Feb 1st

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 9 degrees, Calgary 13 degrees, Mesa 26 degrees” 

The weather everywhere is awesome for this time of year. I am enjoying our late evening walks at 18 above and the mornings now are warm enough no coat required.

Yesterday we received a robo-call on a emergency water shot down as the company doing the horizontal boring for our new fiber optic internet lines accidently severed a pipeline. I was out working and Jackie was golfing and we didn’t shit off the breaker to to water heater and the suction siphoned all of the water back out of the tank and fried our hot water heater element. It doesn’t take long with power on and no water. This is the second occurrence of this happening.

No shower this morning as the hot water heater wasn’t working and they had to shut the the water off again at 8am.

So a change of plans today as I was going to work on my outdoor kitchen weather proof `plug for the golf cart, Tomorrow !

Whipped to Home Depot and just like before the help there is just plain dumb. Fred and I walked the aisles, asked a orange vest and then had to check the webpage ourselves to find what we needed.

We installed a new heating element with 1500 watts and a back flow preventer. These things should be building code and maybe are today but in 2007 when we had ours built it wasn’t. We found the pieces we needed and fixed it all up. It took a awhile to get hot water as we went from cold water to hot water for the entire tank.

After it was done I reset the power and headed to pick up my re-shafted club. I picked it up and thought I may as well try it out on the screens. Third hit and my head goes flying almost hitting the cage attendant. I had to laugh. Better now than on the course hitting a fellow golfer or window. I think when I pick it up tomorrow I will use it a few more times before leaving the store. The stiffer shaft did seem odd but it may have been the head loose.

Two hours before heading to the billiard hall so my electrical work will wait until to Saturday as I am golfing tomorrow.

MINI RANT

In todays world to have a webpage down for maintenance it should be given the highest priority by any company. The Alberta Parks reservation site has been down for “maintenance “ since the end of November as I was planning to book our May Long site which for a group site you can book 180 days. Today it is still down.

With every kid coming out of university with a major in computer science, closely followed by social worker, you would think we could find enough tech guru’s that this would not happen.

To have this happen is annoying but this is day one of new month and my banks webpage is also down for maintenance and is inexcusable. It is just unfathomable to imagine that someone decided to shut it down on the first of the month, banking for everyone. The busiest day of transactions every month. NUTS ! Interesting to know how much money this generates with interest, missed payments, overdrafts etc for them.

We met Russ and Carol at the billiard hall for our weekly pool game. I thoroughly enjoy these nights. It was a very close night. Russ & I won on a eight ball scratch but we will take. The games were tied so one more to sort out a winner. Luckily we came through and took the title.

Russ & Carol came back to our house for a few drinks and snacks with it being 18 degrees out at least. After a bit the wind did come out which chilled it a bit. I am planning to close off our patio a bit with curtains to make a cozy spot even with the wind. A fun night !!

One of Jackie’s old school friends just posted she went skiing with her Mom. This lady is 99 years old and still skiing. Amazing

Wordle in TWO for Larry and the win.

Thought of the Day

A neat thing about billiards is you get to beat people with a stick and no one gets hurt.

Feb 2nd

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 6 degrees, Calgary 11 degrees, Mesa 15 degrees”

Lets see what the all knowing Ground Hog says about spring this year. We already know the equinox is on March19th this year which is earlier than normal but perhaps the weather will decide that spring should happen even earlier. Looking ahead the first two weeks of February are warm for Alberta so that only leaves about 4 weeks or so of possible cold weather. I would say that Alberta has had a unreasonably WARM winter. Albeit remember it is winter, where people are stuck in their homes, illness is abundant, some snow shoveling and some icy driving so while warmer still not the place I want to be at.

We had a rain shower last night so it helped me see where I had to adjust my design to stop the wetness. I will close in the south side and look at alternate methods to cover the top portion. But overall very happy.

With the rain it makes the bloom happen in the desert. This is a picture of Lost Dutchman Park across from Gold Town. We take every one of our visitors up this road to Tortilla Flats.

Well it happens. I was golfing with my Viewpoint group today. It is nice we are finally able to fill the tee times as people are coming back or returning from vacations etc. Great to have Kirk back and Bruce.

I think I have come to the realization that I cannot work on projects and expect good golfing to happen. Raising your arms over your head, using a impact drill over your head lends itself to a very sore back. I have lived with a sore back since a teenager and work thru it but stiffness and soreness when golfing even with mind over matter affects the game tremendously.

I scored my highest score since a game in 2020. At least I was not over a 100. I could not drive the drive the ball. I could not use my irons well, chipping sucked and putting was horrible. I started off with a triple, triple, double and by that time the game is really over and I was looking forward to the beers after. The next game is tentative now as I will be nervous of the same results. Pills and Lidocaine patch even if not feeling too bad will be used. Darn Darn

The guys came over to our place for our golf gathering which I always enjoy.

Another fun day ended.

We watched the NHL skills event which is a fun time. McDavid did very well but the media hype is just too much

Thought of the Day

“Technically I’m still young but according to my back pain I’m actually 67.”

February 3rd

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 4 degrees, Calgary 3 degrees, Mesa 17 degrees”

Jackie and I both slept in today which was nice.

Looking at Facebook, news, etc I am tired of seeing McDavid’s name and picture. Lets correct something right now. He is nowhere near the player that a lot of the past players like Wayne were. Not even close to Wayne. But he is the best player in the NHL today especially with his speed.

For years and years I always thought Darlene was older than me as her birthday was the day before mine. Today, Darlene turns 65 years old. It is one thing as your friends become quite aged but when your siblings turn 70 and 65 in the same year and then you realize how young you have stayed it is awesome.

I just looked at my calendar and lo and behold it is missing Feb 4th. Wonderful !

No birthday for me which is just fine.

Games night today and hopefully Fred and I are rewarded with much success.

We played a few games and can you believe on the eve of someone’s birthday they wouldn’t try to have that person win at least once. By that statement you can tell I lost at EVERY game we played. And they smiled !

We had a lot of fun with the different games all of them ending without a win for me. Unbelievable ! A fun night at the Keys !

Terry made me am awesome birthday carrot cake with cream cheese icing that was great tasting. Love it and the thought !
Daisy came with us and was the perfect dog all night.

A nice close to another wonderful day in our happy place.

Thought of the day

Don’t take a nap at this age or they want to bury you !

Feb 4th -5th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton -5 degrees, Calgary -1 degrees, Mesa 24 degrees”

Well, look at that Feb 4th did happen. What is special about Feb 4th? Nothing really but it does happen to my birthday. Not a special one but it is a another year older which I really don’t care for. I need to get some things done as time is moving too quickly as this is Jackie and I ‘s 10th anniversary of retirement. Each year your resources reduce and better to spend it now than when old and decrepit.

I will say I was very spoiled and enjoyed my birthday. First I had a blast pretending my feelings were hurt by everyone saying Happy to me. A oxymoron to have in the same sentence. I think most people figured out it quickly.

Lots of Facebook messages, Messager, phone calls and texts so it kept me busy.

Jackie made me eggs, bacon and French toast with coffee this morning which is perfect !

I also was very fortunate receiving some gifts that I loved.

We decided to go to Olive Garden for a early supper and then to the movies.

First, Olive Garden was quite busy at 4pm. Quite surprising really. We got our table with their wait line system which was very fast and worked good. Since popcorn and pop at the movie is a priority we didn’t want to eat too much. We both love their Salad and bread sticks. I had the Spaghetti and meatballs, and Jackie had the angel hair. Delicious !

Very very odd but as we drove up the theatre we noticed not a lot of cars in the parking lot. Perhaps Sunday night isn’t the busiest. My choice of movies was the Beekeeper and it turned out to be incredible. I love Jason Statham and this movie was perfect for him. High intense action from scene one to the end. 5 Stars !! I did find the last scene odd though but loved the movie.

A great day, another year older and looking forward to at least 20 more.

Today was my Viewpoint Group golfing. If you remember on Friday being the worst game in a long time, not taking any pills and having a very poor game. Today rub and pills and wham a good game. I liked the way I golfed today and remove the odd error based on talent or skill it would have a 70’s score. I need to get closer to the pin on Viewpoint to reduce the putts. That is all chipping which is a skill in itself. But happy with my golf today.

After golf gathering at Denis’s and the end to another day in paradise.

Long walk with Daisy in the warm dark evening and done!

Thought of the Day

A shot that goes in the cup is pure luck, but a shot that is within 2 ft is pure skill.

February 6th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton -2 degrees, Calgary -3 degrees, Mesa 18 degrees”

I started first thing with a trip to Home Depot. I was installing a weatherproof receptacle on the outdoor kitchen for the golf cart charger to plug into and Christmas lights.

Out with everything. Garbage cans and recycle cans, interior walls which are cement board and fridge removal to get at the back wall for running wires. I drilled a hole in the base and used two 90 degree PVC elbows and flex water proof connector thru the floor. I installed the expandable weather cover and plug. I ran the wires thru the metal studs using the plastic inserts I bought to another box I installed at the back of the kitchen for the TV and lights or accessory if needed. Hard to run the wires again to the entrance box and discovered I was a couple of feet short of wire. Luckily Tim had some extra 14/2 which saved me a trip to the Depot.

Wire 14/2 WOW have things changed. First to buy it at the store it is locked behind a cage. You have to get a orange vest to get it out and the store clerk has to walk to the check out counter with it for you. Now copper has gone thru the roof but this is ridiculous. Over $2 a foot insane .

I got it all done and was am happy with the job. As soon as my grommet and special drill bit arrive I will punch a hole thru for the TV cords and cable.

Ian our neighbor came over for supper and we made mashed potatoes, peas, salad and chicken cordon bleu along with gravy. I love talking to Ian as he was a very successful business man and has worldly smarts with “normal” thinking when it comes to most things like politics, EV and climate change.

A good day !

Jackie headed off to Bunco tonight

Thought of the Day

I did not fix an issue. I created a fix for a need.

February 7th-8th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton -1 degrees, Calgary -3 degrees, Mesa 14 degrees”

We have about three days in a row of wet weather and on the cool side. The valley loves the rain when they can get it as it is much needed to fill the reservoirs. I don’t care for it that much. LOL And we are getting record amounts. Monday we hot the mid 20’s again.

The weather worked out well as i need to get my budget sheets done and catch up a bit on my blog. Plus the Waste Management is going to be on.

It still amazes me every month when I see what we spend on certain things. January saw over $1300 again on groceries. You have to eat and we do not buy extravagant items it just adds up. Everything today in Mesa is more expensive than we want or remember, including golf. Inflation and price gouging is rampant.

Yet I wouldn’t change a thing other than wish I had a larger bundle of money to draw from. I love AZ and as I said plan to stay many more years.

Long walks at night with Daisy are nice.

Fiddled around fixing the odd thing, price checking and inventory checks for products I need. My special diamond tip drill bit arrived so I will cut my cord hole very soon.

Watched the WM until it was suspended. Watched the rain come over my new roof until I get my acrylic panel installed. I found a bad spot due to slope and spout issues where my siding is soft. It is fiberboard not cement board unfortunately. I think I will need to cut a piece out and install cement board skirt board. Big job !

I got on the golf cart cover just in time as the rain is coming down big time.

Thought of the Day

Little boys love rain and puddles.

Feb 9th–10th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton -3 degrees, Calgary -2 degrees, Mesa 14 degrees”

Last cool day and then up into the 70 degrees days again after the weekend. Having said that 14 degrees is still nice but with the wind and without the sun my fingers turned pure white. Hence why I will always head south.

Up at 6:25 to phone for a tee time for the guys. Out the door by 6:45 to take Jackie to the airport. Luckily no rush hour traffic so it was a easy drive and we made it in plenty of time.

I got home , showered made the bed and ate. I paid some bill and fixed up our tee sheets and then took Daisy to the park. A few dogs and a bit of fun but she didn’t run a huge amount. Did her business which is good.

I got ready for golf and checked the temperature. It was going to be a cool cool day at with it being around 14 degrees to start golf.

I golfed ok today. Out of both groups I finished low gross and second lowest net. Good drives and second shots but as usual on VP the putting was difficult.

Ron P played exceptionally well especially not golfing for a month. This man with putts 20 yards off the green and sinks four of them !

Pretty decent temperature but cold enough it still turned my fingers white. One of those days were pants were required. Not winter coats though .LOL

Off to Bruce’s place who’s wife went all out for us with salsa, chips, devilled eggs and meat and cheese. It was another enlightening experience as we solved the world problems once again.

A late night walk with Daisy and a movie and the day is over.

Thought of the Day

19th Hole- the next shot is in a the glass.

February 11th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton -1 degrees, Calgary 1 degrees, Mesa 13 degrees,”

The storm system hit as one more day left before it leaves. Rained most of the night and this morning. Our high at 13 degrees feels cold. This morning with Daisy at the park and light mist it was at 4 degrees. It is a wet heat ! Needless to say no friends and no business done. Arriving back and after her bath she quickly did her job to receive hidden treats. She knows it is cold outside.

I was planning to do some work today but I said forget it the warm weather happens over 70 above in two days so it can wait.

First day and clean up to keep up. LOL

The WM has been suspended, has had frost delays and I expect another wait until noon for the storm to pass. Nick Taylor our Canada guy is leading after an amazing round.

Just a few thoughts.

“Here is an article written by an eastern gentleman.

The Republic of Alberta has a nice ring to it.

This province should start negotiations with the rest of the country to secede from this once-great dominion. Let’s face it, Justin Trudeau and his political gang, including his climate hit-man, Steven Guilbeault, have little time for this maverick, tumbleweed western outpost.

Why stay? This isn’t Quebec, which gets everything it whines about and is essentially an independent nation with the exception of currency and, of course, grabbing all that equalization loot that Smith’s province mostly provides.

Alberta will never be able to entirely prosper within Canada, and that is even with a Conservative regime on Parliament Hill.

Do your own thing, Wild Rose Country; your time has come. “

I love being Canadian but the thought has merit. Alberta has been taken advantage of for years. I would prefer fair treatment within Canada but would not object to the radical change. My only fear would be we are landlocked as we know BC is a strange province. I can’t see it happening but I think we could use the idea as a incentive for the Canadian Govt to think differently.

I entered the scoring from our last round of golf today and I am impressed how accurate the caps are working. In my foursome we had 1 even par, 1 at one over par, 1 at 4 over par, and 1 at 7 over par. That is accurate.

Mid afternoon Daisy and I visited the north dog park. It was funny as she met a similar sized Shih Tzu male dog. They were tentative at first then started playing. The owner came over and said his dog was 4 years old but did not play with any dogs and he was surprised it was so active with Daisy. Everybody loves Daisy !

This afternoon I went to Mobile and Home Depot to pick up a few parts I need to finish off the cover. Things are sick expensive. I bought 3/32 Lexan which was $50 a sheet less than 1/4 Plexiglass and I think will work out perfect. The molding is light duty but with rubber washers and screws it will work.

Tonight while watching TV we had a huge thunderstorm and lightning show along with another downpour. Huge rain AGAIN .It wasn’t supposed to rain so I left off the cart cover so it means a wet ass tomorrow.

I watched the WM and they are having the issues with the weather. Tomorrow is supposed to be only 3 degrees at 8am so you know there will be a frost delay. We are about 20 degrees F below the normal right now. 70’s by Tuesday or Wednesday to get back to close to normal.

I have a tee time booked for 8am on Monday which I know will be cold. LOL Oh the woe’s of having to deal with adverse weather.

Feb 12th- 17th

Mesa weather has been wonderful with this entire week close to mid 70’s and reaching 80.

I have been very busy since Jackie left. It is actually a lot of work trying to keep everything neat and tidy, golfing, working on my kitchen and taking care of Daisy.

I will say I think I may have gained a couple of pounds with my food choices. LOL

I have been getting up much earlier than I like due to a couple of reasons but mostly due to Daisy. Very early for a couple of 8 am tee times, work, and a pickup.

It is still cool if not cold in the mornings until about 10 and then the sun heats up very fast. Monday golf at a 8 am shotgun was just that. Hands even were cold and turned white and then down to a shirt only. Wednesday golf was similar but a little warmer and Friday golf was just beautiful hitting close to 80 degrees. It is funny as I have been good but still scoring not great. I want consistent high 70’s or low 80’s. Mostly due to errors, chipping and putting. I won money on Monday, I won money on Wed and lost a bit on Friday. Monday was a good game overall, Wednesday a bit of driving and chipping issues and Friday awesome drives but chipping and mostly putting on the VP greens got me.

Speaking of Friday golf, I would say most people would characterize myself as a patient person. Ironic in a sense as I do everything FAST. But today it was frustrating with the group in front of us. We had four ladies that could only hit 100 yard drives, never hit the greens and walked at a snails pace back to their carts. Barry was hitting them long today as was I. We were quite careful until later in the game and then we pushed them a bit. As with a lot of golfers this group did not understand the golf etiquette and unwritten code of keeping up to the group in front if them. Then it happened. I took a mighty swing and my ball went past their golf cart going about 280 yards. Then Barry shoots his second shot from the adjacent fairway and his ball drops in the pond as they were walking back their carts. One of the ladies runs back to us with fire and knives in her eyes and had quite a verbiage directed at us. Remember what we have learned about testosterone level increases in older women and the rage it can bring on. Like a case of road rage on a golf course. We held off for a few holes but our drives today were awesome and many came up close to the greens and their carts. On one hole we both had close to 300 yard drives and were only 30 yards off the green and had wait while they putted and putted. This doesn’t help our scoring as the rhythm gets thrown watching the slow play over and over again and having to wait. Plus we were scared of them as she was vile.

Our after golf meeting was at Barry’s place and his wife Karen made us some Ukrainian dumplings stuffed with pork, onion ,garlic etc that were hot out of the oven and wonderful tasting. She went to all of that work for Barry and us and yet doesn’t clean his golf clubs when he gets off the course. Go figure !

I spent all day Tuesday and Thursday working on my outdoor kitchen. The plexiglass is installed and my barn wood just about complete. I am struggling this year as our expenses are extremely high compared to other years and I have taken cost cutting measures that are making my work more difficult on the kitchen and I have resorted to ” patchwork” rather than buy more material. I was short of barn wood by one piece but it is $89 to buy as I have to buy a package so I pieced a few pieces together. I have never done this in the past but I need to now.

I have taken Daisy to the north park more than the south park as it is smaller and many many more smaller dogs for her to play with. She is funny though as she has been playing shy for some reason overall with the other dogs.

I have had to wash the car twice as the birds are eating the hack berries and shitting on it everyday.

I had a fun evening and meal at Fred’s place. I love pork loin and it is one of my top 5 dishes for supper I really like. They have a new version of Nine Hole or Golf which is a little more difficult but fun. I must not have been the big winner as I don’t remember the actually winning or losing. I do remember the great meal and fun games though. Fred’s three finger drinks !!

Another day on the kitchen and then I will rest for awhile. Hopefully only four or five hours and then sit in the shade in the back.

Lots of dogs this morning at the park. Daisy is a social butterfly with the people and has to meet every dog that comes thru the gate, first. One big Labradoodle was her favorite playmate today. The owner was babysitting and brought him to the park. It was rather odd as she made me feel uncomfortable, sitting beside me on the two person bench and with every sentence touching my arm as she spoke.

Fred came over and we finished off the kitchen except for the edge trim that I can’t find where to buy yet. I am thinking Tractor Supply. I need one brightly colored Gecko for the end wall and then complete.

Cut back the Palm tree and cleaned up the aluminum pieces .

Soup and salad supper as with Jackie gone I gained two pounds and I do not ever go over a certain weight number. Should be back to normal in two days.

Two great movies Daisy and I watched tonight. One on Prime and one on Netflex.

It is hard keeping the place clean with one person and a dog and being busy. Here is where we all need to give credit to the stay at home Mom’s as that is a difficult job.

Thought of the Day

Wanting to be the cool stay at home Mom is dangerous !

February 18th

” Mercury Forecast Edmonton 4 degrees, Calgary 6 degrees, Mesa 24 degrees”

I do have to say the weather in Alberta for the winter of 23/24 has been incredible and I expect all of the residents love it. Ok while good even exceptional it doesn’t change the fact you are still limited in what you can do. The Mesa weather is back to normal and is beautiful as it is not to hot.

I went to finish off my kitchen today but the neighbor was having a reunion of sorts from their small town in Saskatchewan. This town of Lampman has a population of 800 people and they had 42 guests all enjoying the Mesa lifestyle. That is 5% of the town here in one spot. Amazing .

Luckily for me the breakfast gathering ended up 2pm. I helped trim Fred’s Palm tree in the morning and went to get groceries.

I then started and finished about 5 pm. I am happy with how it turned out. It is a outdoor kitchen with a rustic country vibe and a modern twist. Looks great and we are protected from any weather. Galvanized corrugated roofing, 3 x 3 aluminum posts, 3/32″ plexiglass upper panels, barnwood sides and rear panel,24 x 24 slate tile, clear white rope lighting, fridge, storage panels, with a TV sitting on the top.

Glad it is done and love the looks.

After finishing I sat and enjoyed the final Genesis PGA golf. How much better can life be than sitting outside watching sports and having a wonderful baked potato , salad, roasted carrots and ribeye steak. Awesome!

Government booking for campsites still screwed up. Amazing ! Mt Kidd still not open for week needed. Amazing !

A few things from our Alberta home.

Our Oasis RV Resort is having a family skate on our pond this weekend and it looks like everyone is having a blast with the warmer weather.

It was a birthday get together for Penny at Audrey’s house. Look at all of these women. The Huggett name and the Willard name wasn’t helped with all of the females. Funny how the next generation is all boys.

Thought of the Day

Some family trees bear an enormous amount of nuts, others all girls.

February 19th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 4 degrees, Calgary 5 degrees, Mesa 26 degrees”

I do have to say it will nice to have Jackie home as I HATE getting up early. Every once in a while it is ok but not everyday. Due to golf, building, Daisy etc it seems everyday early rise. It is beyond me why anyone would get up early. That one or two hours in the morning after 6 or 7 is heavenly. What is unique is that the bulk of the early risers are also the early to bed people. What gives ? I prefer 11pm bed to make the most of the night and 8 to 9 for rise. Early risers have also been labelled as the most dangerous at work and on the road driving.

You need to get to the dog park at the right time or Daisy doesn’t get to see her friends and I need her to move as she doesn’t get the walking that Jackie does with her.

Luckily she did her business fairly quickly so we didn’t spend a lot of time at the park.

With the warmth I just took pills and I felt good. Funny day golfing. Funny as in fun with my group and funny with the scoring. Two eagle putts making one of them and too many birdies from our group with firewater heating the tummy and making the head feel light.

Eagle and birdies and then an 8 and 7. Darn and it ended up costing me some money. A nice visit with the group at Denis’s place and we are all set.

More play time at the doggie park and then to a wonderful BBQ chicken supper.

Thought of the Day

If you can drink and smoke while playing is it really a sport? Same goes with sex.

February 20-21st

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 4 degrees, Calgary 6 degrees, Mesa 26 degrees”

The Alberta temperatures are expected to be over 20 degrees cooler in the next couple of days. Mesa has a full week of close to 80 degrees coming up.

The first time in a long long time where the heat got to me. I felt dizzy and tired from the heat.

I worked all day from 9 am to 4 pm. I first started on adding a few more brackets to keep my light lines straight. I then started on the downpipes and eavestrough. I removed them all and used a new down bracket. Plenty of caulking and screws and hopefully no leaks. I re-redirected the front downpipe to keep the water from running into the neighbors place.

I picked up Daisy from her beauty salon and she looks wonderful. She is always kept in the front kennel and when she sees or hears me goes nuts to get out. She loves me!

The builder of our Arizona room used LP Smart Siding instead of James Hardie and not using a flashing and not keeping it from contacting the cement has caused the bottom siding board to absorb water and become mushy in spots. My plan is to replace it with a pressure treated board or PVC and install a large flashing. I need a week of perfect weather so today I did a patch repair. I had to use a full tube of caulk. I caulked the entire bottom edge and seams which will work until I do the ultimate fix.

This is on the west side and right in the direct sunlight !

We went to both dog parks this evening .

A early rise with a 7:15 am pickup for golf with my men’s group. I love this game that Bill organizes and the course we play at.

I had a great group of guys. Three Saskatchewan guys and myself. One of the guys from Nipawin ( pop 4000) which is a town that one of my playing partners at Turner Valley is from and friend Earle Pollock is from. Small world one could say but it gets better than that. He worked in Edson and knows my cousin Jack Dickson and his son Chase well. It happens so often.

I won money so all is good but our captain and myself struggled today. I would have a wonderful drive, great second shot and be left with a 20 yard chip. Shank, duff, skull, etc would happen every time. I HAVE to get better at chipping and I usually can figure things out to work for me but the chipping is killing me.

It is interesting to see the cognitive decline in people as they age. Some become angry, some seek isolation, and some don’t want change. The odd forgetful thing happens, fear increases and they don’t want to drive at night or in rush hour, or on a busy freeway, won’t drive unless it is 80 above and dry roads, depth perception causes backing up issues and squeezing between objects, struggle with modern technology and don’t keep up with changes, and allow loss of control in a lot of different aspects of their lives.

The sunset tonight was spectacular.

Daisy was a very good girl all day and at the park tonight had a nice run with another dog. You know as a parent how you feel when you want your kid to be welcomed into a group, or play with a friend, I feel this for Daisy as more often than not she is the smallest dog and the larger dogs play too rough. Her little legs just don’t move fast enough. Her quick direction changes work but eventually she gets caught in a corner.

Thought of the Day

Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read

February 22nd

” Mercury Forecast Edmonton 9 degrees, Calgary 11 degrees, Mesa 26 degrees”

At the dog park this morning I ran into a lady that was quite interesting. She was telling me she had friends that sold their Viewpoint unit a few years back and bought a single family in the residential area of Mesa but now are re-buying back in Viewpoint. They missed the social aspect and amenities but were surprised at the new lot rates. Here is what I liked about this woman. She stated are they nuts, that she couldn’t go on a vacation for 3 weeks for $10k and she can stay here for 6 months for that. She is so right and it baffles me peoples logic when they are discussing the rates. The rate will GO UP every year, get used to it. Wages, taxes, everything goes up. Stop paying it lump sum so the amount seems like huge amount compared to paying monthly.

Ps you are buying a lifestyle not a 3 week vacation that when it is over, quickly I might add, you will wonder how to stay warm or what do to with yourself for the other 5 months of winter.

Having said this some people do consider themselves on vacation here with the amount of booze and partying. That is fine and fun but Jackie and I prefer to live here and enjoy by watching our alcohol and food intake.

We bought Viewpoint for the exact same reasons. 4 pools, tennis courts, pickleball courts, shuffleboard courts, pool hall, dance hall, meeting rooms and lessons on EVERYTHING, music on the green each week, Burger night, music in the parking lot Friday nights, dances, plays, shows with dinner, 2 golf courses and many classes and clubs. If you are bored or lonely it is your own fault and you do not get this with a single family home. You may know one or two neighbors on your block but we knew quite well literally 50 or more people. 100 hello’s every day.

I liked this ladies perception.

It was clean up day. I finished off my work on the shed, troughs, siding, kitchen etc and the started to clean up before Jackie arrives. This is the work I really hate. Floors, counters etc. It won’t be good enough but it should pass.

The finally a few hours of relax. Daisy and I sat on the back deck and enjoyed the warmth and shade for her.

Today is also Penny’s birthday. Not just a birthday but a special one. The big 40th. There are a few birthday’s that are special. Number 1, Number 13, Number 16, Number 18 or 21, Number 30, Number 40, Number 50,60,65,75,80,90, and 100.

Penny is an amazing lady. The strongest lady I know. I have seen the weight she can lift. She is not scared to tackle any chore and does a wonderful job. An infectious laugh, loves staying up late, enjoys people and family. We all enjoy having her in the family.

Happy Birthday Penny

Clean up time as Jackie arrives in the morning. Floors. counters, sinks, toilet and shower quick clean. I do not do as good as job as Jackie by far, i don’t enjoy it, but like the results after. If I was alone I would hire a housekeeper. I would even give up a ONE golf game to pay the keeper. LOL

A walk in the warm evening around the park and another glorious day ended.

Thought of the Day

People say housework can’t kill you but I don’t like taking the risk

February 23rd -24th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 1 degrees, Calgary -3 degrees, Mesa 26 degrees”

Up at 6:30 am to book golf tee times. NUTS ! But the process is so much easier now and no issue getting them so I don’t mind it.

Jackie’s flight was delayed by only 1/2 hour. Flair has been good for us every time so lucky, Sad that we lost Lynx as we need discount carriers in Canada. People whine and complain about the pricing of flights and then don’t support a new company.

Westjet has gone mainstream and is high priced and owned by Onex so I dislike to support them. Air Canada the best airline of the bunch is just a way way too pricey. Similar to to lack of support for Lynx ( and I hope Porter gets support for a inter Canada company) the support of the Winnipeg Jets is faltering and that city could lose it’s second NHL team. People are dumb. If you want the mainstream airlines to adjust their pricing down support the smaller lines and if the impact is enough the higher priced guys will adjust. Just remember you get what you pay for and the locations, timing, service, and amenities and conveniences will also be better on a “higher” priced line.

A easy cell lot park and pickup which was great. Daisy kissed Jackie the whole way home and won’t leave her alone. Traitor ! Daisy will be in for a surprise with getting back to her routine and rules.

Then off to my men’s group at Viewpoint. We are running full tee sheets now which is great,

Two things, I lost a bit of money and didn’t score well( putting and two lost balls) but had some wonderful drives. Hole number 2 landed pin high just a few yards to the right of the green at 311 yards and hole number 10 landed 3 ft off the green at 291 yards.

As usual a fun group and fun times ending it Kirk’s back palace. Shrimp cocktail is something you cant go wrong with.

I am going to attempt ( remember my buddies are all old and don’t like change) to change up our corners game one time to see if everyone would like a closest to the pin and and a net/gross skin game.

Th end of another day in paradise hitting over 80 degrees.

Thought of the Day

Paradise is not a beach, vacation, golf game etc, it is a state of mind

February 25th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 0 degrees w/heavy snowfall warning then COLD, Calgary 7 degrees then turning COLD, Mesa 27 degrees”

It looks like Punxsutawney Phil was right after all. A winter like no other may be winding down next week, when temperatures across a large swath of the US soar to levels you’d expect in May or June — rather than the end of February. It has been a unusually good winter across Canada and other than a week of wet here a very nice winter.

I finally was able to book MT Kidd for the week after the May Long Weekend. We have booked and put a deposit on our houseboat adventure in June and now just have to wait and hope I get lucky with our May weekend plans. Booking FINALLY opens Feb 28th and you know it will be a disaster trying to book.

I was talking to Jackie and I think we are going to plan a longer bigger cruise for 2025 as it her 65th birthday. This is where a dog becomes an issue.

Just a wonderful day with no wind, close to 80 degrees and the fresh smell of blossoms in the air.

Fred Terry and Tim were coming over for a games afternoon and supper.

This morning for a 1/2 hr or so we prepared the Cottage Pie cooking the meat and potatoes up and sautéd the onions and carrots. Assembled it all adding the Worcestershire sauce, spices, beef broth ,peas and corn a must have. Turned on the slow cooker and let it stew. A 1/2hr before supper drop into the oven, add the three cheeses and let bake and broil until bubbles and cheese crust around the edges.

I think I may have to change my middle name to GAMER as tonight was just my lucky night with everything going my way.

Tim had company arrive and plans changed so they joined us for a visit and we invited them to eat supper. I like how my Mom when cooking always made extra, more than required, and I always do the same. I think it goes back to going to people’s homes and looking to see how many people are past you before deciding how much to take. I hate that.

Luckily as usual I bumped up the quantity and we had plenty for the two extra guests. Two nice people and great they could join us. Supper turned out wonderfully accompanied by a great Caesar Salad and garlic toast Jackie made.

Sitting outside having supper and playing games is my happy place. It was an exceptionally warm evening.

Tim and guests left to get some things done and we played more games with Larry being the big winner. It was a lucky day. I really like the 5 Crowns game as it is fast, fun and you can play to “hurt” others games. Just makes it interesting.

Daisy was very good with all of the company.

Thought of the Day

Cards are war, in disguise of a sport.

February 26th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton -16 degrees blizzard, Calgary -15 degrees, Mesa 24 degrees”

Edmonton under a heavy snowfall warning and Calgary cold. This is winter in Canada. Even today though at 24 degrees we were surprised with it was sprinkling rain on us for two holes. I had to put on my rain jacket on for a very short time.

Remember I am golfing with seniors. The gentleman that golfs with us each Monday booked the two tee times last Monday for the 1pm shotgun. He messages just before 8am that he and his partner made an error and showed up for the early 8am shotgun. Remember he booked it. LOL The fun and games !! He played the early round and we played the afternoon round. I do not care for the early tee times as it wrecks both your breakfast and lunch meals. Plus the fact getting up early in not in my DNA. Here is a little snippet of an article :

Sacrificing sleep means you may be hit by the many negative effects of sleep deprivation, including moodiness, poor concentration, potential weight gain, anxiety, increased risk of heart disease and higher blood pressure and reduced cognitive ability.

So if early rising means cutting sleep, don’t do it. Salas says she’s had patients come into her clinic who got by on reduced sleep in their 20s and 30s, but struggled as they got older, their lifestyles changed and they had kids.   

“If you start early, you will need to stop work earlier too, so there may be no real benefits,” points out Gail Kinman, professor of occupational health psychology at the University of Bedfordshire in Luton, England. She thinks that high-profile businesspeople who follow up an early start with long hours in the office or a late-night presence on email have a damaging effect. 

I golf much better in the afternoon than in the morning.

I lost money today. An off day controlling the ball. I had 2- triples and a quad boogie with many pars and two birdies but still ended up with a high 80’s.

Loads of fun. I do need new grips on my clubs which i think will help.

After golf we had a get together at our place. Jackie had everything ready to go with cooked meatballs, sauces, veggies etc. It was very good and I liked it and I am sure the others did also. She did keep a whack of meatballs in the house so the guys did not eat as much as they most likely wanted thinking the qty was limited.

Like always, a very fun group of guys to play with and gathering. My small fridge gets cleaned out fast with 8 guys as two beer each is a case and 1/4. I should have used a larger size but was limited in spacing.

I started the process of our annual end of the season weenie roast. This goes back a lot of years. The first one was many years ago created by Bob Ferris. We came up with this idea and picked a date. Wouldn’t you know it both Pat and Jackie were away. I have to say we did very well. It was fun and became an annual fun event that everyone enjoys. March 15th this year and it looks like 20 people this time.

Fred & Terry’s sale of their home is finalized here in Viewpoint. To say we will miss them is a understatement. Besides being close friends before Viewpoint ( 1983 in St Albert) we spent 10 full years here every winter and numerous weeks other years with them. We both bought homes in 2007 ( 17 years ago) in Viewpoint and have had many adventures. Some great travel trips coming down here. Road trips, projects,( a way too many to name ) dances, parties, game nights, dining out, family events, shows and get togethers. It is always nice to have someone that is a long term friend close by.

We will still carry on having “fun” at Viewpoint just not the same. Wow does time fly. It won’t be the same ! We still miss Bob & Pat Ferris our old neighbors.

Just one word of caution. I have always said it is dangerous to “shrink’ your world.

There are some decisions we all make in our lives that can’t be undone. The question is can you live with your decision, will it make you happy, will it last and could have it been done differently.

Thought of the Day

If you want to reach your goals you must shrink your but ! ( you many need to think about this)

February 27th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton -16 degrees, Calgary -15 degrees, Mesa 24 degrees”

Woke up to another wonderful day. Jackie was up early out of the house and off to yogi. Daisy and I headed to the dog park where she had a blast today. Lots of running around and visiting with her friends. A nice conversation with numerous dog owners covering everything and we solved a few problems.. Between dog owners and golfers if the governments would ask all of the issues would be solved. Daisy had two large poops this morning as she was spoiled with my guys feeding her after our golf game yesterday.

I came home and made a couple of calls to see about getting new grips on a few of my clubs. I got lucky and Vans will have them ready for me this afternoon. Some of the grips were quite smooth as they are only designed to last about 30 rounds or so. It makes a big difference and i have two important games coming up. Tomorrow I am playing with my friend Sandy in our monthly SNIPS game. Two things here as I want to, not only win snips to make bigger money, I want to beat Sandy. He is a better player than I but on any given day if he slips a little and I do well I can beat him gross score and net score. Second I have a CAN-AM tournament I am entered in on Sunday at Superstitions Springs Golf course where I want to golf great for my VP TEAM. I am thinking we need to be at least -10 to be in the running.

Tonight was Bunco night for the girls. Fred and i watched a movie while they were playing a few houses down. The Movie was an older one called Conagher with Same Elliot and Katherine Ross. It was a great movie as I love car chase. action and Western Movies. Katherine Ross for me always had a “look” about her I liked. I think from the movie the Graduate or Butch Cassidy but she is a very pretty lady. She has a look similar to Jackie. What I did learn is Sam and her have been married since 1984 and that she was married 4 times before Sam so you know she is a difficult woman to live with.

Thought of the Day

“Marriage is like a funny, version of Everybody Loves Raymond, only it doesn’t last 22 minutes. It can last forever.”

February 28th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton -11 degrees, Calgary 4 degrees, Mesa 79 degrees”

I had to throw this in . Love the AZ sun.

Two birds hit my plexiglass. They will learn.

I just noticed it is leap year this year. It always fascinates me how we figured out a system to change our calendar every four years to “catch” up our our solar rotation. That 1/4 turn every year would cause havoc and what a easy fix unless you were born on the 29th. That would suck.

I would say to have a birthday on Dec 25th or Feb 29th are the worst days ever to have a birthdate.

Todays golf- Let me tell you how well new grips work. WONDERFUL as they make a huge difference. Not my lowest score but I felt comfortable hitting my shots and it could have been my best except for chipping errors. I will work on this, Having said that. I lost to Sandy on the gross score by 7. and net score by 2. He played exceptionally well and had his lowest score of 2024 on this course.

But money came my way. My team won two TRAIDS and I won one SNIP. I was quite happy with how I played. One bad slice but with a mighty swing over the trees from another fairway landed on the green and a close putt ending with a PAR. No complaints other than chipping so I will focus on that for a bit, again.

80 degree weather makes up for the 6:30 start as it was just a wonderful day on the course. Love Arizona yet tonight when walking with Daisy at dusk it went from 27 degrees to 15 degrees instantly. Jackie even received a dust storm alert on her phone. When I say this it makes me laugh as years ago Jeff & Wendy along with us were golfing Johnson Ranch when our phones went wild with a emergency alert wind warning. People were flying with their carts to the clubhouse. We hide behind a hill and the wind went right over us and two minutes later like nothing happened.

FINALLY today the government webpage for group sites opened. I expected mass chaos and I had to ask Jackie to try to book for us as it opened at 9am and i was on the course. Wonderful secretary as she excelled in booking the spot. So we have our May Long Weekend booked. We put the $600 down payment in and will get transfers when we know how many are attending. We booked the same spot as last year for a couple of reasons. First it is a huge spot that we can spread out and and still be connected and together. Second it is midway between Edmonton and Calgary which works well and third the space is perfect for the dogs and games. I hope this year we can have a fire as that is camping. I will send out the info soon for everyone to prepare for the event. Keith and us have camped the May Long for years. We started at 18 yrs old, may have missed a few when we moved to Calgary but I would say at least 30 times if not close to 40. The stories I could tell of some of these trips when we were young. LOL

Couldn’t sit outside tonight with the cold wind from a system. Tomorrow is supposed to be back up to 80 so a short window of cold.

So, things are getting organized. We have booked the firepit for our annual weenie roast and have the confirmation of 20 attendees. We have paid the deposit and booked our family houseboat trip on Koocanusa Lake in June. We have booked and paid the deposits our campsites at Mt Kidd for the week after the May Long. We have booked and paid deposits on the group site for May Long Weekend with our group. We are planning to come home earlier than I like but I will have ran out of days and side plans in place. Still need to organize our cruise for 2025 which I will work right away. I am waiting for the booking window to open at Kananaskis Golf to book as we have done in years past. Jackie is organizing a 12 lady golf group each week and I am organizing a 8 man golf group each week. I am down to my last few things to get done this year in AZ before we leave.

Thought of the Day

I don’t do boredom. Being busy makes life fun !

February 29th

Leap Year Day.

This morning I delivered four chairs to a ladies home that Jackie golf with as after golfing the ladies were having a after party.

Then i whipped off to Tim’s to see how Fred and Tim were making out on the reno. The got the shower all plumbed and installed yesterday which is a good day as that part takes a while. Today was bead board install day. It isn’t the easiest when most walls and on the older units in particular are out of square.

The beadboard is done so another good day. I will say it is different than I would have done. In my opinion it makes it a way easier, looks better and faster to build a casing/return box and slip it up to the window. You only require one caulk line at the meet of the return and window frame. You don’t have to worry about an out of square window or wall this way and you get a consistent 1/8 reveal. In a reno with out of square walls use a 3/4 square in the inside corner and butt up the bead board again straight and very little caulk needed. They are using a solid cornice molding for the ceiling to wall meet which is a great idea. I love the looks of the new shower, the shower head height and I am sure after it is done will look very nice. It already looks totally different. I didn’t have to work to hard today.

At 4pm we met Russ & Carol at the billiard hall. I will say the boys handed it to the girls tonight. It was one of those days were everything went right and surprised myself with some shots.

After pool we had a very nice visit at Russ & Carols place. I love the looks of their house. Just nice people and a car guy.

The end of another month. No time to do my budgeting so hopefully on the weekend I can get it done.