R.I.P. Leafs

 First up is a little story from our golf game yesterday.

I was picked up by Matt just after 6:30 a.m. and we headed for Chippewa Golf.  Got there in lots of time, paid our fees, got a cart and headed back to the car to load up.

Surprise, surprise!  Matt and Maureen had been switching cars and, hilariously, for the other three of us, Matt had Maureen's clubs.  Nice pink trim!

But, the joke was on us.  Despite no golf shoes, no glove, no range finder, and no idea how far he could hit those clubs, he still beat the other three of us (with a pink ball yet) on score.

A fun day indeed!

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Spent three and a half hours riding the fork lift today.  Got all of the soil skids moved out of the parking lot and sorted out.  Just in time too, since spring has apparently sprung.  Tomorrow should be very busy, but the holiday Sunday will likely be slow (except for the last minute guys who forgot to get a Mother's Day gift for their favourite lady).

Just one small area to be filled up with soil skids, but I have to wait until Mother Kildeer hatches her brood.  She's that brown patch in the middle behind the protective sign posts.  Her eggs blend in perfectly with the gravel.  Couldn't kick her out on Mother's Day weekend!

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Tonight we entertained Maureen and Matt, and Jill and Gary.  Dinner and dice.  A fun time with good friends.

Missed the Blue Jays beating the Braves.  But we turned on the TV in time to see the Leafs lose in overtime. R.I.P.

Stay well.

Catching Up

 

Happy birthday to Joyce Saulnier today.  All the best Joyce.

And, welcome back to Gary and Jill from celebrating their 57th anniversary in Bermuda.  

I'm really looking forward to celebrating our 57th with Mardi.  I'll be 123 years old!  Of course, she's much younger.

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I attended Mardi's church choir music night on Sunday.  They combined with a choir from Niagara district.

That's my sweetie in the middle, under the TV screen.

There were other performers in the program as well.  My favourite was the two brothers who play Cello.  Incredible talent!  And, as you can see from the picture below, the one on the right is plucking the strings the way that banjo players do.  

A brilliant performance!  We've seen them many times - always a smash hit.

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Golfed yesterday at Cambridge.  Cart path only, due to the wet.  Fortunately, they don't have a lot of cart paths, so this old codger survived the walks to the ball.  Knocked two strokes off last week's score and finished with a birdie.  Felt good.

Profitable too!  Won $5 for a Dog Meat and also won $28 in a 50/50 draw.  There are days when this game is OK.

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But, today's really big event was Mardi and I acing the senior's Group Education Session at the MTO in order to be able to "refresh and renew" for our driver's licenses.  Good for another two years.

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And then it was off to the greenhouse.  I spent three hours cutting the grass while Mardi did some planting inside.  Felt good to get out in the fresh air again.

Stay well.

Red Dress Day

 On Monday, I put in a plug for the church dinner at Mardi's church on May 27.  And I included the following:

If you are interested in helping out by enjoying a good dinner, let us know.  With any luck, you'll be sitting beside a wonderful, engaging couple (I'm hoping that Al and Liz come out)!  Mardi has tickets.

Well, they are in fact coming.  But Al corrected me - they are not an "engaging" couple, they are married.  My bad!

Mardi gave me tickets to pass along (I will be golfing with Al on Monday) but I don't think they are valid😟.  Says "adult ticket".

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What I forgot to mention is that her church choir is having a concert this Sunday at 7 p.m.  Stoney Creek United at the corner of Lake Avenue and King Street.  Two choirs and other performers.  No fee - donations welcomed after the performance.

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I hope that you folks paused for a minute today to honour Red Dress Day, the homage to murdered and missing Indigenous women.

Sixty-three per cent of Indigenous women have experienced violence, Statistics Canada said in a report last year.

Winnipeg has been called ground zero.

At least 28 Indigenous women in Manitoba have died due to violence since May 2020

May this tragedy come to an end. 

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I spent some time at the greenhouse the last two days doing some gardening (still have fork lift work to do but it's out for repair).  And Mardi tagged along and worked with the ladies to get plants ready for shipping.  Nice way to spend a sunny day.

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Stay well.

The Aging Process

 Before I get into the aging thing, first, an ad for Mardi's church.

During Covid, the government gave churches some upfront money to help them get through the period when gatherings were forbidden.  Most of it has to be paid back, thus the fundraiser.

If you are interested in helping out by enjoying a good dinner, let us know.  With any luck, you'll be sitting beside a wonderful, engaging couple (I'm hoping that Al and Liz come out)!  Mardi has tickets.

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Congratulations to David (Doc) Jewett and Nadine on the occasion of their anniversary.

And one other anniversary today, which segues into my aging thing.  Congratulations to my childhood buddy Wayne Hilts and Judy as they celebrate their 62nd anniversary.  Obviously, I know a lot of old people!

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Headed to the greenhouse today.  Built a ramp to help them when wheeling carts, etc. into the greenhouse area.  And then headed out on the forklift to work on the soil skids.  

Tried to start the forklift and it was out of propane.  That's when the aging process really got ugly.  Had to ask Ewen to replace it for me and utter these terrible words, "I'm getting too old for this."

A rye and coke when I got home helped me to recover from this nasty episode.  Hopefully, memory failure will make that recovery last.  And I'll be able to slow the old man down so he can't get in.

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Stay well.

Jill Of Arc

 There is only one reason for today's blog, but it's an important one.

Our dear friends, Gary and Jill, are celebrating their 57th anniversary. 

I don't know how Sainte Jill has managed to stay sane while married to Gary/Sven/Fudd/Ned/Andy/Arnie etc. for so long.  It's incredible!

Very best wishes to two fine friends!

Day Of Mourning

 Mardi and I spent a few hours at the greenhouse today.  I was moving soil skids around with the fork lift, while she was helping to wind Passion Flower vines on their wire frames.

But the most significant part of the day was the Theatre Aquarius show "Maggie" which we attended tonight.

Maggie

April 19 – May 6, 2023

Music by Johnny Reid, Matt Murray & Bob Foster
Book & Lyrics by Johnny Reid and Matt Murray
Direction & Dramaturgy by Mary Francis Moore
Musical Direction & Supervision by Bob Foster 

World Première 

Meet Maggie, a Scottish single mother of three boys. Set between 1954 and 1976, MAGGIE tells the inspirational tale of a fiery school cleaner living in the mining town of Lanarkshire Scotland. After suffering an unthinkable loss, Maggie must rely on her strength, sense of humour and fiercely loyal group of friends to raise her boys and protect them from the harsh and ever-changing world around them. Based on a true story, MAGGIE features a soul-stirring score by award-winning recording artist Johnny Reid. A tribute to Johnny’s Granny and the people of an almost forgotten generation, this exciting new musical is a celebration of family, community and the joy and laughter that can be found, even in the darkest of times.  

She lost her husband to a mine disaster and raised her three boys, the last of whom was born after her husband's death, on her own.

It was a coincidence that we saw the play on the WSIB Day of Mourning, but that made it all the more poignant for me.  Our mom raised the four of us, the last of whom (Judy) was born after dad's death, on her own as well.

A wet face evening!

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Stay well.

Golf Season Is Here

Headed out this morning with some trepidation.  The golf course advised that there would be about an hour and a half frost delay.  So, we bundled up.

Once we got going, the weather turned out to be surprisingly good.   Lots of sun, no wind.  Half way through the round we were shedding layers.

I was able to celebrate my first Dog Meat of the year.  Now $4 richer!

But, more importantly, Matt had the first birdie, which we had to celebrate.

Following the round, we enjoyed a libation - on the deck outside!

Just a great day.  And I broke 100 (only by a stroke, but what the heck, it's a start).

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Tomorrow is the WSIB Day of Mourning, in honour of those who were killed on the job.  Will think of our dad, who died a horrible death 71 years ago this past February.  Stop for a moment to give it a thought please.

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Till next time.