It's about time.

Many of you can relate to Working long hours at your career. Raising your families. Buying a home and paying all the bills related to being homeowners and parents. We're now retired and don't need all that work and expense. Now "It's about time" and what we do to follow our dreams.

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Monday, September 30, 2013

Sunny Shopping and Cleaning Day.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario.

 I had planned on getting an early start to my chores today so we could have some away time but when I looked at the clock and it said it was almost 6:00 I thought a few more minutes sleep would be okay. The next time I opened my eyes it only took me a few seconds to focus before jumping out of bed. It was nearly 8:30 and I was now behind schedule. Within minutes Kathy and I were working together making breakfast. 

Today was laundry day and by the time I stripped the bed and sorted the laundry it was past 9:30 before I got to the laundry room. Kathy was busy scrubbing down the washroom and dusting throughout the apartment. Once I had the wash completely started I returned to the apartment putting fresh linens on the bed plus a few other things before returning to the laundry room. It only took me another couple of minutes and I had everything transferred to the dryers. Back upstairs I finally got my morning reading on the computer finished just on time for as you guessed back to the laundry room. 

By the time I returned we had a late lunch before taking off. When we’d gotten up this morning it was raining but by noon the sky was clear with the perfect fall temperatures. Since we have plans for tomorrow we headed over to the west side Walmart. We walked with the intention of just getting exercise but then I could see Kathy looking very inquisitively at some of the items on the shelves and I couldn’t have guessed what she was doing. Being that we had finished our Christmas shopping since the beginning of August and it is still 86 days before the big day it shocked me when she said she was getting ideas for next Christmas since it is only 451 days away. 
Once we were home I was working on cleaning the downloaded file that I’m working on when there was a knock on the door. My friend Grant from upstairs wanted to tell me that he had just blasted the apartment manager over the fact that he and his wife are still killing Yellow Jackets in their apartment. He asked me to go talk to her as well kind of in solidarity because even today we killed another five ourselves.
On the way to the office I started noticing the remains of Yellow Jackets inside the fluorescent light fixtures in the hallways. When I spoke to Lynn she was visibly shaken from her encounter with Grant but assured me that she was doing the best she could at getting the Exterminator back. The problem that they were having was finding out where the Yellow Jackets are getting in from and now how are they getting into the light fixtures. 

After talking with Grant and Sandy about her concerns it was time to cook supper on the Weber Q. I grilled Tomatoes, Zucchini and Eggplant while Kathy cut slices of ham from a roast we’d gotten the other day. It all tasted great.
I’m making progress on the file that I’m cleaning since it started as 115 pages and it’s now down to 90. I’m looking forward to the day it’s completed. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.          

Krackers

 You Might Be a Redneck If

Beer bellies run in your family.

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Getting There and a Celebration

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario.

We managed to wake before 8:00 this morning being a bit more relaxed believing that the problem with the Yellow Jackets had come to an end. As soon as we finished breakfast and headed to the computers that feeling of relief ended. By the time I returned to my laptop the death toll had increased by three. 
Can we go play in the rain?
After reading E-mails and blogs my attention was refocused on making a readable file from the expanded version that I had downloaded. I only stopped long enough to kill two more wasps and then returned to my task. When I had started this the file it was 125 pages long and is slowly shrinking. 

When Kathy called me to help cook an omelet for lunch everything seemed to darken outside before we started with rain showers that would eventually increase as the day went on. We were enjoying our creations when suddenly there was a knock at the door. It was my friend Grant from upstairs whose apartment was also filled with the Yellow Jackets. After I informed him of the problem he and Sandy had returned from the lake early where they found nearly a hundred dead Yellow Jackets in their apartment plus many live ones. We talked for a bit discussing this before he told me he had called the head office in in Alberta to complain even threatening to call the Board of Health because his apartment was actually unsafe to live in. He also said we were also continuing to have the same problem so they said the problem would be dealt with on Monday. Here’s keeping our fingers crossed. Once Grant had left we finished our lunch before I resumed working on the file and Kathy sat back to do some reading.   

For supper we headed over to Karen and Greg’s around 4:00 to celebrate our grandson Tyler’s 12th birthday. Greg’s parents Ray and Rose were also there to help with the celebration and we all agreed that the youngsters are just growing too fast. It’s a good thing that we’re not aging. Right! Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.          

Krackers

Office Jokes, Quotes, and Anecdotes

Seen on a Coffee Mug Please be patient.

Your e-mail will be deleted in the order it was received.

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Getting Ready.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario.

Without the use of an alarm it seems that waking before 8:00 is becoming a habit and there was no reason what so ever for doing so. I didn’t even make it to the kitchen and I could hear Kathy moving in the bedroom. By the time I had opened the window blinds and started making the coffee for breakfast Kathy was already making toast. Of course the Weather Channel confirmed the pleasant temperatures we’d have to endure so that was hard to take. 

Shortly after sitting down at the computers the phone rang and our daughter Karen was thanking us for bringing our Granddaughter Kylla to work last night because she would not have been home from work on time to bring her personally. She also confirmed that we’ll be celebrating our grandson Tyler’s birthday on Sunday night and inviting us for supper. She asked if we could make a simple cake for the occasion to bring along as well. 

After Kathy got off the phone she immediately went to the kitchen to start baking the cake. I in turn called General RV to book an appointment to get the warranty work looked at. Because the truck was in the body shop for two weeks I waited to make this appointment so I would have to call back for a rescheduling. The service manager was busy so it was simple enough to just leave my number and ten minutes later he called back. So now we’ll be up early and bringing the trailer across the border next Friday. 

After the cakes were cooling we headed to the Bulk Barn to purchase some ingredients we need for decorating this cake and for some baking we’ll be doing for a Halloween party towards the end of October. We found almost everything we needed and Kathy was going to have me drive to another grocery store but I insisted we return to the local Zehr’s because today was the last day to their no Tax shopping. Again we saved at least another $10.00 by getting the few things we bought. 

Back home I was just getting back to the file that I have been working on for future travels for Kathy when she called me for lunch. The leftover pizza from last night hit the spot. After clearing the table we immediately started to level and decorate the cake. We work well as a team and had the cake assemble in ten minutes and while Kathy applied the icing I was busy coloring the icing for the decoration. In less than an hour the cake was finished and we got a chance to sample it. Most people don’t realize to make a cake flat you need to trim it and when making icing you always make more than you need so hence we have a sample without cutting the actual cake. 

I spent another hour and a half completing the file making it ready to print. The download was 135 pages that I compressed to 10 pages then adjusted to a printable version of 24 pages and it only took me four days. With that completed I downloaded another file that only came in at 115 pages. Oh the Joys! Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.          

Krackers

You Might Be a Redneck If

Every job you've had paid daily.

Friday, September 27, 2013

Spending and Saving Money.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario.

Even though we really didn’t like the idea of turning on the AC it worked. Since last night there have been no Yellow Jackets in our apartment. The only disadvantage to doing that is not having fresh air blowing through the windows and listening to the noise produced by the Air Conditioner. 

When we talked to Lynn the building manager out in the parking lot yesterday she told us she’d be sending Dan the repairman up to see what he could do for us this morning. I hadn’t paid attention to the time she had said but Kathy heard it and when she woke me up before 8:00 this morning her first words were that Dan would arriving between 8:00 and 9:00. So by the time I got dressed and the bed made Kathy had made our breakfast. At 8:19 there was a knock on the door from Dan. I made a few suggestions on how to fix the problem and he agreed saying he’d try to get it done in the next week. That wasn’t the kind of news I was hoping to hear but at least this is progress. 

After reading the blogs and our E-mails Kathy started back at travel research and I continued expanding the file I compressed to a readable size for Kathy. Eventually everyone has to walk away from the computer screen so I decided it was time for us to go pick up the truck but first I would go retrieve our mail. On the way back I ran into Dan and he suggested that I seem to know more about fixing our problem than he did so he gave me the materials to do the job myself. Yeah I know it is not my job but hey it will get done quicker and I know it will be done right. That’s what being a former home owner does to you. 

When we arrived at Dominion Collision we were surprised not to see the truck sitting out front but that was okay. As soon as the receptionist paged John telling him we were there he drove the truck up that he had just had detailed. It looked good as new and after an inspection I found they had not replaced the Pressure Pro TMS Signal Booster he wheeled it back around where the technician immediately installed it and we were on our way. 

We stopped for lunch at McDonald’s and using a coupon we both enjoyed a filet of fish sandwich. Even though it’s not really a great meal it was reasonably priced and we collected a few more Monopoly Game pieces and also won another free sandwich. 

Dropping the truck off at the apartment we continued on to Zehr’s grocery store. Today we took advantage of their no Tax day and managed to find most everything that we needed on sale. After paying for everything Kathy figured we saved nearly $50.00 which will help cover some of the insurance deductible on the truck. 

While I had gone to collect the mail this morning Karen our daughter called asking if we could drive Kylla to her second job at the restaurant she works at. So shortly after 4:00 that was where we went but Kylla assured us that her shift didn’t start until later. Of course Sanford seeing us there wasn’t just satisfied with visiting he wanted to play fetch. Using the Ball Chucker I saved my arm and shoulder but totally tired out one happy puppy. 

After dropping Kylla off at work we decided to take the scenic route back home taking Riverside Drive back to Tecumseh. Of course we didn’t bring the camera. We also both had a craving for pizza so we stopped at Capri Pizza and ordered a medium to go. And would you believe they were having a special on medium sized pizzas today. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.          

Krackers

Little Susie stood in a department store near the escalator, watching the moving handrail. "Something the matter?" asked the security guard. "Nope," replied Susie, "just waiting for my chewing gum to come back."

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Swinging Away Making Progress.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario.

After killing even more Yellow Jackets before going to bed last night we thought that was the end of our troubles but after a peaceful sleep we found out differently. I was up only minutes before Kathy and I had already killed another five this morning. That was when it dawned on me when this problem started. Who’d have thought that a beautiful clear sunny day that only reached a high of 75 F (24 C) we’d be running the Air Conditioner. We weren’t doing it because of the heat but because of the Yellow Jackets. 

This building is thirty-three years old and even though the company that owns it has been doing upgrades what they have forgotten to change are the windows. The seals and window guides are worn from age and even though we’d prefer to be breathing fresh air we can’t because that seems to be where these pests are coming in from. 

After breakfast we planned on checking out things on our computers but no matter what Kathy tried neither her laptop nor her PC would connect to the web. I offered her the use of my laptop to do her reading while I started running Malware and Virus Scans on both her computers. I then got dressed and killed a few more wasps before returning to make certain the scans were working as I’d hoped. 

Kathy then got started cleaning the fridge and arranging meals, making homemade soup and cooking Rhubarb sauce for the next few days. I continued monitoring the progress on both her computers while I continued compressing a file that I downloaded yesterday. When I downloaded it for some unknown reason Windows expanded it from a single line of information to up to ten lines. Total it took me nearly fifteen hours to finish compressing 135 pages down to 10. I am now removing a lot of unnecessary data and expanded for Kathy to use and big enough that she’ll be able to read it in hard copy. 

After lunch John from Dominion Collision called saying the truck would probably be ready around 4:00 this afternoon after they washed it and sealed the Toneau Cover Rails. I suggested that they seal the rails before washing it and that I’d wait to pick it up in the morning so they wouldn’t be rushed. That sounded great to him because he hates it if any of their workers do a bad job. 
We planned on doing some grocery shopping this afternoon at the local Zehr’s Grocery Store but when we got there we saw signs outside advertising Tax Free Shopping on Friday and Saturday this week so we changed our plan. We then headed to the Credit Union to do some minor banking and then we drove over to Walmart. We shared at small Chicken McNuggets and a pop at the in store McDonalds. They are starting their yearly Manopoly Game and strangely we not only got a few game tiles but we also won a few free food vouchers. We spent another hour just walking around back and forth throughout the store before heading home. 

Like I said earlier it was a beautiful sunny day so what could finish that kind of day off? Well grilling up a couple of Johnsonville Brats on our Weber Q of course. Kathy made a wonderful Taco salad that topped it off nicely. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.          

Krackers

You Might Be a Redneck If

Your prom dress was a maternity dress.



Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Busy Wandering Day.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario.

Once again we slept soundly last night but I was wide awake by 7:00 and Kathy was up before 8:00. Even though I had been on a murderous campaign of killing the Yellow Jackets inside our apartment yesterday I was back at it right after breakfast. With the fifteen that I killed this morning that brings the total to over four dozen. I was back down to the office this morning trying to make them aware that even though they thought they had fixed the problem by attacking the nest in the other apartment it has only driven more of them into our’s. 

Yesterday when I had helped Kathy with some research for our 2014-2015 winter trip the easiest thing I could do was copy the file to word. The only problem is that the file spread itself out covering a 135 pages so what I was doing after returning from the office was to compress it into a readable form. I now have it down to just under 70 pages but by the time I get it compressed it should be down to about 12 pages. 

Kathy’s dentist appointment was early today so we had to be in Amherstburg before 2:00 this afternoon. Everything went well and by 2:30 we were ready to go. Since we didn’t have the truck with us replacing the hitch and tools in it at our son’s was out of the question so we had to find something to occupy some of our time. 

The first time we had walked around seeing the Navy Yard Park along the river’s edge was during the winter at night and we’d frozen ourselves doing it. The next time had to have been the hottest day of the year where Kathy almost passed out from the heat. This time we finally managed to get it right as the temperature was perfect under clear sunny skies. I guess there is some truth to the saying that “the third time is a charm”. 

After walking around for nearly two hours we had worked up an appetite so we thought we’d have an early supper. Wanting something different than the usual and trying to save some money while we were at it I looked in my appointment book. That is where I keep all the coupons that are delivered in the mail so if we’re out we can save a few dollars. Today we ate at Subway having our own subs and pops for $10.00. It was more than filling without feeling stuffed. 

We were still a bit too early to go visiting Kevin and Melissa so we went to Walmart to walk around. We looked in nearly all the departments before picking up cereal for breakfast tomorrow and heading for the checkout. There we ran into our old dentist and cousin Frank Lovell. It was Kathy and I that kept telling Frank how great retired life felt that he finally was convinced and packed it in. Now he says it’s the best job that he’s ever had. He is looking much healthier than he did before hanging up his shingle. 

Visiting with the kids is always a treat and a pleasure. Even though we got there earlier than our normal time we still filled the time discussing things that were of use to us all. As per usual we had our share of laughs unfortunately it was at Melissa’s expense because of one of her phobias. 

Hopefully it won’t be too late tomorrow that the truck will be ready for pick up so then we can make the appointment to get the trailer repaired. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.          

Krackers

Office Jokes, Quotes, and Anecdotes

No one gets sick on Wednesdays.

resourcesforattorneys.com

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Helpful Killing Day.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario.

It was only minutes after we posted our blog last night that we received a phone call from our daughter Karen. She had waited to call because as soon as she got home from work she and Greg had taken on the task of installing their pool cover. The family was in awe over what Kathy and I had done yesterday. It felt good helping them out. 

For the last few weeks we’ve had a complaint in with the building manager that we have been getting Yellow Jackets in our apartment through the bathroom exhaust vent. Last night as Kathy sat at her computer she actually got stung on her hand. I killed at least a dozen of them before going to bed. 

Sleeping until nearly 8:30 this morning we were both feeling refreshed especially with the fact that we slept with the windows cracked open and the night time temperatures dipped to the low 40’s. We were happy to see the Weather Channel showing more seasonable temperatures coming for the next week. The coffee we had with our breakfast helped to take a slight chill out of us both.

 We had just finished eating breakfast when the phone rang. Greg was calling to borrow our key to his house. It seems that he doesn’t carry a key and always uses the electric garage door opener to enter the house. Well today the garage door wouldn’t open and he couldn’t get in. That was the same reason why we got the keys in the first place because if one of the grandkids got sick at school and we picked them up we had to bring them to the apartment if the garage door wouldn’t open. If the power was out or the door started playing games we could still get them into their own home with the key. 

When Greg arrived to pick up the key he again thanked me for the jobs that we’d done. He admitted seeing the old fan on the couch and just though Karen had put it there so he’d install it. When granddaughter Kylla noticed her picture hanging in her room they thought it was strange. Then he walked into his bedroom to see the new fan. 

After he left when I returned to the apartment I was on another killing spree of Yellow Jackets. I then went down to the office to report the increase of the problem and the fact that Kathy had gotten stung. When Lynn the manager looked at the file she nearly hit the roof. The head office for the Boardwalk Corporation in Alberta had changed the work-order from an Extermination to an Inspection. She was immediately on the phone with the local Orcan Exterminators. A half hour later she was outside our apartment with the exterminator while I was killing more wasps inside. At present the main nest is in the bathroom exhaust vent not in our apartment but our friends Grant and Sandy’s apartment directly above us. Lucky for them they are at their trailer at the lake. When I called him and told him of the problem he immediately called the manager to give her the go ahead to take care of the problem. 

Between killing more Yellow Jackets with a fly swatter and helping Kathy do research for our 2014/2015 winter trip I also took the time to call Dominion Collision. John apologized saying the truck wouldn’t be ready until Thursday. It seems most of his people don’t want to work Saturdays for the overtime with all this nice weather. Gee I can’t imagine why! Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.          

Krackers

You Might Be a Redneck If

You don't need a clean shirt to go to work.

Monday, September 23, 2013

Helping Out.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario.

Yesterday when we were helping our daughter Karen clean her garage there were a few things she had made note of that were just waiting for Greg to install them. So when Kathy and I got home last night I suggested that we go back there and install them when nobody was around. 
Last week the trees still had all their leaves.
Luckily both of us slept soundly last night because of the fresh air and Kathy even slept an hour later than I did this morning. While watching the Weather Channel as we had our cereal and coffee for breakfast we saw the temperatures were going to be on the cool side today so we opted to go back to Karen’s this morning unannounced and help fix things up. 
By the time I gathered my tools to bring along it was nearly 10:00 when we arrived. I did that because Greg’s toolbox is so disorganized I’d have spent the morning looking for the tools that I needed. Having our own keys to their home is also helpful especially if we had to bring one of the grandchildren home from school or having to bring the spare car keys to someone that accidently locked their set in their vehicle. 

As soon as we opened the door Sanford greeted us with his tail just a wagging hard enough to leave a bruise if it hit you. He was disappointed when Kathy went to make certain everything was out of my way and I was taking the Ceiling Fan out of the box. It didn’t take long to remove the old fixture but the new fan was complicated in the sense that there were a lot of small pieces to assemble when most times that has already been put together. Kathy took Sanford outside for a short walk and potty break in the back yard and returned just on time to start handing me a whole host of pieces that could not be preassembled but had to be assembled in the overhead position. 

Once the lamp and fan were working we went to granddaughter Kylla’s bedroom and hung a picture over her bed. It was four foot picture and she was waiting for her dad to install it for her. She had purchased this picture on her own from money that she has earned. It only took a few minutes to hang it level. 

Lastly there was a Pendant that we hung on the fence that again Karen had bought and was waiting for Greg to hang it. I actually had a problem when the head of the screw I had used was too large. Once I had completed that job there was a pup who insisted I throw the ball for him to retrieve for a while. After a couple dozen throws my arm told me it had been a long time since I’d done that so I called it quits much to the disappointment of Sanford. 

It was after 1:00 by the time we finished lunch back at the apartment and with all this fresh air Kathy needed a Snap. I busied myself replacing my tools in the toolbox in our storage room and then I moved a couple of file folders from Kathy’s PC to her laptop so she’ll have them with her when we travel. 
Most trees are already loosing their leaves this week.
We needed more exercise so we decided to head to the Tecumseh Mall where we walked around until we arrived at Sobey’s Grocery Store. They had a number of things on sale and one of those things was barbecued chicken at the deli counter. Since we had already finished the last one we had gotten and we love to eat chicken this was a great deal. At lunch we had also noted a few other things we were running out of and strangely they were on sale as well. The line-ups at the checkouts were long so I left Kathy to tend to that while I walked through the mall to get the car that was parked at the other end of the building. By the time she was just coming out of the store I was pulling up with the car. 

We enjoyed our chicken dinner with Mediterranean Salad and felt very contented after a satisfying day. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.          

Krackers

Where was Solomon's temple?

On either side of his head.

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Changes.

Our Location today is Tecumseh, Ontario.

Other than an hour that I couldn’t sleep the rest of the night I slept soundly and didn’t wake again until Kathy got out of bed at 8:30. Surprisingly the sun was shining this morning but when we opened the rest of the windows we knew it wasn’t going to be a hot day. Turning the Weather Channel on while we had coffee and toast for breakfast verified that we had temperatures in the low 40’s overnight and our high would just break the mid 50’s. We adjusted the window openings to just a crack. 

At the computers we read our E-mails and the morning Blogs we follow. Kathy has been patching and sanding holes in the office wall where she’d had me install and then recently remove some shelves. While I was working on changing the function equations on one of my working spreadsheets she painted over those spots masking them from sight. 

We had just sat down for lunch when the phone rang. Our daughter Karen wanted to know if she could borrow her mother’s expertise at organizing for around 2:00 this afternoon. Since we had only planned to go for a ride and some store walking it was no problem. Being RVers we try to keep our plans flexible and most times can change them. 

When we arrived she was cleaning the garage and loading bottles that needed to be recycled for cash. It was not hard work for us and we felt we were there mostly for encouragement and coaching her at keeping like with like when organizing. There were a number of outdated documents that we would later bring home to run through our shredder as well as sorting things to be given to charities and what was to be kept. A lot of the clutter was cardboard boxes that were only partially filled and things that were purchased and left in bags. Once that was sorted through and useless STUFF was gone there was plenty of space to better organize what was being kept. The change was amazing. 

Since everything seemed to be under control and we had already had our Sunday visit we decided to leave around 4:00 even though we were invited to stay for supper around 6:00 but we didn’t go straight home. Kathy said she was hungry now and didn’t feel like cooking for a change and we haven’t been to the Michigan Dinner in a while so that’s where we went. We both enjoyed their Barbecued Spare Rib meal off the Senior’s menu. It’s a slightly smaller sized meal even though we both walked out filled and it was also 30% cheaper. 

By the time we got home there was another major change. When we left Karen’s it was Summer but at 4:44 this afternoon it officially change to Autumn. Does this mean I’ll have to put my sandals and shorts away? Back at the apartment our son Ken called to talk to Kathy for some advice as most kids do. We watched the 6 o’clock News before relaxing for the remainder of the evening and spending some time on the computers. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.          

Krackers

You Might Be a Redneck If

The judge begins your trial with "welcome back."