Kevin's Ramblings…

So, I’m not a huge New Year’s Resolution type person, typically. This year, I’m making an exception and going to try very hard to fulfill this resolution.

I resolve to take the dogs for a daily walk, at least one walk a day, every day where the temperature is above -10C and where it’s not raining (the dogs and I don’t care to walk in the rain).

I was pretty good last year, but there were just days that I didn’t feel like it and that’s not good for the dogs, or for myself.

Now, there will be some exceptions, for instance, if I’m traveling without the dogs, it’s sort of hard to take them for a walk.

So, here’s to a healthier 2024 for, Hera, Twix and Kevin.

It’s just about the end of 2023. A lot has happened this year, mostly good, some things didn’t go quite as planned.

I’m still working for IBM although the client that I work for switched way back in February / March. So, I’ve been with my new client for 8 months now and am enjoying it. There are challenges, of course, but the team I have working for me is excellent and we get drive what needs to be done.

My cousin and aunt visited in July and that kicked off my adventure in living in my 5th wheel trailer in Balzac Alberta. Before I moved from Crowsnest Pass, I was told that I would have a full service site for the winter. So, I moved the dogs and myself and settled in. About a month later, I was told that I would not get a full service site for the winter, so that really sucked. I camped without water for 7 weeks, that was a bit rough, but now we are in a great location and enjoying it.

My cousin and aunt’s visit was good, but fairly tiring. We started in Calgary when I picked them up at the airport. We headed north to Edmonton for the night, stopping along the way for dinner. I brought my German Shepherd, Hera with us and she experienced her first elevator ride – I can safely say she didn’t enjoy the elevator ride at all.

We had brunch the next day with my brother and his family, my 2 nieces and nephew-in-law, is that a term, as well as my great-niece and great-nephew. It was good seeing everyone and we visited the West Edmonton Mall and even Hera got a tour of the mall. In not sure if dogs are normally allowed or if they thought she was some sort of service dog, but security didn’t object at all to her being in the mall.

We headed back to Crowsnest Pass and spent the night in Coleman. We headed out early the next day to drop the dogs off in boarding in Fort Steele British Columbia and then made our way to Banff Alberta. We toured Banff for the afternoon but didn’t stay there, hotels were a bit pricy so we stayed in Calgary for the night.

We headed to Jasper Alberta and stopped in Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, it was my first visit and it was beautiful. We then spent two nights in Jasper and did the Skytram to the top of the mountain, the views were amazing. He headed back towards Crowsnest Pass and stopped to get the dogs along the way. I felt bad for my cousin in the back seat of the truck with 3 large dogs, but they all fit. We had planned on going to Drumheller Alberta, but it was going to be awfully hot so we cancelled that part of the trip and instead, headed back to Calgary for an overnight stay before my cousin and aunt got on their return flight to Toronto.

It was a whirlwind trip and a lot of driving, just over 4000km in 6 days but my visitors got to see and experience Alberta and I got to see quite a bit of the province that I hadn’t seen before.

After the trip is when I started on my hunt for a trailer to live in. I have a 20 foot trailer but it would be far too small to live in long term. I purchased a 30 foot 5th wheel, a very nice trailer for sure. The plan was to move to Balzac in late August.

Right after my birthday in August, I made the difficult decision to put Blondie down. She had been slowly going downhill for about 6 months, but in the last 2 weeks of her life, I knew her time was up. I was much more prepared to lose her than I was when Zeus passed, so, as awful as it sounds, it didn’t hit me the same way. I’m lucky to have Hera and Twix for companionship, they are awesome dogs, but we all miss Blondie and her antics.

We stayed in the 5th wheel until the first week of December. In October, I enquired about 2 potential rentals and looked at one of them. It was too far away from civilization, it was actually more remote than Crowsnest Pass was, so I knew immediately that it would not work out. I was told that the other place had already been rented, so I figured we’d make the best we could in the trailer and I’d keep my eyes open for a new place.

A couple of weeks later, I received a text from the other rental, her renter had to back out and would I be interested in taking a look. I most certainly was and the place would work perfectly. I was set to move in on December 15. I was told that I could move in early since the previous tenants left early so we moved in on December 8. I found a storage facility for the 5th wheel quite close to my new house, so that worked out well.

We’ve been in the new house for 3 weeks now and am loving it. I also love the city of Airdrie. It’s not too big (around 75000 people) but big enough that it had everything one could want. I plan on umpiring in Calgary next summer which will be great. I’m going to dial back a bit though, just single games, no double and triple headers.

So, all in all, 2023 was a pretty good year. I’m looking forward to 2024 and the adventures that it’ll bring.

To you and yours, have a Happy New Year and all the best for 2024.

The past week has absolutely zoomed by. That’s a good thing I guess. Work has been good although it was busier than I figured it would be. I was a bit short-handed at times, something to remember for next year. The agents that work for me tend to forget about taking time off and then want to use it all at the end of the year. I hope that changes in 2024.

The new place is basically all setup and ready to go. I do have to find places for some stuff, but it definitely feels like home. I also need to get some stuff out of my trailer, nothing really important, just miscellaneous items that I’ll have to find places for.

My washing machine leaked when I used it on Thursday, as the landlord told me it might. He came over to try to fix it and was unsuccessful, so, I now have a new washer. I was impressed with how quickly he got back to me and resolved the issue.

I’m heading to Crowsnest Pass this morning. I will stop at Costco for gas (cheapest place around) and will also get some white chocolate raspberry scones at Cobb’s bakery. It’ll be just a quick morning trip and I’m leaving the dogs at home since it’s supposed to be sort of cold this morning. On Friday afternoon we had temps in the mid-teens, it was gorgeous. When I let the dogs out yesterday morning at around 4am, there was between 2-3″ of snow in the ground. So, I guess we are having a white Christmas after all. I’ve actually had a white Christmas every year that I’ve been in Alberta, not that it really matters to me. If it wasn’t for the white stuff, I wouldn’t have to shovel.

I’m working tomorrow, on Christmas, I volunteered so that coworkers could spend time with family. My family is 4-legged and they don’t mind if I’m working. I don’t expect much to happen, it should be a quiet day.

To you and yours, enjoy Christmas and whatever festivities you are involved with. Have a good one.

I am fully moved out of the trailer as of this morning. I found a storage facility for it with a pull through site, I hate backing up trailers… The storage site is 5 minutes from where I’m living so that’s convenient for sure.

I am and am not sorry to not be in the trailer any longer. If I had gotten full services that I was told I’d get, it wouldn’t have been bad. As I think I’ve mentioned, I’ll never take running water for granted any longer.

So, the trailer is safely parked for the winter and I’ll decide what I’m doing with it in the spring. I may camp a weekend here and a weekend there. The used trailer market is hot right now as well, so I may sell the trailer. For now, there’s no reason to make a decision.

I’m all setup in the house with the exception of some minor items to find places for. It’s a great house and I’m going to enjoy living here for sure. I really like the city of Airdrie as well. It’s small enough but has everything that someone would want.

So, today was a fairly productive day. Moving the trailer was a breeze and I’m glad to have it out of the campground now. I guess I’ll sell my StarLink internet as I have Shaw here. Should be an easy sell I’d think since the hardware has shot up in price.

Another week at work until the Christmas break, although no break for me, just that the client will be closed which will give us a chance to catch up which will be nice. I’m working Christmas Day for the first time ever. I figured I’d volunteer so that those with family could spend it with their family. I do have family of course, the immediate family is the 4-legged variety and as long as they get some attention, they don’t care if I’m working.

Enjoy the holidays, they’ll be here before we know it.

I am settled into my new place. I am enjoying being back in a house, having the luxuries of water and sewer. Those are two things that I will no longer take for granted.

Everything is unpacked and put away. The dogs are settled in and I think liking the new house. There are excellent walking paths that are plowed in the winter, we are getting used to the area.

It’s a great neighbourhood, everything that you could need is right at hand. There are two grocery stores within walking distance, several restaurants, gas stations, a drug store, not bad at all. I’m very close to Highway 2 and quick access to Calgary. Costco is now 10 minutes away, as opposed to the 5 that it was in the trailer.

Had I had full hook-ups, I would have been happy at the trailer, but, perhaps camping is something for weekends and not long term. I haven’t decided what I’ll do with the trailer as yet. For now, storage and I’ll make a decision in the Spring.

Otherwise, work is going well, it’s been better lately. I felt almost out of place for a bit there and I’m unsure why. Now I’m feeling much better about the job on a day to day basis. My team is working well together and my client seems happier than they were.

I’ve volunteered to work Christmas Day so that other Leads who have families can enjoy the day. Not that I don’t have family, but mine are the 4-legged variety. My people family are back in Ontario and travel during the holidays is far too expensive to join them. I haven’t decided if I’m rescheduling my trip to Ontario or not, I guess I’ll see how much flights are in 2024.

For now, it’s business as usual.

On Thursday I text messaged my new landlady to let her know that I had sent an e-transfer for my rent for December 15 – January 14. She thanked me and asked if I’d be interested in moving in early as the previous tenants had already left.

Well, for sure I would be. I’ve been in the trailer for the last 7 weeks without running water and sewer. I don’t mind roughing it when I’m camping, but, I guess I don’t like that type of camping for quite that long. So I said yes, I can definitely move in early.

So, I cancelled my e-transfer and sent a new one and got back on a monthly payment schedule so I’m now back to normal paying the first of the month.

I had to scramble to change my U-Haul trailer rental, that wasn’t a problem at all and I contacted the guy I was getting plastic moving boxes from and he thought he was delivering this Friday anyway so it all worked out.

I met just before 4pm on Friday and got the keys and did a walk through. I unloaded what was in the back of the truck and headed back to the trailer to await one of the guys who works for me to assist with my BBQ and freezer. We got everything in place and then went out to grab a bite to eat, an amazing local Indian place called Gate of India, amazing food.

I go and pick up the trailer at 8 this morning, load up my stuff and fully move into the house. It’ll be a tiring day, but well worth it.

I’ll store the trailer for the winter and decide what to do with it in the spring. The used trailer market is hot right now, so selling is an option, I guess I’ll see come spring.

For now, I’ll enjoy being in a house again and having the conveniences of city living. I’ll think about camping next year, bit not on a permanent basis. Too bad that the experiment failed on me but I’m glad that I tried it. I’m happy to be back in civilization.

Welcome home.

The countdown is on, not that I’m counting the days, of course.

So, as I’ve blogged, I’m moving into a house in Airdrie on the 15th. I’ve now added to my must-have list of where I live, water and sewer services. It’s amazing how much we take running water for granted.

I’ve arranged for a U-Haul trailer rental, it’ll be cheaper than making numerous trips across town with the truck. The neighbour has said he’ll help load and unload, but it’ll be an easy move.

I’m really starting to like the city of Airdrie. The traffic isn’t bad, the walking paths are great for the dogs and I and there are a ton of restaurants, many of which I’ve already tried. I think I’m going to like it here.

It’s close to Calgary, downtown is only 25-30 minutes away, not too bad at all. I’m planning on going into the IBM office every month or 6 weeks, that’ll keep me sort of connected to real people.

I think the dogs will appreciate having a yard again too. I’ll appreciate having a dishwasher, although washing by hand isn’t all that bad. I get possession on the 15th but am moving a majority of my stuff on the 16th. Back to work on the 18th in the new place.

I haven’t yet decided what I’m doing with the trailer, for now, storage. I’ll decide over the winter on a longer term plan.

Moving in 11 days, looking forward to it.

So, back in August I made the decision to move out of Crowsnest Pass where I had lived for 5 years and move back to the Calgary area and, more specifically, into my 30 foot 5th wheel trailer. When I contacted the campground where I am staying, I was told that I would be able to have a full service site for the winter, so that sounded good to me. I made the move without looking back.

More than anything, I missed the city. I missed the conveniences of the city. I missed going to “chain” restaurants. I missed a short drive to Costco.

I loved the mountain air and the scenery in Crowsnest Pass, it really can’t be beat. After 5 years, I knew it was time for a change. The dogs and I made the move at the end of August and settled in. I umpired throughout September for Babe Ruth Calgary, that is something else that I really missed doing. Fall Ball wasn’t as good as I was hoping, so I was actually glad when it was over. The quality of the baseball was sub-par. Oh well, it will be better in the Spring / Summer season.

Towards the end of September, I was told that I would not be able to get a full service site. OK, not good… I didn’t want to be without water and sewer over the winter. So, I scrambled and found another campground and drove over with the dogs for a visit.

I was told that I could definitely have a full-service site for the winter, so I put a deposit down for a month and was set to move in before my planned trip to Ontario.

A week before I was set to move my trailer, I went back to pay for the month. I was then told that they didn’t have any full service sites for the winter. The clerk also argued with me that the other people who work there wouldn’t have told me otherwise. Well, sorry, that’s bullshit. Someone else from the park that I am in also was told the SAME thing – so, she either out and out lied to both of us, or doesn’t know her job, at all. There was no way I was going to pay almost $400 more a month for this new park for, basically, paved roads – that was literally the ONLY upgrade between parks.

So, I figured I would look at heated water and wastewater tanks, and pay for a pump out service and get water service by filling my fresh water tank. In the meantime, I started looking for a house – the prices were sort of shocking.

I did go to look at one place that was quite large, but VERY remote and decided before looking at the actual house that I would not be living there. It was actually more remote than Crowsnest Pass. I had enquired about another place and got a very quick reply that it was already pending rental but that she’d let me know if something happened, so I didn’t expect to hear back.

Fast forward to this past Friday, I received an email from the landlady and the renter that was supposed to me in fell through and was I still interested. I said yes for sure and the dogs and I went to visit this past Sunday. I was immediately impressed.

It’s a basement suite, but unlike a lot of basement suites I’ve seen, this one had 10 foot ceilings. It’s 2 bedrooms, partially furnished and, of course, pet friendly.

So, I decided to proceed with it and submitted my application. I talked to my former landlord and told him that someone may be talking to to him about my 5 years in his place. He told me that she had already called and he gave me a great reference. On Tuesday evening, I received a text message from my Boss that she had contacted him for a work reference and he confirmed that, yes, I work for IBM. I then received a message confirming that my application was accepted and that I will be able to move in on December 15.

I am really looking forward to having running water and a working toilet. Those are things that we take for granted, but, for me in the last month, I have NOT been able to take it for granted. My trailer experiment was good, for the most part. If I had water and sewer, I would be willing to stay for the winter, but, with the current conditions, this is my best option for sure.

So, as of December 15, I will be living in Airdrie Alberta and I have really started to like this city. I am looking forward to getting to know it better. Wish me luck. 🙂

Tonight, or more accurately, tomorrow morning, we end daylight savings time and go back to standard time. The debate on whether or not we should continue doing this has been going on for years.

Some wise politicians (and there are FEW off those) have decided to end the stupidity. The province to the east of Alberta, Saskatchewan, hasn’t changed their clocks, possibly ever. That’s a smart province…

Alberta has hummed and hawed about it yet they make no decision. They say well, if we change our policy then it’ll be a different time in Montana. Who the hell cares what time it is in Montana, well, you know, other than people who live in Montana.

So, yet again, we are changing our clocks at 2am on Sunday morning. It’s ridiculous and it really needs to stop. I don’t care if we stay on standard time or we stay on daylight savings time, just make a decision and stick with one or the other.

My 6 days off have absolutely flown by. I can’t believe that it’s over, but, sadly, it is.

I’ve gotten my back feeling better than it has in ages. My sinus infection has cleared up as well.

I didn’t do a lot on my time off. I had daily naps which was great. I went for some nice hikes with the dogs and did some running around that I had to do, but all in all, it was a good staycation.

I was able to reorganize the storage in the trailer and get everything in its place. I feel like I have more room now and I guess that I do actually.

I have a few small things still to do, the weekend will be here before I know it though.

I’m going into the IBM office on Thursday, that’ll be something new for me. I haven’t worked in an office in over 8 years now. I confirmed that jeans are fine and that I’ll fit right in. I’m going to drive downtown, it’s only slightly more to park than to take the train and I’ve never been a fan of public transit.

Hopefully November will be a good month, both at work and in my personal life. I’m hoping that the cold weather will stay away for a bit still, I’m not really ready for full on winter.

Enjoy your week.