Sept 1st – 2nd

I whipped out to the lot and picked up my tools and headed down to Raymond. It was a good day with enough done to feel good. Electrical all done except from house to shed, wall sconces up, deck finalized, partition cover on bar doors. kick plates installed on doors, door strike adjustment and the big one the drywall completed.

I hate shingling as it is difficult on the feet, back, and shoulders lifting 70 pound bundles up a ladder but I dislike tape and mudding more as it takes a skill. I don’t care for the weight of drywall especially if longer than 8ft sheets or on the ceiling. Moving sheets in a smaller spot and by yourself gets heavy though. But it is done. I won’t mud them and plan to use batten boards for the seams.

I do have to say I need a lot more practice with a drywall zip tool to get a tight finish. I had it run away on me a few times but nothing that can’t be covered with a switch plate so it is all ok. Practice with this tool is needed.

Slowly getting there. I need the batten boards, the detail electrical, cut down the one door, install poles for lights, hang lights, caulk and run wire to the house and I will be done. It is looking good.

Wall sconces look great, new door plates protect doors abd look great, final deck/ bar top look great and drywall is ready to finish. The roof will be painted white which will look good. Stones still need to be dug down flush with grass.

Today is a big day at the Waldie house with Jackson’s first day at his new school. He gets to walk to school now with his friend which is always fun and a nice way to start or end a day.

My back was hurting and I was stuffed up from drywall dust last night. The drive home was brutal. The wind was so strong I was at 4200rpm and only hitting 100kms per hour. Sucks up the gas and throws you all over the road.

With the back and nose plugged I didn’t sleep that well. I had my men’s league today to golf at TV. Not to make excuses but I was tight and sore and pills didn’t quite work. The score was my highest of the year. My last three games were a 80, then a 85 and today a 101. Nothing went well. Not all soreness issues some of it stupidity. First game over a 100 since 2019 and guess what at Turner Valley. I have zero to one or two games a year over a 100 that haunt me.

I am golfing at Muirfield tomorrow so that will be the test.

A nice today staying about 20 degrees but with a Pearl Harbor coolness to it.

Daisy was a good girl staying by herself as Jackie is up at the hospital. Very happy to see you when you walk thru the door though as she just shows the love.

Daisy’s Halloween costume arrived today and she is CUTE in capital letters.

Thought of the Day

If you think Daisy can’t count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket and then giving her only two of them.

September 3rd to 6th

“Mercury Forecast warm weather”

An absolute perfect golf day today at Muirfield Lakes. Today I was golfing with Jeff & Wendy in 25 degree weather with no wind. Jackie was with Audrey so wasn’t joining us. I let my GPS guide me with shortest route. It took me down a gravel road. LOL I hate gravel roads with the dust and rocks a flying. With my new tires I know no one would want to follow me as they hold and throw rocks like unbelievable. We went out as a threesome which was great with Daisy in my cart. She was very good again for the 4 hours. We actually finished in under 4 hours.

I was a little rushed before golf and forgot to take any pain pills for my back as it was still acting up big time from lifting the drywall and working in general. The odd time the mind over matter doesn’t work.

I was very happy with the way I golfed until the 15th hole and the pain was too much to swing the driver. The front nine I was 5 over caused by two 3 putts. The greens again were very tricky and very fast. The back nine was just as good except for the 15th to 18th playing hard for me with only 15 being the disaster. A very nice fun golf day.

After golf we sat on the outside patio and enjoyed a cold drink and a wonderful steak sandwich special. Fantastic steak and it was quite large compared to most steak specials or sandwiches. Typically a 6oz portion but I would guess these were at least 8 oz or more. Seasoned nicely and cooked to perfection, and then add real mashed potatoes it was a treat.

Having Daisy along always complicates things a bit and it was appreciated that Jeff & Wendy were willing to sit outside on the patio when the sun dropped which made it a little on the cool side, to accommodate the dog. The meal did take a little bit on the long side but they were very busy inside the dining room.

We discussed a lot of current events etc which is always interesting, fun and neat to see everyone’s different perspective on things and always entertaining if others are wrong to hear their side and try to understand. LOL

It was a very fun, warm, great entertaining day and we are booked for another event on Tuesday on a wonderful course.

Daisy and I went for a late walk around the block on return to the condo. In the dark makes the walk that much more interesting. We had fun and even that late met another dog and gentleman.

It was also nice having the whole bed to ourselves.

I picked up the decorations and Tor’s place and along with our new ones and the candy headed out to the lot. I installed a string between the shed and motorhome and hung my decorations from it. I had 4 flying things. I dead zombie girl, a ghost, a skeleton and a scary guy that was motion censored. Add the bloody hands, feet, skeleton bones and grave markers we were looking good.

I used my two aluminum tables one for the treats and one for the adult shooters. For treats we had chips, multiple chocolate bars, and suckers.

For adult shooters we had Heathen’s Brew, Witch’s Milk and Devil’s Piss which were Rumchata, Butter Ripple and Cherry Whiskey. People loved the names and the tastes. My 2 oz shot glasses worked out well. Did I say liquor is expensive ? LOL

Jessica, Atticus, August, Corey, Victoria and Jackson all came out to trick and treat. I cooked for supper before the fun, bacon wrapped chicken, garlic toast and we added salad to complete the meal. Even the kids liked it.

Jackson was a dressed as a criminal, August was Mandalorian, Atticus was a Ninji warrior. They all had huge bags to fill with treats. Jackie and I stayed to hand out treats and drinks. I enjoy this especially getting to tease and hassle to the adults. Some wonderful costumes for the kids and adults. Our neighbors Rick & Michelle costumes were amazing. Trailer Trash to the extreme. Fun people and they REALLY enjoyed themselves.

The kids had a blast. Poor Atti did get a big scare that affected him. A scary clown chased him. He takes his Mom. We took Tor & Jess to Heritage Park for a festival when they were young and they both were petrified of the clowns. They also were terrified of Ewoks. Scaring adults or kids is always fun. I would have liked to see if Jessica jumped when it happened.

It was a very fun Halloween for kids and adults. At midnight I took Daisy for a walk around the park. There still were quite a few parties going on. We get to swimming pool and group of 50 to 60 year old men and women along with kids were gathered around a fire. All of a sudden two guys get up arguing and the one guys just lays the other out with a punch to the head. They fall to the ground still pounding each other. Women and children screaming and crying. It was a quite interesting to watch. All fun and games until someone steals a piece of candy from you I guess. lol

The park makes this weekend such a big event. Trick & Treating, dunk tanks, cannonball contest, lot decoration contests, old fashioned games, horseshoe tournament, and unfortunately this year the dance was cancelled with the new restrictions in place. This Monster Mash is a fun event but better safe than sorry. So good on the park.

Have you heard ! A new hurricane is coming at Cat 3 or 4 and it is named Larry. Yes !!! A young couple that privileged me being the M/C at their wedding named their new puppy Larry and now a hurricane. Awesome we are making a comeback. Not to wish ill will on anyone but it would be nice to make this hurricane memorable.

Jackie had to leave to take care of Audrey so Daisy and I hibernated at the lot. We walked around and saw all of the Carnival activities going on which were amazing with kids and adults having fun. Lots to do and lots of people enjoying it. Castles, fun old time games like three legged racing, sack racing, egg carrying, free popcorn. An extremely well organized events by all of the volunteers.

It started to cool down and we headed to town for the night.

I dropped off the decorations at Tor’s house and then Daisy and I headed to the park. Daisy runs like a mad man flying around the fields. One time during a little lull between dogs she started running full speed herself around and around. Some dog owners were killing themselves laughing watching her like a Tasmanian Devil. Made my neck sore. LOL

She played with so many dogs she was exhausted. Once when I bent down to give he a drink a toy poodle rams me and spilled water everywhere. It just sort of jumped into my legs. Funny. We played for about an hour. She is getting so grown up as she actually is starting to listen a bit now which is good. We had fun. Tim’s then home.

Today was the Stamps game. We have won 8 years in row but I still bet on them to beat the sickened Elks with Kieth. We know what happened. Harris played too well and we didn’t play well enough. Next week rematch with Bo we will kill them.

One of the best long weekends weather wise we have ever had. I am getting itchy to go somewhere.

Thought of the Day

Say BOO and Scary ON.

September 7th & 8th

“Mercury Forecast Mesa 40 degrees, Edmonton 24 degrees, Calgary 24 degrees”

The incredible weather continues. This has to be the best year ever as it has been warmer and drier than I can ever remember.

My back still isn’t wear I want or need it. It is amazing how muscles can cause pain. Now I can do everything I normally do but things like golfing are affected. Usually it is mind over matter. So either my mind is weaker or the matter stronger. LOL

I dropped off Daisy with Jackie which makes golfing a little easier.

Today I was golfing with Jeff & Wendy at Elbow Springs. I have golfed here a few times but I didn’t remember how nice it really is. One of the nicest courses we have played this year. We played the Mountain course then the Springs. They are very different with the Springs having water on just about every hole. Our 4th joining us used to be member so it was nice to have a little guidance.

I took more pain pills than ever and felt really good until about the 16th hole but not enough to affect me. I played very well. If not for the odd putt I missed and the odd chip closer I would have been in the 70’s. Low 80’s I am always happy with. Some drives even amazed me with the distance.

Two things- I love a course where I can swing my driver at my natural speed instead of having to hold back. It also confirms my dislike for Turner Valley as it needs a lot of work as you should never have to use so many different clubs off the tee to try to stay out of trouble. The one thing Elbow did that EVER course should do is on the fairways with heavy under bush they RED staked it. It speeds up the game as no one shoots a provisional and most don’t mind a one stroke penalty. Great idea and feature.

My playing partners all had fun and had some very good shots. Everyone liked the course and layout. It still would be nice if all of these work from home people would actually work rather than fill up the courses.

We decided to have quick late supper at Dixon’s outside on the patio. They had the heater on which made it a little on the warm side but nice. Much better than being confined indoors in a bar. Jackie and I just don’t go to eateries and eat inside. Another wonderful meal. They have a large steak sandwich special at $9.99 and it is super deal.

Daisy and I had a later night walk around the block. We met two dogs with their owners.

I know cat owners have a reputation of being weird but let me tell you there are some strange dog owners also.

Daisy and I headed out to the lot this morning as the power was being turned off at the condo for the day.

I did the few maintenance things needed like cut the lawn, deadhead the flowers, water some and clean up. Daisy and I had a few walks around the park. I watched the workers take down a few dangerous trees which was fun. Fantastic work, dangerous and skilled.

As I said before we lost our neighbor right across from us at Oasis RV. Tom was in his early 60’s which is a way way too young. Young and such a nice guy. Today we lost our neighbor two lots down. Again a gentleman a way too young. The loss of life so early is so sad for everyone.

This is the perfect example of two things:

• First further proof that men continue to die young compared to women. Years ago it was due to work and work stresses being the biggest differential. Today not so much. So it has to be hormone based. I think most things are equal now so the only explanation has to be gender related.
• Second, we all need to live for the moment as our time left is never known. You wait and it may never happen. It is important for everyone to remember life is short.
• Third, I know I said two things but I had to put this in. What can we do to help men live longer. Being a white male we are on the very bottom of any priority list to look into this.

Yes we are making HISTORY !!!

I returned to the city and we headed to the dog park again. Talk about de ja vue. Last time when giving Daisy water this small poodle ran into me while I was kneeling and I spilled the water as it ran into me. Today while standing and Daisy being chased she ran to me for safety between my legs when the chaser a large Lab smacked right into me and knocked me down. To me it was funny but the owner was upset and this other women runs up and asks ” Are you ok? ” LIKE I AM OLD !!! I didn’t like that. LOL

We arrived a little on the late side so I decided I haven’t had Chinese food for a long time so whipped out to get some. MAN do they give a lot of food. I have enough for two people for another meal left. And my cookie said ” Great things are to come” Yes !

Thought of the Day

Isn’t it funny how a dog can make you feel great without saying a single word.

September 9/10th

Daisy and I had a run around day. I spent most of the day enjoying the sun and warmth as it hit 30 degrees today. The irrigation was on so I was able to to water and do some clean up spraying. We had our normal few walks around the park meeting people and dogs. Today was the first time where Daisy was scared of another dog. Both Daisy and this dog acted weird but as they approached each other Daisy yelped and ran away with at least 4 ft still separating them. Odd. Lots of trees being worked on. This is expensive with our neighbor paying $2500 for his trimming. Lots of interesting people to have short conversations with. The park is really looking good as more and more people are fixing their lots up.

Then this truck pulls up and it is the county building inspector to check out a deviation of the bylaws on our lot number. BTW now that we are the owners the county has inspected the park and we over 170 plus violations that have to be addressed. We have close to 400 lots here and I bet if we wanted to meet every rule exactly we would have 350 lots with issues. Turns out what he was looking for was for another lot not us. Whew. I do know we will get notice of one permit we will require and that is the oversized gazebo. It is strictly a money grab which is annoying but it is reality. I have one other issue that I hope common sense will prevail on. The neighbor right behind us has to move their trailer forward 3ft. The neighbor to our north has to move his shed 3ft north. And every lot has issues like I said. I am waiting for my letter.

We came home and Jackie met us for our left over Chinese supper. It was as good as as the first time. Huge qty’s. I really liked it as we do not have Chinese very often.

I watched the debate and overall I was disappointed. Trudeau is embarrassing as a PM. How as a country do we allow a party like the Bloc an anti-Canada candidate like Blanchet be allowed in this debate. It is a farce. OToole did well. Singh was good and likeable but within a party that has ZERO hope in Canada and I am sorry but the leader of the Green Party is going to lead it to ZERO seats. Erin is our only hope but can only be called adequate. Just look at the States going from a nut to a loser. Both destroying the country. Trudeau has done so much damage it will take 20 years to repair us financially and at least 5 years to regain our respect in the world.

My Turner Valley men’s league today. You know how I feel about this course. Two things today. First time I used Tylenol Back pills. They work incredible. Second I thought forget about the strange holes and just hit hit the ball. If I had putted a little better I would have had a great score. No lost balls off the drive and good drives. I just hit it. LOL One lost ball on a second long shot in under bush which shouldn’t be there. So good day with a an ok score that could have easily been lower. I didn’t win money again today but had fun.

One of my playing partners had an awesome day. He was one over on the front nine. Two bad holes but any time under 80 on this course is an excellent day. He also had a very interesting incident. In the sand trap close to the lip he hit it and it hit the lip and came right back at him and hit him right on his sunglasses. Broke the lens. It was lucky he had shatter proof lenses and lucky he had glasses on period otherwise his eye would have taken a direct hit.

A fun day golfing and doing semi ok on Turner I will take it.

Fish & Chip Friday on the patio was amazing. One of the best Fish & Chips I have had.

I came home, picked up Daisy , watched the news and relaxed. Daisy had a long playtime in the dog park. She had to get defensive and tell off Nova a dog in the building that likes to jump on her. She stood up for herself quite admirably. At 8:30 I whipped to the voting center and lo and behold I was first in line for my area. It took me no longer than 5 minutes to place my vote which was nice and easy. Done, now just need my choice to win federally.

Thought of the Day

Bad government’s are elected by good citizens who do not vote or vote for trusting they are going to get everything for nothing.

September 11th/12th

” Mercury Forecast Mesa 40 degrees, Edmonton 20 degrees, Calgary 16 degrees, rain”

Amazing how we can be less than half as warm as Mesa. I would take the 40 in heart beat.

This date is a date that will be remembered forever. 3000 people killed by a terrorist attack on the Twin Towers on US soil. The day changed our way of life. Security like we have never seen before now, a way of life. It is a little odd to me though we seem to put it a level higher than other events when in fact they were a way worse. It was an attack on US soil so it gets the attention. But think about this . August 6th 1945 the USA dropped a bomb on Japan killing 80,000 people and then 3 days later another killing 40,000 people. Why didn’t people condemn the USA for this. 65 million die in WW1 and 72 million in WW2 yet it seems 9/11 always takes center stage. Odd.

I was in Frank Sisson’s restaurant having my morning meeting with the sales guys over breakfast when we witnessed the events on TV. We were mesmerized and didn’t get back to the office until at least 10am. Sad as humans we are so callous with human life.

Jackie’s Dad Peter hated that his birthday fell on this same date.

Big sports day today with our Canadian girl going for the US Open win at 2pm and then the diseased Elk taking on the Stamps at 5pm. We need to win this so I get my money back. LOL

Too bad our Canadian girl couldn’t pull it off but it was an excellent match to watch. We still can say a girl born in Canada won. Two amazingly good teenagers with nice personalities. It was fun to watch.

And the Stamps won. And I received my winning bet from Mr. Kieth Harry right after the game. Bo didn’t play well until near the end, our defensive line with 4 sacks was excellent and we played hard. It was a great game to watch and close until the last few minutes. Yes I won my money back !!!

A foggy rainy day to start. I went for a walk with Daisy and let me say she now smells like wet dog. She didn’t mind getting wet at all. It lightly rained our entire walk so we got pretty wet.

I finished up my August budget numbers. 8 months now consistently being over isn’t a good thing ! Two things, either the budget is set wrong or we are spending too much money.

“Memories”

I remember when JELD WEN first took over Henderson’s and we starting to have interior door issues. I went for a visit to the plant in Oregon. This is funny. Concerning the door spec I requested for my branches the VP says” Well if we can’t meet spec we need to change it” Rather than lets figure out a way to build to spec. The ideology then was Practical Perfection. A way of saying we will build them they best we can even if not perfect. We had a lot of defective interior doors. LOL

So I guess the easiest way is to adjust the budget. We will have been retired 8 years in March coming up so for easy figuring just look at these numbers. Example:

1. $ 80 k a year living expenses x 8 years of retirement = $640,000 of spent money
2. $1,000,000 worth of saving at 5 percent is only $50K
3. $30K difference x 8 yrs is still $240,000

Oh to have worked for a company with a defined pension. If I was a young person I would forget about salary, love of the job etc and look at a career with a great benefit package or just marry rich.

Dreary day still. Even Daisy is just chilling.

I checked the library and found an interesting book. Old school but worth the read. If I take away just one thing it is a good book. Time will tell. What I like is the concept of practice and learn then take it to the game.

Thought of the Day

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.

September 13th

“Mercury Forecast Mesa 41 degrees, Calgary 17 degrees, Edmonton 21 degrees “

What a gorgeous day. Forecast to be only 17 degrees but hit at least 23 degrees. No wind, no breeze, clear sky and full sun it was the perfect day.

I dropped off Daisy at Audrey’s for Jackie to look after her. I said to Jackie it feels like Daisy is the daughter of a divorced couple with shared custody. She loves going there so good thing. Jackie has been there two weeks already.

I whipped to McKenzie Golf course to meet with Jeff & Wendy to play a game. Wendy hurt her back and Jeff had leg issues so I got to tease them that it was like playing with my grandparents the way they walked. You could tell Wendy’s back was hurting. Yet they won’t go to Sebastian where after 1 hour they would feel like 20 again. Acupuncture just doesn’t cut it with large muscle pain. Chiropractors never mind being dangerous ( i might add not even accepted as legit medical help by our healthcare) are meant as skeleton adjustment not muscle pain.

Even with the pain Wendy played very good. Jeff had a good game also today. I am looking at my scorecard and I am going to say this is the best I have golfed this year even though not the lowest score.

On the front nine I had 9 Greens in Regulation, nine shots at a birdie putt and didn’t make one of them. From 4 ft to 12 ft and NOT one of them. 6 pars and 3 boogies and the boogies were from 3 putts. I need to get better at putting soon. Another two holes on the back nine with 3 putts but a few less GIR. So my second lowest score of the year but the best overall golf ( except for putts) . Makes me like playing courses other than Turner Valley. LOL It was a fun sun day that was very enjoyable.

After golf we stopped for a bite to eat. I ordered the Hot Beef sandwich which was spectacular. Jeff and Wendy went for burgers. Unfortunately the burgers were under cooked and had to be sent back. I don’t know why we just don’t use ground sirloin instead of hamburger and this wouldn’t be an issue.

Picked up Daisy after Jackie & I taking her for a walk and came home to relax. Smiled to myself as playing today and having such good golf sure is fun.

I am thinking about whipping to Lethbridge to finish off the electrical tomorrow. I need to get up early as I need to load my tools and it is 2 1/2 hr drive.

Thought of the Day

Never underestimate the therapeutic power of driving with great music on.

September 15th–16th

” Mercury Forecast mesa 40 degrees, Edmonton 16 degrees, Calgary 11 degrees rain “

A very cool day. When I picked up my tools at the lot I noticed the plants have succumbed to the coldness a bit and are a little worse for wear. It is mid September though.

I left the house at 6:30 and and arrived home at 9:30pm. Another 15 hour day including travel.

It is funny how long things take. I finished off the wiring and electrical finer details. A shed and I have 12 outlets. It takes time to wire each receptacle and switch. It takes time to think about the wiring circuit as it is now covered by sheetrock. At one new home construction side I saw the electrician had labelled each set of wires sitting in the box with small pieces of tape. Great idea. Not doing electrical on a consistent basis also makes you think. I used a GFCI plug at the beginning of the run which is also unique as if you wire it correct it protects everything after it. They now show the load side on these which was helpful but getting into a box it is tight fit. I will hit it all with power and see how I make out when I run the power to the shed.

I removed the one door and trimmed it down to close easier. I added another hinge to my sidelight.

I caulk the exterior light fixtures and the windows. ( forgot the one receptacle in the back)

I cut into strips some shiplap the girls had laying around to use up for batten boards. I thought I had may have enough but was 2 pieces short, so next time. I trimmed the serving doors frames for casing.

I keep saying just another day but it is amazing to me how long it has and is taking. One thing that causes extra time is the work around to save money. My own shed I would just buy batten boards and save all of the time. But in these case I saved the girls a couple of hundred bucks.

I have left- finish off batten boards and casing, 3 hours, install poles for night lights, 3 hours, and run wire to the shed, 8 hours.

I have to say again I was treated like royalty with Penny cooking an amazing Ribeye steak ( cooked to perfection and wonderfully tasting) with a great salad and a baked potato. That alone was worth the trip.

Daisy slept like a log as she was tired not sleeping due to the activity and playing with Olive.

Talking to August he was so funny. This kid is fast. His form and will to run is amazing. He had a gym break and they got to run on the track. I asked him if he was the fastest. He says NO this other boy is fastest. I am shocked !! But it was just so funny they way he said it.

Cold day so just do a few things around here. Cook a roast to use for sandwiches. Made a pot of gravy for it. The expiry date was getting close so I had no choice.

Tonight for supper I had my care package from Penny. Rib eye steak, baked potato and salad. Fantastic meal and I enjoyed it very much.

Watching the news tonight and here we go again. Jason Kenny again is put into a no win situation but tonight’s plan is a good one. NDP’ers, hospitality industry and gyms etc. will be livid again but the medical industry will feel relieved. The President of the Restaurant Association is an idiot or perhaps just a Racheal supporter. Kenny’s idea that prove of double vacations to be shown is a fair way to allow a business to open safely. The President feels this is a burden to their business. He should be thankful they are allowed to be open. They ask for ID for serving drinks so what is the big deal. This is a needed fix that could have been a way more tough. Let’s hope the curve bends down quickly so we can get past this once and for all. The only thing I disagree with is why wait until the 20th. Make it NOW. Kenny will take a beating again which is so unfair to a guy that just wants businesses to succeed. Having to deal with stupid public unions and and forceful protestors makes it one tough job.

It was supposed to be a cooler day hitting only 14 degrees but when the sun was shining it hit most likely 18 degrees.

Another wonderful day out at Turner Valley. I am finally getting the hang of what club to use here. I was relatively happy with my play. One lost ball in the water on the second shot and none from the drive which was great. But dumb mistakes and bad putting didn’t let my score be what I would have liked. Anytime in the 80’s I am happy but want to be giving a chance for a 70’s score. The greens were a little longer so slower today than normal but I still need to improve on my putting. Perhaps close second shots would make my putting easier.

No old fart beat me today. Second best in the group and had a fun fun day. Nice get together after golf with politics and business coming up. Even had a longer talk with Dave Barton the old manager of Sauder that was my main competitor for 20 years plus.

You have to love great fall weather with sun, no leaves falling yet and some warmth.

Thought of the Day

Always fun to talk about the good old days . And there were plenty.

September 17th

” Mercury Forecast Mesa 39 degrees, Edmonton 17 degrees, Calgary 17 degrees”

Special day today. Today is Jackie’s birthday. Yes she is getting old, a little weak, frail, the odd forgetful moment, but she is one lovely person to be around. Having said that she has been staying at her Mom’s house for the last two weeks while Audrey recovers. She may have changed in that time. LOL

I am very fortunate to enjoy her company as my wife and even now at her advanced age I figured we should have at least 20 good years left.

I have been very lucky over the years buying Jackie clothes for presents. Batting a 100 with another hit. A Calvin Klein dress. I noticed above a jean outfit I bought her and a Nike sweat suit I bought. I am pretty good at guessing sizing.

Happy Birthday Jackie

To celebrate Jackie’s birthday Jeff & Wendy and us heading out to the Italian Farmhouse in Bragg Creek. Wonderful setting in the foothills wilderness with a huge deck and lots of patio heaters. It was a nice day hitting 20 degrees and stayed warm out all evening.

Our food was amazing. We had in order Larry, Jackie Jeff and Wendy

VITELLO ALLA GRIGLIA

Grilled veal scaloppini, mushroom-marsala sauce

POLLO

Chicken breast stuffed with spinach, artichoke, sun dried tomatoes in a sage marsala glaze

BISONTE BRASATO

Red wine braised bison short ribs

And Wendy had the lamb shank special of the night.

It was a very fun and fine dining out experience.

After eating we came back to the Grace’s house and played Dice. I do have to say it was a Grace shut out tonight. Willard wins each game but it was Jackie’s birthday. It was a fun evening.

It is funny as I only entered Facebook and Instagram to help out the girls with all of the social media trolls encouraged by, in my opinion the extremely delusional Prairie Dog Brewing Company. I really am surprised how poor both of these sites are and why they really don’t have a strong competitor. It is like the difference between Apple and Android or Mac versus Microsoft. People love Apple products which are so inferior to work with and very similar to these two platforms. They could use a lot of work. Instagram in particular is a very weak system. 90% designed for a smart phone not a PC at all. Facebook is fraught with programing errors. Posting and visibility is lacking and ease of doing anything other than posting one pic isn’t there. They need to really look at their format and bring it up to speed. But having said that they don’t need too with the money it currently generates. I am not interested in Instagram at all but have indulged a bit into Facebook and am semi ok with it for now.

I also find people leaning towards text rather than email. Email is so much more manageable, organized, and easy to work with when dealing with picture sizing, video uploading and categorizing. Odd why people choose text. Text messages are encrypted in the air when sent . Emails particularly GMAIL encrypts with TLS and S/MIME and is very very safe. Text messages can still be accessed by the carrier. I put email as the Caddy of communication and text as the Kia. Text to me is like sending a smoke signal. But that is just me. LOL Then it hit me. Text is unlimited and a much better secure system like email using data which may cost depending on usage and plan.

September 18-19th

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

Nice late summer weather. Bright sun, wind at night, no smoke so just nice.

Jackie is still at Audrey’s place as she recuperates and I expect for quite awhile yet. She did stay overnight on her birthday which was nice. I know what you are thinking. Alan & MaryAnn took over for the day and then we met them for a visit outside on the patio at Audrey’s. The Waldie’s came for a visit. It was a nice get together and we had to have Timmy’s.

Daisy and I headed home. She is getting used to one person in the bed and is starting to hog.

Jackie came over and we headed to Oasis. Just a wonderful day out. On our arrival you sure could tell a wind storm had hit as we had a lot of branches down but luckily no damage other than one solar light. This time it was a large branch.

We cleaned up the yard from branches and leaves and tidied up. We had some nice visits with multiple neighbors which is always nice. Very friendly people. We had our lunch out there, went for a couple of walks and Jackie cleaned up inside a bit.

A very nice relaxing day and enjoyable having Jackie there.

Thought of the Day

Isn’t it funny how just having someone in a room is comforting. You need someone to tell what a lousy TV ad that was.

September 20th

Here is what I have to do. I will not finish but plan to . Install 3 poles to hang patio lights. Install wiring and conduit from shed to house. Complete batten boards. Too much for one day but I will get done what I can. Still need to blow out the irrigation before freezing hits also.

Up at 6:30 am and returned home a little earlier due to being tired about 8 pm. A short day at 14 hours.

I dug a drench for the wiring from the shed to the house. I “cheated” and dug right beside the fence. As it is laid at the base of the fence ( a permanent structure according to code) I only had to dig about 6 to 8 inches down and attach. I ran another drench from the fence to the garage. I used 12/2 underground wire in 3/4 PVC conduit. The job looks wonderful and I am happy with it. Digging 75′ of drench wasn’t a happy thing though but worth it.

I installed 3 poles for the patio lights but still require a few more screws for stability.

Cut up the rest of the batten boards for install.

Sept 21st

“Mercury Forecast Mesa 38 degrees, Edmonton 23 degrees, Calgary 23 degrees”

First day of fall even though some think tomorrow. I miss summer already yet at the temperatures today it is still very summer like.

Well all I can say is I am extremely disappointed in Canadians. I find it unbelievable we can reelect the worst Prime Minister in history for another term. Talk about division in other countries then look at us. You can see a very divisive Canada with the west being alienated again. I can not figure what goes on in Ontario. Toronto in particular with just about as many seat as the whole of Alberta always goes red. They elect a Conservative Premier then go Liberal forever on the federal side. So we have a blue west, red east and a separatist party in Quebec.

I do think it is time to seriously look at Sask/Alberta separating. We would be much better off. Between the young vote and the new Canadian vote that want everything for nothing we will be a broke country. Justin has lost all respect in the G7. Biden dislikes him. It is our kids and our kids kids that will be paying these bills. We have become a way to socialist with the support of the NDP and Liberals. That is not what we are but we becoming that.

The PPC made inroads, but they are a way too radical though perhaps an alternative to protect the west. We need to become like Quebec, pretend we are our own nation, and use Canada for our benefit and forget about the rest of Canadians. The problem now is the next election will be more difficult as people will move to the PPC as they know the Conservatives cannot win. Multiple scandals, under delivering, lying, entitled, cover ups and incompetent can still get elected is beyond me.

Sad day today not only due to the election but the US still has the border closed until Oct 21 st now. Trudeau has no guts to challenge this. Sad Sad

A shake up in Alberta with Shandro moved. It is amazing how we like to jump all of over people. It was a good move to put a new set of eyes on the health portfolio with the Covid crisis and past issues that happened but it was not his fault. Poor Kenny is getting beaten up again with the biased media blaming him for Otoole’s defeat and trying to save his own job. NO POLITICIAN is doing a good job with this crisis so let’s support them instead of trying to take them down. We are much kinder to Trudeau who was a disaster at the start of this.

IT IS ALL DUE TO THE IDIOTS THAT WONT GET VACCINATED. I am getting tired of seeing the stupid people claim rights, freedoms etc. THEY ALL WEAR SEATBELTS, THEY ALL DRIVE THE SPEED LIMIT, THEY ALL WERE VACCINATED AS KIDS, THEY ALL PAY TAXES etc etc and yet a dose that can saves lives is somehow different. I cannot figure out where the disconnect is.

It is funny what you think of while sleeping. I changed out my GFCI plug in the shed and decided to move it to the garage. I wired my pigtails knowing it was a GF plug and with a std receptacle I need to do it different as there is no line in or load side. I will change it when there next time. Funny what you think of.

Thought of the Day

Whether you think you can, or think you can’t , you’re right.

September 22-24th

” Mercury Forecast Mesa 33 degrees, Edmonton 24 degrees, Calgary 24 degrees”

Just amazing weather. I hope the fall continues on just like this.

Three days in a row golfing which I never do happened this week. Great weather that we know is ending so I want to get games in. Plus I was able to convince Jackie to golf with me.

Jeff hurt his back so wasn’t able to join us but Jackie, Wendy and I headed out to The Track to golf. Jackie golfed absolutely wonderful. Wendy had a very very good game and I ended up with a 80. One darn hole !! It was supposed to be 18 degrees but it was cooler today than expected with the breeze. We had a lot of fun playing. The course was in great shape and moved very well. Daisy was a trooper and was perfectly behaved. It is always fun when everyone is having a good day. Some wonderful shots. You can the skill level uptick with more games being played.

Thursday was my men’s league at Turner Valley. A great foursome again to play with. Loads of fun and another warm sunny day. The greens were shaved so were a little faster today. This course kills me. It is rare for me not to lose a ball. I can’t hot my driver at full swing speed on very many holes and the trees enviably suck up my ball. I was semi pleased other than the score again. Another game without winning money. This course just doesn’t fit my eye. Not only the fairway layout but the greens have a huge amount of movement on them. I have one last game left this season here to have a good game.

Rick, Larry and I sat on the patio after golf in the warm sun and enjoyed a cold jug of beer. Heavenly and makes you forget the score. I was second lowest of my group and that was a lousy score for me. I find Turner very frustrating but I will not give in.

Daisy has been enjoying the pillows with Jackie not here and I am sure when Jackie is back it will be a fight for possession. Daisy though hasn’t once complained about my snoring.

Friday Jeff & Wendy along with us were heading down to High River to golf. It has been at least 20 years since I have golfed there. The last time it was a ScotiaBank Regional golf tournament that was played as a scramble. Our team consisted of two beginning players and Jackie & I . Joe & Dianne along with had a blast but we were bad. I have played in a lot of scrambles and know a winning score has to be -9 to -13 or more to win. We were plus 15. I thought for sure we were going to win the horses ass trophy but lo and behold there were a couple of teams worst than us. BUT Jackie won the Ladies Long Drive award and I won the Men’s Long Drive award so a fun tournament.

Having played it once I found it odd I couldn’t remember a single hole which normally I am pretty good at. NICE course. Very nice course with some wonderful holes, mountain views and loads of trees. It meanders throw homes but no danger hitting them on any hole. Great rates also.

Daisy again was wonderful. Golf today was fun. Wendy had a good game. Not as good as Wednesday but still some great shots. Jeff even with his totaled back did fine. Jackie played the best I have seen for a long time. Perfect drives and great chips. Her drives were awesome. I played quite well except for one hole ending up with a 84.

After golf we sat on the clubhouses patio. Great patio. And awesome food. I give my meal a 10/10. Everyone seems pleased. So the end to another wonderful warm sunny fun day golfing.

Daisy is sleeping like a log with her head on my foot as she doesn’t sleep all day when out with us. A evening walk, met a few dogs and she is happy now to rest.

Thought of the Day

I can’t say I have a bad back as I am afraid someone will say ” Well the front isn’t too great either

September 25th

“Mercury Forecast Mesa 34 degrees, Edmonton 19 degrees, Calgary 24 degrees ”

What another wonderful day.

Daisy and I headed out to the lot today. Our plans are not to close up until Thanksgiving. But the irrigation is being turned off next weekend, so I blew out my underground watering system. The flowers are still looking pretty good considering the cool evenings we have had and the time of year. I dead headed all of the plants, gave them a good water as they now have to live by my hand.

I removed all of the hoses, blew out the timer, spaghetti lines and heads so all set. Put it all away. Organized the deck box tools and went for a few walks around the park.

“MY RANT”

Parents- yes I know we are living at a time when discipline is frowned upon but it is leading to a society that has lost respect for others , for property and the kids know there will be no repercussions. At our resort as it is community owned we as a group purchased hockey nets and a deck box for hockey sticks, pucks, balls etc at the paved playground. Last night young kids vandalized the area breaking and bending the nets and breaking the box. One can ask why ? Senseless ! Disrespectful.

After spending all day out at the lot we headed home and I decided to stop at the dog park. Daisy did her fair share of running. LOL The odd big dog come up fast behind her and gives her a scare.

We get home and lo and behold someone I barely recognized was in my house. Jackie came over for supper to join us which was nice. While here she worked like mad cleaning everything, washing etc. I thought I did a pretty good job at keeping everything ok. LOL

My hair and beard still smell of smoke from me burning the fallen branches and leaves. It is amazing how it smells.

The Ryder Cup coverage timing is not the best. I am watching a bit of that. The Oiler versus the Flames game where Calgary spanks Edmonton again isn’t on. Poor TV coverage and was the only reason I came back to town.

Wow one box of 81mg Baby Aspirin is over $20. That is a rip off. I needed a box and paid the bill and was shocked. As Daisy was waiting in the truck I didn’t take my time to check for the generic which I will next time for sure.

It is a shame the States is being so stupid with the border. Here is my plan today. It is fluid. I am waiting until Oct 21st to see what happens. I will drive down Nov 1st. If the border is still closed I have found a company that will fly you to Great Falls and carrier your car for about $ 2k all in. I haven’t decided if I will return for Christmas or not as of yet. If you think about it you only spend about 8 hrs max and then the surprises, excitement and food is all done. Time will tell.

It is amazing how brazen the Chinese government is. At the same time Meng is released they release the two Michaels. Tell me they are not connected but NO ONE will call them out on it.

Thought of the Day

Don’t be afraid of being scared. Say this to yourself every time you jump on a roller coaster, bungee jump, etc.

September 27th

“Mercury Forecast Mesa 34 degrees Edmonton 24 degrees, Calgary 24 degrees”

Wow what beautiful fall days we are having. Today it hot 25 degrees on our car gauge. The wind was out for a bit today but not as bad as they thought. They said 30 to 5o kms and I would say about 20 to 30 kms at most. Enough though that it does make golfing that much more difficult. That leads up to our less than stellar performance today. I would say Jackie of all of us played quite well. Between the wind, and the skill it was a struggle especially on the Par 3’s. We played Cottonwood today. I will say this, Cottonwood is a million times more player friendly than Turner Valley. All of the under bush has been removed so if you leak a bit it is only a punch out not a lost ball. I would suggest Turner Valley either red stake their bush areas or spend some money removing it to make it a more playable and less like country hick style course.

Jeff & Wendy and us all had a wonderful fun time. We left Daisy at home today by herself trying to get her more accustomed to it as we wanted to stay on the patio after the golf. A wonderful Caeser drink they make.

Daisy did not seem too stressed on our return which is good. A walk around the block for her business and some play time with other dogs and she is just fine.

Another fun day done.

Two pictures that I had to add.

Isn’t this garage unbelievably good looking. This is Jessica’s and Penny’s garage that they have converted to a gym, lounge, play area. Fantastic looking. Notice the black accent wall where Penny pinned strips of mdf for a design. With the black, and the wood, the room says WOW !

This picture is what we see every day right now. This is taken at Oasis Rv Park.

The Brewery situation continues and I will let you know in a bit what happens.

Thought of the Day

I love a brisk fall breeze especially when it blows my leaves in the neighbors yard. ( breeze and blower are the same right ?)

September 28th

“Mercury Forecast Mesa 32 degrees, Edmonton 1 degrees, Calgary 16 degrees”

First thing this morning I took my Jeep into Tower for it’s oil change. When they sold it to me they had a Lifetime Free oil change deal on any new vehicle. They didn’t count on me keeping it for 9 years already. A few years ago they added a small charge to my oil change which they said was a government environmental fee that they had to pass on. A $10 oil change was still ok with me even though I felt it wrong as $10 is along ways away from FREE. The last few times I took it in, when I checked in, I was told it would be a long wait. Remember this is called an Express Oil Change. The wait discussion wasn’t brought up until I checked in. The second time I left and went to Mr Lube and was done in 20 min. Today I thought I would just wait. LOL I checked in at 10am and left about 1:30pm. LOL But I got my free oil change. They did come to me with an issue and said that a lug nut was tighten on cross threaded and the bolt broke when they were removing it. An oddity but it can happen. Cheaper nuts and special mags you have to be quite careful on the install. I didn’t say anything until I checked out and then asked to see the stripped bolt and nut. The young service clerk was awesome going out to the shop and showing it to me. $ 175 a hour labor charge when a mechanic is maybe making $35 to $40 a hour isn’t right. But I did appreciate the young clerks excellent service skills. And they even rotated my tires clockwise including the spare which was good without blow back as that is not the normal procedure.

You know how certain pictures just melt your heart. I look at this and I all I can do is smile and smile. Such a beautiful daughter with such a handsome grandson. It is amazing to me how gorgeous and such nice people both of my daughters have become and all three grandchildren are beyond cute. Good genes I am sure.

A friend that was in a large corporation and as a manager sent me this video. It is a little long and takes a while to get to the point and may confuse people at the beginning of what his real message is, but it is a very well scripted, articulated and an accurate picture of what businesses are dealing with in todays world.

The video would be an excellent training video for all management, owners and supervisors to understand Millennials and how to create an environment they can prosper in. As said in the piece, we have in the Millennials some of the brightest, tech wizards, well educated kids in generations that are struggling to fit in with corporations and how companies need to learn to adapt to take advantage of their abilities and create happy, loyal, longer term employees out of them.

The section on running a staff/business meeting and making staff leave their phones out side of the room and require them to small talk before the meeting instead of staring at a screen is so simple yet so overlooked. I witnessed this myself numerous times. Another simple idea of suggesting to leave your phone in the living room instead of the bedroom again will resonate with a lot of people, as people are hooked on the dopamine.

I would have used this video in a heart beat and even though I am not in the corporate world today I still learned a lot from listening to it. It looks like 77 million other people thought the same. Enjoy

You just need to click on this where it says Watch on Facebook to make it work.

If anyone struggles let me know I and will forward it directly to you. The message is some kind of Word Press privacy thing but when you click on “watch on Facebook” it works like a charm.

Or use the UTUBE video below

Victoria took a wonderful picture of herself in a hockey rink and made a comment about a moose in the background that should have been a Beaver to even make it more Canadian. A hockey mom drinking a Tim’s in the hockey rink with a moose behind her is pretty defining of a Canadian. The Beaver just would have put it over the top. I commented the Beaver wasn’t our only National Animal. A lot of people don’t realize the Horse is also our Canadian National Animal. Did you know the Beaver besides being the national animal of Canada is also the Official State Animal of New York and Oregon. Beavers are native to Canada so it makes sense to pick it. The Canadian Horse became the second National Animal of Canada in 2003 when the Government passed a bill making it the symbol and equal National Animal of Canada. The breed Canadian Horse which descended from draft and light riding horses originally from French stock and were brought to Canada in 1665. They are an important figure in our history as they were used for farming and often as war time horses. There are a lot of countries that have a national animal for various reasons that aren’t logical like England that has a Lion. An African country maybe. Lions are not native to England but are thought of as a symbol of strength. Interesting though is that Cave Lions actually lived in the UK thousands of years ago before a national animal would be a consideration. A logical animal would have been the native hedgehog or Grey Seal. But the oddest one is Germany which uses a mythical image of an eagle. That is a stretch. Or how about Scotland choosing the unicorn. A little too much Scotch whiskey I think. LOL

A wonderful BBQ supper of porkchops, salad, baked potato, garlic toast and roasted veggies. Missing sour cream. Darn. A pretty good bachelor supper. I let Daisy have a small piece of my pork chop as she joined me for supper.

Thought of the Day

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” – Henry Ford

September 29th-30th

The last official last day of my Men’s league for this year. It resulted in the fewest dollars I have won in this league in the last 7 years. Turner Valley golf course ate me this year. I lost so many balls in the willows and under bush it is unbelievable. I am a much better golfer than years ago but am not here. My normal week is a 80 and then a 84 and then a game at Turner Valley at 95. Few things annoy me but it is getting to me. I am enjoying the many course we have golfed at the super rates with our VIP membership. Very happy. I will keep my retainer membership for next year to golf in my league again. I had a blast but lost $200 bucks over the season. My biggest win was my last game winning $37.00. Yahoo. I will do better next year.

It was a wonderful warm nice day with some good shots and a few bad ones. Well ok too many bad ones. Lots of fun though. I enjoy the golf group, the organization and the fun after golfing.