Glen Kyle:  

t Calgary sports and enjoy live theatre acts together. She even puts up with my singing. By the way; is anyone missing a dog?? I usually sing in the key of "C". Now, just so that you understand more clearly; in music, there's the key of low C, then there's high "C" and then there's my key which is, ...."LOUSY"! It's more like asthma set to music.... Just kidding; I have actually done, not so bad at this. I get many sitting ovations and play to thousands of Adams ...uh...er .....that should read...." atoms." I get up to Redmonton Wildberta, about 4 times a year for various occasions. I don't seem to enjoy it there much, so I simply go to visit with my sister and to pay my respects to my mother's and grandparents' resting place. 🌷 While living in Edmonton, I was victimized 34 times with 26 vehicle break-ins., Three vehicles were stolen👮‍♂️, along with several bikes and just about anything else that wasn't nailed and cemented down. It seemed to me at least, that if you were to live in Edmonton, you weren't allowed to have anything shiny or new. There were three attempted break-ins of my home including, once while I was home on a Sunday afternoon. It wasn't a pleasant day for that fellow! 😢 That's what you get for choosing the wrong house! Even little old ladies used to sit in their rocking chairs and knit guns at night. When using an ATM after 6 PM, it was recommended that you wear shoulder pads, a helmet and have your phone speed-dialed to 9-1-1! Nope; it's not where I would want to plant my garden - thank you. I still hold some much older and fonder memories of Edmonton however. I attended 13 schools there. I reflect back to the days when I spent nearly every free moment playing hockey at the Killarney outdoor rink with friends. Those were special times. As the years went on, I would eventually one day befriend the caretaker of that Killarney rink and have him sit in as my best man at my wedding in 87. He was a great guy, and I used to help him flood the rink there at night and then sing upstairs in the lounge. The other memory that comes to mind is while residing in Glengarry after the rink was shut down and the lights were off for hours, I would put on my skate guards, grab my stick and puck, and simply walk over to the rink where I would play and practice for hours under the moonlight. Still, I remember as a 10 to 12-year-old child, riding my bike from the North end (Glengarry) all the way to Garrison Hill to hit rounds of golf balls and play miniature putt for a total of $3.00 There were a lot of good years in Edmonton, but the last number of years there, no longer felt like a home should feel. It seemed like it was dying and was cold and somber-like. While working for ATCO GAS there, the nepotism and favoritism were knee-deep, and it stifled a lot of decent productive growth. In addition to this, I witnessed red circling and blacklisting of certain employees. In short, it wasn't a real positive experience there in my 25 years. A lot of nepotism at all levels made it for an unequal opportunity workplace. Despite the cards being stacked, I retired as a Fleet Supervisor in my last 2 years there. I previously was in corrosion control, supervisor of fleet safety, construction, key master, meter repair, and meter reading just to name some of the roles that I was a part of. I made up my mind back in the early '80s that one day I would move to the fine city of Calgary, and thank God I followed through with my plan. I love it here as it nicely fits with my soul and spirit. Before moving here, I had season tickets to the Stampeders for about 3 seasons. Having spent some time as a child down here, I had a pretty good handle on the spirit of the city. I'm an ardent follower of all the Calgary sports teams. I still enjoy sports, but not with the same gusto. For me, sports have become tainted by politics, corruptive officiating, excessive money, spoiled brats called athletes, obnoxious announcers, player agents, and excessive commercialism. The spirit, honesty, and integrity of sport are not the same, no matter what sport you speak of. Even the Olympics and Amateur sports have become tainted and diminished in their value from greed and politics and lack of maturity. It's truly a shame. And to think it all started with #9 - Bobby Hull coming over from Chicago (the NHL) to Winnipeg (WHA) for a then, unheard-of, million dollars. My life is quite comfortable, simplified, and private, as I prefer it that way. Alcohol or drugs don't enter my home. I have seen chemicals destroy people and their relationships, and it won't happen to yours truly. And lowlifes that wouldn't have a snowball's chance in hell of getting through the front door, don't enter my home via the TV set either. For me, trust is obtained in droplets and lost in buckets... The world has changed a lot since we were the generation of the future. We lived more in a time when people were of a gentler nature & easier to trust and enjoy. Behavior standards were always in place and expected. People generally embraced many disciplines and were made accountable. Now somewhere, an elderly lady reads a book on how to use the internet, while a young boy googles " how to read a book". I miss a lot of things from back then like....." customer service"! Things we used to take for granted! It just throws me as to how many people (the majority of them being male), feel and act with reckless "entitlement". Somewhere in our society, we got turned around in my opinion. Too many are quick to climb on the " I have a right" wagon while leaving the important " I have a responsibility wagon" parked in the ditch! In the old days; the ladies wore four sizes of jeans. SKIN -TIGHT,, TIGHTER, TIGHTEST, AND "OOPS...WHO LET THE DRAFT IN?" Remember the famous zipper at the back........haha:=) ??? I didn't have too many crushes in High School. That's probably a good thing, or my marks would have been lower than even what they were. I can only now imagine....lol. I was always considered to be "picky" when it came to dating the tender gender! I was only in love but once while attending regular grade school. I dated a fair amount after graduating and was eventually married for too long haha. No one looked better than my EX in a barbed wire hairnet, switch-bladed toenails and her custom-fitted - strap-on teeth. As it turned out, I made the right decision...lol 😂 to date a considerable amount after my divorce. In doing so; one gets to know and understand themselves and others considerably better. Perhaps someday I"ll write a Country and Western song about it. Should be a great seller! As I get older, I realize more about the importance of certain things in life and the less relevance of other things. How for example; life is so much easier and offers better long-term rewards if you embrace and surround yourself with discipline and patience. The qualities of sincerity and being authentic, to me, are of the utmost importance, whether we're speaking on a professional or personal level. That's all part of being an "old soul". I try to separate myself from all BS and stay true to as many as I can. I've always enjoyed the company of those who have a strong sense of duty, a work ethic, and a friendly disposition. I stay busy working out, and driving around trying to bribe cute 25-year-old girls with sticks of candy....lol ONCE AGAIN, JUST KIDDING! It's actually 30-year-olds......:-) lol. I have to admit that my 60th birthday meant something to me. I never knew at 50, where I would be in my life at 60 or not. As it turned out, with God's blessing it's been great, and I hope all is well with all of you as well. I feel for those grade school families that have lost a loved one! Anything below 70 still seems - too young. There's always one fellow I think about from time to time, who was with us for most of his grade school years and then was taken from us, far too early in life. He was a young man who loved to smile and laugh whenever an opportunity to do so presented itself. I often think that, if he had lived longer and taken the path that he wanted, I'm sure he would have done fantastic accomplishments in his life. I can still visualize him with a family of 4 kids a wife, and his loving life to the max. He had a lot of good in him. He probably would have been an engineer and happily married to an honest woman. He, unfortunately, didn't see the light at the end of the tunnel. If there's something that we should all learn from his passing, is that you never let good people slide away. Be there to support them when they could use a friend. They say that you can't help someone to help themselves. I say, in some cases, you most certainly can. Hold on to every genuine person that you find. This generation has too many driven by ego, money and status. As a result, good souls are ruined daily. Keep your head up and conscious of the energy that you give out and connect with. Anyway, folks, it's good to see that some of you are still doing well. I have NOW left all forms of social media as it's just purely too dysfunctional for my liking.! My wife and I will continue to reside here in "C" town, and will probably always have fur babies; as they add a lot of love to home and seem to act as the glue to a lot of families. We presently have 3 of the little munchkins. The way I have figured it is; they will only break your heart but once in life, and that's when they eventually pass on.✝ Occasionally a true friend gives his paw, not his hand! Don't resent growing old folks, for there are many who are denied the privilege. If you have something of intelligent substance to say, I would love to hear from you! In the meantime, may God's glory be with the good people of Ukraine. Until the next time, may your neighbours respect you, troubles neglect you, the Angels protect you, and Heaven accept you! God Bless You All!