And How did you Spend your Sunday Afternoon????

We spent it burning things down!!!!

Well, we really didn't burn anything..... our buddies Nathan and Melanie did.... and they did a good job of it.  They are cleaning up an old farm yard and one of the old homestead houses was run down and in the way.  So how do you get rid of it?????? 

Well........

 Some of the pictures turned out quite pretty.... like this one.....

And the girls thought it would be funny to take a couple of "selfies" as if they were at the coolest thing ever (which - in a way - it was)

 So here is what I have determined.......
   1.  It is no wonder house fires are so fatal.  You would have very little time to react
   2.  One hundred year old wood burns very hot!!!   Like really hot!!!
   3.  We have fun friends  :)

So there you go.  Move to Estevan.  It is a good time all the time.   :)  (No seriously.... it was!)

And you????????

We bought a huge bag of dog food today (For the record.... "yes" we have a dog...... so "no" this is not an announcement of our financial ruin). 

Every time I open a big bag of dog food and dump it into the "dog food tote", I think of Justin and Jen Mooney.

One time when we were hanging out at their place, they bought dog food.  Trying to be helpful, I offered to carry it in and dump it into their "tote".  I opened the one corner of the bag....  turned it over.... and watched as the entire top of the bag ripped open sending dog food everywhere.

And I mean everywhere!!!  It was all over the kitchen floor... under the stove.... behind the fridge.... I was standing in it up to my ankles..... In fact, I think the only place it did not go was into the tote.

I sometimes wonder if the people who live in that condo are still finding the odd bit of dog food in their kitchen.

And I always think of Jen and Justin when I open a new bag.

So.... what about you????  What has happened to you in the past that makes you think or act differently now?????  Respond in the comments section.

PS.  Here is one more from me:  When I go to the movies, I check for my wallet like 3469643674390 times (and not just because the girls are spending all my money.... ba dump bump!!!) but because once when I was a kid I was slouching on the seat and, somehow, my wallet slide out of my pocket and onto the floor (I forget how I got it back..... I think we had to go back and ask for it)..... anyway, now I am always very conscious of where my wallet is when I am at the movie..... but it only applies at the movies..... the rest of the time I don't think about it (Good thing I go to - like - 1 movie per year hey?)

Ok..... your turn.  Go!

How did that happen???

We have an extra adult in our home, as of today.

It is Katie's 18th birthday. 

I (Tim) told her recently that on the day she was born, I came home from the hospital and turned on the CD player in our house.  The first song that played was called, "God has smiled on me".  At the time, I thought "Man that is really true!".... and I still do (even more).

Happy Birthday Katelyn!!!!

A Happy Story

This story starts with a Christmas present..... a Keurig Elite coffee maker like this one....

All was happy in Keurig coffee land..... the girls loved the new machine and all the wonderful (?) brews it created.  (The "?" is there because I would dispute how wonderful most of the brews are.... who needs a "French Mocha Highland Italian blend Africana Brazilian influenced Frappuccino"????? All I want is coffee!  Hot coffee!!!)

After a year of bliss, the Keurig began to make strange sounds.... and then it just sat there and did nothing (Much like many husbands, right?  Bah.... ha.... ha...... As if I have not heard that one before).  :(

Anywho, Sari wrote a nice letter to the company pointing out that the machine was making sounds like an "Elephant Seal" (Seriously, she told them that) and that it was only making 1/2 a cup of coffee.

Within a day the company wrote back and said, "Your new machine is on its way - free of charge".  Five days later.... new machine..... free of charge.

So, the moral of this story is either.... (A) Keurig coffee machines only last a year and then die... (B) Keurig is a good company that responds quickly with great customer service and stands behind their product..... (C) None of this would have happened if we had just stuck with the old coffee maker that made 67489674589794576 cups of coffee for less than the cost of one box of 18 Keurig cups.

I think the answer is either "B" or "C"..... but since I am impressed with Keurig's response I will vote "B" (just this one time).  :)

So you want to have supper near the ocean????

Video from a restaurant in Santa Barbara, California. Crazy!

I am not sure who was more embarrassed

I come home tonight and go to change my clothes (stay with me here).

I grabbed a pair of jeans from my dresser drawer, put them on and thought, "What happened here?"

They were SUPER TIGHT!!!

So I think, "How could they have shrunk?  They are not new and they have been washed like 7869734867843 times".

I did up the button and then stuck my hands in my pockets.... but my hands would not go in.  WHAT?????

Then I realized it.........   I WAS WEARING MEGAN'S PANTS!!!!

Someone (likely me) folded them and tossed them in my basket in the laundry room.  I then put them in my dresser (without looking) and then I put them on today.

I gotta say..... they did not fit quite right everywhere.... but I thought I looked quite fetching in them.

Megan was HORRIFIED!!!  In fact, I think she took the pants and burned them (Unfortunately she will have a significantly harder time removing the image from her mind!)

And the good news......  my wardrobe just doubled (Maybe even tripled or more... Megan has way more clothes than I have).

Oooh...... maybe I can talk her into buying some pants with butterflies on them...... I like butterflies!!!!!  :)

Why it is wise to Listen to your Mother

(Editor's note:  If you see the word "motorcycle" and think "boring" and are tempted to move on.... please keep reading.  It is not as boring as it sounds).

With Sara and the girls gone for the weekend, I decided to turn the heat on in the garage and work on my old motorcycle (for those who don't know, I bought a 1983 Honda 1000 as a "winter project").

I have heard this bike run on 2 out of 4 cylinders (not a good thing) and it had a really loud knocking sound in the front of the engine. 

Concerned about that, I decided to do the logical thing and check the oil.  Pulled the dipstick.... no oil.  Like none.... none on the dipstick.... none to be seen in the hole.... none!

So I did the next logical thing..... I stuck my pinky in there.... still no oil.... could not touch anything.

Then I did the next semi-logical thing..... I stuck my index finger in there.  Now, it was sort of a tight fit mind you, but I shoved it in there anyway.

"Was there oil on my index finger?" you ask.

I had no idea because...... I COULD NOT GET MY FINGER OUT OF THE HOLE!!!!!!!

Seriously.... it was stuck in as far as it could go and it was not coming out.  I pulled.... nothing!  I twisted.... nothing.  I pulled really hard.... nothing.

Then I started to get a little worried.  I mean, if the blood was being restricted (which it was being such a tight fit and all) then my finger was going to swell and I was really going to have trouble getting it out.

Adding to the problem, I had placed the motorcycle by the overhead doors so that I could open them and get some fresh air if and when the bike started.  What this meant was that I was a long way from any sort of grease or oil that I could have put on my finger to lubricate it because all that stuff was on a shelf on the other side of the garage. 

By the way, the motorcycle weighs about 600 pounds and is hard enough to push around when I am standing up much less when I am hunched over with one finger in the oil filler hole.

Oh - and I hate carrying a cell phone (HATE IT!!!) so of course I did not have that on me so I could not call for help and the only other phone in the garage was across the room and on a shelf about 6 feet off the floor.

I began to think.... "I am in big trouble here!!!   No one is going to come looking for me until I miss church tomorrow morning because no one knows where I am.  Maybe they won't look in the garage and I will still be here when Sari and the girls get home tomorrow afternoon.  But by then I will have missed supper, my bedtime snack, breakfast and lunch...... who knows if I will still be alive??????  That would be an embarrassing way to die.  When the kids are asked, 'What happened to your dad?' they will have to say, 'Oh he stuck his finger in a motorcycle engine and starved to death'.  That is no where near as cool as 'He took a bullet trying to save the President' or something.  Poor kids!"

Then I did the next logical thing..... I PANICKED and YANKED my finger out as hard as I could.

My finger does not have quite as much skin on it now.  I lost some blood and it hurts a lot, but at least the girls will not have to find me dead in the garage.

"Don't stick your fingers where they don't belong!"   Good advice every mom has given their kids.... for good reason!

Sari in the Newspaper

Another short article about Sari, the work she is doing and the volunteers she is attracting to the school.  Similar article in the other paper here.

That seems about right :(

So earlier I was gloating that Tim Horton's was getting rid of "Cold Stone" in Canada (see post below) and now I read this.......

In an effort to eliminate items that do not sell well, Tim Horton's is deleting 24 items from its menu including Walnut Crunch Doughnuts.

WALNUT CRUNCH!!!!!   THAT IS ALL I EVER ORDER!!!!!!  D'OH!!!!!  WHY?????  WHY DOES EVERYTHING HAPPEN TO ME??????????

So I brag about losing Cold Stone and how Dairy Queen is so much better and this is how I get repaid??????  Super great then!!!  :(

Hey.... wait a minute.... come to think of it, this is not my fault..... it is YOURS!!!   The article said that Walnut Crunches were being eliminated because of lack of sales.... but I buy them all the time..... I am holding up my end of the bargain..... WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE??????

So - the only obvious solution is that since y'all owe me a bunch of Walnut Crunches y'all better start baking....... or go to your nearest Tim Horton's and buy all the Walnut Crunches you can (they said they would be available while supplies lasted).

I am emptying the freezer as we speak!!!

I am going to say it whether you like it or not!

Dairy Queen rules!!!!

There... I said it.

 Everyone around here is enamoured with "Cold Stone Creamery" but I like the way things used to be.... you know....  "old school" stuff.  Forget all these fancy, weird, "all loving no oven" things (That is an actual name of a Cold Stone something or another.  How can you order something when the name gives you no clue as to what you are getting????  It is ridiculous!!!!)

My mommy used to walk me 6 blocks to a DQ that looked something like this one.... and if it was good enough for my mommy it is good enough for me!  (Besides, NASCAR driver Tony Stewart LOVES Dairy Queen.... what more endorsement do you need than that?)

The battle is over though.  According to this article, Tim Horton's is pulling all Cold Stones from its Canadian stores.

Oh well!  No more paying $347690457905 for a little dish of ice cream.  :(

Bring on the Peanut Buster Parfaits!!!!!!!!   Woooooooooo!!!!!!

DQ..... DQ.......DQ...... DQ......D.... (Well, you get the idea)   :)

That was fun!

I like judging people!

What I mean is, I had a good time judging the "Royal Canadian Air Cadets speech competition" tonight.

It was really interesting.  Five kids got up and gave a 5 minute prepared speech and then we gave them a topic of our choice (the Olympics) for an impromptu 3 minute speech.  Each of them did very well and I actually learned a lot from listening to their prepared speeches (not so much from their impromptu ones).

The other two judges were teachers from Sari's school so that made it even more fun.

I don't know how you would ever get the gig (in fact, I hardly know how I got it) but if anyone ever asks you to judge a speaking competition for the Air Cadets - do it!

You may even get a bonus "Tim Horton's" card as a thank you.  :)

If we had a skyscraper in Estevan.........

From the website..... "A few weeks ago, daredevils Vadim Makharov and Ritaliy Raskalov were traveling through China. The intended pinnacle of their trip was to reach the top of the Shanghai Tower, a building only shorter than one other in the world. They planned their escapade to coincide with the Chinese new year, so that fewer people would be around and security would be lax. Sneaking into the building, which is still under construction, they climbed 120 stories on foot. At they top, they slept and waited for good weather. Then they clambered out to the very end of the crane that sits on the roof…"

Check it out........

Can We Agree that is Three Now????

On Tuesday we found out that we may have to spend a bunch of money on our SUV's transmission.

Last night, during Bible study, the city's sewer froze and backed up into the basement of the church building.  I was here until 10 pm cleaning that up.  The clean up and hassle continues today

Last night, after Megan had a shower, she left the lever on "shower" instead of "tub".  Not knowing that, when I turned on the water this morning, instead of it coming out of the tap, ice cold water shot out of the  shower head and sprayed all over me...... and I HATE ice cold water!!!

If bad things come in threes, can we call that three and be done?????  Thank you! 

Something to think About

 

The guy pictured about is named Steve Brynes. He is a NASCAR host/reporter. Even if you don't care about racing, read this article. His story and the insight he gained will be more than worth your time.

So you wanna be an Olympic Skier????

I realize it looks a little more bumpy b/c he is carrying the camera and it is bouncing around, but you also are not dealing with the wind, the cold and the burning legs as you watch from your chair.... so maybe it evens things out a bit.

That is the issue

What can happen when events are judged and not just won by points or time.

My Olympic-sized Complaint

When I was a kid, I thought that the drivers who raced against one another at the Indy 500 ONLY raced against each other at the Indy 500.  In other words, this race in May was their one and only time to see who was the best of the best.

When I got older, of course, I found out the Indy 500 was only one part of a larger tour and that these guys raced against each other every weekend for most of the year.

To say the least, that was disappointing.... and it made the Indy 500 something less than it was to me originally.

The Olympics are the same story.

As a kid, I thought that the Olympics were the only time in four years that these competitors saw one another.  I guess that may have been true when the modern Olympics were born and travel was much more difficult.... but of course now that is not the case.

In fact, speed skaters, figure skaters, bobsledders, snowboarders and almost every other sport represented there see each other many times in a year and some even train together.

It is sort of a joke, don't you think? 

I mean, "Big deal!" this week you are competing for a medal that has rings on it instead of a PetroCanada Logo (or whatever).  

So you are doing your sport in the same city that everyone else is doing their sport and we are calling you teammates with the rest of your country men..... WHO CARES????   Canadian figure skaters still have to beat the same two people named Evgeni and Svetlana that they had to beat in Ottawa last week.  SO WHAT????

The only exception to this rant are the team sports.... like hockey.  There you actually have something unique.  Guys from the same country - who never play together - get together and see if our country is better than yours.  Perfect!  That is different.... interesting.... worth watching even. 

Unless you are talking about women's hockey.... then it is even more of a joke because the Canadian and US teams play together all year and they play each other 4608496890 times per year.  Yay!!!   Canada vs the USA - the only teams who could win gold - are playing AGAIN!!!

Don't get me wrong.... I will likely waste a good share of the next week in front of the TV watching things I would never normally watch (Like Biathlon), but I still think it s stupid!  :)

Sure you can!

At the ski hill on Saturday one of the 20 year olds who was with the group (Lets call her Sally) wanted to go try out the black diamond runs (the hardest runs on the hill) but she was sort of scared.

"Come on" I said.  "I am sure you can do it."

And I was right.  Sally skied down the first black diamond very well.  In fact, the dude she was with (who was bragging about what an expert skier he was) was left in the dust (or in this case the snow).

After the first run I said, "See!  What did I tell you? Nothing to be scared of"

We did 10 more black diamond runs until I was confident that she knew what she was doing and would be ok.  Then I said that I was going to go back across the hill to the beginner runs and see how Megan was doing because I had not seen her in a while.  

The good news...... when they called from the hospital three hours later.....they said that they did not think Sally's leg was actually broken! 

Apparently, Sally decided that I was right.... she was a super good skier!!!  Then she decided that she was so good that she should try out some of the jumps that were on the course.

In reality, she tried "one" jump.... and it was more of a "splat" than a jump.

Apparently, too, her buddy boy had taken a different route (or he was so embarrassed by how much better she was than him that he took off), so when she wiped out she had to lay there for like 15 minutes before someone realized she was hurt. 

When she showed up back at the hall later that night she had a huge brace on her leg, but she was still smiling and did not seem mad at me.... but I did notice that her buddy stayed away from her for the rest of the night.

The moral of the story:  Encouragement is a good thing..... to a point!

Alternative moral of the story:  If you really want to impress a girl... do not ski off and leave her laying in the snow with a possible broken leg.

Alternative alternative moral of the story: (As Sari often points out to people - especially little kids when I am bugging them)..... The only time you should listen to Tim is in church!  :)

A Weekend of Good experiences (I have given up numbering these things because I am so far behind)

Our family does a lot of stuff together.  In fact, it is odd when we all go our own separate ways to do things.... so that made this weekend a little different - but good.

For example..... Katie stayed home by herself for the first time ever (at least for an entire weekend).  She has just started a new job and it was going to be hard to ask for time off, so she stayed and worked.  Many parents would worry about leaving a 17 year old home alone (parties, being irresponsible, etc) but not us.  We knew she would be a "grown up girl" and she was..... she even got up and went to church and herded all the little kids all on her own (That was not surprising given it was Katie.... but not normal 17 year old behaviour in many cases).  She was sad that she was stuck in town - and so were we - but she earned some cash for more fun things down the road.

The rest of us headed to Manitoba.   I was speaking at a youth rally/ski event(more about this later), so on the way we dropped Sari off to visit with her best buddy Laura.  It just so happened that Brandon was having a multi-cultural celebration thinger like Regina's "Mosaic", so they went and hit up the Scottish, Irish and German pavilions among others.  Seems that was not the only thing that got "hit up"..... apparently everywhere they went guys were talking to Sari, flirting with her, hitting on her...... when you got it you got it, right?  :)

Megan and I carried on to the youth event.  It was a lot of fun.  About 100 of us stayed in a hall in a small town near the ski hill.  Let me tell you, a large hall full of about 40 dudes sleeping is not a pretty thing to see or hear!!  I woke up at about 4 am both mornings to the sound of "snore.... wheeze.... sneeze..... cough.... snore..... snore.... cough.... snore......"   You get the idea.  But, other than that, we had a great time.  I did three lessons.... the kids were great.... I saw some old buddies that I had not seen in years (they brought their kids to the event)  Super fun!  (I have one good story to tell about this weekend but I will save it for coming days).

And Megan.... well she learned to ski this weekend.  Started off on the bunny hill looking like a baby giraffe walking on ice and by the end of the day she was flying down the hills.  It was incredible.  No real big wipe-outs and now she is hooked..... actually "now" she is sore..... but she will get over that.

Now that the weekend is over, we are all back home, safe and sound and together - as we ought to be.... but it was fun for each of us - though for different reasons.

Here are a few pictures from Megan and me..... Sari and Katie will have to post their own because I do not have them

(Ps.  Some of the pics are blue b/c my camera is frozen.... it was - 25 with a wind chill of -40..... and a much higher wind chill when speeding down the black diamond runs!)

One quick shot of the hall where we stayed..... set up for the next lesson.  Chairs and sound stuff were moved out of the way and this is where the boys slept (girls were downstairs).... if you look on the right you  can see some of the mattresses that we slept on..... about a 1/2 an inch thick!!!  Better than the bare floor.... but not much.  :)

Restoration Update (16 of 25)

Regular readers of this blog may remember that last Sept I bought a motorcycle as a winter restoration project.  I thought I would give you an update.

It started out looking like this......

And if you came by today, you would see that it looks essentially the same.  The seat is off, the tank is off, the carbs have been flushed a few times, I have even heard it run (sort of)..... It has run consistently on 2 of the 4 cylinders and intermittently on the other two.  I likely need to take the carbs off and clean them, but I am trying to avoid that because it is a huge pain.

I have spent about 15 - 20 hours on it and I have seen some progress, but mostly I have just filled the garage with gas and exhaust fumes.

That being the case.... my friend Dennis has suggested that I bring it out to his place.  He has an old Honda too and he also has a bike lift (which is very nice).  We have decided that we are going to start "Motorcycle Fridays" (since I have Fridays off).  We have not actually done anything yet, but we named it.... and naming it is the hard part right!  :)

I got thinking about all this because I got my new "Cycle World" today and Peter Egan has a column in there about restoring an old Norton motorcycle.  He writes...... "Friends have pointed out it's probably not economically feasible to restore an old Norton.... they tell me that I could find a nice one that already running for a lot less money... but I just shrug and say 'What fun would that be?'"

Spoken like a true restorer.  :)

Poor Old Girl (15 of 25)

 

 Did y'all hear that the British government has told Queen Elizabeth II to tighten her proverbial belt???  Cut backs are coming!!!  

Now, I really think that this is unfair!!!   I mean, the poor old girl had to get by on a piddly $51 million dollars last year..... $51 million!!!!  

Come on..... tiaras are not cheap you know!

And how is she supposed to fix up all her castles and travel the world on that ridiculous sum???  I mean, sure she could do one or the other, but that is no way for the Queen to live.

Next she is going to shopping at Dollarama or something..... "Hem, hem.... wouldst thou have the fake tuna in 15 litre barrels instead of the 10????  And where might one find the 'King Sized Kraft Dinner'?  And do you not think that should be relabeled 'Queen sized'?  I mean.... really!!!"   

You don't want that do you??

So here is the deal...... I am willing to double my taxes just so that she does not get kicked out of one of her 17 castles.  Not only am I willing to do this.... I think it is every Canadian's loyal duty!!!

Who is with me??????  

Full story here:  Cutback Queen.

So What? (Blog 14 of 25)

It is the end of January here in the beautiful Canadian prairies and last night it was -35 with a wind chill of -48 and do you know what I say to that...... so what?

I was at the coffee shop the other day and one of my buddies was telling me that he was getting on a plane the next day and going to Puerto Vallarta and do you know what I say..... so what???

Another guy at coffee then started talking about Hawaii and how nice it was there at Christmas time and do you know what I said.... so what????????

Then I went to Weyburn for a Bruins' game and I ran into a buddy from there and he and his wife were leaving the next day to go to Hawaii.  He had 3 tee times booked at 3 different courses and he had rented a Harley so he could ride around the island one day and I said..... SO what?????????????

And since then I have come across 6 other people who are either on their way to Mexico or the Southern States in the next week and I say...... SO WHAT???????????????

If I went somewhere nice and warm I would miss all the good exercise I get shovelling snow!

If I was laying around on a beach, I would probably get too hot anyway (I can't take the heat.... anything above 40 Celsius and I start to sweat a little bit).

Who wants to paddle board across the bay at Puerto Vallarta to go and get your vegetables at the local market and then paddle board back to your villa like my friend????   It takes him most of the day to do that.... how does he keep up with his Facebook account if he is not sequestered inside because of the latest blizzard?

White sandy beaches are not that different than my white wintry front yard, right?  From 200 miles away they look about the same.

So instead of going south, I am going to go speak at a youth rally/ski trip next weekend.  I have been watching the forecast drop over the last several days but I think it is only going to -3768943768786 with a windchill of 3287639487689437689347698496734 - so that will be nice.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I am not jealous at all.  I don't even want to be warm, ride motorcycles, or try para-sailing, or anything.   I am SUPER HAPPY!!!!!!

Did I mention that I am a terrible liar, too???????   :)
___________
PS.  I am actually speaking at a youth/ski thing this weekend and I am really looking forward to it.  I love skiing and Megan has never tried it, so that will be a great time.

Most of the whining above was purely for comedic effect.  If you are going south or have ever talked to me about going south, don't feel bad.  I do not hold it against you or think you are a jerk in any way... mostly!  ;)

Well that looks easy (13 of 25 Blogs)

Anytime I go to a concert I think, "I should buy a guitar.  That looks like fun!"

 (More accurately, I watch the drummer and think "I should buy a drum set"..... unfortunately I can't buy "rhythm" to go with it.... that sort of hinders guitar playing too).

I did try learning the guitar at one point.  The guy who was teaching me wanted me to learn to play chords first so I did was sit and play "strum strum strum" then "brum brum brum"...... it was terribly tedious and boring.  I WANTED TO PLAY A SONG RIGHT NOW!!!!!!   And thus ended my "the next Justin Bieber" attempt.

The same applies to curling.

Every year I think, "I am not going to get sucked into watching curling" and then I see one end and I am hooked again.  Then I sit there and think "Look at them bounce that rock off the other one and tuck it in behind that guard..... how hard could that be?"

Very hard.... it turns out.
Sari's school had their Christmas party last night and we went curling.  I know the theory of curling.... I get the strategy.... I have a broom and a slider..... I have played in a bunch of funspiels and in a commercial league here in town for an entire year......  I just don't have the shots.   I can see them.  I know what to do.  I just can't do it.

Too heavy..... too light..... swept that one too much..... should have swept that one more...... aaarrrrrrgggghhhhh!!!!!!

So the simply lesson of the day:  If something looks terribly easy to do - whether it is singing, teaching, organizing things, public speaking or anything else - you likely are not seeing the thousands of hours it took to make it look that easy. 

And that is unfair!!!   I want to be good at it now!!!

Oh well.  At least I won't have to worry about racing my Lamborghini down city streets and possibly being deported from the US either.  :)

PS.  You should have seen Sari play last night.  She was the "take out" Queen.  Playing on the other team she made a ton of shots that I thought that she could not make in 903689467876 years.   In fact, she admitted that she could not make those shots in another 6894386483968 years - but she made them once and that is what counts (though we still stomped her team).  :)

The Middle (Blog 12 of 25)

Normally, I HATE sit-coms!!!!   They usually are not funny.  Laugh tracks make me want strangle someone (1/2 the show is some actor waiting for the fake laughing to stop).  They are just terrible overall.  An insult to basic human intelligence.

However, last week Sari stumbled across a show called "The Middle".  I am not sure what made her stop at it, but we are hooked now.  It is witty.... it does not have a laugh track.... and it is not unlike our own life at times (it is scary!!).  We can even see some of y'all in it.  (Go ahead - ask if we see you in it and who you are..... I won't tell you anyway!!!)  :)

Has anyone ever seen this show before?  We are watching reruns at this point but they are still making it.   I don't know if you will like it or not, but we do.

Check it out and let me know what you think if you get a chance.
_______________
You may have noticed that it has been a few days since I wrote last..... that is because I was in jail!

Now, if you were a member of the Moose Jaw Police Department and saw my last name, you would have believed that last line without question (My uncles and cousins are regular customers).

 However, it isn't true.  I wasn't in jail (this time). We have just been busy.  "Doing what?" you ask.  Well, nothing exciting.  The kids have been getting ready for finals so they have been hogging the computer.  I have been play squash and hockey.  Sari is working on stuff for a Ladies retreat she organizes every year.... all good stuff but not that interesting.

So there you go.  But come back tomorrow or the next day.... have I got some stories for you!! 

There must be some sort of shot for this, isn't there? (Blog 11 of 25)

My girls (all three) are sick.... they have it bad.....they have "Downton Abbey-itis"!!!

It is terrible!!!!   It makes them stare blankly at TV screens for hours at a time.  Other symptoms include random outbursts of laughter and speaking with a British accent.

The biggest indicator that they have this dread disease is that they always end up crying afterwards..... usually followed by a disclaimer like, "I am alright!!!  Stupid show!!!!"

Oddly, they also talk about the people on the show as if they are real...... I am not sure what that means.

I am nearing my wits ends...... they are watching it even as I type this and I can hear them yelling at the TV as.... if.... the ..... TV... can.... hear..... them (read that last part in a whispered voice - I don't want them to hear me!!!)

They need help, so I am starting a foundation called "The Downton Abbey separation and rehabilitation Society" (or the "TDASRS" for short). 

I think they can return to a normal life.... but they need your help.  Please send all donations to our home address..... thank you!

PS.  In fairness, if the girls were writing this they would probably have me point out that their condition is not unlike "hockey-itis" or "racing-itis" or "football-itis"..... but they are wrong.  Watching those things for hours, screaming at the TV during games and maybe even crying (if it was a really close game) are all very natural responses to real humans doing real things.  They are dealing with actors pretending to do things..... so that doesn't even make sense.

Besides.... I am writing this and they are not!   Please donate!!!  :) 

Just so you know (Blog 10 of 25)

Most of my blog posts are stupid (I prefer "silly" or "funny" but whatever) but once in a while when you come here you learn something.   Today is your lucky day.

On the way home tonight, I heard on the radio that Wikipedia is the 6th most visited site on the web.

That got me thinking.... "What are the top 5 sites then?"   Here is the answer......

5.  Baidu.com (a popular site in China)

4.  Yahoo.com

3.  Youtube.com

2.  Facebook.com

1.  Google.com

So there you go.... I was a little sad that "Pippus Days" didn't make the top 5.... work on that for me will you???  Thanks! 

Please do this!!! (9 of 25 blogs)

Below is a picture of my family having supper with some of our church leaders.

This is my "office Christmas party".


As silly as that sounds (since I work at my office alone), if you are part of a church group PLEASE DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS FOR YOUR MINISTER!!!!

Most people get a company Christmas party (whether you like it or not is irrelevant.... you are offered one at least).  Most people get Christmas bonuses.  It sort of is assumed.

Most ministers do not get either of those things.  In fact, I do not know anyone else who gets taken out for supper by their leadership (I am sure it happens, but, if it does, I have not heard about it). 

This may not seem like a big deal to you, but it is to my family.... not because we need the free supper, but simply because it is a reminder that we don't just work here, but that we work with friends whom we love and who love us as well.

Part of our being here for 23 years (which is unheard of in many places.... 5 years is a long stay for most ministers) has to do with little kindnesses like this.

A little thoughtfulness goes a long way! 

Jailbreak!!!!! (Blog 8 of 25)

After weeks of -30 weather and wind chills of -50 at times (down to -59 one night), it was nice on Sunday afternoon (like right around 0).  Obviously the only thing to do then is to get out of the house, so we went on a two hour hike at Woodlawn.  The girls also bought their friend Tayler.  Here is some of the pictorial evidence of the day...

IT IS ALIVE!!!!!!... Well, sort of (Blog 7 of 25)

Some of you may remember that I bought a couple of old motorcycles to be my "winter project bikes" (If you don't remember but actually care, you can search for pictures of them in the Sept or so archives).

Anyway, I parked them in the garage with a vow that I would not touch them until I had our basement bathroom done.  With that now finished, today I went out to work on the 1983 Honda CB 1000C.

After draining the really bad smelling gas from the carburetor float bowls..... blowing air down the gas line to loosen up the floats that were stuck.... charging the battery.... hooking up a smaller gas tank so that I could work more freely...... taking apart the choke level/cable and verifying that it was bad..... I tried to start the old girl.

Rrrrrrrrr....... rrrrrrrrr....rrrrrrrrrr.....cough......rrrrrrrrr........rrrrrrrrrrrr (and on it went)

But the "cough" part was the important part..... it wanted to start!

So, I shot some starting fluid in it.

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrr........rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....... rummmmmmm bummmmmmm bummmmmmm bummmmm..... cough....... die

The "rum.... bum.... bum" part was the important part his time..... it ran for like 15-20 seconds.  I actually heard it run!!!!!

Then it did that several more times...... and then a buddy of mine was coming to get me to take me to the Bruins game in Weyburn..... so I shut everything down.

But it ran (sort of)!

Now there is a ton of work to do yet.... I am by no means out of the woods (and the fact that it was starting on starting fluid and not just gas is concerning)...... but it is potential!   And potential makes me happy!!!!

Either potential or the smell of all that gas in the confined space of the garage..... something was making me happy anyway!   :)

Time to retire? (Blog 6 of 25)

I went to noon hockey today.  I have not been on skates since October and before that it was likely March, so (needless to say) I did not think that I would feel that good.

However, I surprised myself.

First shift.... go down the ice.... get a pass.... make a pass.... get a rebound off the goalie.... put it in.  38 seconds back on the ice and I had my first goal.

After that, I didn't do much.  Made a few more passes. Checked a couple of dudes.... nothing spectacular.

Then it happened.

One of our guys took the puck down the wing, crossed the blue line and went down into the corner.  Seeing this, I decided to hang out at the top of the slot so that if he passed it to me I would have a clear shot on the net.  Sure enough, he turns and looks and fires the puck my way. 

Now the pass was a little off so I turned a bit to pick it up...... and got clobbered from behind!!  I mean, I got rocked.  Head snapping back rocked.  Not quite as bad as the picture at the side, but you get the idea.

So I gather myself.... get up.... look around to see who did this.... spot a dude with a ponytail and then realize........ 

DUDE WAS A GIRL!!!

Not only was dude a girl but she was like 100 lbs!!!!!!   Not only was she a girl..... not only was she like a pip-squeak..... but she didn't even say sorry!!!!!!

It kinda hurt my feelings..... and my pride!!!!


About 4 girls from the Women's team were out there today and because they were "girls" I was trying to be nice to them.   Apparently, that was a mistake!!!

I will tell you this thought..... she is lucky that she skated away quickly..... and that I am old and out of shape and could not catch her either.

Maybe it is time to retire.  :)

Wa? (Blog 5 of 25)

Did you see this?  Sort of makes the snowmen that we build look sort of lame don't you think?

Ice city in China........ check it out

Two Cuties (blog 4 of 25)

I was going through files on my work computer the other day (cleaning things out) and came across this from this from May of 2004. Filmed by Paul and Crystal Quilliams and I think it is there son, Bryson, at the end. Enjoy!! :)

What I have been waiting for (Blog 3 of 25)

I have been waiting for a sign.

Am I doing the right thing?  Should I be thinking about a different career or at least a different place?   Is church work really what I am supposed to do the rest of my life, or is there something else?

Then, last night, I got my answer.

Oddly enough, it came at the monthly meeting of the "Estevan Motor Speedway". 

I bought a membership..... and that is when I saw it..... the sign that was waiting for..... have a look at my membership number in the bottom right hand corner.....

000007!!!!!  That is like "007" times a lot!!!!!   In fact, by my calculation, three extra zeros makes me like two and a half times cooler than James Bond!!!

So there it is.... my answer..... I am supposed to be a super cool "spy-like" dude!!! (I wish now that I had paid more attention to the Bond movies.... I did not see any of them..... I guess I will have to contact some of my geek/nerd friends to find out what I am supposed to do next).

So there you go...... if you need me, ring the Bat-phone or something (Seriously - I did not watch any of those movies - so that part may be wrong)....  I am going out back to practice loading a hand gun (I don't have one of those yet, so I am just going to stand in the back yard with my air nailer for a while)

Oooooh - and I think this means I get to drive super nice sports cars too.

Just goes to show..... if you are patient, things work out!  :)

A Mid-winter's morning saga (blog 2)

Monday morning after the Christmas break and it is literally -59 with the wind chill.

SNOW DAY FOR THE GIRLS!!!!

Or so their mom says...  "Let them stay home.  No one else will be i
n class and it is too cold to go out".

No way says the mean old Dad and then starts talking about "the old days" when it was really cold.... before cars were invented..... walking 3469890438690 miles to school only to find that there was no school, etc, etc.

No snow day!  :(

Kids go out to start car and go to school only to find that the doors are frozen shut.

SNOW DAY FOR THE GIRLS!!!!

Only to have Dad come home and hand them the keys to the SUV that is sitting in the warm shop.

No snow day!  :(

As it turned out, Sari was right.... only about 1/4 of the kids showed up so b/c the teachers did not want to teach something today only to do it again tomorrow they got to watch movies or goof off in most of their classes.

So it was sort of like a SNOW DAY..... only without the comfortable onesy pajamas.  :)

25 blogs to start 2014 (20 + 1 + 4 = 25)

25 blogs to start the New Year...... here we go..... blog #1
_____________
The older I get, the more I realize how little I understood what others were going through when I was going through it with them (That is an odd sentence.... poorly constructed.... let me explain).

I have sat with people as they watched a loved one die.  In fact, I vividly remember the look on one man's face as we sat by his wife's bedside.  I knew she was not going to come home again and so did he.  I tried to be there for him.... I tried to empathize..... but the fact is that I really did not understand.  I had only been married a few years and was immature enough to not really get what was really going on as he watched his wife of 50 + years leaving.  I did the best I could for him... I prayed and said what I thought needed to be said.... but I did not really get it.

Why am I thinking about this? 

Well, I am just starting to realize that I also have not understood - until now - how hard it has been for people to watch their kids grow up.  From the outside, it looks almost fun.  Kids are gone.  Husband and wife are free to do whatever they want again.  It is the natural order of things and it is good, right?

All that is true until it is your kid. Or I guess it could be true if you don't like your kids.  However, if you do like having them around, watching them grow up and thinking about them leaving is not easy.

When I left home at age 18 I was focused on what I was doing and I did not really think much about how it affected my mom.  She wrote me a super nice letter when I left (one that I still have) but I did not really think about how much that must have hurt. (I should have realized it.... it was ME that was leaving after all)  :).....  but I didn't get it.  I was too focused on what I was going to do next.

I have also watched Sari's parents worry about their kids and I have thought, "Come on, they are adults.  Let them figure things out on their own".... but I am realizing now that is a lot harder than it sounds.  As many people have told me (and I have not really understood), "Once a parent - always a parent".

So as this year opens with some big changes on the horizon for us and our girls..... graduation, jobs, new driver's licenses, possibly moving away from home, university and who knows what else...... I am just thinking that big changes are hard and I am sorry that I did not help others get through them better.

I would have - if I had known how those big things felt.

Generally we have looked forward to the next thing as being something good (high school for example was not something to dread but something to enjoy.... and it has been that way.... watching our girls mature, learn things, play sports and make friends has been great) and I am sure these new things will work out the same way...... it is just sort of sad to think about at the moment.

So - advice???  If you are further down the road than we are, what do you have to share?  What do you wish someone had said to you?  What did you learn?  What do we need to remember?

I am have a cold today and I don't feel great, so I am feeling a little sappy about my little family.... and I could use all the help I can get!   :)

A Christmas recap.... sleigh bells, hockey, eating and such

I was going to write a whole thing about our Christmas, but I realize that would be fairly boring for most of you, so here are some highlights from a week of having family around....

- One of our church members has horses down by the river so we convinced him to take us on a sleigh ride.  The weather was nice... the setting was nice... it was fun.  I will remember the kids riding in the toboggans behind the sleigh as well as running up the valley edge with Matthew and Emily (two of Kurt's kids).  The warmth of the warming shack afterwards was nice too.

- I will remember Grandpa playing floor hockey with us that night in the gym.  I have never seen Laurie run that much in his life.  If the NHL expands by a few more teams and needs some players, he may have a shot!

- When the Pippus' went home.... the Mullers arrived.  It was really nice having the entire extended family from this area over for coffee on Saturday night.  Somehow, though we all live close together we rarely get together so that was nice.

- I enjoyed playing all sorts of games over the week too.... crokinole.... Apples to apples.... darts in my garage.....

- After everyone had gone home, Sari, the kids and I went to Minot for a few days.  Along the way, we went and saw the movie "Saving Mr Banks".   I am not much for movies and I am not much for Disney stuff, but (without saying too much) this movie reminded me how precious our family really is.  Thinking about our girls growing up made me cry.... and say some things to my kids that I need to say.  I hate growing up!  :)

I could go on and on about various things, but you likely don't care and none of it means as much to you as it does to me anyway, so let me say this...... I hope you had a fun, refreshing holiday.  I hope it was filled with love and joy.  If it was - cherish that and keep it going the rest of the year.  If it wasn't (and not all of our Christmases have been splendid ones), I pray that you will find joy, hope and love throughout the New year.  Better yet, I hope you supply those things for others.

Time is ticking and these days will be gone before you know it.  We can't change that.... but we can make sure that we make good use of our time so that when we look back we smile at what we had instead of being sad about what we missed.

That is how I will remember Christmas 2013.

Happy 2014!