Week ending May 10, 2012

On Friday, the grandkids dropped in for lunch which was a surprise. They had a day off while their teachers were on professional developement. Later we picked up an HD essential receiver, and got it all set up, to the point where it said we weren't authorized for the channels. Called Shaw Direct and left a call-back for 30 to 50 minutes later. They called just as we were leaving to go to the library, to talk to John's dad on Skype, so we ignored the callback. After chatting with Mom and Dad we called Shaw Direct back and this time waited in line. They authorized the receiver, and everything was working fine for a few channels. Then we lost the satellite signal, even though the one in the living room was still okay, although a bit low.

On Saturday, we got up early to attend a 10:00 lacrosse game for James, our youngest grandchild. His team won the game quite handily.

On Sunday, we drove into Okotoks to Canadian Tire to pick up a better compass to help align the satellite dish (after only a year of practice). After watching the end of the Nascar race, we moved the dish to an area that had a slightly better signal, but it still didn't fix the problem with the HD receiver. Then we went to the kids place to have a rib dinner with them. Sue had been called in to work, so was leaving shortly after we arrived. Anthony cooked the ribs. Fortunately Trever finished installing some cabinets earlier than he had expected so he was able to join us.

Monday, we took the HD receiver back. They told us that there were SD receivers still available in a shop in Bragg Creek. In the afternoon, John set up the hammock for the first time since last September, and spent about an hour enjoying the sun and reading the Count of Monte Cristo on the e-reader, which is quite handy for outdoor reading, since there is no glare on it.

Tuesday, we met with our financial advisor and made a few adjustments. Afterwards, he took us for a nice lunch. Later, Joan had her appointment with her uncologist. No problems. We finished early enough that we were able to head to Bragg Creek and pick up the SD receiver. We were able to get it hooked up with a signal, and Shaw Direct activated it for us with no problem.

On Wednesday, John got his molar fixed. Fortunately, it didn't need a root canal, but was still a good hit on our finances.

On Thursday, we woke to a light cover of snow. For the first few hours in the morning, we were regaled by pieces of ice falling from the trees as the sun started melting the snow. Later in the morning, we went with Sue to Costco in Okotoks to pick up some bulk stuff, something we don't do much, due to lack of space. Mostly vitamins, and other health or cosmetic related stuff. We stopped at Scotia Bank to open an account. This was recommended to us by our friends Brian and Kris, since there are no charges for using Bank of America ATMs when in the States.