March 1st -2nd

“Mercury Forecast   Mesa 25 degrees, Edmonton 6 degrees, Calgary 11 degrees” 

There is a saying ” In like a Lamb out like a Lion” when referring to March’s weather. It looks like this may happen this year as March 1st to 15th is all forecast above zero.

Started on my tile project today which as I said is always a long and tedious job. As usual pulling tiles off the drywall wrecks it. Replacement in some cases is easier but as the walls were just painted and the damage was only in the center I choose to patch it. It will be good to go tomorrow. Jackie scrapped off all of the adhesive which is difficult but when I got home before supper she just finished it.

After looking after Jackson I whipped to Lowes and picked up everything I need except for the tile saw or cutter. I have decided to go with a cutter this time as my cuts are hidden behind the light valance and I will use my grinder to cut the electrical outlets. Less mess.  On the deck so the dust will be outside. The saw with the water and mess for a only about 20 cuts isn’t worth the hassle for right now anyways.

I am hoping to be completely done in 3 to 4 days.

In Hockey NHL 20 it was an epic battle today coming down to the last 28 secs when I scored and regained my title. Jackson is very good and as I said anything can happen and I need a little luck.  It was a hard loss on him today.

Mom is back in her own place which is good even though it is another 14 days isolation. Everyone feels better in their own place. She has a commode chair beside her bed and some help from Home Care a couple of times a day until she regains her strength. She is determined so hopefully after isolation  she can get walking down the hallway. As with anything strength only comes with movement and determination. She says even though her leg swells the broken ankle is feeling ok. The current cast is one of those huge walking ones so when she gets a smaller one or none she will really improve. Bones take longer to heal at 89 years old.

Saved all of my sheets for February’s budget but most likely won’t have time to finish it until I am done tiling.

Possession day today at our lot. All conditions have been met and money has been transferred.  Each lot is now a share owner and we are in it all together. Good things to come.  If anyone is looking for a RV lot to rent or especially to buy 35 mins out of town, this is it. A flash sale will be happening to move the last few lots of the new subdivision. A wonderful place.  Our new logo should be ready in a bit which will be neat to see.

Just a wonderful week of weather coming up. In like a lamb could be scary but we will take any good weather we can get. Having said that during Covid and in winter what does it really matter as most people are just staying at home anyways.

Up with a cup of coffee and started working by 9:30am. As I said, I have done this lots but not one of favorite things to do.  My mason blades last only two plug boxes and then are burned out. They really suck to be kind. They had a diamond blade there for $50 but my grinder needs a 7/8 arbor and these were only in 5/8″. Manufacturing stupidity again to have different sized arbors. When I get the wet saw I will double check again as I have another three plugs do to. My plans got a little changed due to circumstances. The special primer has to have the thinset on it no more than  a couple of hours after. I wasn’t ready as I can’t put up thinset and then cut tiles as the boxes are just too time consuming and the thinset will start to harden. So I cut every tile I could with measuring which isn’t always the best and this takes hours and hours and 5 broken tiles. Porcelain tiles are so brittle it is sick. Getting the boxes correct and allowing a space for the screws to hold the receptacle isn’t always easy and I can take you to see any professional tile job and you will see errors. Taking my time I hope to eliminate these as best as possible.

I had enough tiles cut for two plugs and the side of the peninsula so I mixed a batch of thinset and laid these tiles. Wow is this going to look nice ! Wow having such a convoluted pattern is going to waste tiles and drive me nuts !   I really like the look. Italian inspired, country kitchen, modern, chic I can’t describe them other than they look wonderful.

I cheated and stopped working at 4pm for two reasons. I forgot to mention I didn’t need to look after Jackson today and second I was tired. My friend Fred would be laughing at me again working on my hand and knees on the ground. Having said that though my back was getting killed with the up & down and crouching. Perhaps he is right. LOL

I laughed when I saw this picture. Most would agree that the majority of women are not that interested in cars so don’t know a lot about them. I do have a bit of an issue with this. I believe in order to get a drivers license you should be able to change your own tire, be able to parallel park without assistance, back up for at least 20 yards straight and battery boast at a bare minimum. Everyone should be tested with this included in it every 10 years until 65 then every 5 years. Reminds me of years ago we had a very nice 1978 K5 Blazer that Jackie used to drive to work.  We lived in St Albert and she worked in south Edmonton at Ottewell. A long ways. I don’t know how many times Jackie would phone and say she couldn’t start the truck. ( Jackie is very determined so this would be after numerous attempts.) So I would drive all they way there, turn the key and it won’t start right up. Drove her nuts. LOL Many times this happened. It had to have some kind of hiccup but it never happened to me. My Dad used to say ” It is all in how you hold your mouth”

NHL is odd to figure. Calgary takes 3 out 4 points against Toronto. Calgary loses to the last place team twice by big scores. And Edmonton with the top two players lose by a shutouts two games in a row to Toronto. Go figure.

Daisy was confused today not getting to play with Hazel. I like the fact it uses up some of her energy. LOL

We watched our Netflex series again tonight. The Foster’s is extremely well done and beats watching regular TV by miles. Netflex is awesome

Thought of the Day

If you want to attract a man just buy perfume that smells like a the NEW CAR !

March 3rd -4th

“Mercury Forecast  Mesa 28 degrees, Edmonton 6 degrees, Calgary 10 degrees”

Looking at Mesa’s weather and not being there sucks !  I now absolutely appreciate our Mesa lifestyle so much more  now.

Starting working at 9 am and stopped at 5:30 pm. Very tired, up and down and detail work. It was a good day today. First thing was picking up the wet saw and I found a diamond blade with a multiple arbor size for my grinder.

Not perfectly happy with the saw as it is out by a 1/16″ out of square. I adjusted it and it is close but not perfect including the slide binding . I guess they get a lot of use. I have always said if you want to do a job and do it right your NEED the right tools. This diamond blade cut my tile like butter. Made my outlet cutting so much better. With so much cutting I struggle keeping the thinset from drying it takes so long. This is where two guys fly with one guy spreading, installing and the other cutting. I have two outlets left and about 30 cuts that I hope i can get done tomorrow.

This Mapie Eco Prime grip is unbelievable. After application when dried it is extremely rough and you can be sure of a great bonding surface.

Jackie kindly brought A & W for supper as I have the power off in the kitchen.

One condo drawback is DYI work and it is a little more difficult. The cement water on the deck and cleaning the pail and spinner gets difficult.

I think it all should be set by tomorrow afternoon. Then another messy job of grouting and a easy job of sealing and all done. Starting to look pretty fantastic.

I am not a believer in the government changing the rules on vaccine shot delays. It only adds to mistrust. I think we all should follow the manufacturers instructions who should be the experts.

I really like the warm weather and good thing to as I cut with the wet saw on the patio. First the good news. I have completed the tiling. Second part of the good news is it looks fantastic.

Here is my complaint which I hate to do but I will NEVER use thinset again except if doing a shower. I have used it numerous times and every time the same issues. It is impossible to get every mix correct. It is always too thin or too thick. But the biggest issue is it dries so fast after being applied. With one person it is extremely difficult to apply, lay, and cut. I guess you could make numerous patches but that is a pain. Too thick the tiles don’t stick, too thin they don’t stick, it has no holding power until dry so tiles can slide down and it is messy. Mastic is premixed, don’t have to worry about consistency, is glue tacky so tiles won’t slide and is much easier to work with. It is a lot more expensive. I had to remove 3 ft of thinset as it became to dry to work. I will make sure to remember MASTIC if more tiling happens. Tomorrow will be my test day to check the tiles as thinset tile application can have the pop off affect. The grout will tie the tiles together. If a popped tile a simple application of mastic or small mix of thinset and it is fixed.  In hindsight I could have back butter these medium sized tiles which may have worked but with the work time I was dealing with I didn’t. With small tiles it really is not needed.

So another 7 hour tiling day with cutting, applying etc.

It looks fantastic !

I thought last year it was difficult to get a campsite.  It is going to be worse this year. The first day of booking over 21,000 sites were booked which is 100% increase over last year. I believe people are saying they know travel to Europe, Mexico or Hawaii may not be normal for a long long time so why not take local vacations. The RV dealerships are extremely busy and people are booking like mad. You figure a smaller trailer at 20K is equivalent to a months stay over seas and the unit will last years and years. It is a great family vacation. Kids love it. I love it.

Camping is good therapy. Life is best when camping.

Thought of the Day 

My friend is smart. He thinks onions are the only food that makes him cry. So I threw a coconut at his face. 

March 5th

“Mercury Forecast   Mesa 26 degrees, Calgary 12 degrees, Edmonton 5 degrees “

Only about 1 month  until the course open. Henderson Lake in Lethbridge took off their tarps yesterday so they should be open in about a week or so if Lethbridge weather stays warm. Can’t wait.

Wonderful morning this AM as I am back to my schedule. I will grout tomorrow and then be done. I will post pictures and I am sure you will love the look. We do !

Jackson has a half day today so I will pick him up. I will whip him out to Oasis and shovel the snow a bit to see if we can move or have it melt enough to use the pit and deck for weenie roast this weekend. Then perhaps a hockey game. Larry Gretzky Willard has a good ring to it.

Some teams go retro with uniforms. We take it to a whole other level and go retro with a coach. Sutter has one of those poker faces so a player doesn’t have a clue if he is happy or not so they work like mad in hopes. He will definitely make us a harder working team and with this hopefully more wins. Proven winner with two cups, top 15 NHL coach with wins, ex player, prior coaching experience and GM experience so I think it is a win win for everyone. The odd millionaire player will be whining though. The Bennett situation will be interesting.

It surprised a few people with the Flames being 50/50 in wins and a win the last game but that is hockey.

A few lots are on sale by us the owners at Oasis for family and friends right now that will go quick in today’s climate. They will be released to the public most likely next week or so if not picked up. Pricing is up which is awesome. I expect large increases with our new ownership deal and with these new lots already a $12-15K or more increased. Homes in Viewpoint are selling like mad as people are deciding to chose this lifestyle which is inexpensive versus travelling. The pricing is up and homes are moving very fast. I would say Viewpoint on average has increased $20k in the last year. RV sales are thru the roof as again people are seeing the advantage of a safe choice at a reasonable price.

Pricing up at Oasis good for me. Pricing up at Viewpoint good for me. Pricing on RV’s is up good for me.  Oil pricing is rising good and bad for me.  You know inflation is going to happen. I prefer no inflation and high interest but unfortunately they don’t go together.  I do know if someone is looking for a lot, house, RV they better get on it as the pricing is only looking like it is going up higher.

Again though what I don’t like is the amount of people now camping. Covid has given too many people free time. The Alberta campground webpage sucked even before it was busy now it is a disaster. I don’t mind dry camping so we will head a little off the beaten path this year. This means sometimes gravel roads which I hate with a $4,000 front windshield that I like to keep perfect. It is hard to find these nice but off the beaten path places. I know one where Larry Geddes and I visited and fished that I will be using again. I can dry camp quite easily Monday to Friday with my tank capacity.

I remember a few years ago Fred & I went fishing up north to Pinehurst lake, dry camping for a week. Pre-covid and the campground was packed then. Just a coincidence but a whack of retiree’s from Mundare  on a get together trip picked the same week as us.  Funny I didn’t smell garlic. A fun trip with miles of gravel road and loads of fish. Fred caught a 20 pound plus Jackfish and we camped all week with no issues.

I picked up Jackson at noon today from school. Our first stop was McDonalds as who doesn’t like this food. But I do have say it is no longer cheap food. We drove back to his house and let Hazel out and ate lunch.

Then off to Oasis to shovel. On the way a funny and weird thing happened. We saw this object in the sky and couldn’t figure out what it was. It was like it kept changing shape. I thought kites at first. Finally we figured it out as it was a flock of Geese practicing flying. As we drove WHAM a huge poop hit our windshield. It scared Jackson and I as it was loud when it hit and was a huge plop.

Jackson worked clearing the deck and I dug around the firepit. You would think with the weather we have had in the last few days it would have melted a bit. It was at least 12 inches thick and rock hard ice so I broke it all up in a three foot circumstance around the pit to put our chairs for the weenie roast.

Next thing on our agenda was to head home and play Hockey 20. Ok he beat me down good. He was feeling pretty good playing his best game and scoring more goals than he has ever made. I must be like the Flames. I had to say Good bye Jackson Gretzky Waldie as I left for home.

I will wash the truck tomorrow.

Big important Battle Of Alberta tomorrow. THIS WILL BE THE TEST !

The Oilers last three game where out scored 13 to 1. Two shutouts in a row. Three losses in row. They will be desperate.

The Flames coming off a win with 7-1 score but two previous losses to the Senators which are the last place team. If it is the new coach’s first game the players will be hot to impress the new guy. They need to put a string together as at the moment they are out of the playoffs.

Thought of the Day 

Winning is fun – Sure
But winning is not the point
Wanting to win is the point
Not giving up is the point
Never being satisfied with what you have done is the point 

March 6th

“Mercury Forecast   Mesa 29 degrees, Edmonton 6 degrees, Calgary 7 degrees”

DONE !

With Jackie’s help today we completed the tiling. First thing this morning we whipped to Lowes to pick up floats, sponges and grout. Taking Daisy into a store is very similar to when we used to take the girls out when they were young. Numerous people staring, stopping to chat and loving them. Daisy gets as much attention or more and really enjoys the pets and rubs from everyone. Has anyone else noticed when women in particular talk to babies or dogs their voice goes up by at least two octaves. That high squeaky voice referred to as ” Baby talk” happens all of the time. I just smile.

I bought Mapei premixed grout and I have to say it is the best I have ever used.  The right and easy to use consistency. A 1 gallon pail is $70 versus mix your own for $30 but more than worth it in mess, time and consistency. I bought 2 pails to be safe and only used 3/4 of one.  After showing Jackie the “tricks” she started on one end and I the other. She did a perfect job. I really like this tile. I bought a 3ft piece of 3/4 alum to use as a Schluter molding which worked out perfect. All done !

THE BEFORE

THE IN BETWEEN 

THE AFTER

I took the Jeep to the carwash while Jackie was cleaning up. Salt and goose poop. Humans are funny. The carwash was very busy. I was sitting one back of a guy waiting for a stall. I saw a car leave and my guy continued to sit there. Finally I walked up, went inside to open the overhead door and waved to the guy as he pulled in. No telling how long he would have sat wishing the door would open. LOL

I came home and deflated all of my tires to about 25 pounds, started the Jeep and drove the aisle in the underground garage. Then I re-inflated them all to 35 pounds including the spare tire to try to reset the TPMS. The Jeep rather than a reset button has a system where the computer reads pressure and turns off the warning light after a 15 min drive at highway speed. Hopefully this will reset it.

Jackie was very busy cooking eggs and potatoes for tomorrow as we are making my Grandma’s potato salad for our Weiner roast. This is the best tasting potato salad I have ever had. Having said that though a few years back Larry Geddes and I met at Crawling Valley to camp and fish and he made his special potato salad and I was very impressed. Very good. There are so many different kinds with people using mayo, or mustard, or sour cream etc but Grandma’s to me is the best. I will give Larry’s a solid second.

Finally I get to rest this afternoon after a long week. Looking forward to bar food, as we watch the game at home.  As stated a pivotal game !

Coasters Bar has wonderful food. It is the local McKenzie Pub and I wanted to support them. Jackie and I both raved on the quality of food. It was also nice to see some people starting to come out. The bar with restrictions may hold 60 people and they had about 20 people in it. I know one foursome was breaking the rules as two couple’s 55 years old DON’T live in the same household.  One of the reason’s this Covid keeps going on. If EVERYONE would 100 percent follow it would drop off the map. Now Jackie & I stretch the rules as most do but are still very cautious and mindful of the situation.

I see next week I can get my vaccine but I am waiting. The Astrazenca vaccine is only 65% efficient versus 95% and is much different as instead of a RNA messenger vaccine it uses a cold virus from Chimpanzees and modifies it. Enough said !

While we were working look who is playing. Daisy grabbed a roll of paper towel and had fun. With grout all over our hands she knew she could get away with it.

Let’s go Flames !

Thought of the Day 

Before you marry a person, you should first make them use a computer with slow Internet to see who they really are.

March 7th

“Mercury Forecast  Mesa 31 degrees, Edmonton 6 degrees, Calgary 8 degrees”

What a beautiful sunny pre-spring day. With the sun shining and no wind it felt gorgeous.

First the Flames had the game stolen. I demand a re-count of the  goals.

This was one awesome game. Both teams played perfectly and hard. Huge hits, multitude of hits, two good fights and very fast. No real loser in this game other than the Flames not getting one or two points. It was a real Battle of Alberta.

Today with the sun, today with the warmth, and today with our family gathering it felt semi normal and was so very nice.

We had a Weiner roast out at the lot with Jessica, Victoria, Audrey, Penny, Corey, Jackson, August, Atticus and us. Making 10 people gathering outside to meet the Covid restrictions. This was so much fun and as I said it just felt normal.

Jackie did a lot of the food prep to make individual packages for each family to reduce handling. It all worked out well. The potato salad today was awesome. Exceptional !  Every condiment needed to finish off a dog.

We all got a fair share of Vitamin D today which is welcomed.

It is funny as when we got home we felt tired from being outside all day.

Thought of the Day 

My favorite part of family gatherings is talking about everyone on the way home. !

March 8th-9th

“Mercury Forecast   Mesa 31 degrees, Edmonton 0 degrees, Calgary 4 degrees”

First time in a long time I have forgot a birthday. Busy with reno, busy prepping food and going out to Oasis and busy enjoying the day with our kids I forgot my favorite sister-in-law’s birthday.

MaryAnn Huggett became a official junior senior reaching 55 years old yesterday. There are a lot of discounts available to her now to take advantage of. MaryAnn has been around us since she about 16 years old. Both MaryAnn and I are middle kids so can relate well to things involving siblings and parents.

Here are some interesting facts about MaryAnn

Middle child
Could be described as frugal
Great cook with interesting tastes
A germophobic
Exceptionally good in airports, directions to places
Never without  hand sanitizer even before the pandemic
Hard working at her career
Great communicator, negotiator dealing with tenants
Some may say vertical challenged but she always had Alan at 5’5″ to help her out
World traveler
Wonderful person and we are so lucky to have her in our family group.

Happy 55th Birthday MaryAnn

Hope you had a great day and we will see you this afternoon !

All finished my reno then I  went to use one of the plugs and no power. What ! I pulled off the plate and checked for current which was ok so it had to be the receptacle itself. Sure enough the hot wire was broke. As I said previously the contractor  used 1 1/2″ boxes so had to use push in wiring for the plugs. Moving it back and forth during tiling and reinstalling the wire broke right when entering the plug. You cannot get this little piece of wire out with it being broken. So I used the side screw, tightened it in as far as it would go, put tape over it and moved the receptacle to the far opposite side of the box I could. All fixed but just a pain in the ass.

Here is where I have an issue. The contractor only did this because they were CHEAP. Potential down the road issues, can’t install a USB plug due to the width of the box only because of being CHEAP.

I enjoy and relish people being FRUGAL but I hate CHEAP. It just doesn’t make sense to me and in most cases for myself I am always buying the better quality product.

To explain:

CHEAP and FRUGAL people both want to save money. That is the end of commonality. Cheap people are looking for the best lowest price. Frugal people are looking for the best price without compromise on quality. That is a huge difference.  Use value as the bottom line instead of price and in most cases you will be far ahead. Cheap people are driven by saving money regardless of value, frugal people are driven by maximizing total value , including the value of time.

We had a nice visit with MaryAnn and Alan at Audrey’s. I stopped at Tim’s for lunch for us. Things sure to go up in price. Almost $50 for water with a tea bag in it and few lunchables is getting ridiculous. But it is getting to be that way everywhere.

It was a great visit as we haven’t seen them for awhile and they have a lot of their plate,

I had to leave to look after Jackson. Now our history has been pretty good. I win one night he wins one night. He may be just a little ahead on the wins but very close. Tonight it was a massacre. 12-0 as he found a little trick to score. A deke move that appears to work at least 90 percent of the time. He is good at this game especially with his skills on the controls from FortNite etc. He killed me.

Off to the range today with Jeff not quite a golf game but still fun to be out and learning. I enjoy seeing what happens when you play the ball back, close your face, open it or execute a draw as you learn something each time to keep in the memory bank.

I then picked up Jackson, had our treat and headed to his house for redemption. Didn’t quite happen. He won yes but it was close and I had a chance until the end. I tried blocking his trick move with some success which helped to keep the score down. More practice for me required. No matter what always a fun time.

I was so glad he beat his Dad also. LOL

Thought of the Day 

Winning isn’t everything but losing is nothing !

March 10th

“Mercury Forecast  Mesa 20 degrees, Edmonton -5 degrees, Calgary -4 degrees”

And it is cold with the wind blowing at 40 km per hour. Funny how fast things can improve or deteriorate so fast especially when you ae close to the mountains.

This morning was time for a oil change on the Jeep. I have the Free For Lifetime oil change program that the dealer no longer offers and doesn’t really like people to keep their vehicle and use it this long. This is the 9th year. The check in was great, the lady at the counter was friendly and the waiting room was spaced and cleaned after every client got up.

You had to know it was coming.

“MY RANT” 

For anyone that knows me I believe the auto industry is fraught with crooks. Management that knowingly allows and promotes excessive, unnecessary and fraudulent billing in the name of profits. I have a couple of friends that I golf with that are in this business and knowing them it would have been a pleasure to deal with them wanting to be customer oriented rather than profit driven. I am sure their business was successful due to that. Old school way of doing business. Having said that they are for sure in the higher tax brackets. I keep all of my invoices to compare. Today was just an oil change and a TPMS check. The dealer completes their overall check each time which is nice. Sometimes it is hard to distinguish between incompetence and  fraudulence. Lo and behold my tires grew again. This time I have two at 7/32 and two at 5/32. Tires are good until they are about 3/32.  Last check up they were 3/32 and I was starting to look for a new set.  It is impossible to have such different readings each time. I think I am going to buy a gauge for myself. Anyways I am good for another year at least. While in the waiting room the service girl says they checked the sensors and the front right one is defective and it is $150 to replace it. I stated thank you but I will wait as I need a new set of tires and will do it then not knowing yet how good my tires were. As usual if I repaired everything they wanted it was $1600. They wanted a transfer oil change. This was done only 20K ago at a different garage. They wanted a coolant change. This was done by another garage only 30K ago. I know they are strictly going by mileage not condition of the oil or fluid. I would bet they didn’t even pull the dip or open the plug to check. THAT IS JUST WRONG.  One note here for everyone. Never allow a tranny flush. It is one of the main causes of transmission failure as the particles of steel and dirt are raised from the pan and spread around the valve body. Suggest only a tranny fluid change which is a pan drop and oil change which is ok.  Now here is a funny thing. This so called defective sensor( I will give them that as I couldn’t reset it) after them testing it ,corrected itself and when I started my vehicle was working perfect. Sort of like a ALT/CONTROL/DELETE fix. I smiled to myself as I saved another $150. Having said all of the above today was a good experience with the staff.

Sitting in the waiting room a young lady was sitting near me with a baby. I asked her how old it was as it was so little. It was 2 weeks old. WHO takes a 2 week old out into the public with a pandemic going on? Let the oil go a few extra miles. Stay at home please.

Today was the Astrazenca rollout for people my age. After a 1/2 hour open there were over 10K in the queue wait which they thought could be a couple of hours. They only had 50K doses. I had decided even before the opening that I was going to wait for my age rollout for the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. There is a huge difference between the three. Astra was not recommended for anyone over 65 yrs old by the CDC and WHO. While I agree any vaccine is a good thing I want to make sure to get the right one for me.

The AstraZeneca shot is a “viral vector vaccine”, where a specially engineered virus that normally causes chimpanzees to get the common cold delivers genetic instructions to human cells to make the spike protein jutting out from the new coronavirus’s surface.

The Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines use a new technology which packs messenger RNA (mRNA) inside tiny fat droplets to instruct cells to make the spike protein.

AstraZeneca pledged the vaccine would cost just a few dollars per dose and be sold without making a profit, whereas Pfizer’s vaccine costs $18.40-$19.50 per dose.  You know which one governments are going to recommend. Remember my cheap versus frugal statement. Cheap is low cost low efficiency . Frugal is reasonable cost high efficiency.

Lots of excitement today out the front room window. An accident that just makes you wonder. Two ladies with a child in a car seat in the back, hit the median and flip their car a couple of times resting at the end back on the wheels which is good and lucky. I see the lady rush out of the front seat to grab the kid out of the back. The car was a Mini Cooper Countryside wagon and was equipped with side rear/front bags and front bags which all went off. Luckily they didn’t hit any one else or a light standard and all were ok. The ambulance checked them all out and released them. They had a husband or friend come to help them clean out the car. It would be totaled as  both sides are destroyed including the roof and front end. The rear end is good though. The tranny or engine pan was leaking oil. So we have another car going to the junk yard. Ok so how do you do this ? How do you hit a median on a dry road going 50 or 60 kms per hour and roll ? Risk death for what ? Dropped a cell, checked an email, looked back at the kid ? Worth it ? Stupidity ? My guess is inexperience, lack of skill and not thinking normal. Shame we gave out the drivers license. Glad no one was hurt and I do have to say entertaining to watch. I wish I would have seen the actually rolling but only looked up with the noise and saw the car that had just stopped moving. The tow truck system is pretty clever and smart thinking compared to years ago.

Between the firemen and the tow truck they did a great job of cleaning up the road.

At school I leave the passenger window open for Daisy to see all of the kids and parents walking by. A Mom stopped by a few days ago and petted her and said how cute she was and that she had a Shih Tzu that looks very similar. Today she brought her dog and I have to say she is one cute dog. Pure white and fluffy.

A quick stop at DQ for treats after picking up Jackson and we headed to his house. The dogs as usual had a great day. It amazes me the beating Daisy takes but still keeps pestering. I have to say easy be nice every once in while to Hazel as her whole mouth fits around Daisy’s head. Yet I have yet to hear whimper or yelp out of either of them.

Two great referendum’s coming up in October from the UCP. One is determine the desire for a much fairer deal on equalization and the other to leave the CPP and create a Alberta Pension Plan. For the record I am for both. I would like us to pay zero to Quebec but at least a much fairer system in place would be nice. I also like the idea of keeping Albertan money in Alberta so to have a Alberta Pension Plan that we can invest and grow would be awesome. Perhaps the  payouts may even be greater than the current CPP.  It has to be funded in a way that it is at no risk of meeting it’s commitments just like the current CPP using employee, employer and interest not out of general coffers.

I discovered a way to reduce Jackson’s scoring move. I have to play a lot more defensively and then wait for my scoring chances and hope. It worked very very well tonight with the final score being 2-0 for me. Jackson is young and he didn’t take his loss well tonight. He gets too involved and emotional. Being the thoughtful nice kid he is though he apologized and will try to be a better loser next time.  I love to win, will playfully tease anyone about winning but accept losing as a thing that happens. Jackson as a youngster still needs to accept the losing. He is a gracious winner which is good. It was a fun night !

Thought of the Day 

If the husband wrecks the car it was a unfortunate incident. If the wife wrecks the car is terrible catastrophic event. Neither an accident. 

To be a good loser is to learn how to win.

March 11th -12th 

“Mercury Forecast   Mesa 19 degrees, Edmonton 1 degrees, Calgary 6 degrees”

https://news.yahoo.com/denmark-suspending-astrazeneca-covid-19-144507839.html

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9286231/Germany-France-pay-price-AstraZeneca-scaremongering-citizens-REFUSE-Oxford-jab.html

I had a annual via phone call with my doctor last night and we talked Covid. She is a wonderful doctor that we trust. Jackie and I were going back and forth with the new variants and looking after Jackson if we should get the AstraZeneca vaccine being offered or wait for May for our age group. It was a struggle. I relate it to buying a car knowing the brakes are bad or waiting to buy a car that has good brakes. Back and forth and we finally thought we may as well get the some protection rather than none. I had read Astra was having issues over the world so did a bit of research. They have issues. So change of mind. It is too risky. We will wait.

Denmark, Italy, Norway suspended the Astra vaccine with blood clotting concerns. Germany and France have stock piles they are not using due to hesitancy . Germany has over 1.5 million doses and only 150, 000 appointments.  Austria suspended it due to a blood clotting death the day before. Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia  and Luxemburg also halted the vaccine.

I am afraid the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covishield or any new name they give it is the Edsel of vaccines and has a hard row to get back into the good books.

Astra screwed up with their efficiency rating later discovering full doses were not given. Did not test older people so medical guru’s  promoted it as a under 65 vaccine. This alone does show a level of incompetence that is scary.

Knowing Trudeau he will announce he is able to buy Astra vaccines for everyone in Canada. Not once thinking why it is available.

Nine countries now including Thailand have put  a hold on the AstraZeneca  vaccine. I don’t care what Canada Health says if 9 countries are willing to risk their people by stopping something dangerous for them there HAS to be something to  it. AS I said Health Canada will be the puppet to Trudeau !

I am impressed Kenny says he want the citizens of Alberta to have a choice, That only makes sense. Watch the NDP say he is jeopardizing lives. What I do find interesting is the vaccines they have 60K doses are not being committed to fast so there are others with hesitancy. Anyway, Jackie and I will wait until late April early May for ours.

More evidence of the world going nuts. Our CANCEL CULTURE is now stopping Dr Zeus books and is going after Disney for Dumbo and Pepe Le Pew. Next Cinderella due to being picked on by her sisters. We are going nuts. Soon Crayola crayons will have no black or white crayons in the pack. Quit fooling with history and iconic figures.

Babysitting Jackson today while he was playing Apex ( better than Fortnite) with his buddies I watched the Players.

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It was a fun tournament and allowing patrons to watch even though limited was nice to see. I know every year I have to mention that this tournament is one of my most favorite memories. JELD-WEN sponsored this tournament and I was fortunate enough to represent our company. I had one of my favorite and loyal customers Les Schwartz from Home Hardware Stettler accompany me. Between getting to play the TPC Sawgrass, Stadium, Valley, Bear & Lion, pro-am, the tournament watching and the after party I will never forget the experience. Scoring in the low 90’s I was happy considering the pin placement and grass on the second cut.

I like that Sergio is in the mix and that Westwood is leading. He is such a good consistent golfer.

Thought of the Day 

I believe the hardest work most people do is trying to appear normal.

March 13th

“Mercury Forecast  Mesa 16 degrees, Edmonton 11 degrees, Calgary 13 degrees”

It is beautiful today and for the next week. Spring like. This will make people feel better with the warmth, the sun and the feelings of good things happening.

This afternoon Tor wanted to take Jackson to the driving range. A 4 hour wait !!  The courses will be busy and I am going to try for one this week.

Jeff & Wendy invited us for a outside patio sit tomorrow which will be nice. Looking forward to that.

We took Daisy for a long walk today to the river ridge. She loved the people and the numerous dogs she got to meet. She is toooo friendly.  It was very warm, even enough to sweat a little while briskly walking but windy. I should have brought my ear muffs as it was that windy. Warm with wind melts the snow quite fast.

And yes it is a little windy on our walk and yes it is 14 degrees. Jackie just loves her vest. It is a spring vest. LOL

Pretty neat to see the same two guys battle today for the Players that finished last week. I have my hopes on Westwood big time. A fun tournament to watch.

A great night of NHL with the Oilers being beat and the Flames soundly whipping the Habs. All is correct in the world of hockey.

Audrey had us over for supper last night making spinach quiche and a salad. It was very good and nice visit.

Thought of the Day

I noticed a picture the other day and wondered. Why did Kamikaze pilots wear helmets ? 

3.14 Day 

“Mercury Forecast   Mesa 19 degrees, Edmonton 11 degrees Calgary 16 degrees “

Wonderful weather again today. Hitting 16 above and staying double digit all week is wonderful. Spring like. Light at the end of the tunnel. Covid shots most likely in a months time so only about a month left to be super cautious. Looking forward to outside patio’s. Looking forward to the lot. Looking forward to golf. It is one of those days no matter how you are feeling you will feel better if you just soak in the warmth and feel the breeze.

YES IT IS INTERNATIONAL PIE DAY. 3.14

Take a MATH nerd day and turn it into a pie making day is brilliant !  When is the last time anyone has had to figure out the circumference of a circle ?  It is one number that I remember for ever and don’t know why.

Certain things just stick like this acronym from a 1977 sales course. ECHO.  Every Call Has Objective. I would say this is the one thing I took away from the many courses I had to take. Take that Dale Carnegie. Odd what we remember. I still smile to myself watching certain people giving a pitch or speech and seeing their hand positions knowing they took a Dale course. That man made millions on companies.

What a “NORMAL” day. Well as normal as we can get. Today Jackie & I were invited to Jeff & Wendy’s. It was absolutely wonderful in the sun and to be conversing with friends not on a computer screen. Wonderful frosted beer mugs, cold beer, fantastic snacks and comfortable furniture was heavenly. Daisy had a blast running around the back yard.

Jeff gave me some of their homemade wine. Now I am not a wine connoisseur but the wine was very good. A rich red dry wine. I like white wines better mostly due to the chilling and I like rose’ even better with it being chilled along with the taste and smell. Red wine chilled which no one does tastes so much better. I will give a thought though. Red is supposed to be served at room temperature according to the experts.  The issue I have with this is that cellars years ago were in the basement and room temperatures due to no furnaces were never at 70 degrees. Chill  it. Having said that though I don’t know how much work it was to make it but it was very good tasting so in my mind worth it.

We played DICE today with Jeff & Larry being the big winners. Better luck next time girls. This was fun.

I am happy for Justin Thomas as he is an amazing golfer. Only the 4th player in history to have 14 wins before his 28th birthday. I do wish Westwood would have pulled it off though.  Great tournament and one course I would love to play again.

Thought of the Day 

Coming in second only means you were the first place loser.

March 15th

“Mercury Forecast  Mesa 21 degrees, Edmonton 3 degrees, Calgary 4 degrees”

We set an all time weather record of 18 degrees yesterday. It was beautiful. So March is off to good start and the next 14 days looks amazing.

As usual the award shows are so different now. The Grammy’s were ok. Some winners that made sense and some good songs out again. At least the small crowds make it seem a little more normal.

Speaking of crowds it was nice to a limited amount at the Players also.

I ordered my new battery, and a new bed for Daisy. Just because she is spoiled !!

My project work is done which is good and bad but for today I will take it. I have a few things to put away in storage that I will get done, wash the Jeep and that is about it.

Here is another example of union stupidity. The Coca Cola warehouse here in Calgary is going on strike. First these guys are lucky to be considered an essential service as they are in the food industry. Going on a strike during a pandemic is just stupid no other word for it. If not one bottle of Coke hit the shelves I am sure we would all survive. Striking due to third party workers. Did they ever stop to think it was because of their exorbitant salaries, benefits and the company needs to save money ? I say let them go on strike. Hire scab workers immediately as we have loads of people that would love to have a job. Hard to break the union but let the union workers picket until they come to reality and WANT to work again. Coke is too big to break the union unfortunately. We really have to do something about unions.

The AstraZeneca vaccine continues being hit with bad publicity as more countries stop it’s use. There are at least 12 countries now and Trudeau keeps saying go ahead and use it, it is safe.  20 million people in the UK have had it with very little push back though. I can see Germany refusing it as it was made in England and we all know the history there. Having said that though that is a big push back with 12 countries so given a choice why risk it. Trudeau is now asking Biden for extra doses of Astra. No mind is all that come to mind. LOL

Jackie & I have about 4 weeks more of waiting and we should get our Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. If nothing else we will at least feel safer.

Big game tonight as the Battle of Alberta returns. Edmonton for 2021 leads 3-1 in the series but tonight will be different. Sutter will man up McDavid and the rest of the team will be in overdrive to please Sutter. I see lots of fights and hard hits. We do NEED to stay out of the penalty box and we need to cover McDavid very well to win. Sutter will have this figured out. Bring it on !!

BRING IT ON !!!

Before the game I watched the news. Things that amaze me. We had a union rep talking to the press stating they were upset that Coke was using a 3rd party for deliveries. Like a company isn’t allowed to try to be efficient and save money. BUT what amazed me is the union mentality when this guy states this walk out will slow deliveries to the stores and asked if Calgarians would support them by buying other brand products. Are you insane trying to take money out of your  employer’s pocket. Amazing the brilliance.  Yes, everyone start buying Pepsi and Coke will close the warehouse. Great thinking !

Covid cases and percentages continue to climb again. The new variants are starting to get a foot hold which isn’t good. Ontario has now claimed a 3rd wave. People, I don’t care if you believe it is a hoax, a conspiracy, a method to embed Nano particles,  5G related, or even over blown by the media it is here, companies are closed, restrictions are in place , people have died and the ONLY way to solve it is vaccines and caution on our part. Wear your mask, safe distance ,follow the rules and we will only have about 4 weeks more to go and we can have a lot more freedom. That is a short time compared to the year we just experienced. JUST DO IT and we will get back to semi normal. That  means and it is simple- stay 6ft apart, hand washing, mask wearing, no inside gatherings, no sitting at a pub with people other from your household, sanitizing high touch area’s etc. There will be exceptions needed but if we follow these simple rules it will be over. I have one exception taking care of Jackson but we both wear masks with the window open in the car for the 10 minute ride, I have my hand sanitizer with me, we play hockey with Jackson sitting 6 ft or more in front of me facing away, we have the door open and after our game he stays upstairs and I stay down. I personally know of too many families that are not adhering to the regime.

Any contact outside of your home with another individual puts a multitude of people at risk.

GREAT game with us playing excellent. Really a 4 point game and rematch in two days will be awesome. Even our new guy with a Knock Out punch that you don’t see too often. Love it !

Thought of the day 

I never tire of winning.  I say I but what I really mean is we. LOL 

March 16th-17th

“Mercury Forecast   Mesa 16 degrees, Edmonton 9 degrees, Calgary 8 degrees”

It sure feels good to be in a winning city. LOL

Just thought I would throw this in again showing how our society is changing and in my mind going the wrong way on a lot of issues.

Yes it is St Patty’s Day. Now I am not Irish as my DNA states 82 % English but I love the celebration. A lot different this year as normally for the last 7 years we were in Mesa to celebrate.

Here are some fond memories of years past/ One picture from each year since 2014 when I started this blog.

Having a Green Beer with Fred & Terry

So this year will be different but GOOD. It is the earliest I have ever golfed in Canada. I am heading done to Picture Butte today in my green shirt to have some fun. New Adidas green shirt, new Adidas golf pants, new spikes, new balls, new tees, new socks, charged up GPS, so I think I am ready for the season.

The weather was perfect hitting 15 degrees. The course was spectacular and Covid aware as was the DQ in Claresholm was awesome. On entry if you ate inside you had to sign your name and phone number for contract tracing. At Picture Butte Golf one person per cart unless same household and masks even outside near the clubhouse, no gathering and outside washrooms closed. Good on them. Jeff & I ate outside on the deck at DQ which is the safer way.

Driving down the highway with the cruise set at 120 kmph I see a Caddy coming up behind me fast. I check it out and it is Jeff. I was surprised with this as he usually is on the slower side when he leaves or goes to a course. Having said that though he did follow me all the way to the DQ.

All stars are aligned, looking good, warm enough weather, mild breeze, good course conditions and previous driving range perfection expectations were high. Then I started to golf. First drive was a mishit and the struggles continued. I was very, for no other word shocked ,as I have been making wonderful contact with the ball. It was one of those days as drives, irons and especially chips shots sucked including a couple of shank chips which I hate.

Jeff today golfed the best I think I have seen him in years. Scores weren’t great  in fact one of my highest for a long time but it was wonderful to be out and hope next time is better. Any score in the 90’s I HATE. I have to say first game, new course and what the *&^# happened. Shocked as I was expecting a great start after numerous trips to the range. The mind plays funny tricks.

We golfed with two guys both with 2 handicaps which were exceptional.

Picture Butte is a 27 hole beauty of a course with some very interesting holes. I really like this course.

A nice easy drive home after stopping at Tim’s for a quick bite.

The OILERS killed us. It was like a different Flames team. Power plays and Markstrom’s poor performance was the killer. That Mc David is one amazing player. Sucks not to win as I was so wanting to bug my Oiler friends with 4 losses in a row and 2 against us.  I will need to wait for another opportunity.

Love the community of Carmangay just south of Calgary. Makers of the worlds shortest St Paddy’s parade. That is the spirit. I have a friend  from Carmangay that should have been there to support this. LOL  I think the town’s population is 250 people..

Thought of the Day 

What is Irish and stays outside all year long ?

Patty O Furniture.

March 18th

“Mercury Forecast   Mesa 27 degrees, Edmonton 16 degrees, Calgary 16 degrees “

The last couple of days of winter are amazing. This has to be the “BEST” winter ever. Take away just a few days and it was warm, only a few snow days and very few icy dangerous days. While nice it really doesn’t change the fact it is winter and you are limited to what you can do. Add Covid and there is a not a lot to do. The reno of the condo did fill in quite a few weeks this winter which was nice. The only problem is it was very expensive.  Very. We did do a lot though which included, 1300 sg ft of flooring, lacquered cupboards for the kitchen, tile backslash, plugs and covers, cupboard handles, painted the hallway, living room, kitchen, and dining room, new globes on pendant and chandelier, new sofa and loveseat, new foot stool, new lamps, new TV and Tv stand, new end  tables and coffee table, new closet door, and even a new toilet. I hope we are done for another 15 to 20 years.

My only fear is Jackie wearing out our flooring prematurely with her trying to get her steps in. I am afraid it will develop a wear pattern. She doesn’t believe me.

We really love the complete look and yes finally our coffee table ordered October 31st will be here Tuesday. Yahoo !

Epic hockey battle today with it going into overtime. Jackson wins on a fluke goal but he was happy with it. So would have I. LOL  Daisy and Hazel had a wonderful time again play biting each other.

Amazon delivery today with Daisy’s new bed. Her first one was ordered as small but as she is 10 pounds we replaced it with medium sized as she was hanging out the other one. I think Jackie just wanted it to color match.

I received my 7.2 volt Lithium Ion battery today also. I tried to kill this thing as a new battery needs to fully discharge and recharge. I couldn’t do it so I will bring it out to the lot and give it a work out. To reiterate this drill was my first drill I ever bought. I bought it in 1979/80 when we bought our first house. I have always taken care of things. Maintenance , cleaning and repairing things, make things last. I have this drill which is like brand new and I still use today a small 7 1/4 B & D mitre saw. Both have built many many fences, decks, sheds etc. This is small drill by todays standard ( I have 18 volt and 20 volt drills now) comes in very handy when doing a project as a extra drill to save time not having to change out bits. Love it  !

I have a few projects this year already planned. I need a planter divider for the lot ( 2 to 3 days) Jessica wants a shed ( 2 -3 weeks) Jessica wants a bench ( 2 to 3 days) I need pull out shelving in our outdoor kitchen, decks need sanding and re-stained, re-work my irrigation system and a few other little things.

Still shocked at my golfing yesterday. I need and should have been a lot better. Odd what happened. Scary the shanking. I will fix, again. I wanted a full year without getting a 90 or above. I will change my goal to Not having more than 2 games above 90. ( gave myself some slack)

COVID-

I had my younger cousin in Edmonton contact Covid. Her entire family had it with them getting quite ill but luckily all recovering fine. No one really knows the after affects though.

Now my nephews live in girl friend just tested positive after being ill all weekend. My nephew has tested negative for now but the four kids have yet to be tested. He just started a new job and now has to isolate for 14 days ( or 10 ) . That is scary besides having to look after his girl friend and kids all living in the same house. Very difficult, not fun and here is hoping for a speedy recovery for everyone and hoping no spread to my brother or others. Hurray up with the jabs that count.

Neighbors of ours in Mesa from Wyoming in a small town of 17,000 people lost 30 people to Covid.  Some are not taking this pandemic serious enough. That is 30 entire families deeply changed.

All booked in for Terry’s 65th birthday party in May. Jackie and I will most likely not be vaccinated by then so we will need to remain cautious but looking forward to this event as it will be held outside, weather permitting. Distancing, masking, and hand cleaning. One different thing is I will need to make my own drinks so I can make them with a jigger. LOL

Thought of the Day 

When nothing is going right, go left.

March 19th

“Mercury Forecast  Mesa 27 degrees, Edmonton 14 degrees, Calgary 14 degrees”

Still winter and look at these temperatures. This is nice. I have a bit of work on the computer this morning as I haven’t finished my Feb budget numbers. Got lazy. I will finish it up in a couple of days.

On the agenda today is lunch with Jackson and looking after him from noon on as school get out at 12 o’clock.

McKenzie’s driving range opened and the course are looking at opening next week in Calgary weather permitting. Looking at the 14 day forecast we should be a go.

Does anyone else find that in this age of accusation and the need to condemn, irrational ? The level of hatred that people express about views that are different from theirs and the violence of language is disturbing and disappointing. I love to argue a point. I will admit I take a side even if I truly don’t believe it whole heartily just to rub someone. I enjoy the antagonizing and the jest of a good discussion. But in todays world people have changed. I feel somewhat constrained as reactions are vial and emotional. DIFFERENT OPINIONS should be a welcomed conversation. I don’t know how many times in the past I have changed my mind about something if a different opinion with facts or suggestions makes better sense. Most people attack , argue with nothing other than their own biased opinion which to me is ridiculous.

The entire population needs to cool. chill, and learn to listen with respect and discuss not attack and degrade because something is different.

As a society we are losing our soul with the age of accusation, our cancel culture, equality issues that aren’t equal, everyone expressing their agenda under the guise of “rights” and the political correctness.

Most people will say or do the right thing if a gun is held to their head. That is not what a free democracy is about.  This is what we do when we attack people for something they said or did in the past that is not meeting todays standards or even an attack on something said today that is no longer “correct”

Case in point, Don Cherry, Jessica Mulroney, Sharon Osbourne, Rachel Kirkconnell, Billy Bush, Donald Trump, Chris Harrison, JK Rowling, Danielle Smith, Martin Sheen, Paula Dean, James Gunn, and Roseanne Barr just to name a few. And I mean a few.

I do believe this change in part is due to the reporting and lack of respect given to the Presidents office while Trump was in power by the media and as a society we are perpetuating it. It has now become the norm and that is horrible. When people get together and they are afraid to mention a political affiliation , a religious belief or a view on a subject we lose our objectiveness, openness and the result is a more divided and isolated society. How do we get back to what I would consider “normal” .

Jackie and I watched a few more episodes of  The Fosters on Netflix. I have to say this show is amazing. The twists and turns for every character are incredible. Each show they build a bit on play on an event for each character not concentrate on one event like a normal tv show. We are really enjoying this one.

I didn’t watch the Flames but checked out the scores every once in awhile. Funny how we play so good against the number one team every time. Tonight again hopefully a win. I hated the Leafs jersey.

I had a bet with Jeff sometime ago as he suggested #19 was no longer wearing the A on his sweater. I bet Jeff a cold Bud Light that Mathew was indeed our Assistant Captain and we watched the following game and I was correct. A free beer for me ! Last nights game I didn’t watch and Jeff indicated Mathew was not wearing the A. I checked out the hi-lites and sure enough he wasn’t. Same uniform so odd.  Jeff should have bet as I would have lost. I am still waiting for my beer.

Does anyone know why Mathew Tkachuk # 19 is not wearing the A every game or is it because they alternate between him and Backlund. Inquiring minds need to know as I would like more free beer.

Thought of the Day 

I dream of a better world where a chicken can cross the road and no one questions his motives

March 20th

“Mercury Forecast Mesa 30 degrees, Edmonton 12 degrees, Calgary 12 degrees”

There is always the argument of the true point of spring. This year it actual started today at 3:37 am. Spring always is a welcoming day for everyone. It is that glimmer of hope of something better ahead. Plans start to take shape. There is warmth in the sun. The days are light for a lot longer in the evening. Tulips start to pop up thru the ground. Birds and bugs start to show up and are happy. Flowers start to appear.

In fact today a wasp came in the house while the door was open. A sure sign.

We made a few returns to the Depot and Lowes today as the tiling job is over. Always nice to have money put back on the card. Both returns were easy and fast. The stores were very busy for some reason.

Jackie bought something at Walmart. While she was shopping Daisy and I walked the parking lot. I hate it when people bring out the nice vehicles in spring. I always park far away from the store  to prevent scratches and door dings and today near us everywhere I looked was a nice vehicle. A Z4 M series BMW convertible, a SRT Hellcat Challenger, a lifted 2500 Ram with 37’s and a Vette all polished up. When I sold all of my muscles cars Jackie said I could buy another anyone I wanted for my special birthdays. I never did but spring time brings back this wish. About 8 years ago I was extremely close to a Z06 Vette taking it for a test drive etc. Came down to the negotiations I noticed the dealer invoice listed it as a Lemon Law return. I didn’t want the hassle. About 6 years ago Alan and I flew to Phoenix and looked at a 32 Ford Coupe . Again very close but I decided after looking at it I didn’t care for the gapping, no wipers or seatbelts which are all grandfathered but with a 471 blower and these missing items I backed away. I also looked at a 1969 Camaro but it was a 4 speed gear and I need a designated driver every once in while. A standard tranny with a high lift cam isn’t easy for someone to drive not familiar with them. Lots of pedal work. I sort have resigned myself to no car due to parking, insurance, and the need really. Still can dream.

We decided with such a nice day we would pick up Tim’s and head to the off lease park for Daisy’s first experience. This was so much fun. She was a buzz bomb running full blast from dog to dog to human to human. She by far was the most active dog in the park. She had everyone killing themselves laughing as she was just flying. I was having so much fun chasing her I forgot to take a picture. She literally ran full out for at least 3/4 of an hour. She drank a lot of water in between. I would give a 50% grade on listening to us. She really didn’t care if we were there or not. LOL  Not one growl, yip etc. It was funny as she wanted to run with the big dogs more than the little guys. I would say she thought she was in doggie heaven. Fun day !

Good thing I brought my ear muffs as it was warm out but that wind hurt the ears.

She is sleeping now dead tired, right out, but one happy dog !

BBQ supper and Flames tonight.

Supper was exceptional and using the BBQ  very few pots and pans to clean up. And it most often is wonderful tasting.

The Flames another story. We just don’t have the gun power to compete night after night. Good try but not what we needed. We need at least 4 or 5 in a row to get into a playoff spot. Hopefully it will happen.

Thought of the Day 

If you try to fail and you succeed, which one have you done.?

March 21st -22nd

I will be the driver and sit in the backyard soaking up my Vitamin D

A wonderful and fun trip. Slowly feeling like things are getting back to the way they used to be with certain precautions thrown in.

Jessica, Penny and the boys are all doing well. There house just keeps getting better with new LED light strips in their workout room and a freshly painted black barn door. Add in the shiplap bedroom and it is a unique home that presents itself very well.

We were cautious with distance, staying outside as much as we could and hand washing but still having fun. August played his Switch with me. Playing the game Super Mario this 5 year old kid is amazing. He is very smart and adept for his age. Yes he won but it was my first time at cart. He knows the ins and outs and how to do everything and is good at explaining them. It was a lot of fun.

Daisy had a blast running around the back yard over and over again. She loves running and chasing another dog. Olive played very well her and they both became dead tired.

I stopped at the big M to pick up lunch for everyone and I have to say. The new doughnuts they have are amazing. I think they will steal a bit of business back from Tim’s.

I checked out the backyard as they have a few projects they want done. A shed which is a bigger project, some raised planter boxes and a u shape bench for the firepit.

Both Jackie & Audrey got new hair-do’s done by Penny today. She does a wonderful job. When Jackie walked out she looked 10 years younger with her curls. Great cuts.

We are all tired of the politically correctness that is happening including de-sexing Mr Potato Head. They removed the Mister.  I think this picture below may cause them to reconsider.

Yesterday I got to bug an old friend that i have known from 1975 that had his birthday. Notice I did not say celebrate.  Gary was transferred from Saskatoon to work at Sterling as a outside sale rep and I started in the warehouse. I became an additional outsales rep a little over a year later after being promoted from the warehouse to inside sales to outside sales. They say timing is everything. Years later Gary started with Henderson’s in Edmonton while I was the manager in Calgary. Years and years Gary and I would meet for breakfast or for Friday afternoon beers at the pub. In later years we attended so many meetings, golf outings, fishing trips, vacations, trade shows etc each time having a absolute blast with a lot, a lot, of unique things happening to us.

I didn’t really think about how old everyone is getting until I saw the year Gary was born in and it surprised me. Time flies and people get OLD quick. What I do take from all this though is, wow have I had some great times with so many good friends that I will have memories of, forever.

Speaking of getting old this cartoon made me laugh.

We forgot the water was being turned off today in the condo. No shower this morning, no flushing toilets etc. We have had the water off at this condo so many times it is ridiculous. It is odd to me why they still stick with the same contractor as it is pretty obvious he isn’t doing his job very well. Oh well nothing on the agenda today that requires shaving, or smelling rosy.

I forgot to mention the NHL 20 went well today. I will call it a win as I had a substantial lead when the controller went dead as it wasn’t charged up from the night before. I’ll take the win.

Lucky to be living in south Calgary as on the way home the news stated it was white out near Scenic Acres in the far north. I sent Alan a tropical picture to remind him of spring as he most likely will be shoveling again.

As a generalization Asians are one of the hardest working people there is. Long hours, never complaining, peaceful they have over history integrated very well into the western way of life. Now we have Asians. being murdered, hassled, heckled and beaten up ONLY because some idiot stated it was the Chinese Flu. Seeing this I am very worried as I am 82 percent English and the nasty dangerous variant is being referred to as the UK Variant is the main culprit of deaths and business closures now.  I think I saw this rear it’s ugly head on the way home from Tor’s place when this darker skinned lady cut me off in traffic. I now get it. I just want to say be careful out there English, Asian, South African and Brazilian people. We are in this together.

The Flames are struggling. It isn’t looking good for them to make the playoffs.

Thought of the Day 

Plenty of people miss their share of happiness, not because they never found it, but because they didn’t stop to enjoy it. I see it all the time where someone says “just another hour and I will head home, just another year and I will retire, just another mile and I will stop to see the sights etc. People wait all week for Friday, all year for summer, and all life for happiness when it is just there if you would just stop to enjoy it . Don’t wait time flies by a way to quickly.

March 23rd

“Mercury  Forecast   Mesa 18 degrees, Edmonton 7 degrees, Calgary 8 degrees”

International Puppy Day world wide.   I nominate for the cutest puppy our little girl named Daisy LaRe Willard. Along with her wonderful looks she has a great personality. Absolutely loves people and other dogs. Fully trained ( not many tricks) and her only fault is her barking at other dogs.  Her obsession with my socks is annoying but funny.

There is one other dog worth a mention and that is Larry Lavallee . Very cute, intelligent and has a great name. I give him the official second place.

Today was booking day for the Kananaskis Golf course. I tried from 9am to 11am then gave up. It continues to amaze me the management of certain sectors. First for the Alberta Health Service to be so naïve and some would say stupid when they opened for vaccines and had their webpage crash and now the golf course with the exact same issue. AHS resolved their issue with hardware and by using some common sense that was missing the first round. They allowed by birth year to reduce the traffic. You work in the IT department and you couldn’t think of this before going live. Kananaskis is government owned and must have used the same incompetent IT department. To allow multiple bookings for the entire year is just stupid especially when with a 72 hour notice you get a full refund. Same thing with the government campsite webpages. The scary part of all of this is we are supposed to trust the government to safely hold our personal information and the IT department’s can’t even think how to operate simple webpages. All three would get a  1 out of 10 rating.

I will try later tonight when the traffic dies but knowing full well that times will be limited.

After a 5 month wait we finally received our coffee table. It was on a slow boat from China. We are very happy with it’s function and with it’s look. It is what we wanted, what we had picked out, and to receive it, finally, is wonderful.

A great day at NHL 20 hockey. I scored the winning goal with 2 minutes left and just hung on for another win.  2 days in row which is lucky. Jackson still is a hair better than I but with a lot of work and a little luck good things happen. He is learning to accept his Papa’s middle name is Gretzky.

Kananaskis webpage is still struggling. I will try a bit more tonight and then I will give up and spend my money at a course that is near as good and is a lot lot easier to book with.

I am golfing tomorrow for the second time this year which I am very happy about. The tee time I booked for 4 people is down to 1 as individuals backed out. I need Keith Harry to live in Calgary. This is spring. It is early spring. We didn’t golf at all this winter. It gets cool and wet or it can get warm that is a risk you take. The weather forecast both on the internet and from the pro shop staff when I talked to them indicate 10 above. That is spring warm.

10 degrees above in spring with a little sun is wonderful. The wind is only 30 kms so is considered moderate and in the eyes of the locals is just a slight breeze.

Should be a fun outing. I have golfed in considerably cooler weather, a lot windier, in pouring rain and hail. Tomorrow is a cake walk. There have been many many times where people have cancelled out and I have gone and had a great day of golf. Doppler radar is 100% more accurate than any weather man.

This is a perfect example of not grabbing the bull by the horn and jumping at an opportunity to enjoy yourself.

Thought of the Day 

Life moves by pretty fast and if you don’t attempt to catch it and enjoy it when any opportunity presents itself you could easily miss it and wonder what happened. Something for all of us to think about. 

How many times in your live have you not really wanted to go somewhere but felt obliged or caved in and it turned out to be a wonderful time.

March 24th

“Mercury Forecast  Mesa 21 degrees, Edmonton 5 degrees, Calgary 8 degrees” 

I have to say today was one of the most fun, enjoyable days I have had in 2021. It seemed semi normal.

I arrived about 20 minutes before my check in time which is perfect. Pulling into the parking lot there were only about 5 vehicles in it. After nine holes there were 10 cars and after my 18th hole at least 25 cars or more. The old boys discovered it was a nice day.

Checking in my three some I was to play with hadn’t arrived yet so the pro asked if I wanted to wait or go ahead. As everyone is a single cart rider anyways I decided to go.

I had a brisk but not a strong wind for about 4 or 5 holes then it calmed right down to nothing. In fact with the temperature of 13 degrees, blue sky and no wind it was a gorgeous day. I wore my toque for about 6 holes as I have an ear issue lately then had to switch to my hat as it was too warm.  I took this pic just as I left the parking lot.

What also made this day was the way I played. Like I can without issues. I had two slices that resulted in other fairways but on this course you can still play your ball. My second shots were pin seekers and not one wayward drive other than the two slices. I was hitting them long today which was about my normal distance at 260 to 280 yards or so on the drive. In fact on one short but tricky Par 4,at 280 yards, this one breeze assisted, I was 1 yard off the green. I was in my happy place all day the way I played. One sand trap I took two shots out of as the greens keeper was watching me waiting to cut the green and was directly in the path of the ball if I sculled it.

To have a blue sky, warm, without any wind day in March is unbelievable and most enjoyable. Other than 4 to max 6 holes with a strong breeze the balance I had NO wind.

I had so many birdie chances it was unbelievable. On the back nine I shot a 36. I am going to buy a new putter as I have to adjust my hands and I know with a different one I can and will do better.  The greens have been cut and shaved and were wonderful. No longer slow like last time.

My ball is hiding behind the stick on the left side. Birdie !

This link below shows the beautiful weather with no wind.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/DySyrcCMj5eAx4Tv9

It was a wonderful day and so nice to get out. I hate sitting at home with nothing to do until the RV lot dries out. Not only having a great day but playing just like I know I can is awesome. Now to duplicate it. This year so far I scored a 96 then a 78 so how does that happen. While tentative with the wedges at first due to a few shanks last time not one today. And wonderful drives all helped.

I do like this course and it reinforces my thoughts on Turner Valley. We need to trim the spruce trees 6 ft up and remove the under bush in a lot of areas if it wants to encourage more play and faster play and most importantly less frustrating play.

On about the 15th  hole I ran into a few guys from my Turner Valley Golf club including one of our golf professional’s Corey. They also  were wanting and happy to get out.

Great Day !

Wow ! are the Flames sucking. They are not playing well at all. I don’t know the answer but it is not looking good for the playoffs. I had high hopes and now the only thing left to do is to hope for a stretch of wins. I hope but am not confident.

Thought of the Day 

A weatherman is never wrong. It’s just his timing !

March 25th

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

Woke up this morning to nice white misting of snow on the ground. First not unexpected as spring in Calgary  is always like this with the weather really not stabilizing until May . Cold and dreary today which after a sunny and warm day yesterday seems odd. The roads had to be a little slick I would think going to work this morning.

I finally finished off my Feb budget numbers in my budget planner. The one thing that is outstanding and not in a good way is how much groceries have gone up.  Only a couple of days I will need to download my March ones. Money sure has a way of disappearing fast.

Thanks to the youth of our nation and eastern Canada April 1st our Carbon Tax increases again. Gas is set to go up 9 cents a liter at the pump just for tax. We will averaging close to 1:30 which is nuts. What all of these do-gooders forget is even the high priced groceries will go up due to transportation cost increases. I can see inflation hitting us hard in 2021 and beyond in part due to a tax that accomplishes nothing.

It was a off night for Jackson night so we didn’t play hockey. CHICKEN. So we talked and did a paper drawing project. He has quite an imagination but it entertains him and is fun to watch.

Jackie was going out shopping tonight but changed her mind .

March 26th   Victoria and Jessica’s  Birthday Day

Time sure flies by. Here we are again celebrating our girls birthday. Shhh they are 38 years old.  May as well call it 40. It doesn’t seem possible but it is true. I remember as clear as yesterday when they were born. You can’t go into a hospital expecting one child and ending up with two yet we did. There goes the nursery plans and my idea to fit one kid in my Corvette. Lucky for us they were the best looking babies in the preemie ward. Most likely good genes. In an incubator but no hoses etc. We did have to gavage them for a few weeks as they were so tiny. We have been very lucky to have two special girls. I guess you could say even unique people. We are very proud of them and their accomplishments already in life. Both have wonderful families. Each is their person. As identical twins when they were younger we used to have to add an extra hour shopping time as everyone wanted to see them. They were very very pretty babies and grew up to be beautiful women.  We wish you the very best today and hope all of your birthday wishes come true ! Here are a few pictures of them growing up.

They started off at 4 lbs each and we feed them like mad. Look how fast they grew. We had to switch them off whole milk relatively quick.

March 1st -2nd

“Mercury Forecast   Mesa 25 degrees, Edmonton 6 degrees, Calgary 11 degrees” 

There is a saying ” In like a Lamb out like a Lion” when referring to March’s weather. It looks like this may happen this year as March 1st to 15th is all forecast above zero.

Started on my tile project today which as I said is always a long and tedious job. As usual pulling tiles off the drywall wrecks it. Replacement in some cases is easier but as the walls were just painted and the damage was only in the center I choose to patch it. It will be good to go tomorrow. Jackie scrapped off all of the adhesive which is difficult but when I got home before supper she just finished it.

After looking after Jackson I whipped to Lowes and picked up everything I need except for the tile saw or cutter. I have decided to go with a cutter this time as my cuts are hidden behind the light valance and I will use my grinder to cut the electrical outlets. Less mess.  On the deck so the dust will be outside. The saw with the water and mess for a only about 20 cuts isn’t worth the hassle for right now anyways.

I am hoping to be completely done in 3 to 4 days.

In Hockey NHL 20 it was an epic battle today coming down to the last 28 secs when I scored and regained my title. Jackson is very good and as I said anything can happen and I need a little luck.  It was a hard loss on him today.

Mom is back in her own place which is good even though it is another 14 days isolation. Everyone feels better in their own place. She has a commode chair beside her bed and some help from Home Care a couple of times a day until she regains her strength. She is determined so hopefully after isolation  she can get walking down the hallway. As with anything strength only comes with movement and determination. She says even though her leg swells the broken ankle is feeling ok. The current cast is one of those huge walking ones so when she gets a smaller one or none she will really improve. Bones take longer to heal at 89 years old.

Saved all of my sheets for February’s budget but most likely won’t have time to finish it until I am done tiling.

Possession day today at our lot. All conditions have been met and money has been transferred.  Each lot is now a share owner and we are in it all together. Good things to come.  If anyone is looking for a RV lot to rent or especially to buy 35 mins out of town, this is it. A flash sale will be happening to move the last few lots of the new subdivision. A wonderful place.  Our new logo should be ready in a bit which will be neat to see.

Just a wonderful week of weather coming up. In like a lamb could be scary but we will take any good weather we can get. Having said that during Covid and in winter what does it really matter as most people are just staying at home anyways.

Up with a cup of coffee and started working by 9:30am. As I said, I have done this lots but not one of favorite things to do.  My mason blades last only two plug boxes and then are burned out. They really suck to be kind. They had a diamond blade there for $50 but my grinder needs a 7/8 arbor and these were only in 5/8″. Manufacturing stupidity again to have different sized arbors. When I get the wet saw I will double check again as I have another three plugs do to. My plans got a little changed due to circumstances. The special primer has to have the thinset on it no more than  a couple of hours after. I wasn’t ready as I can’t put up thinset and then cut tiles as the boxes are just too time consuming and the thinset will start to harden. So I cut every tile I could with measuring which isn’t always the best and this takes hours and hours and 5 broken tiles. Porcelain tiles are so brittle it is sick. Getting the boxes correct and allowing a space for the screws to hold the receptacle isn’t always easy and I can take you to see any professional tile job and you will see errors. Taking my time I hope to eliminate these as best as possible.

I had enough tiles cut for two plugs and the side of the peninsula so I mixed a batch of thinset and laid these tiles. Wow is this going to look nice ! Wow having such a convoluted pattern is going to waste tiles and drive me nuts !   I really like the look. Italian inspired, country kitchen, modern, chic I can’t describe them other than they look wonderful.

I cheated and stopped working at 4pm for two reasons. I forgot to mention I didn’t need to look after Jackson today and second I was tired. My friend Fred would be laughing at me again working on my hand and knees on the ground. Having said that though my back was getting killed with the up & down and crouching. Perhaps he is right. LOL

I laughed when I saw this picture. Most would agree that the majority of women are not that interested in cars so don’t know a lot about them. I do have a bit of an issue with this. I believe in order to get a drivers license you should be able to change your own tire, be able to parallel park without assistance, back up for at least 20 yards straight and battery boast at a bare minimum. Everyone should be tested with this included in it every 10 years until 65 then every 5 years. Reminds me of years ago we had a very nice 1978 K5 Blazer that Jackie used to drive to work.  We lived in St Albert and she worked in south Edmonton at Ottewell. A long ways. I don’t know how many times Jackie would phone and say she couldn’t start the truck. ( Jackie is very determined so this would be after numerous attempts.) So I would drive all they way there, turn the key and it won’t start right up. Drove her nuts. LOL Many times this happened. It had to have some kind of hiccup but it never happened to me. My Dad used to say ” It is all in how you hold your mouth”

NHL is odd to figure. Calgary takes 3 out 4 points against Toronto. Calgary loses to the last place team twice by big scores. And Edmonton with the top two players lose by a shutouts two games in a row to Toronto. Go figure.

Daisy was confused today not getting to play with Hazel. I like the fact it uses up some of her energy. LOL

We watched our Netflex series again tonight. The Foster’s is extremely well done and beats watching regular TV by miles. Netflex is awesome

Thought of the Day

If you want to attract a man just buy perfume that smells like a the NEW CAR !

March 3rd -4th

“Mercury Forecast  Mesa 28 degrees, Edmonton 6 degrees, Calgary 10 degrees”

Looking at Mesa’s weather and not being there sucks !  I now absolutely appreciate our Mesa lifestyle so much more  now.

Starting working at 9 am and stopped at 5:30 pm. Very tired, up and down and detail work. It was a good day today. First thing was picking up the wet saw and I found a diamond blade with a multiple arbor size for my grinder.

Not perfectly happy with the saw as it is out by a 1/16″ out of square. I adjusted it and it is close but not perfect including the slide binding . I guess they get a lot of use. I have always said if you want to do a job and do it right your NEED the right tools. This diamond blade cut my tile like butter. Made my outlet cutting so much better. With so much cutting I struggle keeping the thinset from drying it takes so long. This is where two guys fly with one guy spreading, installing and the other cutting. I have two outlets left and about 30 cuts that I hope i can get done tomorrow.

This Mapie Eco Prime grip is unbelievable. After application when dried it is extremely rough and you can be sure of a great bonding surface.

Jackie kindly brought A & W for supper as I have the power off in the kitchen.

One condo drawback is DYI work and it is a little more difficult. The cement water on the deck and cleaning the pail and spinner gets difficult.

I think it all should be set by tomorrow afternoon. Then another messy job of grouting and a easy job of sealing and all done. Starting to look pretty fantastic.

I am not a believer in the government changing the rules on vaccine shot delays. It only adds to mistrust. I think we all should follow the manufacturers instructions who should be the experts.

I really like the warm weather and good thing to as I cut with the wet saw on the patio. First the good news. I have completed the tiling. Second part of the good news is it looks fantastic.

Here is my complaint which I hate to do but I will NEVER use thinset again except if doing a shower. I have used it numerous times and every time the same issues. It is impossible to get every mix correct. It is always too thin or too thick. But the biggest issue is it dries so fast after being applied. With one person it is extremely difficult to apply, lay, and cut. I guess you could make numerous patches but that is a pain. Too thick the tiles don’t stick, too thin they don’t stick, it has no holding power until dry so tiles can slide down and it is messy. Mastic is premixed, don’t have to worry about consistency, is glue tacky so tiles won’t slide and is much easier to work with. It is a lot more expensive. I had to remove 3 ft of thinset as it became to dry to work. I will make sure to remember MASTIC if more tiling happens. Tomorrow will be my test day to check the tiles as thinset tile application can have the pop off affect. The grout will tie the tiles together. If a popped tile a simple application of mastic or small mix of thinset and it is fixed.  In hindsight I could have back butter these medium sized tiles which may have worked but with the work time I was dealing with I didn’t. With small tiles it really is not needed.

So another 7 hour tiling day with cutting, applying etc.

It looks fantastic !

I thought last year it was difficult to get a campsite.  It is going to be worse this year. The first day of booking over 21,000 sites were booked which is 100% increase over last year. I believe people are saying they know travel to Europe, Mexico or Hawaii may not be normal for a long long time so why not take local vacations. The RV dealerships are extremely busy and people are booking like mad. You figure a smaller trailer at 20K is equivalent to a months stay over seas and the unit will last years and years. It is a great family vacation. Kids love it. I love it.

Camping is good therapy. Life is best when camping.

Thought of the Day 

My friend is smart. He thinks onions are the only food that makes him cry. So I threw a coconut at his face. 

March 5th

“Mercury Forecast   Mesa 26 degrees, Calgary 12 degrees, Edmonton 5 degrees “

Only about 1 month  until the course open. Henderson Lake in Lethbridge took off their tarps yesterday so they should be open in about a week or so if Lethbridge weather stays warm. Can’t wait.

Wonderful morning this AM as I am back to my schedule. I will grout tomorrow and then be done. I will post pictures and I am sure you will love the look. We do !

Jackson has a half day today so I will pick him up. I will whip him out to Oasis and shovel the snow a bit to see if we can move or have it melt enough to use the pit and deck for weenie roast this weekend. Then perhaps a hockey game. Larry Gretzky Willard has a good ring to it.

Some teams go retro with uniforms. We take it to a whole other level and go retro with a coach. Sutter has one of those poker faces so a player doesn’t have a clue if he is happy or not so they work like mad in hopes. He will definitely make us a harder working team and with this hopefully more wins. Proven winner with two cups, top 15 NHL coach with wins, ex player, prior coaching experience and GM experience so I think it is a win win for everyone. The odd millionaire player will be whining though. The Bennett situation will be interesting.

It surprised a few people with the Flames being 50/50 in wins and a win the last game but that is hockey.

A few lots are on sale by us the owners at Oasis for family and friends right now that will go quick in today’s climate. They will be released to the public most likely next week or so if not picked up. Pricing is up which is awesome. I expect large increases with our new ownership deal and with these new lots already a $12-15K or more increased. Homes in Viewpoint are selling like mad as people are deciding to chose this lifestyle which is inexpensive versus travelling. The pricing is up and homes are moving very fast. I would say Viewpoint on average has increased $20k in the last year. RV sales are thru the roof as again people are seeing the advantage of a safe choice at a reasonable price.

Pricing up at Oasis good for me. Pricing up at Viewpoint good for me. Pricing on RV’s is up good for me.  Oil pricing is rising good and bad for me.  You know inflation is going to happen. I prefer no inflation and high interest but unfortunately they don’t go together.  I do know if someone is looking for a lot, house, RV they better get on it as the pricing is only looking like it is going up higher.

Again though what I don’t like is the amount of people now camping. Covid has given too many people free time. The Alberta campground webpage sucked even before it was busy now it is a disaster. I don’t mind dry camping so we will head a little off the beaten path this year. This means sometimes gravel roads which I hate with a $4,000 front windshield that I like to keep perfect. It is hard to find these nice but off the beaten path places. I know one where Larry Geddes and I visited and fished that I will be using again. I can dry camp quite easily Monday to Friday with my tank capacity.

I remember a few years ago Fred & I went fishing up north to Pinehurst lake, dry camping for a week. Pre-covid and the campground was packed then. Just a coincidence but a whack of retiree’s from Mundare  on a get together trip picked the same week as us.  Funny I didn’t smell garlic. A fun trip with miles of gravel road and loads of fish. Fred caught a 20 pound plus Jackfish and we camped all week with no issues.

I picked up Jackson at noon today from school. Our first stop was McDonalds as who doesn’t like this food. But I do have say it is no longer cheap food. We drove back to his house and let Hazel out and ate lunch.

Then off to Oasis to shovel. On the way a funny and weird thing happened. We saw this object in the sky and couldn’t figure out what it was. It was like it kept changing shape. I thought kites at first. Finally we figured it out as it was a flock of Geese practicing flying. As we drove WHAM a huge poop hit our windshield. It scared Jackson and I as it was loud when it hit and was a huge plop.

Jackson worked clearing the deck and I dug around the firepit. You would think with the weather we have had in the last few days it would have melted a bit. It was at least 12 inches thick and rock hard ice so I broke it all up in a three foot circumstance around the pit to put our chairs for the weenie roast.

Next thing on our agenda was to head home and play Hockey 20. Ok he beat me down good. He was feeling pretty good playing his best game and scoring more goals than he has ever made. I must be like the Flames. I had to say Good bye Jackson Gretzky Waldie as I left for home.

I will wash the truck tomorrow.

Big important Battle Of Alberta tomorrow. THIS WILL BE THE TEST !

The Oilers last three game where out scored 13 to 1. Two shutouts in a row. Three losses in row. They will be desperate.

The Flames coming off a win with 7-1 score but two previous losses to the Senators which are the last place team. If it is the new coach’s first game the players will be hot to impress the new guy. They need to put a string together as at the moment they are out of the playoffs.

Thought of the Day 

Winning is fun – Sure
But winning is not the point
Wanting to win is the point
Not giving up is the point
Never being satisfied with what you have done is the point 

March 6th

“Mercury Forecast   Mesa 29 degrees, Edmonton 6 degrees, Calgary 7 degrees”

DONE !

With Jackie’s help today we completed the tiling. First thing this morning we whipped to Lowes to pick up floats, sponges and grout. Taking Daisy into a store is very similar to when we used to take the girls out when they were young. Numerous people staring, stopping to chat and loving them. Daisy gets as much attention or more and really enjoys the pets and rubs from everyone. Has anyone else noticed when women in particular talk to babies or dogs their voice goes up by at least two octaves. That high squeaky voice referred to as ” Baby talk” happens all of the time. I just smile.

I bought Mapei premixed grout and I have to say it is the best I have ever used.  The right and easy to use consistency. A 1 gallon pail is $70 versus mix your own for $30 but more than worth it in mess, time and consistency. I bought 2 pails to be safe and only used 3/4 of one.  After showing Jackie the “tricks” she started on one end and I the other. She did a perfect job. I really like this tile. I bought a 3ft piece of 3/4 alum to use as a Schluter molding which worked out perfect. All done !

THE BEFORE

THE IN BETWEEN 

THE AFTER

I took the Jeep to the carwash while Jackie was cleaning up. Salt and goose poop. Humans are funny. The carwash was very busy. I was sitting one back of a guy waiting for a stall. I saw a car leave and my guy continued to sit there. Finally I walked up, went inside to open the overhead door and waved to the guy as he pulled in. No telling how long he would have sat wishing the door would open. LOL

I came home and deflated all of my tires to about 25 pounds, started the Jeep and drove the aisle in the underground garage. Then I re-inflated them all to 35 pounds including the spare tire to try to reset the TPMS. The Jeep rather than a reset button has a system where the computer reads pressure and turns off the warning light after a 15 min drive at highway speed. Hopefully this will reset it.

Jackie was very busy cooking eggs and potatoes for tomorrow as we are making my Grandma’s potato salad for our Weiner roast. This is the best tasting potato salad I have ever had. Having said that though a few years back Larry Geddes and I met at Crawling Valley to camp and fish and he made his special potato salad and I was very impressed. Very good. There are so many different kinds with people using mayo, or mustard, or sour cream etc but Grandma’s to me is the best. I will give Larry’s a solid second.

Finally I get to rest this afternoon after a long week. Looking forward to bar food, as we watch the game at home.  As stated a pivotal game !

Coasters Bar has wonderful food. It is the local McKenzie Pub and I wanted to support them. Jackie and I both raved on the quality of food. It was also nice to see some people starting to come out. The bar with restrictions may hold 60 people and they had about 20 people in it. I know one foursome was breaking the rules as two couple’s 55 years old DON’T live in the same household.  One of the reason’s this Covid keeps going on. If EVERYONE would 100 percent follow it would drop off the map. Now Jackie & I stretch the rules as most do but are still very cautious and mindful of the situation.

I see next week I can get my vaccine but I am waiting. The Astrazenca vaccine is only 65% efficient versus 95% and is much different as instead of a RNA messenger vaccine it uses a cold virus from Chimpanzees and modifies it. Enough said !

While we were working look who is playing. Daisy grabbed a roll of paper towel and had fun. With grout all over our hands she knew she could get away with it.

Let’s go Flames !

Thought of the Day 

Before you marry a person, you should first make them use a computer with slow Internet to see who they really are.

March 7th

“Mercury Forecast  Mesa 31 degrees, Edmonton 6 degrees, Calgary 8 degrees”

What a beautiful sunny pre-spring day. With the sun shining and no wind it felt gorgeous.

First the Flames had the game stolen. I demand a re-count of the  goals.

This was one awesome game. Both teams played perfectly and hard. Huge hits, multitude of hits, two good fights and very fast. No real loser in this game other than the Flames not getting one or two points. It was a real Battle of Alberta.

Today with the sun, today with the warmth, and today with our family gathering it felt semi normal and was so very nice.

We had a Weiner roast out at the lot with Jessica, Victoria, Audrey, Penny, Corey, Jackson, August, Atticus and us. Making 10 people gathering outside to meet the Covid restrictions. This was so much fun and as I said it just felt normal.

Jackie did a lot of the food prep to make individual packages for each family to reduce handling. It all worked out well. The potato salad today was awesome. Exceptional !  Every condiment needed to finish off a dog.

We all got a fair share of Vitamin D today which is welcomed.

It is funny as when we got home we felt tired from being outside all day.

Thought of the Day 

My favorite part of family gatherings is talking about everyone on the way home. !

March 8th-9th

“Mercury Forecast   Mesa 31 degrees, Edmonton 0 degrees, Calgary 4 degrees”

First time in a long time I have forgot a birthday. Busy with reno, busy prepping food and going out to Oasis and busy enjoying the day with our kids I forgot my favorite sister-in-law’s birthday.

MaryAnn Huggett became a official junior senior reaching 55 years old yesterday. There are a lot of discounts available to her now to take advantage of. MaryAnn has been around us since she about 16 years old. Both MaryAnn and I are middle kids so can relate well to things involving siblings and parents.

Here are some interesting facts about MaryAnn

Middle child
Could be described as frugal
Great cook with interesting tastes
A germophobic
Exceptionally good in airports, directions to places
Never without  hand sanitizer even before the pandemic
Hard working at her career
Great communicator, negotiator dealing with tenants
Some may say vertical challenged but she always had Alan at 5’5″ to help her out
World traveler
Wonderful person and we are so lucky to have her in our family group.

Happy 55th Birthday MaryAnn

Hope you had a great day and we will see you this afternoon !

All finished my reno then I  went to use one of the plugs and no power. What ! I pulled off the plate and checked for current which was ok so it had to be the receptacle itself. Sure enough the hot wire was broke. As I said previously the contractor  used 1 1/2″ boxes so had to use push in wiring for the plugs. Moving it back and forth during tiling and reinstalling the wire broke right when entering the plug. You cannot get this little piece of wire out with it being broken. So I used the side screw, tightened it in as far as it would go, put tape over it and moved the receptacle to the far opposite side of the box I could. All fixed but just a pain in the ass.

Here is where I have an issue. The contractor only did this because they were CHEAP. Potential down the road issues, can’t install a USB plug due to the width of the box only because of being CHEAP.

I enjoy and relish people being FRUGAL but I hate CHEAP. It just doesn’t make sense to me and in most cases for myself I am always buying the better quality product.

To explain:

CHEAP and FRUGAL people both want to save money. That is the end of commonality. Cheap people are looking for the best lowest price. Frugal people are looking for the best price without compromise on quality. That is a huge difference.  Use value as the bottom line instead of price and in most cases you will be far ahead. Cheap people are driven by saving money regardless of value, frugal people are driven by maximizing total value , including the value of time.

We had a nice visit with MaryAnn and Alan at Audrey’s. I stopped at Tim’s for lunch for us. Things sure to go up in price. Almost $50 for water with a tea bag in it and few lunchables is getting ridiculous. But it is getting to be that way everywhere.

It was a great visit as we haven’t seen them for awhile and they have a lot of their plate,

I had to leave to look after Jackson. Now our history has been pretty good. I win one night he wins one night. He may be just a little ahead on the wins but very close. Tonight it was a massacre. 12-0 as he found a little trick to score. A deke move that appears to work at least 90 percent of the time. He is good at this game especially with his skills on the controls from FortNite etc. He killed me.

Off to the range today with Jeff not quite a golf game but still fun to be out and learning. I enjoy seeing what happens when you play the ball back, close your face, open it or execute a draw as you learn something each time to keep in the memory bank.

I then picked up Jackson, had our treat and headed to his house for redemption. Didn’t quite happen. He won yes but it was close and I had a chance until the end. I tried blocking his trick move with some success which helped to keep the score down. More practice for me required. No matter what always a fun time.

I was so glad he beat his Dad also. LOL

Thought of the Day 

Winning isn’t everything but losing is nothing !

March 10th

“Mercury Forecast  Mesa 20 degrees, Edmonton -5 degrees, Calgary -4 degrees”

And it is cold with the wind blowing at 40 km per hour. Funny how fast things can improve or deteriorate so fast especially when you ae close to the mountains.

This morning was time for a oil change on the Jeep. I have the Free For Lifetime oil change program that the dealer no longer offers and doesn’t really like people to keep their vehicle and use it this long. This is the 9th year. The check in was great, the lady at the counter was friendly and the waiting room was spaced and cleaned after every client got up.

You had to know it was coming.

“MY RANT” 

For anyone that knows me I believe the auto industry is fraught with crooks. Management that knowingly allows and promotes excessive, unnecessary and fraudulent billing in the name of profits. I have a couple of friends that I golf with that are in this business and knowing them it would have been a pleasure to deal with them wanting to be customer oriented rather than profit driven. I am sure their business was successful due to that. Old school way of doing business. Having said that they are for sure in the higher tax brackets. I keep all of my invoices to compare. Today was just an oil change and a TPMS check. The dealer completes their overall check each time which is nice. Sometimes it is hard to distinguish between incompetence and  fraudulence. Lo and behold my tires grew again. This time I have two at 7/32 and two at 5/32. Tires are good until they are about 3/32.  Last check up they were 3/32 and I was starting to look for a new set.  It is impossible to have such different readings each time. I think I am going to buy a gauge for myself. Anyways I am good for another year at least. While in the waiting room the service girl says they checked the sensors and the front right one is defective and it is $150 to replace it. I stated thank you but I will wait as I need a new set of tires and will do it then not knowing yet how good my tires were. As usual if I repaired everything they wanted it was $1600. They wanted a transfer oil change. This was done only 20K ago at a different garage. They wanted a coolant change. This was done by another garage only 30K ago. I know they are strictly going by mileage not condition of the oil or fluid. I would bet they didn’t even pull the dip or open the plug to check. THAT IS JUST WRONG.  One note here for everyone. Never allow a tranny flush. It is one of the main causes of transmission failure as the particles of steel and dirt are raised from the pan and spread around the valve body. Suggest only a tranny fluid change which is a pan drop and oil change which is ok.  Now here is a funny thing. This so called defective sensor( I will give them that as I couldn’t reset it) after them testing it ,corrected itself and when I started my vehicle was working perfect. Sort of like a ALT/CONTROL/DELETE fix. I smiled to myself as I saved another $150. Having said all of the above today was a good experience with the staff.

Sitting in the waiting room a young lady was sitting near me with a baby. I asked her how old it was as it was so little. It was 2 weeks old. WHO takes a 2 week old out into the public with a pandemic going on? Let the oil go a few extra miles. Stay at home please.

Today was the Astrazenca rollout for people my age. After a 1/2 hour open there were over 10K in the queue wait which they thought could be a couple of hours. They only had 50K doses. I had decided even before the opening that I was going to wait for my age rollout for the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. There is a huge difference between the three. Astra was not recommended for anyone over 65 yrs old by the CDC and WHO. While I agree any vaccine is a good thing I want to make sure to get the right one for me.

The AstraZeneca shot is a “viral vector vaccine”, where a specially engineered virus that normally causes chimpanzees to get the common cold delivers genetic instructions to human cells to make the spike protein jutting out from the new coronavirus’s surface.

The Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines use a new technology which packs messenger RNA (mRNA) inside tiny fat droplets to instruct cells to make the spike protein.

AstraZeneca pledged the vaccine would cost just a few dollars per dose and be sold without making a profit, whereas Pfizer’s vaccine costs $18.40-$19.50 per dose.  You know which one governments are going to recommend. Remember my cheap versus frugal statement. Cheap is low cost low efficiency . Frugal is reasonable cost high efficiency.

Lots of excitement today out the front room window. An accident that just makes you wonder. Two ladies with a child in a car seat in the back, hit the median and flip their car a couple of times resting at the end back on the wheels which is good and lucky. I see the lady rush out of the front seat to grab the kid out of the back. The car was a Mini Cooper Countryside wagon and was equipped with side rear/front bags and front bags which all went off. Luckily they didn’t hit any one else or a light standard and all were ok. The ambulance checked them all out and released them. They had a husband or friend come to help them clean out the car. It would be totaled as  both sides are destroyed including the roof and front end. The rear end is good though. The tranny or engine pan was leaking oil. So we have another car going to the junk yard. Ok so how do you do this ? How do you hit a median on a dry road going 50 or 60 kms per hour and roll ? Risk death for what ? Dropped a cell, checked an email, looked back at the kid ? Worth it ? Stupidity ? My guess is inexperience, lack of skill and not thinking normal. Shame we gave out the drivers license. Glad no one was hurt and I do have to say entertaining to watch. I wish I would have seen the actually rolling but only looked up with the noise and saw the car that had just stopped moving. The tow truck system is pretty clever and smart thinking compared to years ago.

Between the firemen and the tow truck they did a great job of cleaning up the road.

At school I leave the passenger window open for Daisy to see all of the kids and parents walking by. A Mom stopped by a few days ago and petted her and said how cute she was and that she had a Shih Tzu that looks very similar. Today she brought her dog and I have to say she is one cute dog. Pure white and fluffy.

A quick stop at DQ for treats after picking up Jackson and we headed to his house. The dogs as usual had a great day. It amazes me the beating Daisy takes but still keeps pestering. I have to say easy be nice every once in while to Hazel as her whole mouth fits around Daisy’s head. Yet I have yet to hear whimper or yelp out of either of them.

Two great referendum’s coming up in October from the UCP. One is determine the desire for a much fairer deal on equalization and the other to leave the CPP and create a Alberta Pension Plan. For the record I am for both. I would like us to pay zero to Quebec but at least a much fairer system in place would be nice. I also like the idea of keeping Albertan money in Alberta so to have a Alberta Pension Plan that we can invest and grow would be awesome. Perhaps the  payouts may even be greater than the current CPP.  It has to be funded in a way that it is at no risk of meeting it’s commitments just like the current CPP using employee, employer and interest not out of general coffers.

I discovered a way to reduce Jackson’s scoring move. I have to play a lot more defensively and then wait for my scoring chances and hope. It worked very very well tonight with the final score being 2-0 for me. Jackson is young and he didn’t take his loss well tonight. He gets too involved and emotional. Being the thoughtful nice kid he is though he apologized and will try to be a better loser next time.  I love to win, will playfully tease anyone about winning but accept losing as a thing that happens. Jackson as a youngster still needs to accept the losing. He is a gracious winner which is good. It was a fun night !

Thought of the Day 

If the husband wrecks the car it was a unfortunate incident. If the wife wrecks the car is terrible catastrophic event. Neither an accident. 

To be a good loser is to learn how to win.

March 11th -12th 

“Mercury Forecast   Mesa 19 degrees, Edmonton 1 degrees, Calgary 6 degrees”

https://news.yahoo.com/denmark-suspending-astrazeneca-covid-19-144507839.html

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9286231/Germany-France-pay-price-AstraZeneca-scaremongering-citizens-REFUSE-Oxford-jab.html

I had a annual via phone call with my doctor last night and we talked Covid. She is a wonderful doctor that we trust. Jackie and I were going back and forth with the new variants and looking after Jackson if we should get the AstraZeneca vaccine being offered or wait for May for our age group. It was a struggle. I relate it to buying a car knowing the brakes are bad or waiting to buy a car that has good brakes. Back and forth and we finally thought we may as well get the some protection rather than none. I had read Astra was having issues over the world so did a bit of research. They have issues. So change of mind. It is too risky. We will wait.

Denmark, Italy, Norway suspended the Astra vaccine with blood clotting concerns. Germany and France have stock piles they are not using due to hesitancy . Germany has over 1.5 million doses and only 150, 000 appointments.  Austria suspended it due to a blood clotting death the day before. Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia  and Luxemburg also halted the vaccine.

I am afraid the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covishield or any new name they give it is the Edsel of vaccines and has a hard row to get back into the good books.

Astra screwed up with their efficiency rating later discovering full doses were not given. Did not test older people so medical guru’s  promoted it as a under 65 vaccine. This alone does show a level of incompetence that is scary.

Knowing Trudeau he will announce he is able to buy Astra vaccines for everyone in Canada. Not once thinking why it is available.

Nine countries now including Thailand have put  a hold on the AstraZeneca  vaccine. I don’t care what Canada Health says if 9 countries are willing to risk their people by stopping something dangerous for them there HAS to be something to  it. AS I said Health Canada will be the puppet to Trudeau !

I am impressed Kenny says he want the citizens of Alberta to have a choice, That only makes sense. Watch the NDP say he is jeopardizing lives. What I do find interesting is the vaccines they have 60K doses are not being committed to fast so there are others with hesitancy. Anyway, Jackie and I will wait until late April early May for ours.

More evidence of the world going nuts. Our CANCEL CULTURE is now stopping Dr Zeus books and is going after Disney for Dumbo and Pepe Le Pew. Next Cinderella due to being picked on by her sisters. We are going nuts. Soon Crayola crayons will have no black or white crayons in the pack. Quit fooling with history and iconic figures.

Babysitting Jackson today while he was playing Apex ( better than Fortnite) with his buddies I watched the Players.

.

It was a fun tournament and allowing patrons to watch even though limited was nice to see. I know every year I have to mention that this tournament is one of my most favorite memories. JELD-WEN sponsored this tournament and I was fortunate enough to represent our company. I had one of my favorite and loyal customers Les Schwartz from Home Hardware Stettler accompany me. Between getting to play the TPC Sawgrass, Stadium, Valley, Bear & Lion, pro-am, the tournament watching and the after party I will never forget the experience. Scoring in the low 90’s I was happy considering the pin placement and grass on the second cut.

I like that Sergio is in the mix and that Westwood is leading. He is such a good consistent golfer.

Thought of the Day 

I believe the hardest work most people do is trying to appear normal.

March 13th

“Mercury Forecast  Mesa 16 degrees, Edmonton 11 degrees, Calgary 13 degrees”

It is beautiful today and for the next week. Spring like. This will make people feel better with the warmth, the sun and the feelings of good things happening.

This afternoon Tor wanted to take Jackson to the driving range. A 4 hour wait !!  The courses will be busy and I am going to try for one this week.

Jeff & Wendy invited us for a outside patio sit tomorrow which will be nice. Looking forward to that.

We took Daisy for a long walk today to the river ridge. She loved the people and the numerous dogs she got to meet. She is toooo friendly.  It was very warm, even enough to sweat a little while briskly walking but windy. I should have brought my ear muffs as it was that windy. Warm with wind melts the snow quite fast.

And yes it is a little windy on our walk and yes it is 14 degrees. Jackie just loves her vest. It is a spring vest. LOL

Pretty neat to see the same two guys battle today for the Players that finished last week. I have my hopes on Westwood big time. A fun tournament to watch.

A great night of NHL with the Oilers being beat and the Flames soundly whipping the Habs. All is correct in the world of hockey.

Audrey had us over for supper last night making spinach quiche and a salad. It was very good and nice visit.

Thought of the Day

I noticed a picture the other day and wondered. Why did Kamikaze pilots wear helmets ? 

3.14 Day 

“Mercury Forecast   Mesa 19 degrees, Edmonton 11 degrees Calgary 16 degrees “

Wonderful weather again today. Hitting 16 above and staying double digit all week is wonderful. Spring like. Light at the end of the tunnel. Covid shots most likely in a months time so only about a month left to be super cautious. Looking forward to outside patio’s. Looking forward to the lot. Looking forward to golf. It is one of those days no matter how you are feeling you will feel better if you just soak in the warmth and feel the breeze.

YES IT IS INTERNATIONAL PIE DAY. 3.14

Take a MATH nerd day and turn it into a pie making day is brilliant !  When is the last time anyone has had to figure out the circumference of a circle ?  It is one number that I remember for ever and don’t know why.

Certain things just stick like this acronym from a 1977 sales course. ECHO.  Every Call Has Objective. I would say this is the one thing I took away from the many courses I had to take. Take that Dale Carnegie. Odd what we remember. I still smile to myself watching certain people giving a pitch or speech and seeing their hand positions knowing they took a Dale course. That man made millions on companies.

What a “NORMAL” day. Well as normal as we can get. Today Jackie & I were invited to Jeff & Wendy’s. It was absolutely wonderful in the sun and to be conversing with friends not on a computer screen. Wonderful frosted beer mugs, cold beer, fantastic snacks and comfortable furniture was heavenly. Daisy had a blast running around the back yard.

Jeff gave me some of their homemade wine. Now I am not a wine connoisseur but the wine was very good. A rich red dry wine. I like white wines better mostly due to the chilling and I like rose’ even better with it being chilled along with the taste and smell. Red wine chilled which no one does tastes so much better. I will give a thought though. Red is supposed to be served at room temperature according to the experts.  The issue I have with this is that cellars years ago were in the basement and room temperatures due to no furnaces were never at 70 degrees. Chill  it. Having said that though I don’t know how much work it was to make it but it was very good tasting so in my mind worth it.

We played DICE today with Jeff & Larry being the big winners. Better luck next time girls. This was fun.

I am happy for Justin Thomas as he is an amazing golfer. Only the 4th player in history to have 14 wins before his 28th birthday. I do wish Westwood would have pulled it off though.  Great tournament and one course I would love to play again.

Thought of the Day 

Coming in second only means you were the first place loser.

March 15th

“Mercury Forecast  Mesa 21 degrees, Edmonton 3 degrees, Calgary 4 degrees”

We set an all time weather record of 18 degrees yesterday. It was beautiful. So March is off to good start and the next 14 days looks amazing.

As usual the award shows are so different now. The Grammy’s were ok. Some winners that made sense and some good songs out again. At least the small crowds make it seem a little more normal.

Speaking of crowds it was nice to a limited amount at the Players also.

I ordered my new battery, and a new bed for Daisy. Just because she is spoiled !!

My project work is done which is good and bad but for today I will take it. I have a few things to put away in storage that I will get done, wash the Jeep and that is about it.

Here is another example of union stupidity. The Coca Cola warehouse here in Calgary is going on strike. First these guys are lucky to be considered an essential service as they are in the food industry. Going on a strike during a pandemic is just stupid no other word for it. If not one bottle of Coke hit the shelves I am sure we would all survive. Striking due to third party workers. Did they ever stop to think it was because of their exorbitant salaries, benefits and the company needs to save money ? I say let them go on strike. Hire scab workers immediately as we have loads of people that would love to have a job. Hard to break the union but let the union workers picket until they come to reality and WANT to work again. Coke is too big to break the union unfortunately. We really have to do something about unions.

The AstraZeneca vaccine continues being hit with bad publicity as more countries stop it’s use. There are at least 12 countries now and Trudeau keeps saying go ahead and use it, it is safe.  20 million people in the UK have had it with very little push back though. I can see Germany refusing it as it was made in England and we all know the history there. Having said that though that is a big push back with 12 countries so given a choice why risk it. Trudeau is now asking Biden for extra doses of Astra. No mind is all that come to mind. LOL

Jackie & I have about 4 weeks more of waiting and we should get our Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. If nothing else we will at least feel safer.

Big game tonight as the Battle of Alberta returns. Edmonton for 2021 leads 3-1 in the series but tonight will be different. Sutter will man up McDavid and the rest of the team will be in overdrive to please Sutter. I see lots of fights and hard hits. We do NEED to stay out of the penalty box and we need to cover McDavid very well to win. Sutter will have this figured out. Bring it on !!

BRING IT ON !!!

Before the game I watched the news. Things that amaze me. We had a union rep talking to the press stating they were upset that Coke was using a 3rd party for deliveries. Like a company isn’t allowed to try to be efficient and save money. BUT what amazed me is the union mentality when this guy states this walk out will slow deliveries to the stores and asked if Calgarians would support them by buying other brand products. Are you insane trying to take money out of your  employer’s pocket. Amazing the brilliance.  Yes, everyone start buying Pepsi and Coke will close the warehouse. Great thinking !

Covid cases and percentages continue to climb again. The new variants are starting to get a foot hold which isn’t good. Ontario has now claimed a 3rd wave. People, I don’t care if you believe it is a hoax, a conspiracy, a method to embed Nano particles,  5G related, or even over blown by the media it is here, companies are closed, restrictions are in place , people have died and the ONLY way to solve it is vaccines and caution on our part. Wear your mask, safe distance ,follow the rules and we will only have about 4 weeks more to go and we can have a lot more freedom. That is a short time compared to the year we just experienced. JUST DO IT and we will get back to semi normal. That  means and it is simple- stay 6ft apart, hand washing, mask wearing, no inside gatherings, no sitting at a pub with people other from your household, sanitizing high touch area’s etc. There will be exceptions needed but if we follow these simple rules it will be over. I have one exception taking care of Jackson but we both wear masks with the window open in the car for the 10 minute ride, I have my hand sanitizer with me, we play hockey with Jackson sitting 6 ft or more in front of me facing away, we have the door open and after our game he stays upstairs and I stay down. I personally know of too many families that are not adhering to the regime.

Any contact outside of your home with another individual puts a multitude of people at risk.

GREAT game with us playing excellent. Really a 4 point game and rematch in two days will be awesome. Even our new guy with a Knock Out punch that you don’t see too often. Love it !

Thought of the day 

I never tire of winning.  I say I but what I really mean is we. LOL 

March 16th-17th

“Mercury Forecast   Mesa 16 degrees, Edmonton 9 degrees, Calgary 8 degrees”

It sure feels good to be in a winning city. LOL

Just thought I would throw this in again showing how our society is changing and in my mind going the wrong way on a lot of issues.

Yes it is St Patty’s Day. Now I am not Irish as my DNA states 82 % English but I love the celebration. A lot different this year as normally for the last 7 years we were in Mesa to celebrate.

Here are some fond memories of years past/ One picture from each year since 2014 when I started this blog.

Having a Green Beer with Fred & Terry

So this year will be different but GOOD. It is the earliest I have ever golfed in Canada. I am heading done to Picture Butte today in my green shirt to have some fun. New Adidas green shirt, new Adidas golf pants, new spikes, new balls, new tees, new socks, charged up GPS, so I think I am ready for the season.

The weather was perfect hitting 15 degrees. The course was spectacular and Covid aware as was the DQ in Claresholm was awesome. On entry if you ate inside you had to sign your name and phone number for contract tracing. At Picture Butte Golf one person per cart unless same household and masks even outside near the clubhouse, no gathering and outside washrooms closed. Good on them. Jeff & I ate outside on the deck at DQ which is the safer way.

Driving down the highway with the cruise set at 120 kmph I see a Caddy coming up behind me fast. I check it out and it is Jeff. I was surprised with this as he usually is on the slower side when he leaves or goes to a course. Having said that though he did follow me all the way to the DQ.

All stars are aligned, looking good, warm enough weather, mild breeze, good course conditions and previous driving range perfection expectations were high. Then I started to golf. First drive was a mishit and the struggles continued. I was very, for no other word shocked ,as I have been making wonderful contact with the ball. It was one of those days as drives, irons and especially chips shots sucked including a couple of shank chips which I hate.

Jeff today golfed the best I think I have seen him in years. Scores weren’t great  in fact one of my highest for a long time but it was wonderful to be out and hope next time is better. Any score in the 90’s I HATE. I have to say first game, new course and what the *&^# happened. Shocked as I was expecting a great start after numerous trips to the range. The mind plays funny tricks.

We golfed with two guys both with 2 handicaps which were exceptional.

Picture Butte is a 27 hole beauty of a course with some very interesting holes. I really like this course.

A nice easy drive home after stopping at Tim’s for a quick bite.

The OILERS killed us. It was like a different Flames team. Power plays and Markstrom’s poor performance was the killer. That Mc David is one amazing player. Sucks not to win as I was so wanting to bug my Oiler friends with 4 losses in a row and 2 against us.  I will need to wait for another opportunity.

Love the community of Carmangay just south of Calgary. Makers of the worlds shortest St Paddy’s parade. That is the spirit. I have a friend  from Carmangay that should have been there to support this. LOL  I think the town’s population is 250 people..

Thought of the Day 

What is Irish and stays outside all year long ?

Patty O Furniture.

March 18th

“Mercury Forecast   Mesa 27 degrees, Edmonton 16 degrees, Calgary 16 degrees “

The last couple of days of winter are amazing. This has to be the “BEST” winter ever. Take away just a few days and it was warm, only a few snow days and very few icy dangerous days. While nice it really doesn’t change the fact it is winter and you are limited to what you can do. Add Covid and there is a not a lot to do. The reno of the condo did fill in quite a few weeks this winter which was nice. The only problem is it was very expensive.  Very. We did do a lot though which included, 1300 sg ft of flooring, lacquered cupboards for the kitchen, tile backslash, plugs and covers, cupboard handles, painted the hallway, living room, kitchen, and dining room, new globes on pendant and chandelier, new sofa and loveseat, new foot stool, new lamps, new TV and Tv stand, new end  tables and coffee table, new closet door, and even a new toilet. I hope we are done for another 15 to 20 years.

My only fear is Jackie wearing out our flooring prematurely with her trying to get her steps in. I am afraid it will develop a wear pattern. She doesn’t believe me.

We really love the complete look and yes finally our coffee table ordered October 31st will be here Tuesday. Yahoo !

Epic hockey battle today with it going into overtime. Jackson wins on a fluke goal but he was happy with it. So would have I. LOL  Daisy and Hazel had a wonderful time again play biting each other.

Amazon delivery today with Daisy’s new bed. Her first one was ordered as small but as she is 10 pounds we replaced it with medium sized as she was hanging out the other one. I think Jackie just wanted it to color match.

I received my 7.2 volt Lithium Ion battery today also. I tried to kill this thing as a new battery needs to fully discharge and recharge. I couldn’t do it so I will bring it out to the lot and give it a work out. To reiterate this drill was my first drill I ever bought. I bought it in 1979/80 when we bought our first house. I have always taken care of things. Maintenance , cleaning and repairing things, make things last. I have this drill which is like brand new and I still use today a small 7 1/4 B & D mitre saw. Both have built many many fences, decks, sheds etc. This is small drill by todays standard ( I have 18 volt and 20 volt drills now) comes in very handy when doing a project as a extra drill to save time not having to change out bits. Love it  !

I have a few projects this year already planned. I need a planter divider for the lot ( 2 to 3 days) Jessica wants a shed ( 2 -3 weeks) Jessica wants a bench ( 2 to 3 days) I need pull out shelving in our outdoor kitchen, decks need sanding and re-stained, re-work my irrigation system and a few other little things.

Still shocked at my golfing yesterday. I need and should have been a lot better. Odd what happened. Scary the shanking. I will fix, again. I wanted a full year without getting a 90 or above. I will change my goal to Not having more than 2 games above 90. ( gave myself some slack)

COVID-

I had my younger cousin in Edmonton contact Covid. Her entire family had it with them getting quite ill but luckily all recovering fine. No one really knows the after affects though.

Now my nephews live in girl friend just tested positive after being ill all weekend. My nephew has tested negative for now but the four kids have yet to be tested. He just started a new job and now has to isolate for 14 days ( or 10 ) . That is scary besides having to look after his girl friend and kids all living in the same house. Very difficult, not fun and here is hoping for a speedy recovery for everyone and hoping no spread to my brother or others. Hurray up with the jabs that count.

Neighbors of ours in Mesa from Wyoming in a small town of 17,000 people lost 30 people to Covid.  Some are not taking this pandemic serious enough. That is 30 entire families deeply changed.

All booked in for Terry’s 65th birthday party in May. Jackie and I will most likely not be vaccinated by then so we will need to remain cautious but looking forward to this event as it will be held outside, weather permitting. Distancing, masking, and hand cleaning. One different thing is I will need to make my own drinks so I can make them with a jigger. LOL

Thought of the Day 

When nothing is going right, go left.

March 19th

“Mercury Forecast  Mesa 27 degrees, Edmonton 14 degrees, Calgary 14 degrees”

Still winter and look at these temperatures. This is nice. I have a bit of work on the computer this morning as I haven’t finished my Feb budget numbers. Got lazy. I will finish it up in a couple of days.

On the agenda today is lunch with Jackson and looking after him from noon on as school get out at 12 o’clock.

McKenzie’s driving range opened and the course are looking at opening next week in Calgary weather permitting. Looking at the 14 day forecast we should be a go.

Does anyone else find that in this age of accusation and the need to condemn, irrational ? The level of hatred that people express about views that are different from theirs and the violence of language is disturbing and disappointing. I love to argue a point. I will admit I take a side even if I truly don’t believe it whole heartily just to rub someone. I enjoy the antagonizing and the jest of a good discussion. But in todays world people have changed. I feel somewhat constrained as reactions are vial and emotional. DIFFERENT OPINIONS should be a welcomed conversation. I don’t know how many times in the past I have changed my mind about something if a different opinion with facts or suggestions makes better sense. Most people attack , argue with nothing other than their own biased opinion which to me is ridiculous.

The entire population needs to cool. chill, and learn to listen with respect and discuss not attack and degrade because something is different.

As a society we are losing our soul with the age of accusation, our cancel culture, equality issues that aren’t equal, everyone expressing their agenda under the guise of “rights” and the political correctness.

Most people will say or do the right thing if a gun is held to their head. That is not what a free democracy is about.  This is what we do when we attack people for something they said or did in the past that is not meeting todays standards or even an attack on something said today that is no longer “correct”

Case in point, Don Cherry, Jessica Mulroney, Sharon Osbourne, Rachel Kirkconnell, Billy Bush, Donald Trump, Chris Harrison, JK Rowling, Danielle Smith, Martin Sheen, Paula Dean, James Gunn, and Roseanne Barr just to name a few. And I mean a few.

I do believe this change in part is due to the reporting and lack of respect given to the Presidents office while Trump was in power by the media and as a society we are perpetuating it. It has now become the norm and that is horrible. When people get together and they are afraid to mention a political affiliation , a religious belief or a view on a subject we lose our objectiveness, openness and the result is a more divided and isolated society. How do we get back to what I would consider “normal” .

Jackie and I watched a few more episodes of  The Fosters on Netflix. I have to say this show is amazing. The twists and turns for every character are incredible. Each show they build a bit on play on an event for each character not concentrate on one event like a normal tv show. We are really enjoying this one.

I didn’t watch the Flames but checked out the scores every once in awhile. Funny how we play so good against the number one team every time. Tonight again hopefully a win. I hated the Leafs jersey.

I had a bet with Jeff sometime ago as he suggested #19 was no longer wearing the A on his sweater. I bet Jeff a cold Bud Light that Mathew was indeed our Assistant Captain and we watched the following game and I was correct. A free beer for me ! Last nights game I didn’t watch and Jeff indicated Mathew was not wearing the A. I checked out the hi-lites and sure enough he wasn’t. Same uniform so odd.  Jeff should have bet as I would have lost. I am still waiting for my beer.

Does anyone know why Mathew Tkachuk # 19 is not wearing the A every game or is it because they alternate between him and Backlund. Inquiring minds need to know as I would like more free beer.

Thought of the Day 

I dream of a better world where a chicken can cross the road and no one questions his motives

March 20th

“Mercury Forecast Mesa 30 degrees, Edmonton 12 degrees, Calgary 12 degrees”

There is always the argument of the true point of spring. This year it actual started today at 3:37 am. Spring always is a welcoming day for everyone. It is that glimmer of hope of something better ahead. Plans start to take shape. There is warmth in the sun. The days are light for a lot longer in the evening. Tulips start to pop up thru the ground. Birds and bugs start to show up and are happy. Flowers start to appear.

In fact today a wasp came in the house while the door was open. A sure sign.

We made a few returns to the Depot and Lowes today as the tiling job is over. Always nice to have money put back on the card. Both returns were easy and fast. The stores were very busy for some reason.

Jackie bought something at Walmart. While she was shopping Daisy and I walked the parking lot. I hate it when people bring out the nice vehicles in spring. I always park far away from the store  to prevent scratches and door dings and today near us everywhere I looked was a nice vehicle. A Z4 M series BMW convertible, a SRT Hellcat Challenger, a lifted 2500 Ram with 37’s and a Vette all polished up. When I sold all of my muscles cars Jackie said I could buy another anyone I wanted for my special birthdays. I never did but spring time brings back this wish. About 8 years ago I was extremely close to a Z06 Vette taking it for a test drive etc. Came down to the negotiations I noticed the dealer invoice listed it as a Lemon Law return. I didn’t want the hassle. About 6 years ago Alan and I flew to Phoenix and looked at a 32 Ford Coupe . Again very close but I decided after looking at it I didn’t care for the gapping, no wipers or seatbelts which are all grandfathered but with a 471 blower and these missing items I backed away. I also looked at a 1969 Camaro but it was a 4 speed gear and I need a designated driver every once in while. A standard tranny with a high lift cam isn’t easy for someone to drive not familiar with them. Lots of pedal work. I sort have resigned myself to no car due to parking, insurance, and the need really. Still can dream.

We decided with such a nice day we would pick up Tim’s and head to the off lease park for Daisy’s first experience. This was so much fun. She was a buzz bomb running full blast from dog to dog to human to human. She by far was the most active dog in the park. She had everyone killing themselves laughing as she was just flying. I was having so much fun chasing her I forgot to take a picture. She literally ran full out for at least 3/4 of an hour. She drank a lot of water in between. I would give a 50% grade on listening to us. She really didn’t care if we were there or not. LOL  Not one growl, yip etc. It was funny as she wanted to run with the big dogs more than the little guys. I would say she thought she was in doggie heaven. Fun day !

Good thing I brought my ear muffs as it was warm out but that wind hurt the ears.

She is sleeping now dead tired, right out, but one happy dog !

BBQ supper and Flames tonight.

Supper was exceptional and using the BBQ  very few pots and pans to clean up. And it most often is wonderful tasting.

The Flames another story. We just don’t have the gun power to compete night after night. Good try but not what we needed. We need at least 4 or 5 in a row to get into a playoff spot. Hopefully it will happen.

Thought of the Day 

If you try to fail and you succeed, which one have you done.?

March 21st -22nd

I will be the driver and sit in the backyard soaking up my Vitamin D

A wonderful and fun trip. Slowly feeling like things are getting back to the way they used to be with certain precautions thrown in.

Jessica, Penny and the boys are all doing well. There house just keeps getting better with new LED light strips in their workout room and a freshly painted black barn door. Add in the shiplap bedroom and it is a unique home that presents itself very well.

We were cautious with distance, staying outside as much as we could and hand washing but still having fun. August played his Switch with me. Playing the game Super Mario this 5 year old kid is amazing. He is very smart and adept for his age. Yes he won but it was my first time at cart. He knows the ins and outs and how to do everything and is good at explaining them. It was a lot of fun.

Daisy had a blast running around the back yard over and over again. She loves running and chasing another dog. Olive played very well her and they both became dead tired.

I stopped at the big M to pick up lunch for everyone and I have to say. The new doughnuts they have are amazing. I think they will steal a bit of business back from Tim’s.

I checked out the backyard as they have a few projects they want done. A shed which is a bigger project, some raised planter boxes and a u shape bench for the firepit.

Both Jackie & Audrey got new hair-do’s done by Penny today. She does a wonderful job. When Jackie walked out she looked 10 years younger with her curls. Great cuts.

We are all tired of the politically correctness that is happening including de-sexing Mr Potato Head. They removed the Mister.  I think this picture below may cause them to reconsider.

Yesterday I got to bug an old friend that i have known from 1975 that had his birthday. Notice I did not say celebrate.  Gary was transferred from Saskatoon to work at Sterling as a outside sale rep and I started in the warehouse. I became an additional outsales rep a little over a year later after being promoted from the warehouse to inside sales to outside sales. They say timing is everything. Years later Gary started with Henderson’s in Edmonton while I was the manager in Calgary. Years and years Gary and I would meet for breakfast or for Friday afternoon beers at the pub. In later years we attended so many meetings, golf outings, fishing trips, vacations, trade shows etc each time having a absolute blast with a lot, a lot, of unique things happening to us.

I didn’t really think about how old everyone is getting until I saw the year Gary was born in and it surprised me. Time flies and people get OLD quick. What I do take from all this though is, wow have I had some great times with so many good friends that I will have memories of, forever.

Speaking of getting old this cartoon made me laugh.

We forgot the water was being turned off today in the condo. No shower this morning, no flushing toilets etc. We have had the water off at this condo so many times it is ridiculous. It is odd to me why they still stick with the same contractor as it is pretty obvious he isn’t doing his job very well. Oh well nothing on the agenda today that requires shaving, or smelling rosy.

I forgot to mention the NHL 20 went well today. I will call it a win as I had a substantial lead when the controller went dead as it wasn’t charged up from the night before. I’ll take the win.

Lucky to be living in south Calgary as on the way home the news stated it was white out near Scenic Acres in the far north. I sent Alan a tropical picture to remind him of spring as he most likely will be shoveling again.

As a generalization Asians are one of the hardest working people there is. Long hours, never complaining, peaceful they have over history integrated very well into the western way of life. Now we have Asians. being murdered, hassled, heckled and beaten up ONLY because some idiot stated it was the Chinese Flu. Seeing this I am very worried as I am 82 percent English and the nasty dangerous variant is being referred to as the UK Variant is the main culprit of deaths and business closures now.  I think I saw this rear it’s ugly head on the way home from Tor’s place when this darker skinned lady cut me off in traffic. I now get it. I just want to say be careful out there English, Asian, South African and Brazilian people. We are in this together.

The Flames are struggling. It isn’t looking good for them to make the playoffs.

Thought of the Day 

Plenty of people miss their share of happiness, not because they never found it, but because they didn’t stop to enjoy it. I see it all the time where someone says “just another hour and I will head home, just another year and I will retire, just another mile and I will stop to see the sights etc. People wait all week for Friday, all year for summer, and all life for happiness when it is just there if you would just stop to enjoy it . Don’t wait time flies by a way to quickly.

March 23rd

“Mercury  Forecast   Mesa 18 degrees, Edmonton 7 degrees, Calgary 8 degrees”

International Puppy Day world wide.   I nominate for the cutest puppy our little girl named Daisy LaRe Willard. Along with her wonderful looks she has a great personality. Absolutely loves people and other dogs. Fully trained ( not many tricks) and her only fault is her barking at other dogs.  Her obsession with my socks is annoying but funny.

There is one other dog worth a mention and that is Larry Lavallee . Very cute, intelligent and has a great name. I give him the official second place.

Today was booking day for the Kananaskis Golf course. I tried from 9am to 11am then gave up. It continues to amaze me the management of certain sectors. First for the Alberta Health Service to be so naïve and some would say stupid when they opened for vaccines and had their webpage crash and now the golf course with the exact same issue. AHS resolved their issue with hardware and by using some common sense that was missing the first round. They allowed by birth year to reduce the traffic. You work in the IT department and you couldn’t think of this before going live. Kananaskis is government owned and must have used the same incompetent IT department. To allow multiple bookings for the entire year is just stupid especially when with a 72 hour notice you get a full refund. Same thing with the government campsite webpages. The scary part of all of this is we are supposed to trust the government to safely hold our personal information and the IT department’s can’t even think how to operate simple webpages. All three would get a  1 out of 10 rating.

I will try later tonight when the traffic dies but knowing full well that times will be limited.

After a 5 month wait we finally received our coffee table. It was on a slow boat from China. We are very happy with it’s function and with it’s look. It is what we wanted, what we had picked out, and to receive it, finally, is wonderful.

A great day at NHL 20 hockey. I scored the winning goal with 2 minutes left and just hung on for another win.  2 days in row which is lucky. Jackson still is a hair better than I but with a lot of work and a little luck good things happen. He is learning to accept his Papa’s middle name is Gretzky.

Kananaskis webpage is still struggling. I will try a bit more tonight and then I will give up and spend my money at a course that is near as good and is a lot lot easier to book with.

I am golfing tomorrow for the second time this year which I am very happy about. The tee time I booked for 4 people is down to 1 as individuals backed out. I need Keith Harry to live in Calgary. This is spring. It is early spring. We didn’t golf at all this winter. It gets cool and wet or it can get warm that is a risk you take. The weather forecast both on the internet and from the pro shop staff when I talked to them indicate 10 above. That is spring warm.

10 degrees above in spring with a little sun is wonderful. The wind is only 30 kms so is considered moderate and in the eyes of the locals is just a slight breeze.

Should be a fun outing. I have golfed in considerably cooler weather, a lot windier, in pouring rain and hail. Tomorrow is a cake walk. There have been many many times where people have cancelled out and I have gone and had a great day of golf. Doppler radar is 100% more accurate than any weather man.

This is a perfect example of not grabbing the bull by the horn and jumping at an opportunity to enjoy yourself.

Thought of the Day 

Life moves by pretty fast and if you don’t attempt to catch it and enjoy it when any opportunity presents itself you could easily miss it and wonder what happened. Something for all of us to think about. 

How many times in your live have you not really wanted to go somewhere but felt obliged or caved in and it turned out to be a wonderful time.

March 24th

“Mercury Forecast  Mesa 21 degrees, Edmonton 5 degrees, Calgary 8 degrees” 

I have to say today was one of the most fun, enjoyable days I have had in 2021. It seemed semi normal.

I arrived about 20 minutes before my check in time which is perfect. Pulling into the parking lot there were only about 5 vehicles in it. After nine holes there were 10 cars and after my 18th hole at least 25 cars or more. The old boys discovered it was a nice day.

Checking in my three some I was to play with hadn’t arrived yet so the pro asked if I wanted to wait or go ahead. As everyone is a single cart rider anyways I decided to go.

I had a brisk but not a strong wind for about 4 or 5 holes then it calmed right down to nothing. In fact with the temperature of 13 degrees, blue sky and no wind it was a gorgeous day. I wore my toque for about 6 holes as I have an ear issue lately then had to switch to my hat as it was too warm.  I took this pic just as I left the parking lot.

What also made this day was the way I played. Like I can without issues. I had two slices that resulted in other fairways but on this course you can still play your ball. My second shots were pin seekers and not one wayward drive other than the two slices. I was hitting them long today which was about my normal distance at 260 to 280 yards or so on the drive. In fact on one short but tricky Par 4,at 280 yards, this one breeze assisted, I was 1 yard off the green. I was in my happy place all day the way I played. One sand trap I took two shots out of as the greens keeper was watching me waiting to cut the green and was directly in the path of the ball if I sculled it.

To have a blue sky, warm, without any wind day in March is unbelievable and most enjoyable. Other than 4 to max 6 holes with a strong breeze the balance I had NO wind.

I had so many birdie chances it was unbelievable. On the back nine I shot a 36. I am going to buy a new putter as I have to adjust my hands and I know with a different one I can and will do better.  The greens have been cut and shaved and were wonderful. No longer slow like last time.

My ball is hiding behind the stick on the left side. Birdie !

This link below shows the beautiful weather with no wind.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/DySyrcCMj5eAx4Tv9

It was a wonderful day and so nice to get out. I hate sitting at home with nothing to do until the RV lot dries out. Not only having a great day but playing just like I know I can is awesome. Now to duplicate it. This year so far I scored a 96 then a 78 so how does that happen. While tentative with the wedges at first due to a few shanks last time not one today. And wonderful drives all helped.

I do like this course and it reinforces my thoughts on Turner Valley. We need to trim the spruce trees 6 ft up and remove the under bush in a lot of areas if it wants to encourage more play and faster play and most importantly less frustrating play.

On about the 15th  hole I ran into a few guys from my Turner Valley Golf club including one of our golf professional’s Corey. They also  were wanting and happy to get out.

Great Day !

Wow ! are the Flames sucking. They are not playing well at all. I don’t know the answer but it is not looking good for the playoffs. I had high hopes and now the only thing left to do is to hope for a stretch of wins. I hope but am not confident.

Thought of the Day 

A weatherman is never wrong. It’s just his timing !

March 25th

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

Woke up this morning to nice white misting of snow on the ground. First not unexpected as spring in Calgary  is always like this with the weather really not stabilizing until May . Cold and dreary today which after a sunny and warm day yesterday seems odd. The roads had to be a little slick I would think going to work this morning.

I finally finished off my Feb budget numbers in my budget planner. The one thing that is outstanding and not in a good way is how much groceries have gone up.  Only a couple of days I will need to download my March ones. Money sure has a way of disappearing fast.

Thanks to the youth of our nation and eastern Canada April 1st our Carbon Tax increases again. Gas is set to go up 9 cents a liter at the pump just for tax. We will averaging close to 1:30 which is nuts. What all of these do-gooders forget is even the high priced groceries will go up due to transportation cost increases. I can see inflation hitting us hard in 2021 and beyond in part due to a tax that accomplishes nothing.

It was a off night for Jackson night so we didn’t play hockey. CHICKEN. So we talked and did a paper drawing project. He has quite an imagination but it entertains him and is fun to watch.

Jackie was going out shopping tonight but changed her mind .

March 26th   Victoria and Jessica’s  Birthday Day

Time sure flies by. Here we are again celebrating our girls birthday. Shhh they are 38 years old.  May as well call it 40. It doesn’t seem possible but it is true. I remember as clear as yesterday when they were born. You can’t go into a hospital expecting one child and ending up with two yet we did. There goes the nursery plans and my idea to fit one kid in my Corvette. Lucky for us they were the best looking babies in the preemie ward. Most likely good genes. In an incubator but no hoses etc. We did have to gavage them for a few weeks as they were so tiny. We have been very lucky to have two special girls. I guess you could say even unique people. We are very proud of them and their accomplishments already in life. Both have wonderful families. Each is their person. As identical twins when they were younger we used to have to add an extra hour shopping time as everyone wanted to see them. They were very very pretty babies and grew up to be beautiful women.  We wish you the very best today and hope all of your birthday wishes come true ! Here are a few pictures of them growing up.

They started off at 4 lbs each and we feed them like mad. Look how fast they grew. We had to switch them off whole milk relatively quick.