Feb 1st

” Mercury Forecast Edmonton -14 degrees, Calgary -8 degrees Mesa 20 degrees”

I like February. First it a warm month in Arizona. It is my birthday month. It is the “Love” month having Valentine’s Day in it and it is always a short month.

And warm it was today. Golfing at Aquilla again with my men’s group. We had some excellent Triads with a couple of -3’s and one -6 but got beat out each time. I had a great group of fellow golfers today. One from Moose Jaw, one from Lethbridge, and one from Minnesota. I wasn’t really pleased with my golf. No lost balls but sliced today which hasn’t happened for a long time and still not putting well. 3 over my cap so not bad but good have been so much better. My partners with pretty good scores also just mistakes not helping us. Very sunny, excellent course (actually of my favorites) and a fun team made it a wonderful day in paradise.

When I got home, we headed to PetSmart for Daisy. She needed pads, food and clothing which we couldn’t find for her. She tried on numerous harnesses, but we did not find any we liked.

Terry came over to discuss Bunko gatherings and to make sure we signed up for the Alberta Party. We most likely will have at least 500 or more people for this. It disappeared for a few years and a new group is trying to bring it back. Food, band, gathering is always fun.

I printed off my bank statements to do finish off my budget sheets and I will fill in the data in the next couple of days.

The weather has been fantastic the last couple of days is getting even warmer by the weekend.

Thought of the Day

Even duct tape can’t fix stupid – but it sure does muffle the sound

February 2nd

” Mercury Forecast Calgary -5 degrees, Edmonton -13 degrees, Mesa 21 degrees.”

Bright skies and warm sun today. In fact, a little too warm working in it along the side of the house.

Jackie took Daisy to the park then cleaned all up and readied for golf with her ladies. Great day to be walking on the course. And on her return, she scored pretty well. That 9-hole course is a tough one in fact I believe harder than the Championship course.

I finished off painting the second coat. I stained the gate itself and I like the way it turned out. It is looking pretty nice. Plus, it will work perfectly.

Daisy can’t get out, people SHOULD be able to open and close the gate without hassle, so everything is all good.

I started but ran out of paint for the side fence. Hopefully on Sunday, I can finish it.

Now this is funny. Fred & I thought Daisy MAY be able to jump up on the cushion box and sure enough she can. She heard her favorite neighbor next door and jumped up and then over the storage box. I recovered her and put the lid up while carrying on painting. I was watching her as she took another big jump to get on top of the storage box and landed right in it. She was shocked and I killed myself laughing.

Memories

Years ago, Jackie and I were at Terry’s parents farm helping Fred install siding or roofing, I can’t remember which one for this trip and we brought our RV out to sleep in. I parked in the yard, and we worked all day. Hard work. During the summer in the country, it becomes black at night. For whatever reason I decided to go outside to have a pee. I walked about 50ft and fell into a hole. I fell at least 20ft down into this dark pit. A little scary and difficult to get back out of. Turns out it was a basement hole for another building to come. I will not forget it.

I have to figure something out to fix her again. She is one excellent escaper.

Another thing I found funny today was the groundhog for Quebec wouldn’t come out of hibernation and after due diligence they discover he is dead in the hole. The weather is going to be BAD there. lol Most other Groundhogs say an early spring which would be nice. Pretty smart animals.

Down south we do it a little different.

Such a warm evening we sat outside for a long time having a BBQ porkchop supper with roasted spuds and carrots. Man, that tastes good.

We had a long walk around the park tonight. Lots of reno’s going on. The sold signs are going up as fast as the For Sale signs with super high pricing. The price for homes has more than doubled in the last 3 years. Great for us but not for anyone looking to buy.

Thought of the Day

If God wanted me to touch my toes, He would’ve put them on my knees.

February 3rd -4th

” Mercury Forecast Edmonton 4 degrees, Calgary 7 degrees, Mesa 24 degrees.”

Still busy, and lots going on. Plus, the weather is spectacular.

I worked a bit on my budget for January and paid some bills. I will wait for a lazy day or cooler day to finish my sheets.

I cleaned up some lumber and cleaned up the dust etc in case the guys were coming over after golf as we had no host committed. The big Saskatchewan party was tonight so some of our group had to leave early.

My partners were Ron S and Barry today in my group. We are all the same age and all hit pretty much the same distance. I usually am the longest but with these guys only by 10 to 20 yards. We had a blast as it was such a warm day and nice group. My back was killing me after doing the fence and gate so I took pills but apparently not enough. I took three triples in a row and then all of sudden started playing. Pars and pars and many birdie chances with no luck mind you but still ended up with a higher than wanted but a decent score considering over by 9 after three holes.

One of our new players Mike offered up paying on Fat Willy’s deck as his contribution as he is in a motorhome. Mike is a lot bigger than me and a wonderful golfer. I find it odd to look up at him. Plus, he is a nice guy. Very generous of him and it was a nice gathering.

Ron Sydia one of our players attended the Sask party and look what he won. Nice to have another Flames fan living up north. Tim Hunter lives in the Viewpoint Park and donated the jersey for a draw.

Today also is my sister Darlene Alseth’s birthday. She is less than 2 years younger than I. We had many birthday parties together thru the years. Like I said before I could never figure out how she was younger than me with her birthday the day before mine.

We watched another good movie tonight after walking around the park. We have two more we are going to try out called You People and Shotgun Wedding. I teased Jackie You People was a Don Cherry documentary.

Yes, this morning is my birthday. Another year older and another year better like fine wine.

Now this is a funny story. Jackie thought as a add-on gift she would buy me a Powerball ticket for $10 as it was huge amount again. In the states you get them from a vending machine. She put her money in and picked her ticket only to discover the machine DOES NOT give change. SOO00oo I have $100 worth of power-ball tickets at 292,000,000 to one odds of winning. LOL 292 million isn’t that bad !!! Funny circumstance though. lol And who knows I may win $2 bucks.

I plan to do nothing today except to go out to the Olive Garden for a meal and few drinks with Fred & Terry. I love bread sticks and salad there. Last year we went to the Keg but Fred broke his bridge on his steak, so I think pasta is safer and won’t bring on PTSD

I thought I would post a selfie as I looked in the mirror this morning.

Birthdays are fun but really, I don’t think anybody enjoys the reminder of how old one is. I remember when I thought 30 was ancient. Every decade you accept the age and feel it doesn’t apply to you but after 50 years old it starts to sink in. 60 was ok. 65 I could live with it but after that it has to hurt.

They say everyone has doppelgänger in this world. I know years ago one of my sales reps was in Hawaii on vacation and sent me a picture of guy at the pool that I would swear was me. (from a distance). Today Bob Ferris sent me a picture that again with a quick look and you don’t zoom it could be mistaken for me. Ironic part is this gentleman in question also lives on 800 block. I told Bob it has been years since there was two good looking guys on this block so nice to have it again. Bob referenced. that I may now be playing pickle ball instead of golf, a game made for old people. Not !

It was funny tonight at the Olive Garden. It is always a busy place and a place that doesn’t take reservations. But they have an online wait line system. Jackie entered us in the wait line just as we left the house. Arriving the place was packed with up to 30 people outside and inside waiting. We checked in with the desk thinking ok we will need to wait for a while. As soon as we turned (10 secs) from the desk Jackie receives a text and her name is called out. That was fast but I did feel bad for all of the old farts that haven’t figured out the technology. This time of year, at the restaurants the average age of the guests has to 75 yrs old. LOL

As usual another great meal. Love the salad and love the bread sticks. We all had different dishes and everyone really enjoyed theirs. Spaghetti with meat sauce, Rigatoni with meat sauce and meatballs, angel hair with oil and chicken and a scampy dish with angel hair. I have to say I was stuffed. Perhaps too much. Only minor complaint we could have is no ginger beer for Mules and no Canadian style Caesars. Not unexpected. Great meal and a fun time.

We then headed Fred’s place where Terry had made a wonderful birthday cake. I loved the chocolate cake but especially liked the crusty icing on top. So many candles they were hard to fit on.

My birthday and I did not win!! Fred was the big wiener tonight. Lots of luck for him. I like the card game Golf as it is a lot of fun.

It was another enjoyable birthday day and evening. Life is good even for a older guy. LOL

What’s in a name: Peoples names are always interesting. Some parents unknowingly cause their children issues with their name. Either they are so unique that no one can spell them or pronounce them, or they can be a cause of teasing by peers. We have people that use the short form of names ie Michael to Mike, Richard to Dick etc and trying to fancy the name up by using a y instead of a I etc. Names over the years have changed a lot from the “norm”. As an example, we named our twins girls with the same middle name to be cute and after the location they were conceived in. “Laine” (back alley) was a TV star name in actuality that Jackie liked. Naming after relatives is quite common. Having said this, families make mistakes. In Jackie’s family her older brother has his Dad’s name as his middle name. Unfortunately, both Jackie and Alan received NO middle names. Odd and not fair. In my family my older brother received both my Granddad’s name and Dad’s first name as his middle name. My younger sister received my Mom’s first name as her middle name. My middle name was taken from a liking that Mom had for the Chinese grocery store owner. ” KIM” that has no family connection.

So, in our new world of today this what I am about to do.

I will now IDENTIFY ONLY as “LAWRENCE ANTHONY WILLARD” It is a regal sounding name and was my other Grandfathers first name. How could no one use it ? Its meaning would be Laurel crowned a symbol of wisdom and achievement and PRICELESS. What were they thinking not to use it. If I don’t answer to Larry Kim anymore you will know why. I will answer to it’s short form LAW.

Thought of the Day

Lately, I have noticed people my age are so much older than me.

February 5th -6th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 5 degrees, Calgary, 8 degrees, Mesa 20 degrees.”

Lots still going on which is nice including some nice slow time. The weather is starting to look nice ahead as spring is coming.

We watched the Grammy’s. Rap to the limit, weird outfits and weird people. Madonna looks freakish. Harry Styles is odd. Stevie Wonder is awesome. Shania Twain is plain ugly, and she was a lady that I Ioved her looks and voice. Her personality is just BAD.

I went to the Fish & Wildlife and picked up my fishing license. It was busy as the draw season for elk etc is happening here. Funny seeing these old farts that can barely walk ask for an Elk license to go hunting.

We were lucky that Jackie’s leftovers were enough for both of us to have the day after. Can’t beat Olive Garden food. Angel Hair pasta is good warmed over.

A trip to Home Depot to pick up more paint for the fence. I most likely will increase the size of the back deck in a couple of weeks.

Jackie & I whipped out to Canyon Lake as the internet stated the boat rental place was closed. I love this drive with the winding road. I just wish I could drive it when there are no other cars on it or limited cars. Today I was following a Buick from Saskatchewan that when the sign said 20 mph they took it as 2.0 mph. Used to a combine, flat land to hills and mountain edges must be hard to take. Still a nice scenic drive.

A complaint that I have to check into with other brands is why Ford chose to put upshift and downshift on the opposite sides of the steering wheel is beyond me. I believe a better way (and I will check how it works on other brands) the one paddle shifter on the right side should shift up with the top part of the paddle and downshift with the lower part of the paddle. Much easier to control while making a lot of turns.

The “new” rental boat place only has pontoon boats with a min of $450 a day rental.

So, on our return I phoned, and we are a go at Saguaro Lake for a fishing boat on Wednesday.

I booked a tee time for Jackie & I at Western Sky on Tuesday. I hope my back feels better.

We had a member of our golfing group catch Covid. Luckily, he is a walker, and the only “close” contact was around a patio table (5 to 6ft apart) with three of us having beers and wings. I am impressed he was so forward with it all. He should be fine to golf with us again on Friday. (5 days) Hopefully as he was fully vaccinated it will only be a short cold.

Dog walks at night, the odd movie thrown in and playing Wordle each night. Jackie has is pretty good at this and I have to be on my toes just to equal her. Lately it has been 4 times as the normal but tonight she got me with a three and it being a double consonant.

Lots of things going around here with the Waste Management and the Super Bowl pre parties.

The weather lately had been wonderful. Today was a perfect day hitting 22 degrees and sunny.

We arrived and checked in and met up with our playing partners. Two older guys. During the course of the game I found they were 67 years old. As I previously said it is amazing how some people the same age as you can be so old. I would have bet 75 yrs old and they were only 67. Super fun guys to play. Doug was a doctor from NY and he could talk. Both of them only hit their drives maybe 180 yards or less. But they still scored well.

Jackie, I thought was going to break 100 but had a couple of bad holes making her score just over that. I again had such a close call to a 70′ s score ending at 81 again. Too many three putts and I was having trouble not slicing. It happens. Fun day and Daisy was exceptional. Not one small noise. She loves to watch and was perfect.

Thought of the Day

If 60 years old is the new 40, 9pm must be the new midnight.

February 8th

‘Mercury Forecast Edmonton 2 degrees, Calgary 2 degrees, Mesa 21 degrees.”

There are poor days, good days and wonderful days. Jackie and have been very very lucky to experience many more wonderful days than any other kind. Today though was extra special.

Fred & I went fishing. Lucky enough not be ICE fishing but fishing in a lake with shorts and a tee shirt, It was one of the most fun days this year.

We headed up to Saguaro Lake and rented a fishing boat. Not cheap by any means but it was my birthday present. We had a 16ft Alum boat with a 8hp motor and with a sun shade. I drove the boat today which is fine but a tight fit out of and into our dock space.

One incident in shallow water with rocks but other than that smooth sailing. We hit the water at 9:30 and had to return the boat by 3:30. That is 6 hours of fishing. I will say I sure miss Fred’s luxury swivel seats or even my padded seats. I brought cushions along to sit on. One paddle so if we broke down it would have meant a phone call as we were miles away from base.

I have to say this. When you go golfing do you expect a hole in one every time ? No. And yes, we did not catch anything all day as most other fishing guys on the lake. But it was an absolute blast going fishing. The lake is gorgeous with huge mountain cliffs and desert landscaping. Beautiful. We tried hard with trying every spot and hook we could but no luck. Each boat gave us a report all being that it was a hard day.

This is my kind of WINTER fishing. Shorts, warm sun and relaxing.

Look even a rainbow to help us celebrate our fishing day.

Jackie & I went on a jungle excursion years ago in Panama and I can’t tell you excited these old people got if a bird was spotted. We saw today, more exotic birds than on our paid excursion. It was awesome.

Absolutely amazing sights with birds, wildlife and scenery second to none.

A wonderful day. A WONDERFUL DAY !

Thought of the Day

Why do I have to press one for English when you’re just going to transfer me to someone I can’t understand anyway ?

Feb 9th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 1 degrees, Calgary 7 degrees, Mesa 21 degrees.”

Another wonderful day in Arizona. Supposed to be 8o this weekend.

Another covid victim in our golf group. It is going to be like a flu or cold and I believe it will around now forever. Again, everyone has their full shots and everyone has only experienced minor complications. Events like the Super Bowl, Barrett and The Open only add to the numbers. Golfing is relatively safe unless your cart buddy is the spreader.

I finished off painting this morning of the side fence. I only need to do my deck/fence, storage box adjustment now.

I see our cruise bill went thru the visa this morning.

After painting I sat down to watch the Open. This event brings back wonderful memories. We have gone twice to the event which is fun. As a birthday gift Jackie bought me a round of golf the day after the tournament was finished. I brought my friend Bob Ferris with me. We had to rent a forecaddie which was awesome. Now if anyone had played a course just before or after the tournament you know it is difficult. I played the TPC Sawgrass two days before the Players and the TPC Scottsdale one day after. Mean course with pin placement and tall grass.

One of my special memories is a birdie on the 16th and having to clap and cheer ourselves. The fans should have stayed. LOL Playing this course is a favorite forever memory.

I had three birdies but still got killed with the course difficulty. I still have the scorecard. We played from the blues as we both hit long. Bob had an off day, but it just shows the difficulty.

This picture is of Bob & I on the course pretending to move the rock that the crowd moved for Tiger Woods.

A fun memory for life.

Awesome first day for Canada at the Waste Management. Top 2 players both Canadians. Love it that the whiny Rory is in 82nd place. I would love to see him lose his number 1 ranking.

Go Canada Go !

Great day !

Thought of the Day

When I say, “The other day,” I could be referring to any time between yesterday and 15 years ago.

Feb 10th

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

A way above average temperatures in Alberta. That cold snap has to happen soon, or spring will be here. Lucky for them to have a great winter. It makes it nice to get outside and enjoy.

Off golfing today with my guys. We have two guys now off with Covid with is unfortunate. It is going around and after the Superbowl and Open I am sure we will see even more cases. Yet everyone is carrying on like nothing is happening. This is good and bad.

Just watching the neighbor’s house get painted across the street. Skilled workers for sure with no overspray. Daisy is enjoying the action.

A great day golfing. My back is still acting up so pills today. It allows me to hit well but after golf you sure can feel it. Ron S, Barry and Gord played today in our group. We all had to pay Barry the sandbagger. Putting and one bad hole killed Ron and I today and just can’t break thru the 80 mark. I want that 77 or less before I leave.

It was so warm today, no wind to speak of, less than packed on the course as we finished in 4 hrs 10 minutes so all was good.

Jackie was very kind and had everything ready for drinks and food on our arrival.

Another great day in paradise !

Thought of the Day

When one door opens, and another closes you are probably in prison.

Feb 11th–12th

” Mercury Forecast Edmonton 6 degrees, Calgary 10 degrees, Mesa 25 degrees.”

I cut down a tree on the side of our house. It has been in my way for years and I finally decided to get rid of it. Just need to Round Up the roots and then all is good.

Jackie and I decided we would have a relax weekend. We watched the Open a bit on Saturday. Nice sitting outside doing that.

The typical things like laundry. getting groceries and cleaning up. I organized the shed again putting away the clubs and painting stuff. I cleaned up the outside kitchen and used the blower to make it dust free. I charged up the golf cart.

Sunday, we had a sports day. We were happy to have a stay at home day to watch the Super Bowl and Open.

First it was a great Open. I wish Taylor could have pulled it off but he played exceptionally well, and I was all happy with Scheffler winning mostly due to the fact he gets World # 1 away from the Rory. It was a tight race right down to the last holes. And big money thanks to LIV golf.

A perfect Superbowl game. Exciting and a tight race to the finish. One turnover and one bad ref penalty helped the outcome. Great fun game to watch. Hitting 25 today it was perfect outside watching it.

This year I even brought my rimmer which makes a Ceasar wonderful. Only dumb thing is you have to use a new glass each time. Someone needs to invent a reverse rimmer.

Jackie made us an amazing supper. She made extra as the Keys had considered coming for a low-key event but decided to go low key themselves. Sometimes it is nice. Lots of food now to eat. LOL

Two big sporting events today but the most important event for us was to celebrate the birthday of Daisy. Our little girl is three years old. I didn’t want another dog after Teddy as they are work and it hurts to lose them. A lot ! But I am very glad we have Daisy. She cuddles up to my feet on the couch every day, she sleeps on our pillow or between us every night and get so excited to meet us at the door. She is a wonderful fur baby.

We have a lot of fun with her. She is awesome.

Weird weekend as I was informed of two ex-co-worker friends passing on and both not even 60 years old.

Al McKenzie I met when I joined Henderson’s in 1987. He was the lead sales desk and I was outside sales so it required a lot of interaction on costing, inventory etc. Besides being very good with customers he was easy to work with. We had a lot of fun at company parties, social get togethers etc. He was promoted to General Manager of our Lethbridge Branch a couple years later and I worked with coordinating inventory and best practices when I took over the Calgary branch with him daily. Al later was promoted to a “big” branch in Winnipeg, and I assumed the GM job of Lethbridge and Calgary. Al had health issues for a long long time with poor kidney function. Jackie & I drove to Brandon MB for Al’s wedding. Nice guy and he will be missed.

John Templeton was an excellent outside rep for Henderson’s. We would get together at every large trade show we attended. Nice guy and well-liked by his customers. John drove all of the way from Sask to Calgary to attend our Grand Opening at Blimpie Subs. I hope I gave him a free sub.

Two nice gentlemen gone long before their time. It reinforces what I say all of the time. Don’t let dead be your retirement age. You never know what tomorrow brings so enjoy your time NOW

Thought of the Day

Retire as young as possible. Remember every financial institution’s best interest is served if they can keep you contributing rather than depleting funds.

Feb 13/14th

Or as some call it Hallmark Profit day.

The weather this year is odd. 76 degrees on Sunday and 57 degrees today and tomorrow.

We had about an hour of heavy rain today.

A trip with Fred & Tim to the paint store where Fred was getting some color matched paint for his Explorer door was pretty neat. The products they had in this store were amazing. Old school store with loads of inventory and one of products. Its main business is paint wholesale to automotive body repair shops. I asked the clerk how long it took to do inventory and he said a full week. That brings up memories of Henderson’s for years taking us a full week to count inventory with 12 hour days. Cold warehouse, piled up snow in the yard it wasn’t fun yet it was as we all worked as a team together and made it a fun time.

” Memories”

My first inventory as a General Manager almost killed me. One week with 12 hour days and recounts and recounts as I wanted it to be accurate. Two things happened. The previous manager ” hid” from head office 40K worth of damaged doors which caused us nightmare in getting an accurate count. Second when I was happy with the count and printed the over & under I almost died. We were another 40K short. After checking it was an entry error on 356 moldings. Whew ! No sleep for a week and then near the end to be hit with this wasn’t fun. What a relief to find the error.

A stop at Home Depot for the storage box fix. 2 x 6 PWF and lattice and I think I have the dog locked in. A few boards, a bit of plumbing and it is $80. Nuts !

Off I went to get Jackie Valentine flowers and a card. In the card section there were two ladies “looking” at every card possible. It is like they were enjoying shopping for a card. I had to squeeze in to get one. There are always two options for Valentines cards. romantic or funny. I prefer funny with a romantic twist.

I forgot to mention the Superbowl commercials. It is shame we don’t get them in Canada as they were awesome. Jennifer Lopez commercial was the funniest and John Travolta’s was great. I also love the Tiger woods commercial.

Fred & Tim arrived at 10 am and we worked on the back enclosure and Fred did the plumbing. I do believe that Daisy will not be able to escape without a lot of effort now. It took longer than I thought as we didn’t finish until at least three o’clock.

A wonderful Valentines supper and evening.

First the menu was :

• 8-ounce Sirloin steak cooked to medium with garlic mashed potatoes along with beans, beets and mushrooms. Starter was a classic Caesar salad
• Pistachio crusted King Salmon with roasted brussels sprouts
• Warm oven baked bread loaf
• Accompanied by a wonderful Moscato wine.

Ok I did The Keg pickup. LOL It was too cold to be on their deck tonight as a storm was moving thru and they had no room inside. I bet their sales are down by 30% with no deck. Saying that today it only got to14 degrees the same as tomorrow and I am golfing at 8am. It is a colder than normal spring by far.

Jackie dressed up all fancy on my return and we enjoyed a wonderful meal together. I can drink 10 beer and not feel anything, but three glasses of wine are much stronger. Good wine though.

Thought of the Day

A thought just hit me. We want to eat “natural’ foods yet people die from natural causes.

February 15th

“ Mercury Forecast Edmonton -4 degrees, Calgary 3 degrees, Mesa 12 degrees”

I have said it before, but I will say it one more time. It the coldest in Arizona that we have seen forever and long stretches. Today’s high was 12 degrees after receiving a huge downpour if rain last night. Thunder and lightning which is an oddity but neat to see.

Needless to say starting at 8 am golfing it was cool out. Keeping my hands warm wasn’t easy. BUT I AM OUT GOLFING SO I SHOULD NEVER COMPLAIN. 40 guys today and the cold and soft fairways got to everyone. Full handicap and indexed to the course 30 golfers over par, 4 even and 6 under. Pretty bad golfing.

As bad as the golfing was my team still did not win any money. Darn. And today was an extremely expensive golfing experience for me. On the 4th hole on the tee I hit a beautiful drive, straight down the middle, 250 yards and my driver head followed for about 50 yards. My driver shaft snapped on impact. Stress, cold, damaged no one knows for sure but it is toast. My M1 is 2015 technology and has been my favorite driver for years. So I knew I had two options. One — re-shaft, grib and install $150 or look at another driver new around $600. My M1 from 2015 was replaced with a SIM2 Max D from 2021. I didn’t care for the distance as it was given me on average only 230 to 250 yards, but it was straight. The test will be on the course this Friday as I know my distance compared to my golfing partners and on holes how far I usually hit it. I have 90 days to return it if I am not happy. I think I will be very happy but time will tell. It is a much easier driver to hit straight with it being draw biased from the factory and still adjustments to be made. I do know the elevation makes a huge difference down here as even with irons I have to hit one club more to get the same distance. I had to do a little research and Mesa is 1400 ft above sea level while Calgary is 3400 ft. The distance a ball goes is maybe 5% different but it just seems more. I will wait until I drive it on the course to see.

So another fun day golfing. An expensive day golfing but I love it.

Daisy had her haircut today and she is extra cute when I arrived at home.

Out of the house this morning and gone before 7: 30 isn’t my best-case scenario as you feel a little tired. Then I remembered it was Valentine’s night last night which explains everyone’s lack of energy. lol

Thought of the Day

I swing big with everything I got. I hit big or miss big. I like to live as big as I can.

February 16th

” Mercury Forecast Edmonton 3 degrees, Calgary 7 degrees, Mesa 14 degrees”

Frost warnings last night. Cold today as I smile watching Jackie head out to golf. Togue on and gloves. LOL A pant day for sure. I think we have become tooooo climatized to Arizona as I see young guys wearing shorts or ladies in skirts getting off the planes and we find it cold . LOL

We have become the local resident. But sunny skies, warmth in the sun and a way way better than snow, cold and snow. Speaking of cold I see both Edmonton and Calgary lows next week are hitting a stretch of -30 at night.

It is an odd world right now with the leaders in place. I wish people would not fall for the propaganda of leaders like Biden, Notley and Trudeau. Thier climate and socialist agendas are destroying us. People should look at countries like Venezuela when socialism took over. It happened there and it is happening here. We cannot afford to give everything free, raise everyone wages, not eliminate waste and destroy the economy with climate action that is not effective or fair. Enough politics. But wake up please people.

Daisy’s new haircut is beautiful. She looks great and smells wonderful.

Jackie had her ladies golf partners over today. I cleaned up the place and table etc outside and started the heater for them to have some warmth.

I had to leave the house while the ladies partied.

I went to drop off some tools at Fred’s place and had a visit. We drove around the park looking at all of the places. I stopped and had a talk with our friend Russ. Daisy and I checked out the golf course and then stopped and had a wonderful long conversation with this cool guy from Saskatoon that had a custom 1955 Chevy 5100 that he built himself. He did this as a covid project and talk about a custom. It is on a 2003 dually 3500 frame, used the box and added custom touches and has the Duramax engine. He designed it as a club cab, used the steering column and dash as he didn’t want to fool around with computer issues. He had to shorten the frame by 9 inches and boxed it. He had to raise the floor of the bed to make it work. It is a lot of work and beautifully done.

Fun watching Tiger today. He is doing ok, not great but is limping so hopefully hangs in there. Just nice to see him play. He has nothing to prove.

Thought of the Day

If only the young ones were just a little more like us. Smoke tires not drugs!

February 17th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 2 degrees, Calgary 4 degrees, Mesa 19 degrees”

A 8am tee time for me today. Up early and had my breakfast and coffee and headed out.

We got everyone checked in and we were missing one. Ron S was missing so I made a quick phone call. Ron decided it was too cold for him to play today. So, you know we have to tease him about that. He is one of the younger ones we have.

We get to the first hole of the shotgun and is a Par 5 518 yard hole. I get to use my new driver. I hit my ball further than I have ever hit it on this hole. My second shot on the green putting for an eagle which on this hole is a first time. Love my driver !

Three holes later a short Par 4, 318 yards and I land on the green. I love my driver. Long hits, good hits and straight. I love my driver !In fact, my lowest score this year on Viewpoint. So many greens in regulation but it was a putting battle with hard pin placements and very tricky greens.

Loads of fun.

It was cool enough for the first few holes I had to use my Nike mitts. I had three layers of clothes that I could not remove until at least the 9th hole. First hole it was 6 degrees out and slowly warmed up but the wind was biting.

Have I said I love my new driver !

Watched the Genesis and it is too bad Tiger just didn’t do it. I am hoping he makes the cut so we can see him a little more this weekend.

Wordle battle tonight was good. Jackie has been winning lately, most nights. Tonight, I took her by one. She is good at this game, and it is a fun thing to do. It goes by so fast though.

A wonderful left-over supper of chicken breast, mashed potatoes and peas was fast easy and great.

I bit of TV and the night was gone.

Thought of the Day

There are rough places in the world but in Arizona even the plants want to hurt you

Feb 18th,

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton -2 degrees, Calgary 3 degrees, Mesa 24 degrees. “

Finally, a “Normal” day in Mesa with the weather being awesome even though it is short lived as another cell hits us mid-week. We will be dropping to 14 degrees again, but Edm/Cal will be dropping to lows of -30 degrees at the same time. Easy for anyone to understand how we love our home away from home.

The pool was packed. Everyone was outside. Jackie and I spent time outside in the back yard deck which was wonderful. In fact hot, so nice.

This afternoon we met up with Russ & Carol at the billiard room and a fun day with pool. It ended after the games as a draw. I enjoy the game.

After our games we headed to their place for a great “Happy Hour” The hostess with the mostest. Fun day and arriving home Daisy was excited and had been another good girl all day.

I watched a bit of the Genesis and was very happy Tiger did so well. In fact, I believe he had the 3rd lowest score of the day. One more great day and he could finish top ten. Not bad for such a long layoff. Fun to watch. Wish he would have made his albatross as he was only inches away from it.

In support of Tiger:

How do you piss off a female archaeologist? Give her a used tampon and ask her what period it came from.

How do you know when a blonde is having a bad day?When she can’t find her pencil and there is a tampon behind her ear.

Wife’s Campaign My wife has wasted years campaigning for tampon companies to make sanitary products suitable for the ‘larger’ lady.
I’m trying to convince her that it’s time to just throw in the towel.

I asked my mate if he could get me a job at the tampon factory where he works.“There’s no openings at the moment,” he said, “but I’ll see if I can pull some strings.”

Come on people! How many times have you heard ” Nice putt Alice ” in your life. They are jokes. Too many sensitive people! No ha ha slowly makes people grumpy.

Thought of the Day

They way we are going we are going to have to cancel shampoo not to offend bald people.

February 19th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 0 degrees, Calgary 6 degrees, Mesa 24 degrees.”

73-degree day is wonderful. I see the cold is about to hit tomorrow Calgary and Edmonton with even a heavy fall warning. Our Wednesday is also cooler with a high of 15 degrees.

It was great sitting outside watching Tiger and Rahm do their thing. Some amazing golf. I like Rahm as the Number 1 and overall, Tiger did awesome.

A quick grocery trip for a few last-minute things we needed.

Fred & Terry came over early afternoon for a game day and supper. I will say this I did not win. Fred & I lost at crib to girls in the overall. Fred did have the largest point hand at 17 amongst us for all of the games. That is pretty low. Jackie was the winner at the golf card game,easily winning. Not my day or night. LOL

Jackie had more to drink than I have seen in a long time, and she was still able to win and cook. When I say more, I mean 2 drinks. lol

We cooked supper and I thought it turned out great. We had egg noodles in Jackie’s special way, sugar honey glazed carrots and marinated spiced pork chops. Terry brought banana cream desert that was spectacular.

It was so warm out we spent the evening outside until 9pm. First time for a long time which was nice.

Jackie and I are golfing tomorrow with Daisy which I enjoy.

Thought of the Day

Why do most golfers hate cake ? They may get a slice.

Feb 20th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton -8 degrees, Calgary -4 degrees, Mesa 26 degrees.”

Two things happened today. First it was the warmest day of 2023 so far. Beautiful! Second it is the only time in my life while golfing I ran out of energy. Hotter, tired, out of condition, covid related, or just a one of, it was odd.

Jackie & I along with Daisy went to San Marcos Golf today. Golf is such a funny game. My best score of the year on Friday and today my worst score of the year. Odd.

I hit every sand trap there was. Once in the water and numerous poor shots. Our playing partners today were very nice with it being a high school girl and her Dad. She is in a golf school and belongs to the Jr LPGA group. Wonderful swing.

We all played from the same tee box except Jackie which was red, and we went blue. I think they wanted to play white but came back to play with me. My playing today was brutal ending with a 92 but I am afraid this young lady will not make the tour unless she had a horrible day also. Great swing nice chips but a lot of poor shots pushing them right or missing the chip and drive. They were fun to play with.

Daisy my riding partner with her new haircut was wonderfully well behaved today.

Wordle in TWO for me and three for Jackie. Good game.

Thought of the Day

If your opponent can’t remember if he shot a six or a seven on a hole, chances are he had an eight on it.

Feb 21st

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton -17 degrees, Calgary-15 degrees, Mesa 18 degrees”

Snow is deep in Calgary. Pictures, news and articles make it appear worse than it is but when you get 8 inches or more of snow it can be messy for a while. Add the little colder than normal temperatures it isn’t fun unless you like skiing or any outdoor activity. I will say I am past any outdoor activity when it is cold and snowy. Having said that this morning we wake up and it is raining.

Jackie had to cancel her golf tee time unfortunately yet by noon or so the sun was out and decently warm.

It was a good catch-up day for inside stuff.

I completed my January budget date input. . The last entry and I closed a sheet ( i had multiple excel sheets open) and a lost all of my data. Usually there is a recovery page but not this time that I could open. Part of the issue is I still use Excel 2007 and Microsoft does not support that anymore as they want a subscription to Office 365 which I refuse. I may transfer all of my sheets over to Google Docs which have come a long ways. So double entry and finally done.

I was running out of ink so I ordered new cartridges from Amazon which are coming but I week away and I am Prime. I am thinking Prime needs to go as they have raised the pricing a lot and this is a example of what benefit?

I downloaded our 8840 forms and filled them out and have them on the counter ready to mail.

We contacted IHG and booked one night hotel in Cedar City using points for our return trip which is good. Time is flying by as it is only one month away from leaving as this is the earliest, we have left ever. It is Jess & Tor’s 40th birthday, Easter in Edmonton early April, Mom’s birthday on Easter and we need to save days in the USA due to our cruise in June using some up.

Daisy loved the low-key day. My back loved it.

Maintenance day also with Jackie cutting my hair, beard trimming, hair removal, Jackie’s wash hair day, clothes washing day, and relaxing. NICE !

Tonight, Jackie has BUNKO night with 7 ladies, and I have a man’s movie night with Fred and Tim.

I have made plans for our annual Weiner Roast for March 10th. I will resend a message to confirm for the long weekend in May and we have set another fishing day early March to hopefully catch some bass. I also moved golf around so Fred & I can have drink green beer and wings on Fat Willy’s deck. I like the tradition. LOL We have had a lot of combos with Jeff, Ralph, Tracy, Terry, Jackie, or Mel joining us. Hot sun, cold green beer, good food and all is great.

I love Mesa !

Thought of the Day

Everyone is talking about how cold this winter is in Phoenix. LOL No snow, never below freezing and only the sporadic cooler day is not hard to take.

Feb 22nd

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton- 23 degrees, Calgary -22 degrees, Mesa 14 degrees”

You won’t hear me complain but our average temperature is supposed to be 22 degrees and as you can see we are a little off that. All next week is below average again.

But then I looked at this and smiled. Sorry guys but I did smile. LOL

Not hot but still nice enough to enjoy outside, walks and golf. Well, except for today as it rained a lot last night and with 30 to 50 kms wind they closed the course. I walked outside and I agree. LOL

Jackie & Terry went and played BUNKO last night while Fred and I watched a Mark Walberg movie at his house. The girls were the big winners last night with Terry winning the most games and $15 and Jackie winning the most BUNKO’s and $15. Good going!

But the important thing for today is that it is Penny’s birthday.

We are lucky to have her join our family.

More paperwork, inside stuff and planning to do today. The odd day off is nice !

I sent out the notice for the Weiner Roast this year. I always enjoy these, and we have had had it become a annual tradition. I am going to try to do it as a potluck this year which I hope works out. I will wait and see what is needed and everything will be ok. It is funny but it is just a nice social fun gathering.

I have the golf all organized for next week just waiting for a couple of responses to complete this.

We went for a walk with Daisy and my finger turned white. This indicates to me I should never stay in Canada during winter when you consider it is 13 degrees and it is too cold. She wouldn’t walk with her butt to the wind. So, every time we headed east, we had to carry her.

My golf guys cancelled today due to the winds and temperature. Tampons anyone ?

On my to do list is the back drainpipe. trough cleaning which I will get done tomorrow.

I checked the NHL standings at it is getting tight. The Flames have to get on a 4 to 5 game win streak, or the playoffs are out of range. I know when we lost our two stars, we all thought this would happen but rebuilding a solid team again we had hope. My HOPE is we make it and the Oilers fall on their face for the rest of season. Even with two of the best players in the league they are failing. Drives me nuts when I see Connor and Leon getting the 700/800 points and the fans thinking the team is so good when they are barely managing to get in the playoffs themselves.

Both Keith Harry and Jackson Waldie are ahead of me in our hockey pool and I see I will lose Makar it will hurt me even more.

I loaded Micro Soft Teams for our Oasis board meeting and I have to say I like Zoom better. I will get used to it though.

Wordle in 3 Jackie in 4. I am on a streak.

Thought of the Day

February 23/25th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton – degrees, Calgary -18 degrees Mesa 18 degrees’

Less than a month away from heading back to Calgary. In the cold and early this year as I said for a few reasons a bit back. First it is the girls 40th birthday, Easter is early, and it is Easter and Mom’s birthday on the same day and we are close to be at our limit of 182 days as we have a 11-day cruise that counts as USA days as per the Snowbird Association.

I cleaned out the eves troughs which is long tedious chore but needed as one downpipe was plugged. I caulked and sprayed Flex Seal on the joints of the downpipes and on the smart trim corners. I re-routed my TV cable from the cable box to my out door kitchen TV.

I cleaned up the leaves etc from the wind and charged up the golf cart. I worked on the corner I need to make as the last place to keep the dog in.

8 am tee time was early but it nice to be out early. Bright sun but still cool but after three holes down to a golf shirt only. I LOVE MY NEW DRIVER. Another great day golfing with a bunch of fun guys. I was the low gross and low net of my foursome so that is good. Money! The greens were lightning-fast today but fun. I played quite well which was nice but as usual the putting helped keep the score higher than wanted. If I chipped it closer the pressure on the putts would be less. Some wonderful drives again. I missed the green on the 10th today with my drive though but have I said I love my new driver.

It was nice to have Kirk golfing today as his back finally is ok to play.

A get together at Mike Probes after was fun. I hate to admit this, but he had turkey sausage and it was excellent. I said it.

For supper we decided to go to Music in the Park and visit the food trucks. Loads of people and about 6 different trucks. There was an ice cream, a Sushi, a Cooney Island, A BBQ pit, and a trolley car truck so lots of choices. The BBQ Pit had one of the brisket plates at $32. Cooney had pita’s at $10 so they all are not cheap. It has to hurt Fat Willy’s on Fridays but for us the residents it is awesome as we get music and multiple choices of food. Variety is nice.

Sushi is pushing it, yet people still lined up. All of the trucks were busy and as I said,not cheap.

A nice day. Jackie went shopping for groceries as we have our block party this weekend. Luckily, we were able to secure the Northpoint room as it appears another storm cell is to arrive.

I fixed up the final section of Daisy’s enclosure.

I went and picked up the paint and accessories for my painting project of completing the outside of the home.

While out I washed and waxed the car. Except on return and with it sitting, on the driveway I see one missed mag. Darn.

We watched a bit of golf and did our wordle with Jackie beating me 4 to 5.

I got to bug a friend back in Calgary over him having another birthday. It is funny as I never realized how much younger he is than I. LOL

We had a wonderful sirloin steak cooked to medium and roasted, along with sweet potatoes, sautéed celery and carrots and Texas garlic bread. Strawberry shortcake for desert and I was a wonderful meal to sit outside and enjoy the evening. I took a picture of this as my friend loves posting meals on Facebook and I needed to bug him.

We went for an evening walk which was very nice. We stopped by Fred’s place as a golfing partner had said Tim was leaving early. Tim, Fred’s brother decided due to storms in the mountains to head out early as he has paid up until the end of Feb but wanted to “beat” the storm. 7 o’clock and I guess drinks may have gotten to them as they hadn’t started supper yet. So, a quick goodbye to Tim. I think he is going to buy a place next year.

We watched a movie and had an enjoyable evening.

I had to get up at 3:30 am as the rain started. I needed to close my storage bin for cushions and move the battery charger as with wind the rain is driven everywhere. Always karma, when you wash your car and then it rains. LOL At least it was a warm rain.

The Flames are not quite cutting it. A little scary to make the playoffs. We would never win in the playoffs anyways but it would be nice to make them.

A busy week coming up. Sunday block party, Mon/Tue painting, Tue night billiard hall, Wednesday golf out of the park, Thursday Jackies golf, Friday my league in the park and it turns March 1st. Which only leaves 20 days before we leave. I think the last week I will golf everyday just to squeeze it in. Have I said I love my new driver.

Thought of the Day

It is odd to be thinking ahead as I believe we all should be having such a good time today we shouldn’t be thinking ahead.

Footnote: I think it is because I really don’t want to leave and i know what I am heading back to.

February 26th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton -5 degrees, Calgary 2 degrees, Mesa 15 degrees.”

A cloudy overcast day today.

While Jackie was out with Daisy they were caught in short downpour. Hard rain but it didn’t stop or bother them too much. Jackie said Daisy had a blast with at least 10 dogs in the park this morning. She is such a social butterfly. Daisy loves the park and runs like wild in there being chased or following the pack. She comes home tired and happy and rests up against me feet. Every day she pushes up to my bare feet for comfort and warmth.

I will say it one more time. It has been the coolest winter for us that we remember in Arizona. Having said that, other than enjoying the warmth all day we have being able to do most everything we wanted to. I think we had three cancelled golf games that is it.

Our block party organizers did a fabulous job. It was an interactive and fun evening. They choose a salad theme and with LETTUCE have fun. It was the north side of the block against the south or even against odd and was not only informative but interesting.

Surprising to every man on the block the food was exceptional and filling. Every kind of salad you could think of. And it filled us up.

We then played the dice game LCR which was fun. We had money involved so no pictures due to Arizona Viewpoint gambling rules. Shhh And I not joking. Some anal management person sent out a memo stating Arizona gambling laws and advising owners of the laws concerning 50/50 tickets, poker nights etc. They took it to the extreme out of connotation to what reality is and what the law is trying to accomplish. A perfect example of stupidity in our society caused by a volunteer or elected officials that did something without thinking about the consequences. School boards, HOA boards, community associations are typically the worse but this one is from government officials.

Thought of the Day

Soon Chucky Cheese will be closed down as it too young to introduce your kid to pizza and gambling..

February 27th/28th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton -9 degrees, Calgary -6 degrees with snow, Mesa 18 degrees”

The absolute perfect weather days for a few anyways. Daisy this morning had at least a hour romp at the park as she had 10 plus dogs to play with. Only one slightly misbehaved dog otherwise she had a blast. Jackie also gets in an hour of socializing as there are some nice owners in the park.

Today was workday. Finish painting the house. I had two options either pay $2200 usd to have it painted or do it ourselves. It ended up being about $300 for paint and supplies and one sore back.

On the top of a ladder and having to stretch, kills my back and at days end I had trouble moving. I had finished two walls last year and we completed the 4 final walls. Now only the white trim to get done.

I am impressed with Jackie as she climbed the ladder higher than I have ever seen. Big help with the stretch required.

Notice the finger. ” Law you missed a spot ! ”

A big job but it looks like brand new again. The sun is pretty hard on fading. Hopefully it will last 6 or 7 years at least. Next time I may rent a sprayer and take a risk of over spray.

Wordle also won by Jackie in a 3 to 4 match.

A long day but love the results.

Thought of the Day

It was hard work but doing nothing is even harder work as you never know when you are done and what results can you see.

Feb 28th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton -10 degrees, Calgary -7 degrees, Mesa 18 degrees”

It is amazing what a hot bag and Volteran can do. I woke up this morning and my back was semi ok. Nice

I ran up to Fred’s and returned the ladder and drill. I also picked up the saw and when I returned cut up all of the wood for the Weiner roast.

I cleaned up the yard, the outdoor kitchen and patio area. I removed my old rod in the back.

I cleaned up the car today, doing the windows, vacuumed out the interior and floor mats. I used my leather protection on the leather in the car and polished up the rims. It is already for my trip to Laveen tomorrow.

This is our billiard day with Russ & Carol. Tonight, my partner was Russ. It was a good night for Russ & I. Russ and Carol are better players than us but next week I think Jackie and I should take them on.

We came back to our house for drinks and appy’s.

A fun night, a productive day and another great day done in the books.

Wordle TIE.

Thought of the Day

Love Billiards. I beat people with a stick for fun !