August 1st -2nd

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 30 degrees, Calgary 24 degrees, Mesa 44 degree”

I am going to try a new format for August to see how it works. My plan is to have the month broken into 4 weeks which should reduce the amount of scrolling required when nearing the end of the month. It only took me 11 years years to discover I can have a parent hierarchy with as many child pages and levels as needed within my WordPress. I will see if I like it and if it works.

So I will still do the day to day but have more pages to chose from. I am not sure about it but here goes.

Ok I was able to do it and it worked perfect with one hiccup . Perfect on a laptop with the multiple easy to use drop downs sistered under each heading. Would have saved a lot of scrolling but when using a smart phone or in this case not so smart phone the webpage doesn’t transfer to mobile visualization and sizing and creates 48 pages instead of 12 pages so I have decided to go back to my old way. I would say at least 4 hours of learning and neat tricks I learned and successful but not workable with mobile devices. Most people today only use a mobile. They are really missing out so much as a laptop experience is so much better and easier to work with for most websites.

We had a nice day and evening out at Oasis. Daisy loves the visual of all of the carts roaring by and Jackie and I for the most part just relaxed and enjoyed ourselves.

We had a easy time getting set up and the neighbors were not parked in my way and I could slide right back in my spot. I am a 1/2 inch out of being square to the deck but with Jackie there I let it slide, otherwise I would have moved up and back to correct this.

I cut the grass, plucked the dead flowers and tidied up everything.

We had an easy supper but one I haven’t had for long time and loved it. Wieners with condiments and brown beans. It is just a lovely camping supper.

We had two walks around the park as we thought Jackie’s credit card had been pulled out of her pocket and fell but later found it under the seat. No FOB though. lol

The dark, quiet peaceful nights at Oasis are wonderful. As it was a long weekend it was very busy and only one party group up late. A quick shower came through and scared them into their units. The smell of money or or as some say the smell of cow shit from the feedlot was abundant in the air and only made you think of country.

Packed as much as possible in the jeep and headed to the condo. As we were away for a week I turned off the water and a/c. On our arrival it was 28 degrees in the condo. As our condo is over 1300 sq ft and the compressor was designed for the traditional condo of about 750 sq ft it takes a long time to lower the temperature over the whole unit. Tonight we will close our bedroom door and enjoy 20 degree temperatures.

A beautiful sunny afternoon and Jackie was taking Audrey shopping for the birthday tomorrow. I get a call 10 minutes later that it is not happening as it is pouring rain. I look outside, go outside and it is sunny. Jackie comes back and picks me up and we head to 130th and loads of sun and no rain what so ever.

Calgary is a unique town separated by a winding river. The weather patterns are heavily influenced by the rivers pathway. The Northeast of Calgary gets the worst weather, followed by the Northwest and closely followed by the Southwest. Our side of the river and to the Southeast sees very little bad weather. Check out every morning and Riverstone/Cranston is the the hot spot of Calgary. Such a huge difference in weather of about 2 miles apart divided by a river is unusual but the normal for Calgary. It is like the saying ” from the wrong side of the tracks”

I was not going shopping as I had just received my clothes from Light in The Box online but went with Jackie to get stuff for Jackson as Audrey didn’t want to go out in the rain. Three pairs of shorts/swimsuit for myself and a pair of shorts and hat for Jackie for a shopping trip for kid where I didn’t even want to go. One item for Jackson. Oh well we are close to being set now.

But we needed a few things for our cruise so good to get it done. I did some research and have found I think I am going to be very happy with Norwegian Cruise lines. They do not have the traditional two formal nights and they are more relaxed in the dress code allowing dress shorts in the main dining room. This makes me happy but I would like common sense to prevail and no blue jeans, coveralls, denim shorts. pjs or sweats allowed. Hopefully

Jackie’s hat she bought is cool as it 50 SPF rated and has a built in insect repellent.

We started our one month before cruise exercise routine to tighten up a few things. I went from around 240 pounds to around 210 pounds for a long time and then March 2014 dropped to 189 pounds. I found it a little light and made me a little weaker than I liked so pumped that up to 193/195 pounds and have remained exactly there for 11 years now. I am dropping to 190 for our trip and lifting weights. One month will not result in a visual impact but in strength for sure a difference will be felt. So I figure between the 3 pounds less and the the added muscle of one month I can adjust a few things to look a little better. I do recognize that after every cruise we have taken it is at least a 5 pound gain. Worth every penny though.

The beginning of the month so doing my budget numbers. A couple of things that stand out is our condo fee in 2014 when we retired was $447 now it is $815 a month, our HOA in Arizona in 2014 was $523 now is $805 usd a month and no big raise from our government for us nor the perfect interest rates.

Perhaps the reason why I find any union worker that votes to strike repulsive, greedy and self serving with no regards to the end customer or the public worker with the mediocre raises they get. Let Canada Post go on strike and dissolve the corporation. Fedex, UPS , Loomis and others will fill in the needed demand. If Air Canada flight attendants go on strike fire them all. Present a reasonable logical wage increase or solution to an issue and hire those back only that will accept. Both of these jobs are jobs where a replacement can be hired and trained in a day. If the teachers go on strike again, lock them out, establish on line classes asap and let them live on the union pay for months or as long as needed until they agree to teach with a competitive wage increase. Management could establish on line classes in the gym of every school so the parents are not affected by daycare.

Most union jobs are overpaid and underworked. EMT’s, Paramedics, AHS support staff call centers, nurses are about the only union jobs that need to have the salaries looked at and increased or at least the shift workload adjusted. We need to pay doctors, nurses, teachers, policemen, firefighters all very well but within reason and scaled to the public sector.

I would not want to have any of those jobs as they are all difficult in their own way but as a group they need to understand the impact their personal greed has on a society. The union mentality is that of a bully with unrealistic demands.

Unions are nothing but a breeding ground for corruption and abuse of power. They often prioritize the interests of their leaders over the needs of the workers. Unions create an artificial divide between workers and employers, fostering an environment of conflict and animosity instead of fostering collaboration and growth. Unions may have been necessary in the past, but in today’s modern society, they do more harm than good. They stifle innovation and limit the potential for economic development. Unions are a relic of the past. They no longer serve a purpose in our highly competitive and dynamic global economy. Unions create an ‘us versus them’ mentality, pitting workers against corporations. Unions should not exist. They only serve to protect the lazy and incompetent while hindering the progress and success of hardworking individuals.

Look at Boeing. The workers refused a 40% wage increase with a $5k bonus and more vacation and sick days. How asinine to refuse and shows the stupidity of the workers and company even to offer that.

Even with the first day of August being tariff day and the TSX market dropping, our investments held their own pretty good. There will be a many more drops in the months to come though with the tariffs.

Wordle in 4.

Catch up on Big Brother tonight.

Thought of the Day

Pay your workers a competitive wage with benefits but most importantly make the job they are doing enjoyable will result in employee retention and satisfaction.

I learned a long time ago that a wage increase lasts about two weeks and then it is forgotten.

August 3rd

Mr. Jackson Waldie’s 14th birthday . The time has passed sooooooo fast it is hard to believe. It is scary fast. Having said that we have had so much fun with Jackson over the years that that is hard to believe. Fishing, camping, trips, Mesa, school plays etc it for sure has entertained us. He has been from a youngster to now a very polite person.

Some of best memories are:

• In Mesa at a gun shootout activity one of the actors comes up to him and asked him where he was from. He was about 3 years old and says Mexico. What !
• Jackie and I taking him to his first baseball game and then to the hospital for stitches as he took a mean hit to the eye.
• Fishing for at least 5 hours in the boat and him not being bored and wanting out. I think he caught 8 Jackfish that day.
• Many outings to museums, restaurants, shows etc and having a blast at every one of them.
• Working with him to learn how to walk at 9 months old. ( both) Jackie & I did it ) our girls taking them until 12 months old.
• Driving and electric car at 3 yrs old.

I would run out of room listing them but I know Jackie & I have had a blast with him. I do miss the youngster Jack but the 14 yr old version is pretty cool.

Another year older and now ready to take the learners test.

Another wonderful family outing at Speeders. Huge building lots to do but our main event was the go cart racing that Jackson wanted us to attend.

We got all dressed up and ready to go and then entered our carts.

I can not believe it but Jackson was declared the winner with the fastest lap time of everyone. Beat by a 14 yr old with no license.

Awesome that his birthday he is awarded first place. Good lap. Jackie had car 13. lol

Starting the race I was disappointed in the speed of the cart. But after letting us go it turned out to be a fun speed. The are remotely controlled in case of a pile up so they slow you down coming up to the incident.

Little Atti struggled with the width and speed and had a few collisions. One time coming around a corner someone bumped him sideways and I plowed into him. He looks at me and goes ” Why are you running into me ?” LOL.

It was a $400 a hour event but worth it for the fun it created.

Jackson’s choice was the Japanese Village for his birthday family gathering. Excellent choice as we all had a wonderful time combining great food and entertainment. Our chef tonight brilliant and very funny. No knives thrown that hit anybody. I was surprised Victoria was so calm seeing shrimp and noodles being cooked right in front of her on the grill. I don’t know why she wouldn’t want those huge puffed up lips !

Japanese Village pricing is reasonable as they include a salad, soup, desert, rice and the main in their deal. Plus the entertainment value.

Jackson as the birthday boy even got to handle the food.

A couple hours of fun with great food. I had the steak & shrimp which was awesome. I saw Teriyaki chicken and beef on other plates and Teriyaki salmon on a couple of others. Normal beer and Japanese beer was available.

On our way out they had their sauces for sale and we should have bought some. The Yum Yum sauce for the meat and on my rice was exceptional. The salad dressing was unique and absolutely delicious.

Good choice Jackson !

August 4th-5th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 23 degrees Calgary 21 degrees, Mesa 43 degrees”

We should be in Arizona to enjoy the warmth. Again today a decent temperature but another bout of rain dropping by. Another severe weather warning. I think it has become a Don’t Cry Wolf scenario as it is happening everyday and never anything major happening. Give a “severe ” warning there should be something to it.

We headed out to the lot to pick up the food from our trip. Timing is weird as we are leaving to Fiji in 27 days, and have two events to accomplish before that. So we are running short of time. Perhaps we will have a nice October to enjoy the fall.

We enjoyed sitting in the sun on the deck after cleaning up and just as we were leaving the wind started.

Jeff & I were golfing at Wintergreen today. Wendy didn’t want to golf today and Jackie was working most of the day.

It was a lot of fun and just like for years with Jeff & I golfing together.

This course is beautiful and it makes you feel like you are in the mountains.

Well lets see. We had periods of drizzle. We had holes with a light mist. Numerous holes with full blown rain and a few in the bright sun. We were taking off rain gear, and gloves over and over again. The course was saturated. We walked in slushy wet grass all day.

My favorite Par 3 hole and you can the wetness we were dealing with all day

Wet gloves along with no run on our shots made the course that much more difficult.

The rain dripping off Jeff’s rim would hit the ball and throw him off. LOL

Having said that it was a very fun day golfing. Jeff had an awesome front nine but fell off badly on the back. I scored the opposite way having a much better back nine. Some great drives and good second shots just weak on putting combined with some errors due to the wetness.

A steak sandwich special for $13.99 is unheard of and was exceptional in cost and taste.

A great day and a lot of fun.

Thought of the Day

Golfing in the rain is a sure way to get your clubs cleaned

August 6th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 27 degrees, Calgary 24 degrees, Mesa 45 degrees”

Nice weather.

Talking to Jackie she said it didn’t rain at all in Calgary yesterday while only 40 minutes west we we were poured on.

Jackie was up early and working then off to her dentist appointment. Many years ago she got a mouth guard for grinding and now a new one. Big difference in how they make them from then.

A quick walk with Daisy around the block for her business and then off to Costco. My glasses nose piece broke when cleaning them. I whipped to Costco and the young lady took care of them right away. She used silicone ones this time and I like them as they don’t slide down. We had a fun time joking about how she got her job in the eye department due to good eyes and this small work. These screws are so small I had to have Jackie “make it work” until I could get it fixed.

Costco business is nuts. I don’t care for the bulk buy concept and I hate the amount of immigrants and old people shopping there. When I was leaving this old lady has her cart behind me as I was trying to back up out of my parking spot. I get past her and then go to move forward and there she is again slothing along right in front of me to put away her cart. I held up traffic. Sorry she held up traffic. The amount of people and pushy people there is amazing. Needless to say we do not shop there much.

Anyways my eye girl fixed them up quickly and FREE of charge. Love it.

BIG NEWS TODAY. Jackson passed his driving learners test today so is able to drive a car on the road with an adult along. Best to do it in baby steps in the neighbor hood and work up from there to the freeways etc.

I was lucky living in the country as it was pretty much secluded. I do remember at 14 staying with my Aunt Lil in Westlock and she throws me the keys when driving from the farm to town . I was a little tentative but did think I was pretty special and loved the fact she trusted me.

First time pass, way to go Jackson.

Here was his first time driving at 3 and now a real car at 14 yrs old.

When I turned 16 years old I was ready for the test. Funny things is I had in my opinion a way more skill than the average 16 yr old due to driving for 100’s of hours on my Uncles farm, and having a go cart, but yet I failed my first attempt. Grumpy old fart failed me for ” going to slow” . I took my test in Stony Plain and at the yield signs I slowed down and was cautious with the speed the entire test. As I have said before lesson learned. I never drove slow again. Below is the abstract when I lost my license in 1976. 40 demerit points in one month reduced to 7 points when they returned my driving privilege. The computer system was slow in it’s updating and incorrect but I wasn’t going to complain.

Footnote: I had one nasty City Of Edmonton cop that would follow me around every night. 80% of these tickets were from him. A written complaint to the Police Chief reduced the incidence but it was stupid.

Air Canada has voted 99.7 percent in favor of strike. Talk about a flock of sheep. This is a job where a replacement can be trained in one or two days. They currently make over $30 a hour. $60K a year for a pretty easy job other the away nights on long haul flights. But young men and women wanting to experience the world it is a dream job. Salary and unpaid work are the contentious issues. First of all the inflation rate people are talking about was a short term blip on the map. A increase of 3 % is generous as Canada’s current inflation rate is at 1.75% as of May 2025 based on the CPI. Quit exciting the employees with propaganda about the number that was the anomaly of the 6 to 8% that was short lived.

Unpaid work. This drives me nuts. There is NOT one job in existence that a worker gets paid for the complete time he works. This is the union mentality at work again. There is NOT a single career I can think of that accounts for full paid work time. In sales I worked 2 to 3 hours every night inputting orders into the system, Jackie would work 2 hours a day longer to “get the job done”. I had salaried sales desk people that would arrive 1/2 early, work at their desk thru coffee breaks and lunch “to get the job done” People are so entitled now. They should be appreciative of the job and be excited to help the company prosper to allow them to advance them in their career or give a bigger raise or bonus.

If I was Air Canada i would offer them 3% then lock them out. Bring staff in from Rouge and hire new and leave them out until they accept a fair deal to both sides. Then concentrate on eliminating personnel and replace them with individuals that want to succeed and work within a “normal” structure.

These same people are the ones complaining about high prices. Doesn’t it click that a huge raise for them means higher ticket pricing for everyone else and less ROI if a stock holder. Self entitled !

Celebratory supper with Jackson tonight with his accomplishment. State & Main has a pet friendly patio which is awesome. Plus being an exceptional place to eat. Jackson drove there and back. He will bug them every time to drive now. LOL

Too much weight lifting. I guess I am not as young as I once was. My shoulder, the one with the broken bicep is hurting. Need muscle relaxers tomorrow for golf for sure. I will need to make sure to bring those pills with me to build the shed this weekend.

I am hoping Corey and I can finish it in the two days. If not it will have wait until late Sept.

It is funny how busy life is. I have been putting off friend requests to get together too much. Garth, Brian, Donna, Ray, Fred are still in the plans if we can get it done. Even squeezing in Mom with a trip to Edmonton isn’t easy as it is a 6 hour trip. I think after the cruise we have about a month and a half before we leave to Arizona we can make it happen.

A lady we know in our building asks me how I was in the parking garage. I told her wonderful wonderful. She responds with “that wonderful you had to say it twice” . Yep !

Thought of the Day

A smile is a facelift that’s in everyone’s price range!

August 7th

” Mercury Forecast Edmonton 19 degrees, Calgary 21 degrees, Mesa 42 degrees”

Once again golfing in the rain. This has been a horrible year for weather. I do not remember getting wet so often, cancelling so often and at risk so often.

Today out of the 18 holes at least 8 of them with rain down pouring or strong drizzle. No wind nor cold but still ugly.

Once again my foursome for no other word sucked. Our scores once again dismal. Some great golf shots but that course is HARD. Lovely, one of the nicest but HARD. There is no way a 13 handicapper should shoot over 90 at Turner yet it happens. It is frustrating yet funny as I enjoy the challenge. I will beat this course one day with some luck, and better management. And with good weather. LOL

Off to Lethbridge and a work project. Busy day tomorrow loading all of my tools up and then picking up the Waldies and heading out. I plan to pick up the material tomorrow night to start first thing in the morning. We are babysitting but the kids will be left to their own defenses but with us there. I am not bringing my laptop so will post most likely Monday.

So it all worked out good as the girls were heading to the Drumheller Amphitheatre to see a Jann Arden concert. So we babysat and worked.

Talking to Jackie and seeing the pictures they had a wonderful time. I love Jann’s sense of humor along with so many great songs.

Hopefully we have a great looking structure before the girls get back.

I was able to pick up Corey a little earlier than expected which was great. We made room for Hazel, Jackson and the addition of a another set of drills and table saw. We were full.

Around supper time we neared Claresholm and I asked what Jackson wanted for supper. We had Dairy Queen, Tim’s. McDonalds or A & W. I was surprised by his decision of McDonalds but it has been a very long time since I have had it so we stopped. It is what it is. A decent tasting burger but not near the top of it’s class. You know what the expectation of taste is and no one can say bad. It just doesn’t have substance or character.

We made it to Lethbridge Home Depot exactly at the same time as Jessica which was perfect. Home Depot had everything all put together and bundled. Young kids today kill me. The young fork driver wasn’t comfortable loading us with his side shift. This is a function of a fork truck that every driver should know and use every time. Sort of like parallel parking. Scared due to no confidence and skill. Sad !

This reminds me of the new anti theft device in some vehicles. A manual shifter.

So Corey and I hand bombed everything into the truck. I laugh as Jessica has 4 inch rachet straps that semi truckers use. Heavy duty. LOL

We got to Raymond and proceeded to unload and stack it all up. I have to say who ever picked our order was very good at selection, as the boards were very straight and of good quality.

Almost 9 pm so too late to start anything tonight.

We played crib and watched a movie. I did lose at crib. Yes I know odd but it happens. Penny and I against them. We both won two games but due to some dumb rule about getting skunked they won 3-2.

Penny had the fridge and cupboards loaded for us. She even made us chili for supper that we had the next night. Now I take pride in my chili being exceptional but Penny’s was amazing. I loved it. She uses corn like you need to ( some don’t) the spices and sauce was fantastic. It was as good or better than mine. I think it was missing mushrooms but am not sure now. Awesome chili along with buns was tasty.

Looking forward we worked 13 hours the first day and 9 hours the second day with maybe a 15 min break a day only. Long hard working days.

So nice to have Corey’s help as he knows what he is doing and is great at getting stuff done. Plus he works, doesn’t rest and thinks.

I always do a material list and a blue print of sorts. This project was one of the more challenging as we ran into hiccups and the pricing today on everything is asinine.

I changed my mind from digging footings and uses metal brackets to using a 4 x 6 beam in the ground as the base. IF it it settles it is very easy to lift up and relevel.

We dug the ditches and filled them with pea gravel and levelled the beam. First snag was the sidewalk concrete under the ground was sticking a good foot out so we had to shrink our cooking shack sizing. Plus the one side was to close to the post of the patio causing us to make it smaller. Changes on the fly always happen.

Trying to keep the costs down is also a pain. I went with 4 x 4 instead of the 4 x 6 I wanted. This made our trim edging for the metal panels a lot more work and less rigid compared to 2 x 4’s.

Didn’t use joist hangers as originally planned as we had one end on concrete and one end on the beam . I prefer the method we used.

First time using large cement wedge anchor bolts instead of Zamba/Zamic drive pins and these were awesome. A 1/2 anchor bolt that is solid as a rock and hold the 4 x4 off the cement to prevent rot.

I wanted corrugated metal sides which is a strong product but the girls wanted black ribbed and a little thinner than I like which caused us grief.

Downsizing for cost just makes it that much more difficult.

Our first day was very productive getting the bulk of it done except for the roof. and few add-ons, side walls, and metal panels.

Up at 7 am and working until 9 pm is tiring but this is after day one. A good days work.

For a treat to the boys we decided to go to DQ. Little Atti was so funny. He tried putting his cap on his sundae and broke his cap spilling it everywhere in the backseat. He then claims he has a hole in his cup is why. LOL Luckily it was in Jessica’s truck which we used purposely knowing kids and spillage go together.

We started to watch the new Jurassic Park movie. Awesome movie but at 11pm I had to go to bed. It appears everyone else did the same soon after. It was a great movie so need to watch it soon.

The boys kept themselves busy the entire time which was nice. A scary clown story frightening Atti was the only issue.

Up and at it early again as driving home late after working all day, late at night is not want I or Corey wanted.

We completed the shack and even created a nice storage spot beside the the other shed using our waste steel panels.

22 hours goes by fast but when you consider we had to dig and level a beam, dig and move the irrigation system main connections 5 ft and dig a new box location, build a 8 x 7 foot deck structure and deck, drill and install concrete anchors for posts, build a structure with sides and a roof plus cut metal roofing and sides. It is a lot of work.

Then at home I remembered we forgot one cross support beam for the back wall. I asked Jess to save a few screws and i will just need my skill saw, measuring tape, some deck screws and drill set with one piece of 8ft PT 2 x 4 to complete. Fingers crossed no huge winds until I get this done. Lethbridge is windy and I am afraid this thinner than standard metal may bend under wind load on the back wall. I will attempt to do this very soon as it is only 2 1/2 weeks until we leave to the French Polynesian.

So job done in 22 hours with two of working harder than most would have for that time.

I like with it looking cool, it has black metal and white metal to match their house and the design imitates the original shed in design with a cedar strip and low sloped roof line.
I know this cook shack now referred to as the PLACE is the place where meat will be smoked, meat will be BBQ’d and plenty of gatherings happening for it to be useful, functional and aesthetically pleasing.

It is large enough for a BBQ, Smoker and Blackstone to fit in an have room to more around. It clears up the patio space and adds to the appeal of the PLACE.

We were very lucky with the weather. It was perfect not being too hot. We drank 24 bottles of water in the two days though.

My muscles are sore today. My back handled it quite well. But legs, thighs and over all from bending and lifting stuff up and down are a little sore.

Thought of the Day

The hardest lift of all is lifting your butt off the couch and getting to work

August 11th -12th

” Mercury Forecast Edmonton 26 degrees, Calgary 27 degrees, Mesa 43 degrees”

First on the list was to unload all of the tools and organize them in the Saloon and storage box. As I put them away I made a list of replacement screws, blades etc I needed from using them at this job. We used up 3 metal cutoff blades alone. A full box of deck screws ( $39 ridiculous } plus #2 bits etc. I absolutely hate to say this but my 12 inch miter saw with stand is very heavy for me to get in and out of the car. It was always heavy but it seems massive now. I had to manage the weight with more intelligence not to hurt myself or the vehicle.

Cleaned up the yard and cut the grass. The flowers are absolutely beautiful now and my Clematis is going to burst with flowers and second now. June instead of late August would be much better but I am just happy it is a survivor.

I was given a Rona gift card for Fathers Day so stopped there to replenish my blades etc. I bought a pack of # 2 Robertson, a box of 2 1/2 deck screws, a case of sawsall blades, a pack of jig blades, jiffy markers and a few cutoff metal blades.

The gift card would not work. Ironic that at the exact same time another customer experienced the same issue. The clerk and the manager were very good about it. I couldn’t contact anyone at the time to verify the amount so I left the card with them with my contact info and they were going to verify with their accounting department the amount and try to figure out the issue and phone me back the next day.

I came home and showered and off to see my doctor again. As usual over a 1/2 hour late which I am ok with as it just means she is spending time with her patients not pushing them thru.

After my last negative get together my attitude was to say the least possible, and get out of there as fast as possible. She was in a extra special mood this type perhaps her way of saying sorry. As I said we couldn’t ask for a more concerned doctor about everything than her.

I sat down and she came into the room and see’s two red marks on my head. I hit my head on a board wearing a hat but still scraped my scalp. Out comes the light, the magnifying glass and a long discussion on liquid nitrogen treatments. I explained my hits and luckily she moved on. As I have said before she will only give me 3 months of BP pills. She is now requesting a special time of day for readings so she can get a better understanding of my pressure. I will do that if it means 6 months, LOL

Then once again the STATIN talk. Drives me nuts. I will not take this poison. I am convinced they are not good for anyone that has had no heart issues. If you have a heart condition maybe then but not before. She is worried about her reputation if I die and her not making me take the pills. I am worried about dying, muscle pain or becoming senile if i do take them. So once again a LONG conversation about them and I just sat and listened and said hmmmm.

So a relatively good experience with no inclination of a damaged relationship per say.

Once again 3 months. I will book another appointment just before we leave to Mesa which will be a couple of weeks early and ask once again for 6 months as I will be away. More stress over a pill than anything else. My BP was 117/80 at the appointment.

Out of the house and dropped off my prescription. I received a call from Rona ( impressed) so I whipped up there and got a new card and then bought a few groceries at Sobeys.

I always say people should attempt to be as independent as possible. I will correct that. In the parking lot I see two women drivers drive over the curb trying to park. In the store between young women with kids, and old men and women it is a gong show. I can not imagine what goes thru a women’s head that it takes 5 minutes to choose one package over another. I have no idea what that old man blocking the aisle with his mouth wide open and blank stare is thinking.

I give any ” normal ” shopper all the credit for being able to navigate a grocery store and not have it become a nightmare. I think I would shop at 9pm. All of the old farts are in bed and all of the families are putting the kids to bed. A much quicker experience. LOL

This makes me smile thinking of going up to a drive in fast food window and not knowing what you want. You should know 15 minutes before arriving what you want. If you change your mind last minute that is ok but you shouldn’t take forever to make up your mind on that.

Finally gorgeous day weather wise.

We received a call from our Norwegian Cruise agent suggesting we are selected for a upgrade on our seating flying home. She contacted Jackie. For $2000 each person for one way ( home) we could have a bed seat. That is on top of our ticket pricing which was $3K already. I had said to Jackie if the upgrade was reasonable lets go for it. Not at that price ! Oh to be rich and live in luxury. Having said that I am looking forward to our extravagant hotel the day/night before cruising which is the first hotel we have ever stayed at over $1K a night. I am going to make good use of the river, pools, beach cabana etc . We better be pampered. It does include our limo transfers though. ( limo in Fiji maybe a donkey)

It is getting close to leaving and i am looking forward to the adventure immensely.

“PENNYWISE TIP”

There are a few rules concerning money that most people are aware of and try to adhere to. Having said that the 4% rule was once a popular retirement guideline but is no longer dependable in today’s economy. Inflation, longer lifespans, and market volatility have made fixed withdrawals riskier for retirees relying on savings. Experts now advise lower initial withdrawal rates and flexible strategies to preserve retirement funds. This unfortunately impacts everyone. Just to give a little insight using the 4 % rule if you had a $1 million in the bank that is only $40, 000 a year to live on plus CPP and OAS if you want to preserve your capital. It is a old rule that advisors are changing trying to scare people to withdraw less. Remember it is in the banks and the advisors best interests to have your money stay in the bank as long as possible. There is NO reason to preserve capital and deprive yourself of enjoyment for an inheritance ( advisors always say to leave a legacy) or for your bank and advisor to make money off you. Here is a graph with starting off at $1,000,000 earning 5% interest and withdrawing $72,000 a year. ( total income apprx $100K with pensions)

I input it for years as starting at 65 yrs old lasting until 85 yrs old. In this case there is still $246,000 left at that age plus your accumulated net worth assets that are liquid.

My suggestion is to make sure you understand your advisor is NOT working for YOU. Do not allow them to make your life less than wanted out of fear of running out of money. Ever wonder why not one advisor will suggest selling your house IF you run short of money and living off that. They are in the business to HOLD your money to allow them and the corporation to make money off you.

You live once. Life is short. Time flies without you realizing it. The tomorrow may never come. You have limited years of full mobility and mental fortitude. Use it wisely.

Having said all of that what ever your state is you can lead a full enjoyable retirement by doing what you love and can afford.

August 13-15th

Off to Edmonton tomorrow as Mom has issues with a leaking roof in her complex and to update her paperwork.

Rain the entire way up and COLD with a high of 14 degrees. We left Calgary early and sunny expecting similar conditions but were surprised not bringing a coat and wearing shorts and light clothing.

The damage from the leaking roof is quite substantial. A pretty easy fix instead with a lot of sanding and mudding to repair. Then painting.

I was lucky to catch the manager in her office and talked her into coming to Mom’s room to see the damage herself. She has promised to fix this quickly. The roof HAS to be repaired first and right away then the interior. Tanya figured about Tuesday for repairs next week. I hope so.

Went thru a lot of paperwork and wrote a couple cheques for bills she needed to pay.

A nice visit with Mom. Mom is doing quite well physically. Not a bad exercising routine to keep the blood flowing and the water retention down in your legs at 93 years old.

I do not want to get old. LOL

For supper we decided on Muggn’z as we had previously had food from them. Mom loves mashed potatoes so that and veal cutlets were her choice. I chose the hamburger steak with mashed potatoes. Meat and Potato family !! Guess what Jackie ordered. LOL

Picking up the food was a challenge. The difference between Edmonton and Calgary drivers has been vast for years. But tonight even more pronounced as they have to be the slowest drivers in the world. Perhaps concentrating on dodging potholes has distracted them. It would drive me nuts to drive this. I love Calgary drivers.

Rain most of the way home.

Picked up Daisy who spent the day with Audrey.

Today was my men’s league today at Turner Valley. I looked at the weather and decided on pants. I didn’t bring my normal golf jacket so it was cool until I pulled out a rain jacket. No rain but only about 13 degrees all day. The course was drenched with water so NO roll and plugging.

My love hate continues here. Not great playing conditions with the course and weather but 3 out of the 4 players in my group all had horrible scores. Conditions, weather and skill was missing. It shocks and disappoints me each week this year. I was off to an excellent start with a Hole 1 perfect drive, great second shot to 5 ft and ending with a Par but my game did not carry on like this.

Not one lost ball and still scoring so poorly. The wet green fringe that was long also played a big factor.

You know it is getting close to the end of season when the restaurant starts running out of stuff. I had to have a different choice but it came out wonderful.

I got home and then headed to Oasis to load my Jeep with the tools I think I will need to correct my error in Lethbridge.

Off to Lethbridge for a quick fix. It is amazing what one thinks of when the sleep. I do a lot of dreaming and thinking.

“Memories”

Years ago after Dad had passed no one could figure out how to remove the filter from the water softener so after arriving from Calgary I went downstairs and yes it could not be removed. I went to bed and in the middle of the night it hit me. I had to turn two valves off to remove the pressure and the reduced pressure allowed the screwing action removal of the filter. Love it

I was worried at night knowing the wind loads that Lethbridge get and my supports for the back wall. I had to fix it and it had to be done before the winds hit.

Out of the house at 8am and on the road.

When I arrived I started right away. After checking out how we built the shed I thought of a easy and effective fix. It surprised me how easy to fix so I was pretty happy. I used a 2 x 4 PT and side screwed it in between the 4 x 4 posts. I used GRK screws to hold any weight and pressure. I then metal roof screwed with washers every panel to have a strong panel.

I then went up the front and applied two metal roof screws with washers into every panel.

I am confident now unless a hurricane wind it will withstand it.

While there I decided since it was so late in the year I won’t reinstall the connectors for the irrigation system until spring. I want to install a 4 zone control valve with auto timing for them but I could fix the granite stone walk way.

I have hated the look of it forever. I used the existing granite stones and pea gravel and added a 4 x 4 border. I levelled them all pretty good but they will adjustment over time which only takes a second to lift and install pea gravel under it to level.

I like the looks now. They just need to sweep the pea gravel clear and use a mulch/pea gravel glue.

I just noticed I did not move the rocks from the entrance to walk. LOL

Another day at work, another fun visit to Raymond and back on the road again.

Thought of the Day

Any project can be estimated accurately (after completion)

August 16th -18th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 24 degrees, Calgary 24 degrees, Mesa 41 degrees)

You see the numbers and would think wonderful, but it has been weird as rain, cloud and sun happens randomly everyday.

Saturday morning Jackie & I headed out to the lot to get it ready for company. The usual things like cutting grass, cleaning, removing tarps etc.

It was a nice day and while working it was very enjoyable.

The flowers are beautiful out at the lot.

Jessica arrived with a bag of Taber corn and we made roasted potatoes, roasted beets, chicken breasts and the corn. That fresh corn is unbelievable in taste.

Jessica was staying overnight as she was interested in a show that Oasis was presenting. We bought tickets mostly due to support the park. Jackie asks the neighbor Michelle and Jessica to come with her.

A like the fact of having a show like this come could be the start to having more events. It is medium with a adult only attitude mixed with comedy.

It is not my thing AT ALL.

“Memories”

I have told this story before but years ago at a sales seminar we had a special guest giving a presentation. A selling course. The lady starts going around to each person and asking what their favorite color is. One guy would say Black. Immediately she would say he was dark, secret and a cold personality. Another said Red. They were easy to anger and hot headed. She came to me and I refused to give a color. My manager after the meeting discussed it with me. LOL Things like this are bull$%#&.

These mediums play on people’s emotions and gullibility. Entertaining though.

Jess, Michelle and Jackie had a fun time. A whole bottle of wine done, plus mango sparkly and ginger root beer drinks. Plus cold Ultra.

They came back quite excited.

Rick came over and sat around the campfire for hours with us. Lots of laughing. Funny with medical issues coming up in the discussion and us deciding the issues maybe due to past Chlamydia infections rising from dormancy.

A fun day.

Needless to say someone slept in a bit. LOL

Jackie and I just relaxed after Jessica headed home. We did walk the park and saw the new pickleball courts fenced in which makes a huge difference in looks. We also saw the reno on the Pavilion. New paint, trim, and lots of new lighting. Makes a huge difference in the looks. The windows look great !

Cleaned up and returned to Calgary and watched Big Brother on TV.

Thought of the Day

I don’t believe in astrology; I’m a Aquarius and we’re skeptical.

August 19th-21st

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 23 degrees, Calgary 28 degrees, Mesa 42 degrees”

I will start by saying today is the best day for golfing we have had this year. Zero wind, slightly overcast so cool, no mosquitos and no storm clouds in the sky.

Jackie is trying to get ahead of her work so choose not to play today. So Jeff, Wendy and I headed out to Lakeside. I like this course and today with the taller grass it played hard first trying to find your ball in the first cut and second to chip on to the green. It took a lot of searching to find our balls even though we knew exactly where they fell. In fact I think we lost three of them in the fairway. And many more with just a little luck were found.

Lakeside has practice mats that really should be redone. To have a driving range where you can not tee it up is dumb. Second to have a practice green with no cut holes is dumb. But as I said i like the course and normally score well. Today I found the greens have more movement that I remember.

Jeff & I in one cart and Wendy in her own. So we started off as a threesome but on the green of the first hole two young kids past us to join up with the twosome in front of us. Plus we were joined by a member.

It all didn’t sit well with Wendy for a couple of holes and then it was fine. The young kids were supposed to join up but played as a twosome so it back logged the course more than it should have been. Having said that we still finished right on 4 hours which is excellent.

Golfing- I drove perfect today. Two right power fades only but neither causing a lost ball. The front nine I didn’t score well but the back nine at 40 I can take. Just silly mistakes and missed putts hurt the front. Jeff today overall played decent. Driving was pretty good but the irons and putting let him down. Wendy is a tough girl as even with her bad hip she is trying hard but she didn’t have any good drives until she switched to her 3 wood. She thinks it is her new grip but I think it is her hip that she won’t admit to. But wonderful to still be out there trying and fighting.

I count my steps in golf to add to my day total for calories in and calories out. Unfortunately, today I do not know why it was the least amount of golf steps I remember ever taking. Driving to close the ball, not having to search for my partner and my ball on opposite sides of the fairway or taking too straight of path to the ball. Not worth the money to walk such a short distance.

Having said that I am below my target weight for our trip but I am hating old skin. LOL

It was a very fun game with our new partner also being a friendly nice guy to golf with.

We decided to come into town so Jackie could join us for an after golf outing. The Graces chose Rockwell’s which I like as the have good food and have a wonderful patio plus normal beer.

On arrival and entering the restaurant we see Jeff & Wendy but unfortunately they chose to sit inside instead of on the patio. To expand on this bit. Calgary summers are very short so on a nice day one needs to get outside and enjoy the warmth as it passes very fast. I think having a cold beer and food on a patio everything from the smells, the scenery and experience is just that much better than inside.

Jackie & I absolutely loved our meals. My steak was cooked to perfection and seasoned wonderfully. The Graces I am not sure if they had the same feeling as they both did not finish their meals and did a carry out box. With shrinkflation the portion sizing is smaller on everything now adays and these dishes fit that description. They had some kind of pasta I never heard of but it looked good. I like thick pasta and these noodles were a good inch wide and i believe called Pappardelle. I will check it out next time to see what the sauce and add ons are. I am thinking sausage would be good with it.

I like Rockwell and will for sure be back but my only comment would be the draft beer was very flat so I switched to a bottle and the “cold beer” not so cold and without a frosted glass. They can do better.

We are golfing with them at Turner Valley on Friday so hopefully sunny for the patio with its mountain views and good tasting food. The clubhouse has a more traditional bar style menu versus a fancier restaurant like Rockwells but I know the quality has always been good.

I am going to reiterate again on the sun and the line we have been fed. If you remember we were not not supposed to eat eggs or butter now it is recommended. So many things discovered to be untrue. You know my feelings on Statins. We scared people away from eggs and now the sun and our society has done us a disservice by marketing sunscreen. The sun is our life source for everything.

It supports healthy bones, helps manage calcium levels, reduces inflammation, supports the immune system and glucose metabolism. Vit D is the wonder drug that is natural so gets no importance to the medical field. It is noted a link between exposure to the sun and lower blood pressure levels, and with reduced death rates from cardiovascular issues. They suggest that exposure to sunlight triggers the skin to release stores of nitrogen oxides, which cause arteries to dilate, lowering blood pressure, and may reduce the impact of metabolic syndrome.

Increased sun exposure may also protect people from the following diseases:

• type 1 diabetes
• multiple sclerosis (MS)
• several forms of cancer, colon, breast, and prostate cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Sunlight also supports better sleep and sets people’s circadian rhythms by regulating the levels of serotonin and melatonin.

Yet people have been taught to be afraid of it mostly due to media skin cancer stories. Look at this graph. Most would think Australia and they would be correct but there is a story behind the numbers. The countries with the highest rates are the wealthiest countries with access to sunscreen and by far not the sunniest countries with the exception of Australia. Doesn’t that seem odd ? If we looked at the numbers of skin cancer it is is exactly parallel to the increase in sales of sunscreens.

What is happening is these rich countries people are applying sunscreen and it is causing cancer. Why ? No one will argue that the sun can cause cancer. If your cells went rogue on you you need to take extra caution. But the rate increase is relative to a sense of protection that isn’t there. We apply it and then spend 8 hours in the sun. The UV rays are affecting the skin. Our natural instinct would be to spend a hour and we feel the heat and see the pink happening and we would take cover. Now we are exposing our skin for hours instead of minutes and the damage piles up. It is the false sense of security with added sun time that is causing the issue.

To compound this these rich countries have people being able to afford sunglasses. They believe they are protecting their eyes against cataracts. What is happening is our eyes have a sensor to know when sunlight is hitting our skin and our bodies release melanin to protect us. They don’t have that protection. Hence more skin cancer.

No one wore sunglasses years ago and no one wore sun protection years ago and the cancer rate was substantially lower.

What the numbers also don’t tell us is the sun tan parlor beds usage for each country.

With anything “common sense ” has to prevail. Sun causes cancer, caution and exposure has to be controlled, sunscreen lotion used sparingly is good, sun lotion used for hours of protection is bad, sunglasses for around the eye skin protection is good, (thin skin) but is bad for sunburning, and with everything we are being fed a bunch of contradicting information

We whipped out the lot tonight to find our kayak paddles. I checked everywhere. Not to be found.

Now it has only has been 10 years since we last used them but I can not remember where i put them, what I did with them, etc. Darn. In fact I searched every place at the lot, Jackie searched in our storage lockers and in fact I made a second trip this morning to double check and no success. We must have given them away or stored them in some unusual place. You would think we could remember. Oh no !!

I weighed myself this morning and was surprised. About 3 weeks ago or so Jackie & I decided as it was a sun vacation we would tighten up and lose a few pounds.

I decided in late 2013 to lose weight as I was at the 240 pound mark. Not obese but for sure a way over weight. I slowly lowered my weight and dropped it down to 189 pounds. That is 50 pounds less. I then decided I need to maintain it around 193 pounds as I felt a little weak and my pants kept falling down. I stayed at 193 pounds for close to 10 years. Today on the scale I was 186 pounds due to activity and lower calorie count. Calories in calories out is a simple weight loss system to follow. My miniscule steps taken yesterday in golf disappointed me to help me achieve my goal but a smaller steak and potato supper at Rockwell’s helped it drop. I may have to look at those butt padded underwear to keep my pants up a I have run out of belt holes. BMI now at 23. These BMI numbers just don’t make sense as 25 is considered overweight. I must have big bones.

I will see what my step count today is in my men’s league golf outing.

I had to whip out to the lot this morning as I was convinced I knew where the paddles were only to be disappointed again. They are lost, stolen when our locker was broken into, hidden in some unknown place or never existed. It has been 10 years since I saw a picture with them in it and remembering we used them. Oh well GONE !

A few phone calls to handle a few open ends for the girls and then off to golf.

This is Daisy’s happy spot. The patio door open and her chin resting on the sill as she watching the going-ons outside.

High expectations poor results once again. This course eats me up. And it is my fault. 4 chip out of the trees ( my fault for going there) one 3 shots out of a bunker and two holes with 3 or 4 putts. BUT once again it was a very fun time but once again no money won.

Nothing better than sitting on the patio in the sun, looking at the mountains ( hazy today) with a cold beer.

Long talk with Mom as she is not handling her room reno very well. The self induced stress that old people put upon themselves is insane. People need to relax, go with the flow more and not be so grumpy.

The old and grumpy concept is so true. People shrink their world, listen to negative news all day, are not open to change and cause themselves grief for no reason. Worst part they don’t even realize they are going down that road.

Reasons that old people get grumpy.

• Hearing loss or vision loss
• Hormonal changes
• Emotional challenges
• Cognitive changes
• Isolation and loneliness
• Physical discomfort

Reasons not to be grumpy.

• You are alive
• You are in a way better condition than others
• You are able to experience laughter, joy, and excitement if you chose.
• You can change or adjust any of the reasons that make you grumpy.

I see family, friends and acquaintances that are experiencing this in their lives.

It is a simple fix for most people. Stop listening to the news, stop thinking you are right and know better, learn new things, get out of the house and experience things even if uncomfortable, be as independent as you can, and remember with age comes wisdom but it is tainted and delusional.

I will state right now that I will NEVER become one of these old people. I will help, I will guide, I will support my kids the best I can but I will not ask, burden, or subject them to my old age induced expectations.

Big Brother tonight was good with a person leaving I liked and hoped wouldn’t but that happens every year. I like Racheal getting a little more like her old self.

Wordle in 4 today as it was a tricky one !

Thoughts of the Day

A grumpy person is a reminder to never take happiness for granted and to cherish the moments of joy in your life .

August 22nd-23rd

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 23 degrees, Calgary 25 degrees, Mesa 41 degrees”

Finally summer is coming. The next week will be awesome weather, more like summer weather we should have received.

Today we were golfing with the Graces out at Turner Valley. The day weather was perfect. About 23 degrees , sunny, no wind but the girls thought it was cool. To me it was perfect.

The course punched their greens so the timing was a little off but the course was still in perfect shape. It is a wonderful course and in my mind one of the toughest I play in the Calgary area. I just don’t score well here. This year worse than ever. I am usually in the money in my league but not this year.

Golfing Once again I had a very bad game. Not one lost ball but having to punch out, missed putts, and one sand bunker disaster. Wendy with her hip just can’t get the ball off the tee. When ever someone is in pain it makes a huge difference. Jackie played reasonable well. Jeff had some great shots mixed with some off iron shots. I now have to wait for next week to try again the last before we leave.

We stopped in the clubhouse for supper. I picked the patio upstairs as it has a cover as they don’t like the sun but we are still outside. So it was a good compromise. I love the sun and with today being just the perfect temperature it was wonderful eating out. Turner Valley always has good food and tonight once again I thought it was perfect. Jackie went away out of her comfort zone and ordered a beet and mandarin salad which she loved. They should hire a bartender though as not making home made Moscow Mules shouldn’t happen. Jeff had his drink which was a IPA in a can which I thought was weird as most places have at least one fruity IPA on tap. I guess you can’t everything.

A very fun day golfing with the perfect temperature even though the girls wore light jackets half of the day and an enjoyable supper on the patio.

I talked to Mom tonight and luckily for what ever reason she seemed in a good mood and even said the contractor fixing the wall did a good job. I can’t figure out how such a turn around. She must have made up her mind to accept it as everyone was trying to do what is best even though stressful for her. The residence manager was awesome moving Mom’s chair and commode back and forth to another room for her to stay in while the fixing was going on.

Thought of the Day

Acknowledge and accept your negative thoughts to push thru them. The other side of these thoughts is so much better

August 23rd

” Mercury Forecast Edmonton 25 degrees, Calgary 24 degrees, Mesa 43 degrees”

Nadi, Fiji weather today is 29 degrees. So it looks like every place i like to be at in the moment has perfect weather.

I printed off our boarding passes for the ship, printed off the vouchers for our airport to hotel transfer, printed off out hotel to docking port voucher, and printed off our luggage tags for port to room transfer. Norwegian was even kind enough to give us a complimentary lounge on docking as our airport transfer isn’t until later that evening. Free room, free food and storage for our bags while we explore is awesome.

I was checking out our ship and i am surprised and happy. This ship is small. It only has 1800 passengers. Our previous ships have had 3200 and 5200 passengers. It has a 1 crew to 2 passengers ratio so we should have excellent service. Bad as Jackie & I on each cruise use the stairs to keep the buffet weight down. Only 3 flights from room to food versus 8 flights or so.

I am used to small boats in the water and teased Jackie we could be like a thimble in the ocean bouncing between waves. She knows that we have only experienced one bad sea day ever on any ship. I remember it well as the evening show had to be shut down and we were thrown from side to side trying to walk back to our rooms down the hallway. The area outside of Gibraltar is supposedly known for that.

I checked out the dining and amenities and I think we are going to love this ship. Going in comparing Princess to NCL and ships here is what I believe we will like or dislike.

LOVE:

• The size of the ship for easy access to everything.
• A nice list of amenities
• Excellent choices of dining options
• No formal nights and more causal dress code for main dining.

DISLIKE:

• Not as technologically advanced with on board ship app.
• Entertainment in the evenings seems weak
• Lack of stairs due to sizing will reduce calorie reduction.

We will see once we are on it and experiencing it

Thought of the Day

Change is scary but so can staying the same

November 25th–27th

“Mercury forecast Edmonton 29 degrees, Calgary 29 degrees, Mesa 38 degrees rain”

Look at that weather and for 7 straight days it is beautiful in Alberta really. It only took to just about September for summer to finally be here.

Jess & the kids took the perfect week to have a holiday at the lake. We were going to go with them but just too much to do to get ready plus appointments.

Jackson was with them and once again his fishing skills and patience paid off. Nice sized trout. Catch and release.

I headed out to the lot today. I wanted this to be the last visit as we leave in 4 days.

I cut the lawn, fertilized the flowers and lawn, trimmed the shrubs, and deadheaded the flowers. I cut all of the wonderful lettuce( love fresh garden lettuce). I picked a few carrots but left the bulk of them to grow up as they were still baby carrots.

I switched the power all around as our lot has a open ground issue ( hence the electrical upgrade for 10K) . Now the surge protector will only kick off the motorhome and leave the bar fridge still running. So i moved all of the condiments etc over to the bar fridge.

I had to repair the door on the freezer of the fridge as the hinge broke on it. I drill a hole thru all of the supports and used a 14 gauge copper wire as a hinge. Works like a charm. With the freezer door off the fridge would get too cold.

It was so nice outside working on a warm day.

I had to recharge my batteries and then cut the lawn.

So all done until we get back, I expect stinky water as three weeks is a long time but I didn’t want to empty the HW tank, the filters and the hose. It won’t take me long to get it normal again. Worse case scenario a 1/2 hour and a cup of bleach.

I failed Wordle yesterday and today was 6, Both days one letter missing and each attempt getting ( guessing)wrong. Good thing not two fails in a row.

When I showered this morning I included a steaming of one of my shirts and it came out pretty good. It had the factory deep creases that didn’t come out in the wash.

Mom was in good spirits today as the reno is 90 percent done and she is happy with the work.

Three golf games and then gone. Tomorrow with Jeff, Thursday with my men’s group and then Friday with Jeff, Wendy and Jackie and then off to the French Polynesian.

Heavenly summer weather. Just the perfect temperature.

Jeff & I went out to Speargrass today to golf. 30 degrees NO WIND for here is unbelievable and no bugs. You could not ask for more perfect conditions. The golf course was in unbelievable shape. It would say it was the course in the best shape I have played this year. The fairways were like the putting green. The first and second cut the perfect length and the greens the fastest I have played on this year.

We were paired up with two wealthy golfers from the Calgary Country Club that were just trying different courses out. Their Porsche when leaving sounded wonderful. Enbridge retirees. Nice guys.

I will start by saying it was a very fun day. Our two partners played well. Tony very well as he was consistent without too many errors. Jeff had an off day and did not have his usual drives or irons working. The heat gets to him easily.

I started off strong taking a 40 on the front nine with a triple boogie in there. Numerous birdie shots that didn’t happen but 7 Pars one triple and one boogie I can life with. The back nine I fell apart. The back mind you is much harder but costly errors and missed drives hurt me. Disappointed as the front nine was real fun.

For me it was not the heat as I found it perfect but lack of focus that got me.

We stooped for supper after at the clubhouse and Jeff ordered the special which was beef goulash. I was tempted but didn’t but do wish I had. It looked great and the chef even came out of the kitchen to ask Jeff what he thought of it. Nice gesture. Jeff says wonderful and the chefs says “It better be I am German”

We had a good laugh when Jeff took off his and he had a solid salty sweat ban on it. He has always been a heavy sweater for as long as I have known him but he does excrete a LOT of salt. Interesting as salt is one of those things that became controversial and blamed and i might add unjustly. A salty sweater is in a unusual position. Is it because they have too much salt in their system or is it because they have drank too much water.

I did lightly perspire on one hole but juts a drop on my forehead.

For years when leaving the 18th hole when Jeff went to kiss Wendy “Good game” she would think he licked his lips before kissing. Just sweat. LOL

Great day !

4 more days and we are off. I am so glad we went with the full package for our cruise. Our flights, transfers, hotels, boarding times, all done. Norwegian has offered us a free hospitality room for after the cruise as the timing between disembarking and airport delivery is hours apart. Free food and drinks and luggage storage so we can have a last day relaxation. Interesting notice we received today with embarkation instruction and as the port we are leaving from does not have a cruise terminal we are told to only come at set times as there is no washroom, food, shade etc at the docks. To have our luggage taking care of from Calgary to Fiji and furtherance to the hotel is wonderful. Swimsuit and lotion in the carry on so if the bags are late or lost we can still have a great day before cruising out.

I whipped to the BNS today to get cash for tips and incidentals. The young lady I had provided awesome customer service. Funny as the bank employees at this branch made me feel I was at a United Nations convention. Every country in the world represented. Pretty cool to see. My teller came back and was so excited and proud of her accomplishment in picking the amount for each increment. I couldn’t tell her she went overboard. I asked for $500 USD and I have that in Ones, Fives and Tens. She gave me want I asked for and it is wad but I would have liked a few 20’s. LOL

I did make one error in booking this cruise. I did not realize we were leaving on the long weekend for the USA and us. Busy airports. But you are limited to when they leave and i wanted to be cruising for Jackie’s 65th birthday. Having said that we will be celebrating on the 16th as we are disembarking on the 17th and spending that day in our hospitality suite before flying home.
Dave and Audrey came over for supper tonight. A nice visit. Dave drove his SC430 Lexus down and we went for a drive. When new it was a beauty. Today still a beauty. In amazing shape, with perfect leather and a dark black green paint. Being a cabriolet the auto top is fantastic Drives like a new car still . I have always loved the interiors of Lexus and of any of the luxury brands it is tops in reliability. This 4.3 liter engine has 300 horsepower so is a fast fun little car to drive.

Is it just me or are Albertans fickle. Two days of medium warmth and everyone is complaining it is TOO HOT and then come December everyone complains it is TOO COLD.

That USA is nuts. Minneapolis has two school shootings in one week. A high school and elementary . Kids killed in both cases over what. It is just sad the way people treat a human life. It is imaginable the pain and sufferings of those parents.

Thought of the Day

The act of murder is an unforgiveable betrayal of the sanctify of life and causes so much pain to everyone involved.

July 28th -29th

The perfect temperature. Not too hot and definitely not too cool. Todays golf was wonderful. I thought I would try a different approach at Turner as I have had some poor scores this year here. Rather than hit at full speed just relax and keep it in play. Tough course and not one lost ball, not one lousy drive. Some great irons and the odd poor one thrown in and the putts not perfect but to finish in third place out of the entire group I will take everyday. Money in my pocket.

We had a fun time today as Rick and I both had excellent games and were neck to neck until the 18th hole where I screwed up. It is fun when your playing partner and you are both having great games.

Italian sausage and noodle soup was awesome tonight and our JUGS of beer plentiful.

I came home and Jackie was still working. The amount of hours she has put in is nuts. She needs a holiday.

Today we were golfing with jeff & Wendy. Jackie got up early as she wanted to get things done before leaving and we were golfing after lunch.

Yesterday was wonderful but today was perfection with the weather. The golf course was in perfect condition. Overall played decent but near what I would expect/ I took 3 putts on three holes in a row. The front nine was decent but I did well on the back. No one was on their “A” game today but it still was a fun day golfing. I lost my favorite ball. Wendy used a 3 hybrid off the tee and hit it as far as her driver. We all had some great shots but overall our poor out weighed the good ones.

A wonderful supper on the deck at the course. Everyone had wonderful food and thought it was great. I had a steak salad that was awesome. Jackie had a beet salad that was excellent with the Graces having a beef dip and ginger beef dish that was great,

My homemade Caesars were awesome with the addition of pickle juice.

Our last golf outing until the end of September when we return.

August 30th to Sept 18th South Polynesian Islands