We started off with sixteen teams when the playoffs first began

This is the best part of the season for us die hard hockey fans

Viewing for all hours of the night because they are being played coast to coast

Everyone staying wide awake cheering for the team they love the most

Double headers to be seen and so many great teams to view

If the early game goes into overtime, some don’t know what to do

Do you stay with the game and see who finally wins?

Or change the channel and be ready when the next game does begin?

Once again the “Leafs” didn’t live up to the hype

Another off season to listen to their fans gripe

Will they make some major changes or just stay the course?

The rumours are that “Marner” is gone and that’s from a reliable source!

Three of their players are in the top ten of the highest paid

Shelling out all that money and not much progress has been made

They were screaming from the rafters last year when they made the second round

They lost to the “Boston Bruins” in seven games this year and are no longer around

That happened over a month ago if anyone is keeping track

“Craig Berube” is their new coach, who knows what players will be back?

The “Jets” lost in the first round managing only to win one

That means there is only one team from “Alberta” in the playoff run

Just the “Oilers” and the “Panthers” are the franchises that are left to play

No more getting to watch hockey games every single day

We slowly get weaned off when a series is completed

The real hockey fan continues to watch even though his team has been defeated

A lot of “Canadians” will be watching because we still have a team in the race

It’s been a long time coming and we won’t settle for second place

The team from “Florida” are the favourites, that’s what the “experts” say

I think “McDavid” and his teammates talents will be on full display

They will prove to these so called “experts” things are not as they appear

With all of “Canada” behind them, they will kick into another gear

Using this as an incentive, this team will have no doubts

“Edmonton Oilers” will finally end our “Nation’s” thirty-one year drought!

How was your weekend? Mine was okay

I’ve been taking it easy for the month of May

Not participating in any lawn care and had nothing to do

Saturday marked the first of June and my hiatus was now through

I stuck to my guns to let all those wild dandelions thrive

Seen so many bees taking pollen for their hives

The grass this year officially reached a record height

I took so many pictures of my yard, not a pretty sight!

Both the front and the back were in a state of disarray

It took a lot of patience to get through “no mow May”

I stuck to my guns right up until the bitter end

It looked worse than some properties that have been condemned

I was anxious to get started and get on my way

Not wanting to bother the neighbours too early in the day

After all it was the weekend and they might want to sleep in

It was a little before ten o’clock when I decided to begin

Checked out the mower and made sure the tank was full

Raised the height on it and gave the cord a  pull

It took some more priming but it finally did come around

Hopefully I didn’t wake up too many when it made that big sound

Seeing it is self propelled there really wasn’t much strain

It was just a matter of going forward and then backing up again

The setting was to mulch and the grass was very thick

This whole process wasn’t going to go very quick

Didn’t lose my patience even though it was slow

However it was real easy to figure out where you left off in the row!

I was finally finished with the mower and put it in the shed

Then I found more tools that I required instead

I took out the trimmer to finish the job right

I have to admit, now my yard’s a pretty sight

This whole experience took over three hours in all

It will now go much swifter from here until the fall

Just days away from June and the end of “no mow” May

There are lots of dandelion seeds poised to blow away

The grass is nice and thick and certainly is tall

Who knows how many times my mower will start and stall?

The mild weather we had in April can be blamed in part

This contributed to the growing season getting an early start

There is just a few of us neighbours who continue to wait for June

The majority of the block will be happy to see this job done soon

The only thing I’ve done so far is to rid the garden of its weeds

Once the grass has been cropped I will be able to proceed

Saturday I went to a plant sale and came home with quite a few

Hopefully everyone will appreciate the thing I’m trying to do

The trees in the front yard produce a lot of shade

That’s the reason a change of plants had to be made

The ones that I purchased are supposed to do alright

These species I selected don’t require a lot of light

They need proper spacing in the garden bed

They are more like bushes and need room to spread

It will be looking pretty sparse when I first begin

Within the next few months it should all fill in

This should take care of the front yard and shouldn’t take much time at all

The bonus is that there should be less cleaning up required in the fall

This should definitely enhance our outdoor space

Give our friends a view that they can finally embrace

I’m looking forward to the challenge and seeing the outcome

Gardening is a challenge, I don’t possess a “green thumb”

Every spring I make the effort but seldom attain my goal

Yard work is something that I don’t enjoy as a whole

I usually strike when the iron is hot and go full steam ahead

The feeling eventually wanes and I find something else to do instead

This in turns puts my “horticultural” phase on hold

Could this be the year I finally break the mold?

I listen to podcasts as I meander along my way

I go through quite a variety each and every day

This morning’s topic was about the history of the film hero being cast

How since the advent of “The Soparanos” they are now a thing of the past

Sure you have your “Marvel” and “DC Comics” franchises raking in the dough

Since the emergence of “Tony Soparano” the “Anti-Hero” now steals the show

“Dexter”, “Walter White”, “Don Draper” and “John Dutton” all have special skills

These certainly couldn’t be considered “Role Models” who used to fit the bill

“The Sopranos” premiered in 1999 and became a great success

Just go out and watch the reruns and it will continue to impress

Twenty five years ago and this series hasn’t lost any appeal

“Tony” had a lot of issues that he tried to conceal

That goes for all the rest of the characters that this genre has produced

Based on all this information, here’s a theory I wish to introduce

All these kids have grown up watching these “Role Models” on their TV screen

Think of the amount of villains that they have probably seen

These were the shows they viewed each and every day?

Do you think this would have affected them in any way?

These kids are now voting age and the future is in their hands

There is something happening in the “States” that I can’t fully understand

“Trump” is cutting into “Biden’s” youth voters and gaining some ground

“Donald” is the closest thing to a “Mob Boss” that ever could be found

Maybe they look up to him and don’t consider him “suspect”?

Perhaps these years of “series binging” is having an effect?

“Trump” being in court may not be bothering them in the least

Maybe this is the very reason that his popularity has increased!

This is just another episode of the something they’ve seen before?

Not believing it’s reality and just choosing to ignore?

This is not just the youth, so many seem unaware

Some know him for being a fraud and refuse to care

I am going to close with a hypothesis or maybe it’s just a hunch

“Trump” and his “MAGA” followers are all “Out To Lunch”

Game seven is in “Boston” and being played today

The opening faceoff of this event is less than five hours away

I started writing this early so I could have my night free

Just like so many others, this is a game that I must see

“Vancouver” and “Edmonton” are still in the chase

Will the “Leafs” be joining them or like the “Jets” be eliminated from the race?

“Toronto” seems to be in the driver’s seat even without “Matthews” scoring touch

They won both games since he’s been gone, not missing him too much

Once again we want the “Stanley Cup” to go to a “Canadian” team

For the past thirty one years it has been a recurring dream

We had four teams that made the playoffs and now were down to three

Will the “Leafs” continue? We have to wait and see!

If they come out with a victory, they are still in the fight

A lot of anxious “Canadians” will be watching this game tonight

Here’s hoping they will be successful and don’t register a defeat

It would be nice to see this team competing in the “east”

The “Canucks” and the “Oilers” now go face to face

This could mean that we will have only one dog left in the race

We are guaranteed a semi finalist to continue in this quest

One of them could very well be representing the “west”

“Dallas” and “Las Vegas” still have one more game to complete

If the “Stars” are victorious, the “Stanley Cup” champion won’t repeat

We are no way near the finals and so many things could come about

It would be nice to see an ending to this “Canadian” drought

So many contests to be decided before we get to the final two

Watch as many games as we can is what most of us will do

A lot of late night hockey for those who live in the east

Being a loyal fan, it’s just the nature of the beast

There will still be double headers with eight teams in the race

If they go into overtime, it will be hard to maintain the pace

This annual crusade for us is really nothing new

“Hockey is our game”, that’s what “Canadians” do!

Sunday morning was pretty foggy, but I am not going to complain

The forecast for the weekend was nothing but rain

It was supposed to sweep in on Friday and continue right through to Sunday night

Thankfully their prediction didn’t turn out quite right

Sure we got some precipitation but not near in the amounts they predicted

They were saying that damage to the shoreline was going to be inflicted

I was prepared to be a shut in and took everything in stride

That’s when I decided to take the old bicycle out for a ride

I was supposed to meet up with a friend but he had to postpone

I ended up venturing on this trek all alone

I had already taken my doggy walk earlier in the day

So I continued to contemplate as I pedaled along the way

Then a thought came to me now that I recall

 To check out the new business that opened in the “North Bay Mall”

I walked into this new establishment and couldn’t believe its size

It was very expansive and came as quite a surprise

Will have to go back again to really check out this store

Was only in there for a few minutes then headed out the door

Since I was already on “Lakeshore Drive”, I decided to explore

Took the shortest path to the “Sunset Beach” shore

There I saw the sandbags all ready to be put in place

Cottage owners were well aware of the dilemma that they might have to face

I then headed back to the four lane traffic but took the sidewalk on the side

Then I had to take a left on “Birch’s Road” and continued with this ride

Finally got on a bicycle path on “Booth Road” as I was heading back

After drinking a bottle of water I now required a snack

Then I went to “Marshall Avenue” and continued on my way

Looped “Memorial Drive” then arrived at home to stay

Made myself some supper and fed the dog his food

This however wouldn’t be the way my evening would conclude

Put the dog on his leash and decided to go for a short hike

I ended up totaling 30 kilometers between the dog walking and the bike

We were all short of money and required some much needed riches

So it was decided we would go out and gamble, just me and my bitches

Were we going to “Las Vegas” or perhaps to “Reno”?

“Hell no”, we were hightailing it to the “Cascades Casino”

A thriving establishment located right here in the “Bay”

My wife was entitled to some free “moolah” because it was her “Birthday”

She had ten dollars up front to do what she wanted

So the three of us piled into the car and quickly departed

Our friend would get some cash because she was a “newbie”

For registering she also would get ten dollars for free

They now had twenty dollars between the two of them to blow

After the procedures were done, off to the slot machines we would go

As for me I had no claim whatsoever to any free chances

I was solely responsible for my own finances

Around each of our necks we sported a card tied with a long lace

This would keep track of our totals as we ventured from place to place

If you were winning you might choose to just stay there

When things started to head south, you would soon be out of that chair

Needless to say none us sat too long in one seat

We all left short of funds and admitting defeat

For me, free money on your birthday just doesn’t seem fair

Mine occurs on “Boxing” day so I don’t think I’ll be venturing there

We all left late in the afternoon and had lots of fun

We bought lottery tickets so I guess our gambling wasn’t officially done

Days later we were at the mall and roaming around that great space

Proceeded to one of the ticket kiosks that can be found in this place

We took turns checking each ticket to see if we won

We scanned each individual ticket one by one

My wife went first and with her four tickets not one cent was made

I then proceeded with mine and every one of them paid

I ended up with four free tickets and thirteen dollars playing these games of chance

That adds up to more money that the casino gave the two of them in advance

It’s Monday April 15th, are you ready for the main event?

The first of many cases that “Donald Trump” has managed to prevent

Just sticking with his strategy of delay, delay, delay

Finally after years of this, a decision didn’t go his way

Trying to postpone this trial, his lawyers were zero for three

Too bad this isn’t going to be televised for everyone to see

This “hush money criminal case” goes back to before the 2016 election

Today the first order of business is the jury selection

If you don’t know what this case is about, allow me to explain

He is accused of falsifying “Trump Organization” records before this campaign

Allegations of him paying women for sexual encounters is all the talk

There is also a Trump Tower doorman that claims “Trump” has a child out of wedlock

When you embark upon an election it is best to be very cautious

Even though these so called events occurred before he ran for office

“Trump” was in a dilemma and required some much needed guidance

He got his lawyer and fixer “Michael Cohen” to pay these women for their silence

He paid “Stormy Daniels” a porn star, 130,000 dollars and she signed a N.D.A.

“Karen McDougall”, a former playboy model would also get her pay

“Cohen” arranged for the “National Enquirer” publisher to pay the “Playboy” bunny

“Donald Pecker” paid her 150,000 dollars using his own money

He used the “catch and kill” to obtain this model’s story

This meant he wouldn’t  publish it and “Trump” wouldn’t have to worry

“Trump” is no genius we all know this of course

He got himself into trouble when it was time for him to reimburse

He paid “Cohen” in bonuses and extra payments and showed them as a legal expense

Now he is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records and I can’t wait for this trial to commence

“Trump” wanted to get his case moved because he says he won’t get a fair trial

This is coming from a man who is continually in denial

“Donald” has a gag order and this trial could be six weeks long

He is pleading “not guilty” and says “he didn’t do anything wrong”

He says “all he can do is tell the truth and the truth is they have no case”

I wish this trial was televised and I could see him put in his place

Security will be high, who knows what’s in store

This is the first one, he still has three more

I am glad that this case was never moved to another jurisdiction

I am hoping that the “Manhattan District” attorney comes out with a conviction

I contracted a dose of spring fever this past Saturday

Grabbed my rake and shovel and headed out on my way

The leaves that I boldly neglected last autumn were still on the scene

Decided I would make the effort and finally get the back yard clean

The big oak is our major culprit and it’s lost leaves were everywhere

There was still the abandoned acorns left out for the squirrels to share

I had this feeling of ambition and took advantage of it while I could

I tried to talk myself out of it but I was convinced that I should

It was a bright sunny day and the temperature was warming up

Just a little before 10:00 a.m. when I headed out with the pup

I was  told that the fallen leaves would insulate the grass over the winter season

 I left them where they fell for that very reason

Now they were blocking the lawn’s exposure to the sun

This was the reason that I decided to finally get things done

I listened to my favourite podcasts as I was cleaning the estate

The dog was basking in the sunshine next to our garden gate

This whole situation was now turning  into quite a chore

The enthusiasm I started with, wasn’t there anymore

I began in the morning and it was now afternoon

Even with all that I accomplished, I wouldn’t be finished soon

There were also broken branches and the odd pile of poop

So it wasn’t just the fallen leaves that I had to scoop

I just grabbed any container, a random selection

When finished my project, I had amassed quite a collection

No worries about anything blowing away in the breeze

Disposing them in the garbage was done with ease

They were a little heavier because everything was moist

Some of these filled bins were a little hard to hoist

I managed to stuff eight of them before the job was done

Hopefully they will lighten up in the shining sun

This yard cleaning took over four hours in all

I plan on doing this task once again this fall!

Money is tight for almost everyone, there really is no question

Especially for the older folk who are living on a fixed pension

Not near enough money to even consider going out to paint the town red

Just sitting in their houses forced to watch television instead

No longer having that free Netflix membership that they received from a friend

They have to keep tight tabs on what little money they have to spend

After paying for utilities, your mortgage or your rent

After buying all your groceries, almost all your money is spent

Now think of the young people out there trying to save money for their first house

It is now next to impossible for them and their spouse

Even with both of them working it is something hard for them to attain

They are getting beat in real estate offers time and time again

Companies and individuals are purchasing them to rent out after they buy

As a result renting a place to live has now gone sky high

Interest the past few years increased at a steady rate

Those who didn’t have a fixed mortgage were forced to vacate

So the rich are now getting richer and the poor have to pay

So many forced to the brink of just living day to day

Dreams of owning a home for some may be a thing of the past

Is this a trend that is going to last?

It is a seller’s market that is for sure

You have to have the cash or be an entrepreneur

People from out of town seem to be buying up all our space

This is what a hopeful new home owner now has to face

Is a single family home going to be a thing of the past?

Here’s hoping that this latest trend isn’t built to last

They said the interest rates will fall, yet there hasn’t been a decline

That’s the first thing you think about when you see a real estate sign

There has to be some housing that every average person can afford

I am tired of the promises made by politicians like “Doug Ford”

People in this Province and across Canada are struggling to survive

Something “constructive” has to be done to keep their dreams alive