"Start the Car!!!!" (Blog 13 of 30)

Generally speaking, I HATE garage sales.  Specifically speaking, I hate them for two reasons:

(a) Most of the stuff that people haul out to sell on their front lawn should have been dragged (in the garbage bin) another 20 feet to the curb.

(b) I feel badly when I walk through said pile of junk and don't buy anything.  I know that the poor seller is standing there with a calm and pleasant smile on his face but inside he is thinking "Oh PLEASE buy some of this trash!!!!  I don't want to have to move it again!!!  PLEEEEEAAAAASSSSEEEE!!!!!"  Often I feel so bad for the poor slob that I end up buying something that I don't need....... or I just avoid eye contact for as long as I can and then run away like a scared cat.  Neither of which makes me feel very good.

On the other hand, I LOVE garage sales because....

(a) Everything is dirt cheap!  It is almost like most of the junk has no value at all!!! And.....

(b) Every once in a while, you find a gem.  Just like I did today.

More than 20 years ago, just after I moved to Estevan, I bought a brand new set of golf clubs from Woolco in the mall (The name Woolco should tell you how long ago that was).  Over the years, I have got a lot of use out of them.  Back when I was still single, my buddy Ian and I played almost every day.

In fact, I played so much that I kept getting better and better until I kinda peaked.  At that point, I either had to (a) golf a lot more to get marginally better, (b) keep playing and being frustrated that I was getting no better or (c) quit.

Since I did not have the time to play more and I had tons of other, cheaper, ways to become frustrated.... I quit.

Since then I have only played a couple of times a year at the most.

Then, last summer, I was out with my buddy Shady Shane and I almost decapitated him with my 4 iron.  The head of the club just went flying off.  Since that time, I have continued to use to the club (Don't worry thought - Shady is tough - if he gets hit in the back of the head with the club he will just shake it off.....probably!  In any case, it is flying away from me so.......) but I have been looking for a replacement 4 iron.

After a year of searching, today I found this.......

A nice bag and 9 left-handed clubs (which are hard to find) including a very nice feeling 4 iron for.......  $5

FIVE DOLLARS!!!!!   NINE CLUBS!!!!!   AND A BAG!!!!!!

Most new clubs are in the $50 - 75 range and even used clubs are usually $15 -25 each.

FIVE DOLLARS!!!!!!

Garage sales!  Just goes to show that, once in a while, one man's junk is another man's treasure!  :)

Not going pro any time soon (Blog 12 of 30)

Every once in a while Sari says, "Ya know.... maybe it is time for something new.  Maybe we should just quit our jobs and move somewhere".

To which I usually say, "Hhhhhhmmmmmm!!!"

(I will give you two guesses with one of us is the dreamer and which one of us is the plough horse that just keeps ploughing the field until told to stop)

However, we did find one thing that we can agree on...... we are not going to become professional bowlers.

This is partially because neither one of us drinks beer and we do not like shirts with our names on them.... two requirements for serious bowlers  (At least from what I can tell as I flip channels past bowling on TSN)

Oh..... and then there is the fact that we both stink at it too!

Sara's staff from school held a bowling party tonight and it was tons of fun.  It really was!  We laughed and ate pizza and have a great time.

And we even bowled a perfect 300 game (If you added our scores from two games together)  :(

So if we ever decide to just throw everything away and go make a living in another way - at least we have eliminated one possible occupation from the list.

On the upside though, Sari did find a ball that went really nicely with her hair.  She was pleased about that.  :)

Sing along Time (Blog 11 of 30)

I heard this as I was driving around Regina the other day. Granted, it sounds like every other Bon Jovi song ever produced, but I think that is a good thing.  :)

And it has a cool car in it to boot.  Looks like about a 1974 Monte Carlo.  I used to love those cars!  A guy raced one at the speedway in Moose Jaw.  He called it "Beverly II" (I don't know what happened to "Beverly I" - you can use your own imagination to fill in that gap).

Enjoy!  :)

A couple of observations (Blog 10 of 30)

Something occurred to me the other day...... I went a whole summer without using my baseball glove.

This is the first summer I can ever remember when that has happened.

To make matters worse, other than the little loop I did behind the house to make sure it was ready to go, I did not ride my mountain bike at all this summer either.  Like - not - once!

There was a time in my life that if I did not play baseball or ride my bike it would have meant that I was dead!

When I was in my early 20s., I remember watching older guys who said things like, "I used to play ball but....." and think "What on earth is wrong with you????"  

AND NOW I AM ONE OF THE OLD GUYS!!!!  A geezer!!!!   A gummer!!!!  (Sniff, sniff!!!)

So here is my plan....... I am going into training!!   I am going to run 10 kms/day..... ride my bike for another 7...... then play squash...... three rounds of Frisbee golf (All summer I kept saying I was going to go play on Estevan's new Frisbee golf park but no one would go with me)..... and I am going to walk the dog three times per day.

Then again, all this typing has made me sort of tired.  I think I will just go and watch some TV.  I don't want to over do it.  I am getting old, ya know?  :)

On a serious note:  If you are interested in playing squash this winter, let me know.  All my squash buddies moved away and I am looking to start playing again.  

PS.  I am a very gracious winner...... I may need to work on the losing part some.  :)

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Hey - you likely saw this on the internet somewhere already, but I am re-posting it just in case you missed it.  

To be clear, I am not a Jimmy Kimmel fan.  In fact, I never watch talk shows at all.  However, I think this is interesting.  

It says something about wanting to belong, or the power of suggestion or something.   Have a look.

Bring out the Bubble Wrap! (Blog 9 of 30)

Today has been a busy day.  I taught three classes at church and had several good visits with people.  The I went out to the speedway and helped with the annual enduro (an endurance race with what amounts to demolition derby cars - it is a good time!).

Sadly I left my phone at home so I have no enduro pics to share.

So let me share this with you.

By nature, I am not an alarmist.  I am not normally a "The sky is falling!" sort of dude.  That especially applies to the studies that say, "This product (whatever it is) can give you cancer!"

Every other day some new study comes out that tells you to avoid things like: white bread, sugar, fat, barbecued meat and guys named Sven - to name only a few.

Now, it is not that I don't believe the reports.  In fact, it is likely true that some of those things are bad for you in many ways.  It is just that I figure that if you were to avoid everything that you were ever told to avoid then you would do nothing and go nowhere.  We are so overly safety conscious that if we were to listen to all the warming it would be impossible to live.

Take for instance this study that has concluded that "household dust" is cancer causing.  Apparently, toxic chemicals leach out of the air and settle in the dust on your piano and if you lick the piano long enough you will die!

Maybe now you will think twice before using an unprotected finger to write "Dust me" on your favorite piece of furniture!

Kayaking on the Souris (Blog 8 of 30)

So I continued working on my car today and then I went for a motorcycle ride..... not that interesting.... so I told Sara that it was up to her to fill the blog today (She still lives here after all)  :)

She and a buddy, whom we shall call "Mr. E" (get it - "mystery" b/c you don't know who it is.... though that is sort of stupid too because she is not a "Mr" so....... anyway why I am wasting my time explaining this????  I am not even supposed to be doing this tonight!!!!!)...... Ok - where were we????

Oh ya - Sara and Mr. E went kayaking on the Souris for a good part of the day.  As I have said many times, when you are on the river you would have no idea that you were in Estevan.  It is a whole different world - as you can see for yourself.

Sunday Stuff (Bonus Post)

Ever wonder what people talk about in church Sunday after Sunday?

Well, here is what we are doing this week.  If it sounds interesting, you would be more than welcome to come and check it out.

A Beginning (Blog 7 of 30)

I spent all day in the garage today - which was lot of fun!

First, I changed oil in the Acadia.  

Then I checked all the brakes on Fonzi (our little Ford Ranger) and decided to change the front ones. 

And then I did this.....

I put my 1973 Dodge Dart Swinger in the garage and started to work on it,  I bought this car a year ago and I brought it home in the spring, but I haven`t really had time to do much with it until now.

I had so much fun that I may even break my own rule that says, "Garages are keeping good cars in.  Why would you store your nice vehicle outside and then leave a piece of junk sitting inside?"

However, I may just leave this in the garage for most of the winter and tear it apart so it is somewhat ready to run in the spring.  We will see.

So, if you are looking for me about mid-December,  you know where I will be.  :)

Canmore/Banff (Blog 6 of 30)

Contrary to last night's post, not everything this past summer was terrible.  In fact, we spent a week in the area around Banff and Canmore and we had a great time.

We saw some friends we had not seen in a while.... we hiked.... we went up mountains..... and down by rivers.  It was really nice!

So, tonight I said to Sari, "Pick about 8-10 pictures that I can put on the blog" so here is what she chose (out of the thousands the girls took).

PS.  You may get some more later on in the month.  We will see.

Downtown Canmore...

Stand by the "self-portrait" they said..... (Ha! Ha!) 

A couple of river shots in Canmore.....

Going up the Gondola in Banff.....

View from the top.....

Parks Canada puts red chairs in selected places in the national parks.  These were on the top of the mountain.....

Gondola coming in at the top....

The Banff Springs hotel.....

Small waterfall in Banff....

More to come another day!  :)

Ready to Rent (Blog 5 of 30)

I do not believe in good luck.... bad luck.... curses..... Voo doo.... hexes..... all that stuff is hooey to me.

However, I will admit that at the end of July - when the highlights of the month were camping in torrential rain storms.... broken tent poles....  ruined holidays.... and three inches of flood water in my basement - I actually said, "Ok!  I don't know who has done what that was wrong, but it is time to stop!"  Someone was obviously being punished for something!

Now - other than the time that our transmission went out on our SUV in the middle of our family holiday - most of my misfortune has happened during times that I have been with my aforementioned brother "Lenny"..... mostly on bike trips.

The rest of the time, my life is pretty good - and I am generally a very nice guy - so it was an easy deduction that Lenny was the issue!

I was wrong!  It is me!

The final piece of proof came today.

For several years, I have been planning to go to the stock car races in Williston, North Dakota.  Not a real lofty goal or grand dream, I will admit.  Not much of a stretch.  They race every other week.  Williston is only an hour and half from my house.  No big deal.

So, at our speedway meeting Monday night, someone mentioned that they were racing in Williston this weekend and I thought, "I should go!"

I checked their schedule and it was a double-header (Friday/Saturday) and I thought, "I should go!"

I checked the weather and it is going to be beautiful and I thought, "I should go!"

I mentioned it to Sara and she said, "You should go!"

I called my buddy Shady Shane to see if he was interested and he said, "We should go!"

So I decided "I am going!"

I was really looking forward to it.  After a fair amount of frustration this summer, this was going to be a fun night!

Then - today - I checked the Williston Basin Speedway Facebook page and see a note that says, "Due to unforeseen circumstances, we are cancelling the double-header races this weekend!"

The Williston Basin Speedway has been running races every other Saturday night since the earth was cooling with no issues or problems........ BUT ON THE ONE NIGHT OUT OF THE 26 YEARS THAT I HAVE LIVED HERE THAT I DECIDE TO GO TO THEIR RACES - THEY CANCEL!!!!

Obviously I am the problem!

So, rather than fight it..... I am going to offer my services to others.

Have an old boyfriend who was a jerk and you want to get revenge?  Hire me to become his buddy and watch his life fall apart!

A business partner rip you off?  Pay me to go hang around over at his place (Just keep the fire department on speed dial - if you get my drift).

Want to see a neighboring town's rodeo rained out?  Send me!

It's either that or I need to figure out what I have done wrong and stop it!  :)

A Grand New Tradition (Blog 4 of 30)

Working moms have a bad deal.  Take Sara for instance.  She works all day like I do, but then she comes home and does all the cooking and a majority of the other stuff that keeps our house going.

Now, it is not like I don't help.  I do dishes and I take the garbage and the recycling out.

And it is not like I am even trying to be unhelpful.  For example, I don't mind doing laundry.  Its just that I never notice the fact that laundry basket is overflowing with dirty clothes.  In fact, I only usually start to notice when I run out of socks or something and by then Sara is all over it.

I feel bad that she is so much more in tune than I am.  As I said,....it is a bad deal.

So when I heard that she was scheduled to have after school meetings almost every Tuesday this coming school year, I thought, "Here is my chance to be helpful!  I will make supper every Tuesday" (Actually, I think I was TOLD that I would be making supper every Tuesday...... but in my defense, I agreed that it was a good idea - reluctantly).

So here we are after our first Tuesday meetingsupper assignment and I gotta say...... I am beat!!!  I really get what Sara is talking about with this "Running the house is like another full-time job" stuff.  It is really time consuming.

Take tonight for example.....  I didn't actually cook..... but my good buddy, Nathan, is in the same boat that I am because Melanie works with Sara and is going to the same meetings.  He also received the "suggestion" that he ought to cook on Tuesdays as well, so - being the smart man that he is - he suggested that we ought to all go out for supper together.

So he and I texted back and forth....... and we debated where we ought to go..... we thought about what time would work best...... and then we decided ..... we ought to let the girls decide all of this because we were going to get shot down anyway.

But I mean we texted a lot!!!   My eyes are sore from looking at the screen.  My head hurts from trying to remember all the restaurants in town.  I can't even tell you what it was like trying to calculate how much time Sari would need to do her hair before supper!!

She is right...... looking after everything is tough!!!!

Good thing I don't have to look after supper again till next Tuesday!  :)
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On a serious note - this is the start of a new weekly tradition...... the "Eat your way around Estevan" tour.  It should be a lot of fun.... especially since I don't have to cook!

A Balanced Diet (Blog 3 of 30)

I am the furthest thing from a "foodie" that you will ever meet (In fact, even using the word "foodie" makes me want to punch myself).

However, after this summer I have determined that I may need a balance when it comes to my food intake on vacation.

On the one hand, I go on bike trips with my brother (whom I will call "Lenny" - to protect the innocent).  Our bike trip rules are these...... get up in the morning and eat a big breakfast..... ride all day and do whatever you do..... then eat a big supper...... and that is it.

This time honoured tradition has worked for 6 years now and resulted in me losing 10 pounds on every trip and only feeling dizzy and hallucinating once in while.  We budget $16 for food for the entire week.  :)

The issue that I have with the Lenny menu is that he is addicted to Gas Station Hot Dogs.  Like the kind that are so bright pink inside that they seem radioactive and can be seen from 100 miles away.  

Maybe Lenny is not addicted to these things, but it has become a midnight tradition on our trips.  One that I have not been brave enough to join him in.  In fact, one night he ate a hot dog that had been on the rolling warmer so long that I am sure it had made more rotations than the earth has in the entire span of history.  "Its not bad if you put enough ketchup on it" Lenny was heard to say - just before the cramps set in!

On the other hand, I go on family vacations where the goal seems to be "Find the weirdest, most expensive place we can and see if we can make that 'Where have you taken me?' look cross Dad's face".  They succeeded this year in Canmore, Alberta.

We went to what can only be described as a "Hippy/hipster/granola/weirdo lounge" (Well, maybe I am the only one to describe it that way - but that is all I got!).  It was like nothing I had ever seen before!!!  PEOPLE WERE LAYING ON COUCHES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RESTAURANT!!!!  COUCHES!!!!  It looked like the living room at a college dorm.

Then I looked at the menu and thought that I had been transported to another country.  The words were English words (I think) but they made no sense at all!   The only thing I understood was  the word "Chicken", so I ordered that.

When it came, to my surprise, I had a sandwich that I could have eaten in one bite...... and a side order of popcorn!  POPCORN!!!!  SEA SALT POPCORN!!!!  WHAT????????     I love popcorn!  In fact, I probably eat my body weight in popcorn every year...... BUT NOT WITH MY CHICKEN WHATEVER IT IS SANDWICH!!!!

The girls tried to reassure me that this was great because the place was locally owned (not a big faceless corporation) and that they source all the food from local farmers.  In fact, I think they were told that the chicken I was eating was named "Walter".  I think they were even been offered a picture of him so that I could feel at one with my meal.

POPCORN!!!!

In all fairness it was not the worst meal I have ever had...... and I really did not want to retire before I was 80 years old anyway so the bill did not hurt that much.  Ok - it actually hurt A LOT!!!!!   POPCORN!!!!!  Apparently, sea salt is super expensive.

So - there you go.  As I said, I don't care about food.  Eating is just a necessity most of the time.  I never even think about it.  

However, I now have at least one clear opinion about food.......  I need an option that is somewhere between Gas Station Hot Dogs and Hippies.

Almost like Moose Jaw (Blog 2 of 30)

Growing up in Moose Jaw meant growing up near the "Canadian Forces Base" and that meant going to lots of airshows and seeing lots of airplanes overhead.

Another Moose Jaw memory is of going to parades and hearing bagpipes.

Therefore, yesterday seemed a lot like being in Moose Jaw.  

The town dedicated a new war memorial (you can read about that here) and as part of that they had a parade and, in particular, bagpipers.

As well, they had two vintage airplanes doing flyovers.  One was a "Spitfire" and the other was a training plane called a "Harvard".  The Harvards have a very distinct sound - one that I heard lots as a kid.

Here is a bit of what all that was like......

The Empty Nest Files (Blog 1 of 30)

It has happened!  As of September, Sara and I are officially "Empty Nesters"!!!!

I know what you are thinking..... we are too young..... too full of life..... too good looking for our kids to be grown and gone - but the universe is full of mystery!  :)

So, since we don't have the money for a mid-life crisis...... divorce would be super messy..... and there is no way Sari could do hard time in prison for murdering me (I am pretty certain that they don't sever Chai Lattes in the slammer.... or is it the big house???..... the pokey????  What is the current term these days???) I think we are going to have to stay together and try to manage without the kids.

While we all still really enjoy hanging out together, truth be told, I think that the kids actually enjoy living in the big city and acting like adults.   There is a certain freedom in being able to go to some snobby restaurant where you pay five times as much for half the food that you would get at the Husky in Estevan.

And - from our side - it is interesting to have the house to ourselves ("Interesting" as in I came home the other day and told Sari that we had to turn the radio on because it was like a morgue around here).

Actually, one day Sari did say, "Don't tell the kids, but not having them around all the time makes me feel like we are teenagers again!"   

I think what she meant was that we are broke and I get all awkward and nervous when I am alone with her.  :)

We have never been parents that have said, "We can't wait till the kids are gone".  In fact, we have always said that every stage along the way has been fun and I expect this one will be too.

Here, then, are the first ever "first day of school" pictures that were not taken in our back yard.

We love you girls!  Have a great year! (And bring mom a $10 chai latte sometime when you come home)

We are Baaaaaccccckkkkkk!!!! (30 blogs in 30 days)

Hey y'all......  I gotta tell you that I am REALLY excited about summer!!!   I am gonna......... huh....... WHAT?????   SEPTEMBER!!!!!!!

YOU'VE..... GOT..... TO..... BE...... KIDDING!!!!  :(

Ok - obviously I missed the entire summer when it comes to blogging - but it isn't like our summer was super boring.  Would you like to hear about......

- Megan's graduation????

- Kendall moving out here for the summer and hanging out with Katie for more than 10 days in a row (which is a first)?

- My COMPLETE DISASTER of a motorcycle trip which involved tenting in hurricane force storms, broken tent poles and us being blown right off the highway in North Dakota??

- The indoor pool that we had in our basement because water flooded in through our basement windows.  Sari and the girls were the heroes of that story

- Our family trip to Canmore/Banff which was actually a ton of fun (I say "actually" because our family trips lately have had several elements of disaster in them)

- The kids going to university and us being "empty nesters" for the first time (that will be a long discussion - maybe)  :)

Those are some of your options - so write in and make your requests now.

I am going to post a bunch of "summer stuff" pictures - just for the fun of it and so that we can catch up.

30 blogs in 30 days starts tomorrow!!!   Please check in (and comment) lots!  :)

Coming Soon!!!!!!

30 Blogs in 30 days!!!!!

Keep watching...... It's gonna happen!!!!  :)

Farewell Sweet Carla!!

Four years ago, we bought Katelyn a car and a best friend... a 2004 Olds Alero that she named "Carla". 

Last night, Carla's time with us came to an end when she discovered that she did not know how to swim in the flood waters in front of our house.

Here is a picture of Carla with my truck named "Summer" (Summer was also transported to the nearest automotive health facility for further observation).

And Katelyn's eulogy to her faithful buddy..... (In case you cannot understand all that she is saying, I will post a transcript below)

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to mourn the loss of one of the dearest members of the Pippus fleet! Carla Alero Pippus went peacefully to the golden parkade in the sky during last night's storm! Carla was a resilient little coup who loved going for long drives on gravel roads! She was a faithful automobile that loved to skate gracefully on icy winter roads and she always made sure you made it home safe and sound! I will miss you my darling Carla! R.I.P dear friend! 💕😢

Please come back again!

When I typed "Having fun" into my search bar, this is one of the images that came up....

That seems like it sums up our last month or so.... we are having fun with all the things we are doing, but we seem to be on the run.

In the midst of enjoying our summer, I will slow down enough to blog a little bit - so please keep checking back once in a while.  We really do have lots of stuff to share when we get around to it. 

Hope you are having a great summer too!

So this is Happening (Post 15 of 30)

It is starting!!!  From the paper..... look bottom left.

Sunday stuff (Bonus post)

Yaaayyy - Sort of (Blog 14 of 30)

I made the news.... and the tree that fell missed everything.... so that is good, right?  Click on photo for story

Ooops (Blog 13 of 30)

Interesting pic in the Canadian Tire flyer this week.... according to the hoses, the pump for this pool is underground!!!

What will they think of next???? (Maybe they will think to check their photoshopping problems) :)

My Hat Came Back (Blog 12 of 30)

I do not consider myself a hoarder.  I don't have a lot of junk.  However, I do think that if you own something, you should take care of it and keep track of it.  Therefore......

- I still have the green hair brush that I bought when I was in grade 7 (I told someone this recently and they said, "Is that where your hair is?"..... ha ha ha!!!)   :(

- When I go to the leisure centre I still use the same lock that I used when I played basketball in grade 10

- Every sermon that I have ever preached in Estevan (over 26 years) has been written using the same mechanical pencil.

All that to say, I don't often lose or misplace things.

Several years ago, I won a race at the "Estevan Motor Speedway" (It was called "Faster Pastor". They put a bunch of preachers in cars and let us go).  After the race, they gave me a trophy and this hat.

Ever since I was a kid I wanted to drive a stock car and win a race, so I thought the hat was cool.  Therefore, I tossed it in the saddlebag of my motorcycle so that I would have it with me wherever I went. It is especially fun to wear it when I go to race tracks because it makes people think I know something.  :)

Two Saturdays ago, there was a car show north of town, so I jumped on my bike and rode out there.  When I got there, I flipped open my saddlebag and ..... MY HAT WAS GONE!!!!

I retraced my steps in my mind.  I wore it earlier in the day, but I was sure I put it back in the saddlebag. 

When I got home, I looked all over the house.... nothing!  

When I got the to the church building on Sunday morning.... nothing!

So I decided that the only thing that could have happened was that my saddlebag opened up while I was riding out there (I had not latched it - only the Velcro was holding it) and that my hat had got sucked out and was laying on the highway somewhere.

So - of course - after church I had to go look. 

Sari and I drove the entire 8 miles out to where the car show was.... nothing!!  Dejected, we turned around and headed back into town. 

Half-way back to town, Sara says, "THERE IS YOUR HAT!"

Now, here is the thing....

   1.  The wind was blowing 60 - 75 km/h for 24 hours straight.  The hat could have gone anywhere.
    2.  In the entire 8 mile stretch, the ditches are only mowed in two sections.  Everywhere else, the grass was over a foot high and super thick.  If my hat had landed in there, we never would have found it.  As it was, it was laying right in the middle of one of the mowed sections... sitting just as if it had been placed there waiting for us.

    3.  We had a torrential rain storm the night before, so I  figured that even if I did find the hat that it would be all mushy and wrecked.  On the contrary, I think the rain did it some good.  It is cleaner now than it has been in years. 

The moral(s) of the story.....

  a.  Use the things you like.  There is no point keeping things on shelves or in drawers.  Even if it had been lost forever, I would have been happy that I lost it because I was using it.

  b.  Sometimes things work out in your favor, so don't give up.  If I had not gone to look, I never would have found it.

  c.  Don't tell everyone you know that you are going to drive 8 miles out of town looking for a hat that maybe blew out of your saddlebag and maybe landed in a ditch somewhere after it has been out in a monsoon season rain storm because they are going to look at you like you have completely lost your mind!!!

   d.  Certainly don't tell them that when you found it, you put it on your head and happily wore it back into town..... that is gross!

But I am happy I did.  :)
 

A Small Town Tradition (Blog 11 of 30)

One of the things that I love about living in a small city is that some of the old time traditions still live on. 

For example, it is still a big deal when the fair comes to town.  Sari and went and  walked the midway this evening and we saw half the town out there... and I like that.  I like living in a place where you see people that you know.  I like that kids from Hillcrest (both current and past) run up to Sara excited to see her.  I like that I run into guys from hockey or from the speedway.

Obviously, big cities have a lot more to offer, but small towns are hard to beat when it comes to relationships... and that is one thing that makes the yearly fair fun.

Well, that and caramel apples!  :)

Grad Photos (Blog 10 of 30)

We had a good time Friday night with the first part of the Megan Grad Photo shoot.  Thanks to Adam and Trinda for making it a fun night!  


There will me more to come over the next couple of weeks, but here is a start......

Some new friends (Blog 9 of 30)

We were out exploring tonight and came across these little guys.....

Sunday Stuff (Bonus post)

Progress or The reason I have not written a more interesting blog (blog 8 of 30)

When I was a kid, I drove old junky cars all the time.  The good part about that was that at least you could fix them.  If you needed to change the thermostat, you could do it in like 30 minutes - tops!

On the weekend, the belt on Katelyn's car broke.  I got a new one and went to put it on only to realize that I needed a special tool.  Thanks to a friend, I found someone who would loan me one.  What could be better???  $21 for a belt and she would be back on the road in no time.

THREE AND A HALF HOURS LATER I finally got the belt on!!!!  But not before I had to take the front passenger side tire off.... take away all the plastic ick underneath the car..... contort myself like a circus performer.... and become very frustrated.

Even the magical "special tool" did not work!  I could not for the life of me get it in the right spot to make it work.  After several hours, I just quit and went to bed.

But I am determined (or stubborn) and went back at it today..... and I finally got the belt on..... but I had to create my own "special tool" to do it.

So, the moral is either......

    A.  Things are regressing not progressing (On an old car you can change an alternator belt in 10 minutes).

    B.  Good things happen when you keep trying

    C.  I am obviously too cheap to pay someone who knows what they are doing to fix something and would rather tear up his arms, get mad and take a couple of years off of his life expectancy simply to save the $120 the shop would have charged him to do this.

    D.  There is no feeling like fixing something yourself.

Maybe it is all of the above!  :)

Ps. I do have a really good story to tell you.... it is called "The Hat came back".  I just have not had time to do it yet, but keep checking back.  It will make you laugh, then cry, then smile, then laugh and cry at the same time and then leave you wondering why you bothered to keep checking back here just for that..... I promise!  :)

Cars and Quilts: Parts of our weekend (Blog 7 of 30)

I did not get pictures of everything that happened this past week (and I am going to tell more stories from it tomorrow), but for now here are a few updates.

Saturday afternoon I went to a car show north of town.  Met some friends out there... saw lots of cool stuff.... other than the wind it was fun.  Here is a not so great picture, but it will do.....

Then we had races at the speedway that night.  A buddy of ours who owns an advertising company needed someone to drive his souvenir van out to the track, so I got volunteered.  It was quite the ride.

Races ended up being windy and somewhat cold so the crowd was small again - which is really too bad.  However, we did do what they call a Calcutta race (all classes of cars out at the same time).  My job was to line the hobby stocks up in turn one, so this what that looked like....

And here is what the race itself looked like from inside corner one......

And lastly - but most importantly (It is only last b/c it was last chronologically) - every year our congregation always does a Grad banquet.  One of the traditional gifts is a handmade quilt.  Here is Megan with hers......

As I said, that is not the whole story but it is a start.  Come back tomorrow for part 2.

Hard at Work! (Blog 6 of 30)

I have taken a few days off from blogging because I have been super busy, but now I have a bunch of stuff to share - so come back often over the next few days.


Here is the start..... an action shot of me being a track official at the "Estevan Motor Speedway".  As you can tell by the popcorn in my hand, I take my job very seriously!  :) 


Actually, it was sort of serious.... Jim tried to steal a couple of handfuls when I wasn't looking!  (Thanks to Angel for the photo)

Wanna Buy a Town??? (Blog 5 of 30)

If you happen to have about a million bucks kicking around, this beauty could be yours.....

Coming this Sunday (Bonus post)

Day of Caring (Blog 4 of 30)

Every year the United Way does what they call "The Day of Caring" where they match up volunteers who want to work with those who could use some help with various projects.  The simple goal is to build community and help one another.


This year, Sara rounded up some kids (actually the kids had to apply to her, write out a summary of why they wanted to help, etc) and volunteered.   They ended up being assigned to the "Estevan Humane Society".  They had a great day cleaning stuff, sorting things and playing with the animals (Sari almost brought home a new dog!!!)  :(


Anyway, hers was the only group of school kids there and that got others thinking about involving their schools next year. 


She was really proud of the kids that went with her. Good workers.... good representatives of Hillcrest.... good kids.


Good Job!

The Letter (Blog 3 of 30)

Every preacher I have ever know has received "the letter" from someone (Some of them have received many letters).

It is an occupational hazard that goes along with stating an opinion or belief in a public forum.... someone at some point is going to disagree with you.

The trick is that most of the time they do not have the guts to disagree with you in person and nor will they get up in front of everyone and state their case (like the preacher has to do), so they leave you a nasty note..... sometimes they even have the guts to sign it - though "anonymous" is often the author.


With the advent of email, blogs, texting and other social media platforms it is even easier to shoot your mouth off and not bear any responsibility for what you have said or who you run over in the process.


For the record, I have not had many letters like the ones I am describing. Our church has been very kind to me and my family and we have learned to deal with disagreements in a healthy way.


However, this morning, I walked into my office and there on my desk sat this great, big, long note with handwriting that was so disjointed and weird looking that it was obviously written by a crazy person who was in a big hurry to tell me how stupid I am.


At first, I was shocked!  As I said, our group is so good to me and my family that I could not believe someone had written me a "letter".


Then I was angry!  HOW DARE SOMEONE DO THIS TO ME WHEN I AM WORKING MY GUTS OUT HERE????  COME AND TALK TO ME LIKE A MAN IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO DISCUSS AND STOP HIDING BEHIND A STUPID PIECE OF PAPER!!!


Then I was confused......   How did anyone get into my office????   All the doors were locked and no one else has a key.


Then I realized......  I left that letter on my desk!!!!!! 


It was my pile of notes for my sermon this week.... and it was not nasty at all.... in fact it was quite uplifting! 


The thing is that I never leave junk in the middle of my desk, so when I saw that pile of papers I automatically assumed the worst. 


This experience has taught me two things...... 
     a.  I may be a little more edgy and defensive than I need to be
     b.  I may need a little more sleep or drink less coffee or something.


So all's well that ends well, right?


But I did make sure to clean up my desk and put everything away so that it does not happen again tomorrow!  :)

Healthy or Hindering???? (Blog 2 of 30)

I saw a  lady who was out jogging tonight.  She had her Ipod strapped to her arm, her earbuds in and she was obviously listening to music as she ran.  

Then, when she came to the corner, lost in her own music/running world and oblivious to the world around her, she ran right out in front of the car in front of me and almost got hit.

So the question is: Is she being healthy because she is out jogging..... or is she being unhealthy by putting her life at risk by running as if she is the only person in the world???

Sometimes it is better just to stay on the couch and watch TV.  :)

Fun for Everyone (Post 1 of 30)

It seems I need the motivation that comes from the challenge of trying to blog every day.  If I just write when I feel like it, I rarely do it.

Therefore, I am starting another "30 blogs in 30 days" which will be good because June should have a bunch of interesting things to document.

We will start with this..... Every once in a while in the summer we cancel our formal Sunday night class and go over to Calvin and Mary's for a pot luck BBQ/visiting time.  Tonight was the first one of this year and it had a really good turn out.  Weather was good..... lots of food.... what more could you ask for?

Sunday stuff

Here is what we are talking about on Sunday.  If you are interested, come on by......