Let’s all look forward to a wonderful year. Prosperity, good heath, wonderful adventures and friendships abound.

Well, I had quite the adventure with a kitchen faucet. I have changed in my life time at least 20 or more faucets. Some with a little difficulty, but most a 1/2hr job or so. This one was a nightmare. I was on my way to Home Depot and thought I would check with Fred if he brought his Pex crimpers rather than rent them. As luck would have it he did. Not only his crimpers but his plumbing kit including shutoff valves.

So off to work I go. 5 minutes to remove the old faucet which is normal and not even having to use a wrench which is the way a lot of plumbing is supposed to be tightened. I installed the new shutoffs and then went to put in the taps when I realized the shutoffs were Pex to Pex not Pex to 3/8 compression. So I had to cut them off and lucky enough the supply lines were long enough. Off to Depot to get the correct shutoffs. Depot’s plumbing department drives me nuts with the lack of correct product. I ended up with only one version better of shutoff not the ones I really wanted.

Came home and installed the taps and soap dispenser and did a leak test. Water sprayed out like a water fountain. Numerous attempts to fix and no resolve. Fred came over and we tried everything to fix it with no solution. I hate when a simple thing goes sideways. Fred & I went back to the Depot and found a plumbing “expert” which is really an old guy that knows a bit about everything. We spend 45 mins to an hour looking and checking and trying to find a solution. The Depot rep even opened a tap box like the one I bought and a American Std one to check on the supply lines.. The AS one was double the price I paid for my Glacier Bay one. Same look but different and normal supply lines. We decided after a lot of consultation to try one more thing on my tap and I bought the American standard to change it out with if we couldn’t make this work.

We tightened the compression fittings extremely tight and smiled as it appeared to work and we didn’t break the thing. But after a few minutes more leakage. I turned off the shutoff’s and we went to our NYE party.

Great band, I thought they served a wonderful prime rib dinner and full attendance around the 750 people.

After I took the picture I noticed I got Tim Hunter ex Flames tough guy in it as he was sitting at the table beside us. Tim lives in the park and we see him quite often golfing.

This party/dances and concerts Viewpoint puts on are always a lot of fun.

I lost a couple of friend’s to the very dark under belly of humanity by them being male and succumbing to female pressure and being emasculated by receiving a pedicure but now it’s ugly head rises again and as you can see by one picture above Terry and Jackie participated in line dancing. I have always said, and stand by it today, that line dancing was created for gay men and old maid or single women. Now it is becoming main stream. Not good ! Take note, the the song Achy Breaky Heart (lonely women, single women mourning and longing) was the song that launched line dancing

It was a fun time. We had a drink before going at Fred’s and too many drinks at the dance. I can say it was the most I have had for a long time and the same with Jackie. The pricing again has gone up with beer now $4 instead of the $2 it used to be. It is the new way.

Jackie even used her influence and got our table called early for supper. She had met the organizer at the garage sale and joked with her about a gentleman at our table whose birthday it was and suggested a bribe to get our table called. The lady within 5 minutes calls our table. Yes !

I had to leave around 1am from Fred’s place as I was feeling a little wonky and it was a long drive home. LOL ( golf cart, private property, and no old people still awake and downhill)

A fun night to start off a NEW YEAR.

First thing in the morning when waking up with a headache I looked at my supply lines. I wrenched one more time excessively in my mind and I became very happy. My tissue test shows DRY. I can return the American Standard now. I hope the screen in the line never plugs as I am sure it will be impossible to stop leaking. Done, Happy. Annoyed it was difficult but Happy it is finally done.

Two pictures from yesterday to give an idea why we love Viewpoint Resort !

It is weird that all of a sudden we are seeing a huge amount of Covid again. I understand a lot of people did not get the update vaccines due to what I believe is vaccine overload. They are pushing covid, flu, rsv, plus other’s like shingles too much.

I know of at least 6 relatives and in the park one of our golfers wife has it. I believe there are more than likely a lot more, but people don’t test anymore. I think it will be with us forever just like a standard flu and will kill people every year. But without all of the media hype we will carry on living and not destroy the economy or be scared to live. By the way the USA government just sent me 3 more free home testing kits.

We were awful sluggish today. All day. One night of fun becomes two days of recovery.

We went for groceries and Jackie came home and made a wonderful tasting coleslaw. We were heading to Fred & Terry’s place for a game night. We didn’t realize we all would be so tired.

Fred is one of the best BBQ guys there is. A perfect beef roast on the spit for beef on a bun was fantastic. Cooked to perfection with great au jus and the salads made a wonderful supper.

The game part of the night, not so good. The ladies have horseshoes I am sure. They soundly beat the guys again in our cribbage games. Then it was every person for themselves at 5 Crowns and Jackie had more than horseshoes coming out the big winner again. Not a good start to 2024.

Thought of the Day

I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.

January 2nd

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

I did my banking and was pleasantly surprised with the returns last month on our investments. To spend and then have the amount be higher than the previous month is a good thing. Nice when the exchange is healthy also. Lets hope it keeps it up. Vote out Trudeau and the return will be substantial.

BACK HURTS !

Quite a day. A full 7 1/2 hours of labor up and down a ladder.

First on the agenda was Christmas lights take down. A lot of the people are not back yet so that means a lot of homes to remove lights. I was fortunate enough to have Jack and Denis help me and we started on one end and worked our way up the block. It meant Christmas lights on each roof line and peak and disassemble of the Noel signs at each home. It was lovely working outside in bright clear sky with sunshine. We had about 20 homes to do.

Then I started on my own house. Wow did I go Chevy Chase on this but already have plans for next year to be better. I had a lots of lights to take off and put away.

The lights came off and the trees needed to be trimmed. I started and got mine all done then noticed the neighbors required a lot of cutting. It is a bigger tree and huge thorns but I got it all done and received two free storage bins. Awesome !

Then Denis needed help building a PVC shed. We worked on that until completion. It went together reasonably well and relatively timely.

Light take down on 20 homes, three large trees cut and trimmed, one shed built, and everything put away for another year so a great day.

I will need pills and BENGAY tonight for my men’s league at Aquilla Golf course for tomorrow. LOL

Thought of the Day

When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a good taste of religion

January 3rd

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

Today was my golf league out of the park at Aquilla. As I have said most of this group is from Saskatchewan or from Sun Lakes here in AZ. Great group of nice guys and the best organization of a league ever.

Today I had a school teacher from Moose Jaw, and two American retirees. The weather today was exceptional with no wind, bright and sunny. Hitting 18 above in the bright sun just feels hot when sitting in the cart. The temperature rises fast in an hour after starting off cool at 6 degrees.

Today I golfed wonderfully. Could have done so much better but I am pleased. My team nor I won money today which was unfortunate. In our Triads game you need three out of four team members to have a good day. We had two with great scores( in the low 5 of the group) and two with very high scores ( two highest of the group)

We had 24 seasoned golfers today. I ended up with the 5th lowest Gross score out of 24 and the Low net score winner. Love the game. One hole I screwed up on and lip outs would have made a huge difference as I was only 3 strokes out of being in first place on the gross side. Awesome ! In our group today of 24 we had 10 players with a cap of 10 or less with 1 scratch golfer.

I used for the first time a Lidocaine Patch and talk about wonderful. Instant pain relief and it lasted for at least 6 hours. Amazing. I adhered it to my one side long back muscle that is my nemesis and all day golfing was perfect. It was about 4 x 8 inches so covers a large area. Loved it. I will have to research the negative to it as it was too good to be true. Higher percentage than Bengay or Volteran.

I got home, started to clean up and cover up as a light rain storm of 1/10 of an inch is supposed to hit us tonight. I was checking the weather for my blog and just let me say this to the Edmonton and Calgary folks. Winter is coming. And it is coming hard in a few days. I am so thankful to be here. That reminds me I better check my sun tan lotion.

Wordle in 5 today for me and 4 for Jackie

Thought of the Day

A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 
‘Keep off the Grass’ 

January 4th-5th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton -4 degrees, Calgary 4 degrees, Mesa 15 degrees”

The rain came last night just as predicted and great that I closed everything up and covered up.

It is funny how cool it seems. As I said looking ahead Alberta is going to plummet but we are running cooler than average also hitting only 14 to 16 degrees which is nice summer day in Calgary.

Jackie went for her early morning walk and Daisy had a party in the park with all of her dog friend’s. She came home a little on the dirty side and tired.

Jackie got ready for her ladies golf group this morning. She had a few cancellations due to the chill and a few with illness. A lot of people with colds, flu and Covid.

Out of 8 ladies booked 5 showed up. The ironic and funny thing is the players were all of the older ladies one being 84 that wanted golf. Good on her. It ended up being a fun day golfing for them.

As it was cool out I worked on my budget sheets, watched some hockey and relaxed with Daisy. I finished December and once again shocked at how expensive some things are getting and wonder how people really can afford to live. If we don’t change governments soon we all will be trouble. Don’t wait until 2025 Mr Singh. Two items that stand out in the December budget( I won’t mention gifts) are groceries and gas. We spent $174 on gas in November compared to $659 on gas in December) For two people, mind you bigger meals including Christmas gatherings $1605 on groceries in one month. Stupid !

Our block is changing fast and vastly in the years we have been here. We have 5 homes for sale on our block, so many more changes to come. Illness, aging out and death taking people away from a place they love. Our health care needs to do better. One of our old neighbors just died and it is funny what you learn about someone after the fact. He was born in Sask and owned multiple KFC franchises in BC. The neighbor lady across the street died 2 days ago and her story also interesting having to escape Nazi Germany.

We have owned at Viewpoint for 17 years now and we have only 4 units that have been here longer than us out of 33 homes on our block. Two from 1995 and two from 2005. One of these is for sale right now and most likely the other for sale shortly. So we have seen some pretty big turnover which always happens in ” senior” communities. We see the exact same thing at our condo. I enjoy new people coming but do miss some special neighbors we have had over the years.

Junior hockey without Canada just isn’t the same to watch. Flames are doing ok being only two points behind the Oilers for having no star power. Hopefully another win tonight as the Oilers with another win streak are pulling ahead of other teams.

I am down to two things to do. Build my shed and finish my outdoor kitchen roof.

I love the the combination of warm weather, golfing, sitting outside, projects and great people to socialize with. I am hoping for 10 more years of Arizona unless I score an even par on a course as I then can quit the game.

( see pic below) In every mans dream and wish list. I can’t wait until tonight to see where this dream goes.

The sunset tonight was spectacular. This was taken by the pool. It looks warm out but tonight I had to have a hoodie on when Jackie & I went out for our walk.

Thought of the Day

Dreaming of playing golf can often symbolize precision, accuracy, and a competitive edge in your waking life

January 5th

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

Looking at the forecast of all three places and I see -30 degrees in the very very near future for Alberta and a colder week ahead for us. Having said that it is WINTER in AZ with us only at 15 degrees. I had to actually wear pants today golfing just to feel comfortable while moving in the cart.

My Viewpoint golf group today. I will start with saying I was the only one that WON money today. The dollars came my way. Dollar with a S. A low 80’s score but I did not play well with many poor putts and the odd shot just not going were it was supposed to. That is the game of golf.

First time using the new handicap system I created and I am very pleased with the accuracy of it. In my group on the net side which we use for dollars being paid out we had one even par, 2 under par by one and one over by 4. That is pretty good. I have one long excel formula yet to work out to have my sheet updated after each entry. I need to use the “count” function divided by 2 using 50% of the “count” “averaged” minus 71

Never less very nice to be back playing with the guys. Sunshine but cool and no wind.

The guys came back to my house for a few drinks and snacks that Jackie had put together for us. Nice and perfect. I had to turn on the heater !!!!

Daisy had every one of her dog friends today at the park to play with so she was loving it plus having pets from every guy at the table. Spoiled brat.

The streets look so dark now without Christmas lights on our walk tonight. Only one hold out street with the lights still on. Perhaps a large Ukrainian population.

This morning I had to find a user name and password for my Domain. It has been 10 years since I registered my domain and set up my blog. 10 years. I was lucky to have Romi at the time help me with the setup from Go Daddy where I bought my domain name from and I bought my webpage design from WordPress. WordPress is done annually and Go Daddy every ten years. So I did not have any info on Go Daddy and had to scramble to figure out access. Luckily after resetting user name and password with verification codes I was able to get it back working and change the 10 year old credit card on file to pay for it upcoming in Feb. Ten years ago it cost me $104 for my domain, and today $224. Double in ten years !! I could just let the domain go but I quite enjoy the blog if for no other reason to play devils advocate, raise others blood pressure and to smile at myself with some of my enticing ideas and mini rants. Even if no one ever read my blog I still enjoy having a record of what we have done. Much better than a diary.

Thought of the Day

  I sent ten puns to friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. 

No pun in ten did.

January 6th-7th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton -6 degrees, Calgary 0 degrees, Mesa 16 degrees”

Off to Mesa Market to get a couple of clubs regripped. They do it right while you wait or walk a aisle or so. Both of my putter needed them. Even Mesa grips are not cheap anymore. But while you wait is a great thing and new grips are guaranteed to drop your score.

Mesa Market Place has lost it’s luster for me a bit but still some cool gadgets and decor items to be had. We did find Jackie a super deal on a new golf bag. Her old one is about 15 years old and the zippers went on it. We got this new one at 50% off which was a super deal.

At such a great price it comes with a lot of features. 15 club slots with a dedicated putter slot. Lots of compartments, good cover for the heads and great handle.

Tim, Fred, Terry and us then headed to In & Out Burger. I have to say it is an amazing place. 4 items ONLY on the menu . Burger, Cheese Burger, Double Burger and Fries plus two milkshakes and pop. Brilliant idea. Do what you are good at. A way cheaper than McDonald’s and 100 percent better. Awesome tasting burger. The fries also just taste better as I understand they only use fresh potatoes they cut themselves in store and cook them in sunflower oil. The bun, tomato, lettuce and the whole burger tasted fresh and crisp.

Then off to a games day party at the Keys. Tim won the 5 Crown games easily. Then Jackie won Play Nine. Each games takes awhile as you play 13 rounds at 5 Crowns and you play 9 rounds in golf. I didn’t have the luck or cards to win but everyone still had a great time sitting outside on the deck playing cards.

We stopped in a Tim’s place to see his reno and he is making it look great. Massive change already with still a lot to do.

Wordle in 4 for Jackie and I today !

Returned my extra faucet today to Home Depot with no issues or hassles.

They said a little rain but it rained for the greater part of the day. It is the cold I hate but still no snow, freezing cold or white fingers. Tonight’s walk with my hoody and jacket with socks and sandals just fine !

It is winter after all even here in Arizona. We had a cooler winter last year than normal ( where was the global warming ) and this year we have three cooler days already. All of next week is cooler with highs of 13 to 16 degrees. Just perfect for golfing with a light over jacket on.

Great Day!

Thought of the Day

If you jumped off the bridge in Paris,  you’d be in Seine. 

January 8th-9th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton -13/-21 degrees, Calgary 0/-20 degrees, Mesa 14/2 degrees”

It is starting to cool outside. I mean COLD for Alberta and semi decent for Mesa. Every year for about two weeks we get cooler temperatures and we are midst that now. Still no coat during the day but a light jacket and heavier jacket if up late at night. I prefer hot temperatures but when I look up North I am happy with what we have. I am hoping for one or two weeks only as last year we had a good month of cooler temperatures.

I had my Viewpoint Golf group today. We lost Ron P to an emergency medical issue for a week but we gained Ron S coming back from his trip to Costa Rico.

It was the coolest day of the year so far but it turned out to be great in the sun.

Here is a picture of when I went to golf this morning. I am not trying to make others feel bad about not being able to enjoy the sun, as everyone has the same opportunity to, but they CHOOSE not to. You live with your decisions, choices and circumstance. I will say I struggle to understand how anyone would EVER want to stay in Canada for winter. Only two reasons I can think of are health or financial. COLD and SNOW which can only bring boredom, sedentary days, and isolation is not fun. There are condo rentals, boon-docking, camp grounds, RV parks, home rentals, Airbnb etc if someone chooses to enjoy the warmth. I KNOW a person is a lot healthier walking, golfing and socializing rather than being stuck in a house looking at the snow and cold. I wish that everyone that hasn’t spent a winter away could.

Having said this it was funny as my friend and business associate Ray from Totem sent me a message to” put on a vest” . Ironic that in my golf bag at the time was a 1999 Totem Building Invitational Golf VEST. Just like brand new. I keep it in my bag for those just in case moments. Everyone knows my thoughts on vests so I don’t have go there.

As I said the day turned out great and we all were down to golf shirts only for a few holes. So what went wrong as three out of the four golfers had really bad scores. All I can say is, that is golf. But I once again I WON money from my partners so I guess I can say it was successful plus raising my cap not a bad thing.

Jackie made a creative supper that was awesome. Peppers, celery, onions, carrots fried where great as a side dish.

A long walk round the park for Daisy and us was refreshingly cool.

I did some banking and then we took Daisy for her hair cut. When she came back she was looking sweet and smelled so good. Cute !

I cut my access panel in my base for my new shed and trimmed back the palm tree. I will be cutting it down in March but will enjoy it until then.

A quick lunch and them off to Tim’s. Along with Fred we installed a complete new skirting system around his park model. It took all day and it looks wonderful. With his new paint job on his house the accent colored skirting pops. Lots of bending and down on the knees but no heavy lifting which is good.

Pills and BenGay tonight/tomorrow as I ready myself for my Men’s league at Aquilla.

A simple salad and pork chop supper is always awesome.

 “An average 22 year-old (sic) male today has roughly the same testosterone levels as a 67 year old (sic) had in the year 2000. Average testosterone has fallen close to 25% in the last 2 decades, and nobody is talking about it.” 

Thought of the Day

I haven’t tried yoga but I tried bending over to pick up my keys, so I am pretty sure I’d hate yoga.

January 10th-11th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton -27 /-33 Calgary -28/-32 Mesa 15 degrees”

Global warming ! Windchills over -40 for Calgary and Edmonton. That is cold. Even our 15 degrees is cool for us and means a light coat in the shaded area or evenings. That is a lot of cold air in North America right now.

Winter up with coats and mitts and run to the car that I hope you all plugged in.

Jackie had to cancel her golf today as with the cool air we saw some rain and even heard a thunder clap.

She had her gaggle of golfing friends come over for a wine and cheese party instead which by the sounds of it they all enjoyed. She planned for 11 with 8 showing up which is a nice size as it isn’t too crowded that way.

I had my league group on Wednesday and the weather was perfect. A coat for about four holes then just my golf shirt. I golfed with a guy from Sherwood park that owns 4 hotrods. 1965 Mustang, 1941 Studebaker, 1965 GTO, and I can’t remember the other. Jealous.!

I had hoped to do well but had an off day. Nothing went as well as I hoped so no money unfortunately. Next week is the skins game where I HAVE to do well. My group has two weeks off as the course pricing all over the city goes insane with the Waste Management/ Barrett Jackson. I will get out with Jackie on our course as they don’t raise the rates for the residents.

I lost two balls so after going par par par bogie then a 7 I fell apart for a couple of holes with doubles. I hate high 80’s scores but it is what it is. Next week.

A great sunny day to golf and a lot of fun.

Watched a Fast & Furious Movie last night which is awesome with my favorite actors in it. The Rock, Jason Statham, Vin and Charleze Theron. Great show !

I dropped off Fred & Terry at the airport for a return home trip. They picked the coldest weather of the year so far. Timing ! I am sure they will welcome the return back to the sun.

Viewpoint finally has addressed the internet/phone issue at the park. When ever there is a change people get upset and are reactionary. When the garbage was charged year round everyone was upset. Think about it. First you pay for year round garbage at your main residence and understand the garbage truck has to still go up and down every row of houses in VP even during the summer when you are away. They got over it. When they changed the billing system people were upset. They gave many options including a visa payment with a 3% surcharge. You don’t have to use this option but if you choose so your credit card cash back will cover it or some of it and it is not a VP charge, per say, as the Visa corp is the culprit. Now after getting “free TV and phones” built into in the pad fee for the last 17 years ,they are leaving it to each unit to find a provider and you pay yourself. We will get good service from a provider of our choice at a competitive rate. It was a perk while nice that doesn’t exist in the real world. We all pay for a TV and phone service at home what makes you think the park should provide it here. Seeing the requests for a deduction in fee due to a removal of a service is not going to happen and no smart business would even look at that. Consider yourselves fortunate to receive a perk, find a good provider after the fibre optic is installed and carry on. I assume VP is paying out with help from providers for the fiber install. Big job ! People will get over it like everything else. There will be the hostile ones that threaten to sell etc . Oh well. All I can say is people are funny.

Thought of the Day

Life is like underwear. Change is good !

( you knew when you get in bed after new bed sheets are on how good it feels ? Just think fast internet, great TV choices and a landline phone if choose that works )

January 12th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton -28 degrees, Calgary -28 degrees, Mesa 13 degrees”

The polar vortex, Alberta Clipper or I as I prefer to say Canadian winter is here. I love the fact that they changed the propaganda from Global Warming to Climate Change to answer why it is so cold outside. LOL 

Here is the thermometer at my brothers place this morning when he went for a walk. Add the windchill and you are looking at close to -50 degrees. That is cold. If I remember correct once it hits minus 40 they would close the schools as we had to wait outside unprotected for the school bus to come and the risk of breakdown is too great and plus the risk to the kids. I will say it did not happen often. More times the blowing snow closed the road.

Environment Canada has issued an extreme cold warning for not only Edmonton and Calgary, but the entire province of Alberta, forecasting temperatures as low as –40 C over the weekend, with wind chills threatening temperatures of –50 C.

I feel like a old person talking about the weather. Oh wait, my back hurts also, have “something’ wrong with me, they are changing the system again, bad drivers, sandbaggers at golf. That is better, I feel much better. LOL 

I enjoy the weather as USUALLY we have a huge advantage over Alberta all winter long as we get to enjoy the sun but we are cooler this year also for the last few days. Good thing I brought my Alaska jacket with me for the nights and early mornings.

I picked up “some” of my product for the outdoor kitchen roof. Two large storms over the past 17 years have wrecked it so now plan C it will be tough ! The first time wind from the west with a wind load bearing down and bending my support bars. I beefed it up substantially but last summer another huge wind storm from the east this time caused wind load lift and bend my bars again. This time extra beef. I am going from 1 1/2 square bars to 3″ square bars and using bolts thru the posts instead of screws into the posts. A lot of work as redoing is much harder than starting from scratch. Much more expensive also but I am positive this will prevail any storm. I hope, as I look around the park and see at least 10 carports that were blown off during the same storm that hit us and they were secure. Time will tell. My fourth option is to construct an actual wall which I hope I never have to do.

Every time the Flames win the Oilers also have a great night and we are struggling to catch them with the games in hand. The season is half over and as of right now the Oilers will make the playoffs as a wildcard team and the Flames not make it. I sure hope this changes in the next 40 games.

Today was the first day that Jackie went to yoga. I could tell as she had on her special yoga pants. She experienced the Downward Dog, Warrior and Mountain Pose and planks. I will give yoga its due. I think it is great for flexibility and balance. I think it is dumb how it has been commercialized with specialty clothing and gimmick names for poses. It has become quite popular. I tried it once at a golf course warm up session and it is not easy to do. I could get rich if I invented yoga pants for men, line dancing boots for men and salons that did womacures on mens feet and hands.

I repeat “An average 22 year-old (sic) male today has roughly the same testosterone levels as a 67 year old (sic) had in the year 2000. Average testosterone has fallen close to 25% in the last 2 decades, and nobody is talking about it.” 

My golf today was decent, not great. Having said that I won money so all is good. The weather quite nice. I won two out of the four Par 3’s playing closet to the pin. It was Friday and the greens keeper was just nasty with his pin placement. Anyone that knows Viewpoint knows the green are treacherous. I had one 4 putt and few three putts they were so difficult.

It was fun afternoon, in the sun, golfing with friends and a nice after golf gathering. I will consider it handicap manipulation.

Thought of the Day

On a positive note Alberta has no mosquitos today and perhaps killed very pine beetle. So things are looking up

January 13th

Enough said ! Ouch !

I think Jackie is trying to kill me again. This is the second blatant murder attempt, the first a wine bottle over the head and now salmonella poisoning. She went to Safeway to buy me some protein bars to eat on the golf course. Turns out they are recalled !! I knew it !! 

This brings about a interesting point. Supposedly good food that kills. Cantaloupe, protein bars, romaine lettuce, spinach, etc all have had numerous issues. Good old food like potatoes and meat ( cook it until safe) is still our best option. Vegan lives matter should be a new group very soon.

Shed building day today. One review says three hours another two days so we will see. I have my holder, helper and instruction reader today, Jackie to help.

I would love to see the three hour people. I say B**(^$*. We had one little change order happen but otherwise it was semi smooth sailing. We started at 11pm took a lunch break and finished at 4pm other than the doors to do which is our project tomorrow after picking up Fred from the airport. Chinese crap is just that with holes not lining up, flimsy support rails, thin metal etc. I will need to silicone the odd spot to keep “bugs” out. So having said that it is not perfect but it will be great for extra storage and is a way less than building my own. Being metal it should last for years. PVC melts here and the cost of wood and shingles is a lot more. About a 1/3rd compared to me building a good one. Rate it out of 5 perhaps a 2.5. Door done and then a shelving unit and organizing.

Jackie was a great helper plus reading Chinese pictures that are very vague she excelled.

Jeff had his back surgery today which went well and is in recovery. Hopefully heals fast for his upcoming trip and summer golf. This a smile from a guy on opioids laying on his back that was just operated on.

I whipped up to Fats tonight for supper and it was awesome. Priced very good and exceptional tasting. Steak and mashed potatoes with veggies and Jackie went a way out of the norm and ordered a Grilled Chicken Caesar salad.

Chill and relax tonight. Take a dog walk.

We got a message from Jess stating that the Southern Alberta’s power grid is over loading and for everyone to conserve energy to avoid brown or black outs. Extremely dangerous in this cold. And costly if pipes burst etc. Imagine if people were plugging in their electric vehicles also. I think it should be building code for every house to have a built in generator. We do waste so much power. A block heater for your car DOES NOT need to be plugged in all night. Put it on a timer and start it about 2-3 hours before you need the car and it will start just fine if you have decent battery. Everyone should charge their battery up full before winter as batteries freeze and this will help hold full charge.

Candle light and blankets makes for a fun night though and a special memory.

Fred’s flight is delayed already and it is not even tomorrow. Westjet will be playing catch up for days as they have cancelled over 190 flights already. De-icing isn’t working and union’s are against making people work in the cold on the field. Never used to happen. FIND a way.

Years ago counting inventory at Henderson’s/ Jeld-wen for 5 days straight 12 hours per day, outside between Christmas and New Years with plenty of days in the -30 to -40’s. My guys would use a company vehicle running and took turns going out and in to count. Find a way to make it work.

I am very familiar with the owners of Westjet and they are my last choice of an airline. I go Air Canada for standard flights and Flair for discounted flights.

Thought of the Day

It is so cold outside be careful when walking between two parked cars your nipples don’t scratch the paint

January 14th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton -27/-37, Calgary -26/-34, Mesa 18 degrees and sunny “

Fred has had one of those ugly flight stories. The flights are so screwed up and backed up, he can’t get out of Edmonton until one week after he was supposed to fly and with a different airline. You have to hate that !! Better safe than sorry but it is ironic we see the mass quantity of Westjet flights cancelled compared to others.

Not to rub it in but we are seeing above 70 degrees all next week. I love it as it is hot yet cool enough not to effect anything. The early mornings and evenings are still cool due to it being desert but a light jacket or patio heater and it is perfect.

Jackie and I completed our new second shed today. The amount of screws, the difficulty with holes not lining up, the metal being so thin, and the Chinese instructions with pictures being so obscure were very time consuming. One door took three tries but here it is all done. Will it with-stand a big wind load ? Will it leak ? Time will tell. I was going too drill new holes and turn the roof around for water dispersion but after the holes not lining up and the flimsy metal I decided to leave well enough alone.

It will work out just fine for golf clubs, Christmas decorations, and extra chairs. I will build some and buy interior shelving. I am going to use Home Depot yellow/ black containers and have a stacking system.

We went for a walk with Daisy tonight and it was nice and warm. Warmest night in a week as the temperatures start rising tomorrow for the entire week getting over 70 degrees each day.

A planned week ahead with, Larry-Golf Monday, Airport trip Tuesday, Jackie- Yoga Tuesday, Jackie-Bunco Tuesday, Larry shed finalized Tuesday, Larry- Golf Wednesday, Jackie- Golf Thursday, Billiards Thursday, Larry Golf Friday, Jackie Yoga Friday, Block Party Friday so quite a busy week. I will install my tie downs for the shed and hopefully start my outdoor kitchen on Tuesday.

Wendy texted to say one of her JW windows cracked. That is just bad luck and not common but happens. There are only three reasons for glass to crack in a window. Impact, Thermal stress or Pressure crack. If they know of no impact to the glass I would bet Thermal stress. Pressure cracks are usually due to install or house settling and the windows have been in too long so I believe that can be eliminated. Thermal cracks happen when you have extreme discrepancies between outside temperatures like -40 and an inside temperatures of plus 20 degrees. I think everyone has witnessed this when they turn on the defrost in their car in morning by mistake and see the crack fly across the window.

This should be covered under warranty which depending on the year you bought your window would be 1 yr, 5 yr, 10 yr, 25 yr or lifetime warranty. I remember stress cracks were only one year but a thermal break should be covered. A receipt and email your request and the warranty department should look after you is the standard scenario. I am hoping the service department does their job properly. I think this is an important note for everyone to keep your receipts as it makes everything so much easier.

A credit department or warranty/service department were always treated with a long arm as they can destroy a relationship with a customer very easy. As a customer care professional every sales rep had to be the in between guy and take ownership of the situation. Both departments understand they are support departments and not income generators so more often than not there was some flexibility.

Thought of the Day

If you think 7 years of bad luck for breaking a mirror is a long sentence, try breaking a condom.

January 15th

” Mercury Forecast Edmonton -20/-31 degrees, Calgary -14/-28 degrees, Mesa 21 degrees”

Down right balmy today for everyone. I bet everyone is happy to turn the corner until the next artic attack happens. Typically in Feb or March there is still one week of nasty weather to come.

I need to make sure to remember suntan lotion today as it has been a week since i was able to wear shorts. Today shorts and shirt and further ball distance with the warmer air and looser muscles. For us spring is here ! ** just like global warming reverted to climate change we also went from suntan oil to sunscreen lotion ** Marketing !!

40% is roughly the percentage of jobs around the world that are at risk of being affected by artificial intelligence, the chief of IMF stated. Is your job safe ?

I said no one would buy my old golf cart tires and tried to take them to the dump. They refused them and I was told I had to take them to the city dump or find a tire store that would accept them. Hassle. Jackie put them on Facebook marketplace here in the park for free and lo and behold someone picked them up. Yahoo !

Iowa caucus votes today. This is not an absolute and by far does not indicate a win for any candidate as Iowa is so unpopulated but will be interesting to see how much support Trump has.

Up to 464 cancelled flights from WestJet alone now. No other airline even mentions the hassles they are having and they are having them just not to the same extent. Has to say something about them.

January 16th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton -13 degrees, Calgary -5 degrees, Mesa 20 degrees”

Up earlier than I have been for a long time. 5:45 am to take Tim to the airport. We beat the rush hour traffic which was good. They had the section i usually take to get around the airport blocked off today, again, so about a extra 3 min drive around the airport. Tim’s flight on time so all is good. A wonderful family get together for Tim. I think he said something like 29 of them all together in a all inclusive for a week

A quick stop at Home Depot for some lumber and a rack and back to get to work. I built a shelving unit for the extra sets of golf clubs we have and foldup chairs. The is shed is to make room for some tools in the other shed, Mostly Christmas stuff and small misc. etc.

I spent most of day on the sheds and am happy with the result as long as my new one does not leak. I see light in a couple of areas and may look at a dap or two of silicone to be proactive.

One empty shelf in this shed which is good and enough space in the other shed for some tools. All is good.

I washed the golf cart today as it was a little dirty. The paint job is a little long on the tooth but it still for a older cart looks not bad.

Jackie had her Bunco tonight. A gathering of a flock of hens and the noise level can get up there. It was up on 1800 block so far enough away I was ok. It was a lot longer than I thought which is good as Jackie said she had a great time. A little socializing is good for everyone.

Wordle in 3 for me 4 for Jackie

Thought of the Day

Bunco, toss like a boss

January 17th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton -18 degrees, Calgary -17 degrees, Mesa 21 degrees”

Today is my big older brother’s birthday. Yes, Alfred is officially classified as a classic. Now with automobiles, in paraphernalia, in art, books, cards etc being a classic adds up to more value. Would you call bad knees, sore back, aches, pains, arthritis, value added to a human ? This is the odd thing. He is 70 years old. I DONT CARE WHO YOU ARE THAT IS OLD. I am glad it is him and not me but it scares me what lies ahead. Time flies by so fast.

Here is hoping for at least 20 more !

Here is some interesting facts about Alfred:

1. He has owned a 1957 Chevy, 1956 Chevy w/tri-power,1967 Camaro, 1988 Corvette, 1969 Camaro 427/425, 1972 Nova SS, square body chevy 4 x4 , square body quad cab 4 x4, Volvo 544, 1970 Monte Carlo, 1948-52 Chevy 3100 5 window, 1957 Strata Chief, 1970 1/2 Z28 Camaro plus many more that I can’t remember. Good thing he became a mechanic.
2. In his 1969 Camaro on Hwy 2 we were racing a 1970 Cuda with a 426 Hemi. At 140 or 150 mph around a corner the Hemi’s front tires lifted off the ground scaring the operator. Great race with us winning and having about 500 rpm more on top end.
3. In his 1970 1/2 ( beautiful car) coming home together on Hwy 16 late at night the RCMP pull us over. No ticket, just wanted to look at the car and check to see how fast their interceptor was. Alfred pulls out from being stopped and pinned it. The cop car was left in the dust and I thought we would be pulled over again for excessive speed but we didn’t. Cops pull up after we slow down and wave .
4. In the 1969 Camaro, Alfred driving with Dad in the front seat and myself in the rear, Alfred for fun pins it around a sharp corner on Stony Plain Rd and laughs as we are going sideways. Dad didn’t say a word, and loved it.
5. Mom & Dad with Aunt Jean & Uncle Ray were coming home from a dance, I believe, in Edmonton and the run into a car accident which was Alfred in his 1957 Chevy after hitting a telephone pole. I think they picked up liquor bottles from teh scene.
6. A next door neighbor kid who was a little mentally handicapped decided to beat me up on our driveway. Alfred pushed the kid off me and told him to go home. Next day while he was working at Safeway bagging groceries this kids Dad literally attacked Alfred for pushing his kid right in Safeway.
7. Alfred had a fairly new pair of G60 tires and I needed new tires on my 1963 Nova SS so Alfred “lent” them to me. I burned them down to nothing in a month.
8. I sold “cheap” to Alfred a Monte Carlo and Volvo with him spending a bit of time and money to fix them up a bit and he sold them for a nice profit.
9. Bars, visits to the Kruse’s, all were fun times.
10. NO matter what car or much work Dad spent to help me get faster Alfred beat me in every race. Only close one was my 1977 Vette against his girlfriends Z28 where we were dead tied.

Now at 70 his fun exists of sliding on ice with his dog walking to mailbox. You can tell when some one gets aged the difficulty in blowing out candles and the heat loss prevention hats required to stay warm.

This morning I had my men’s league game. Every Wednesday I want to do well but today it just wasn’t there. Plenty of pars and a bird but got killed taking a few 7’s. I hit every hole with a bunker in the sand and struggled to get out properly. No money, great playing partners and lots of fun but bad golf. Perhaps described as bad luck golf. Darn !

A nice long walk tonight with Daisy and it was the warmest in a long time at 9pm being 18 above.

Walked by and took Tim’s and Fred’s recycle bins out the curb. No unit number on Tim’s bin which he should add. One Key family in the cold and one Key on the beach in warmth.

Oilers win and Flames win. We just can’t catch up with their win streak. Best case scenario would be Edm in playoffs and us the wildcard at the moment.

Heavy snow fall warning tonight for Calgary. Oh well. LOL

I had an odd day today. Two things I forgot two things today which is fairly rare for me. I blame it on a 5:30 am wake and the next day a 7:30 am wake. I way to early for me. I forgot my golf shoes in Sandy’s car and I forgot when at the clubhouse to load my clubs. I jumped on a cart and got side tracked meeting up with another golfer and started to go the range without a bag. I took out my clubs from the back of Sandy’s car and when we had dropped Sandy’s friend my clubs and clothes were moved and they fell on the ground when I opened the rear hatch. Picking them up I forgot to grab my shoe bag. It is rare for me but funny how it makes you think. Oh no ! LOL

Thought of the Day

During labor, the pain is so intense, that a woman can almost imagine what a man feels like missing a short birdie putt.

January 18th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton -17 degrees, Calgary -16 degrees, Mesa 24 degrees”

That is a huge difference in temperature and the biggest reason for loving it here. Daisy this morning ran a marathon at the park and came back tired. She loves it when she can get a group of dogs to chase her.

It hit 80 degrees today when building my Battery Charger protection box. I need to protect it from any dew or rain and this will work perfect.

I was shocked it took me 5 hours to build one simple box including the run to the Depot. I vented it two sides and made it water proof after I varnish it. I must be getting slow. I did require to use the mitre saw, jigsaw, drills, air nailer and table saw to make a simple box. Without tools what would one accomplish.

What was annoying and made it a little more difficult was every 1 x 4 was a different width or thickness. Dumb ! That is were I could have ran the lumber thru the table saw to size it and used a planer to size it but it is a simple cord box exposed to the elements.

Jackie had her ladies golf league today. She is up to organizing 16 ladies now which makes it a little difficult with her being only to book two tee times. Her friend Marge helps out by booking the other two. She is golfing pretty consistently getting a 45 on nine just about every time. That is a great score on this course.

A lady that was hosting the after golf is in a rental so I delivered 6 fold up chairs of ours to use for the gathering. And two HUGE bottles of wine. Neat lady around mid 60’s but dresses and applies makeup like she was going out to a dance that looks good. Very nice.

Tonight was our billiard night. I will state that Russ and I won, but every game was very close with the ladies winning a few games. We played a new game tonight called 1/15 which made it much more difficult but also more fun. Russ and Carol are fun people to play with. I did notice Carol is very competitive. LOL

A long walk in the warmth with Daisy and I think Jackie said she did 17K steps today. Can’t do that in the snow !

Jackie Wordle in 3 and i in 4 tonight. 3 attempts with one letter missing and all good words but wrong.

Oilers win AGAIN and we lost !

Thought of the Day

I was going to give a construction pun, but I am still working on it.

January 19th-20th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton -11 degrees, Calgary -2 degrees, Mesa 22 degrees”

A busy day today. We had a few things planned and few things changed and came up but all worked out well.

I cancelled my golf for today as we would not finished in time to make our street block party.

Jackie did a lot of cleaning, laundry, etc and I worked outside on a few things.

Today was completely thrown off with me having to get up at 6:30 am to book tee times for next Friday. It is insane for ANYONE to have to get up at this time. I am sure if I looked into it early risers are more prone to illness, cognitive decline, away less alert most of day, and cause more accidents plus the fact I didn’t retire to have a need to rise early. I did that for years. But for the love of golf 4 times a month on a Friday I will endure.

We received a text message from Dave H, Jackie’s brother as he was heading to Phoenix with a buddy to see the Barrett Jackson show. It was funny as were giving very little info on his flight arrival etc but we got it all worked out and picked up Dave and his high school friend Dave Korsanoski ( spelling lol). When they arrived it was funny as Dave K has hardly changed. He is one of those good looking guys with nice hair and dresses well. I will mention Dave H had a fanny pack on which I haven’t seen for a long time. Good to see both of them and they had nothing to do before check in and they were tired and hungry so we drove them to our place and dropped off Daisy, they had a look see and we decided to go to Fats, the time late afternoon and close. Both Dave’s loved sitting outside on the patio for lunch.

This is the reaction of a Edmontonian seeing sun and feeling warmth after surviving a Alberta winter month. Ps Again, no one say anything about the fanny pak ok!

It was getting late so we whipped them to their hotel which is 40 miles away. It is also on the busiest freeway we have the #101 north loop plus near rush hour. We found it easy enough and a great hotel with superb location close to Westworld and TPC Scottsdale. And a brewery right next door.

We made it home late and decided to whip to Bashas for deserts to bring to the block party as we coming in late , had already eaten, and didn’t have time to do anything ourselves. It all worked out perfect.

A nice amount of people and a fun game with quarters to play made it a fun evening.

After the block party we had a couple of neighbors drop by for a drink and chat which is always fun. So many “nice” people around. It lasted until my heater ran out of propane and it gave an reason to leave. I love our block neighbors.

We got to sleep in a bit this morning which for both of us was excellent.

We went to Safeway and dropped off Jackie and Daisy and I dropped into the Depot for a couple of things.

HOME DEPOT MINI RANT

The level of customer service at big box stores drives me nuts. Years ago Depot used to hire retired electricians, plumbers etc to manage the departments. No longer, as Depot split shifts and lost a huge amount of employees and employee satisfaction. They then had “Depot University” where the vendors once a month put on a 4 hours training session for each department. Now it is hire anyone that a orange smock fits over. I needed a simple aluminum stair nosing 3ft for the neighbor. I went to the aisle where I thought they should be and no luck. Angle, stripping etc but not want I needed or wanted and i have bought these numerous time in the past in Canada and EVERY hardware store should have them. As luck would have it a orange vest game by. Didn’t know what I was looking for but after looking for a bit says “special order only”. I say “impossible” So off we go together to ask two other clerks at the counter. Conclusion ” special order only” I moved to the side of an aisle and Googled. I found something with a aisle number and checked it out. In the storage and container aisle a full bin of thresholds, transitions, stair nosings etc a mile away from anything. And just what I needed for $ 9.97. The STORES HAVE TO DO A way BETTER JOB of TRAINING STAFF.

Then off to the paint department to find marine varnish. Checking all of the rows I could not find anything. Lots of other products so I went to the counter and a young guy picked out a Varathane for me. Not want I wanted especially as I saw the amount of Minwax they carry ( I won a table saw and a router table for selling the most MInwax displays ( including marine varnish) in Western Canada in 1986 when I was with Marshall Wells) This Behr will work but it designed for heavy floor traffic not exterior moisture. As it is mostly covered it will be no issue.

We came home and I stained my storage box and installed the stair nosing on Ian’s deck. I helped him fix his hot water heater door, and another day gone.

Jackie made a wonderful home made spaghetti meat sauce meal tonight that was awesome.

Funny how the days go by SOOOO fast.

Wordle Jackie in 3 and I in 3. Every time I think I have it she sneaks in with a tie.

We have potential rain on Mon/Tues so I can’t start my kitchen roof as I have to disconnect the eavestrough.

Thought of the Day

I like people that smile when it is going to rain.

January 21st

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton -11, Calgary -9, Mesa 14 degrees”

Three cooler days but still able to golf, then back up into the mid 20’s. It is unfortunate that Dave is experiencing our winter.

Well, Edmonton won. I can see the Edmonton newspaper headlines. EDMONTON FINDS A WAY TO WIN. You would think they are in contention for the cup. A win by one bad luck fluky goal. They should be so lucky. It is the attitude of the newspapers, journalists and overall the fans that make them one of the most disliked teams and fans in the league right behind Toronto and Montreal.

I will let them revel in their glory for the time being and watch them fail and miss the playoffs or get knocked out first round. Come on Flames you deserved to win.

Below is an example of the difference between the two cities. One city embellishes the other city states facts.

As most people know the Barrett Jackson auction is on this week. I don’t care to go as it is like sending an alcoholic to the liquor store. I love to look but the wanting drives me nuts so I prefer not to feel like that.

I am long past trying to be cool, I have no parking facilities, insurance and upkeep as it can not remain stock is expensive and the usage factor hold me back. Jackie said for my 40th, 50th, 65th birthday go out and buy any car you want but I still hesitate.

Here is my dream car though. Just like mine but no white Rally stripes.

My car’s picture isn’t good as it is from 1977 and filtered. I hated the front license plate rule at the time. The low ride height is the new thing which is nice but I prefer the lifted look. I installed big block front springs, rear shackles and air shocks. I also had a brand new paint job done on this. After all these years I just noticed I used the wrong mirror. It is supposed to be round. Learn something new everyday.

I was very fortunate to have a mechanic as a Dad as every mechanical aspect of this car was reworked to make it better and most importantly faster. I pulled the 327 two barrel out along with the 2 speed Powerglide a week after buying it. Each year with a bonus I spent money and Dad spent time on it making it quicker. In went a 350 with a Turbo 350 tranny. Each paycheck or bonus was spent for power. Headers, intake, Holley carb, 2500 stall converter, Accel ignition, Monroe traction bars and air shocks, 4:11 gears, shift kit, electric fuel pump, cam etc. I saw Dad spend hours polishing the heads to let the air run smoother. Each rebuild better pistons with higher compression, rings, bored out 30 over, taller cam each time, better carb or intake, new exhaust given to me by Alfred.

I sold it with less than 100 miles on a new engine rebuild with the 4:11 gears and it was not even broken in yet so couldn’t tell how fast it was. I know I couldn’t leave the lights without the tires chirping at every shift. Next upgrade if I had kept it was a Turbo 400 with an overdrive as with the 4:11’s I was revving about 3K at highway speed which is hard on gas and wear and tear.

At Barrett today anywhere from about $75k to $150k depending on the condition and options.

Good NFL games on today and golf which for a rainy day was good. The Chiefs got very lucky similar to the Oilers and fluked off a win. All of the Swifties will be happy. Nick Taylor as a amateur winning was awesome. I can’t believe the PGA saying as a amateur no pay out of the prize money to him. That is just wrong.

Thought of the Day

I am driving my old Jeep until I am on a first name basis with the tow truck driver.

January 22nd

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton – 10 degrees, Calgary -9 degrees, Mesa 17 degrees”

We picked up Fred & Terry from the airport around 10 pm. They finally got “home” after quite an ordeal with the airlines. WestJet was not good for them and Air Canada sent them on an adventure. I think we all should learn a lesson here as it has happened to most people including us and that is, if you third party buy your tickets you are setting yourself up for failure. Expedia, Justfly, Booking.com, Trivago etc it can be a nightmare and in our mind, today, not worth it. A week late but Edm-Van-Phx finally happened. Air Canada moved over to Terminal 3 at Sky Harbor so a different spot than normal for a pick up. No matter a pretty easy airport, a large airport though, to get in and out of. And it was busy last night.

I put my new cart cover on and took it off this morning to go golfing. It was like trying to put a sleeping bag back in it’s bag. A way to small and a lot of work. LOL Why ? ( space coming over from China, I would like to see how they do it at the factory)

One more cloudy day then our 22 degree sunshine is back. I will wear pants today due to the rain and only 17 degrees. That is a great summer day in Alberta but the cool desert at night takes a bit to warm up.

We went to PetSmart for dental bones for Daisy and they want a vet approval. Another hitch.

Have I said I love Arizona !

Golfing today was wonderful. A good group and fun guys to play with. Serious golf but seriously fun also. The pins were in extremely difficult positions today. Needless to say, putting was everyone’s nemesis with so many missed ones which dramatically affect the scoring. I was lucky enough to break even today. The group came back to our house and Jackie had everything ready for us. I put on the patio heater to warm it up a bit. Another wonderful Arizona day comes to a conclusion.

Jackie in 4 and myself in 3 tonight with Wordle NYT.

Just as I was putting on my golf cover the rain started. Up to 1.5 inches which is a lot. Quite warm though still at 13 degrees in late evening. Can’t walk poor Daisy with it raining.

Thought of the Day

Good thing I brought my umbrella as I don’t want my hair to get wet. !

January 23rd–24th

” Mercury Forecast Edmonton -6 degrees, Calgary 8 degrees, Mesa 15 degrees”

The rain storm that hit us last night after supper caused it to rain all night and this morning still coming down heavy. Lake Mead will love it as the will the Salt River reservoirs.

Golf course not so much as both the 18 holes and 9 hole closed for today with rain and pooling water. Too bad I didn’t get my kitchen roof on yet. Soon.

Jackie up and out early for Yoga. Daisy confused with no walk due to yoga and rain. She is a creature of habit.

The election process is going on here and it is a strange one. Trump by far is better than Biden but it seems no other candidate can grab any traction. As it sits it will be two old dumb farts going for President again. I take Trump over Biden as far as Canada is concerned but with the current world situation that could be scary. Time will tell.

Has to be a lazy day with the rain. We will be going out for supper in Scottsdale with Dave and Dave tonight.

It poured all day in fact 1 and 4/10 of an inch. It is funny as rain in AZ is like black ice in Canada. With the hot temperatures between rubber and fluids on the highway they become very slick when wet and numerous cases of multiple car accidents.

We picked up Dave & Dave and drove to our restaurant. Dave choose Mexican and we have some wonderful places in Phoenix. We found a good one near their hotel and headed there. The Flex GPS is funny as every time we use it we get to the location and states you have arrived. It stops at a multiple building shopping center and you have to find the place you want. I find Google much better.

A very nice authentic looking Mexican place called Barrio Queen. Great menu with lots of choices and not near a SPCA outlet so I knew the food could be reasonably good. Mexican and Chinese restaurants have a reputation for good reason. I commend anyone that wants a authentic experience in small town Mexico. This place looked good and the food turned out great. Everyone took the “safe” choice of a fajita with it being chicken, steak, shrimp or combo. I give it good marks but near as good as our fav Tia Rosa’s in Mesa. I ate all of mine up and enjoyed it and was filled just right. Even had a Mexican chocolate desert.

Dave K ordered a drink that I can saw only looked horrible. He wanted a Caeser but that is a rarity in the States so asked for a special concoction. It looked bad and even though he drank it he did not appear to enjoy it. His second drink made me laugh as the waiter filled his one glass to the brim with ice and Captain Morgan’s and his other glass to the brim of Cub Soda. NO HOW to drink with two full glasses. I had SOUL beer so was safe with Dave H and Jackie having a coconut margarita which I had a taste of and they were great ! Dave K is funny with his story telling and I am sure after a few pops would be hilarious. A nice and fun evening listening to their Barrett stories and road trip dramas.

The freeway ( 10 lanes wide on the 101) was quite busy for a Tuesday night.

The rain stopped and the sun came out which was welcomed hitting 22 degrees today.

Day one of my kitchen rebuild. I started taking down boards and cutting the fence to make everything work. Third time it has to be right and strong. Going from 1.5 in to 3 inch beams should make a difference and hopefully handle the wind load. I know my new design will look better. ( I think)

Thought of the Day

Build, Break, Repeat

January 25th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 2 degrees, Calgary 6 degrees, Mesa 18 degrees”

Two birthdays today.

Wendy Grace officially becomes a junior Senior hitting the RIPE old age of 60 years old.

Corey is well into his 40’s now RIPENING to 41 years old.

Some say like fine wine but in reality like a tomato.

Both of those numbers are hard to say. It amazes me how young I stay with everyone slowly catching up to me. It must be my mindset.

Yes, time flies and both of these guys are at interesting ages. One entering the Prime and one entering the Abyss of senior hood. 

Hope both have a wonderful day and great birthdays.

I plan to work on the kitchen all day today.

I started at 9 :30 and worked until 3:30 today. I was lucky enough to have Fred with Tim whip over to help. We got a lot of work done for Day 2. Still a huge amount to do. We “stuck” the framing together today and the next step is drilling and installing over 30 bolts and nuts. Today’s time consuming event was trying to get it square and work with the wood etc without occurring any more costs as things have gone thru the roof. The framing today already makes it look better. I build it a lot sturdier than the last version so hopefully will work long term . It needs to, as each beam is now $50..One small hiccup in that Home Depot does not inventory the barn wood Fred & I have used in the past. I will need to special order it and hope it is the same or at least similar as possible as each board is worth $16.00 sick !!

Jackie got me in Wordle today with her getting it in 3 and myself in 5. It is interesting how some times your mind gets tricked and goes sideways when you have one letter in the right spot and can’t find a word to use. Fun game.

Thought of the Day

My material list for the kitchen -It’s a 2nd mortgage kind of purchase.

January 26th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 5 degrees, Calgary 8 degrees, Mesa 21 degrees”

That’s not winter in Alberta. Where are those -30 degrees days. Wow, hitting 10 degrees plus in Calgary for most of the week. Just makes thing sloppy ! But nice and warm. While nicer than winter should be it doesn’t change much as it is sloppy out, still feels cold and nothing really outdoors you can do. It is like the month of April where you are caught in limbo between winter and spring.

Hence our need to stay in Arizona longer.

I received a message from an old friend about the Oilers. I love how the Oiler fans are so loyal and blind to the reality of what is happening. This has gone on for years and years. The most number one draft picks of any team and no success. Now a league “manufactured ” fake win streak and the fans are in a state of euphoria.

Let’s look at this streak: Chicago #32 twice, San Jose #31, Anaheim #30, Ottawa #29, Columbus #28, Montreal #26 and Seattle #22. Could an easier schedule be out together? You add the league’s agenda to achieve a easy schedule for the Oilers and the leagues mandate to not penalize the Oilers if it is a close game and you have the perfect storm to create a fake scenario with the fans falling for it.

Golfing today was wonderful. Bright sun, no wind and hitting 22 degrees. And the course wasn’t 100 percent full. I was happy the course managed to fill my cancelled tee time with golfers as we started as the A group and a couple was behind us as the B group.

It was fun game today and very competitive in scoring today. After the first nine the scores were 39,40,41 and 45. Everyone played decent with everyone missing putts galore on this course or the scores would have been a lot lower. Darn. With tight scoring it was all down to the caps for the money.

Deb Probe spoiled us with her meat, cheese and pickle tray for our after golf gathering. Fun talking and learning different things about each other. Mike & Deb have twins also.

A long walk with Daisy at 17 degrees at 8pm. Just about a full moon bringing us light.

Thought of the Day

I always say ‘Morning’ Instead of ‘Good Morning’ Because if it was a good morning, I would still be in bed.”

January 27th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 7 degrees, Calgary 11 degrees, Mesa 22 degrees”

I had to get up earlier than I like as Fred & Tim are coming to help put the roof on my outdoor kitchen.

I got out of bed and then go back into the room to find something and look at what I see.

If I was in bed were am I supposed to sleep ? It looks like to me there was a Mother/ Daughter tiff and they each want to stay on their own side of the bed.

Fred and Tim arrived right at 9am and we started with everything going good. As the pricing has gone thru the roof I didn’t want to buy new wood so we built the unit a little out of plumb to accommodate the wood . You can notice it a bit from the neighbors side but I will buy a angle mold and make it so you can’t really tell. Saves me over $200 to have it to a little out of plumb. I will use smoked Filon for the sides and the vertical section on top to allow light into the room. I am thinking it will look pretty good. I love the roof panels.

This the end of Day 2 with another full day or so to come.

I used heavy duty 3/8″ bolts and nuts with heavy duty aluminum brackets to secure my posts and cross bars to avoid another fail.

Then Fred says ” Larry, look up, your entire patio is held down by 4 Trek screws on each support post ” I was shocked when I looked and he was right. THAT IS JUST NOT RIGHT. See PIC # 1

We worked until about 2:30 and then made plans to drink and play card games along with a pizza order. I maybe the odd one out but I love thick pizza like Chicago Deep Dish but it appears more restaurants and clients want the thin slice. We ordered from Fat’s and it was great pizza but thin crust. You add fresh cut tomato’s on a meat lovers pizza and you have heaven.

We played numerous games inside on the deck and later on inside when it cooled down. Crib, the winners were Larry & Fred. The girls won one game and were very close every time but we managed to use skill over luck to overcome. In Play Nine which is a game I love Fred killed us all. I have never seen so many -5 cards show up for one player ever. In Dice you can say my middle name is DICE as I mastered myself to the winning circle. There were other winners but these were the high-lites of the night.

If you could see my face you would see one happy guy.

A fun night, great food, Fred making his three fingers drinks trying to throw me off my game and great company and overall all of us having fun.

Have I said I love Arizona.

Thought of the Day

“Winning isn’t always the most important thing in my life. I put breathing first “

No pizza cutter so we used a CD by Bryan Adams ” Cuts like a knife” to slice it

January 28th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 6 degrees, Calgary 10 degrees Mesa 24 degrees“

Gorgeous sunny day. I was going to work a little then remembered I I am supposed to rest on Sunday’s. Today was the semi finals in NFL so we invited Ian our neighbor over to watch the games. Jackie came up with the idea to have BAR FOOD instead of a typical supper which was awesome. Love chicken wings and down here they grow big chickens. Cheese, celery sticks, carrots sticks, pepper slices, crackers all were awesome together. FULL

You can’t beat sitting outside on the patio watching a game and conversing with friends.

It was a double header today so lots of sitting and watching football but it was very enjoyable being able to talk with Ian. It was fun.

Looking at this picture I need a bigger TV .

The first game turned out like I wanted with the Chiefs winning and the second game the wrong team winning. It will be a good Super Bowl coming up. Go Swifties !

8 pm tonight we went for a walk with Daisy at 15 degrees still, which was very nice. She was a good girl all day.

We had another neighbor just pass away yesterday. He was 94 so lived a wonderful long life. George was such a debonair, charismatic gentleman with wonderful funny life stories to tell.

Our street has had it stretch of bad luck the last few years with us losing at least 10 couples due to illness or death.

Here is a great motivator for my Alberta friends.

Thought of the Day

A good life is when you assume nothing, do more, smile often, dream big, laugh a lot, and realize you are very blessed with what you have.

January 29th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 8 degrees, Calgary 11 degrees, Mesa 26 degrees”

It hit 80 degrees today on my phone. It was my Viewpoint Golf group today which was a fun gathering. The scores once again all exceptionally close to each other.

It was an odd day for me as my slice has worked itself back and yet I managed to score well. I will take it anyway I can but it is annoying as on a tight course I would get killed. Loooonnng hits today with it being so warm. In fact so warm a bead of perspire appeared for only the second time this year as I was golfing.

A nice get together to collect my money and talk about the handicap change for next week. I am lucky as mine doesn’t change up or down. Most went up but a few dropped a point or so. This Friday will be our first time using them so we will see how it all works out.

Harry killed us today with Net 69 score. His handicap is going up LOL

18 above at 8 pm for our nightly walk with Daisy.

Thought of the Day

A sandbagger is a golfer who’d rather be lucky than good, and usually is.

January 30th-31st

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 6 degrees, Calgary 8 degree, Mesa 27 degrees”

Beautiful weather in all spots. We were one degree off being the hottest day for the day. Anytime you hit over 80 degrees it is a great thing. So nice and between the Vit D intake the sunshine making every one smile you have to love it.

I took Daisy to the dog park as Jackie was out of the house early for Yoga. There are some pretty talkative people at the dog park. Daisy didn’t have anyone that really ran with her but she still had fun meeting her friends.

I whipped to Tim’s and along with Fred we worked on putting new window trim around his house. We worked until noon and they headed with friends out for Chinese lunch.

I had to take my #3 hybrid into the repair shop as I had a cracked shaft. This can get pricey but most importantly the shaft selection in weight is critical. We had no markings as they were custom fit for me so i went with a 80 gram. They go from 50 to about 100. Here is hoping I like the feel, the flex and hit it well.

I stopped at Mobile Depot and picked up some more bolts and a couple of brackets to complete my roof.

Today out of the house at 9:30 am and we worked until we were done the trim work which was about 3:30.

Fred & Tim had company coming and I thought I would complete the one side of my kitchen. I finished the kitchen around 6 pm and then had a great supper and relaxed on the couch. Straining to lift and hold louvres over our heads to get them installed takes it’s toll on the back.

I needed to come up with a solution since our wood was discontinued which I think worked out fine. I will wait for the next rainy day to decide to close the north end in or not and if the triangle from the roof needs to be filled. I like the looks and it saved me a bundle.

Thought of the Day

I looked in my drawers and discovered I have more “project” (work) clothes than golf clothes. My project wear comes with tears, rips and paint on them.