3rd Week at Home.- May 3rd to May 9th, 2009

Well, time to fill you in on another weeks activities here in High River. Lets see, what did really happen? I'll have to refer back to my digital diary that I do keep up regularly, well I try to, sometimes it even gets a little behind. And now with my age, it's sometimes difficult to remember things that happened even a few hours ago, let alone a few days. As I often say to friends in todays computer age, "My Hard Drive is good, but the Ram is a little Slow". Like its all up there, but the recall is sometimes a little hesitant.
Sunday May 3rd - Like all Sundays, starts with Coffee, then the "Health Thing". Weigh in, Uggg, we're each up another lb. We go US system here. Kg's whould be bad, although the total is good, like 90 kg's vs. 200 lbs, but an increase of 1 Kg is not good. Then Blood Pressure. Mine stays about 140/80 without taking any pills. Denice takes pills and her's is usually around 125/65. Got to do something about that weight!!!
Then I make Porridge, oatmeal today, with toast. Denice likes cream on her oatmeal!! lllllbbbbbs. Mine downfall is brown sugar.
Ross comes out from Calgary in our Suzuki, TOADONE, in the afternoon. I have him sold so need to keep him here for a well deserved cleanup prior to delivering to the new owner. Ross tries "turning" a large dry piece of poplar tree to make a bowl. It does not turn out well as the wood is so dry that it tends to tear, rather than peel away smoothly. By dinner time he is so frustrated that he just quits. "Dad, you can throw it out or whatever" I take him home to Calgary and keep TOADONE here.
Monday May 4th - Little to report of interest - Breakfast, Wash and clean TOADONE, Lunch, Down town for some of those things necessary to sustain our bodies, groceries, Dinner, read, to bed.
Tuesday May 5th - Take Denice to South Center appointment for Medical Tests at 1:00PM. After go to Oscar's for lunch. Return to High River. Dinner is left-overs from Lunch. Friend RV'er from Warner, Tom Neal stops by for coffee at 7:30PM on his way home to Warner from Calgary Dentist visit.
Wednesday May 6th - Around home all day. Take TOADONE to Fountain Tire for service and safety check, required for sale, at 8:30AM - completed by noon - A OK - recommend new tires and a tune up. Work on TOADONE some more. Denice comments that yours truly has spent more time getting that little fella ready for sale than I have for the last year, keeping him in shape for ourselves. True, true, true. Buy Groceries. Read, rest.
Thursday May 7th - Today is the day that all vehicles we own need to have next 6 months insurance paid, so, go pay insurances - Uggghhhh. Lincoln, (pay, but hopefully sell in next couple of weeks so will get a refund on that one), Suzuki, ( taking it to Warner tomorrow to sell, so sweet talk the Cooperators into just keeping it insured for another day with no charge) Jeep Liberty ( no option there but to pay), and my 3/4 ton Ford pickup( I just carry PL/PD on it). Then of course there are Ross's vehicles. His 1/2Ton Dodge and his 1 Ton Dump truck. And then you start to wonder where the money goes !!!!!

Friday May 8th - Hook TOADONE to my 3/4 Ton Ford and take him to Warner to Doug and Germaine, the new owners - I must tell the story of the sale of TOADONE. While we were in Quartzsite in January, while having a coffee with Tom and Linda, one evening, their friends Doug and Germaine, showed up. During the coffee chatting, the subject of tow vehicles came up. I said that I was towing a jeep, but at home in High River I had a little Suzuki that I had formerly towed. Germaine, especially, said. "We want to buy it". Well I wasn't really sure that I wanted to even sell it, as it is just a great little unit to "Bomb" around in, but however as the evening progressed, Germaine, just kept the pressure on. Much discussion on pricing, and I must tell you Germaine is good, and I guess I am a little weak, and finally I relented, and basically made the deal there and then, "sight unseen". Germaine, you got a good deal !! So that is the story of the sale. Then last week after we were back home in Canada, Lo and Behold, Sunday afternoon Doug and Germaine stop by with their motorhome on a trip back from the Edmonton area, with the hopes of taking TOADONE home with them. I would not allow it, as I wanted to get it all "ship and shine" before letting them have it. Why do people do that??? I guess its the old scenerio where your wife has to completely clean the house before the Maid service shows up!!
Anyway, back to Warner and the sale. We have lunch with Tom and Linda, then do sales paperwork with Doug and Germaine - cheque paid in full. They immediately go to Milk River and get insurance and Licence plates. Deal Complete - GOOD BYE TOADONE!!!

The New Happy Owners, Doug and Germaine.

After dinner Doug and Germaine Clinkenbeard, Denice and I celebrate my 68th Birthday that is Tom and Linda, Marty and Margo Kirby, andhappening tomorrow. Linda had made a delicious cake for me - Thanks Linda!! Our Good Friends, Tom and Linda

Saturday May 9th - 68 years old, Holy Shit!! 1941 was along time ago!!
At Tom and Linda's today - spent the night there after delivering TOADONE to Doug And Germaine. Return to High River leaving Warner about 2:30PM. Stop in Nanton to find place to have Brunch with Kids tomorrow for Mothers Day - reservation at Humpties at 11:00AM. Then we stop at Kens for supper - chinese smorg - very good. Back in High River by 6:ooPM - Good friends, Ron and Donna stop for coffee and bring dessert (Another cake)for my Birthday, as well as a neat card, and the "Good Sam" RV Campground guide. Thank you very much, Ron and Donna - they leave about 9:00PM, as they see we are bushed!! Does that come with being 68???

I Think Spring Is Really Here

It would certainly appear so! Last couple of days have been great. Up to 18 C yesterday and today seems to be another one the same. Not much to report this week again. In to Calgary a couple of times for the ever required groceries, and for Denice to catch up on the winters happenings from her coffee clutch.

Calgary Skyline in the background - shrouded by smog - something we here in Alberta are not accustomed to.

The new Calgary Hospital on the South side continues to Grow

I have been driving her in, but yesterday was supposed to be her initiation into driving the New Jeep on her own. She did drive it a few miles while down in Arizona on the desert, but was still nervious about going to the BIG city alone. In the end she coerced me into "Riding Shotgun" for the day. She did a great job and from now on will need no more coaching from me. The steering is much more sensitive than the old Lincoln's is, as is the gas pedal. Takes a little getting used to.
Other things during the last week, well income tax, completed and sent in, money back for both Denice and I, a nice surprise, but son Ross has to pay. Poor guy, he seems to always have to pay. Must be that Sears, where he works, or Langscaping Ventures, our little company, is not taking enough from him. Have to get that sorted out sometime! hmmm!
One other item; TOADONE, our little tow car, that we have pulled the last couple of years until we bought the Jeep Liberty, was broken into while we were down south for the winter. Ross had been driving it as it was much cheaper to use than his gas guzzling pickup. He had left it in his driveway and during on night someone slashed the back window ( it was a soft top, so sides were canvas and windows were plastic). Rather ironic that they slashed the window, when all they had to do was unzip the back widow, as it has a large zipper around the entire window. I guess its just easier with a knife!! There was nothing to steal inside other than a small stop watch that Ross had, a $10 value. Appears to me to just be kids in a destructive mood. However, I have the vehicle sold to friends of friends down in Warner, Alberta, so needed to get it replaced. Finally found a supply place called Zuki National, in Airdrie, Alberta that had them as used stock. Purchased it for $40 + $20 delivery by Greyhound. Received it yesterday, so will have Ross bring TOADONE out today and install -- Just Zip it in! Then get serviced and safety check prior to towing it to Warner where we will say a fond farewell to a great little vehicle. We will miss TOADONE, just a great little unit to bomb around in! But we have to get our vehicle number down. Just too many of them around here. Insurances, licences, parking space, etc, etc

First week Home

Well, I promised one blog a week now that we are home in High River, Alberta. The weeks activities were pretty mundane. First couple of days were devoted to unloading ELTORO, and getting him winterized and put away at the RV Storage. Had some indecision as to wether I needed to winterize, as this is the last half of April. Spring is supposed to be here. However, within a couple of days the snow started to fall, and the temperature dropped to near - 10C. Sure glad I made the right decision and completed filling the water lines with non-toxic anti-freeze. Now I rest a lot easier, and rest we did.

Daily activity was: up at about 6:30AM (can't seem to sleep in anymore), have a coffee, read, make breakfast, clean up, domestic stuff, Denice makes lunch (usually some of here conjured up soup- and it is good!), some more domestic stuff, make and eat supper, clean up, read --- The day is over. Where did the time go??

The Sunday after we got home Shannon and Don came up and delivered our promised "Easter Turkey Dinner" that we missed as we were still on the road home. Now she had them done up in Microwave plates and we weren't about to share, so Denice had cooked a Port Roast to feed the crew. Ross, our son, also had come out from Calgary. A good dinner, a good welcome visit with the kids. Skype is good on the road, but not like a real visit. Denice and I enjoyed the Turkey Dinner the next day. Thanks Shannon for the thought that went into that for us.

Then, of course the real reason for coming home, Income Tax. We assembled all the papers, T4's etc, that are required, and stuffed them into a large envelope. Now we have our accountant do Ross's as well, so I needed toget his put together as well. Ross and I have a small "One Man" Landscaping Company called "Langscaping Ventures". Ross is the prime worker and book keeper. Well not much of a book keeper. He does much better at the "Dirt" work then the paper stuff, so I spent parts of two days trying to update his files on his computer in "Quick Books". Somehow with a little number juggling, got the Bank statements and Quick Books statement to a close proximety. Printed out those numbers and put it all in the envelope with Denice and my stuff, and drove it over to our accountant who lives in North-West Calgary. He is a son of a very good friend of ours, who we were neighbors with in Pincher Creek so long ago, when we lived there. He was not home at the time, so just left the documents in his mail box. He promises to have it dome over this week-end. One more thing completed.

"Turned" a couple more bowls. I did one from a small African Exotic burl of a tree that I'm not sure of the name, and Ross did one yesterday from an Oak Log that we brought from Loredo, Texas. It turned out very well.

Now I must tell you, the weather has not been what I would call, "Good Spring Weather", but I guess it's what it usually is at this time of year. Oh to be back in Rockport Texas! We all want to see warm days and grass turning green and flowers starting to bloom. Here in Alberta we really need to wait another month for that. Just last night reading a blog from a full timer who is on the way from Pennsylvania to Alaska, http://www.gundyville.blogspot.com/ and I advised him to take his time, as its a little early here yet. He responded that they would, as they were going to stay in Rapid City for week. We wish them well with their Alaska visit. We want to return there as well, as we sure enjoyed our first RV trip there a few years back, Oh well, another year. So many places to go, so little time to do it all!