March 16th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton -3 degrees, Calgary 6 degrees, Mesa 34 degrees”

Last cool day for at least 5 days as we hit over 100 and up to 107 degrees on Friday.

Jackie was out for her walk around 8am it was already 22 degrees.

I readied most things for our 9th Annual Wiener year end party tonight. Jackie was going to do a lot of different things to finalize all of this.

Then off to golf. It was just beautiful out. We had some great scores today unfortunately I wasn’t one of them. I was trying so hard to hold it straight I pulled everything left all day. But I still won money and am second on the money list for March. So a great day.

This is the 9th year we have had a wiener roast going away get together. This year we had Ron & Bonnie, Ron & Sheila, Tom & Raymone, Dick & Michelle, Larry & Jackie, Sandy & Barb, Bob & Ellen, Arnold, Barry, and Kirk.

A fun time burning hot dogs in the fires. Everyone brought enough food and good food that everyone was stuffed.

Over 30 degrees still at 8 pm. No one needed even a light jacket. I hope everyone had a good time as it is fun getting everyone together along with their spouses.

Thought of the Day

You don’t meet people by accident.

March 17th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 11 degrees, Calgary 17 degrees, Mesa 36 degrees”

St Patty’s Day

As i said five days in a row of 100 degrees. They are saying 97 degrees today but everyday they are a few degrees off the forecast. I will say it is starting to get just a little too warm outside as you sit and the air is heavy with the warmth.

First time in a long time where the smoke got to my lungs from the campfire. Last night my nose was plugged and lungs felt heavy. Bad timing as Jackie at the same time wanted the temperature raised in the house as she thought it was too cool. This from a lady that sweats at night. LOL I didn’t sleep very well and funny enough this morning when Jackie went to Yogi I fell asleep and did not wake up till 9am.

Rushed and got ready for St Patty’s Day. Starting at 10am is the annual parade. Just a comment. You set a parade route, you publish a route and then you change it without notice. Shouldn’t be that hard to get correct. We set up our chairs and waited for the parade. Then Jackie sees it coming down main street which is supposed to be the ending street. We rush to the other end of the block to set up to catch it. Lots of entries and lots of great decorations.

Also on today is music on main. The band today was awesome. They should be a concert band. Loads of people out watching them.

Add in a great car show in the hall parking lot. So many beautiful cars. Made me sad I didn’t pull the trigger on the 32 Ford that Alan and I flew down to Phoenix to buy quite a few years ago. There were three of them in this show. Love the cars looks. Some great Tri-5 cars, a few 1964 Impalas, but very very odd no 1967 Camaro’s. Nice to live in a place where you can drive these types of cars year round.

One of the 32 Deuces had a engine that confused me. It’s owner wasn’t around. The water system between the block and rad was weird. But it is labelled a Ford and the only Ford “Hemi” that I know of was a engine called a 427 Cammer. It had a over head cam and semi hemi heads but what was confusing all Fords had a front distributor. This engine had none and the plug wires ran thru the cowl. Now modern engines like the LS do not use traditional distributors but this engine was just odd. I know they make a conversion kit to go back to the traditional easy to adjust distributor.

Whenever pulling a Chevy engine evitability the issue was always the distributor against the firewall. A great selection of cars though.

Next up was Marge & Joel Patty Day party. They do such a good job. I would bet there was over 50 people at least with their chairs set up to watch the show. I love the theatre behind the show with Marge introducing each player that was going to be on a different instrument coming out of the door of the house. We had Marge singing, Joel playing his accordion, Ellen playing the guitar and Mary with the flute that we knew. Plus the the other instrument people in the background. Marge created lyric sheets for everybody to have so that we could sing along with them. All of the favored Irish songs were sung and some of them were fantastic with people clapping and singing along. great food to accompany it and we even had Jameson shots.

It was fun being three quarters the way out on the street with everybody putting their chairs around to see the concert and the warmth was unbelievable tonight. A very enjoyable fun night. First time here that Fat Willy’s wasn’t on the list but we will be going tomorrow night instead for Trivia night.

They put on great show. This group had practice night to get it right even. And they did .Awesome.

Thought of the Day

I find the easiest way to get people up dancing at a party is spend a lot of time in the washroom until they line up at the door. Party started. !

March 18th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 9 degrees, Calgary 19 degrees, Mesa 38 degrees “

Calgary at a high of 19 today and a high of ZERO in two days. People will not have enough time to change out of their shorts before they have to put on a parka.

I like heat. I like warmth. Having said that this is hot. On Friday it is going over 40 degrees and golfing will be a little warm. Daisy is loving the a/c in the house versus outside on the patio with us.

Last night Jackson had a night he will remember for a long time if not a lifetime. He scored two goals and his hockey team became the City of Calgary U15 Hockey Champions. That is pretty cool.

Not only fun for the kids but parents love these types of events.

I spent the bulk of the morning fixing up Mom’s banking today. She had one big GIC and another smaller GIC that I had to reinvest. They both mature April 9th. I split one up half into a GIC and the other half into her checking account.

Mom sold the acreage in September of 2014 so let’s just say twelve years ago. I invested all her money into GIC’s as she wanted it to be safe on a five year ladder system. it worked out wonderfully over the years as every year GIC would come due that she could live on for the full year. I had calculated with the amount of money from her sale of the house, her pensions and her new expenses it would last her 104 yrs old if no large expense came up. I am impressed as for the 12 years how frugal she has lived and the amount of money she has spent considering a seniors home is an extremely expensive way to live. Being 94 yrs old in a few weeks time she has enough money now to last her lifetime.

My sister has had to do a tremendous amount of work in getting Mom moved into her new home so I’ve been trying to do as much as I can here in Phoenix taking care of a few of the financial things and other related items. I set up an account with Sentinel Storage for payment from Mom’s account to save her writing cheques and sent an email with reimbursement amounts to Alfred and myself.

Talking to Mom today, she is trying so hard to be independent but it is very risky as she fell again. You know when you’re old if you fall you will be back in the hospital again which wouldn’t make her very happy. Getting too old is not fun.

I DO NOT WANT THAT . But I see Alberta is going to ban MAID for any non terminal patient.

The circle of life is actually mean. A child is born and requires diapers and help with everything. The exact same thing happens when someone lives too long.

Add into this scenario the big Pharma equation that dishes out pill after pill not curing anything but only prolonging life compounds the difficulty. It is especially difficult when you are of sound mind but your body has given up.

I believe everything is taken care of.

I lost at Wordle today. Dumb word ! Not a confidence builder for our Trivia night contest we are going to. lol Last week they asked what the sixth element on the periodic table is, I think even if I didn’t miss that class there is no way I would ever have remembered the table.

Jackie stopped in and had a visit with Ardon & Florence today. This couple has the longest residency of our place as they bought their place in 1995 ( 31 yrs ) They are currently selling as they are moving into a seniors complex closer to their family. Two special people as Ardon was a High School Guidance Counselor and Florence a Special Education teacher. Florence is celebrating her 90th birthday. Ardon makes jewelry every block party hands out a piece to a new neighbor. Nice jewelry.

Ardon was showing Jackie the balloons for Florence’s birthday. .

At the Paddy day party I was talking to a couple of gentleman on buying and selling a home. It is odd to me how so many people get confused, misinformed and scared of something an inspector states or assumes in a report. I am bringing this up for a couple of reasons. While I respect people wanting to pay for something and have it in good shape, they are being swayed by one mans opinion. I have been dealing with an anal inspector on Jessica’s place for a year. In Viewpoint Jackie & I know of 4 units that a deal has fell thru. It is dumb. I could take 4 Red Seal carpenters and have them build anything and I could get 4 different ideas or means of construction. I have seen a deal changed or fall thru due to a inspector saying an a/c unit or hot water heater is 15 yrs old and will need replaced. A new one can break one day after warranty or it may run for 30 years. Used is just that and the price is reflective of that. The report should read ” in good working order” At least negotiate the deal down if you feel at risk. But people are taking these inspectors word as gospel. To give you an idea of the incompetence. An inspector at Jessica’s place commented that due to a bathroom door drooping that it may be the foundation sinking. A 15 minute correction in the hanging of the door and done. He also said a crack in the concrete floor was concerning as the slab maybe settling. There is NOT one house built EVER where concrete doesn’t crack due to shrinkage. NOT ONE !

So these want to be “experts” state “furnace is 10 yrs old needs replaced ( it is working perfect) , the roof shingles are 15 yrs old and need replaced ( they are in great shape and may last to 30 years ) The a/c unit is 15 yrs old and has a life expectancy of 15 yrs ( it is working perfect and may last another 15 years) And people fall for it.

It would be like saying the life expectancy in Canada is 82 yrs old so we need to euthanize everyone over that as they are redundant.

I put the failures of these deals going thru on the fault, first of all by over zealous inspectors ( not experts, training one year in most cases) that don’t consider reality. They get paid if the deal goes thru or not. It also is a huge display of incompetence of the realtor not “selling” the client by showing them facts of the situation. You are buying USED not brand new. Are you going to turn down a new house when told the shingles only have a 25 yr life expectancy. It is asinine the gullibility of the general population and the lack of common sense.

The guys at the party were falling for the Radon gas gimmick played nowadays. Every so many years a new HOT money making potential deal breaking idea is created. Radon gas is now a big thing and it is joke. The fix is a 4 inch PVC pipe installed thru the foundation with or without an exhaust fan to remove the odorless gas from your basement. Radon levels change by the hour. Open a window and turn on your bathroom fan and your house is perfect for the test.

• So we have arsenic in the water a natural occurring element.
• We have mold. People panic. Yes it can lead to illness. But it is not panic. Remove the opportunity of leaks and moisture and you will not have mold. Spray bleach or cut out the moldy wood or drywall. Huge business in mold removal based on media fear mongering.
• We have asbestos remediation companies making millions of dollars. It is not dangerous if not disturbed or made airborne. We had it in tiles, insulation, and thousands of products. It is in asphalt shingles and roads and you don’t think on a hot day a dust particle doesn’t get carried in the air.
• We have Poly B piping. A complete scare tactic with a simple fix of turning the temperature down on your hot water heater. Yet buyers and insurance companies and repair companies are getting rich. The saying if it is not leaking now it will is completely misleading.
• Now we have Radon gas another natural occurring element all around the world again with a simple $2k fix that has created million dollar businesses.

Give the general public a picture of a thermal infrared image ( easy to do today) showing a cold spot or hot spot and they panic. Do a smoke test to show draft’s and they panic, Tell them smoke detectors are old and must be replaced and they panic over a $50 dollar fix.

All of the examples I have given are REAL but do not warrant panic and are only a concern if certain conditions are in place. If money was abundant to fix everything while not necessary it would be beneficial to your mental state and ease of resale. And to your long term good health but not a reason to go ahead with a sale or purchase.

A lot of these park models cost less than a car nowadays.

A 30 page report designed to show value for a 1/2 hour job to make a bundle could be described as a snake oil sales process. Having said that there are cases things are found and it does provide a comfort level but has to considered a piece of knowledge not gospel as to buy or not.

I think a prudent thing maybe to hire an inspector yourself to get info on what a potential buyer may see and decide if you want to fix it or not.

FYI NO BUILDING OR HOME INSPECTOR IS HELD ACCOUNTABLE TO THE REPORT. It is joke. You can not sue if a issue wasn’t found as the out is they did not have full access or knowledge of the procedures or construction methods used. It is a golden ticket to write money.

Four people we know already this year have had this happen. The Real Estate companies have taken a simple transaction of a title change at the Department of Transportation and made into a full blown major home buying circus.

I remember when we sold Mom’s house and I was dealing with the real estate agent ( I will say agent as they are as far as can be removed from being called a sales agent) and the client wanted to negotiate a sale price before inspection. I agreed to a price with a signed caveat that there will no price adjustment based on inspector findings later. The agent suggested that it is not normal and traditionally not done this way. I was adamant that this is what we want and no negotiation would happen after the inspection. The deal went thru without a hitch even though I know there had to be some and even some bigger issues that they may want to change or fix. A person negotiates a price down, then has a sale condition to have a house inspection and have to reduce the price even more in my mind was not right. Sign an agreement at sale price, condition of a inspection and then negotiate should be the normal process . It was a risk but I felt this was the way to go. It worked.

To me if you are a good realtor agent you would meet any objection with information , support data and “sale” the house. The client had to like the house in order to put in an offer so it should be pretty easy to do.

We were all set for Trivia night. I was ready. I studied the Periodic Table as I missed that class and then bad news. Unfortunately one of the group had an incident and had to be taken to the hospital and others had to cancel.

So we pivoted and decided to have a date night ourselves on the deck at Fats. It was over 100 degrees today and at supper time still 80 degrees plus. It was absolutely beautiful over looking the fairway sitting on the deck. Our young waitress was awesome as was the food. 24 ounce cold beer in a huge mug is just cool.

Came home, had a short walk, then watched the Canadian women curling on Randy & Donna’s patio,

Watched the Flames game win a great game and the end to another wonderful day.

Thought of the Day

I have a date tonight with my bed. We are am totally going to sleep together .

March 19th-20th

Mercury Forecast Edmonton 8 degrees, Calgary 18 degrees Mesa 40 degrees (104)”

If the past weather forecasts hold true even though predicted 40 I think it will hit 42 or more as we have no wind and no clouds. Alberta is looking pretty good short term.

I took Daisy to the park this morning as Jackie was out golfing early.

Turns out we watched Jackie on Hole #3. It was funny with Daisy watching thru the fence her putts. Made her nervous I think.

Then off to our volunteers appreciation lunch which was excellent. The General Manager even gave a nice thank you speech. They provided a nice sandwich, chips and lemonade lunch for us in appreciation. I love the pen gift they gave us.

While at the main office we picked up our tickets for our last party. We will leaving the following day.

I smile when I see this posting. You know old people and 9 o’clock midnight saying. We are having a party and it lasts two hours and ends at 7 pm so everyone can get to bed. But the drink specials are all night long. They close at 8 pm. LOL Good food drinks and a dance you cant go wrong.

A 3 pm chair set up for the Boston Concert tonight. I was surprised as I thought it would be a bug seller. I loved the Boston 8 track I had in 1976.

After the chair setup Sandy & Dave came over for a few drinks. We were sitting outside and Jackie said did we want to go inside. We all agreed and the ac air hit us. It was so nice as it was stifling out.

I give these guys the FIRST prize. They were very entertaining, sounded very similar to the real band and put on a great show. The had the crowd eating them up.

I loved the lead singers comment “Don’t you remember the song on 8 track and back seat of the car”

Fantastic concert and record breaking time putting the chairs away.

Sandy and Dave invited the group to their house, 9:30 pm and still 25 degrees out. We had a very nice gathering and lots of fun.

Up early and out the door for my golf group at 8 am. There was a bead of perspiration on my forehead today for sure. It was hot and in fact hit our magic number of over 40 degrees today once again.

Just about everyone had a good game today. I struggled for a few holes then converted to my old way and had wonderful successes. I was happy with my golf but not the score today. No issue mid eight’s but want high 70’s low 80’s. Putts and chips. Mike today golfed very well and in fact won low net. He has at least 7 Birdie putts and missed everyone of them. He got a few pars but even had a boogie. You hate that.

We had our golf gathering at Bob’s. Spoiled us with delicious food. Drove me crazy as I could not partake as Jackie and I had our health testing coming up this afternoon and I could only have water. A lot of people leaving in the next week or so, so I will book next week and that will be it.

We have made the decision to leave March 28th .

Darlene has arranged a room to celebrate Mom’s birthday and Easter together on April 4th. Mom will be 94 years young this year. It will be nice to see them all again.

A company arranged to come to the park to do screening on old people. For $ 220 they did a comprehensive screening of your organs. 11 ultra screens including :

• Heart ultra sound
• Atrial fibrillation screening
• Carotid Artery screening
• Abdominal aorta screening
• Liver screening
• Kidney screening
• Gall Bladder screening
• Pancreas screening
• Spleen screening
• Thyroid screening
• Peripheral Arterial Disease

Luckily we passed relatively unscathed with just the odd minor issue, some known, some new. To get this all done at home would require doctors appointments, wait time and in most cases instead of preemptive diagnosis they give the tests after symptoms or issues only. So I figure for $600 it is good knowledge and peace of mind.

Whipped the bank tonight to withdraw a whack of money for the year to pay our caretaker, have some for the garage sale and pest control.

We stopped at Safeway to pick up a roast chicken and sides as we had to fast for the testing.

A walk around the park tonight at 9 pm and still 94 degrees.

Thought of the Day

Don’t you love it when your winter fat becomes spring rolls

March 21st–24th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 2 degrees, Calgary 0 degrees, Mesa 40 degrees”

One Tv station says 44 degrees. (112 degrees) Wow

The first day of spring where you can 4 seasons everyday for a week. Now some say the 21st is the official day. It goes this way. Astronomically speaking March 1st, Meteorology speaking March 20th and traditionally speaking March 21st. I am a traditional guy.

Garage sale day in the park today. Historically speaking Jackie has made some fantastic buys so we will see what happens now. In the past, Stainless Steel range hood, electric fireplace, come to mind instantly.

A rush today to do what normally takes a few days to shut down the place with a lot of things not as we like but will make due until November.

I will not be posting for awhile.

Well ,March 21st a sad day for us. Jackie was out garage sale shopping when she received a call from Darlene that Mom was taken to the hospital and on her arrival was unresponsive. Our immediate reaction was to get home so start packing.

We were so fortunate that my sister Darlene’s family was with her when she passed.  Before her passing Jackie, Jessica, Victoria and I all had our chance to say goodbye to her. We are so grateful to Darlene for providing that opportunity.  Although unresponsive we know she heard us. Her vitals were strong and soon after our messages she rapidly declined. I am sure it was God’s way to comfort us and for Mom to know it was time and she was very loved.

To pack up in less than a day is not easy. I would say a easy process is at least three days. We left this year not doing a lot of things we traditionally do but we will deal with that this fall. To leave a home for months there is a lot of prep work. So we filled the neighbors fridge with beer, porkchops, chicken breasts condiments etc that were in our fridge as we didn’t have time to “run them down”

Since we were not prepared to leave so quickly or early we hadn’t figured out how much cash to get from the bank. We needed $315 for our caretaker for the year . Luckily we scrapped together $309 using Jackie’s wallet, my wallet, my golf money etc. We then robbed our change door and came up with $6 more we needed in quarters. On arrival and when we handed him our last dollar literally we had a laugh as his wife uses quarters for Mahjong and Ozone water. So everything worked out good.

We got everything we HAD to do done, and thought about leaving that evening but decided to get up a 5 am and start the day then.

We had numerous friends and neighbors stop by with their condolences. To be honest I dislike this. Let me grieve, my way. As Jackie explained I should be happy that so many people are that concerned and thinking of us to make the effort to come over. Made me reconsider. It is just the attention brings a whelm of emotion over you that is hard to control. I need that control.

Some interesting things on the way. A hot air balloon feast and Jackie catches a few balloons and a speeding 1965 Cobra.

Gas at $4.59 a gallon is a lot higher than normal, then over to Wendy’s for breakfast. They make a great morning biscuit. Next stop Dutch Boys for a London fog. These are in the same lot. Hit the road and 12 hours later landed in Ogden UT. Jackie booked it online and when we arrived we smiled as it was the hotel we had coming when Covid hit. It is 50 yards away from the I15 and if with a pet that is the side they put you on. We decided if we could not get a inner room we would go somewhere else as last time we got up at 3am and hit the highway was we could not sleep. The clerk was exceptional and accommodating and we were set with a pet friendly room on the inside of the building . Only difference was Daisy got her separate Queen size bed instead of sleeping in our King. The toilet in this place was from Honey I shrunk the Kids as it was LOW. I am talking low. Good exercise getting up. You can see the semi trucks in the background and how close they are.

Up at 6 am again and ready to go. Great continental breakfast here.

I forgot to mention in the 18 years of driving there the I15 highway was the busiest I have ever seen it. We literally were going 80 and then 40 mph repeatedly. It was crazy. Mostly due to too many vehicles on the road but the other issue is people and their brakes. They just don’t get it. Tap your brakes and it is domino affect for miles. We stopped in for gas at Fillmore and I have never seen a station this busy unless it is Canmore on a long weekend. Line ups for gas, line ups for the men’s washroom. Yes weekend, yes spring break but crazy.

We stopped for gas and there getting gas was Greg & Liza from Saskatoon/Viewpoint getting gas. We laugh as a odd place to meet and of all the stations we picked the same one. Ironic enough the next day who do we see again in Shelby was Greg again getting gas. Funny !

The cruise set at 140 kph we were down the highway and were following a horse trailer as it was passing when a loud blast went off and tire with steel cables was flying everywhere. I was dodging the best possible at 80 mph and got very lucky that the bulk of the debris missed us. Chinese tires. I don’t understand the risk to save a few bucks running these as they are legendary in failures. I was impressed with the trailer driver in his control from 80mph to getting to a shoulder of the road.

We made good time getting to the border, The first day was 12 hours total. The second day was 17 hours as we had a nice break and supper at Jessica’s place for bit.

I always say we need to stay longer than the beginning of April and this due to circumstance’s we home even earlier.

Look at the weather in spots hours and hours apart.

3 cars only in front of us at the border. A typical crossing and questions. We had planned to bring some beer and a 40oz back but didn’t with the rush home. The CBS guy did his job but a little more pleasant instead of so stern and proper would be nice.

Nice to sleep in our bed though although a little warm in the condo to sleep.

I was going to write about Mom’s life here but I will wait until after the funeral as not to take away from the eulogy or obituary. She had a very interesting and full life. Here is one picture of Mom i love. The red hair, the smirk and her Denim.

Unpacking is never fun. Daisy hates the cold. Gas pricing here are insane. In Montana they were $3.59 a gallon. Take ours at $1.76 a liter it is 1.76 x 3.78 = $6.65 a gallon. Nuts when we are rich and abundant in supply.

Grocery shopping today and we thought the USA had raised their prices. We have gotten nuts. It has to stop somewhere as the whole financial system could collapse as a huge economic catastrophic recession will hit us.

Daisy is missing her friends as she got to socialize with everyday. Here not so much.

Thought of the Day

Think about how much your Mother taught over the years. How is that replaced ?

March 25th–

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton -12 degrees SNOW, Calgary 4 degrees SNOW, Mesa 36 degrees”

Yep snow coming down. I just hope for out travel to Edmonton and Edson we are given good driving conditions.

It is the time of year where the temperatures are too cold to start up the a/c so the condo runs on the warm side. We open the window but the traffic noise is to much.

Still lack of humidity so the humidifier is also on.

Crazy world. Canada could be such a powerhouse nation with great wealth for every citizen if we would just stop with the nonsense. We have the Indigenous fighting against projects all the while the families are living in poverty with lack of good water etc. We have greenies stopping projects when we can do both simultaneously with in reason. No one is ever happy.

We have numerous wars happening, protests everywhere, and discord and disobedience happening.

How stupid are we that the CEO of Air Canada is being blasted for giving a speech in English only. The TV interview had subtitles in both languages. People are crazy.

We took the Flex into the Stealership today for service. To find a reputable, honest car dealership I am starting to think does not exist. This dealership today is so disorganized that a simple 1/2hr fix job has to be booked two weeks out. Too many cars to fix which doesn’t look good on the brand, not enough mechanics or just plain poor management. I had a independent mechanic that I used for years that was decent. They became a NAPA dealer and have become just like every other shop. I could work around that but one too many mistakes on their part have left me disgruntled. I will use this Stealership for a bit but will look for another independent shop.

I finished filling out our 8840 forms and all ready to send them to the Department of Internal Revenue soon to be the Department of MONEY . It is amazing how governments create bureaucracy. We have the 8840 to fill out each year, we have the G325 to fill out if over 30 days if no I94 issued and we have the I94 form to carry with us to prove we are legal. Add to that the CDC form for Daisy. The amount of paper, the amount of time, how many people to manage is unbelievable,

Over the years it is amazing what ideas people come with to either prove they are doing something or creating something that has no real value. It is like meetings at work. The biggest waste of an employees time ever. 90% of what is covered could be handled by a simple email. What happened over the years as we became more “soft” maybe not the right word, but it was a way for a company to stop the whining from employees so they felt they were not taught anything or the company did not value them.

Our 800 block breakfast potluck was today. Jackie & I have been very involved with this for years. We liked doing it. It went over well according to a neighbor and people stepped up to help to fill our spots. It is like the old saying no one is irreplaceable. In a company an employee or manager is forgotten about and they move and carry on with no issues. Having said that my company did close it’s distribution centers down in less 2 yrs after I left. LOL

That was surprising to me. JELDWEN pays millions to buy Henderson’s then exits the market that Henderson’s dominated in. I know the management with changes was considerably weaker than prior to some of the big changes they made.

Thought of the Day

“I told them I was leaving, and they said, ‘We’ll miss your… uh… what is it you do again?’”

March 26th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton -9 degrees, Calgary -6 degrees, Mesa 37 degrees”

We have lived in Calgary for 35 years. If there has been 100 storms happen in Calgary the south has seen 5 and the north 95 of them. It doesn’t matter hail, flooding, rain, or snow the north gets it. Besides the incredible difference in weather the infrastructure and road system in the south has the north beats hand over tails. We laugh as the North East part of Calgary is the least desired area. The North West is nice with great neighborhoods but the road system, amenities, access and weather is bad compared to south Calgary. We were watching on the news and seeing the chaos and smiling. Nightmare in the north heavenly in the south. Alan & MaryAnn chose the north for some reason and their kids are choosing there also. Audrey and Victoria chose the south along with us. This is not biased but actual fact that we are two cities within one culturally, weather-wise, proximity to amenities and ease of travel. There are 7 lake communities in the south and 2 in the north as an example.

The most important thing about today is that it is Victoria & Jessica’s birthday. Life is funny with it’s highs and lows. We are dealing with sadness with Mom’s passing and we are excited about our twins birthday. We have a new nephew ready to pop out any day also as he is already over due.

🎉 Happy 43rd Birthday to Two Extraordinary People! 🎉 Jessica & Victoria

Forty‑three years ago, the world got a double surprise. I can still hear the nurses trying to soothe Jackie — “Now now, Mrs. Willard, please calm down” — as if that was going to happen. Instead, she was pounding the bed with her arm, belting out Yankee Doodle Dandy like a woman determined to power through the pain with sheer spirit.

And then came the twist no one saw coming. Twins. Not a soul in that delivery room knew there were two of you until the emergency C‑section revealed the truth. You arrived in pure Willard fashion — dramatic, unexpected, and unforgettable.

Today we celebrate not just your birthday, but the incredible story of how you burst into this world. You’ve carried that same energy, resilience, and spark ever since. Here’s to 43 years of laughter, love, and the kind of memories that become family legends.
Happy Birthday Jessica & Victoria— you were a miracle times two from the very first moment

A very nice gesture and gift from Wendy. She gave over for a visit and thoughtfully brought us a bouquet of flowers.

As it is too warm in the condo I installed a new ceiling fan today. Man to hold your arms above your head for a extended period is difficult. I have never had this in my bag of tricks but this fan for sure made me sweat. It is dead quiet, looks cool and is light and fan speed controllable by phone app or remote.

Daisy doesn’t mind the cold when she is dressed up in booties and coat. She walks very briskly when cold as it was -23 with the wind chill this am. She does miss her friends back in Mesa .

I have to park on the street until April 1st as I rented out my space until then. It is cold outside.

We facetimed with the minister and Darlene last night and everything is getting close to being complete.

We went out to Rockwell’s for happy hour with Jeff & Wendy this afternoon. Nice to see them again after being away. They both are looking good. I had my first Canadian Caesar in long time and they were wonderful. It was a nice visit.

HOW to you lose with 1 second left. It should NEVER happen. The Flames find another way to lose. These types of losses have no excuse.

Thought of the Day

“You can’t help getting older, but you do not have to get old “

March 27th-28th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton 3 degrees, Calgary 6 degrees, Mesa 38 degrees”

The new fan was awesome. No noise. It is not right above our heads which is good. It doesn’t create a lot of air flow due to its size but is just a gentle quiet whisk. Love it. Daisy loves it.

Polished my shoes yesterday so all set to head to Edmonton. Have to bring three sets of cloths. A set of fancier clothes for the funeral, a set of warm clothes for the burial and a set of comfy clothes for lounging and hotel. We are getting a little lucky that Edson will be at 1 above. Maybe a little sloppy but much better than freezing cold.

We went for a visit to Audrey’s today along with Alan & MaryAnn. Great to see them again and they are doing well. MaryAnn has taken up crocheting or knitting to fill some retired time and has made some interesting items.

The mountains driving to Audrey’s today were spectacular.

Daisy just wanted to play but Tia didn’t want any part of it.

We stopped for gas and Tim’s to take with us. First time ever it took over $100 to fill the Flex. Nuts. I ordered the new Ryan Reynolds Donut and talk about being good. Awesome 10/10 and I hope they make it a forever item.

In one of our discussions the timing to take CPP came up. Everyone has to make their decision. Having said I can with a high level certainty say EVERYONE should take it early at 60yrs old. A couple of things come into play. How much money you have overall. How old you believe you will live based on parental longevity and current medical conditions. And if you believe you will spend more money from 60 to 80 or need more from 70 to 80. Remember the average lifespan in Canada has gone up to 83.5 yrs old. Do you want to travel and be active at 65 versus 75? Do you need future money for a senior home care ? Answer to your best conclusions and then decide.

One major key element is the break even point. We need to look at how long it would take the higher payment you get at age 65 to make up for the fact that taking CPP earlier creates a lot of advanced income.

If you choose to take CPP at age 60 vs age 65 it would take 106.7 months to reach break-even. If you choose to delay until age 65 then by the time you reach age 73.9 you’re now benefiting financially from the increased monthly payments. It is a simple calculation but it is too simple. It does not take into account the drawing down of the principle and the missed compound interest. Every cent you remove of your money is removed from your asset base. You die at 75 yrs old you have wasted est 800 x 12 = 9600 x 15 yrs= $145,000 plus the interest of 15yrs. The CPP income is gone on death. The money you did not use in lieu of the CPP stays in your estate.

Why do you think the govt is trying to convince you NOT to take your CPP early ? Just today in the news the govt is considering NOT paying high income earners OAS. We have had numerous changes to CPP over the years and with Canada’s huge Liberal debt load who knows what could happen.

Best case scenario would be a Alberta Pension Plan asap.

Like I said everyone has to decide what is best for them in their circumstances. I did Excel spreadsheets on this years ago that I should have kept with the payouts, compound interest over time and rationalizing of taking it early. Trust me the government does not want you to do this. I did do a alternate plan that was quite lucrative and that was to take it early ( smart move) and invest that amount if not needed and you where miles and miles ahead. You work and pay into the CPP and only receive back a minor return compared to if there was a forced retirement plan not controlled by the govt and the full amount was returned to you. No one seems to ask where all of YOUR money goes if you die young. Not to your estate ! And your estate money is a way less as you used it instead of the govt money for 5 or 10 years.

Having said all of that I am convinced that early CPP is the correct decision but the one big mistake we made was to maximize our RRSP’s. It was great for the deduction but today it is folding out to be a big mistake. I would never recommend it and I think advisors should also be of the same mind set. But once again they want you to invest with them for a commission. We made the error and now we have to live with it.

The RV show came up as Alan & MaryAnn go back and forth on buying a RV but today it was the RV and gas pricing. I have said all along if gas pricing is in your mind set do not buy a RV. I did a quick calculation and at todays pricing it is $499.84 to fill my tank. BUT you are bringing your own kitchen, your sleeping in your bed, and you are using your toilet plus no check in or out times involved. Jackie and i have camped since before we were married. In order of our units: a 2 man pup tent, 8 man canvas tent, 12 ft tent trailer, 20 ft travel trailer, 32 ft travel trailer, 30 ft Class A motorhome and our 32 ft Class A Motorhome. We have enjoyed everyone of them and our camping experiences and memories made over the years are something our kids and us cherish. Both of our kids have travel trailers and enjoy the outdoor experience like we do. It is an expense that’s return is measured only in enjoyment. I do see in the distant future a unit for placement not travel as we use Oasis more.

There is a government survey out to see how people feel about the brightness of todays cars headlights. The new LED lights versus halogen are brighter and more concentrated. That is a good thing. Having said that they can cause more glare. You were supposed to be taught NOT to look at the headlight of a on coming traffic. I would suggest if your eyes are so affected by the light you should NOT be driving and stay off the road so the rest of us can drive, seeing clearly and further than a few years ago. LESS GOVT and less stupid people trying to make a law for everything. In fact I run illegal lumens. A typical average low beam lamp is 1200 lumens. My special LED lights on my Jeep are 6000 lumens. Someone flashes me thinking i have them on bright, I hit them with high beams and my 6000 lumen PIAA driving lights . They will see purple. DONT LOOK AT THE LIGHT . No more oversight due to complainers. F350 trucks, lifted trucks or cars with a load in the trunk due to the angle appear brighter than most and cause a bit of glare but they can see where they are going. Low lumens means you “run over” your light at higher speeds which is dangerous. Let’s stop making rules for everything.

Our timing was perfect for a dog walk as at least 8 dogs were in our condo dog park. Daisy got to meet old friend’s and new ones. After the dog park run we went for a block walk.

We rushed home this year as my Mom passed away and Fred & Terry rushed home as her Dad also just passed away. We all know it is coming but it is not easy on anyone.

You hear about the circle of life all of the time. We experienced it with Peter. Atticus was 6 months old when Peter died. Mom died on March 21st and today her newest grandson Samuel was born.

It is a powerful moment to think about — the way life seems to braid beginnings and endings together in a way that feels almost intentional. You go through a lot of loss in a short span, and then suddenly there’s this new little person arriving, almost as if he’s carrying a thread from the people who aren’t here anymore.

Samuel Jesse Epp is a beautiful name. Strong, grounded, and full of family history. That nod to Dad isn’t subtle — it’s a way of keeping him present, woven into the next generation. Names can do that in a way nothing else quite can.

And Kayla delivering another ten‑pounder… that’s a feat. I think I will reconsider my gout stance being harder than child birth. Kayla is clearly operating on a different level of toughness.

I am sure it is hard on Darlene with a the mix of grief, and joy all at once.

It will be a busy house at the Epps and Alseth’s for many years to come. Nothing makes Christmas more fun than young kids.

Thought of the Day

It’s the circle of life, and it moves us all, through despair and hope, through faith and love, ’till we find our place, on the path unwinding.

March 28th-29th

“Mercury Forecast Edmonton -2 degrees, Calgary – 2 degrees, Mesa 35 degrees”

We received our tax assessment from the City of Calgary today. Banks typically use this plus 15% to base a value on a property, It is weird how fast things change and how much inflation can hurt you. We sold our house and bought a condo at 50% less than what we sold our house for and put the difference in the bank. Today the assessment for the condo is now more than what we sold our house for. I don’t think any time in history has house prices increased so drastically. The big crash once again will come.

In 1980 when we bought our first house we had a 22% interest on it on a assumed second mortgage, Three years later we sold it for the exact same price we paid for it minus the cost of a new roof, new windows, new carpet, new countertops, decking, landscaping, and lots more. 1983 to 1991 when we sold St Alberta our house price only increased 40K. We landscaped, new carpet, complete basement development, two huge decks, huge fence, plus a lot more.

So anyone in the housing market should be ecstatic as the pricing is insane and the interest rate basically nothing. It is a wonderful opportunity for young people to gain wealth.

We have a Coyote hanging around our condo. I think it is bunny hunting but walking a small dog can be dangerous with them.

I watched the LPGA golf tournament today. It is being played in Phoenix this weekend in the 100 degree weather at the Whirlwind Golf Course. I played this course every Wednesday in my Snips group for over 10 years. AWESOME course where we paid $75 to start and then later on $95 which included cart, range, and a buffet. Today I looked up the rack rate and it is $179 . It was a course I never broke 80 on with my lowest score being 80. My friend Keith Harry played it a few times with me in our group as a guest. The pricing got too high for us so the last few years we moved to Longbow then Aguila. All great course but Whirlwind was special.

Privacy rules while good and protect us they are a pain in the ass. I tried to cancel Mom’s tenant insurance . As usual a third party can change or add but to cancel as a refund is due is like pulling teeth. I remember years ago Jackie getting so mad when Telus let her add to our TV package but would not ley her cancel a subscription we had as it was in my name.

So now it means sending a picture of the death certificate and names of the executors and waiting for a return cheque.

You know when your dog is out or a kid is visiting a parent etc it feels funny not having them around. Each day I look at my watch to see the time as it is supposed to be time to phone Mom. Then you realize that isn’t going to happen any more.

Daisy Jackie and I thought a simple walk would be harmless. After all, it was spring — or so the calendar claimed. Alberta, however, had other opinions.

We stepped outside and were hit with a wall of cold so sharp it felt personal. Not the polite chill of Arizona mornings we were used to, but the kind of cold that sneaks into your bones, sets up camp, and starts charging rent.

Within minutes, we were bundled like we were preparing for an expedition across the Arctic. Toques pulled low. Scarves wrapped twice. A hidden vest under the jacket — because pride is optional when your face is freezing. Even my hat needed a cover. My cheeks turned rosy.

“This is supposed to be spring,” I muttered, breath fogging like a steam engine.

Daisy just gave me that look — the one that said you chose this.

Halfway down the path, I made a mental note so loud it might as well have been carved into ice: Unless absolutely necessary, do not come back this early next year.

But then, as if Alberta wanted to apologize for the frostbite, a web check caught my eye: Picture Butte Golf Course — Opening First Week of April.

I laughed. “Only in Alberta. The world is frozen solid, but the golf course is ready to party.”

Daisy nudged me. “Guess we’ll thaw out on the fairway.”

Maybe. Or maybe we’d just freeze more slowly.

Either way, it made the cold feel a little less rude. I hate cold. I love hot. Good thing they changed it from global warming to global change.

Thought of the Day

The thermostat lies, the scarf chokes, and the wind still finds a way to slap across the face

I will be gone for a few days attending Mom’s funeral and burial. And wouldn’t you know it is spring and a winter storm is expected. Just makes it more interesting. Some would say challenging.

On the news this morning watching it I had to smile. The Federal NDP voted a new leader. Avi Lewis may go down in history for taking a party that is on it’s last breath and killing it. Avi is a eco-socialist, and unionist. It is crazy to think the first statements out of his mouth are NO MORE pipe lines. His socialist agenda includes government owned food stores to control food pricing. Asinine. His want of a Canada Green deal along with extreme left socialist ideology like public grocery stores, and expansion of medical care in the real world is dead. What I like is a third party will not be stealing votes of the main two parties. What I also like is to see how the western Provincial NDP parties try to distance themselves from this. The key word is try as every NDP party is of the same ilk but not so forward in announcing it. Nenshi will be squirming. Avi spoke his truth which we all should be thankful for. Now lets see how many union members think siding with the NDP is a good thing.