July 1st Canada Day – July 4th
“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 18 degrees, Calgary 20 degrees “
Every day we get some warm weather, than a storm hits with lots of rain or hail and then some cooler weather all thrown together with lots of wind. This will sound redundant but we missed spring and summer so far has been very lousy. I am still waiting for SUMMER to arrive.
It has been busy. I will throw a little bit of June in here as I created the new page and am putting two or three days together.
Thursday was my men’s league at Turner Valley. An ok day with finishing in second place with a net 73. First time in the money this year so that is a very good thing. Funny thing is I can do a way better. I did not lose one ball, very little searching but I was also only hitting 75% speed of the tee to control the ball. I hit of 230 yd to 260yds and playable was good. I chipped ok and putted fairly good overall. I will take second every time.
Friday, Canada Day ,Jackson and Corey along with Hazel met us out at the lot. It was a fun day as the park is very busy with people and activities on a long weekend. This weekend we had the pool open, golf course going, 50/50 reaching $3500,pancake breakfast, bingo, outside movie and a family dance.
We lined up for the breakfast and were given pancakes, sausages, coffee or juice. Very good tasting breakfast and for only $2.00 so you can’t go wrong.
There was a lot of walking, loads of basketball and cards games along with Chinese Checkers when the rain came. Ok I have to tell what happened ! Jackson and Corey each had won three games of UNO and I had zero wins. I pulled one off which was great. It may have been the best win amongst us. LOL It was our last game and Jackson headed to the washroom. I picked out every WILD card and gave them to Corey to use. Jackson didn’t catch on but as the game went Corey and I were shocked as he pushed to 2 pick up 4 cards at Corey and it ended up very close to Corey not winning. Worried !
A BBQ’s supper and then we played a few game instead. The most fun was Scategories. First let me say I was extremely impressed with Jackson’s language skills as he did exceptional at this game. It was a lot of fun and sure makes your brain think.
On the way out of the park we saw where the wind and blown hard enough that a tree had fallen down over three cars in the parking lot. That is a surprise you don’t want to happen.
Good drive to Raymond and arrive right at Gate opening time for the Raymond Rodeo. This home of Canada’s oldest rodeo since 1902. I love small town rodeo’s. I did think the $15 admission is a little steep for a 2 hour long performance. And only CASH to enter which I thought was odd in todays world. The second day which the one we came see was the finalist day. I loved the young cowboys pony ride event. Only one stand out winner but fun to see the effort of both the horses and little guys. Great ladies barrel racing.
Pen & Jess had Coulee Dogs & Dough there with nice long line ups waiting for their food. Man! I love their hot dogs.
The boys had a blast playing with the ropes, riding the saddle on fake horses and Daisy loved watched the action all day.
A quick visit in the backyard at Jess’s place, which was nice. The shed doors have swollen too much to shut so I will need to do some tinkering.
On the way home we stopped at Tim’s . Ok here it is. A doughnut shop with NOT ONE doughnut to sell. They offered a chocolate TimBit. That is bad. Jackie wanted a wrap and was told no breakfast items after 4 pm. TV ads everyday advertising Breakfast All Day I guess doesn’t matter. So in the drive thru line I said no thanks but we had to wait to get through and drove to the other Tim’s about 10 mins away. They had doughnuts but again no breakfast but this time they said after 2pm. So you know it isn’t a corporate policy . Bad on them !
On the way home I had a low tire light come up. I hate these. Having said that with the technology advancements and the ” smartness” of this Ford it doesn’t state which tire and what pressure. Our Enclave from 2011 had this. Not looking good on you Ford.
Next morning I had one tire 5 psi lower but I had to check each tire to find the culprit.
We had lunch today at Audrey’s with Alan & MaryAnn as Kristin & Sheldon were in town. Kristin is about 7 months pregnant so is really showing now. It was a nice visit.
Poor Daisy had a “horny” Rudy chasing her yesterday and today Samba was her chaser. She is funny as she likes it and doesn’t. A tease but also bothered by it. She forever at the dog park etc gets too much attention.
A great long weekend.
Thought of the Day
The fattest knight at King Arthur’s round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.
July 4th
“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 29 degrees, Calgary 15 degrees RAIN ”
Another ugly day in the books. I am still waiting for summer or at least spring without cold, wind or rain. It is raining and expected all day. I guess good timing in a way as I get my budget numbers done.
Ugly weather and an ugly budget. Never mind the huge hit in the markets ( big losses and still more to come) but the cost of things is starting to hurt. In June, three line items in particular hurt. Over $1000 on groceries for 2 poeple is ridiculous plus we eat out once or twice a week. Over $1000 again on gas for the month and $2000 plus for repairs and maintenance on the vehicles. $4k done before starting. I don’t mind vehicle maintenance as I know the long term benefits. I had the wiper issue on the motorhome, the levelling jack springs replaced, I had new expensive headlights plus transfer and tranny oil changes, new windshield, which all add up fast but are needed for the long term. I see no fix on the cost of things in the near future and it will be at least a year for the market to recover somewhat when the war ends. Just a bunch of ugly things at once happening.
The market keeps getting lower !
But I am on a Wordle high as the last few days have been difficult words but as luck would have it, solved fast. Love this game.
I checked the fuse on my PIAA’s and no luck there so I am stumped for the moment. I do not want to buy a relay until I am positive it is shot. I have no way of getting my voltage meter to test continuity .Some research here required as at $180 a hour shop rate that gets expensive.
Big day in the States so we will see how many shootings they experience. It is just sad people are so stupid. I can place a lot of the blame on their government. Trump was an idiot but Biden is an old senile joke. Abolish abortions but allow killings with military weapons doesn’t make sense. As a population we really need to look seriously at the quality of our leaders . Very few countries should be proud of them.
No use going to the lot today with the coolness and wetness. I could work inside the shed and gazebo but I will wait. Soooon warmth will come.
Thought of the Day
I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian .
July 5th
“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 16 degrees, Calgary 24 degrees”
Finally a nice a summer day. I repeat FINALLY a nice day. Just a slight breeze and sun instead of clouds and I will say it was so nice.
With the the rain and semi warmth things are growing fast. I cut the lawns, edged everything, pulled any weeds, trimmed all of the edges and sprayed my neighbors and our place for weeds.
I haven’t really minded getting a little older but today I found it annoying. I bought my boat weighing 125 pound so I could load it myself. Today I struggled getting it out from beside the shed to the front to install my oar locks. I have had these since the day I bought the boat but I figured I would never need them and only used a single kayak plastic paddle. Time to add them just in case and so I can load the boat and fish for trout where motors are not allowed.
It is normal to install them on the inside but I couldn’t to allow my boat to be loaded on the roof rack. These will work just perfect ! Too bad the boat is so heavy . LOL
Jackie was busy all day with Audrey as it was her birthday today. We had a get together on Sunday at her house. Another year older !
Thought of the Day
A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class, because it was a weapon of math disruption.
July 6th-7th
“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 22 degrees, Calgary 21 degrees”
The future weather for the upcoming week is looking great. But with the amount of rain and now FINALLY warmer temperatures we are risk of nasty storms everyday.
We had a booking at Darcy Ranch today with Jeff & Wendy. It has been awhile since I played here. I don’t usually as it is a little on the pricy side but our VIP deal very reasonable. I loved the course. I put it as one of my favorite courses.
The weather man lied again. I wore shorts the rest of teh group pants but it was warm enough but overcast and we had rain for about 4 or 5 holes. We didn’t get soaked but it is supposed to be summer.
I thought everyone played quite well. Jeff drove very well in fact the best for awhile. Jeff even had a wonderful chip in shot that he or I didn’t see go in. I was happy with my game getting a couple of birdies and lots of pars. Many birdie tries but only two successful ones. A fun day on a nice course.
After golf and with the weather clearing up we had a nice supper on the deck. Everyone enjoyed their meal.
Today it was my men’s league at Turner Valley. Summer weather but not overly warm and still windy.
This course for me is a tough one. Finished with the same ball. WIN. I scored semi ok and played decent. What I do like is I finished in second place in my flight so will win money for the second week in a row. WIN A fun day and playing well enough to win money is a good thing.
No rain, but the sky looks pretty bad but it appears only the north part of city AGAIN got hit. We are so lucky to be the tropical south.
Thought of the Day
No matter how much you push the envelope, it’ll still be stationery.
July 8th to 13th
” Mercury Forecast SUMMER FINALLY with rain, hail and coolness thrown in “
Ok what is taking me so long to update. I HAVE LAPTOP issues again. I have had DELL, ASUS, and HP laptops and everyone seems to have about a 5 year life span where they work great. And I am NOT interested in hearing about your Apple product that has lasted 10 years. While I understand vertical integration which is the Apple philosophy and agree with it, and I understand value versus expensive, I also understand normal ease of use and a Window’s PC wins 10 out of 10 times. Apple is more money, I will give better constructed with controls, does it last longer maybe , but can you use it for business, spreadsheets, everyday use easily, a big NO. FYI Windows controls 74.72% of market as businesses recognize the value and ease of operating. The IPAD is slowly finding it’s way into business with the size and the use of Square. So having said that I will see what I can do with mine again to get it to work to my expectation. Like phones though it is 5 years. !!
Having to use my calendar, my memory and snippets that I found funny or amusing for these days so it will be a shortened form.
We planned to have a gathering for all of the birthday poeple at Oasis on the weekend so I spent a lot of time out there doing a few things. I cleaned up and wiped down everything in the Saloon. In bringing down some of the pool stuff, sand was spread everywhere so a wet mop of the floor was required. I was multi tasking as at the same time I was prepping all of the ingredients for my Grandma’s Potato Salad. Onions, potatoes boiled and cubed, eggs hard boiled and sliced and radishes sliced. I premade the sauce for the salad and bagged everything up to put in the fridge. I had stopped at Corey’s place to pick up our hamburgers we had bought for the event from his fund raiser for Jackson’s hockey team. After the fact the burgers were wonderful tasting. I had also oven cooked pre prepped bacon from the fund raiser also.
I swept the gazebo, cleaned the cushions, took out the screens and washed, brushed and water cleaned them, cut the grass, dead headed the plants, weeded the garden, filled the fridge with beer, and pop and water.
Groceries and then Jackie brought out the boys. We had Jackson, August and Atticus staying over night with us. The kids played at the playground and went swimming in the pond. Atticus didn’t like the water much as the other two were bugging him about blood suckers in the pond. ( the odd one is there but rarely have I seen one on a person, besides they don’t hurt at all)
After playing it was time for a movie. As it was later Jackie made up the floor in the motorhome for everyone to sleep/watch the show on. The boys love this. It ended up when they all fell asleep with Jackson on the couch, Jackie, Auggie and Atti on the floor with Daisy sleeping on their heads.
The boys had colds which wasn’t the best and considering,they all were extremely well behaved.
Daisy kept going to my bed back and back and forth to the floor creepers. I love the night time quiet and coolness in the country. Too bad the mosquitos are starting to come out.
The boys slept in nicely and Jackie made everyone breakfast.
I started to get everything ready for our company expected to arrive around 11 to noon. Sliced onions, sliced pickles, sliced tomatoes and cut the buns. When ever we have a larger group I try to precook the burgers and have them sit in broth or in this case Dianna’s sauce. It makes the grilling a lot less hectic, everyone can eat at the same time plus the fact they are delicious. Audrey brought spinach salad and the Huggett’s brought a Tuxedo cake.
The weather was fabulous and the meal delicious if I have to say so myself. BBQ’d hamburgers with my Grandma’s potato salad are in my top 5 meal likings.
We had fewer people as some had to work or choose not to attend as there is another gathering quickly coming up again.
We had Jackson, Corey, MaryAnn, Alan, Audrey, David, Jessica, Penny, August, and Atticus missing Victoria, Danielle, Kennedy, Chris, Kristin and Sheldon with work commitments and other.
We had the cake to celebrate Audrey’s 84th and August’s 7th. Life is funny seeing the two opposite ends of the aging.
It was a nice quiet evening and enjoyable as David decided to stay overnight. With a larger grouping sometimes you don’t get to visit with everyone for long and the topics are pretty casual. With one on one it is more detailed and intimate so we discussed a lot of different things.
Dave had his older dog 14yrs old Bean with him which is a very nice dog and extremely well behaved.
Speaking of dogs a funny thing happened. Alan was holding his dog TIA, a potentially illegal Mexican immigrant Chihuahua and Audrey was moving past them to get to her seat. Luckily she choose to walk with her butt to the dog as it took a bite at her and actually went right thru her pants and panties and pierced her skin which had to be difficult to do. Odd she snapped but the result was a little funny. Alan’s dogs have a history of biting. LOL But who can blame a dog wanting some rump roast.
After drinking a few beers and having a great conversation we decided to hit the hay. As I said I love the coolness and quiet at Oasis.
Up a little earlier than normal as we had a golf game booked at the Hampton’s with Jeff & Wendy. I made us a scrambled egg breakfast.
We arrived at home and got ready quickly, fixed up the dog to stay and headed out.
The Hampton’s is wonderful golf course. An original private course and now a semi private. It was in perfect shape.
I golfed very very well hitting 80% of the greens in regulation but took 11 holes with a 3 putt. Going from a birdie putt to a bogie hurts. This course from the tee’s we were playing has a slope rating of 143. I can see why. Any course over 130 is hard. Shame I couldn’t fluke a few down but it was a blast playing on a great course.
Jeff & Wendy are always entertaining to golf with.
We decided to head south before the rush hour as if you are stuck in the far north of Calgary it is a nightmare to get south. I took the Deerfoot which was reasonable and Jeff took the Crowchild/14th street way. We ended up getting to the door at the exact same time at Dixon’s Pub.
Dixon’s is nice as on a hot day the patio is shaded and you are blocked from any wind. My food choice was steak sandwich which was excellent. Can anyone guess Jackie’s ? LOL
A fun day and entertaining.
We stopped at the house and picked up Daisy and headed back to the lot. Great place for lots of walks.
Today is August’s real birthday date. August is such a nice boy. Very clever and has a personality that wants to learn everything but wants to excel at everything also. He is on the quiet side, very handsome and one of the fastest runners. A fun kid. Happy 7th August and here is hoping you have a very fun day at the water park.
Jackie took Audrey for her carpal tunnel hand surgery. It only took 15 minutes but will hurt for a couple of weeks with the incision and the healing time as this part is continuously moving. Ice, rest and pills and should be all set to go.
I stayed out at the lot with Daisy and painted plus distressed my new bar seat. I built a small deck for them to sit on out of left over wood I had and I am liking it. I am going to build a small bar table to cover our cushion storage and have it at bar height for people to sit at and eat. Will look great I think. Numerous other fix me ups. My sprinkler system heads survived this time as we had only three dogs ( less leashes) and the kids were less rambunctious. Every, past time I would need to replace or repair a head.
Today the 13th is Jessica’s and Penny’s 9th anniversary. Time sure flies is right. They make a wonderful couple, great parents, amazing work ethic and just kind nice people. I remember the wedding like yesterday as Jackie and I were very busy with it. Ton’s of chairs and tables in a UHaul. Decorations, and lights to install and flowers etc. Plus it was a hot one out. I had one of their friends help me, 6’5″ at least he was whch was a tremendous help. The venue was quite unique and looked fantastic when we were done.
Happy Anniversary girls. 9 years and many more to come.
Daisy and I stayed out at the lot and did some clean up and fix up and headed back to have supper with Jackie. I will stay in town tonight as my Turner Valley Men’s league is on tomorrow. Hopefully another successful money day.
All caught up even though a shortened version. I need to hire Ken Wilkie my old computer guru from Henderson to be my solution solver on a phone call basis. LOL
Thought of the Days
A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: ‘Keep off the Grass”
or
The midget fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.
It was a few days so I am allowed.
July 14th 15th
” Mercury Forecast HOT”
It was my men’s league today at Turner Valley. After a good golfing day at Hamptons and last week here I thought I should be in for a great day with it hot, no wind and great conditions. Like Tiger missing the OPEN cut I failed today. Bad luck, silly shots, and poor performance lead me to score on the high side. Needless to say I didn’t win any money on in the SNIPS game but I did win money on our “Corners” game from each of my playing partners. No complaints except the disappointment of the score in the SNIPS.
After golf we had a quick bite and drink. Always great food and fun to visit. Entering the clubhouse I run into this guy I knew I knew. I asked him if had a place at Viewpoint as he looked so familiar. Turns out a small world after all as it was Roy from 800 East block who’s house was the nicest on the 800 East block and I believe a friend of the Ferris’s. We started talking and his comment was ” Your wife’s name is Jackie right ? ” Sure doesn’t remember me ! He is a nice guy that always dressed extremely fancy for golfing and was one of these guys that golfed a lot. They sold their place just before Covid as they had plans to do a lot of travelling. Turns out Covid killed that for a bit but also the fact a year at Viewpoint is no more than 3 to 4 weeks on a cruise or resort. A nice visit.
I am still stumped on my PIAA lights. Annoys me sometimes the electrical component’s you have to deal with. If things weren’t so expensive I would just buy a new relay. Yet I am convinced this one still works. Here is one of those times where my Dad’s advice would come in handy. I amy need to go to Cdn TIre to get a a bit of wire and push ends to get better contact points for my meter.
To bad for Tiger. I now would like any LIV player to win not the snot nosed ignorant Rory that thinks he is so above everything and so wise. Go LIV
I guess I should mention Johnny hockey. Here is my take. It will hurt us. It was very selfish on his part not to give the team a heads up so we could have received some player as compensation but he really only needs to take care of himself. My respect for him drops dramatically doing dumb things like this. We will be ok. Johnny will be playing for a team with no chance of winning and will disappear into the average player abyss.
Ok I made a mistake. I am usually very careful, cautious and attentive so I do not break or damage anything. Today it happened. I broke our coffee maker carafe this morning. The basket was caught and out popped the glass carafe onto the floor. I bit of vacuuming and all fixed up. I hate wrecking things but it is a older Procter Silex white one from our wedding in 1980 so it paid for itself. Darn only 42 yrs service out of it and I have to replace it as I checked and they don’t make a replacement carafe for it. Crooks.
Thought of the Day
Two fish swim into a concrete wall. One turns to the other and says ‘Dam!’
July 16th-17th
” Mercury Forecast Edmonton 28/24 degrees, Calgary 32/24 degrees”
Gorgeous day ahead.
We picked up Tor and Jackson and headed to Tim’s for gas and breakfast for our trip to Raymond. I noticed the mileage on the Flex and thought to myself ” Holy Man how can Jackie rack up the miles so fast. LOL ” It is going to be worn out before we know it. We have put on 30,000 kms since getting it. Plus the Jeep and motorhome mileage so lots of gas burned. LOL
A great drive down to Raymond. Just like second hand now. It is such a pleasant drive compared to Calgary to Edmonton as the traffic is less than a quarter on that stretch.
Driving through Claresholm we noticed long line ups for gas at $1.61 a liter. On our way I thought I may as well fill up there rather than in Lethbridge. Here where it gets funny. First station a Shell, every pump out of gas, second station an Esso, every pump out of gas, third station a Fas Gas , every pump out of gas and finally the fourth station a Petro Canada had gas and about 15 cars in a line up. 15 cars and we are the ONLY car with the gas filler on the right side of the vehicle. How could Ford be so dumb. So I had to watch then did a quick move to slide into the pump lane the opposite way. My other option would be to back in in the line or try to pull the hose around the back of the car which in most cases is not long enough. It was a tricky move to get it but we did it. Even with the .20 cent discount and completely empty I would have saved only $14. I my case maybe $9 bucks but I wasted about 1/2 hour of my time and energy trying to get filled. Even a worst scenario for all of those Costco believers.
What a gorgeous day. August had at least 20 kids for his birthday mixed between girls and boys which all had a blast. Water slides with soap, nerf gun fights, pinata hitting, cake eating, pizza or burgers, presents and water balloon fights all made for a super fun day for the kids. I did not notice one instance of disagreement. I know Jackie and I had fun with her getting involved in a water balloon fight and dancing with a T Rex.
Talking to August he says ” This sure was fun compared to last year ” He had a blast as every kid did. Great birthday party.
The T- Trex was awesome. The kids loved it. Two funny things happened getting this thing. Jess wanted us to stop on our way and pick it up. Getting close to the store we see this giant T REX and Victoria lets Jessica know we can not fit this in the car. LOL Getting the one we picked up was a task in it’s self.
This T Rex had a lot of engineering go into it. It had weights and Helium so it would walk itself. Boys being boys it took a beating. Later August pulled off an arm as they are adhesive attached. Lo & behold the T REX floated up into the sky. It took off fast and went 100’s of feet up in the air and off to Nova Scotia. Most likely get there before a Air Canada or Westjet flight.
Here is funny video that Jess took of Jackie helping out the girls versus boys water balloon fight.
I watched the final of the Open this morning. It was a great golfing event. Amazing course that appears easy except for the greens. I was very glad the little leprechaun Rory did not win but sort of laughed to myself as Cameron and Rory both remind of one. Rory is not my favorite player after all of his bad mouthing of the LIV. I was happy to see 2 out of the top 10 on the leaderboard were LIV players. It would be cool if now Norman could convince a fellow Aussie to come on board.
Jackie’s cousin Keith kept sending us neat pictures from the event as him and his son attended it. That would be an awesome thing to do.
The year is flying by a way too fast.
Thought of the Day
Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root canal? His goal: transcend dental medication.
July 18th-20th
“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 24/23 Calgary 18 rain/28”
I got up this morning and put on my best golf clothes, shorts etc as we are golfing today with Jeff & Wendy. Not only the golf but I look forward to the after golf. I then checked outside and it was grey and cloudy. Waited a bit then rain and it has carried on raining. All dressed up and no where to go. I don’t want to take the Jeep out as I spent a lot of time with Amourall and glass cleaner etc and I would hate it to get all dirty so fast. I am watching the weather as I may still sneak out as I don’t mind coolness as long as I don’t get soaked.
I bet the PGA is starting to realize their arrogance is coming back to hurt them. Now it looks like Feherty is moving over along with Hendrick and Cameron so they will really feel the pain. ALL THEY HAD TO DO WAS WORK WITH LIV and everyone would have won. Egos !
So I am not dong much today, I have booked a golf game for tomorrow for Jackie & I as the Graces are busy for two weeks and I am all caught up on my laptop work. I can understand how people can get annoyed without a purpose or duty to do anything. That is what I HATE about winter. One off day here and there I enjoy. Today not so much as they year has been a brutal year and I haven’t felt like we have done enough different things.
I think I will work on our Disney plans as we are taking the family there this Christmas.
Beautiful weather for two full days coming up.
Jackie & I headed out to golf today. Daisy was our cart girl and was wonderful not barking or getting excited even once. It was a great day and lucky for us the course was not busy which was awesome. We golfed as a twosome and had no hold ups at all. We finished at 3 hours 5 minutes which is fantastic. Jackie drove very well today but had a few mishits thrown in but a good day for her. I had a little difficulty on the front nine but on the back nine I ended up one over which is great. A very good scoring day and a fun day.
I spent all day today out at the lot. Besides the normal stuff like deadheading, cutting, trimming I washed the roof of the motorhome with Orange but didn’t power wash it. Next rain should work. I water and trimmed the neighbors yard. I worked on my Piaa and have double checked everything. I have power to the lights but no lights. I am 100% positive both both bulbs could not burn out at the exact time. My next attempt will be to pull the bulbs and use the meter to see if the bulb is still working. Dumb ordeal the worst part being not knowing. I do not want to buy new bulbs unless needed as they are $200. I will figure it out. I was happy today to discover power thru the wiring to the back of the light. Now what is going on in there has to be done.
Our new coffee maker is programmed and working by Jackie. Here is a pic of the new one in front of the 1980 model that still works but no carafe. It was a Coffee Magic.
I got bite twice today by I don’t know by what but have two swollen lumps under my skin. Most likely the first murder hornet attack in Alberta as wasps, bees or mosquitos never affect me. Unless the Covid vaccine has mutated me to allow a reaction to a bug bite. LOL
I had a suction cup which was the factory system for my fish finder transducer. Needless to say it was not a good system. My new clip onto the boat wheel brackets will work prefect with one caveat. I will need to remove it before coming to shore as it is just below the hull so I have used quick release pin clips which will be perfect. Now just to remember each time.
I fixed up my reels and rods, put new leaders on and sorted out my fishing box. I have a big box as the girls bought it for me as a present. I still need a few silver Rapala’s for the Walleye in a larger size.
Thought of the Day
There was the person who sent ten puns to friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.
July 21st
“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 27 degrees, Calgary 29 degrees”
What a beautiful day.
Not to break the good news but the Flames may have lost our two best players but the Oilers owner is being charged with sexual assaults of a minor ballet dancer. He goes to jail where do the Oilers go ? See things for the Flames are not that bad. LOL
My plying partners today were Rick, Ralph, Larry and myself. It wasn’t the perfect game I was looking for but it was a fun day and I golfed quite decent.
- Finished tied for first place LOW GROSS in my group.
- Finished tied for first place LOW NET in my flight.
- Finished in 4th place out of 40 guys
- 3 Birdies in the front nine.
- Won on one Deuce in snips game
- Won money from each player in my group on the corner game.
3 Birdies in 9 holes I believe is the most I have had.
I was robbed with a low net snip and and gross low snip. The last golfer in our main group that tees off close to 8 hrs after the first tee time STOLE it from me. Darn !
The money just kept coming my way today and it was WONDERFUL. Love it.
What a beautiful golf day and a fun day. When I see the sheet I will know for sure but I am guessing close to $50 bucks or more. I am waiting for the email.
Thought of the Day
A backward poet writes inverse.
July 22nd to 24th
” Mercury Forecast as it is three days I am just going to say wonderful. It 28 to 30 degrees for three days straight with the odd shower thrown in for good luck.
I decided since Jackie had work on Friday and a baby shower on Saturday I would just go out to the lot and work on a project that I wanted to do.
My first stop was Lowes as I had a credit there and I wanted to use it up. I went in the store with my drawings and plans. I had to forget Plan A, forget Plan B and decided on Plan C. Only reason PRICING and stuff is getting to be RIDICULOUS. Lowes was quite busy for a early Friday morning which surprised me a bit. I picked up everything I thought I needed and headed out.
Here is what $300 worth of wood looks like in today’s world !
The first day went quite well. Here is when you see if your ideas and plans meet the realities. I had to make as always adjustments and on the fly decisions but it is going to work out well. A good 6 hours of work in it when I noticed the sky darken and moving our way. I had exposed to the elements my table saw, miter saw, circular saw, reciprocating saw, jig saw, sander, Makita drill set and numerous other tools all sitting outside. I rushed to cover them and or put them away before the storm hit.
We had mini hail and then a very heavy downpour. Nothing like the sound of rain on the rooftop.
I made for myself roasted potatoes & carrots and 1 in thick pork chops. Delicious if I say so myself.
I have Prime Video here so I was able to watch a couple of very good movies. I say good but they were bit like the Hallmark Movies as Prime movies have a reoccurring theme unfortunately.
Jackie sent this to me and I am going to say as that is my side of the bed that Daisy is missing me. LOL
Day two ahead. I had to make a quick Depot stop for the odd thing I forgot and then to work. At least a 8 hour day and just about completed. It all came together and looks great. I didn’t have access to Corey’s biscuit joiner so again Plan B and I went with small expansion joints and PL400 to hold the counter top down. I am hoping this works out and I will find out in a couple of months of rain or heat attacking it.
I had a quick invite to the neighbors place for some cold beer. He buys from Saskatoon the Great Western Brewing Companies Lager Lite and it is GOOD. I like it as much as Coors Lite or Bud Lite and a lot less expensive. Cold beer and a nice visit. Lots of people stopping by all day talking does slow the job down a bit. lol
Jackie attended Kristen’s baby shower today as her husband to be is from Calgary . Kristen is from Edmonton and this will be Jackie’s brother David’s first grandkid.
One funny note. Kristen and Sheldon about a year ago planned and booked a wedding for next year. I do not know if Covid was in the decision making but now she is pregnant and will have a child a before getting married. The world works in mysterious ways. These guys will make absolutely, the best parents.
Another great left over meal and more Prime movies. It is so nice and cool, dark and quiet out there. Friday night we had the resort idiot playing music and I could hear the boom boom but he stopped at 11 pm which is good. I hate that bass sound.
I had breakfast and back to finishing it up. It is now complete except for one issue. Hinges don’t work on my side panel to open the door so I have to come up with a solution. But I am happy with it and a coat of varnish and I may epoxy the top and another fun project done.
The tractor seat reminds of working on my Uncle George’s farm. He had a Minneapolis steel wheel tractor where a seat like this would extend out past the wheels on a large spring and I would start at 7am in the morning and end either at supper or Aunt Connie would bring out supper depending on the urgency.
I came home from the lot and time was such we decided to do take out from Coasters. Awesome fish & chips and Jackie’s wrap was incredible. She shocked me ordering something different than the norm.
Thought of the Day
The soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.
July 25/26th
” Mercury Forecast Edmonton 22 degrees, Calgary 23 degrees”
Nice comfortable days. Over cast each day but still very warm. If you are working outside it would be perfect. It does cause the mosquito’s to come out a little heavier than normal. Speaking of mosquito’s, I lived on an acreage of 6 acres with about 4 acres of it being muskeg. Muskeg is the perfect breeding ground for bugs. As kids I would guess we would be bit over 200 times each day. So needless to say they don’t really bother much. But in the last two days I have had three bites where it formed into a large hard lump under my skin. I could say spider or wasp bite but I do not believe that to be true. They were very itchy bites and swelled. So it must have been some kind of mutant alien diseased mosquito that attacked me to be so large, hard and itchy and last for at least three days.
Jackson was in his golf camp Monday and Tuesday so we were up early to take him. This was at Heatherglen Golf were I had worked as a Marshall. Registering him I met two employees that I had worked with. Koen from the pro shop even remembered my name which is awesome. Larry is not common so I must say he has a good memory. Nice guys.
They had 13 kids for the two day camp. Jackson was right in the middle of the pack as far as age goes. He had a little more experience than the others also which was nice for him.
He raved about the fun and lessons he was taught which was great. Fun and learning is a good thing.
On the second day it was funny when Jackson went to get his rental clubs. Koen say to him ” What is the best team in Alberta ?” Jackson smiles knowing full well where this is going as he had Oiler socks on. Smart kid answers the Flames and get his clubs. LOL
It is a little bit of a disaster for the next week getting into the golf course as the interchange is being paved. On the second day half of the class was late.
Great fun, lessons learned, amazing food for breaks and something to make summer break more interesting is all good.
Jackson came back to our house and he created the best Lego gun ever. If you remember Jackson and I just about got kicked out of the Telus Spark for making guns. LOL His creation even had a “clip” that when installed sounded just like a real gun. Awesome job and creativity
Two fun days !
Wordle has being harder than normal lately. Makes the head hurt but still fun.
Nice comfortable days. Over cast each day but still very warm. If you are working outside it would be perfect. It does cause the mosquito’s to come out a little heavier than normal. Speaking of mosquito’s, I lived on an acreage of 6 acres with about 4 acres of it being muskeg. Muskeg is the perfect breeding ground for bugs. As kids I would guess we would be bit over 200 times each day. So needless to say they don’t really bother much. But in the last two days I have had three bites where it formed into a large hard lump under my skin. I could say spider or wasp bite but I do not believe that to be true. They were very itchy bites and swelled. So it must have been some kind of mutant alien diseased mosquito that attacked me to be so large, hard and itchy and last for at least three days.
Jackson was in his golf camp Monday and Tuesday so we were up early to take him. This was at Heatherglen Golf were I had worked as a Marshall. Registering him I met two employees that I had worked with. Koen from the pro shop even remembered my name which is awesome. Larry is not common so I must say he has a good memory. Nice guys.
They had 13 kids for the two day camp. Jackson was right in the middle of the pack as far as age goes. He had a little more experience than the others also which was nice for him.
He raved about the fun and lessons he was taught which was great. Fun and learning is a good thing. Plus having something new to do during the break is always good.
On the second day it was funny when Jackson went to get his rental clubs. Koen say to him ” What is the best team in Alberta ?” Jackson smiles knowing full well where this is going as he had his Oiler socks on. Smart kid answers the Flames and get his clubs. LOL
It is a little bit of a disaster for the next week getting into the golf course as the interchange is being paved. On the second day half of the class was late.
Great fun, lessons learned, amazing food for breaks and something to make summer break more interesting is all good.
Jackson came back to our house and he created the best Lego gun ever. If you remember Jackson and I just about got kicked out of the Telus Spark for making guns. LOL His creation even had a “clip” that when installed sounded just like a real gun. Awesome job and creativity
Two fun days !
Wordle has being harder than normal lately. Makes the head hurt but still fun.
Picking up Jackson today we thought lets do something this afternoon. Movie, glow golf and then mini golf came up. It ended up being Mini Golf.
Went decided to go to Oasis Golf Centre the Home of the Pebble Beach Championship Mini Golf the only one in Western Canada. What a great and beautiful complex.
Remember Jackson got out of training so was pumped.
Here is what happened:
Jackson scored the most birdies with 6 of them
Jackson won the front nine beating Jackie and I
Jackie won the back nine
Larry won the overall by two strokes. Larry Mini Golf Willard has a nice ring to it.
Extremely close and a close call . He did extremely well and had me worried and then to have Jackie fluke off the odd shot for a hole win made it tentative.
Loads of fun and built up our appetite for mashed potatoes, gravy, peas, thick porkchops and a nice salad. Great meal to end the deal and Jackson decided to stay the night.
We will see what is on the agenda for tonight. LOL
Thought of the Day
If you jumped off the bridge in Paris , you’d be in Seine
July 27th
” Mercury Forecast Edmonton 28 degrees, Calgary 29 degrees ”
Finally a wonderful summer weather. Stay 29 degrees with the odd rain shower thrown in until October and everything would be excellent. I love this heat as it is so nice to enjoy the warmth and sun. Today was fantastic
Daisy is a funny dog. Jackson spent the night at our place and Daisy slept in his bed all night with her totally forgetting us. She has a habit of this as it doesn’t matter if it is August, Dave or Rick our neighbor we are second fiddle to a new friend. Having said that Jackson loves the company and perhaps Daisy is just trying to get away from Jackie’s rolling about and snoring.
I whipped to the Depot and picked up my goods for today’s project. I was planning to epoxy the countertop of the kitchen and bar. I had sold this stuff years ago but never once have used it myself so thought here is my chance.
” Memories”
On the road as a sales rep for Marshall Well’s our company was introduced to this new product at the time. The bulk of the use was for hobby use, game boards and crafts where people would encapsulate pennies or leaves etc under the surface. The sales contest was who ever sold the most product dollar wise would win a Triton Table saw and Triton router table. I had some nice accounts like WW Arcade etc and lo and behold I won. I used that Triton table saw for years. It was a unique setup. Never used the epoxy product though .LOL
So first time using it but with a little understanding of the idiosyncrasies of it I went for it. It is expensive at $11 a square foot. That is expensive !
First time using it I was a little apprehensive and rightly so after experiencing it. i knew about the bubbles and self leveling. But here is where I had difficulty. You CANNOT touch it after it has begun to set up ( I had a couple of leaves drop into it) as it scars the product. You CANNOT do this outside. I had flies, mites and dust particles enter it as it was setting up and if you touch it it scars. So it is NOT perfect as I did not have the right working conditions, I was inexperienced and made errors. Having said that as it is a rustic bar and it looks wonderful. I could fix it with a skim coat but too expensive. LOL
Look how shiny it is with the reflection of the paper towel and switch plate.
You can see one imperfection when a large leaf decided to drop out of nowhere. I am staining the perimeter boards black which will complete it.
It takes 72 hours to set. I tried to cover it but a way too risky so a few flies and bugs may be embedded in it. LOL
The heat will help it cure quicker hopefully.
I do know for next time I have a learned a lot to make it even better so I am happy with my gained knowledge and the way the project turned out.
I came home as I have my men’s league tomorrow.
I see Calgary is the hot bed for the 7th wave of Covid. Nice. The Stampede will do that. Funny the news didn’t show the increase in STD’s from the same period. I can not see any government pressuring society again unless it gets a way out of hand. It would be so interesting to know IF everyone had been vaccinated would be in a 7th wave. Masks are not hard to wear.
Thought of the Day
Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says, ‘I’ve lost my electron.’ The other says ‘Are you sure?’ The first replies, ‘Yes, I’m positive.’
July 28th
” Mercury Forecast Edmonton 32 degrees, Calgary 32 degrees ”
SUMMER ! You have to love it. Calgary does not see many 30 degrees on the plus or negative side so when we do get them it is very nice. Today was exceptional with the sun and a slight breeze and it looks like two or three more coming up in the future before we cool down. Darn, I would love 3 months of this.
Today was my men’s league at Turner Valley. I am slowly conquering this course within this group. I lost two balls on second shots which resulted in a little higher score than I wanted but things came together when I shot a 39 on the back nine. So here is the synopsis of the day.
- I won a NET SKIN with an eagle on Hole 13
- I won the GROSS SKIN with a birdie on Hole 13
- I won a DEUCE ON Hole 13
- I won finishing in 2nd Place in my Net flight
- I finished tied for FIRST PLACE GROSS in my group.
- I finished 5th NET place out of 52 golfers
- I won money from all of my 3 playing partners in our CORNER Game.
A very good day. I played quite well, won money from different fronts and had a lot of fun. Love it when it all comes together.
Thought of the Day
Rich people play the money game to win, poor people play the game not to lose.
July 29 -31st
Long Weekend
“Mercury forecast Edmonton 32 degrees , Calgary 33 degrees”
Heat warnings across Alberta. When did we become so pathetic we need a heat warning for 32 degrees. That is not hot. If you work outside as a laborer yes but everyone else suck it up and quit complaining. Too hot, too cold drives me nuts. We have a/c and we have heaters so what is the big deal. To ask for 20 degrees is being a little picky.
Jackie headed to Raymond to pick up the boys and Daisy went with me out to the lot Now she has a fur coat and is just fine in the heat.
Clean up, groceries , and organize on the agenda for today.
Lots of water is good and a bit of sweat sticks the shirt to the back and in trouble from the neighbor for not wearing a hat while cutting grass etc. Concerned is nice.
I will wait for another hour or so to take Daisy for a walk.
I bought some hopefully kid friendly food that they will like.
A dog walks past and Daisy pulls over my table, spills my drink just to get a look see and possible meet.
I got all of my work done and time to relax before the kids arrive.
I have to use my memory as I didn’t bring my laptop and updating on a phone isn’t the easiest.
It was warm out. First thing to do as expected was to the play at the park. The kids always enjoy swings and slides plus it tires them out a bit. Lol
Cant explain what happened but I lost to Jackson at a free throw basketball contest. Unbelievable.
Lucky later that night I KILLED Jackson at UNO. We started to teach August the game fully.
For supper tonight I BBQ’d bacon wrapped turkey breasts, and corn on the cob. I loved it and semi ok response from the kids. I really can’t say anything as a kid I was fussy. Today other than fish food I like most everything.
Jackie slept in the living room with the boys.Atti woke up a few times with a few whines but they all slept well. Watching a movie and staying up late helps.
I may have lost at UNO but with Atti’s help I busted some wonderful dance moves.
This morning I made scrambled eggs, bacon and toast for everyone. I love camping breakfasts. The two younger ones are not quite there yet. Give them a few years and I won’t be able to cook enough.
We had our neighbors memorial today so Victoria was coming out for a few hours to look after the kids.
Susan did an amazing job with the Memorial. There was a large group. She had a golf station, croquet, and cornhole set up for the kids. She cleaned out a garden shed and had a memory video looping and story book station.
Tom’s brother gave me a tour of Tom’ s workshop. You think you know a little about someone then you really find out about them. His shop had every woodworking tool you could think off. JEALOUS. He had a overhead engine pulling blocks and he was a licensed welder with a Mig,Tig and Acetylene welders all in a row. He has a semi completed restoration of a MG in his garage. It is à absolute shame we lose people so young. I could have had a great friend in Tom. In the 4 years minus the covid ordeal he was always there to help and a very fun guy to talk to. One of those guys that will be missed.
Luckily he retired early and had six years of retirement to enjoy.
We came back and Tor had just arrived back from the pond with the kids.
More playground time later, trip to the store and then some games again in the gazebo.
So this weekend I have lost TWICE to Jackson in a basketball free throw contest. I had one night’s win at UNO but with losses thrown in and tonight I lost to Jackson and August in UNO. In fact August was the overall winner. We taught him too well. Lol
Kabobs and roasted carrots and potatoes for supper met with limited success. I may have to whip out the Mac & Cheese it seems. Good thing for junk food.
Jackson is the best marshmallow cooker I have seen. Perfect toasted light brown and not burned. Awesome.
A storm came thru and chased us inside so a movie night lasting to 11pm again. I will see what time they get up in the morning.
Plans are to head to Lethbridge for the airshow and autoshow. Supposed to he 34 degrees and as we are at the airport with all of the tarmac it will be a little warm. If I get lucky on the gas I may stop at Claresholm.
It turned out it was 34 in Lethbridge, two hour waits to get the gates for the airshow and the monster truck rides had broken down.
So a full day of playing at the beach. The kids love it and versus airport tarmac in the heat it is a much better idea.
Hours of playing then one young boy finds a bloodsucker and is beating it on the docks. The pier cleared out quickly and our boys wanted to leave. Lol
Thow in a bike parade and you have an entertaining day
Jackson & August continued an epic battle of UNO with multiple games. I like this game but the kids LOVE it. They even played it in the backseat all the way to Lethbridge.
The games kept the boys busy all of the way.
A short visit with Jess & Pen as they were tired after working in the heat all weekend and being so busy.
As a family they are heading to Montana for a week vacation.
On the way home we had one of those you had to be there moments. We had stopped at A & W on the way down and when getting close to Jackie tells a Mom joke “Jackson do you want to stop for a teen burger” It was meant to funny as we had an ice cap on Lethbridge just before. The joke just didn’t hit its mark as we didn’t laugh and there was silence. The silence turned into laughter for Jackson and I. A few minutes later as Jackie’s feelings were hurt that her joke didn’t work she says” Let me tell the joke about a Papa & kid in a car” That is as far as she got as Jackson and I killed ourselves IT WAS ONE OF THOSE YOU HAD TO BE THERE times. I do know Jackson and I had a blast and we secretly know Jackie thought we were funny. Lol
I love the fact that this kid as such a good humor and timing sense.
We got home and watched my favorite actor Will Ferrall in a great movie.
The power tripped off in the night and all of a sudden no awning working or hot water heater. I am beginning to hate fixing things all of time. Things you to be so easy to fix until the stupid safety and environmental people got involved olong with the teckies. The hot water heater being gas or electric has a WAY too many safety features. I have a breaker ,and a fuse and a thermal connector fuse for one unit. None of them appeared to be shot. I disconnected the thermal fuse as they are a weak point always. I cleaned the connections and bypassed it. One hour later finally the heater started. I checked this stupid safety feature twistedcleaned and shoke it and reinstalled and and now it is working like a charm. Overkill on safety but there are a lot of idiots out there.
Next the awning. I smack with my hand and after checking fuses strong Hani g of the disable wind retraction switch I heard a clicking. Checked using the under carriage bypass switch and is working like a charm. Too warm to test retraction right now.
I used to love challenges to fix things but with the electronics, diodes, safety relays etc it is getting complicated. I still do not have my Piaa lights working. A normal set of lights with a relay, without a diode, or resistor would have been nice. Things break down due to having all of these unneeded add-ons
This reminds me of time in AZ when I had a tech work on my ac. He pretended to capture the freon as per rules but really only did a cover up.
I got a quote today to chop a few limb off our tree at $1000. Pricing is very high.
Using my phone works OK to do this but as with any process using the laptop is ten times easier. I haven’t figured out a easy way yet to “shrink” the size of pics so I am using extra space up but I will only be using my phone randomly. What is good is it easier to be up to date instead of playing catchup.
Larry & Jackie Willard's Retirement Adventure 