Hogwash

 It has started!  Herewith a couple of emails from the Quoits champs:

Hi Guys,

I received the following note from my partner and he brings up some interesting ideas.  I’ve copied his note here as well as a PDF file with some options we’d like you to look at.  It’s quite a conundrum as no team has previously had to deal with a repeat win.  Which option do you prefer?

“Hi Partner:

Are you looking after having our shirts "updated" to reflect our convincing 2020 win? If so, let me know when you want my shirt.

Do you think we should also include 2021 on the shirt in anticipation of a three peat? That likely wouldn't go over very well with our group!!!“

Note: as our team will be dismantled next year there can be no ‘three peat’.

Sven

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And this response from Al Knapp:

Crap.....I didn't know there was a maximum 2 year term for excellence in quoits. I had visions of us threatening Queen Elizabeth's record of 68 years in power.

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And, from Barry:

As a non participant the last couple of years, I'm in favour of not dismantling and going "balls to the wall" for a three-peat. 

As for the shirts...  just burn-em and add those canary yellow 2018 models to the pyre. Jeez they're ugly. 

...  the shirts, I mean the shirts are ugly. 

Otherwise AA and myself will have to invest in a 2017 issue championship shirt. What do you think Al, purple, chartreuse, kale juice green?

cheers...  from the 2017 World Quoits Champ...  Bar

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Tomorrow at MontHill will probably be hard to stomach!  Stay tuned.

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As they say at Hewitt's Dairy - stay one cow apart.

Busy (2)

 Mardi's phone is still acting up - it won't let her email pictures - but she managed to download the pics to her computer, send them to me so that I could download them, and so I'm resending the blog with the pictures and an added item about a real golfer.

We started the day with a golf game at MontHill with Gary and Jill.

Same old. Same old.  I beat Mardi in stroke play, but with her handicap strokes she blew me away again in medal play, winning three up with one to play.

The beer afterwards eased my pain.  And Sven only talked about Quoits once, so it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

It turns out that Matt and Maureen were playing a few holes behind us with grandsons Brandon and Owen.

We enjoyed their company until we heard that Owen had driven the Gold 9 green (on a blind shot, direct over the trees, just over 300 yards from the white tees, with a 3 wood).  I usually end up 100 yards short of the pin from the red tees with a driver, so I'm a tad jealous.

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Then, we were off to Hagersville.  Mardi has been knitting toques for the homeless for the past few years, usually getting her wool at yard sales.  This year, of course, yard sales are not happening, so she put out a Facebook appeal for supplies.

The first responder was Hazel Macdonald, and her donation was impressive.

That should keep Mardi busy for a while.  But she would still like to receive more wool for her project so she can donate more toques this winter.

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Next stop was in Brantford to see Roger and Lynn.  Haven't seen them for about three months so it was nice to get caught up.

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And finally we headed to Turtle Jack's for dinner and a glass of wine.  All in all, a fine day!

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Stay well. Be a Canadian - wear your mask.

Boring

 A quiet, boring day.  Sanded and painted a bit in the kitchen.  Watched the Blue Jays win and go three games over .500.  They're all still wearing #42 in honour of Jackie Robinson - a nod to the current racial strife.

Tomorrow, Mardi and I golf with Sven and Helga (what are the odds that he'll mention quoits?) and then are heading to Hagersville to pick up some wool for Mardi's toques for the homeless project.  Also plan a short visit with brother Roger and Lynn.

There will undoubtedly be more stuff to talk about tomorrow.

Stay safe.

Jackie Robinson Day

 Every April 15th, Major League Baseball holds a Jackie Robinson Day - except this year, when it was rescheduled due to the pandemic.

After the Blue Jays game tonight, which they won with a walk-off home run in the 10th inning, and during which every player wore Robinson's number 42, Sportsnet gave a testimonial to the great man in a show called "The Letters Of Jackie Robinson".  

What an uplifting show!  And, the timing, reset because of the pandemic, couldn't have been better.

In a week when a black man in Kenosha, Wisconsin is shot in the back seven times, and a so-called President of the United States breaks all the rules by staging his political rally on the grounds of the White House, and calls out the people who are protesting the shooting of that black man, Robinson's letters showed the character of a true hero who devoted his life to breaking the colour barriers.  

We need a positive message to help carry us through these ugly times.  Hope some of you were able to watch it.  

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Stay well.

Quoits

Today's big event was the Annual Dofasco Quoits Tournament, held at Sven's Burlington Quoits Pitch.

Last year's champions failed the modesty test.

Imagine!  Parading in with the trophy and new colour coded pegs for the court!  Surely they will be put in their places!

Sven provided beer and burgs for the group.  Calvin dissuaded the hungry hornets with his electrified racquet.

Teams were chosen with a roll of the die.

The old 5 pin bowlers were teamed up and made a valiant effort, but were the first team to be eliminated.  We immediately put in a protest - games after ours were held to 11 points.  In our games we were leading after 11 points, but had to play to 21.  Not at all fair!

We're the ones with our arms raised in anticipated victory.

Sandro came off the injury list to participate.

He did very well, despite the fractured foot!

When the dust had finally settled, the blue boys were victorious once again.  Unbelievable!

Oops, sorry!  I got that upside down.

This is their better side.

Sven had planned some victory music, but had technical difficulties for a bit.

We'll definitely need some loud music for the next year to drown out their bragging!

All in all, a great day!  Thanks Sven!

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Tonight I managed to stay tuned to the whole Republican Convention event - featuring Trump's acceptance of the nomination.

Some excellent speeches - and if you didn't know the truth, very compelling speeches.

It will be very interesting to see how the next two and half months play out.

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Stay well.

Crazy Times

 Jim Sciutto, in his new book "The Madman Theory: Trump Takes On The World" reports that Peter Navarro, the hand puppet of the draft dodging President, once again trashed Canada, this time questioning the role of our military in Afghanistan.

John Bolton revealed in his book that previously, when Navarro said there was a special place in Hell for Justin Trudeau, it was said at the behest of Trump.  So, we can assume that the scumbag was directed by Trump on this comment as well.

Incredible! (There are a lot of other words that I considered using here!)

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Just got word that our Optimist meeting for tonight has been pushed back a week because it might rain.  Doesn't sound like Optimism to me!  

Apparently our golfing circle isn't the only haven for weather wimps.

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Watched some of the RNC tonight, but couldn't stomach it for long.

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We are in a historic place right now.  Unarmed black men being gunned down by police, seven shots, in the back!  (This is nothing new, but cell phones are now recording it for the masses to see.) The NBA calling off their playoffs, at least temporarily, in protest.  The Republicans revving up the gun owners.  This is not going to end well!

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Tomorrow we will try to get these images out of our minds as we play our annual Quoits Championship at Chez Parker.

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Stay well.

 

MontHill

 Some things have changed at MontHill.  The plastic dividers are back in the carts and the foam is back around the pins.  Maybe they had their hands slapped for not staying safe!

On the other hand, the dress code appears to have been shelved.

You give the homeless a break and look what happens.

Speaking of dress code, a couple of our golfers got a bit silly with their costumes.

They were trying to intimidate us in advance of our Thursday Quoits Tournament.  I do admit that they look a bit scary!  But their time in the spotlight is coming to an end!

We had a good day and convened on the patio for a celebratory libation.  You'll note that Al Addis eventually read the dress code memo.

The old guy beside him looks pretty scary though!

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When Mardi and I golfed on Sunday, the Snyder's Sweet Corn sign said "more corn Wednesday".  They lied - four of us were able to pick up several dozen today.  That's Matt in line.  Al Knapp, Calvin and I also picked up our share.

This could quite possibly be the last chance for us to get sweet corn this year.  The field in the background may not last another week, but we'll certainly check on Sunday.

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As I'm sitting here, Melania is giving a testimonial to her husband.  Won't hold his hand, but will tell Americans how great he is.  Part of the prenup agreement?

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A highlight for us tomorrow will be an Optimist meeting, our first since last year.  We will be socially distanced in the hall parking lot, no meal, bring your own chair and water.  

It has been upsetting that our club, which has done so much good work over the 66 years of its existence (60 of which I have been a member), hasn't been able to fulfill the usual charitable activities we do - no opportunity to hold fundraising projects, therefore less able to help those who need us.  And the folks who were elected last September, with so much promise, have been frustrated that they have not been able to accomplish the dreams they had for the club this year.

Getting together again will be a bittersweet moment I'm sure.

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Stay well.  Stay safe.  Help others.

The RNC

Watching the Republican National Convention tonight, but I don't know if I'll be able to stomach it to the end.

We'll discuss it later.

Stay well. 

A Special Day

Started  our day at MontHill with Rada and John.  Always fun with them.  After we survived the heat and finished the round we enjoyed a libation.

Did I mention that I beat Mardi?  Shhh!  It's our secret😉.

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Then, home for a shower and headed to Burlington for Monica and Jim's 49th anniversary party.

If you know Monica, you know we had a wonderful feast!  This was just one of the tasty courses we enjoyed.

All the while social distancing in their beautiful garden.

A wonderful evening shared with very good friends.

Congratulations to our hosts on their 49th anniversary.

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Now, let's have a change of pace. Don't know if any of you folks have an opinion on the dismantling of monuments that honour Confederate heroes - I had mixed feelings about it, but the following article cuts to the chase! A true daughter of the confederacy has written what should be the last words on the monuments:

By Caroline Randall Williams

June 26, 2020

I have rape-colored skin. My light-brown-blackness is a living testament to the rules, the practices, the causes of the Old South.

If there are those who want to remember the legacy of the Confederacy, if they want monuments, well, then, my body is a monument. My skin is a monument.

Dead Confederates are honored all over this country — with cartoonish private statues, solemn public monuments and even in the names of United States Army bases. It fortifies and heartens me to witness the protests against this practice and the growing clamor from serious, nonpartisan public servants to redress it. But there are still those — like President Trump and the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell — who cannot understand the difference between rewriting and reframing the past. I say it is not a matter of “airbrushing” history, but of adding a new perspective.

I am a black, Southern woman, and of my immediate white male ancestors, all of them were rapists. My very existence is a relic of slavery and Jim Crow.

According to the rule of hypodescent (the social and legal practice of assigning a genetically mixed-race person to the race with less social power) I am the daughter of two black people, the granddaughter of four black people, the great-granddaughter of eight black people. Go back one more generation and it gets less straightforward, and more sinister. As far as family history has always told, and as modern DNA testing has allowed me to confirm, I am the descendant of black women who were domestic servants and white men who raped their help.

It is an extraordinary truth of my life that I am biologically more than half white, and yet I have no white people in my genealogy in living memory. No. Voluntary. Whiteness. I am more than half white, and none of it was consensual. White Southern men — my ancestors — took what they wanted from women they did not love, over whom they had extraordinary power, and then failed to claim their children.

What is a monument but a standing memory? An artifact to make tangible the truth of the past. My body and blood are a tangible truth of the South and its past. The black people I come from were owned by the white people I come from. The white people I come from fought and died for their Lost Cause. And I ask you now, who dares to tell me to celebrate them? Who dares to ask me to accept their mounted pedestals?

You cannot dismiss me as someone who doesn’t understand. You cannot say it wasn’t my family members who fought and died. My blackness does not put me on the other side of anything. It puts me squarely at the heart of the debate. I don’t just come from the South. I come from Confederates. I’ve got rebel-gray blue blood coursing my veins. My great-grandfather Will was raised with the knowledge that Edmund Pettus was his father. Pettus, the storied Confederate general, the grand dragon of the Ku Klux Klan, the man for whom Selma’s Bloody Sunday Bridge is named. So I am not an outsider who makes these demands. I am a great-great-granddaughter.

And here I’m called to say that there is much about the South that is precious to me. I do my best teaching and writing here. There is, however, a peculiar model of Southern pride that must now, at long last, be reckoned with.

This is not an ignorant pride but a defiant one. It is a pride that says, “Our history is rich, our causes are justified, our ancestors lie beyond reproach.” It is a pining for greatness, if you will, a wish again for a certain kind of American memory. A monument-worthy memory.

But here’s the thing: Our ancestors don’t deserve your unconditional pride. Yes, I am proud of every one of my black ancestors who survived slavery. They earned that pride, by any decent person’s reckoning. But I am not proud of the white ancestors whom I know, by virtue of my very existence, to be bad actors. Among the apologists for the Southern cause and for its monuments, there are those who dismiss the hardships of the past. They imagine a world of benevolent masters, and speak with misty eyes of gentility and honor and the land. They deny plantation rape, or explain it away, or question the degree of frequency with which it occurred.

To those people it is my privilege to say, I am proof. I am proof that whatever else the South might have been, or might believe itself to be, it was and is a space whose prosperity and sense of romance and nostalgia were built upon the grievous exploitation of black life.

The dream version of the Old South never existed. Any manufactured monument to that time in that place tells half a truth at best. The ideas and ideals it purports to honor are not real. To those who have embraced these delusions: Now is the time to re-examine your position.

Either you have been blind to a truth that my body’s story forces you to see, or you really do mean to honor the oppressors at the expense of the oppressed, and you must at last acknowledge your emotional investment in a legacy of hate.

Either way, I say the monuments of stone and metal, the monuments of cloth and wood, all the man-made monuments, must come down. I defy any sentimental Southerner to defend our ancestors to me. I am quite literally made of the reasons to strip them of their laurels.

Caroline Randall Williams(@caroranwill) is the author of “Lucy Negro, Redux” and “Soul Food Love,” and a writer in residence at Vanderbilt University.

A unique viewpoint! Something to give us pause!

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Stay well. If you're so inclined - you might pray for the soul of America!

The Unveiling

A couple of folks have asked what's going on with the kitchen since I haven't mentioned it for several days.  Well, it's coming right along.

The bank of drawers still needs some cosmetic work, but it is now functional and in use.

 

The narrow section of drawers on the right is actually a door over the tray storage area.

It's certainly taken a while longer than expected, due to some errors along the way and the remoteness of the workshop at the greenhouse.

There were days when I travelled the eight miles (sorry, twelve kilometres) to cut a board and returned home to discover that another eighth of an inch had to go.  The question of the day: do I include the rye and coke that frustration caused me to turn to when I'm calculating the cost of the project?

But Mardi is happy, so my work is pretty well done.  She has been most patient and supportive as I muttered and swore during the process.

Love that woman! 😍 

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The political discussion in the U.S. about the defunding and deservicing of the postal service that the Republicans have under way is really unbelievable.

Baldfaced corruption of the political process.  And they are hardly trying to hide their dishonest purpose to suppress the vote.

You have to believe/hope that it backfires on them.

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Tomorrow we golf with Rada and John Buckley.  And then we head for the Maguire home to celebrate their 49th anniversary.

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Stay healthy.

Pot Pouri

 After I posted the coronavirus item yesterday I received the following response from Jim Maguire.  

"This text has been circulating on the internet from various sources for the past 2-3 months.  I’d feel better if it came from an authoritative source rather than attributed to an unnamed professor of pharmacy at U of T.  It seems strange that a pharmacy professor would write *easily available medicines called Steroids” (sic) rather than “dexamethasone”.  

If it is true, it is encouraging, but it needs to come from an identified, authoritative, source."

Bottom line - we still need to be vigilant!  Take care!

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Coincidentally, Jim and Monica are celebrating their 49th wedding anniversary today.  All the best to our good friends.  We'll see you Sunday for dinner!

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I haven't reported on our Skip-Bo card game scores for a while.  Mardi and I have been playing regularly since the first of the year.  Similar to Tuesday's golf, I am ahead on total score (the popular vote) by 15,160 to 14,850, a margin of 2%.

But we play games of 500, and Mardi, being much more devious than I am, has won 20 games to my 15 (the electoral college), a winning margin (for her) of 33%.

Why do I feel like a punching bag?  (When people like Ron King answer that question I'm sure that I will definitely be a punching bag).

----------------------------------------

The political statement for the day.

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A couple of days ago, I commented on what a great speech Michelle Obama gave at the Democratic Convention.  Trevor Noah noted it too and ended with the following comment:

"Trump, of course, did not respond to Obama’s words well; at an event celebrating the centennial of women’s right to vote, he criticized her speech for being taped instead of live. “Not only was it taped,” he said, “but it was taped a long time ago because she had the wrong [coronavirus] deaths.”

“Goddamn, that is one of the biggest self-owns I’ve ever seen,” Noah responded, then imagined Trump’s logic: “A hundred fifty-thousand dead? I’ve killed 20,000 more since then, you idiot!”

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And last night, Joe Biden's speech was absolutely awesome!  A magnificent finish to a well put together Convention.  

It will be interesting to see and hear what the Republicans come up with for their convention.

And the Vice-Presidential and Presidential debates to come will be must watch!

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Mardi and I golfed today at Cambridge with Matt and Maureen, Ron and Judy, and Gary and Jill.  A beautiful day for being outside - ruined unfortunately for me because I tried to play golf.  

Mardi beat me by a stroke, and shut me out in match play with two holes to play.  Oh well, the beer was good.

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Stay well.  Wear your mask.

Election Time

 Yesterday, I received a message from Rada Buckley:

"Hey Bud, having a toast to your friend Roy.

Cheers and hugs"

To which I responded:

"We had our toast at about 10:30 this morning on the 8th tee.  It appears that you beat us to it!" (Her message came at 9:30 a.m.)

Her follow-up:

"Anyone that drank Jameson’s  should be honoured with a toast!  It may have been 9:30 here but it was already past noon in Ireland!! 

Slainte"

Well said Rada!  Thanks!

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I'm posting late tonight.  Have been watching the Democratic Convention.

Absolutely devastating and awesome speech by Barack Obama.  It will go down in history I'm sure.

Kamala Harris was powerful as well.  Can't wait to see her shred Mike Pence in their eventual debate.

I'm forever hopeful that she and Joe will win, and return the U.S. to some kind of respectful place in the world.

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I'll probably spout off about our own political scene at some time as well.  Trudeau promised he would never prorogue Parliament to avoid being held accountable for political unethical misbehaviour.  So much for that promise!

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Stay well.

We Were Hillary'd!

 Today, at the 7th green, we toasted Roy.  

Sven did the honours..........

............and Sandro, our fill-in who is now our new member, took our picture as we said goodbye to our dear departed friend.

Jameson's it was, as Roy would wish it.

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I had a nice message from Rada Buckley that she had also toasted Roy with Jameson's, but her message came at 9:21 this morning!  Really Rada, we waited until 10:30 - much more civilized!

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The championship match was a mixed success.  

In stroke play, the White Knights, Sven and I....... 

took three less strokes than the Red Devils, Matt and Ron King (i.e. we won the popular vote)............ 

...but they were much more efficient at spreading out their shots and in match play they closed us out with five holes to play (i.e. the electoral college).  Just as unfair in golf as it is in politics!  But, congratulations go to the victors, who succeeded despite our best trash talk.

Our other foursome, Sandro, Calvin, Al Knapp and Ron Leach.  

Beautiful weather, golf with great friends, and Roy was taking practice swings and looking down on us.  A fine day!

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Last night I listened to Michelle Obama's speech at the Democratic Convention.  Tonight I caught Jill Biden's speech.  Both very powerful.

I find it almost impossible to understand how Trump can still hang onto over 40% of the U.S. population after the way he has behaved.

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Stay well.  Stay positive.

The CPGA

 This past Wednesday I celebrated Yancy's and Kate's wedding anniversary.  What I wasn't aware of was that Kate's maternal grandmother celebrated her 100th birthday yesterday.  Quite a milestone!

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Prior to our match tomorrow, the CPGA (variously described as Curmudgeos Pretentious Golf Assembly by Barry, and as Crotchety Pensioners Goofing Around by Al Knapp) enlisted the help of mathematician David "Doc" Jewett for a predictive model of the anticipated results, and although the Donaldson/King pairing has historically been handicapped lower, they are now deemed to be simply handicapped.  The Parker/Craig pairing appear to be the favourites!  Who knew?

In anticipation of the match I decided to regroove my clubs.

....with a tool that was a gift from Roy.  What an omen!  Matt and Ron don't stand a chance!

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And, while I was doing both sets of clubs, Mardi was marking circles on her golf balls, also with a gadget that was a gift from Roy.  What a guy!

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Looking forward to our Jameson's toast tomorrow.  Stay well.

I'm In Recovery

 A couple of more thoughts regarding the wonderful 50th anniversary celebration of Steve's and Bonnie's marriage.  Can't wait until Mardi and I are able to do the same - just 34 years to go!  

Actually, I've had 60 anniversaries - just not with the same person😏.

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A health advisory from Al Knapp:

The spread of Covid-19 is based on two contributing factors:

1 - How dense the population is.

2 - How dense the population is.

In case you meet one of these criteria and can't figure it out, the first is a "Trump denseness", the second is any large city.

---------------------------------

Fixed the delinquent drawer this morning.  But can't proceed due to the Sunday noise bylaw in our building (although nobody has complained about my cries of anguish when I lose to Mardi at cards).  So it will be tomorrow before I make any more progress on the kitchen.

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As you can tell, I'm starting to come out of my loss of Roy funk.  Gary and I plan to share a toast of Jameson's Irish Whiskey (Roy's favourite) with the Tuesday golfers to say our final goodbyes to our lost friend.

And then the two of us will crush Matt and Ron King in our head to head match.  Their scoring averages are slightly better than ours, but I can get into Matt's head pretty easily, so we'll see how that goes😈.

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Stay well.  Keep a low dose of dense.  Smile.

Moving On

 A message from Gary Parker:

"Our dear friend Roy passed just before midnight last night.  It’s my understanding that there won’t be any funeral or celebration of life.

He didn’t suffer and he didn’t linger, he just left us way too soon."

And from Judy Rivers:

"Sorry to hear about your buddy Roy. Being able to do what you love until the end is what a lot of us hope for.  

Not easy for those who are close to us.

Hit the ball well today. 

My thoughts are with you. " 

Roy was a real gentleman, always trying to help others and make their lot a bit easier.  He will be sorely missed.

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So we did golf today.  At least Maureen did.

Matt and I looked for golf balls while we were waiting for the fairway to clear.

...and Mardi went fishing.

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Then we got cleaned up and headed to Woodlawn, on Lake Erie to share the 50th wedding anniversary celebration of Mardi's brother Steve, and Bonnie.

It was a lovely celebration shared by family - and a few good friends and neighbors who lined the street and made lots of nice noise.  Congratulations!

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Tomorrow I work on a delinquent drawer.  This kitchen thing is getting to be a real drag!

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Stay well.  Appreciate your situation.  Live life to the fullest.

The Pause Continues

 Another off day.

But tomorrow things will change.  We golf with Matt and Maureen in the morning and then get cleaned up to attend Bonnie and Steve's 50th anniversary.  Stay tuned.

Day Off

 I'm going to give it another day or so before I resume the blog.  Still having trouble understanding how we were enjoying a round of golf with Roy on Tuesday and the next day he's basically gone.  The latest word is that he is unresponsive and it's just a matter of days.

Life is a box of chocolates, with the occasional lump of coal.  We need to enjoy it while we can.

Joy and Sorrow

 Tonight's post will be short for reasons that will be obvious.

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My grandson Yancy and his wife Kayt are celebrating their wedding anniversary.  Congratulations are in order.  Love you both!

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Just had word that my friend Roy Mandy, who played golf with us yesterday, has suffered a massive stroke today and is not expected to survive.  

Roy had been fighting a terminal lung disease but had seemed to be in improved health recently.

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Life is short and unpredictable.  Take care, be well.

A Historic Night

The news that Joe Biden has picked Kamala Harris as his running mate is absolutely awesome!  I thought that she was fantastic at grilling Kavanaugh  during his confirmation hearing for the Supreme Court.  Can't wait to watch her shred Trump.  A tough, but classy lady.

First black woman on a presidential ticket.  Historic indeed.

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Judy has finished Mary Trump's book.  I know that a couple of people who had expressed interest took Monica up on her pdf offer.  Anyone want to read the book?

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Despite a slow start, the pair of Quoits champs won the match today.......

...defeating the Meade-Lee Medley (a Gettysburg reference) team with a walk off victory on the 15th hole (although we did finish the game).

Next week, the champs take on the team of Matt Donaldson and Ron King, who won't know what hit them!

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Start to plan how you will stay active this winter.  After avoiding Canadian winters for the last few years, I think that Mardi and I will get our exercise just shivering.  Stay well.

Be Thankful

 Mary Trump's book sold more copies in a week than Donald Trump's book "Art Of The Deal" has sold in 29 years.  Of course he didn't really write his book, so it's not his fault😇.

---------------------------------

Sold the old van last night.  Thanks to David for letting me park it in the garden centre driveway, and for stickhandling the deal when a family showed interest.  I think it's gone to a good home - Albanian immigrants, who have grandchildren and nieces and nephews living with them.  Nice caring people.

I remember when I was very young, my grandparents had immigrant families living next door.  They were looked down upon because they were living in such crowded conditions, but they were simply doing what they had to do to survive in a new, not always welcoming, land.  Worked hard and became successful.  I don't know their ethnic background but I assume that they chose to come to Canada because of World War Two.

 Albania has suffered many genocide atrocities over the years at the hands of Turkey (1385), Greece (1914, 1994), Nazi Germany (1943) and Serbia (1912, 1999).  I assume that the Albanians who bought my van came here after fleeing the Serbian genocide in 1999.  

Three of those genocides occurred during my lifetime.  I can't imagine how we would handle such events.  And if we decided to emigrate to escape death, how would we be received arriving penniless in other countries?

We are indeed a fortunate people.

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Tomorrow it's a golf challenge at MontHill.  Gary and I plan to win.

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Be thankful.  Stay calm.

My Eh Game

 We joined Ron and Judy for a round at MontHill today.  A few sprinkles (glad we hadn't arranged a golf game with the Wise In Monitoring Potential Storms guys!) but very enjoyable temperatures and a fun day.  

Ron asked me to bring my Eh game, which I did.  Closed out Mardi with two holes to go.

But I scuffed this approach shot into the 18th (Blue 9) and ended up with 90.

Oh well, maybe I'll break into the 80's on Tuesday when I have been asked to bring my Eh game once again by partner Gary for our match with Al Addis and Roy Mandy.  Let's hope the WIMPS boys actually show up - rain in the forecast once again.

---------------------------

After the game we repaired to Hewitt's Dairy for ice cream.  After dealing with the coronavirus rules....

we enjoyed our treat.

----------------------------

Watched the Blue Jays lose and then saw Collin Morikawa win the PGA Championship.  Classy young golfer!

----------------------------

Stay safe.  Wear your mask.

No news

A slow news day - the only bright spot is that our pool is now open, ten people at a time, no laps.  Mardi took part this morning.  Between Yoga and the pool exercise it's no wonder I'm being crushed by her at golf.

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But tomorrow we're golfing with Ron King and Judy Rivers, boys against the girls.  I'm forever hopeful.

Of course that depends upon whether we can get past the Six Nations blockades, probably a bigger challenge for Ron and Judy coming from Cambridge than for Mardi and me.

------------------------------------------------

Sorry, I have to close now - painting waits.

Stay well.  Say a prayer for the people who will be infected by the 250,000 idiots attending the Sturgis, South Dakota Motorcycle gathering.

 

Two Steps Forward - One Step Back

The kitchen is dragging on.  First, we gave up on the cheap sliders and have started to replace them.  Now, we've given up on the drawer pulls.  Interesting situation there - we started with white rubber coated drawer pulls from Lowe's at $3 each, plus a can of red spray paint.   The change in plans has us buying better, already red, drawer handles from Lee Valley at a cost of $1.50 each.  Too soon we get old, too late we get smart!

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We met Kathryn at the Innsville for dinner tonight.  We try to get together with her, and Anna if possible, once a month to stay in touch.

A nice evening to sit outside.

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Stopped at the greenhouse after dinner to put a couple of For Sale signs on the old van.  I'm tempted to have it safetied and continue to use it as a truck.

Had a nice sunset view on the way home.

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Tomorrow it's back at the kitchen.  My penance for something I did wrong sometime I think.

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Stay happy.

Yoga Time

Mardi has been attending Yoga class for the past month.  Today I screwed up my courage, took my camera to the local park where this occurs and surreptitiously snapped a couple of pictures (don't tell Mardi).

No wonder she comes home in pain!

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Spent most of today painting drawer fronts.  Tomorrow I replace the slides and install a couple of drawer fronts.

And we're meeting with Kathryn and Anna to hand off some corn and John Bolton's book.

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Stay safe.  Keep a positive attitude.

Uneventful Day

Cut some grass, cut some wood, cut myself off after two drinks - a normal, uneventful day.

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How do you stop Canadian bacon from curling in the pan?  Take away its tiny broom.😏

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Mardi had a bad golf day.  I haven't had any kind of golf day for over a week.😢

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Maybe tomorrow will bring more news.  Stay well.

They Wimped Out!

Today's birthday girl is Therese Maclean, one of the four "B's".  Mardi, Monica and Maureen are the other three and they helped Therese celebrate her big day.

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We headed to MontHill for our regular Tuesday round of golf but, for some reason, only four of us completed the journey.  Gary, Roy and Sandro must have forgotten the date!

We had a great round.  All four of us hit our Honest Johns and we each had a Dog Meat.  No money changed hands!  It was a fantasy - I mean fantastic - day.

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Matt, Calvin and I hit Snyder's Corn Farm on the way home.  Al didn't need a haircut so he took a pass on the corn (his son-in-law cut his hair in exchange for the delivery of corn last week). 

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Mardi has been making weekly phone calls to ten Stoney Creek United Church members to make sure they're OK and feel cared about.  One of her calls today lasted for a half hour - obviously welcomed and needed.  Nicely done!

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Stay well.

Cactus Pete

Spent some time at the greenhouse today, cutting a piece of wood, weeding a garden, and cleaning out the old van.

Also picked up Monica's baby.

It has a new branch/leaf? on the left, and other signs of new growth.  Mardi will deliver it tomorrow.

Monica, David advises that it's probably best to leave it in the pot for a couple more weeks before putting it in the garden.  When you transplant it, a lot of the earth will fall off because the root system won't be too deep.  But it should be just fine in its new home.

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The second set of kitchen drawers has been installed, but I'm not happy with the cheap sliders on the bottom two sets.  So I'll be upgrading to the more expensive ones in a couple of days.  This is definitely a marathon, but so far Mardi has been very patient.  Being able to use the drawers in the interim probably helps.

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Tomorrow is golf at MontHill.  Might be a bit wet.

Stay safe.