONA NOW HAS HIGHEST INFECTION RATE IN THE WORLD.

I know everyone says they had the best Dad but I DID have. It is 11 years ago now that we lost Dad.

This man was the most gentle, quiet, giving, unselfish, loving person I have known. He is still one of the smartest guys I know. Mechanic, machinist, welder, carpenter, plumber, inventor he did it all and did it very well. He built his own homes and ran a service station. Other kids may have had a parent drive them to hockey for a bit each week, but my Dad spent countless hours on my cars every week. I mean countless hours. You just don’t realize how much one does for you. I could phone Dad and get an answer from him on any problem I was running into with electrical, car, plumbing etc. He always had an answer or if not a suggestion to help. This is man that never swore, rarely drank, and a man never to anger. I am so grateful to have his violin sitting in our living room as a reminder of him everyday. I miss my Dad as I am sure most people do losing a parent but I do have to say it is one thing to lose a parent but it is another to lose a Super Dad. He was amazing and was a huge factor in how I am today as a person.

 

This picture is only 14 years ago. Life can change in an instant. For us it was Dad slipping on ice in a Walmart parking lot and breaking his hip. He was in good health but never made it out of the hospital.

And we wonder why we have so many older single women in our senior homes. There is a huge discrepancy in the percentage risk between the two sexes. Women should really marry men 10 years younger then them. As years go by the percentages will change as women began to work outside the home, smoke and drink more regularly and their stress level increased managing a home and working outside of it.

It felt semi normal today getting to go to the driving range. The newer reno’s are wonderful. Everything new. Masks to pay and get your balls and after that with the spacing mask free. It was wonderful. The space heaters worked perfect. The only issue was the low sun not allowing us to watch our ball flight. I met Jeff there and we had a lot of blast. I like the range first to feel the crisp hits but to work out things. Closing the face for a draw, opening for a fade and learning what happens with each different setup. Moving the ball back in your stance by even an inch makes a huge difference. I usually hit to the left of my target until I discovered by setting the ball back 1 inch it went right where I aimed. I was VERY happy with the way I hit the ball today. The heaters made it plenty warm enough. The cost is getting a little high but it still is worth it to keep the swing memory in place. I did notice after I paid they had a senior rate that I forgot to ask for. I gave them a tip also to help them make a little money but next time I will get the senior rate but still give the tip. The large basket is 120 balls, medium at 80 balls which is a little bigger than a lot of driving ranges.

I will see how sore my muscles are tomorrow. I may get two baskets next time just to work on certain things a little more. It is fun to change grip, play with ball position, and clubface to see what happens.

It made for a fun midday experience with Jeff.

I then washed the Jeep. It is very important to wash your vehicle every few days to keep them from rusting out. They don’t need to be perfect clean as they will get dirty fast but spend the time washing out the wheel wells, fenders and under carriage to wash the salt out. Certain vehicles are prone to rust due to the way they were designed and even washing won’t stop it but it sure helps a lot. Certain foreign cars made from recycled Coke cans lead to rust faster then others.  I vacuumed out the interior and noticed I have a candy stuck to my seat I have to work to get out.

Are you ready to rumble. All ready for the game.  Any excuse for drinks and unhealthy food. LOL

Thought of the Day 

Why are scrambled eggs like a losing hockey team ?   Because they have both been beaten .

January 6th

“Mercury Forecast  Mesa 21 degrees, Edmonton 3 degrees, Calgary 5 degrees”

Not to take away from the USA team but Canada just didn’t play well. It was like they were afraid to lose and tentative with everything.  The US played exceptionally well. It is a shame as the entire nation lives and breathes hockey and anything but a Gold metal is a loss.  As always a fun tournament to watch and we always do well.

In hindsight I should have never given up my short lived coaching career with the juniors.

Well it has started and  it seems like people are surprised. The riots at Capital Hill are just the start. Wait until the inauguration day . It is like watching a 3rd world country. It is the beginning of the end of another dynasty. Every world power eventually falls within itself and it is happening to the USA now which is scary.  Trump encourages but the population as a whole has become disenchanted.   We see a similar disconnect in Canada but without the violence, passion and commitment.

With Trump the USA had  chance to redeem itself in the world that another more politically correct president after him could have built on. If he wasn’t just so “stupid” in the way he carried himself and acted. He did so many things correct but his narcissism, ego and bullying held him back. To be real though, the media was extremely hard on him.

With the Democrats now winning the Senate, the House and the President’s office the USA will weaken itself so much in 4 years that people will suffer. Electric cars, rights, anti-oil, green issues, excessive social programs, joining the Paris accord, WHO, Iran deal, Nato, massive tax increases, etc will cause the USA to financially and socially explode in on itself.  Buy bicycle and battery stock now.

I am thinking to move more money out of equities before Jan 20th.

As a society becoming so “nice” so worried about “rights” so worried about every “social issue ” we lost our way to being just “normal”.

Politics and the people involved with it have failed us and in most countries.  I do not know what the answer is.

Thought of the Day 

And we thought 2020 was a bad year.  6 days into 2021 and we have chaos 

January 7th

“Mercury Forecast  Mesa 2q degrees, Edmonton 0 degrees Calgary 3 degrees “

The news at least has something new to talk about other than Covid which is nice but I feel for the States as once again they look bad in the worlds eye.

Biden will represent the USA much better but will financially destroy the economy of the USA . No leader in today’s atmosphere is liked by the public. They are either to strict or to lenient and it is a no win situation for them. But to have a leader like Biden ( which is similar to Justin & Rachael) that is very close to being socialist they will spend money they don’t have that the next generation will have to try to recover from for decades .Taxes will explode. It is not a good situation. China will advance it’s agenda worldwide for the next four years. Potential conflicts with N Korea and terrorist’s uprising will regain strength. The hope for the world now has to be that a new Republican President is elected in 4 years.

I have planned a trip to the Depot today to pick up a few things I need.  Need to visit the bank to see the cost of a draft and decide to wait for our cheques to arrive or pay the charge as I want to finalize our RV lot. An output of money again but worth it for the long haul.

No sore muscles from golfing so I am happy. My one side back stripe that has been an issue forever is tight but I am used to that. I think I will go twice next week.

I spoke to Ashley Furniture today on our living room furniture. Today after committing to a before Christmas delivery, then Dec 24th delivery and then Jan 4th delivery I was told Feb 14th. The young customer service rep even said ” It is your right to cancel the order if you see fit” That is not customer service. Plan B was my drive to the store and talk to the manager. I have to say the manager Gabriel was first class. He looked at the order and found out all of the info on it. A couple of things happened. Our rep went out on sick leave and it is his responsibility to monitor and release for delivery each order he has on file. So that didn’t happen. I picked up our TV stand back in December as it arrived and the clerk changed the entire order to pickup. Our stock had arrived and with no follow up they held it for 14 days then released it to another customer. Long story short, issues that can, did happen. Gabriel was apologetic and helpful. Very long story short. I have two end tables being delivered on Saturday( which I believe are from another customer order) and our coffee table has a RUSH status on it. ( my wife wanted to cancel the entire order but since we are getting the end tables , story, lie, lol ) So I am relatively happy and pleased with the efforts but not the system. Saturday will be our day we find out for sure. LOL

I was out at lunch time so stopped into Extreme Pita for lunch. I was the only one in the store at noon. I talked to the owner for quite awhile. He was emotional as he didn’t think his business was going to survive. He said he used to have 3 or 4 workers at lunch now only him working due to the slowness. This is a guy that spent at least $200K or more for his franchise and no fault of his own is in dire straights. We have this happening all the while we have workers refusing a 4% percent wage cut and the public getting upset at a person travelling during the pandemic. It all is illogical. His owners group MTY which i have stock in was exceptional as they allowed franchisee’s to withhold their fees for a couple of months to help them out. Every little bit helps.

I stopped and picked up a few things I needed at Lowes and came home to take Daisy out for a walk in the sunny warmth. She is one funny dog. Loves people, dogs and running in deep snow.

The stock market is at an all time high but it scares me of a downfall big time. I follow the subtract from 100 your age to have safe and the balance in equites. Hence we still have about 40% at risk in the market.

“Pennywise Tip ! “

When to take OAS and CPP. I have mentioned this numerous times before but will add one more thing to think about. My premise is take it as early as possible not only in consideration of the break even point but it is your ONLY income stream that ends when you die. RRSP, TSFA, stocks etc all have a cash value when you die. Why not spend money you KNOW will be gone when you are first.

BUT THAT IS JUST ME !

January 8th

“Mercury Forecast  Mesa 20 degrees, Edmonton -3 degrees Calgary -3 degrees “

In point form:

• rolled back federal regulations on businesses,
• enacted corporate and income tax cuts
• signed executive orders supporting preferences for domestic-made products.
• taken a hard-line stance on China, coupled with a policy to protect local manufacturers from foreign competition
• renegotiating past trade deals that were unfair to the US – like Nafta, between the US, Canada, and Mexico – or leaving them outright – like the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
• fix the US trade deficit
• trade war with China has raised border taxes on close to $500bn of annual trade, and this year’s “phase one” deal between the two nations saw most of the tariffs remain in place.
• offer tax credits to entice US firms to move factories out of China , saying “we will end our reliance on China”.
• stepping away from some large multilateral agreements like the Paris climate accord or pulling back from some multilateral organizations, like the World Health Organization.
• challenged some international alliances, pushing for North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) members to boost their defense spending in the military alliance.
• helping to broker a deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates to normalize relations.
•  curb immigration levels
• lower drug cost and terminate Obama Care
• taken steps to restrict opioid prescribing.
• stock market all time high record

These are just a few of the good things that Trump did all forgotten by his stupidity, his ego , narcissism and his not letting go of the fact he lost. He potentially could have been a candidate in 2024 but now he will be lucky to go back to his life in Trump land. I am sure the Trump brand will have taken a huge hit.  A ” more normal” person if they had accomplished what he did would have been revered.  It is unfortunate how it all ended. He should remove himself asap rather than face Article 25 or impeachment. No matter how it ends up it is an embarrassment to the country. FYI The only other time in history the capitol was breached was the War of 1812 when the White House and auxiliary buildings were set on fire by Canadian, British and native troops.

I sent a cheque  to our caretaker in Mesa today for the year. It doesn’t look like we will be going at all this winter and we normally don’t go until the day after Halloween for the fall.

I also sent a cheque for our RV lot. We originally bought our lot for 35K for a 35 year lease. Our thinking was we would be in our nineties when it expired so it made sense to do. Instead of a much larger money outlay we could have all of the benefits at a less cost. Long story short. We have the opportunity to buy in under a non profit society membership and have ownership of the lot. This removes any chance of insolvency or new investors taking over plus us having a vote on everything concerning the lot. Private owned versus entrepreneur owned is a good thing. With a 35 year lease ( not considering any improvements) each year the value decline by $1000. ie after 10 years the lot is only worth $25k unless demand states otherwise.  Now the value will appreciate as land values increase and supply & demand. Again we bought for enjoyment not investment but 35K @ 4% for 35 yrs = $138,113.00 dollars if invested.

Checked out my boat motor today and everything is fine. In a heated garage this should cause no issues. I will start it in the spring. My hope is the cylinder walls have enough oil on them above the rings so that when I turn it over it lubes the walls. I will give a couple of squirts after removing the plug.

An interesting insert from an article below which is true and scary.

“Over the past ten months we have seen nearly every democratic society in the Western world gamble away their longstanding values of freedom and self-determination in surrender to fear and uncertainty. The wills of society are changing.

“What is scariest about the current state of our world is not that people have begrudgingly surrendered their personal freedoms to the Government, but that they have begged and pleaded for the Government to take them away even when it did not want to do so.

“People have been societally conditioned over the past year to view freedom as selfishness.”

I found this old golf swing slow-mow video of myself. My self critic is 7 out of 10. Good take away. Good arm extension. Would like left arm straighter. Posture is only ok but that has never being my strong suit. Good shoulder turn and still head. Good inside/outside with head tucked. Long backswing. Good follow through with belt buckle lining up to fairway. Would like to see greater hip rotation and right foot rotation. Pretty good amateur swing and I remember the shot like yesterday. 270 yard travel with a left to right fade. I am working on the weaknesses.

Sorry for the poor video but it was taken with an Apple IPhone which unfortunately doesn’t have the clarity of an Android system. One day they will find that missing part of the Apple and have a phone or laptop that is equal to the rest in the market.

Ok enough already. We have the China virus taking millions of lives. Then we get hit with the UK Variant that spread 50% easier. Now in Alberta we have the South African Variant happening. Why don’t we close the airports to international travel until we get a handle on all of this?

Watching the news tonight I laughed when they interviewed a Jason Kenny in the USA that on his Twitter account is getting some nasty Tweets. The funniest one was when he took a picture of his kitchen where he referenced he was ” Fixing his cabinet” That is news! LOL

Thought of the Day 

 Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

January 9th-10th

“Mercury Forecast   Mesa 19 degrees, Edmonton -1 degree Calgary 0 degree”

Isn’t zero odd ?  Can you have zero degrees ? If it is zero does that mean nothing ? I have zero dollars in my pocket yet if we are to believe that zero is a number we should have something.

Our delivery came. Yahoo Ashley you came through for us a bit.  It even came one hour before our scheduled time.

I laughed when I saw the boxes as the manager stated to me they make all of their own furniture in Wisconsin. The boxes in big lettering stated made in Vietnam. Designed by Ashley made anywhere they get a good deal. LOL

I finished off the assembly and I have to say extremely well made and we love the looks. Contemporary rustic would be my description of the end tables.  Jackie and I both love them. We now were able to hang two more pictures.

Jackie became a art collector a few years when we where working. LOL   Today we hung our two  Itzchak Tarkay art pieces over the couch.  We decided to hang them level this time. This is funny as we bought both paintings at the time. We had them hung in the same frames when we bought them. After careful measuring they were up. Pictures were level on the top which is my starting point but walking back a bit we notice one is ever so slightly shorter than the other. Expensive paintings and they  framed one of them a 3/8″ smaller height wise as they were custom sized framing. We never noticed it when we had them hung at different levels but you can ever so slightly now tell. We are going to leave them as we like the symmetry created with the level tops. On a taller wall ( bulkhead on this one) we could hang one lower than the other but we will live with the slight difference.

It is funny how you can never tell if a movie is good or not from the title or even the actors as we have seen some pretty bad movies. The movie we chose last night was hilarious.  To be consistently laughing or groaning at every scene is what I like. Both Jackie and I thoroughly enjoyed “Blended” . A silly slapstick comedy but well done and funny !

Jackie is constantly “moving” things. We have books, decorations etc going from space to space and then stepping back to see if she likes it. We just had to lower another painting in the living room by 4 inches “to give the wall balance” . I do admit she comes up with some great ideas and things do look better but in a lot of cases I am positive not one person would know that we made the change. But she likes it and is having fun with only minimal work for me in adjusting things. LOL

When Daisy is a “good puppy” as I have said before I hid her treat broken in small pieces all over the house for her to find with her powerful nose.  She is amazing and I am constantly looking for new “hiding” spots to keep her guessing. I kill myself watching her roar around the house looking  and i am sure she enjoys the hunt. It is fun to watch.

Well it looks like the new rules being extended means watching the Flames at home instead of out at bar. I will order chicken wings and have my own little party . Take that Covid !

Watching the golf in Hawaii this weekend is odd with the timing as due to the time changes it is not on until 4pm in the afternoon. Some great golf being played there. I do miss having Tiger at these events though.

I made my material list for my trellis/ planter box for the lot. If I had a warm garage I would work on that but I will wait until spring when I am out at the lot. I am also going to make a rustic end table using my left over Acacia butcher block left over from my outdoor kitchen, making it with the X pattern end legs. I will stain and distress just like cupboards.

We are just waiting for the news that we have achieved enough support for our “buy out” of our RV lots and then we will 2 life time memberships to our golf course. It is nice 9 hole course that plays tricky as most greens require you landing as they have no run up area. I find it a little difficult without exact yardage as it is not loaded on my Sky Caddie or Garmin watch. I am looking forward to playing quite a few rounds there for practice during the day as something to do.

I received our new paper work from our insurance company today. We received 82 pages for our house policy and 22 pages for the auto policies. What a waste of paper. Good idea on the insurance companies as every way possibility for an out is listed so they don’t have to pay is in there. Who is going to read 100 pages ?  I would think one page is all that should be required. I have to phone them on Monday for clarification on one policy dollar amount. Insurance should be easier than this. We are lucky in a way though as our Flex, Jeep, Commander, Marlon, Condo, contents and liability are all with one company. We have to use a separate company for the Arizona house, contents and liabilities but still have a liability umbrella policy that covers us worldwide from our Canadian company. You could have a hate/love relationship with these guys.

A great golf tournament to watch. Amazing shots and a tight one right down to the playoff. Justin being caught by a camera mic is unfortunate. He was only talking in anger to himself and was caught by accident. He chose a word that I don’t believe I have ever heard in real life other than on TV and is very inappropriate but he was only talking to himself. I don’t agree with a un-sportsmanship fine being that it was not directed at anyone and was not meant to be broadcast. Makes you wonder why this word would be his first choice of words when angered though.

Thought of the Day 

Do people really like inspirational posters in offices ?  

January 11th

“Mercury Forecast  Mesa 19 degrees, Edmonton 5 degrees, Calgary 4 degrees “

To expand on the thought of the day from above. Posters like these always annoyed me. People posting them on LinkedIn or Facebook trying to show management or peers ” Look I am engaged, Look I am a great leader by motivating my staff, Look I am presenting a wonderful image to our customers, just make me smile. Dumb sayings. Rarely in the office of hung pictures does the said verbiage come to fruition.  I have known individuals that use these ” trendy” lines all of time and trust me they are no better for it.  ACTIONS are ALWAYS better than WORDS. This is a reality. Putting up a poster doesn’t make the person or company any different. There are those that believe positive messaging encourages said behavior. No amount of messaging if it isn’t in a person or of their nature will change someone. This whole concept was created by a marketing company and internal HR departments trying to show they are needed. A make work project that became trendy.

There is only one saying which is from the bible:  Do unto others as you would like them to do to you  that doesn’t need to be posted but if followed would make every office, every person a better one.

But that is just me !

Speaking of sayings Twitter right now is reeling after losing 5 BILLION dollars in capitalization from banning Trump from their platform. ” Don’t kill the bird that lays the golden egg ”

It is a little scary to think that a company can ban a sitting USA President. Opening up a whole can of worms. If we are going to agree that private businesses like Twitter have a right to discriminate against anyone they want because of politics then we are laying the groundwork for businesses to discriminate against race, gender, religion, or sexual persuasion. As a society we should be out-raged at the support of this. You can’t have it both ways. It is just wrong.

The “gauge” is rising fast. We need to get to the trigger point to make the purchase happen at our RV lot. .

10 days left so hopefully people have arranged where they are getting the cash and getting on board. Over a holiday it isn’t always easy. It is an exceptional opportunity to take the RV lot as a private ownership instead of owned by a entrepreneur investor.

What a beautiful January we have had as the weather all week continues to be much higher than normal. If I am stuck in Calgary it is nice not to have it freezing. LOL

It looks like another carwash day and dog walk day as I am out of projects right now. I can’t harass or bug anyone. Having said that I was on the phone for 1 hour with my insurance company to get the answer ” I don’t know” But I prefer this other than making something up so I will patiently wait for a couple of days to hear back from him. This made me think about this mornings news when a reporter asked Brad Treliving (GM Flames) a question and he responded ” You know I should know that but I don’t, but check out our webpage as it has the answer”  I thought that was good and honest.

Wow are politicians dumb. You have the old bag Nancy Pelosi threating Pence to use Article 25 or she is going impeach. First of all Pence is enemy number one right now with his performance at the vote and if the Dems impeach to get back at Trump the country could explode. Just let him leave in 8 days and he will be gone forever as he won’t run again, his brand has taken a huge hit and he has lost the bulk of his supporters.

Thought of the Day 

New rule- Masks are mandatory in all household.     Not for Covid but to stop people from eating.

January 12th

“Mercury Forecast  Mesa 18 degrees, Edmonton 1 degrees, Calgary 10 degrees”

We have two days of remarkable weather coming up. 10 degrees ( 50 degrees for others) is amazing. My hopes are that it melts some of the snow on the side streets. We have been driving the Jeep everywhere as I don’t want to bottom out the Flex in the ruts.

I have a 2 pm golf driving range appointment today which I am looking forward to. I have a 2 pm phone call with Mom in the hospital to check in with her but other than that nothing really on the agenda.

I need to finish my plans for the planters and trellis I am building at Oasis and finish the material list so when spring hits I am ready.

I sent out an update for our May Long Weekend annual trip. We have 8 units coming this year so far. The kids this year being at a Wildlife Park should have a blast. My potluck theme for this year is CAPITAL C. Stands for Covid and means bring any food that starts with a C. ie corn, cabbage, carrots, chocolate, curly fries etc. We should have a great mix of foods for everyone. As we don’t have a gathering limit requirements known to us yet we may need to improvise. My plan is to have one individual from each family dish out their potluck contribution to make it safe for everyone.

Plan is:

1. Arrive Friday and set up units and have a few drinks and gathering if allowed. Possible afternoon golf for early arrivals.
2. Saturday is Zoo visit day, fishing in the pond, and wolf, bear experiences that evening followed by gathering and drinking.
3. Sunday fun day doing what ever you like in combination with golf excursions at Innisfail and Bowden golf courses. The big event CAPITAL C POTLUCK at 6pm.
4. Monday morning golf excursions followed by packing up and heading home tired.

C is in Caesars, C is in Coke & rum, C is in Cabernet, C is in chugging , C is in Corona so we have lots of drink options to experience.

Hopefully one of our warm weekends. If we have camped 40 times on the May Long I would bet 30 of them have had inclement weather. Nature of the beast. And if good weather a fire ban has been in place. We don’t have to worry about that this year as it is firepits only. Not a bad thing just different. We all will smell a lot better.

This year we have Jessica & Penny bringing out their new trailer, Alan & MaryAnn camping for the first time with this group and Stewart & Carrie in their new unit joining our group for the first time.

I love camping. It is peaceful. It is tiring with later nights and drinking with friends. It is enjoyable with the different people all getting together sitting around a fire. It is refreshing. It is fun golfing as a group. It is what we like.

I met Jeff right at 2pm at the driving range. Today it was packed. They have a QR code for you to scan to get on a wait list. After scanning it Jeff & I were 26 and 25 on the list. At 2:35 we were 23 and 24 on the list. 1/2 hour and only moved up 3 spots. Either everyone arrived just before us or the system is broke. I checked physically and the mats were full though. So we texted BYE and will try tomorrow at 1pm. I am thinking we need the 10 am time again as there are so many unemployed people off and they don’t like to get up early. We will see.

Here is quote from Danielle Smith that is leaving her talk show. I always liked her except for her one huge mistake of crossing the party floor. I bet she has huge regrets as Jim Prentice screwed her. Not literally. She could have been our Premier.

It will be no surprise to you that I am gravely troubled by how easily most in our society have chosen to give up on freedom. Free enterprise, freedom of religion and conscience, free assembly, freedom of movement, freedom of the press. Freedom of speech, in particular, is in a dire state. My entire adult life and career has been spent questioning authority and institutions and conventional wisdom. I’ve been all too aware that in many nations of the world it is against the law to speak truth to power. It can be dangerous. Sadly, in the last year I’ve noticed there are times where it has become perilous here too.

Unfortunately over the last few years far too many topics have become unchallengeable and the mob of political correctness thinks nothing of destroying a person’s career and reputation over some perceived slight, real or imagined. I’ve found that as a result there are many topics I simply choose not to cover anymore,” admitted Smith, who announced her retirement, not surprisingly, on her radio program.

“You rely on me to seek the truth and to give you my honest opinion. In this hyper-sensitive social media environment I don’t believe I can do that anymore. So it’s time for me to go.”

I am not convinced of separation but this new party does have a few good ideas.https://wildrose.party/    I would hate to take the risk of another NDP party rule so can’t vote for them yet but I am hoping they to continue to grow. Once the whole Covid and our economy recovers a bit perhaps a look at them but the risk of the UCP losing due to frustration can not happen.

This is the state of our world we are living in. It is not right and I feel sorry for all of the young people just starting out ( and are the cause of this in a lot of respects) as they will need to navigate throw the mess their entire lives. All of the movements, our current way of blaming, judging, and criticizing has cumulated in a society where free speech is no longer tolerated which is the complete opposite of what a lot of these groups want. It is shame and a huge step backwards unfortunately.

Don Cherry, Jessica & Ben Mulroney, Justin Thomas, Roseann Barr, Paula Dean, Charlie Sheen, Megan Fox, Don Imus, Bill Maher, come to mind quickly but there has been NUMEROUS people losing their jobs for having an opinion or saying just one thing that isn’t politically correct.

We can’t ban Facebook the biggest culprit or Twitter or the news outlets but they are the instigators. I have no idea how to fix it.

Who would ever have thought we would be controlled by the government saying we can’t hug our own kids ? See our friends. Open our business.  All of this in a FREE Canada. To repeat. Our government has made it illegal to visit our own children. It is unimaginable. One thing to think about. A lion doesn’t concern itself with the opinion of sheep.

The scary part as lambs led to the slaughter house we feel we have to. Covid has to be beaten quickly to allow the people to get back to living normal lives and some of our freedoms returned as it is a slippery slope we are on. Whittled away freedoms can lead us into some very serious trouble.

Border closure has been extended until Feb21st now.

Thought of the Day 

Why do we try to be like everyone else ? Most of them are stupid. 

January 13th

“Mercury Forecast  Mesa 19 degrees, Edmonton 1 degrees snow, Calgary -room temperature”

That is right. Room temperature as my golf is cancelled due to huge winds. Blowing over trucks on the road and garbage bins flying down the street. And cold with the wind. It is with a minus wind chill we decided to cancel again.

Thought of the day mentioned stupid. To impeach Trump again is beyond stupid. This entices violence and revolt much more so than saying let’s march to the Capital. Big mistake that is going to get ugly. I wouldn’t want to be Pelosi, Biden, Pence or Mitch as I am sure this “stupidity” is going to be the catalyst to many violent protests and these mentioned people will also be targets of the mob. Another sad day in American politics.

So stuck at home ( re: room temperature) today but having said that I feel a little lucky as Mom is isolated in a rehab hospital, no visitors allowed and stuck in her room. This hospital does not have TV’s to rent. I phoned to check and you have to bring your own. It is wired for cable which is at least something. Odd and I think should be changed.

Let’s hope all of this craziness ends soon. They are saying now that a June vaccine date may be possible for the general public.  I would welcome that.

Lots of play time with the dog. She won’t know what is going on when we get back to normal.

If you think about it the Oiler’s losing tonight will have a 2020/21 NHL of record of 0-27-0 if it was a 82 game season.

Now that I think about it I am offended with the Oiler name. To promote such a dirty filthy industry when we are all trying to go green. Perhaps a name change is in order !

Thought of the Day 

A good friend doesn’t get insulted or hurt when you call them a name or disagree with them. They find something more offensive and hurl it back at you !!  

January 14th

‘Mercury Forecast  Mesa 21 degrees, Edmonton -2 degrees, Calgary 1 degree”

Gorgeous day this morning. Bright sun, no wind, and relatively warm. Makes you feel great and i am enjoying it through the window squinting but not complaining. My vitamin D fix for the day just feels great.

It is a great day today. The undefeated Flames play tonight, I am going to the driving range today, the sun is extremely bright and warm, Daisy is on the search all over the house for treats, I was able to bug my Edmonton friends again with the Oiler losing, so I am enjoying the day very much. Love it

One of good friends that was brave enough to head to Arizona shot a 79 yesterday with a 13 cap. Sandy Bagger may become Sandy’s new name. Makes me envious of not being there.

I will use the driving range in the warm sun and make believe I am in AZ, come home to have a couple of beer and chicken wings and watch the undefeated Flames play hockey.

The world is changing fast and if you don’t keep up to you are going to be in a lot of trouble. Phone apps for everything. Now Costco with their rebate program doesn’t send you a cheque anymore. First year this time where you have to print off a coupon or put it on your phone. I printed just to have a copy and used my Mobile Pocket app on my phone to store it. Our rebate this year was only $400 bucks but that is enough to fill up the motorhome with food for our first trip camping. That first fill is always fun shopping experience as some stuff we buy lasts the entire camping season. I guess I could use it to fill the motorhome as with the reduced pump price it will only take about $320 to fill. We will see.

The driving range was still busy but we got on in about 10 minutes or so which was nice. With the sun out and the heaters on all it took was a light golf shirt to keep warm. That is nice. I had 150 balls plus more from Jeff to work with. Approximately 160  balls which is like two full games worth of shots and by the end I was getting a little tired. But is fun to work on things. I discovered today how I can fade, draw or attempt to drive straight with just about every club other than my driver. I can have 4 beautiful shots and then a nasty slice shows up and then is gone. On a course like Turner that means taking a 7 or 8 on a hole and killing the game. I have to figure out a way to minimize this. I could use my 3 and go 230 yards but I like the extra distance.

So much fun today emailing my Oiler friends. I am impressed with their passionate responses and blind loyalty. You know how Trumps supporters love him even when he is insane, the Oiler fans have the same logic. They continue to put their hopes on a losing team with each year bringing extremely high expectations and then wham a huge let down. Yet they are there with them. Considering the Covid despair to add another level of stress, disappointment and disillusionment seems unfathomable but there they are. Wallowing in self doubt, crying for help, desperate in faith but loyal to the end. It is admirable to stay with a sinking ship to a point.  Just remember the Captain drowns. Life is too short to live in misery though. Go out on a limb and pick another next favorite to help your state of mind.  You all will be better for it.

We are getting closer to buying the RV resort with 66% of the residents on board and another 7 days to go. Fingers crossed.

Drinks, hot wings, salt & pepper wings, carrot & celery sticks and a Flames game brings it to a little like normal. Edmonton playing tonight and the Flames so it is a fun night. The only thing better would be the cold draft beer at a sports bar with multiple screens. Come on guys stay at home and follow the rules so we can get out soon.  I feel for the bars. And us . LOL

Does anyone like the new Oiler uniform ?  It is little ugly but much better than the gearhead modern one they used to have.

The Flames game was a good one except it was stolen from us. 5 on 3 to get a goal was robbery. We need to unite and storm the Saddledome. We did not lose. It was stolen. We need a recount.

We do have a history of not winning the opening game so my expectations weren’t high. Very good game and fun to watch and the season is on.

The Oilers played a way better tonight but you better not count on powerplays chances to win every time. Mc Happy Meal played awesome. Should Powerplay goals really count in the stats ?

Thought of the Day 

The Flames only need one thought. Our goal is to deny yours.

January 15-18th

“Mercury Forecast   Mesa 22 degrees, Edmonton 4 degrees Calgary 7 degrees “

We are so lucky with the weather, It has been a wonderful January so far which is half done. Exceptional really.

I have booked a Dentist appointment today for next week. Not looking forward to having someone breathing so close to me but it does need to be done. We need the vaccine roll out to happen a lot quicker.

I still haven’t booked a blood donation appointment but need to do that also.

I have NOTHING on the agenda for a couple of days. I miss Arizona.  I may take a trip out to the lot to pickup a caulking gun as I have two spots were my moulding just misses covering the flooring up perfectly that I want to caulk.

I am all caught up on everything else. At least the dog keeps me busy and if she isn’t demanding attention it is nice with her cuddled up on top of your foot or beside you. Or going for that dog walk.

Trudeau is amazing. Who in their right mind would allow inmates to be vaccinated before front line workers. That is just wrong.

I love the following statement and it is so fitting. We have the ideologist socialist NDP followers that astray wouldn’t be a word I use in Alberta. We have the radical Trump followers that have really gone over the edge in the USA and on a humorous lesser side the blind loyalist Oiler fans. LOL  Think about the following statement in your life perhaps as a thermometer in your own thoughts.

Humans have evolved to be really good at fitting into groups. Our malleable brains can adapt beliefs in order to thrive within our given tribe. But that sort of cognitive wiring can lead us astray.

Speaking for myself my malleable brain came to the conclusion I needed to become a Flame fan, and a Stamps fan not to thrive within my given tribe but as logical decision to enjoy a sense of winning and not having to always live in the past. In today’s world it would be called “forward thinking”

Some people get stuck in a rut and follow and follow without THINKING for themselves.  I have supported the Progressive Conservatives, Alliance, Reform, Wildrose, and the UCP. My allegiance always has been to fiscal responsibility, right sized govt, in combo with control management on healthcare and education including a balance between environment and business revenue which the above parties tend to steer to but as you can see not one single party.

Another wonderful sunny day in Alberta. And at this temperature with the sun it is a great thing. Having said that it looks winter is about to start this coming up Friday. Darn but it is winter and it is expected. It is so warm I had to open the door for coolness so I have the humidifier fighting the outside air. It hard to keep the RH over 25 and I am positive I have had a few boards shrink.

No facts but I believe people that go south for winters must live longer. When in the warmth you have golf, tennis, pickleball, swimming, etc. In the winter there is hiking, skating ( if the police don’t ticket you) i guess swimming inside but the options and desire are a lot less. Covid may be tainting my thinking but I sure miss Arizona. Even if I had nothing to do reading a book or just relaxing outside in the sun is soooo muuuuch better. I will make sure to enjoy every moment this fall when we go.

What a great Hockey Night in Canada.  First of all I thought the Oiler’s played very well probably as good as they can. A team without defense or goaltending has a long road to haul and they held their own even stopping a shut out from happening. Entertaining to watch. The second was pure pleasure as the Flames crushed Vancouver. Talent and hard work goes a long ways.

Missed the 50/50 number by only 1000 this time.  The online system sure is a win/win for everyone. Well not everyone as I didn’t win. LOL

Filled out my 8840 forms to send in even though the days for 2020 were the least in 7 years.  We have to keep the IRS government happy. They are talking about extending our allowed time which would be good but the 180 days is more than enough for us.  It is the 120 day average that is more difficult to work with. Then add our medical coverage and AH coverage and it becomes a little convoluted.

Today is my big brothers birthday. It seems unreal to me that is he is as old as he is. Time flies. Having a brother a few years older had it’s benefits.

1. When I was about 13 years old I got into a fight with the neighbor kid. He was much bigger than I but I held my own relatively well. Well good enough as one time I caught my Mom watching us and she didn’t want to interfere as she said  it was like two bulls pushing each other but nobody getting hurt. That is a wonderful strategy to protect your kids self worth and reputation. In another fight with the same kid Alfred had to help and pushed the kid to away to go home.  That didn’t end well as Alfred had a part time job bagging groceries and the kids Dad attacked Alfred at work. That kid gave me a couple of black eyes over the years.
2. When we were young I would yell Ouch, ouch and Mom or Dad would run in to help me from being beaten up my older brother. Most of time he hadn’t even toughed me yet. LOL
3. My first car at 16 I needed tires and Alfred had a perfect set of G60-15 tires that he said I could use until I could afford a pair myself. I burnt thru those almost new tires in one month down to the wire threads. I loved burn outs. A Nova SS where I took out the 6 cylinder and dropped in a 283 V8 out of one of Alfred’s cars. 210 horsepower with 2970 pounds made a quick car.
4. Lots of spare parts given to me from Alfred over those years. A complete 3 inch header to chrome tip exhaust system for my 1967 Camaro was awesome.

It was always nice having an older brother to learn from, get help from etc.

This is an old guy with a love for cars with a Vette and a 4 x4 lifted with 44″ tires.

Happy Birthday old fart.

SHE DID IT. I don’t know if it was a gift or Jackie got it for us to work on but we ended up with a 1000 piece puzzle. Those pieces are small with complicated cuts on them. Jackie has been very diligent in getting this done. I started and quickly decided puzzles aren’t for me. I sort of dislike them to be honest. I like to relax not have to think so hard. She worked away on it a bit each day and today IT IS DONE. I have to say I am impressed with her efforts and determination. The worst part is having to break it all apart now. LOL

Impressed though, all done !!!

News scope: Oilers putting Smith to bed will pick up Dell from Toronto who is on waivers and let him play when they are in TO on the 20th. We will see if I am correct.

I am impressed with All Weather Windows. I talked to their service department to get a new operating arm for one of our condo windows. The condo management which I asked twice to get this done works very slow so I decided to replace it myself. I contacted AWW in mid November and just received an email my arm had arrived. That is 8 weeks. But what I am impressed with is this individual did his job and followed up which a lot of companies struggle with. Now the arm should have had lifetime warranty on it but these were only 10 years. And they did a cash sale unlike some window company I am very familiar with.  Impressed with AWW

Unlucky as the weather turns cold but I can’t see it taking more than 1hr total to change out. Should be less but I am not familiar with how they connect their control arm. Time will tell when it arrives here and I install it. They closed their Calgary operation due to Covid at the moment so it is being mailed.

I talked to Ashley again and again a different delivery date. We have had since we bought this furniture numerous different delivery dates. We bought it with a promise before Christmas which was 8 weeks away. Now 12 weeks has past and another 3 weeks or more before delivery again. Not impressed with Ashley. I am funny like that as I remember and I can say I do not believe I will ever buy from them again.

I whipped out to the lot today with Daisy. A nice walk around but odd as the resort was 5 degrees cooler than Calgary. Still a nice day. Picked up my caulking gun and checked everything out. I do have to say it is pretty nice out there. We are still waiting on word if our proposal to buy the lot has been accepted and with enough buy in from the lots. Fingers crossed. It always amazes me when people are hesitant to spend money and don’t think long term. During these times there are circumstances where that is impossible to come up with a lump sum but one has to remember you will have this asset for life so amortize it over that and the number becomes less daunting.

I remember talking to our accounting department in head office lots of time when the term “generally accepted or creative accounting practices” would come up. Figure out a way to make it happen that is creative, legal, and acceptable.

Our walk was a little shorter with the coolness but Daisy still loved it including running in the deep snow and meeting another dog. A big dog!

I had to include this picture as it is very true. Being raised by a mechanic , having a brother become a mechanic and my love of cars which I couldn’t help have, explains why I had greasy hands for years.

I had some fun and worrisome nights trying figure where that extra bolt goes.

“MEMORIES”

• Pulling a 235- 6 cylinder from a 1953 Chevy in the middle of winter with no garage. My friend and I tarped around it and used a propane blast furnace to keep warm. No engine puller so we used the rafters of an old shed. We got it done and the brand new crate engine installed. Froze our butts off. We had to pull the first engine out as the block cracked as Clancy didn’t check the antifreeze quality.
• My first car at 16 was a 1963 Nova SS coupe. It came from the factory with 194- 6 cylinder. I had to get into the engine compartment and with a sledgehammer pound and bend the spring tunnels to make room for the exhaust manifolds. I can’t remember but Dad must have welded or bolted on new engine mounts as we dropped in a 283- V8. He cut the driveshaft and welded it himself but I believe he took to Taylor Pierson Carson where he was a machinist to balance it. Fast little car as it weighed only 2900 pounds with 210 horsepower.
• Dad rebuilt me a 216- 6 cylinder for a 1953 5 window Chevy 1/2 ton that we dropped in as I had this as a between vehicle after a girlfriend rolled my beautiful 1968 Dodge Dart GT. 
• My 1969 Nova SS was t-boned by a drunk and totaled. I pulled this amazing 350 high performance and dropped into my 1967 Camaro after pulling the low performance 327 out. Every year in September I would pull the engine and Dad would rebuild it. Faster every year by adding different things. I only drove it one winter after that I had lots of time to get it ready for spring. Boring it 30-1/1000 over one year and up to 60 over on the last rebuild. New pistons raising the compression, every year a new cam with more lift , and additional go quick items like a stall convertor and 4:11 gears, different alum intakes, ignition and larger carbs and jets. I remember one year where Dad had me polish the inside channels of the heads. Smooth channels gave better air flow before he seated in new valves. I spent hours “cleaning” these up. TIP use a thinner head gasket to raise your compression easily and cheap.
  
• Speaking of that extra bolt worry. Kieth, Jenny, Jackie and I went on a holiday to Penticton in my 1967 Camaro only a few days after dropping in another new engine. In Penticton it started ” Knocking” bad. I had a long talk with Dad and the end result was to drive it home and if it blew up or stuck on the road we would deal with it. It sounded odd to me so I took it to two different service stations to listen to it. Both mechanics stated it sounded like a rod knocking. I wasn’t convinced so I did some phoning and found a guy willing to put it on the lift and use his stethoscope to listen to it. As we were under the car we saw the issue. When I bolted the bellhousing the engine either I forgot to tighten or they worked loose but the bell house was splitting away from the engine and the movement was randomly hitting the ring starter gear. Wow a 1/2 hour of tightening bolts and $50 was a life saver compared to $5,000.or a break down on the side of the road. Important to remember more than one opinion.
• This reminds me of the time when I had Keith Harry pull my Corvette into our yard when the engine started knocking. His bets line ever to my Dad ” Body by Fischer power by Ford”  Very lucky again as I dropped a valve spring and the valve was hitting the top of the piston. No damage. Possible valve float with over revving. 
• Many tranny pulls also. 

Wind warnings again. I hope the wind is low as I am going to the range again.

I worked on a Excel spread sheet today. Two things. First wow do you ever forget tricks with Excel if you are not using it everyday. I finally accomplished what I set out to do with internet help. Second, Microsoft like most big internet companies are crooks. They want a subscription to their Office 365 product now and my older free Office 2010 system they are not supporting. When I emailed a sheet it was a Read only. I had to do a lot of dicking with it to make it work. Shouldn’t of had to.

What a night for hockey.  First the Flames played perfectly tonight. Our guys are working as a team exceptionally well. I thought the Oilers played very well again tonight. I was surprised with the mention of 3 wins in the last 14 games for them though. I was also surprised with all of supposed star power that the Flames have more Goals For this season.

It was fun switching back and forth between the games. I sort of like this condensed season.

Thought of the Day 

Four out five dentist recommend hockey !

January 19th

“Mercury Forecast   Mesa 22 degrees, Edmonton 5 degrees, Calgary 9 degrees”

The warmth before the winter takes hold. It looks like the colder weather will come after the weekend. -7 for a high on the weekend and then DOWN to winter colds for the next week. We all know the weather forecast can change dramatically before then but evitable it will be cooler weather ahead. I am not working outside but even just for walks I prefer it to be warmer. Just like today is perfect winter weather.

Lots of news to watch with interesting commentary. Some big stars all lined up for the Biden inauguration. It always has amazed me how the celebrities are so left winged. I guess that happens with money. It will be a different event and hopefully peaceful without any huge incidents. The American public can be quite radical.

I will say the poor news channels now will be desperate for news without Trump as he everyday created some controversary. The news people will miss him. I expect huge layoffs at the news stations.

We all should be prepared for an ugly financial picture for 4 years with this administration. With Trudeau and Biden running North American we are in trouble. Huge debt, cash payments to everyone, large tax increases, smothering of the oil industry and money going left and right with carbon taxes and green grants. I like Biden, he presents himself well, I believe he will do right by what he believes in and the world should be a calmer place with him but my hope is he stays away from his environmental agenda and socialist spending ideas for at least a couple of years. We sort of knew the Keystone was toast years ago but had hopes. Biden will be a lot worse for Canada overall.

Jeff & I went to the driving range today again. I checked in for both of us at 12:45 and we didn’t get a mat until 1:50. An hour wait as the place again was packed. Get back to work you bums !! Another great day practicing. I am hitting the ball exceptionally well and am very pleased. How that extrapolates on the course time will tell. 3 months away. LOL  But it is fun. I enjoy the outing and it is a short exercise break. Pretty minor exercise but keeps the muscle memory going. Hopefully when safe they open the simulators as those are fun and help with club distance.  Jeff’s laser does help give us a good idea of the “hit” distance. The furnaces they have are amazing as you have to dress down to a shirt only. We plan to look at going later this week again.

I set up a call time to help Mom’s boredom in isolation but had to miss it today with the timing.

It has taken a long time to recover but my Boston Fern is on the road to recovery. It didn’t like it’s transplant last year and has struggled but as of late it is growing like mad.

Super windy out again tonight. It seems we are experiencing more wind in the last year than ever. Chinook winds giving us the temperatures but noisy.

RV lot is getting closer but we are still 6% away from achieving our goal. I hope people realize the gravity of their hesitancy as we all maybe sorry if we don’t meet the expectation.

Thought of the Day 

We don’t need those when it comes to paying that are first to put their hand in their pocket but they leave it there.

January 20th 

“Mercury Forecast   Mesa 23 degrees, Edmonton 1 degrees  Calgary 3 degrees”

The Biden inauguration was very different than the past. Considering everything ( potential riots, covid) it was handled very well. A different feel than 4 years ago which is good. Calm  Biden will represent USA so so much better than Trump and he is a president that people can be proud of. The only issue is his policies that will be very detrimental to the USA and Canada. This is his weakness and it is big issue. Between taxes and a environmental agenda he will not generate a great economy. I was impressed with Garth being a Republican and singing at the event. It will help unite a bit. The gift exchange was a nice touch with respect and bi-partisan done.

It is beyond me why people can’t have different opinions and still get things done. When I was a manager I used to love it when someone suggested an idea I had, was wrong, After mulling over points there were times where I changed my mind and either went with their decision or a modified version. People just need to get along and work together. In a companies case it is for profit. In a countries case it is what is good for the people.

My dentist’s secretary made an error. I had an appointment for 10:40 today but that didn’t happen. Someone or their system made an error. No big deal as it is now set up for tomorrow but it is funny as their online booking hasn’t been working perfect so the receptionist physically phoned to book and manually entered and we still have a mistake. LOL  They were very accommodating in squeezing in a time for tomorrow.

We have two days left and still need 4% of the lots to anti up to purchase the resort. We need this. First of all why wait until just before close date ?

Talking to Mom today she will be the hospital for another month as the doctor figures it will mid Feb before she can put weight on her ankle.

Three hours into his Presidency, Biden signs an executive order to cancel the XL pipeline. Killed 10,000 jobs and took over 2 billion in wages out of peoples hands and our LIBERAL Foreign Minister says we respect and understand the decision. Trudeau and Biden are going to destroy the energy industry and this is just another huge set back for Alberta. 

I won’t go into this as it annoying to see the green agenda prioritized over living. Millions with no job, 400,000 dead from Covid and he makes it a first day priority. Amazing.

Alberta is in a tough spot. Land locked and the public, particular union employees and youth that are greedy, needy, ideologist  and wanting to fix the climate change instantly instead of building a strong economy and then working on reducing our footprint. It is shame for us as a resource rich province to be held captive to people like the NDP, Trudeau and Biden. There is NO alternative to oil yet ,but lets destroy the livelihood of our people now anyways.

A good first day in office. Alienate your closest allies by shutting down their oil and letting OPEC control more of the worlds supply, joining the Paris accord so that US manufactures are so encumbered they can’t compete with China,  stop the wall to keep illegal immigrants out of the country, lift impediment to terrorists coming into the country and fund the WHO for the entire world. Great job Joe !

I feel for businesses in Alberta both from Covid and policy. The do-gooders hate oil and coal but want to still make a living. They just don’t get it.

CTV today reports on businesses closing.

That means up to 181,000 businesses nationwide could shut their doors for good.

In Alberta and Ontario, the numbers are even higher, with 22 per cent and 20 per cent of businesses considering bankruptcy or winding down operations, putting 34,498 in danger of closing.

Thought of the Day 

After years of wanting to thoroughly clean our house but lacking the time, this week I discovered that wasn’t the reason.

January 22nd 

“Mercury Forecast   Mesa 20 degrees, Edmonton -2 degrees, Calgary -2 degrees”

This looks like our last warm day for a bit or at least a week. We have been spoiled. Not only a warm January day but bright and sunny.

Jackie is swamped today with long investigation phone calls so at 10:30 I headed to the driving range. Arriving there it was full but I ended up 2nd on the wait list. Just as I was walking up they moved the QR code sign to front so everyone must have arrived at the same time. 2 minute wait and I was up. So nice to have the warmth of sun hitting us but hard to see the ball at times. I started with my light jacket over my Calvin Green light coat. It only took about 5 minutes and I was sweating so I had to peel back to just my light Adidas jacket and even then it was warm. There were men in short sleeve shirts only but I liked the feel with my light jacket. I did discover though if you don’t store your clubs near the front they get quite cold quickly. I thoroughly enjoyed it and went through one large and one small bucket. If I have to say myself I am striking the ball perfectly with very few mishits. I tried numerous hand grips, ball placement and iron face adjustment and I am loving it. I wish I could go to a course right now. My lowest score ever is a 74 at Boulder and I feel I am hitting well enough to repeat or better depending on putting. If I used my driver say 50 times I only had maybe 5 slices. Some power fades that still would have been in play but overall awesome. It is only January and I have at least  2 1/2 to 3 months left before I hit the course but first chance they are open I will be there even if I have to pay full price. It was a fun mid day.

I had to copy and paste this at it is so very good and true. Time goes by so fast. We all wish we did certain things different but in most cases most couples tried their best and no one is worse for wear for it. Nothing annoys me more that adults blaming their childhood on their current behavior. It is not the parents fault.  We all make choices and if the choice is to blame someone you will find life very difficult. You are now an adult, suck it up , and if you don’t like your situation change it.

 

January 23rd

“Mercury  Forecast Mesa  23 degrees, Edmonton -16 degrees, Calgary -4 degrees”

EXCELLENT  Day !!   We did it.

 

We made it. I was a little worried for a bit as the time frame to complete this was over the holidays and with people off work, losing their jobs and the economy overall I feared people may not have the capital to pull this off.

So what does this mean. It means that instead of leasing our lot for 35 years from an investor that could sell it or even potentially become insolvent and having  nothing at the end of it we now own it. When leased if we were to sell it, it is devalued by the years from the contract. ie if we sold now it would be worth 35k- 4yrs @ 1000=  $31, 000  for the land only. Now that we “own” the land the value will increase as land values and demand dictates.  Now we have to add this asset to our will.  Our value today would be around $ 60,000 for our lot.  It is a great day to own rather than lease.

Daisy and I drove out to Oasis today. I picked up my Simonize polisher from the motorhome as I am going to cut and polish the Jeep next week.  When I removed the poplar buds last year I dulled the paint in spots. It needs to be cut and polished so a full day coming up which will be good. We went for a long walk around the park. It was cooler out today for sure.  Cooler may not describe it. I think cold fits better. I hate winter.

Thought of the Day

Wax on wax off 

January 24th

” Mercury Forecast   Mesa 12 degrees, rain, Edmonton -16 degrees, Calgary -15 degrees”

Wind chills of -24 degrees or lower and some parts hitting the -40 degrees with the wind. Welcome to winter in Canada. As I said before we have had it so nice for 3/4’s of January but we all knew this would happen.

Funny thing is today is a planned day for family pictures. The last time Atti wasn’t in them so it is nice to get some new ones with everyone. Today in -24 degrees with the wind chill seems like the perfect idea to me. If we were going for that dress up real warm winter look it is perfect. If we are trying to get great looking family pictures far far from a picture perfect day. LOL  I am dressing warm as I am sure snow will be on the ground, in the background and people will realize we needed to dress like that.

Jackie is lucky as she has her real, mink long winter coat that Carol gave her. I had the lining repaired on it a few years ago for her and the furrier explained it was a very high end coat. I bought as a gift for her, a matching mink hat. Not exact but this small hat was $1000. She looks wonderful in it. I will she see if she will go naked under it. Now that is a winter picture. LOL

The pictures will be interesting as I am sure the boys will be freezing their butts off. We just fit under the gathering restrictions guidelines. I am not sure what pictures with masks will look like. LOL

HAVE I SAID I HATE WINTER.

I think I can say we all had a lot of fun. I was warm except for my hands but I had my Under Armour climawarm  tee on, a golf shirt over it and a pull on cardigan golf sweater over that with my lined leather jacket. I had on my Dads’ dress lined boots which were awesome. Jackie was warm in full length coat, hat and or ear wrap. I can’t say the same for most of the others. They looked great but froze their asses off. Victoria in high heels had bright red feet. Jackson’s teeth were chattering. Penny freezing and the two younger boys being tough but COLD. Jessica was so cold she fell out of the truck.

Our location was East Side Village with the architectural elements like the library , Bell studio and murals were fantastic. Everyone had fun getting their pictures taken then warming up in their vehicles. Fun but cold !

Kristen our professional photographer was exceptional.https://www.kmhforte.com/   Kristen is our niece from Edmonton that owns this company and drove down for the day.  She is very good with a unique eye for a picture. If you need photography done make sure to contact her as she is exceptional. I know it will be hard to believe but I am betting my pictures will make me even better looking than in real life.

A very interesting day. A fun day. Great seeing the kids again and done safely for everyone.

A not so perfect hockey night but still fun.

Thought of the Day 

It is too cold to be pretty. ! I wasn’t made for winter.

January 25th

“Mercury Forecast   TODAYS FORECAST ALL REGIONS COLD”

Big birthday day today with two people slightly celebrating.

Corey Waldie is turning 38 today. That is getting up there. Time flies too fast and we all just get too busy to fully enjoy it. HAPPY BIRTHDAY !

We couldn’t have asked for a nicer son-in-law. I thoroughly enjoy that he became a skilled carpenter with loads of talent. He is an awesome Dad to Jackson and a great husband to Victoria. I do wish he would cheer on a good team as I am always afraid depression may set in after every loss with the Oilers. I have added this picture below just to bug him as this is/was his favorite player.

Another friend is experiencing the slow decay of old age. Bad hip, knees maybe going, back issues, memory decline, losing her glasses to only find them on her head the one and only Mrs Wendy Grace.

Great sense of humor, hits the golf ball a mile, operates like a cash register keeping track of every dime, strong willed and minded lady, contagious laugh and fun to be around.

My only concern with Wendy is, as I just researched and found out, that starting at 30 years of age ( remember Wendy is close to double that) women lose up to two inches in height.

Have a very Happy Birthday Wendy !

Happy Almost 60 Birthday Wendy

Thought I would just throw this in to hopefully get people to think. We all want a better place to live, cleaner, healthier etc but what the NDP, Liberals, Green, Dems want is to destroy our economy. We can all get better, a way better but slowly and done correctly. This is a list of everyday things that these people ( Don Cherry got fired for saying those people) forget is made with oil. No Oil our society as we know doesn’t exist. So to that I say please think and research things a bit before jumping to conclusions. Oil and green can co-exist.

Thought of the Day

Oil demand will continue to grow as our population does.

 

January 26th

“Mercury Forecast  Mesa 10 degrees, Edmonton -16 degrees, Calgary -11 degrees”

It is bloody cold everywhere. LOL   -40 plus in Saskatchewan. It is January in Canada.

I am biased but I believe I am being very real, when I say what a great looking family we have.

• We have the Waldie’s which look like models, urbanites, with it, trendy, sophisticated.
• We have the Hicken’s which are hip, cool, trendy and casual modern
• We have Jackie & I which I must say look pretty good. Perhaps fashionable in a sense and Jackie looking beautiful in her REAL Mink fur.
• Let me say again if you want fantastic photos hire Kristen at KMH Forte Photo in Edmonton as she is fantastic. Exceptional as you can tell by our photos. https://www.kmhforte.com/

 

We will have these pictures forever. I have downloaded 290 photos to a stick and to my external hard drive to have as keepsakes always.

Chicken wing night again. Back and forth between the Oilers and the Flames. The Oilers lost first and then the Flames lost. Still two good fun games to watch. I wasn’t impressed with Toronto’s antic’s throwing the puck at Tkachuk after the game ended. Not classy at all. Tkachuk sure does have a temper though which could get him in trouble if he doesn’t learn to control it. A fun night with drinks, chicken wings and hockey on TV.

Thought of the Day

Like the line from Zoolander “Don’t hate me because I am beautiful”

January 27th

“Mercury Forecast   Mesa 16 degrees, Edmonton -13 degrees , Calgary -12 degrees”

I am shocked that the phone isn’t ringing off the hook. I thought for sure my new modelling career from our recent photo event where I could demand huge dollars would explode. Magazine covers, commercials, ads etc and I haven’t received ONE call. Another career opportunity gone. Oh well travelling to exotic places now isn’t recommended anyways so I will go back to being just be a retired guy. Their loss I am sure.  I am thinking in todays world it is most likely a case of ageism that I should shout out to the world.

Not much on the agenda today for sure.

Victoria was able to secure a job with a logistics company after being unemployed since March due to Covid. Personable, strong leadership skills, good work ethic and clever she will be a good fit for any company. It is a new industry for her but she brings a lot of transferrable skills with her due to previous management positions. Hopefully it is a good fit.

Jackie & I have committed to helping Corey & Victoria  out for a bit with Jackson after school due to the school boards stupidity as he gets out of school at 2:30 pm in the afternoon. If he was taught for a whole day imagine the success our kids could achieve. So we pick him up at school and look after him until his parents get home after working a full day.

Jackson is our bubble kid with us taking extra care wearing masks and staying apart. Only being nine he is much too young to be left alone and finding after school care is not easy.

Daisy played with Hazel for a full 1/2 hour outside running around like mad. Hazel is huge and poor little Daisy runs and then get rolled up in a ball as Hazel’s huge paws or head hit her. They have an excellent time playing together. I have to watch as I am fearful of the size difference. Daisy though just keeps going and going. A little sister bugging her big sister. Hazel is very good with her. Daisy will fall asleep as soon as we get home as she will be exhausted.

Jackson was playing with his buddies on Fortnite on the TV and as I was watching him play which is fun as he is good and it is neat listening to him talk to his friends as he plays. Then I see the other controller sitting on the couch. I pick it up and lo and behold I can control things. So every few minutes I push a button. Jackson just can’t figure out what is happening. He shoots but the gun drops etc. Finally after getting a little frustrated he decides to reboot the machine as he thinks he has been hacked. I am killing myself laughing as he says ” Papa ! ”

Years ago I bought the “best” you can get sound surround system for our house. With everything it cost over 2K and i would say that was 15 years ago. It is a  Yamaha 7.2 Channel receiver and Nuance speakers. The two rear speakers I installed in the ceiling of Tor & Cor first house to use as a media room. When Jackie and I did our reno this year I decided as I hate noise transfer and living in a condo isn’t contusive to using a high power surround system especially with a sub woofer that I would remove it .I wish all units would.  I packed it all up and gave it to Corey. He installed the system in their bonus room and today Jackson was using it with Fortnite. AWESOME !  When a gun shoots or cannon drops it is just like in a movie theatre. Car racing would be awesome with this. It sounds incredible and makes the video game that much better.

Talking to Mom today in the hospital it isn’t going well. She is feeling very down with the isolation. I can’t imagine in todays world a hospital with no cable hook ups . Should never happen. A hospital without WiFi. Should not happen. So to be confined in a room all day for 14 days is ridiculous. Mom is not a book reader so she has been doing word search puzzles but it gets to her eyes after while. She has to leave the  rehab hospital to get a walking cast on and that makes for another 14 day isolation. We are getting carried away with this Covid.

I am more than willing to support businesses that are going against the health regulations. These poor people have no one looking out for them and they will go bankrupt. To open to survive only makes sense. Do it as safely as possible and perhaps generate enough income to safe your livelihood and pay if fined. I know since Covid I always give an extra big tip and have bought gift certificates to help these guys out that are working as take out only. I feel sorry for them to have to struggle. Why are we picking on the hospitality industry so much ? You can have a dentist 12 inches from your mouth but can’t sit 6ft away in a restaurant ?

Thought of the Day 

Aren’t you jealous of the trash going out more than you are ?

January 28th-29th

“Mercury Forecast Mesa 20 degrees, Edmonton -16 degrees, Calgary -14 degrees”

How sad is it that we have a company in Calgary that can and is willing to manufacture and even create a Covid vaccine and Trudeau wouldn’t give them any money. He did give 4 million dollars out of the 35 million ask. The WE scandal money alone would have been enough for us to make our own vaccine without having to count on exports that we have no control over. Trudeau gave 173 million dollars to Medicago based in Quebec but not to our Alberta company.  I just don’t understand why people are so accepting of this idiot. The youth of today are so naïve and idealistic and seem to just forgive him.

We are being rationed on the vaccine due to the EU pressure and we will not have our population meet heard immunity until 2022. To me that is unacceptable.   He has to table a budget this year and my hopes are the NDP will join the PC’s to over throw this government.

The Flames are on tonight again so hopefully will have a good night. Perhaps wings again. LOL

I believe our children are being damaged, right in front of our eyes. Part of the issue, however, is that not enough people are having this conversation. Why? Because the kids are not the ones dying in hospitals record numbers. Yet the reality is that does not make their situation any less grave.

Simply because the kids are not on ventilators or in the ICU in large numbers does not mean they are not being scarred by this virus. It would seem to me that kids have done nothing but sacrifice.

They have given up everything they know and everything they love because we asked them to; their friends, their extended family, education, socialization, and athletics. There is no doubt that the mental health of our kids is suffering greatly. At what point do we prioritize their well-being? At what point to we say enough. I can’t walk down the sidewalk now without people hastily moving far away or try walking down the aisle the wrong way at Safeway. We are changing and it is not good.

However, at this point I think we must look at what we are learning from the past year of living with COVID-19, and what we are learning is that kids and our society cannot live like this.

It is not healthy or sustainable for us to do so. What is more, by continuing to do so we undoubtedly put the mental health, well-being and future prospects of happiness for our generation at risk. That is the truth.

Mom is locked away in a hospital as she is isolated as she left the hospital to get a cast put on. Her treatment is no better than and I believe worse than that of solidary confinement for a mass murderer. No TV, no Wifi, sheets only changed once a week, and not even a sponge bath for a week. It is ridiculous that we are allowing this to happen. Thousands of businesses going broke, millions without a job and for less than 1% chance of dying from a flu.

I think it is time we go for mass immunity the old fashioned way. People will die but 99% of the world population will get to live a normal life again.

There are three groups I feel the most sorry for. The elderly, the youth and the business owners. How do we let a big box store remain open and close every independent ?

Perhaps it is time for a reset in our thinking on this. Isn’t one year enough ? How can a government not feel empathy for it’s citizens ? Why are we not working 24/7 to vaccinate everyone we can. I know 2 people now that have the first shot but can’t get the second one in the time frame the factory recommends.  It will be a time in the worlds history that will be remembered forever. What repercussions has China experienced ?   It is an odd world we live in and getting worse. The politicians we elect compound the issues. Biden and Trudeau are set to destroy the economies of North America.

Up early this morning to look after Jackson. Early for me 7:00 am late for Jackson as he slept in until 9:30am. Jackson was able to connect with a couple of friends on Fortnite so he was in heaven that he was allowed to play for hours without being bugged.  This Fortnite is a fantastic social exercise for kids and parents should not worry about screen time while Covid is going on. The kids need the social interaction and this is a easy safe way to let them do it.

Harvey’s for lunch which is my favorite burger establishment.

Daisy and Hazel love playing together. This is a mouse and elephant situation. Hazel is huge and takes her paw or her head and holds Daisy down. When they are dancing around and playing Daisy has to roll up in a ball to protect herself. Saying that though Daisy is such a pest. She constantly nips at Hazel’s ears or nose and won’t stop. I feel for Hazel yet the two literally want to play  for hours and hours.

They never slept all day so I am sure she will pass out tonight. She does love to play.

So a good day and the weekend is looking good with warmer weather.

Thought of the Day 

At Harvey’s today I had a bad mix up. When the cashier said to me strip down facing me, apparently she was referring to my credit card.

January 30th-31st

“Mercury Forecast   Mesa 16  degrees, Edmonton -11 degrees, Calgary 0 degrees”

My operating arms came in the mail from AWW. They gave two for the price of one as the order processer forgot what I handing I needed. So I was getting them ready and checking the weather and decided tomorrow was a good day to work with the window open. The bag had a plastic Canada Post bag over it with writing on it stating they were sorry about the damaged bag and numbers to phone if a claim had to be made.  I opened it up and wouldn’t you know it. I received the two operating arms and only one nesting handle. Turns out the nesting handle is the opposite handing I need. So I will install the arm and then look for another handle. It is not worth the hassle to claim at Canada Post. I may have to call on a favor to get another handle from Romi as most manufacturers use TRUTH hardware. I checked Home Depot but no luck. I did notice Depot’s ridiculous price on their arms though. I will change out the operator as I said tomorrow.

TSX taking a bit of a hit lately. I am sure we are going to see a lot more of that as Biden policy continues to roll out and damage our economy on top of the Covid pain.

I can say I AM VERY GLAD WE DECIDED TO STAY HOME THIS YEAR.  With the new restrictions now in place it would be a nightmare.

• Negative test 72 hours before leaving Canada
• No flights to or return from Mexico or the Caribbean until May 1st
• Hotel mandated on return to Canada for isolation until negative tests come back
• 14 day isolation
• Negative tests required 72 hours before leaving the USA to return.
• Land border about to implement negative test required. Still closed.

It would be very time consuming, expensive with return test and hotel estimates at 2K and adds a lot of extra stress on travelers. Even though I am disliking this staying at home very much I am glad we didn’t go.

With the vaccine rollout hiccups even our summer is looking not perfect as variants will cause issues. If that is the case I will spend a lot of time camping ,boon-docking if needed and fishing with golfing. I want a nice weather summer with loads of fun. Like a NORMAL summer.

Another wonderful night of switching back and forth between Oilers and Flames. The Flames game was a well played game as a goalie battle. The Oilers played very well also but just about lost the game. Mc David with 4 on 4 is dangerous.

Did anyone else notice with what was going on with the Leafs and Oiler uniforms. Those are two ugly uniforms. Quit messy with the look. Both team have nice uniforms if they went a little retro. It is shame for them to wear the ugly ones the same night. I thought it was a minor hockey game from Europe.

First thing as it was warmer today I replaced a operating  arm on one of our casement windows. The replacement was the perfect unit so it took no time at all which is good. I had ordered nesting handles but the crank and the nesting cover were not a match. So I used the swivel handle and this “nests’ quite well. Works like brand new again. It will be nice first to close the window completely to stop drafts, and frost and road noise reduction.

Mom’s phone was off line or dead so I didn’t get a chance to talk to he today in the hospital. Then a half hour later Darlene and Mom phoned me on Duo. It was nice to see their faces.

I finished off except for anything Jackie spent today on my January budget. I was very pleased with the numbers as we were tied up in our homes and there were very little extra’s we could spend money on. Then the last sheet had our RV Lot purchase to finalize the sale of it from lease to ownership. Over budget ! LOL

Love it that Patrick Reed won to stop all of the nonsense and controversy over what the golf experts agree was the correct thing to do. News makers are so dumb on trying to make news out of nothing.

We had Audrey for supper tonight as being single she gets two people to hang with. I cooked a perfect roast beef with roast potatoes and carrots for supper. We don’t have red meat that often anymore but man it was good tasting.  I love to dry rub a roast with a lot of spices and the smell is to die for while cooking. Roast potatoes with oil and thyme cooked crispy outside with soft inside is a favorite of mine.  You add gravy and you have one of my favorite meals.

Thought of the Day 

No, Don Cherry can’t be our Governor General.  He likes people !