Feb 1st –2nd

“Mercury Forecast Mesa 20 degrees, Edmonton -18 degrees, Calgary -17 degrees”

The weather is staying cooler here for the next three days. High’s ONLY getting to 20 degrees and night temps down to single digit.

Tried to pay my monthly but after on hold for about 1/2 hr I gave up so I will retry again. Sent another email to Jabba as it is ridiculous the speed we are getting.

We had a tee time today with Jeff & Wendy at the Kokopelli Golf Club. It was a little disappointing. The greens were good, the fairways were ok but the sand traps looked absolutely horrible with no sand and no deep raking at all. They should be embarrassed of them. I won’t book there again. Add the incredible amount of goose shit on the course which gets stuck on your shoes it wasn’t near a top course or even middle of the pack course. And another poorer day score wise. Too bad as this course has great potential if they would spend a little money and work on it.

We had a long golf game and decided to forgo the after-golf supper. Oh well next time.

Jessica sent a couple of pictures of the boys working out. Strong cute boys. Superman kills me. August is exceptionally strong. I think he takes after his sweetie.

Today is Ground Hog Day. Now this is quite the stretch for us to believe a gopher/groundhog could actually tell weather. Especially Calgary’s as Balzac Billy is a man dressed up as a groundhog. How original. LOL

I understand we have 6 more weeks of winter if you can trust this guy.

Up early this morning as today was my men’s league at Longbow. We were the first tee time today so had a little wait for the last group to finish. It is nice though as you can spend more time apre golf.

Today I was with a Calgarian, a Saskatoonite, and a Wisconsonite. All nice guys and some pretty good golfers with low handicaps.

For those that have never played Longbow trust me when I say it is an exceptionally beautiful course but has the hardest most difficult greens ever. It is a task for even the best golfers. Today was 11.5 on the stimp meter.

How did I do you ask? I played very, very well today. I haven’t been able to say that for a while, but my drives were great, irons solid and putting ok. I finished low net of the group and brought back $15 in winnings. I thought it was going to be a tough day as hole number one I took an 8. Then the Par’s started happening. Some of my shots even amazed me. On one short but tricky and dangerous Par 4 hole 335 yards long, I was 10 yards off the green albeit a bit of wind assist. I had a very enjoyable day not only due to the play, but the group was a fun group. NO GIMMIES which I like as then everyone is on the same level as I know in prior groups the length of gimmies gets pretty stretched by some. My premise is if for money ever one should have to putt unless all parties agree prior to a set standard such as the putter grip to hole which I am ok with.

I was glad I wore pants today as with the breeze, the early start and cooler temps it was welcomed.

Fun day in the sun

Thought of the Day

Golf is 20% mechanics and technique. The other 80% is philosophy, humour, tragedy, companionship, camaraderie, cussedness, and conversation. 

Feb 3rd

“Mercury Forecast- Mesa 14 degrees, Edmonton -18 degrees Calgary -11 degrees”

The Alberta clipper got to us. Today it is cold in Arizona only reaching 14 above which is quite uncommon. Jackie is out golfing in a winter vest and togue. But still better than snow on the ground.

Daisy had lots of fun this morning on her walk and run meeting a new toy Australian Sheperd which is cute. Daisy loves her friends.

Being cold and maybe a little lazy I decided to stay inside and do my budget. I know every time I do it, I say wow that hurts. LOL Some big numbers with shed, repair and golf for both here and paid in Calgary. You can’t take it with you, and you need to enjoy it while you can. Having said that it is important for everyone unless wealthy to manage your expenses and income. My OAS cheque will be here next month and i will think of it as ” That is 10 rounds of golf Trudeau is giving me” Then I say, but that is my money. LOL

I finished the budget off, wished my sister Happy Birthday and relaxed.

Darlene’s birthday one day before mine always confused me as a kid. How could I be older if she had her birthday before me. Being so close together for years we shared a birthday party with our friends at the same time.

So here is to you getting another year older.

We were invited over to Jeff & Wendy’s place for supper and a few games. Their place this year is very nice which is nice for them to have a great place without hassles.

Jeff & Wendy prepared us Chicken Burgers and homemade fries done in an air fryer. I may need to get one of those as they work pretty slick. The meal was perfect, and everyone enjoyed it. Any time anyone invites you for supper or cooks for you, you should never complain. I will call it a critic then. The fries were very good. They said not what they wanted but I liked and enjoyed them. The chicken burgers were awesome with moist chicken, great bun and nice additions like onions. BUT and it is a little but. not to have Heinz Ketchup or French’s mustard takes the beauty out of a great looking meal. Not to enhance the taste with quality tasting product isn’t right. While no name product is ok and very acceptable, I was disappointed in not having the WOW taste factor with high end tasty condiments on such a great supper. LOL Having said that we loved our meal, it was awesome and appreciated.

For reference sake:

My Ketchup Taste-Test:

By Len Penzo

Ketchup is the most popular condiment in the United States, and if you ask one hundred people what their favorite brand is, ninety-nine will usually say Heinz. As for the other guy, he’ll simply say he doesn’t like ketchup, period. It’s true.

We started to play Crib. I am positive the world has shifted as I lost again. Playing with Jeff our luck just did not happen. The girls just kept getting unbelievable hands. We are unsure of the long sleeves on the girls and the mathematical calculations in counting but we lost. LOST. Unbelievable.

The top picture shows our hosts hard at work. Do a close up and look at Wendy. There was a discussion as to who was supposed to oil the fries. LOL

Air fried chips are great and slider chicken burgers were awesome. Evidence of NON-Heinz Ketchup in top picture also. LOL

There could have been slight of hand involved happening here in the bottom picture.

Awesome meal, cold glasses with cold beer, wine, and playing games even though the outcome wasn’t correct made for a very fun night. Yes, I said it the girls won!

Thought of the Day

Coke or Cola? I think you know what I mean

February 4th-6th

Last cool day before we start hitting 80’s again. It is a Friday, and I would normally be golfing but as it was my birthday today, I decided to relax at home instead. It would have been a pant day today also as it was only getting to 17 degrees with a breeze.

So, Jackie and I relaxed today. It started off with a great breakfast made for me of pancakes and sausages. Loved it.

I then opened up some of my gifts. Some neat stuff, some nice stuff and some “joke” stuff. I will try to list them all here and hope to not forget any:

• A golf belt
• A golf hat
• A golf shirt
• A flask
• Golf balls
• Tees
• Ball marker
• A nice TIT coffee cup
• Joke golf ball
• ball retriever from the hole
• A bottle of Baileys
• Caeser mIx
• Golf socks
• A gift certificate
• A day long houseboat excursion on Canyon Lake for up to 12 people.

So, some very thoughtful, some fun and nice gifts. I will wait until March to redeem my houseboat trip when it is hot out. A little fishing, swimming, drinking and suntan fun for the day.

Fred, Terry, Jeff, Wendy and us headed to the Keg for supper. I love the Keg and it didn’t disappoint again. I had the Prime Rib. I used to eat a 24 oz Prime Rib with Al Martyzsenko when he came to town but now I was happy with the 10 oz. And I even asked for and received the end cut. (Tasty with all of the crusting and spices).

Fred started choking on his steak and talk about bad luck. His bridge broke off a tooth and came off. They next day he had it looked at and he needs a root canal and a new bridge $4000 plus. The dentist patched it up until he gets home if he is careful, but he may head to Mexico to get it done. Bad luck that was. Losing a bridge and a truck within a week isn’t fun.

I like the Keg as it gives a cook chart on their menu stating the different levels of cooking. A good idea as most people really don’t know what to ask for but know what they like. I think as a society we all are a WAY too fussy and we add to the pressure for a high-volume restaurant to get it right. The same goes for eggs, over easy, over hard, soft, sunny side up and on and on. Order an egg, let the chef cook it, you eat it as it comes or stay at home so not to complain. Take steak for instance:

Well done: Grayish-brown with no sign of pink. It’s usually slightly charred on the outside. Cooking a good steak to this level of doneness is a challenge.

Medium well: Mostly gray-brown throughout, but with a hint of pale pink inside. It’s a slightly juicy steak, but with no sign of blood in it.

Medium: A clear band of pink in the middle of the steak. There should still be slightly more gray-brown than pink coloration.

Medium rare: Warm and has a mostly pink-to-red center. Firm on the outside, soft and juicy on the inside.

Rare: Cool or warm red center. It’s nearly like raw meat, but cooked on the outside.

A way too many levels that compounds the issue. Get rid of double verbiage ones. Well, Medium, and Rare and be done with it. My personal preference is Medium and if it come over or under it is still fine. I think everyone had perfect steak tonight though.

Fantastic meal. Fun meal. Fun gathering, Great waitress. And I even had my drinks and appy’s paid for. Wonderful sitting outside on the heated patio.

We all came home to our place for some drinks and games after. Ralph and Tracy joined us as they had a PCR test booked. Too bad as they missed a great meal. The birthday cake was great. It was fun night, and no one would ever know we were this old.

The last game of marbles was won by Wendy. She was so close for so long but still managed to get it done. The guys KILLED the girls in DICE.

A fun night and the latest we have stayed up yet in 2022. LOL

Today I went to Harbour Freight as they had some amazing deals on of some stuff I needed. It was very busy, and the store is getting low on stock like everywhere else.

Read, caught up on email, Facebook and my blog so the world is right.

I took a stone today on the freeway which is going to crack every which way as it is a spider. An expensive shield in the Flex as it is sound barrier laminated tinted windshield which I am going to say is around $400. The Flex has the full “moon roof” which is a $5000 dollar replacement so I bought all glass so this one will go thru insurance.

I fixed up my shed a bit, we went for a walk to the dog park and had a nice day.

A few errands, a Harbour Freight run, a walk to the baseball field for the concessions and all is good. $ 4 for a great tasting burger is hard to beat. Watched a bit of golf and enjoyed the sun.

Daisy had a salon day as Jackie files her nails, cut her hair and bathed along with brushing her. Pretty girl

Thought of the Day

I never thought about this before but the Tooth Fairy actually teaches children you can sell body parts for money. Not good.

February 7th-8th

“Mercury Forecast Mesa 23 degrees, Edmonton 6 degrees, Calgary 9 degrees”

Some pretty decent weather everywhere.

My Viewpoint grouping today and Jackie leaving on a jet plane. Some wonderful long hits and the odd screwed up shot and ending in a low 80’s score again. This is a high 70’s course for me and it only has happened once. A fun grouping again, chirping, hassling and having fun. The group in front of us (our group) didn’t get mad that I know of, but multiple times I drove up to them. Once passed their cart on the fairway and the other over the green while they were still putting. It was 260 yards away and I thought it may roll up or be 20 yards short, but it was hit sweet. Putting again is my nemesis racking up the score as what VP lacks in speed in makes up in slope on the greens.

A few after drinks and another wonderful day in paradise.

Wendy was nice enough to drive Jackie to the airport for me. She had no trouble with any of the procedures and arrived pretty much on time.

Early morning start as I had a tee time at 8:30 at Longbow. Arriving there the Stimp meter was at 12 again so you know it will be a hard putting day.

I was teamed up with a gentleman from Nanton, Sherwood Park and Calgary. All fun nice guys and we all had an enjoyable time.

There is money paid out for 6 Triads which is the best 3 scores for 3 holes with full caps. Let me say we killed it. 6 triads to win and we won 3 of them and $150 which is a good day at golf. I love this game as it builds a team concept as one guy can have a bad hole and not drag the others down and one guy can save the hole by scoring well on a capped hole. We did just that with each person playing perfect when needed. To win 3 is very unusual. It started out a lot cooler than anyone thought but warmed up fast. It wasn’t my best day by far but when needed I scored well. I did lose one ball which I hate but was having some pretty long drives and great chips. Putting is Longbow putting with 3 putts happening for everyone.

Daisy appeared to have an ok day as this was her first 6 hours stint left alone. No one knows what really happened but no damage, no chewing, no mistakes made and only relatively anxious when I arrived.

I took her to the park, which was full of dogs, but they were all BIG ones, so we didn’t stay that long. She is over missing Jackie now which is good. She will adjust to the NEW way of doing things . LOL

Thought of the Day

Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog’s face he gets mad at you? But when you take him in a car, he sticks his head out the window.

Feb 9th-10th

“Mercury Forecast Mesa 26 degrees (78F) , Edmonton 7 degrees, Calgary 13 degrees”

Wow first of all good for Alberta as the weather is amazing for February. While still winter to hit day after day double digit is awesome for them. And the warm weather is starting to hit here also with 80 degrees most days this week.

Up early and took Daisy for her walk and park run. There was just too many large dogs and dogs that aren’t fun for her. She loves to be chased and chase others but today only one dog wanted to partake and then when Daisy had her turn as the chaser it didn’t like it much and growled. Wearing a pink sweater, you knew the dog thought she was a princess. But she still gets to sniff, follow and watch lots of dogs. A least 10 in the park today. Daisy by far is the cutest.

She is a little tentative though with the larger dogs more so than when she was a puppy. We even met a 7-month-old dog named Rudy Potutee that was right sized. It was 14 above at 8:30 this morning.

I came home and got to work. I washed and brushed the Arizona room walls. I re-caulked all of the trim work and windows and put on painters’ tape where I thought I needed it.

I finished off the west side green. I started the trim but stopped as 26 above and direct sun was killing me. I will start in the morning again. It is amazing how much paint fades and it was about time as it now looks like brand new. I hope to get the back wall and trim done tomorrow.

Never thought I would say too hot but NO MAS. In the direct heat and bright sun with no wind it was killer hot. A good start though and Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Up earlier than ever as I wanted to beat the heat. I was back from the dog park around 8am and started right away to caulk and paint. I had a good day with the back west wall done except for the fascia. I finished off the green on the back west wall and finished off the trim on side west wall.

The heat at 81 degrees today was killer and I had to quit around 2:30. I ran out of trim paint and only a 1/4 gallon of green left, but the main reason was heat. It is very tiring.

Daisy and I had a nice afternoon napping on the a/c but I still feel worn out from the heat. We had a long walk up down the lanes in the dark when it cooled off.

Walking past 900 row it is the first time of many I actually saw activity at the Graces’s place, so I stopped in for a short visit. Normally they close the blinds and shut off the lights so numerous times Jackie & I have walked past. This time I figured I could see light they must be home. It smelled wonderful in their unit with Jeff cooking away. A late supper for them. I was going to stay for a visit but due to a late supper for them and me being tired Daisy and I headed home.

A productive day. A good day. A HOT day. All is good!

Thought of the Day

You never really get tired unless you stop and make time for it.

Feb 11th to 13th

“Mercury Forecast Mesa 28 degrees, Calgary 9 degrees, Edmonton 2 degrees”

Getting up earlier than ever to get Daisy to the park to meet her friends. She loves the park and playing with the dogs, and you get to meet some interesting people each day. A stop halfway down to visit with Rudy makes Daisy’s day as she sometimes gets to steal a treat from him. I spent a fair amount of time there as I wasn’t golfing until 1pm so had plenty of time. I left the house earlier and thought I would have a shower when I got back BUT I forgot the water was being shutoff for a bit. Came home and no water. I caught up on news, made a full breakfast, fixed up Daisy and checked up on emails etc.

It was hitting 82 today which for golfing is nice as the muscles are very relaxed. It was only a so so day on teh course today with me losing a buck. Ron played very well, Kirk had an off game, Jeff only a so so game and the same for me. Mid-eighties score which I had caused by a 7 on one hole with a ball out of bounds and a way too many missed putts. I did venture in a few different fairways than I wanted bot good recoveries. Luckily still low gross of the group. Just beautiful on the course. Jeff was our host and had out jerky, cheese, chips all covid safe which was nice. This was the second time she was left alone. How she really did or feels is impossible, but she wasn’t overly stressed, and the neighbors said she barked a bit but not excessively. She may be getting used to it. So a fun morning with the dogs, a great afternoon with friends golfing, a nice drink, munch visit and nice evening having supper outside.

After supper I thought we would go on a walk. Up and down the rows we went. I figured I would stop into the Grace’s, but the lights were off, and the curtains closed so I figured they must be out, or in bed or at the very least did not want company this evening. It was around 8pm though so getting late.

Another early morning. Home Depot, PetSmart and Lowes were visited. Lowes carries the Valspar paint which I need for the body of the house. And wouldn’t you know it the kind I had was discontinued but a very good clerk was still able to get me all fixed up with an alternate and correct coloring. I hate when manufactures discontinue product. Home Depot carry’s my trim paint so stopped to get that. PetSmart was a special trip to get Daisy a birthday cake.

Yes, today our youngest daughter turns TWO years old. She is getting so big. She is one special dog. She gets all kind of attention from humans and loves chasing or being chased by other dogs. I picked up a birthday cake for her and sang her Happy Birthday. I will share her cake tomorrow morning at the park with her friends. Having a dog is a pain in a lot of ways but little Miss Daisy just makes having one a lot easier with her personality and her loving personality and nature. She is special.

She was spoiled today so hopefully no runs or upset stomach.

I was invited over to Jeff & Wendy’s place for supper tonight which was nice. I arrived and the screens and curtains were closed, and I thought, they must have forgotten and are gone somewhere. Lucky for me they were just inside.

My meal was EXCEPTIONAL. Ribeye steak, Caesar Salad, sautéed onions and stuffed baked potatoes. The meat was cooked to perfection and meal delicious including strawberry short cake. Awesome

We decided to play a few games. Wendy wanted us to play a card game called Queens. Turns out she didn’t have the rules and it has been a long time since they played. I looked it up, but their version is completely different than the online one. I am sure it was a Frontier creation as it was so different than a traditional Queens game. So many additional convoluted rules. I was happy they didn’t remember the rules as not knowing the game and the rules that were thrown out would have made it extremely difficult to catch on in short order.

So on to Crib. At least I won 50% of the games so all is ok.

An absolute wonderful meal, fun friends, card games and visit made a nice night. I won’t mention the other winners name as it may go their head. LOL

Fun day for me and I know Daisy loved it. It is almost 11pm and Daisy is passed out with her head against my feet as her comfort blanket. Nice dog.

Thought of the day

How would like the job of being an emotional support dog? That’s depressing. LOL

Feb 13th

“Mercury Forecast Mesa 28 degrees (82 degrees) Edmonton 3 degrees, Calgary 7 degrees)

Up early and took Daisy to the park at 7am this morning. The park was quiet except for one pup which luckily liked to play so Daisy had fun. Met Rudy on our way down to the park.

With it heading up to 82 degrees today I wanted to start painting as early as possible with it being in direct sun. I did discover something while painting. The house has Hardie Plank and the Arizona room has Smart lap siding. They look identical but they do paint a little different. The Hardie has a square edge while the Smart has a eased rounded edge. Graining is a little deeper on the Smart. I started at 7:30 and finished the body at the back around 2:30pm. It was hot. The siding takes a lot of paint and i had to use a brush and roller to make sure to fill all of the graining. It does look good though. Just the white trim left now in the back.

Reaching above, standing and going up and down the ladder, gets to the back. Plus the heat so another tiring day.

I finished for the day and then decided to watch the PGA Open. I like this course as I was lucky enough to have played it.

One of those memories you will not forget. Jackie bought a tee time for two for my 60th birthday. Bob Ferris and I played the course a couple of days after the event with the stands and tents still up. We had to rent Forecaddies which sure did help with green reading etc. I still have the score card. I made two birdies including the 16th Stadium Hole. We had to clap and cheer ourselves. I lost to Bob by two strokes gross, so I had to play quite well that day. This is the rock that the crowd moved for Tiger years ago. A day I won’t forget. It is a close second to my Players tournament experience.

I plan to rest this afternoon. Drink no alcohol today and enjoy Daisy resting her head on my foot on the patio. Missing her Mom.

Watched the Super Bowl and it was a close game that makes it a little more exciting, but I still think the CFL is 100% better. Take a 300-pound man and he only need to move forward the same distance as his guts sticks out and they have accomplished a lot for a down. Only need 2.5 yards each down to make a first down. Having said they did throw more often than I have seen but I think that was only due to a strong defense making running difficult. Half time show was only half ass, and the commercials were nothing super great. Still made for a nice Sunday afternoon sitting outside on the patio. Even had a Superbowl steak & baked potato supper.

Thought of the Day

Underwear off, sweatpants on, no shower, I call relaxing. Others call it “Going to Walmart”

Feb 14th-15th

” Mercury Forecast Mesa 31 degrees, Calgary 1 degrees, Edmonton -5 degrees”

I had to bug a couple of guys as their wives made them bow out of golf to celebrate Valentines. I am thinking 5 minutes top and these guys want the whole day. LOL

Just a wonderful day golfing. No slices the odd push and perhaps three holes where I was in another fairway but still was able to recover. Low gross of the group but not the 70’s score I want. Toooooo many three putts with these greens. I did end up losing money today though due to strokes on holes. Jim, Barry, and Dave. I have to say Dave has wonderful long draw driver hits. A good player with just a few to many mistakes today. Jim took our money. A fun day. I had to forgo the after golf as I headed right away to pick up Jackie at the airport.

Flair Airline once again was exceptional and right on time and so easy to pick up at the Mesa airport. When Jackie got into the car it was a 20 min drive of kisses and licks from Daisy to her. Daisy loved seeing her. Jackie liked the attention. As it was later, we decided to pick up some fast-food supper and choose Chick Fil A. The have great tasting chicken sandwiches. Most organized company ever in order placement and fulfilment.

Valentine’s Day gifts and enjoyment to end the night with both Daisy and Larry enjoying Jackie being home again.

I decided today to rest my muscles. Between holding my arms over my head to reach for painting. the painting itself and golf they were a little tight.

I got caught up on Facebook, my blog, banking, my golf sheets which I changed and relaxed. Sat outside for lunch and enjoyed the bird sounds and warmth.

Victoria has wanted to be a 911 operator for years now. It is a tough occupation to get into with not only the qualifying and test requirements but the demand. 800 applicates and 5 positions. This year she was fortunate enough to get an interview. For anyone that knows Tor she presents herself very well, with well thought out answers, general knowledge and a keen sense of humor. It also helps getting 100% on her entrance qualifying exam. She will be a fantastic Emergency Communications Officer and do very well. Having her EMR certificate was most likely another key piece of the equation.

They do make that uniform a little too sexy though. LOL

I promise not to phone Victoria at work. LOL

“Memories”

We were babysitting Jackson at our condo when he was about 2 years old. All of a sudden, the cops are at our door knocking. Jackson accidently dialed 911. The cops would not leave our place until they searched the entire condo. They understood and it was funny in a sense but also trying to convince them that 2 yr old could dial wasn’t easy. lol

Thought of the Day

Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.

February 16th

“Mercury Forecast Mesa 16 degrees, Calgary -3 degrees Edmonton -13 degrees”

An Albert clipper hit Arizona today. Jackie went for her walk at 7:30 this morning and it was windy, raining and cold being only 10 degrees. Yes, we think that is cold now. I met them just as I was leaving to go golfing. I had three layers on and my pocket warmers for my hands. Luckily, I didn’t need them, but it was cool. My group today was a gentleman from Saskatoon, one from Calgary and one from Minnesota.

I know this a repeat and even I am tired of saying it but the putting on Longbow is ridiculous. Today the Stimp was at 12. The pin placements were very difficult, and everyone struggled putting. I had 6 three putts and still ended up mid-eighties. Low cappers like a 4 or 8 all are in the 80’s on this course. Having said that it is FUN. I played very well today if I remove putting. On a short 347-yard hole I was 20 yards off the green as the rollout was excellent. I did lose one ball which I hate. But a fun day and our team won another $60 bucks, so all is good.

Tonight, was our street block party. It is amazing the turnover we have had on our block. Lots of new people to meet. At least a 50% change.

We had some nice COVID safe food choices for our potluck. I love Devilled eggs and lucky for us three people brought them. Some great meat ball dishes and assorted choices packed and presented safe. Jackie made a fantastic appetizer dish which was easy, great looking and well liked. English Cucumber, topped with cream cheese and grape tomatoes. Cool and refreshing.

Rain, golf, get together so all is good in my world. A great day again.

Thought of the Day

A good way to be social is to try barking at a dog. In most cases they will bark back,

Feb 17-20th

“Mercury Forecast TBA ” Mesa warm, Alberta not so much.

Wow it seems busy. Too busy in fact for a lot of days. You notice I have not gotten around to updating for a few days. Slow internet doesn’t help but time allotment also. Only so many hours in a day and lots of things to do.

So, I have to work from memory now for the last few days. On Thursday it was supposed to be Jackie’s golf league. Unfortunately, the booker made an error, and no tee times were available. So, no golfing for Jackie today.

I started first thing and carried on painting. As I have said before I HATE PAINTING. But it needs to be done. I have completely finished the west wall, trim and fascia and I have completed both back walls and trim. It does look good. Another good 4 to 5 hours of painting done today and then we were headed up to Fred & Terry’s for supper. Jeff & Wendy were also coming which is nice to get together.

Let me say there are very few people that can cook meat as good as Fred. Bacon, pork roast, loin roasts, beef tips, roasts, ribs and steaks he does it well. I especially like the fact he prefers rubs instead of sauces. We had a beef roast tonight that was incredible. Along with homemade pickled Cole Slaw and soft buns, our beef on a bun meal was delicious.

Another tale of bad luck of an older person. Jackie broke off a large chunk of a back molar. Luckily it didn’t hurt so she might get lucky and just be able to get it filled. She has arranged an appointment with a dentist on Tuesday. Old people all around me losing teeth, complaining of aches and pains, needing shots, using pills for pain, and limping. Welcome to my world around me while I continue to be the perfect specimen of the male species at 65 yrs old. Here to protect the male species from feminist attacks and covert plans to emasculate. This is another story about someone we know whose Mexican trip went off the rails. I have had a very bad back since about 15 years old. I have stated previously how the “chiro/massage” business plan is continuous treatment to cure your ails and pad their pocket without ANY resolve. I make sure not to complain to anyone about my back. I don’t want to wreck my persona. LOL Living is pain. Get used to it.

I will always and quickly say I am wrong if I made an error, but in MOST cases I simply do not make a statement without having the knowledge to back it. We had an interesting conversation on AZ roadways. I knew I was 100% correct but to convince others sometimes is hard so I had to do some research to confirm. If heading south from Mesa to Yuma it is impossible NOT to travel I10 Interstate. You can head west from Mesa towards LA and then down but if heading south Interstate10 has to be driven or crossed. Hwy 10 down to Wildhorse and then travel through Maricopa and Hwy 8 or Hwy 10 down to Casa Grande and then across. Casa Grande route is about 35 miles longer but is a divided and faster highway with no speed decrease zones and should be a safer and faster route. In fact, by taking Maricopa route the average speed is only 48 mph. Having said that though, Hwy 10 is the busiest highway in Arizona with 137K vehicles a day and for comparison QE 2 is 50K a day at peak. The traffic is heavy, and the road is in poor repair due to trucks, but it is an Interstate, and you can fly down it and feel safe on a large divided highway.

We had a great card game of golf. Wendy is the luckiest girl ever when playing some games. The amount of -5 cards she received could only be described as substantial. No matter how much skill one has, it is difficult compete against LUCK. Along with her luck she also is very good at understanding the game strategy and poor Jeff had the worst luck of playing right behind her. She would not give him any cards. Note to self. She killed the group with her scoring, winning handily.

The Grace’s also brought some homemade Limoncello with them which was very, very, good. Cold, sweet yet very strong. Perhaps another DNA test to see if there is a percentage of Italian in them.

A few beers, a few ryes, lots of laughs and a shot along with friends makes for a fun night.

Friday is my men’s league and as usual 70 degrees sunshine. Today my playing partners were Ron and Ken from Saskatoon and Jeff. Ron had his usual good game, Ken had a few bad shots, Jeff was off today but hasn’t played for a week and this does make a difference and I played semi ok. I was the low gross of the group and could have been so much better, but the putting got to me again. LOL I have only broke 80 ONCE here this year. I need to do better.

Jeff drove his car, so I was lucky enough to have Jackie pick up another bottle of white rum as Ken and Ron drink that. I think as it is clear they think they are still drinking moonshine from the farm in Saskatchewan.

The guys came over to my house for a few drinks and chatter. I had to hand my money to Ron again this Friday.

Walked by the Graces but the lights were out so must have been out or at the pool this evening.

Jackie slept in a bit today with Daisy. They went for their morning walk and meet. Daisy always has fun at the park.

I made breakfast, thought about painting and then quickly changed my mind. I am tired of painting for a while. So, I decided today I will relax a bit, I sat outside in the back with Daisy and Jackie, I loaded my new VIP Golf apps on both phones, and checked my webpage and went, oh I forgot to fill in the last few days. Recall.

I have to throw this in. Look who is in FIRST PLACE !!

A very nice couple from Sherwood Park that just bought a Park Model stopped by for a visit as we were sitting on the deck. It was fun telling them about Viewpoint and its first-class amenities. This is their first year here, rented a home, and then decided to buy a park model on 500 block they liked the park so much. Always nice to meet new people. He worked at Suncor for 42 years before retiring. A couple of beer and a few tips on how we manage it here hopefully was helpful for them. They take possession April 1st. Thier unit is fully furnished so they will just need to close it up for this year and come back in the fall to change things they want done. Active people, walking, golfing etc so as they say they will really enjoy the retired life here. It was interesting to hear them say that a month’s vacation in Europe cost them 15k so they felt this stye of living (which it is, as it is not a vacation) is a lot less and can last 6 months. This is exactly what we like about living here. I hope we helped them, and they have a long lifestyle change here at Viewpoint. As soon as Covid is over it will even better as shows, music, dances all go full swing again.

I looked at the weather in Calgary and wow I am glad I am not there.

They say it could be 4 to 8 inches so you never know and cold. I remember St Patty’s Day one year it snowed so much NO ONE other than Darren Wood and myself showed up to work. At least 12 inches then and that was mid-March.

Visited the Mesa market today and quite a change. A lot less vendors and different vendors but still a nice day to visit. Daisy rode in my back bag all day like a good girl. Dogs are not allowed and not one person knew she was with me.

Next week lots going on with Fred heading to Mexico to get his teeth fixed, Jackie heading to a dentist in Mesa to get her tooth fixed, 4 golf games arranged with one being at a nice course I have never played before, and our annual Weiner roast on Friday. I may even try to fit in some more painting.

I noticed our pontoon lake doesn’t allow pets, so I am considering what we are going to do as of yet.

BBQ’d ribs and mashed potatoes for supper. AWESOME

Quick visit with Fred & Terry as they are leaving bright and early in the morning and a quick visit with Jeff & Wendy as they were home tonight. Sitting outside at Jeff & Wendy’s the neighbor was cooking something in her microwave that smelled wonderful. A nice way to finish off the day.

“MY RANT”

All of the news about the new Saudia backed professional golf league is starting to get annoying. Any time there is monopoly additional businesses need to be added. In the professional sports world, most competitor leagues are not adequately funded except for now. Hockey went thru it with the WHL. Very successful and criticized when they gave Bobby Hull the first 1-million-dollar contract. Eventually swallowed up by the NHL. The USFL had huge backing behind them and only lasted for a few years. Donald Trump lost millions. Again, due to pressure on the arena owners the NFL effectively squeezed them out, the current Asia and Europe tours in golf are direct competitors of the PGA but does not pay as well so everyone wants to play in the PGA. We have snotty kids like Rory dissing Phil when he is playing in the PGA, in the USA, for the money. Not right. Now with a potential new league “bidding” for players the PGA is upset. I guess what is good for the goose isn’t good for the gander. Let the players go that want to leave, disbar them from PGA events and either the new league will fold, or the PGA has to compete. Better prize money and more opportunity for players so a win win. But let go of the negativity every day. And leave Phil alone. The PGA should be contacting every name sponsor and signing exclusivity clauses with them instead of posturing.

A good day again that I enjoyed.

Thought of the Day

If you put our government in charge of the Sahara Desert, there would be a shortage of sand in a few years.

February 21–23rd

“Mercury Forecast Mesa 21 degrees, Edmonton -18 degrees, Calgary -20 degrees”

The coolest week coming here since November. An Alberta Clipper has disturbed the weather pattern and we have wind, cool and rain on Wednesday. I am hoping the golf is not too affected by it. I do know it will require pants a couple of days. Hopefully not a rain jacket. The high on Wednesday is supposed to only be 14 above with rain. It is winter here we have to remember.

My uber ride to the course arrived early so I rushed out the door. I had to wear a jacket today to golf with the cool strong wind.

As usual a great group to golf with including a Lloydminster, Innisfail, and a Calgary gentleman. With the wind, coolness it caused the group as a whole to play a little off. Having said that I had some amazingly long hits (wind asst over 300 yards) . One hole 10 yards off the green and a boogie. I do need to get better at chipping. A fun day and money in my pocket so no complaints. A fun day !

Today was golfing with Jeff & Wendy out at Mountain Brook. I have never golfed there before, but I have to say I really like it. Lined by homes but the fairways are wide enough not to be concerned. The greens are in excellent shape and not as sloped as Viewpoints so made putting a lot more real and fun. My opinion but I thought Jackie golfed very well today and she did break 100. Great drives just too many poor shots thrown in. Wendy, I thought played well, not her usual awesome drives, but she was the only one of the group to get a birdie.

Jeff was back and forth with a great shot and then a couple of bad. I was playing very well with at least 10 chances of a birdie putt and missed every one of them. I was on track to break 80 until the last two holes and fell apart. I took a short cut that cost me a penalty, then I hit a tree and bounced straight back at me, and then a couple of poor shots. Lots of fun, nice course, nice day, well behaved Daisy and super food after on the deck.

I will play this course again as I liked it.

We have the bad weather coming today, with it only getting up to 11 degrees. Ouch !

We also have 12 golfers today, so I was hoping for the best. Jackie got back from her early morning walk just in time as it started to pour. Daisy got all of her fun in as with the rain it would have been mud. Rain and cold today so golf was off and in fact the course closed. It is winter. The valley does need rain, so it is all good.

Superstition Mountains got snow and even Scottsdale received flakes last night. Doesn’t happen often but twice, Jackie & I have seen it.

Jackie has her dentist appointment today to get her tooth fixed so that is awesome. Daisy is sleeping and I am just filling in time, updating sheets, emails, fixing up golf sheets and contacts etc. A good day for that.

Fred stopped by and he had his first appt in Mexico and was very happy. He has two more visits to finish off the work. Terry bought two sets of eyeglasses and frames for less than $400 which is super cheap.

Fred even bought for $3 pills gout pills that are identical to mine in Canada.

I started playing Wordle (NY TIMES edition) a couple of days ago. It is a fun interesting game. So far 100% in getting them in 4. Today I was a little lucky as I wasn’t familiar with the word at all but after my second try I had 4 letters. Trove is not used that I am aware of very often and I am sure today’s puzzle would have tricked a few people. One a day though is hard as you have to wait but that it is the fun of it. I need to keep my streak going.

Thought of the Day

Smoking will kill you. Bacon will kill you. But smoking bacon will cure it.

Feb 24th–25th

“Mercury Forecast Mesa 13 degrees, Edmonton -7 degrees and Calgary -5 degrees”

Below average. Having said that the weather is still much better than real cold and snow. It was very cool this morning at 8 am went Jackie went for her walk. It was a feel like 3 above.

Jackie ladies league cancelled golf today as it was just too cold. I don’t blame them as every time I went outside it did feel cool.

A do-nothing day but still enjoyable. Rest the muscles a bit, preschedule a weeks’ worth of jokes, and watch the news.

Speaking of the news it is an ugly world right now. How do we get out of this mess? Putin is nuts, the poor innocent people of Ukraine, not much the world can do. Ukraine was the world’s third largest nuclear power and gave that up for a guarantee from the UK and USA for protection. They couldn’t become a NATO nation as Russia would not allow that. So how do you protect a country when they used to be part of Russia and can’t use NATO as a reason. It has to be a collective agreement between NATO and the EU to do it for humanitarian reasons. China has thrown support behind Russia. It is a mess of biblical proportions and referencing. Biden has been a way to soft. Germany has been excellent. What I really dislike is Biden telling the population be prepared for higher gas pricing as the USA imports oil from Russia. How STUPID is he when he shut down the XL Pipeline and refused clean easily accessible oil and from a non-hostile country? They should be enraged.

The leaders of the world currently are incompetent imbeciles. Canada and the USA have embarrassing leadership. Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea have brutal authoritarians that do not care about human rights, fairness, or human causalities.

A sad day today that maybe the start of World War 3 that didn’t have to happen. Every European country should have OPEN borders for Ukrainians without question. Let Putin have land with no people to rule. Canada should immediately invite everyone of them to come to Canada.

A world revolt against governments is needed. A new world order without starvation, racism, hatred, murdering of innocent people. and concerned about health, education and freedom for its population instead. Money is the root of all evil and we need to find a way to live without having it destroy us as a kind passionate caring people but still living well.

A much nicer day today with it being much warmer than the previously two.

Jeff picked me up today for my men’s league golfing outing. We had 12 players today in our group. My group today had Jeff from Calgary, Mike from Regina and Ken from Saskatoon. The golfing pace today moved along wonderfully.

Ken was hot for nine holes. Mike had two birdies in a row. Jeff had a little off day with tree trouble, more tree trouble, plus out of bounds and I was steady eddy with no blow-up holes. Our format is using the full handicap so no matter what skill level you are at you are competitive in the game. Scoring today was pretty good with Jeff @ 96, Ken @ 87, Mike @ 82 and myself @ 82. No luck to break the 80 mark again only due to putting. A fun group, lots of razzing, taunting and jest on the course. Throw in the odd word of encouragement and you have a great day on the course.

A few drinks at Kirk’s after golf to finish our outing. During the conversation the “rules” for out of bounds and lateral came up. First of all, to play the game you need a basic understanding of the common rules. Golf has a lot of rules with some ambiguous in nature. Plus, the fact new rules and changes came into play just a few years ago.

The Stroke & Distance rule was changed to speed up the play. Rather than have to go back to the tee and reload (even though you should have shot a provisional if you think your ball is lost) you now can place your ball two club lengths in the fairway perpendicular to the spot where you though your ball went out but not closer to the hole and you shoot 4. This is the better approach as you would be shooting 3 off the tee and risking going out of bounds again. The only time where a reload is more beneficial is if your shot only went a short distance before being lost or out of bounds.

Jackie, Daisy and I went for a long walk again tonight. We walked past the Graces but they must have headed to the hot tub or out somewhere as the house was dark and the porch light on. Ralph & Tracy appeared to have guests and partying and the Keys after a long day in Mexico were heading to bed.

A good day.

Thought of the Day

No matter how poor you play at golf you can always play worse.

February 26th-27th

“Mercury Forecast Mesa 24 degrees, Edmonton -3 degrees, Calgary 8 degrees”

A couple of nice days this weekend. The perfect temperature for anything. For us we had no major plans except for to enjoy the days and relax.

A bit of grocery shopping and picking up a few things as we were having people over tonight.

A few long walks, a couple of phone calls and that was about it.

We had Jeff, Wendy, Ralph, Tracy, Fred, Terry and ourselves gathering for drinks, games and supper. We decided tonight it was PIZZA night at Papa Kelsey’s an Italian kitchen family-owned place made wonderful pizza for us. Pizza choices and women don’t go together. Chicken on pizza shouldn’t be allowed yet every time that is what happens. We had three pizza’s, meat lovers, deluxe, and one smaller chicken one and at the end of the night what was left, 50% of the chicken pizza. They had good crust, good sauce and plenty of toppings. I am like Fred and the piece de resistance of any pizza is fresh tomatoes on it.

We played the card game of golf. It is a fun game and interesting game to play. It takes a while having to play nine holes but is a lot of fun. Tonight, Ralph killed everyone with most of close to 100 or over and was in the 20’s. A fun game to play.

It was a later night with the last guests leaving around 11:30 which was nice as it was wonderfully warm out. I set up my patio heater and a heater under the table and we all kept nice and cozy for the whole night.

I used the jigger to have the CORRECT portion of booze but when I left the table my glass was topped up with booze. A drink should be meant to enjoy and like the taste and the only reason for a strong drink is the idea one may want to get tipsy. I have no desire to get drunk and enjoy my drinks portioned right and tasting good.

One of those times I forgot to take a picture. But a fun night.

A little different week coming up with some changes to our original plans. Monday I am golfing in my men’s league, Tuesday we are not golfing as Daisy is being groomed, Wednesday I am not golfing, and we had plans for Los Algodones but plans changed, Thursday Jackies golfing group is starting late, and we already committed to a house gathering and Friday we have our annual wiener roast which I am looking forward to.

We had Jackie’s crown done by an accredited dentist here is Mesa and am happy with the decision. Doing a bit of research on Algondones ” American trained ” means attending a 2-day course in the States not receiving a dental degree.

Thought of the Day

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.” – Benjamin Frankin

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