June 1st

” Mercury Forecast Edmonton 28 degrees, Calgary 30 degrees, Mesa 38 degrees”

We dropped off Daisy at Audrey’s and started up Highway 2. As usual the road was fairly busy with car after car. I prefer a busy highway when in a RV as the pace is slower and the need to pull and out pass is diminished and in our car again no risk of a speeding ticket as you just can’t go faster than the flow of the traffic.

My high school reunion started at 5 pm and we pulled into our hotel in Spruce Grove around 4pm. So perfect timing for getting freshened up, dressed and to leave.

I lived in this area for 60 plus years and I have to say without GPS in Spruce Grove I would get lost. When we lived in the Grove it was a fraction of the size it is now. What is neat is the the Grove named quite a few streets after residents that made an impact to the town. We have Mcleod , Nelson, Calahoo, Goebel to name a few.

To give you an idea of the growth when I lived there in in Grade One the town had less than 600 people in it. Today at the end of 2024 it had over 42K according to the records. Even when I was hanging out there on weekends while in high school it only had 4.9K . Crazy ! No wonder a person could get lost.

This event was planned perfectly by the planning committee. Dianne, Teddy, Terry, Grant and Roy all did an amazing job with everything.

Our graduation class was 268 people. Today we have 24 known deceased and we had 30 people declined, 50 attending graduates, ( plus spouses) and the balance unknown. A couple of things on this. First tracking down women is difficult with name changes. Second as our school was a central gathering spot of numerous towns spread out all over Parkland County it becomes even harder to track anyone’s where abouts. I am impressed by the tenacity and resolve to find as many as they did. Grant even knocked on doors trying to get commitments and finding people. If you look at the numbers we had approximately 10 % die and we had approximately 20% attend. Remember this is after 50 years also. I am going to be checking with others on how their schools made out for these types of events. Every ten years of having another event we have less attendees.

I will say this. For me high school was the most fun 3 years of my life. The camaraderie, social interaction, clubs, night events, dances and a bit of schooling made for a great time. I was very lucky to have numerous people that I would consider to be great friends at different times thru out these years and for different reasons. To name a few special people for high school Armand, Teddy, Jim, Clancy, Darrell, Tim, Hal, Mark, and many others with many fun memories of.

It was held the hall of the Links Golf course in Spruce Grove. The perfect size for approximately 100 people. A wonderful meal as golf courses are known for in catering tournament’s often. BBQ steak or chicken, salads, buns, mashed potatoes, and veggies all were perfect, A cash bar at responsible pricing was appreciated.

The committee had a slide presentation as a memorial for the students that have passed and a fun quiz game based on our school. We had groups, classes I never even heard of like a ” Gun operating” class, sewing class, and hiking club. There were some neat questions that we struggled with like naming teachers for certain classes. Even a teacher that had to change his name as he was caught having an affair with a student.

They had a great idea of having everyone introduce themselves and say where they are are from around each table. I thought they could have done this a lot better giving each student a 1 min or so to inform the group of their job, number of grandkids, etc but it was still was nice.

A super idea with our grad picture name tags. Larger font size for the name would have been nice. LOL Another nice presentation of the main organizer Dianne with a class picture signed by everyone in attendance.

We had a group picture taken outside which will be cool to see. Jackie took one also but at a different angle so I am cut out of that one. LOL

Lots or reminiscing, laughs, and jokes between us all.

For the ugly truth. Out of the 50 grads I would say 5 aged very poorly, 5 were well preserved and the balance looked pretty good for a group almost 70 years old. I thought the one classmate whom I do not know in his walker aged our group. LOL

As i said previously, a lot of my closer friends in high school were on the dead list or did not attend.

It is so interesting how much some people change. It takes a minute and it it clicks they look very similar but different.

When I looked at the group that did gather it was interesting to see how many of us went to school from Grade One to Grade Twelve together. Perhaps what made our school so different from others. No matter what that is a connection that is cool.

I thoroughly enjoyed this gathering and had a lot of fun. It was a ” moment” in life that will not be forgotten.

The slow decline in attendence numbers of our grad get togethers

Below is our 2015 graduation gathering

Here is our 2025 gathering of the group. In maybe mean to say but our mate in the walker sure does age us. LOL

Here are some random pictures of the activities.

The pictures are of the organizing committee giving an appreciation gift to Dianne. The TV has a portion of the slide show with the class mates no longer with us,

Next morning we headed to Mom’s place to do a few fix ups on things. On the way into Edmonton we stopped by the our home acreage where I lived for 17 years and was my Mom & Dads forever home.

My Dad built this house himself and it is built with some great products. Straight from the lumber mill so full sized 2 x 4 measuring exactly that.

It was if not the best one of the best looking acreages within Osborne Acres. Beautiful lawn, 100 ft plus of perfectly trimmed hedge, many annual flowers to add to the perennials. It was nice hence we sold in a very short time frame 10 years ago. Unfortunately something happened as it appears abandoned for years. The grass is over a ft high, the trees unkept and broken with many dead and one huge Spruce that has fell right on the roof of Dad’s shop. It has a For sale sign but I can’t find it on the MLS listing. It has a waste bin in front so perhaps just recently sold and someone is starting to bring it back to life. It looks pretty bad right.

Dad would roll over in his grave and Mom would be very angry if she saw their beautiful home wrecked like this. Good thing they don’t know. It was shocking to see the level of disrepair.

Got all of Mom’s to do list done. Replaced the vent grill with a damper grill. Good thing for a oscillating saw as I had a fair bit of cutting. Mom didn’t care for the noise it created and luckily I was able to take the heavy metal vent that needed cut outside so only had a portion of drywall inside the unit to fix. I got it all done. I will say this the HVAC guys that installed this a/c unit and building maintenance guy should NEVER call themselves professional. It was a hack job. I worked with what I was given and semi ok with it.

A nice drive home and Daisy was waiting at the door for us. Not pining for us but checking out the action at the front door. She was happy to see us but I know she also had fun and enjoyed the company. Having said that, she would not give us a good night kiss in bed when we went to sleep. Her way of punishing us.

Another day in the day in the books and another fun gathering.

Thought of the Day

Reunions are fun until someone brings up that embarrassing thing that happened in High School

June 2nd

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 19 degrees, Calgary 16 degrees, Mesa 31 degrees”

As per the thought of the day there were many things that happened if everyone knew about them it wouldn’t be good. LOL These things will die. LOL

I looked at the weather and thought I should wear pants as it wasn’t hot and was supposed to be windy. In hindsight I am glad I did as it started off cool and it became a wonderful afternoon and evening.

So golfing today was mixed. Both girls did very well with their drives and had some excellent holes. Jeff I thought played very well and I think he said his best game of the year. I played decent but wasn’t overall pleased with my 85. I screwed up to many times on both the drives and putts.

Having said that is was a fun day golfing.

Now this is funny. I am golfing with three funny funny people. Like playing with the walking wounded. I have seen one of these three fall and hurt an ankle coming out of a outhouse or snack shack on the course, I have seen one lay down on the grass during a game for a back stretch and lose their wedding ring, I have seen balls 4ft up in the tree and not fall down, I have seen flying off the club after hitting the ball, I see every time limping, hopping, attempting to walk fast, cutting themselves and bleeding from these three. Today I saw another do a face plant direct to the ground falling out of the cart. As I said it is like the walking wounded with these three, backs, shoulders, hips, ankles, neck, legs and stamina. I do find it quite interesting.

We stopped to have supper on the deck which was wonderful. We had a beautiful spot.

It is amazing how society bends to trends and fads. I see more and more people not wanting to be the sun. I love the sun. THE SUN IS GOOD FOR YOU !

Here are a few things to consider. As humans we are designed to be in the sun. Sun lotion/ protection in most cases causes more damage then good. The chemicals in it are absorbed into the body and are carcinogenic. The sunscreen industry is a multi-billion-dollar enterprise. One that is built on skin protection and cancer prevention promises. Yet, despite noble intentions behind products, many manufacturers disregard the facts Mounting evidence suggests some sunscreen ingredients pose significant health risks. No matter where you stand on the sunscreen debate, one fact remains indisputable. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the leading cause of skin cancer. Yet with incredible public awareness and an ad campaign skin cancer rates are increasing rapidly around the world.

This raises an uncomfortable question: Could the products designed to protect us from UV damage be doing more harm than good?

One theory is that sun tan lotion provides false security, encouraging prolonged sun exposure. By suppressing the skin’s natural warning signs, such as redness or discomfort, they may inadvertently cause more significant UV damage.

Our bodies were designed to be in the sun. The natural protection we have is called a sun tan. Slowly turning golden is not only health beneficial, creates VIT D, but is natures protection against harm. We have a built in system of tingling, itchy, redness, pain etc to warn us against sun burning.

Slowly tan your skin without an aid and you will have natural protection. I have not applied sun tan lotion for years and years and am confident in my decision.

Sun exposure beside the health benefits of Vit D also becomes muted when people wear sunglasses. Our eyes are designed to send signals to our skin photosensitive sensors, such as rhodopsin to allow detection of UV rays. When our eyes send a signal or the skin recognizes exposure it creates melanin a protective pigment that absorbs UV radiation and helps shield the DNA from damage.

I guess what it comes down is to your personal trust. I believe our human intervention versus natural protection is dangerous and we are not trusting how our bodies are designed and functioning.

If you have experienced “skin cancer” you need to take extra care as one of two things has happened. You over exposed yourself and damaged your skin or you have a natural tendency to be prone to cells going rogue.

I do not wear sunglasses, ( last check up no cataracts) having said that understand cataracts as we age are inevitable and have no direct correlation to sun light. It is only one small factor along with smoking, hypertension, obesity, statin use, vitamin deficiencies etc.

The sunglass industry did a great marketing job.

As I said I do not wear sun screen. I do wear a hat as a bald head does take a direct hit and sun stroke and direct burning is not something I want. My arms, face, legs, neck are all naturally tanned and good. What I find interesting is that people can get skin cancer on parts of the body that have never seen the sunlight yet they want believe skin cancer is sun caused.

I will apply a good, safer sunscreen on our Fiji trip on my back and chest until I can get my glow on.

Sorry, I got carried away. It is just that people follow blindly everything without any thinking, research or logical thinking about it. Think about the above. The sun care market is worth 15 billion dollars. Lather up or you will die. It is all about the $$$$ Sheep !

( remember when we were NOT supposed to eggs not they are fine, remember when we were not supposed to eat butter but now it is recommended over margarine, look how we change BP measurements and Cholesterol measurement to sell more drugs, remember when salmon and tuna were off limits due to mercury now they want us to eat them, dark chocolate is now recommended, I could fill this page with bread, wine, coffee, breads, avocado,fat of any kind etc etc.) We are controlled by media and greed

It was a wonderful fun golfing outing finishing with a great meal on the deck.

I love life ! I love the sun ! I love golfing ! I love a great meal in the sun on the deck with friends !

Thought of the Day

Herd mentality

People often follow like sheep due to herd mentality, a psychological phenomenon where individuals adopt the beliefs or behaviors of the majority, often at the expense of their own judgment. This behavior can be influenced by social pressure, peer pressure, and the desire for belonging. Research shows that it only takes a small minority to sway a large crowd, highlighting the power of social influence in decision-making. Additionally, herd mentality can manifest in various aspects of life, such as fashion trends, political affiliations, and even risky behaviors. Understanding this behavior can help individuals recognize its impact on their choices and maintain their individuality in the face of societal pressures.

June 3rd

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 17 degrees, Calgary 15 degrees, Mesa 35 degrees”

It was a strange day. I worked out at the lot all day. It is amazing to me how time flies so fast when you want to get things done and they take too long.

I had to take off my jacket, put it on, run for cover under the gazebo, then run for cover in the motorhome as the wind/ rain came and then left.

My flowers are already started to look “alive” in their pots.

I spent the day cutting up my “bar” I made. I have to say this, it sure was made good. The old PL adhesive sure holds things in place. I am taking it apart as it is just a little too big for our space and I have moved on to option two.

When I started ripping it apart an idea hit me. I was going to buy one of those corrugated metal planters to grow some veggies in and I thought I could use the wood and make a simple planter box.

A bit of stain, a few pin nails and done and will work great.

A bit of touch up and add the plastic liner and seeds with dirt we are done !

30 years seems like a long time ago. 30 years ago today is Jeff & Wendy’s wedding anniversary. We remember it well. Naomi Whalen was the officiator . She drove our girls and Shandi in her convertible to the ceremony. Jeff was hopping with one foot in a cast and required a golf cart ride to get to the top of the hill for the proceedings. They had a very nice ceremony at Midnapore Lake and an after gathering at their home in Shawnessy.

No cell phones so not a lot of pictures taken. I had a video camera that the girls filmed the entire event with but no pictures. I should get that put on to a DVD.

I will say 30 years again goes by so fast. In todays world 30 yrs of marriage is an oddity as the “me” generation does not accept compromise and society accepts divorce as it is the norm now. Plus we make it too easy.

This may sound corny but marriage is a gift that enlightens your life. Your partner is there for companionship, advice, and enjoyment. It is real easy to argue or have spats over small things that all lead to discontent. They grew apart, fell out of love, scenario drives me crazy as you are a partner and the goal is to do things together yet be your own person with your own ideas and it is YOU that is responsible for your happiness not your partners. Love should grow as time passes not diminish. Instead of the spat over dishes, say you look nice today and your world changes.

Congratulations to Jeff & Wendy. Here is to the next 30 ahead.

Daisy had a fun evening tonight, First off to Shoppers to pick up medicine for Audrey. Then a stop off to the couple of the day Jeff & Wendy to drop off my sander for them to use. Surprised they were at home as it is their anniversary. Then off to Audrey’s to deliver the medicine. Next stop Cor & Tor to visit and see their new Blackstone grill and a few fixed up items at their house. Great looking grill and additions they have done.

It is Cor & Tor anniversary on Monday so I am going to the movies with Jackson to see Mission Impossible instead of him being at home alone.

Daisy is passed out as she didn’t get her normal sleep before bedtime in.

Thought of the Day

Don’t be those people that on their wedding anniversary celebrate being one year closer to death do we part.

June 4th

Off to Lethbridge to see Atticus do his thing at soccer ! Plus visit with jess & Pen.

Between Edmonton and Lethbridge our car just seems to go into auto pilot. 2.5 hours one way and 3 hours the other way. Going south though the traffic is considerably less and slower.

A stop at Jessica’s place and it is looking fantastic. Penny & Jess are doing an amazing job of taking care of their yard etc. I love the looks of every thing and they keep adding. I would like to spend a couple of days fixing the odd thing up yet.

Then off to Atticus’s game. He asked me to yell Atticus not Atti at him when he was playing. Atti played well. He ran like mad, got tired and then ran again. I love his personality interacting with friends.

It is so funny watching young kids play, One girl played with her pony tail the entire time only interrupted by time to play with her fingernails. Oblivious to the ball yet late in the game the ball came to her and she kicked it slowly and the opposing team goal tender misjudged the speed and she scored. She was shocked as was everyone else. LOL

About three or four players with over average skills made it interesting. And as I said Atti played hard which was great to see.

Get this. The Grade One school teacher ( all of these kids were in Grade One) game out to watch the game when she didn’t have a kid herself playing but to support her students. That is a teacher.

Atti with his celebratory taking off of his shirt after game. Reminds me of Jessica’s first goal in soccer when she ran the entire length of the field with hands raised above her hands. This was Atti’s first team win.

Then off to DQ for Dilly Bars and back to watch the game.

Oh and ya the Oiler’s won.

We got home about 11: 30 pm and I have to say we had a really fun day with them.

Thought of the Day

Soccer is a simple game without too many rules. Unfortunately, it can be a boring game. Tonight’s game was not. Action packed end to end.

June 5th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 25 degrees, Calgary 26 degrees, Mesa 39 degrees”

Today could only be described as perfect. It was 25 degrees, no wind, no clouds, no bugs just perfect.

My regular partners today as Larry P decided to come out and see how he did. He is my friend that was just recently in the hospital with sepsis. He did fine even though his strength is zapped. He has doctors orders to drink 16 cups of water a day due to his infection and bladder issues.

I golfed pretty well today but we were the second tee behind a large tournament so it was extra slow and the pins were in very tough positions as it was a Alberta Junior tournament. ,The course immaculate.

Here is the good news. I took money from everyone. Rick owed me $2, Donn ( yes he has two nn’s in his name) owed me $2 and Larry owed me $2 bucks for our corner game. On top of that our head to head game Larry owed me an additional $6. Plus I finished in 2nd place in our net snips game so more money coming this evening.

If you remember last week I was in first place until the 14th hole where I took a 10 dropping me into third place and only winning a small amount. Today I was in first place until the 17th hole where I took a 6 on a Par 3 and ended up in second place. It was an odd one as I expect my playing partners to watch my ball. I hit a shot, sounded perfect but I didn’t see it and NO ONE claimed to see where it went on a 150 yard hole. I think I was scammed !! Oh well each had to pay and I am happy with 2nd place.

As we were late we had a quick bite in the clubhouse. I have said this before, this place has awesome food. Jeff and I used to go into town to the Hotel as the Grill was closed but today the burgers to steak are just as good if not better.

So a very fun day, good golf, great weather and a good group of guys.

i think I have said this before. If not for Jeff & Wendy along with VIP I would start playing here on a regular basis.

It would cut my golf costs for Alberta in half. Just for easy figuring.

Golf 2 times per week VIP @ $70 x 2 people is $ 280 a week + $1100 a month x 5 month is $5500 plus $1000 membership fee = $6500

For $2000 a year x 2 = $4000 per year we save $2500 plus it is for unlimited amount of golf. If we golf 3 times a week it would work out to be $ 33.00 per round.

It is just that I enjoy the different courses and the Graces company I haven’t changed yet, but i will in the near future.

June 6th

WIND WIND

Yep decent temps but the wind just won’t leave us alone this year.

This afternoon out at Speargrass Golf Club and lots of wind. Yet nice and warm. Now wind on the best of days makes my golfing hard for some reason. I do not like the adjusting the distance and aiming away left or right due to being pushed.

It was just Jeff & I today and Speargrass is our old haunting ground. We played mens night out here for years and years. Plus I have TWO hole in ones on this course.

So needless to say I had high expectations and even took a muscle relaxer for the back but the wind, and just an off day resulted in a higher than normal score.

We were golfing with two guys guys from Three Hills. I am proud to say my distance off the tee was was equal and in a lot of cases a lot further than them. Two nice guys.

So I scored higher as did Jeff yet we really did not golf real bad. Just things that happened that hurt us. I lost one ball in the valley of death.

The course was in superb shape.

As it was a late start we decided to eat in the clubhouse. Besides a great Caesar drink they have awesome food there. We both ordered the Spaghetti with Italian sausage and both commented on how good it was. As good if not better than a authentic Italian restaurant.

We watched the Oiler game first period in the clubhouse and got home in time to see the rest of game. I smiled when Jeff asked the waitress if she was cheering for the Oilers and she commented ” I have to respect my integrity and can not cheer for them” She is my kind of girl.
Great game to watch and love Bennett and Tkachuk our old Flame players.

Thought of the Day

Celebrate the small wins. Acknowledge the opposing teams skill but cherish the victory

June 7th–8th

” Mercury Forecast Edmonton 18 degrees, Calgary 20 degrees, Mesa 40 degrees “

We should be at our second home right now. 40 degrees all week and I bet the pool is at 33 degrees. Nice part is not very people around.

Jackie & I worked all day cleaning and fixing things up. We accomplished more today than most days. Curtains up, screens up, dirt and liner in new planter, power washed the gazebo, shed, curtains, furniture and decks. A lot of cleaning up of junk and organizing. My irrigation system came on and everything was perfect. Cut the lawn and watered the neighbors lawn. We are just about ready to use the place. Cleanup and organizing in the shed and deck box and wiping the BBQ and I am happy. It has just seemed to be a weird year since coming home from Arizona as it has been BUSY. A little over busy compounded by issues with irrigation coming on late, and events and appointments. I have felt anxious wanting to get going with the summer so I can imagine Jackie with work and commitments. While it is nice to keep busy when you feel behind or the days are filled it is not a perfect situation.

I would love to go to a lake with a beautiful view, no internet or phone service and enjoy the surroundings, just the two of us and Daisy.

A day that felt wonderful getting caught up with things. The list is getting smaller.

Today if my Dad was alive it would be my parents 73th wedding anniversary.

June for sure is the month to get married in. Mom’s June 7th, Victoria’s June 9th, Our June 14th, Aunt Jeans June 21st I believe and that is just to name a few that I know off.

It was nice and cool and dark to sleep. In fact it cooled a little too much and I felt a little cool. Daisy loves this and curls up to our legs or right between us.

Coffee in the morning and fresh air just can’t be beat. Jackie took Daisy for a nice long walk around the park.

More organizing and cleanup done today.

I had a meeting with the park manager and was asked to give a proposal for my idea of recycled asphalt on the road to stop the dust.

Somewhere I lost my gate fob. I searched everywhere and no luck. Now I am pretty good at not losing things but i can’t figure where I left it at. My next trip out I have to search the back of the couch and patio furniture in case it slipped out of my pocket.

Thought of the Day

When it is cold outside my bed is my best friend. Last night it gave me the cold shoulder.

June 9th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 24 degrees, Calgary 28 degrees, Mesa 42 degrees”

First thing this morning I headed to Soil Kings to get some info on recycled asphalt.

I noticed gas has come down which is excellent . $ 1.29 less 3 % AMA less 2% Costco rebate net at $1.23 so getting close to where it should be.

Special Day for Victoria & Corey. Today is their 18th Anniversary. I remember it like it was yesterday. A few things I liked about it was the location. The Crystal Ridge Golf Club in Okotoks had the perfect venue size. Plus having a world class chef in house. The meal was priced right and delicious. As we know when feeding 120 guests it can be really expensive. The outside portion of the ceremony’s location, set up and decor looked awesome. Jackie & I worked very hard trying to save costs so we did our own table, all of the chair set up and decor. I also designed and printed all of the invites, inserts and table cards. Hours spent designing and printing them on card stock. We were very lucky that Keith & Jenny had arrived early the night before and came to hall the morning of to help with balloons, flowers, chairs etc. The balloons trying to get them untangled is a story in itself.

My only complaint was the 120 people was the max for the room and some may have had a difficult time seeing the head table.

I am biased but every aspect of the wedding turned out perfect.

We were on a Caribbean cruise on a sea day and they offered a computer class on ” Movie Maker” a new format for making slides/ movies called WMV. Today not supported so much but state of the art 20 yrs ago. I took the class and then at home created a presentation for their wedding. Going back in my files I found it and posted on FaceBook today and luckily it still accepted it . I tried here on WordPress and no success. I didn’t give up and found a FREE convertor online to convert it from a WMV file to a MP4. I loaded it and WordPress accepted it. Now I have to download an editor program to change the thumbnail on the video. I am not sure yet if it is WP or the MP4 causing the wrong thumbnail as the original saved file as the first page as its thumbnail. Computers !. I will do that another time. lol

It works that is that is the important thing.

It was fun watching and brought back a lot of memories and a lump in the throat.

A fun and proud day for us.

While the “kids” were out celebrating Jackie and I handled Jackson. First though I thought Corey had a brilliant and unique idea as they are loyal Edmonton Oiler fans and the came was on to celebrate their anniversary at Trolley 5 a brewery downtown that has a leaning to the north theme. The hopes were with the Oiler jersey’s and the anniversary they would be invited into the VIP room.

This is the one game where I hoped the Oilers would win by a blow out as it just makes the watching and celebrating that much more fun.

While they were doing their thing the three of us headed to FatBurger. They make excellent burgers and chicken burgers. Everyone commented on how good they were. Jackson even added a milkshake.

Off to the movie house as we looked online and a start time of 5:30. We thought we would watch the movie and then the last period at home with popcorn. Forward statement- that didn’t happen. First of all the online showed a 5:30 time and a 6:15 time but unbeknownst to us the 5:30 was for over 18 yrs old only.

So to kill a little time it was carnival time. The movie house has quite a few games to play. The UNTHINKABLE happened. It had to, at sometime just like the girls when they first beat me. Jackson won at a car driving race by 3 seconds. That gaming room, joy stick , Switch practice gave him an advantage and he TOOK it. Loads of fun playing Grammy and Jackson at games.

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE – the final reckoning. As I said we did not get to see the final period as the movie started late and it was a LONG movie. I say long but far from boring or dull. It was 3 hours of feeling anxious. It kept you feeling this way with constant action, drama and stunts. LOVE the movie and you have to love Tom ? A great show.

It is funny though what you see in a movie that makes you think why didn’t the production crew think about it. When the power came back on to the world the eastern and western hemispheres were experiencing night time at the exact same time.

Open doors in a submarine 500 ft below surface when one chamber is full of water and the other is not is impossible.

A 10 out of 10 action movie, a 8/10 for story line, and a 7/10 for acting.

Love the movie.

Driving home had a beautiful sunset happen.

As all know the game didn’t end well for the Edmonton Oilers. Skinners fault no ! Knoblauch fault 50%. This man is destroying McDavid putting him on the ice a WAY too often. Leon and McDavid COMBINED for TWO shots on goal. 50% blamed for loss. TIRED ? If not tired, sure not motivated to win. 26.5 MILLION IN SALARY combined and two shots on net. It just doesn’t make sense. I love McDavid’s talent but as usual the Mc Crybaby let something get the best of him. I wish he had a personality, some charm some likeability, but there is no argument on skill level being the best in the league. Two shots !! He is not tough enough to be in a rough game. The team is not set up to win these types of games. Stupid penalties. No enforcers to protect the stars. Goalie issues. McDavid is not a Captain as he can hardly articulate any circumstance and has difficulty putting full sentences together. I would bring up the toughest two guys in the minors for a game and have them pound Florida. If you lose another game so be it but it will put notice that we may have lost a battle ( game) but we will win the war.

Thought of the Day

Nobody likes a sore loser so go out next time and give a little effort

June 11th-12th

Smoky sky ! The smoke sort of has settled in. They even issued air alerts. A little smoke never hurt anyone. Imagine the poor people who’s homes are on fire or near to the fires. We have created a lot of wimpy people with the media pushing air alerts, weather alerts, freeze warnings etc. It is called everyday living. This smoke is nothing compared to a mechanic breathing in diesel fumes or a welder breathing in the smell of the metals in the air or a farmer when cleaning the barn. Pretty minor for us.

Off to Lethbridge today for August’s soccer game night.
It was very nice that Tor had the day off and Jackson had a outside GYM day which was cancelled due to the poor air quality. Don’t get me started. LOL

We even brought Hazel for the day and the visit.

A little Oopsy Daisy incident when she spilled Jackson’s pop in the car.

It was beautiful when we arrived at Jess’s house.. Their yard is looking fantastic. I brought some onions and some of our ornamental grass for them. So hopefully they plant it before it dies.

After visiting Penny made us supper. She made home made burgers that were a 10 out 10, You can’t beat home made with bread crumbs and egg and spices in them. It is one thing to make burgers but she presented every condiment in the world to us. Add to that Air Fryer Fries and it was a wonderful supper.

The recreational fields are only a couple of blocks away so some walked and some drove as we had chairs etc. The big dogs stayed at home and Daisy went with us in her bag.

Jessica is the coach of this team. The opposing team coach approached her and I thought we are in trouble. Their coach had a clipboard and everything. Later I see Jess with one, Whew !

August played very well and tried to get into every play. he is fast when he gives his bursts. The two teams were pretty much equal in skill except for a young kid #2. This kid was a phenomenon and could work his way thru the entire team and score at will.

He got about three goals and his coach must have asked him to pass the ball instead of kick it as he would work his way to the goalie and then pass to a team a mate. Fantastic player that could control the outcome of the game. We lost but it was another fun game to watch.

I noticed August limping during the game. He says nothing wrong but that is him hiding it. He just doesn’t want to say anything. I watched him at home after and he has an issue. It is either a plantar fasciitis or achilleas heel, or heel spur. It needs to be checked out as it could have long lasting repercussions. Reminds of Kennedy’s toe and her not wanting to say anything and how that turned out.

A quick DQ stop for Dilly Bars and more visiting. A very fun day for everyone.

We got home about 11:15 pm so not too late for Jackson.

A fun day seeing both Jess & Tor along with Penny, Jackson, Atti and August.

On the way home we saw the Strawberry Moon which will not be seen again until 2043.

I was all ready to head to the lot this morning as I want to plant our veggies and do my plumbing.

I had breakfast and then headed out in the Flex to get a few bags of dirt, dog food we needed for Daisy and right in front of PetSmart I had my windshield repaired. A young university lady that has been doing this for years was manning the tent. I asked her skill level and she stated I am very good. We had one large bruise with a couple of runners and two other chips with potential runners in the future. I was going to get just the big one fixed as the others were only 50/50 of cracking as she wanted $30 a chip. I said to her $30 for the two chips and she hummed a bit then agreed plus thru in a windshield coating to be applied for the year. They try selling their membership every time. LOL

I then headed to the grocery store as we needed a few things. I was about 80% done when Jackie phoned worried I was going to be late as she had an appointment with her Mom. I was or thought very early as the clinic is only 7 minutes away but I rushed home to change vehicles.

I went back after to pick up the things I had to rush out of the store and left.

I don’t know how Jackie didn’t hear it but one of our Roman Shades crashed to the floor while I was out. After inspection the bracket holding up the drum for the shade had broken. $7K worth of blinds you think would last. Kidding they did as they are 17 years old but still look like brand new and stylish. The UV sunlight got to the bracket though and it broke.

So on the internet looking up Hunter Douglas parts. I spent time with one store with no results. I whipped to Home depot with no luck but a great suggestion for a place to try. The Blind Doctor, a difficult place to find was amazing and they are the HD warranty center. Talking to the manager it was discovered they no longer make these brackets. He gave me his inside for warranty Hunter Douglas phone number in the States. I phoned them and talked to a lady that was unbelievable. Every blind has a VIN number on it and she told me exactly what I needed. The bracket I needed was replaced with a new part made from metal 10 yrs ago and she gave me the part number and ordering system. I have 4 brackets coming ( nice to have extras) and they are FREE under warranty except for the $7 freight. Awesome and here in 7 days supposedly.

So needless to say with all of the traveling around I did not make it out to the lot.

I got home and didn’t start supper as I had no idea how long Jackie would be gone. When she did arrive I BBQ’d seasoned chicken breasts, roasted potatoes and carrots which were delicious.

Not the day I thought but a busy day and productive day.

Thought of the Day

Grandkids are like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get

June 12th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 15 degrees, Calgary 16 degrees, Mesa 42 degrees”

Smoke and rain, wind and chance for a severe thunderstorm and golfing today in my men’s league.

It had to happen after a second place then a third place and today last place in my flight. Luckily out of the 30 guys not the last place of the group. 7 players all over 100 shots. That is 23 % of my group, all pretty good golfers were over 100. Cool out, white numb fingers, rain , showers, wind and just not playing well.

First hole , first shot, lost ball in the woods. Under more trees than I have ever been with wayward shots on numerous holes. Multiple three putts and weather conditions and I got killed. Having said that as usual it was a lot of fun. I lost money to all of my playing partners today and did not win anything from the league. The entire group had higher than normal scores

We arrived at the clubhouse only damp not soaked and had a quick drink and bite. The Oilers were down 3-0. By the time I got home 3-3. And they end up winning.

Thought of the Day

Golf is like taxes. You drive hard to get to the green, and end up in the hole

June 13th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 18 degrees rain, Calgary 22 degrees, Mesa 41 degrees”

What a beautiful perfect day. 22 degrees, sunny, and very little wind. With the slight breeze though it still had a chill in it compared to a hot day. Just a little warmer to relax the muscles would have been nice.

Ok lousy day at golf and weather on Thursday and a decent day weather and golf today. We were out at Lakeside and the course was pretty nice today. The greens perfect.

Jackie I thought played very well with great drives and awesome chips. Her chips were great with quite a few great ones but just a tad long and having to putt off the fringe. She was putting a little more forward lean on her shaft and she was hitting them sweet. I know I heard and saw a few pars. Wendy had her great and poor shots with a little frustration setting in. Being injured or in pain isn’t fun or easy when golfing. The same goes with Jeff but I am still impressed how he has fixed his drives.

A couple of things I noticed today. The distance watches are hurting the scoring for them. No amateur should ever worry about the distance to the pin. Shoot for the center distance of the green. That way if you come up ten yards short or long you still will be putting. As you get better you can add or lessen the power on your swing to get closer to the pin. Golf clubs are designed to about 10 to 20 yards difference per number and everyone usually plays 75 to 85 % of full power so it is easy to add or subtract. For an example. The pin is right at the front of green and is 100 yards. You attempt that yardage guaranteed most of the shots will be short of the green. Play to center and more often than not on the green shooting for birdie and if not 2 putt par.

I set a goal today not to be over 80 but ended up with a 82 which is annoying. On the 9th hole a easy shot over the water and i missed and fell into the water.

I drove perfect today with only one slice that didn’t hurt me. Missed too many putts even though I did concentrate more than usual. Oh well !

A nice supper and visit with our drinks bought for us by the Graces which was very nice of them.

Pretty good power generated. Nice long back swing for power. Left arm straighter and she could gain 20 yards in distance. Not easy to do.

Another fun day !

Thought of the Day

Why did the golfer bring two pairs of pants? In case he got a hole in one!

June 14th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 17 degrees, Calgary 21 degrees, Mesa 42 degrees”

June 14th is a hard day to forget. I have told most of the stories behind our wedding day. It is a day that Jackie & I look back on with fond memories. Looking back the amount of work we did for our wedding was amazing. Now both of our daughters weddings were a lot of work, and money, but our own wedding on a very limited budget was a LOT of work.

We decorated our own wedding cars, we made all of the flowers for the decorations, we made all of our own center pieces, we decorated the dance hall, organized the suit selection for all of the groomsmen, dyeing the bridesmaids dresses and attaching a yellow ribbon, plus just the every time things a couple has to do. Minister, finding a hall, finding a hotel, seat arrangements, invitations, finding a DJ etc. It was a lot or work. Having said that everything went off absolutely wonderful. Sunny day, great dance, super meal for over 100 guests and a party with 250 people including a next day gift opening that was perfect.

And to think how fast 45 years has gone by.

June 14th 1980 top pic and June 14th 2025

Time changes everything. Jackie and I after working all day out at the lot decided to visit The KEG tonight for supper. One of my favorite spots and Jackie likes it as they cook a great piece of salmon. Open Table showed no spots so I phoned and talked to a very nice girl. I made sure they knew it was for our anniversary and we needed a table. She uses my phone number for reference in their system and lo and behold we get a spot right at the time I want. ( no spots on Open table remember). Not only a spot but a two seater booth right beside the romantic burning fireplace. NICE ! Notice the glow from the fire.

As usual Jackie had Caesar Salad and her Salmon and i had a perfectly done steak with baked potato. Both of our meals were delicious. Also having a great waiter made the night with Jackie teasing him we were married double his age. Sure enough fact that we all laughed about. I had my Caesar drink and bread I love.

And our huge Billy Miner Pie that was FREE.

Good food, great location and special treatment all made it a very nice night.

We got home and watched the last two periods of the hockey game. A 7 game series now for sure.

Today out at the lot I finished off my hard plumbing for the grey water. I am happy with the results that will work out great. I cut the grass, watered plants, pulled weeds, cut the neighbors lawn and watched Jackie complete our mini garden. She planted carrots, spinach, radishes, onions and lettuce. I know a little late start but that is how the year has gone being a little too busy.

I did not find my fob yet.

I also cut a lot of limbs off our hack berry trees and decided to burn them. Remember my feelings on volunteer board members. Today as I was burning, a member comes up to me to suggest I was burning green and I was not allowed to. We had a discussion back and forth and he left. I kept burning. Green, dried, birch, wet wood, popular all create different smoke some more than others and some smellier than others. It is asinine to believe at a campground with a firepit to be told what you can burn. I am sure at the next board meeting we will have a new rule stating no green burning due to smoke and as a courtesy to the asthma suffers. Camp fires cause smoke. LOL The world today !

Before going out to the Keg Jackie & I had a shower and on return Jackie bathed Daisy. She is smelling sweet rather than smoky.

So a productive day, a fun day and a romantic fireside supper to end it was fabulous.

45 years !!!!

Thought of the Day

Love is blind hence we both wear glasses to see.

June 15th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 20 degrees, Calgary 22 degrees, Mesa 42 degrees”

That time of year with a beautiful day and then a storm cell moving in.

Fathers Day today which is always nice. Very lucky today as Corey made us breakfast on his new Blackstone. A wonderfully cooked breakfast including hashbrowns, sausages, bacon and pancakes. Very nice.

A wonderful Fathers Day card from Corey & Victoria along with a special ball marker, Rona gift card and a scratch card that I won $30 on.

Daisy and Hazel had fun playing. It is quite nice out until the storm hits.

Jackie bought me a super plaid quilted flannel hoody jacket which is the perfect fit.

Special mention to my Dad, Jesse Willard and Jackie’s dad, Peter Huggett.. Dad was one special guy that had a huge impact on my life. Peter was an excellent teacher at “proper manners”

We came home after breakfast with Corey and Jackson and relaxed a bit.

Watching the US Open and catching up on a few emails.

Ok I dislike Rory as he has no personality, when he does speak it is condescending and he believes he is something special and deserves special treatment. He is a whiner, he has huge anger issues ( fighting with caddies, refusing interviews when he does poorly, stealing cell phones from fans, quitting the board, breaking and slamming clubs into the ground etc) and I believe suffers from mental issues. ONCE again at the Open he shows his true self. He slams his clubs, he breaks a tee marker and receives a fine from the USGA for un-sportsmen like behavior. Then he does an interview and chases away more fans from liking him. His behavior in the interview was appalling, an embarrassment to professional golf and could only be described as cringe worthy. The three TV golf hosts all were shocked and disappointed in his attitude and condoned his speech. I found it disgusting from a golfer that has to know the audience is who pays he salary.

I find it odd that it has be the name Mc as Rory and Connor McDavid have the exact same attitude and demure. Two of the best in their fields that are just poor examples as role models as kind, caring, friendly human beings as young kids that look up to them will start to think acting this way is correct. Both of them playing the entitlement to the extreme.

Finalized all of our excursions and paid for them with the one I am looking forward to the most being the diving mask under water adventure. It is odd as the dollar amount for excursions is more than we used to pay for a 2 week holiday.

ONLY 78 days before our cruise date to Fiji. My top 3 cruises for us so far are #1 NYC to Quebec City, #2 Alaska, # 3 West Mediterranean. I am thinking I will need to bump one of these off the list as this cruises excursions and locations I believe will be spectacular. I have loved our other cruises but these three just stood out. I did love the swimming with the Dolphins on one Caribbean cruise as a special adventure along with the Pirate Ship adventure but not quite enough to bump into the top.

Neat to see the pro’s struggle with a course. JJ Spaun’s 4th win on putts was amazing. Three of the top ten were LIV players which once again shows the strength of the league. My Scottie did well and had a nice showing and still keeps his Number 1 status.

Even Rory after his hissy spat had a good last day showing. A lot of damage done to his reputation, his fan loyalty and his image. It is not enough.

Another nice day , a great fathers day and ending with a movie.

Ok we saw a movie of 3 hours that made you anxious the entire time, this time we saw a movie for 2 hours that you felt sad the entire time. Great movie but I prefer feel good. The Art of Driving in the Rain with Amanda Seyfried and Milo Ventimiglia and the voice of Kevin Costner.

Thought of the Day

Edmonton needs to turn their team around. 360 degrees

June 16th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 24 degrees, Calgary 25 degrees, Mesa 45 degrees”

So this is what Daisy’s work day looks like. She loves to watch the cars and just waits to see a dog on a leash with it’s owner. She is getting pretty good at not barking.

I headed out to the lot for a full say of work. First on my agenda was fixing my ladder. When I did my roof with Dicor sealant the climbing up and down broke a leg. I was lucky enough Amazon had a universal one that that would work for me. It meant precise cutting of the steel tube. I got it done and am happy with it. Was a little more difficult as in the direct heat and difficult to get at it with our new garden right behind it. New brackets, new tubes, Dicor sealant and new screws so good to go.

Next on my list was irrigation for our new garden box. I ‘cheated” here running a 1/4 line back to the main loosely. I need to find some 1/4″ line clamps to secure it. Three days now and not a single visual sprout sticking out. !!!

I never like screws in siding but I chose to do it this time. I have run netting down the front for my Clematis. I hope to hit the soffit with it this year.

It is amazing how long things take. I also cut the lawn and trimmed more hackberry trees.

A great day and nice and sunny.

Thought of the Day

I am rooting for you Miss Clematis !

June 17th -20th

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

You can’t get a better day with sun, no wind and decently warm.

We were golfing out at Rivers Spirit which is a nice course. It is like being at Kananaskis without going that far. Nice course and in great shape.

Golf is a funny game. The last few games have been up and down 101, 82, 84, 98 . Some of it is my own doing as when causal golfing the emphasis on making a shot isn’t as important.

Today was one of those days that got away from me. Jeff had a very good game scoring his best of the year and Wendy played pretty consistent. But the star was Jackie’s performance as she score with no do overs, no mulligans, gimmies or a 46 on the front nine. Every hole ending up about 10 to 20 feet short of a GIR shot.

Such a nice day it was awesome.

The last hole a storm cell blew in and cooled it down a bit and we had a few drops hit us.

We decided to go to Dixons. Not Jackie & I’s first choice as it is a pub that has not being renovated in 30 years so is dull and has a “dirty: look and feel. I will say this time though they have repaired a few chairs and it appeared cleaner. A new menu and everyone’s choices were very good.

We stopped at Audrey’s and picked up Daisy and then home to watch the game.

As you know it did not end well for the Oilers. Bennett and Tkachuk played very well and Leon and Mc CryBaby didn’t even show up. $20 Million and 4 shots on goal in two games is not acceptable.

So another year were the FLAMES and the OILERS remain TIED with no Stanley Cup.

It was fun to watch the games though except for the series. I see Leon, McDavid or Knoblauch leaving the team. It is possible this was the last game for McDavid in a Oilers uniform.

Over the years at work I hired and worked with four strong exceptional women. I had Rita as one of my best inside sales team members, so good in fact when I was responsible for opening a new branch in Kelowna I transferred her from Calgary. She was loved by the customers and a strong women. I hired a young girl, Carrie for our warehouse and she put most of the men to shame with her work ethic, smarts and showing up every day. I drove Carrie to the doctors with her hand wrapped in paper towel inside a plastic bag as she cut herself real bad with a Olfa knife. I had a strong young lady Jennifer as my first secretary hire that was exceptional. Being a pretty young lady working with 50 young warehouse workers can be challenging.

And I had Melissa which was in training at our sale office. It took me a bit of convincing to get her to the dealer side from the big box but I knew she could do a great job job. ( I was actually was surprised it took convincing ) As expected she did a wonderful job for us building the business. A strong lady and our only sales lady in Alberta out of the 22 sales guys I had.

Melissa took off a month to go to Thailand to learn Mauy Thai.

I had a lot of fun teasing Melissa over the years.

Now I find out she got married and didn’t tell anyone. LOL Congratulations Melissa.

I love seeing people that I had shared some part of their lives with over the years flourish grow and succeed.

Putting a few days together as I have busy running around. Two days of beautiful summer like weather and then rain which will last until Monday.

Had to be a fix it repair man lately both at Oasis, Silhouette and Audrey’s.

I reset my irrigation system timing and adjusted and added a couple of heads. And finished off my ABS plumbing for my grey water. Grass cut, trimmed and removed a few more branches of the tree on the north side.

I whipped to Audrey’s and removed the front door screen and tightened up the screen with a spline tool. Off to the backyard with a small ladder to install the downpipe and downpipe elbow that the contractors had left after painting the units. I wanted white screws but the store was out so I had to use black but they are so small they are barely noticeable. Then into the garage to install better hanging screws for the ladder. When I grabbed it from the wall I had to smile, Someone used deck screws and put them into drywall without hitting a stud. Needless to say the weight of the ladder was pulling out the screws and the ladder could have in the very near future fell into the car.

Until my new brackets arrive I took down in the spare room blind and used that bracket in the living room. What you would think to be a simple task once again took a way longer and a way more difficult then I figured. I had to use UTUBE to discover the trick of the locking system. Got the new one up with more effort than thought but all is good and waiting for my new brackets to install in the spare.

I had my Turner Valley men’s league. This course is HARD. It has smaller greens than most, more undulations than most and heavy tense under bush on the sides of the fairways. I need to score well here and I haven’t done my best here yet. ( i took this from the Oilers statement before losing) LOL Soon I will have that breakout game. I finished in 5th spot today. Today it ws the longer grass around the greens killing me. Driving was only one hole issue, irons shots were great EXCEPT for the small greens making me be off the green by two or three feet and having to chip on to the green, LOVE THIS COURSE.

I had to replace a UG10 halogen bulb. Much more difficult than expected. After working on it a bit I had Jackie give it a try and she had success readily. Small fingers, strong hands, something happened as she easily made the bulb work. Good job.

Victoria was sick so I whipped Hazel over to the Doggie Parlor for a cut. She was tentative getting out of the car as she probably thought I was kidnapping her. 2 hours later and she was done so Daisy & I picked her up. The dogs looked at each and then ignored each other.

I used the Enclave as Hazel would be familiar with it and I would have had to unload a lot of stuff out of the back of the Jeep.

I was amazed with the Enclave. First the luxury and looks of it compared to the Flex. Real Burl Wood and chrome and stitched leather. With almost 300 kms on it, it rides wonderfully and is extremely quiet. I said to Jackie in hindsight we should have bought a another “luxury” car and then realism hit. We paid over $ 50 k for a MRSP of $67 it in 2011. We paid $35 k for a MRSP $52K for the Flex in 2020. Almost 10 years later . So I am happy with decision as the Flex ‘s drivability and power make up for the lack of luxury and I saved a bundle and still get to point A and point B plus a lot faster.

We had a tee time today but with the rain coming we decided to cancel and a good thing.

What does a dog do on a rainy day ?

Thought of the Day

Don’t you tell me the sky is the limit when there are footprints on the moon

June 21-22nd

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 17 degrees, Calgary 9 degrees, Mesa 40 degrees”

The anniversary of the FLOOD in Calgary and we are on a three day rain streak. I will say it is raining and we have a lot of water.

We were up fairly early and headed out to Oasis for our AGM meeting. Awesome turnout for a rainy day which is always good. I do not care for the procedural formalities of AGM’s but I guess it at least holds people accountable. Todays AGM was good, great, and bad things about it. The great things were, we formally voted to spend $30K for a sports court update and expansion. And a yes vote for a $15K enhancement to our pavilion. Both from our reserve fund. The stupidity from people with some questions and thought patterns are amazing. Every enhancement increases our overall value. The resale is easier, the value is higher and the overall look and feel is increased. The financials are good and new members on the board are good. The only bad thing is STILL no decision on the electrical upgrade. I can’t figure out why we don’t move forward with this. We have talked about it for two years but people are scared the vote won’t go thru and people will not be responsive to paying out a large sum. It will be a 2 to 3 million dollar project. I would like it be to installed this fall but that is only me. I am sure it will be 10K each lot but worth it for long term. My asphalt idea is somewhat conducive to when the electrical goes in. Yes 10k out of pocket isnt something anyone wants. But since 20i7 our lot value has increased from 35K to 60k so use some of the equity in it to pay and have another increase in value and easier resales.

Lots of other things discussed and all is good. It was good we have a huge shop where we store the golf course equipment that we could use for the meeting as it was pouring. I think I can refer to our place now as a lake front lot.

Sprouts are popping out of the dirt in our garden box. Our water barrel is over filling it’s brim. Everything is greening up big time. The lot is looking great

We went over to the Graces tonight for Chinese Supper and a game night. Great Caesars and extra cold beer are always good. A new game which I love. A new game that the girls won. Jackie’s luck tonight in getting the dice to what she needed was sick. Yes, Jeff & I lost but we had a fun time doing it. I was a great game.

Today not much on the agenda. I think we need a few groceries, watch a bit of the golf tournament, relax as it is still cold out and order a few things we need for our cruise like an extra swim suit, Jackie got her new shoes, I need a couple of bowling shirts.

Up and down the stairs as I worked on my wind deflector on the Jeep. I took it for a test and successful but not pretty so I will continue my search for the OEM stripping.

Thought of the Day

I have deep rooted fear of stairs and it is escalating.

.June 23rd

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 15 degrees, Calgary 17 degrees, Mesa 39 degrees”

Out early and spent the day at the lot. I had to drain my rain barrel and empty our garbage cans as they were full of water.

I trimmed the lot, flower beds, and side garden. I cut the grass in out front yard and beside the trees. I used my new hedge trimmer on my Sand Cherry bush which turned out great. Lot of weed pulling. Reset my timer as I now have a Zone 2 and Zone 1 working on different days. I installed another head to one plant that was left out. All oof the plants are doing well except for my purple leaf variegated in the front box. Clematis is off and looking great.

I checked all of my solar lights and had to threw two away. Cheap Chinese solar !!! Cleaned the out kitchen and swept inside the Saloon,

Still only two rows in the garden box coming up. Anxiously waiting for some more rows. Dead headed all of the plants.
A storm blew in so I headed in and reset my TV with the apps we use. CTV still required provider permissions that I have to figure work around.

Rain for about an hour.

Thought of the Day

I was feeling electric with the raging storm clouds.

June 24th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 23 degrees, Calgary 22 degrees, Mesa 39 degrees”

Edmonton continues to amaze me. And not in a good way. The only explanation I can contribute their views to is that Edmonton’s population in particular ridings is heavily influenced by new Canadians, high count of union voters, or young impressionable voters. I am sure if my family recently moved to Canada I would vote for a socialist party like the NDP also and not really think about the impact to country or others. Give free everything, education, medical. student loans, bike paths, social programs are all incentives that get them votes with no one in the party or voting for them thinking about how it is going to be paid for.

Nenshi is a disaster, hard to listen to, a whiner, complainer, and gets nothing done. As a mayor he failed and now as the leader of the NDP he will disregard any common sense and continuously natter at the media. I challenge all Nenshi voters to watch him and see if he EVER says the UCP did a good thing with any policy.

Edmonton you can do better.

We do not have the perfect Premier with perfect policy but we do have one smart women with common sense, heart and love for Alberta. I am very happy that she is stepping out and wanting to take control back from the Feds. Aligning with Sask is excellent. Other than Ralph she is our best Premier for a very long time.

it is IMPOSSIBLE to agree with every policy of any party but the UCP party for Alberta has been awesome.

One thing I like about our political system and being Canadian is how we accept others much more readily than our southern neighbors. I have friend’s and family that think totality different than myself and have voted for the NDP and or chastise the UCP for policy. I have learned a long time ago even though I enjoy banter certain people do not do well in that situation. I push the odd jab but cannot agree with them ever or we both would be wrong.

I have said numerous times that unions are the cancer in businesses and socialism is the money pit to bankruptcy for a country. The Conservative ideology of restraint in spending, tax incentive’s for growth, investment in infrastructure which includes education and medical and a economy for the middle class is wonderful yet it fails to resonate with entitled youth, new immigrants, spoiled union workers and the type of person that wants everything for nothing.

We could have one of the best places in the world to live in if we could export our oil, re-open our coal power generation plants, sell our oil at market rather than discounted pricing to the USA to refine, and get LNG to the coast. A Alberta police force rather than pay the RCMP that gives us limited coverage is a good thing. Our own pension plan would reward everyone with a much better return that the current CPP. I previously did all of the math and we are being RIPPED off so bad. I do wish though we would take a stronger stance against public service unions whether it be education, medical or regular public service.

I would love it if every time a union supporter complained about the price of anything a lightning bolt would zap them on the head. It has always baffled me how people can not figure out if they ask for a ridiculous wage increase it isn’t going to raise the price of the products sold. next year they will want even more money as the goods cost more. I think a simple class in school on our economy as a business, statements of a company, ROI, EBITA ,P & L, balance sheet , income statements, NPM, Debt ratio etc would help some people understand how it all works and the ask for everything would not be so high.

Wishful thinking. LOL

What a beautiful day today

Jeff, Wendy and Jackie & I all headed out to Speargrass today to golf. One of my favorite courses as I have had two Hole in Ones on it. Plus our VIP deal is wonderful.

We have golfed with the Graces for years and this year is amazing as they are beating us to the course just about every time. Some of it is due to Jackie working hard but they are more committed to the game. It is important for your mind to relax before golfing after rushing and it is extremely important to loosen up your muscles on the range before attempting a golf swing and causing potential muscle strains in your shoulders, neck or back. I think they have realized the importance and difference it makes.

The perfect weather. The slight breeze did cause a few minor adjustments and possibly resulted a couple of strokes that normally would not have happened but it was perfect golf weather.

First hole was funny. Most importantly on this long Par 5 Jackie chips in the perfect Birdie shot. Fun ! Then my shot from the green side bunker. It is deep bunker and I get down and hit the perfect sand shot which I can not see the green the bunker is so deep. Up high and down and it smacks Jeff right on top of his head. Now normal golf etiquette is the farthest away shoots and you stay away from the green or pin area. But my group today felt rushed on the first hole and wanted to shoot their ball not thinking I was coming up from the sand. It is was funny but could have hurt Jeff easily. You never turn your back on a shooter. LOL Then on the last hole his ball on his 5 ft up on a steep hill. he attempts to hit it and almost kills himself falling down the slope.

So, I thought Jeff played very well today. His drives not up to par but everything else seemed to be on resulting in if not the lowest one of the lowest scores this year for him. Wendy had her good and bad shots but is still struggling with hip and shoulder pain. Jackie played exceptionally well today with awesome shots, drives and decent putts including a birdie and a millimeter miss on another birdie. I was happy and not. The front nine a 39 so I am figuring a few good holes my below 80 was possible. All went well until the last 4 holes. I took a 3 over, a 3 over and then a double which killed the score.

The course was in impeccable shape and the greens fast and smooth. As always the food tonight for everyone was excellent, The cooks here just do a great job of prepping a meal and making it good. I had the Salisbury steak and it was fantastic. Plus they make a good Caesar.

I made Jackie laugh when Jeff went one way home and I the other. My way is a little longer, but nicer with great new pavement and potentially quicker depending on traffic and access to the main highway. I pushed the limit a bit. We didn’t see them so assume we were miles ahead of them on our way home. The advantage of a 4 way stop could help them though if the highway was busy.

A fun day, great meal, laughs and one sore head make for an enjoyable outing. Ps Jenny has hit me twice with a golf ball both my fault for being in front of her albeit away away over to the side.

Persistence pays off. In December going up to Edmonton the bubble strip on my wind deflector broke causing the deflector to rattle against the windshield or roof cap. On our return home from Edmonton I used a rubber strap which worked well but not pretty. It blew off and I tried a few different ideas to fix the issue. I attempted to order a part from Kargo Master the manufacturer but struggled finding the info. 6 months later everything worked out perfectly. Yesterday I decided I HAD to have a fix and began a search again and found some info. Kargo Master was bought out by Holman’s and that is why it doesn’t exist anymore. No webpage, no emails nothing and Holman has completed changed their product line. In my search Truck Outfitters in Calgary was listed as a Holman outlet. I sent an email expecting either no answer or a response not available. Now here is customer service. A young man from Outfitters phones me, yes phones me, and tells me he does not have that exact brand of product but stop by and they will check their inventory if something will work.

I whipped to the store this morning and lo and behold they had the EXACT item I needed. No pricing so the young clerk says how about $20. I was VERY happy to pay that for something that is rare and is exactly what i needed. I love the fact they responded to an email via phone and willing to help and did so with excellence. Awesome !!

Thought of the Day

The irony of good customer service is that over time it will bring in more new customers than any promotion or price cuts ever did.

June 25th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 23 degrees, Calgary 23 degrees, Mesa 39 degrees”

I checked the weather it looked like a great day.

First though I whipped to AMA to pick up a training book for a learners permit for Jackson and while talking to the young lady she suggested buying the flash cards to bring Jackson up to speed fast. Supposedly the flash cards have every question that will be on the test, But the cards cover a 100 other questions. Funny how things change, These used to be free, Not any more. Even the learners permit test now is $17 to take. If you fail you have to pay $17 each time until you pass, Hence the flashcards.

I think Jackie & I may even learn some forgotten road rules.

First thing on my agenda was the install of my bubble strip on the deflector. I don’t know who but someone has changed the bolts over the years making it a lot more difficult to get off. I think I will change the odd ones out before my new windshield is installed. My bubble strip was perfect. I used three daps of Gorilla Glue on the outside and middle just to secure it a little more. On the way home as I left early around 4pm as it was drizzling a bit I turned on my wipers and the got stuck hitting the strip. I drove home with no wipers which was not easy. Downstairs I adjusted the deflector as high as it could go but the wipers still hit the rubber. So off to Canadian Tire and I bought 14″ wipers instead of the 15″ factory. Good thing I installed them in the parking lot as one of the blades was missing the large hook plastic piece to make them work. Just like a charm and brand new again.

A full day today. In retrospect I hope not for fraught. I painted all of the trim on the shed. It rained at 5pm quite heavily. The trim on all sides and the horizontal boards all done. I don’t want to go back and see paint running down the sides. It would not have had time to dry. I checked the weather not the doppler and it shows a slight chance tonight at 7 so i took a chance and lost. Hope it is ok.

So all of the trim done. The wagon wheels re-stained and one section of slats done. I am hoping none affected by the short down pour.

I cleaned out the gutters on the shed. I still have the gazebo gutters to do.

Still only two rows of vegetables up. Fingers crossed it is only because they were planted too deep.

Wordle in 4, A tricky one today. I think I need a new start word as of late 3 is hard to come by.

Thought of the Day

As long as it is green it is growing. As soon as things are ripe it is starting to rot.

June 26th-27th

” Mercury Forecast Edmonton 20 degrees, Calgary 21 degrees, Mesa 29 degrees”

Two wonderful days. Risk and possibility of showers both days and lucky enough we had sprinkles for maybe two holes.

Today was my men’s league at Turner Valley. I will start with I won some money so I can take solace in that. It was a game I would like to forget. Nothing worked, I did not lose a ball but just horrible shots. Funny thing today is that 4 golfers I would call pretty good or decent golfers all had horrible games. 10 strokes or more over than normal for everyone of us. No excuses, great weather, no wind, perfect conditions and we had a lousy game. Like I said I did win money though. LOL Have to forget that game and hope an ugly one doesn’t pop again for along time.

As usual a real fun day. As usual this is one tough course with the narrow fairways, small greens and undulations of the greens unmatched. Add in longer grass first cut around the greens and it is one beautiful course that plays harder than any other I golf course in Calgary.

A nice after golf gathering and a quiet nice drive home with my wind deflector fix.

Today it was just Jeff & I out at the Track golfing. Wendy was getting her shoulder looked at on Thursday and thought she may be in pain today. With that Jackie backed out and made plans to get a few other things done.

Jeff offered to drive today and advised he would be here at 10:30 but didn’t show until 10:40. I guess we know who gets the Graces to the courses on time .LOL Our tee time was 11:15 and we arrived right at our tee time. Now i like to hit even 10 balls just to get the feel of the swing with the driver and a wedge before hitting the first tee. The most important thing is not to pull or hurt a muscle with no warmup. From zero to over 100 mph swing speed can be dangerous.

I hate golf (score in 90’s) I like golf ( score in 80’s) I love golf score in the 70’s. Today was a I LOVE GOLF day. Playing over 6000 yards which is a nice length with lots of water trouble which can cause issues but today it was wonderful.

The #1 hole- missed 6ft eagle putt but got a birdie, #2 hole missed a 4ft birdie putt, #3 hole missed a 5ft birdie putt, #4 hole missed a 8ft birdie putt, #5 hole missed a 12 ft birdie putt, #6 hole missed a 4ft birdie putt, #7 hole missed a 12ft birdie putt, That was the first seven holes and it carried on until I lost a ball in the water and took a couple of doubles to end with 80. If only but that is golf. You have to sink those. The 18th a 4 ft birdie and I missed again.

We seemed to wait on a lot of holes but in reality we finished in less than 4 hours and it was not bad at all. That happens quite often when the course is full. Two players it is even more prevalent as it appears you are waiting but in retrospect if we had had 4 players the perceived wait time would have been half. It feel it does just make a real relaxing time even though it does throw you off a rhythm and makes it fell like you are starting the first hole again.

Jeff had an appointment tonight but as we finished early so we stopped in for a quick beer. Meeting our waitress she asks “Are you Larry ? Here it was a young girl named Kristen that worked at Blimpie’s for us. As soon as she said her name and talked I recognized her. Kristen starting working for us at 14 yrs old and was too young to operate the slicer. That was 25 yrs ago. Later on she had the claim of fame of being only 1 of 2 people that cut themselves on the slicer. She cut it good. Kristen was our dedicated Sunday employee that worked with me every Sunday. I made up the meat order for each week on Sundays. Kristen was an excellent worker with a great personality. She did call in sick a few times which for me is never a “good” thing and caused a bit of an issue as one of the girls or Jackie would have to rush in to help me.

I enjoyed working with Kristen each week.

When she delivered our bill she deducted one beer each for Jeff & I. Very thoughtful and nice but I figured when she comes with the machine I will just give a big tip. Clever girl turned off the tip function before handing me the machine. Lucky I had some cash so I left her a $20 bill on the table.

I got her.

So neat to see her and interesting she is married and has a 16 yr old and another kid herself now.

Great day, great weather, good golf course, and a fun outing.

Thought of the Day

It is always fun to meet someone from years ago.

July 28th-29th

“ Mercury Forecast Edmonton 22 degrees, Calgary 25 degrees, Mesa 44 degrees”

Look at that. Just about July and finally summer time temperatures are to arrive. Hopefully at least one day over 3o degrees. I would prefer 20 days straight but baby steps.

Just a wonderful last couple of days. Having Canada day mid week is not the best as a lot of people do not get it as a long weekend.

But that just makes everyone have two busy days instead of three.

Oasis was hopping this weekend with the good weather and school being out. I am may be out of order as far as timing goes but still an order. LOL

We went for a walk around the park and on our adventure stopped in and had a nice talk with Shandi. Derrick was busy helping a neighbor which is awesome as that is what makes Oasis a “family” community. We had a great visit with Shandi and Elias. Let me tell you about this kid. I think he may be a genius. This 12 yr old boy knows more about farm equipment than anyone i have ever met. To say I enjoyed myself talking to him is a under statement as I love mechanics and machinery. He knows the model numbers, the difference in brands, what is good about a brand to the tee. And articulates it extremely well. Challenge on. I had him thinking when I mentioned manufactures that no longer existed or changed hands. Like White, Massey Ferguson, Cockshutt, Minneapolis, Allis Chalmars. He loves John Deere which is the best of the manufactures. We talked about him wanting to be farmer ( and he should) and hopefully the chance to work on a Uncles farm. That would give him a realistic idea but in my books very very impressive with his dedication of knowledge of farm equipment. Cool kid.

We didn’t get a chance to attend a lot of the vents this year but had a wonderful time out at the lot this weekend.

Belonging to a community like Oasis is cool as it is a social gathering place with loads of events.

Every Canada Day we have a well attended Pancake Breakfast and the same this year. Give someone pancakes and they will come.

On Friday Night they had a BIngo with over 120 people attending. Canada Day theme and decor is cool.

Last night after a little shower it began bright and sunny again which to awesome to see and experience plus the smell is nice.

Woke up this morning to a bright sun and 15 degrees or more. We went for a walk around the park and i stopped at the store and picked up two Breakfast sandwiches. Every bit as good as Tim’s. Mc Donalds still the best.

It is nice to see carts and lots and people all dressed up Canada.

It was a wonderful day hitting 25 degrees out and this young entrepreneur did very well raising close to $600 for CP kids. She has palsy herself and wanted to help others.

My hope this FIRST venture below for our park is a success as they could potentially make it like a concert series like we have at Viewpoint and hire local bands, comics etc.

Our event committee has organized this special event. They came around lot to lot to sell tickets and we had to buy to support a potential great thing for the future. On the pricey side and something that I think is a total hoax but I want to support it as it is our first of any kind. We bought 4 tickets

Like I said a hoax, farce, snake oil presentation but perhaps interesting. This “Medium” event brings up a funny memory.

MEMORIES

Over the years I have been “forced: to take a lot of sales courses. Some good some a waste of time.

At Sterling Dist our Sales Manager arranged this couple day course. I took from it and remember even today the acronym ECHO which was Every Call Has Objective. I used this thinking over 40 years as some reps would call on a customer without a plan or goal just to fill out a call sheet.

BUT what was a disaster was one afternoon with a trainer this lady asks us reps around a table to write down your favorite color. She then proceeds to go around the table and ask what color. One guy says RED, She immediately states he has anger issues, Another says BLUE, She immediately says he is depressed, After about three or so guys she comes to me. I say bluntly, I am not going to partake in this exercise as I see no value. She skips me quickly and then after the meeting my sale manager comes up to me. I thought I was in big trouble but Chuck smiles and says Larry, please pretend this has value as the company has paid a lot of money for it and i am sure I saw a wink. My good friend Gary and fellow rep was in the same state of mind as myself.

There are SOME real courses that have benefit but when you start with psychoanalysis you lose me. Now IF I go, I will go with a open mind and hopefully be entertained but trust me she will not be able to talk to any of my dead relatives. What I find interesting is the amount of dedication they have done to ask the right questions to gain just a little bit of knowledge to say something VERY VERY vague and an individual continues to feed them tidbits for them to work on. Example, I see your Grandma, She is a warm person, likes baking cookies with beautiful grey hair. They are all logical assumptions that most people will agree with and then will add extra info for the medium. They will make a ambiguous statement like ” I feel like someone fell. ” Inevitably someone will say ‘My Grandad fell out of bed and hurt himself” Then she’s off filling in questions. It is a skill for sure.

Listen carefully and watch the instant pivot if their guesses are wrong. Either it is not clear, it must be someone else, some pivot. This trick is what will make a good from poor medium.

It is a practiced skill and does take a lot of training and practice.

I know she will make a killing but my hopes are the resort will do well also and look at other types of entertainment. Tickets well bought then.

My Grandma would hate this as she thought an Ouija board was evil.

Besides all of the sun, and buzz around us, we also accomplished a lot. Jackie gave the saloon a thorough cleaning, I installed one more sprinkler head and adjusted the timer again on my system. I cleaned up and weed whacked the neighbors lawn edges. I also borrowed the neighbors lawnmower and cut the grass across the street.

I also trimmed and cut my lawn and dead headed my flowers. Daisy had fun watching all of the traffic.

A wonderful BBQ supper of roasted potatoes, carrots and thick pork chops.

Just a pleasant relaxing day .

Thought of the Day

What does a medium who wears rose colored glasses say ? I see red people.