News Update

Merry Christmas! Joyeux Noël!
Happy New Year! Bonne et Heureuse Année
Feliz Navidad! Prospero Ano Nuevo!
Glaedelig Jul! and apparently for Danes, every day is happy!

We enjoyed a multitude of Christmas celebrations this year with sumptuous meals at Trav & Sylvia's in TBay, at Rich & Sue's in Emerald Park and at Tom & Mariette's in Winnipeg. And while staying with Wendy's dad, we enjoyed the regular three-squares and not a few tarts and other Christmas baking! As a result we finally got back to TBay toting some unwelcome additional baggage! However, I have new skates and Wendy has her gym membership—New Year's resolutions beckon! We drove out to Regina on the 18th and 19th, and we returned on the 28th & 29th. The trips went well; we enjoyed spending time with loved ones along the ways, and it's good to be home. We drove down to Gravelbourg on the 27th to help Ruby celebrate her 75th birthday; we were able to greet many friends, relatives and acquaintances there. On the way back to Regina, we enjoyed a chance to visit with Aunt Mary in Moose Jaw. We plan a New Year's eve celebration this evening, and we look forward to each new year and day!

We wish you a great New Year, with good health and meaningful activities!

The Holiday Season

We enjoyed a multitude of Christmas celebrations this year with sumptuous meals at Trav & Sylvia's in TBay, at Rich & Sue's in Emerald Park and at Tom & Mariette's in Winnipeg. And while staying with Wendy's dad, we enjoyed the regular three-squares and not a few tarts and other Christmas baking! As a result we finally got back to TBay toting some unwelcome additional backage! However, I have new skates and Wendy has her gym membership—New Year's resolutions beckon! We drove out to Regina on the 18th and 19th, and we returned on the 28th & 29th. The trips went well; we enjoyed spending time with loved ones along the ways, and it's good to be home. We drove down to Gravelbourg on the 27th to help Ruby celebrate her 75th birthday; we were able to greet many friends, relatives and acquaintances there. On the way back to Regina, we enjoyed a chance to visit with Aunt Mary in Moose Jaw. We plan a New Year's eve celebration this evening, and we look forward to each new year and day!

We wish all readers a Happy New Year, with good health and meaningful activities!

Schemes, Dreams and... Rhymes

Dreams are dashed, and schemes have come to nothing. The best laid plans of mice and men... are about equal. And as I ponder and reflect on what could have been, and what could have been done differently... I am tempted to regret.

Like many others I sing Paul Anka's words,
"Regrets, I've had a few
But then again, too few to mention
I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption
I planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway
And more, much more than this, I did it my way."

I live life with a determination not to regret, but now, as often, I struggle in trying circumstances. I do not regret Zambia; I do not regret getting to know John. I lament his untimely passing, dreams unfulfilled, schemes unrealized. I wish I did not feel there was something more effective I could have done. I wanted... I want a better ending.

But for now I leave the closing thoughts to Joni Mitchell:
"Tears and fears and feeling proud
To say "I love you" right out loud
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds
I've looked at life that way

But now old friends are acting strange
They shake their heads, they say I've changed
Well something's lost but something's gained
In living every day

I've looked at life from both sides now
From WIN and LOSE and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all

I've looked at life from both sides now
From up and down and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all."

Schemes & Dreams

Even more often these days (and nights) my thoughts are of John. I am guessing that anyone who spent very much 'quality time' with John came to learn of his dreams. The main one was to have a shop, a mechanical repair shop, of his own. This would variously be expected to appear 'when he retired' or 'some years from now'. I have always encouraged John in this dream.

John's mechanical work was an art form. The stereotypical Zambian mechanic can make anything run, and I also know some of those, but John did not fit that stereotype. He certainly could make anything run, and he was a constant amazement to me, but always his priority was to return it to standard. That meant he wanted it to be the way it was supposed to be. Running was not good enough—it had to be right! I remember one time when the alternator from someone's car had failed. John disassembled it, and using the little multimeter from Canadian Tire that I had given him, he proceeded to understand how the thing worked. Then he did some adjustments, reassembled it, and it worked! My Isuzu is a story all on its own. It had been driven without the benefit of coolant before it came into my possession. As a result, the engine had seized, and, presumably, been repaired. However, the repairs had not been accomplished, and I (read John) was left to deal with the results. He took the engine apart so many times and replaced so many head-gaskets that our friend Jack used to tease us, "Better throw away those bolts and install a zipper. It'll give you quicker access!" But John did not give up. Eventually, with new sleeves, new pistons, new rings (and way too many of my new dollars)... it was right, and by the final year of our time in Zambia, it was running very well indeed. Thanks, John.

I believed if John ever set up a mechanical repair shop, he would be a great success. The demand for mechanical repairs done well is unending. So, we would chat and dream. This past summer we pushed it further—we developed some schemes! The only filling station in Kalomo (a nearby town) had closed. The BP (British Petroleum) franchise was rescinded due to poor management on the part of the franchise holders. This created an opportunity, and John could see this as well as I. He had already discussed the possibilities with officials from BP, however, it did not look promising. BP was hoping to have someone take over the old filling station property from the owners and begin again. John understood how bitter such a transaction could be, and was unwilling to fight that battle. So, he traveled to Livingstone to discuss with another petroleum company the possibility of establishing a new franchise in Kalomo. He and I went to the town council and were successful in obtaining an assignment of an ideal plot of land for a new station. We began discussions with still another petroleum company in Lusaka. Our conversations, emails and letters continued into September and October. It was exciting to hear his excitement.

But now... schemes, dreams and John are gone.

Schemes

Zambians use 'schemes' differently from us. Perhaps it is like many words where they have learned a more British denotation. There are British words that they use in Zambia while we tend not to use them at all—like 'lorry'. However, during our schooling we may have learned such words and therefore we know what they mean when they say 'lorry'. Such words rarely cause a failure in communication. 'Schemes' however, falls into a different genre—we know what we mean by 'schemes', and we think others mean the same thing! Thus we found it somewhat amusing when Zambians refer to NAPSA (National Pension Scheme)! As we have come to learn about NAPSA, we start to wonder whether our understanding is not, in fact, the correct one! And we certainly found it amusing when our teachers talked about (and worked on) their scheming! Although again, when we observe the goings-on in classrooms, we wonder whether the joke may have been on us! However, let me assure you, when Zambians speak of 'schemes' they mean the same thing as we do when we speak of 'plans'. And, I suppose, they may have nefarious schemes, just as we have diabolical plans.

Retirement in Zambia typically refers to age fifty-five, although at Namwianga many did not choose to retire then. Government workers (most of employed Zambians) were required to retire at age fifty-five. Namwianga workers participated in NAPSA, and were expected to retire then as well. However, the pension schemes being what they were, retirement was not often a golden time. The retirement scheme usually provided for several lump sum payouts. One lump sum would be for unused holidays—which the Zambians hoarded assiduously. The workers never took holidays, even while on holidays! A fact which caused no end of consternation and financial burden on employers. The workers then took pleasure in selling these days back to the employer, while saving some for retirement when they would get paid out. There were strict rules on how holidays were to be taken, and under which conditions holidays could be paid out or accumulated. These rules were carefully ignored. Holiday payouts were one of the absolute bonuses of life for the Zambian worker. A second lump sum was for repatriation—maybe I should get back into discussions of denotation once again! Repatriation to the Zambian worker meant he was being paid a lump sum to reestablish himself into what he might have been doing if his life had not been interrupted by a career! Then a third lump sum was the actual retirement savings plan. Now if all of this sounds like a remarkably generous set of provisions for the workers—they were! Even more so because the holiday payout was totally a cheat! And the repatriation was usually at no cost to the worker—he typically had left nothing to pursue a career, but was reward handsomely to return to the proposed nothingness! As it sounds too good to be true, it also was! Salaries ended promptly in the month of your fifty-fifth birthday, although arrangements were often made for teachers to at least complete the remainder of the term at salary. Holiday payout usually happened first, although it may take some years before all the necessary paper allowed this to be accomplished. Then repatriation could be considered, and careful calculations followed by even more extensive paperwork allowed this to be delayed for years further. Finally, the pension was due. It amounted to many years of gross salary and usually took a gross number of years to begin to be paid. While it was designed to be a lump sum, it usually took the form of 'cents on the dollar' that were doled out from time to time, due to the non-liquidity of both the government and NAPSA (National Pension SCHEME!). As a result, virtually all retirees were looking for a source of income and food to keep body and soul together long enough to make the many trips up and down the road through multitudinous offices and officials (no small number of whom expected a share of your retirement) to collect their retirements. Not surprisingly, few were able to accomplish retirement!

John is Gone

I am still numb with the shock of the news... my friend, John, is gone. He passed on this morning, and I find it impossible to accept. A young and vital man, the mind cannot accept that he should be ill or die.

John was among the first to befriend me when I moved to Zambia. And among Zambians he was certainly my best friend, perhaps the only one I could truly call my friend. He spoke the truth to me, not only when it was pleasant. Zambians have a pleasant way of often only telling you what they think you want to hear; John was always straight with me. How I miss him! Even over the phone his good humour, his thoughtful consideration of each situation came through. "Well, I suppose," he would say doubtfully, and then continue to tell you how it really was.

John was chief mechanic at Namwianga, and those who followed our misadventures have some recollection of how many times he came to our rescue as we waited with our failed Isuzu. I cannot forget how he came down the road to me while I waited in the dark after my 'road accident' (as the Zambians always call it). The truck was undrivable with one front wheel about 45 degrees to the intended line of travel. He took off the pieces of tie rod, headed off to the nearest town, welded it together, returned to reattach it, did a rough wheel alignment on the side of the road, and I drove that truck home without a shimmy! He had no sophisticated tools, but in his own careful way he did some fine tuning on the wheel alignment back at the shop and when we put it on the fancy computerized system in Lusaka, they found there was nothing they could adjust. I bought a replacement tie rod, and gave it to John to install and do the alignment his way!

John was a wonderful friend and brother to me. John and Tebia visited with us often (at least every week) and also hosted us to meals in their home. I find it hard to imagine life in Zambia without John there.

"Toyobonana alimwi," we said to each other as we parted this past August, but we both thought it would be sooner rather than later.

How He Got US Stuck in Iraq

As my good 'yellow dog' Republican friend, Jack, can attest, I've been consistently anxious about this venture since even before it began. And it has turned out pretty much as I predicted. However, the question remains... what next?


The picture is designed to be humourous, but perhaps it does more... I think it remains widely accepted that the place to clean up was (and continues to be) Afghanistan. Perhaps a withdrawal from Iraq to regional bases could be accompanied by increasing the policing and development of a solution in Afghanistan while maintaining some contact and control of the chaos in Iraq. It is simply not acceptable to pull out of the mess that has been created like they did in Vietnam. My first choice would include a large scale withdrawal to support bases in the region. At the same time they would install personnel for training and leadership support within the governmental, policing and armed forces of Iraq. This would need to be done in consultation and coordination with regional powers and players including Syria, Iran and Saudi Arabia. It is my position that one of Dubya's worst faults has been his continual unilateralism—his unwillingness to dialogue with his adversaries (even his friends!). Truly that is how he got stuck in Iraq in the first place.

It's time to go back to the basics, and that means he needs to stop the fighting, and start the diplomacy—talking, discussing, negotiating... With recent disclosures that even Rummy realized it isn't working (Is that why he was fired!?) perhaps support has been reduced to Laura and the dog. So even though he famously said that that would be enough for him to continue, maybe even Dubya can accept that it's time for a change.

Golf 2006

This was the year I decided to get some golf instruction. I ordered a swing system that was getting some good reviews in the periodicals. It came on a DVD, and I began working on the basics of the refined swing. They promised to cut my handicap by seven strokes—now that sounds good! I'm running along with a handicap of 16, so this sounds good! Obviously, they are wanting to change me over to a consistent, manageable swing, but the main two things are a rebuilt grip, and correction of my flying elbow.

I provide dedicated work on my game through the late winter, and when spring comes I get on the range and on the course as often as possible. Fortunately, my family got me a golf membership so I can golf everyday if I wish, and I usually wish!

The golf does improve, I have several games in the 70's—a first for me. I still have games in the 90's—a no-no for me! Of course, work still intervenes, and then there are five weeks in Zambia, but there is undoubtedly progress. Over the course of the year, I have two games at +4, on different courses. I even play one set of nine holes at par! That would be nice to get used to! I played my last golf for the year on November 23rd. The snow started this week, so I think it's time to hang them up for the year. Now we're into next year country!

Consolidation

I completed this round of school tours in early November. Then I was off to London for training in our new Student Management System (SMS) from Maplewood. This is the same SMS we were using at Western in Dauphin, so I have some familiarity with it. However, it has gone through several upgrades since then, and I didn't know much about it then! Karen took care of all that stuff! So, I get three days of training so I can assist my schools to install the SMS and begin using it to handle all our student data. Now this is quite a jump for all of them—the most advanced had been using a spreadsheet to keep biographical data. All others were still using only paper files. Anyway, I get the training, and I prepare a rollout plan, and I begin getting them going, one by one.

I also have my regular meetings with the regional professional network centre, and at the office. The sum of my activities are that things are coming together, moving along, or however one might wish to describe making progress. My schools are getting their reports in; the SMS is getting installed; the program is developing. Oh, there's still a lot left to do, but right now it's time to consolidate these early gains.

Later, we'll be ready for another push forward.

Oh, I am a travelin' man...

Verification of funding for year two of the program came through on September 15th, so I began a feverish round of school tours. It took about a week to get everything set up, and then I was on the road for the last week of September and throughout October. I was home for two Fridays in October, but otherwise I was on the road every working day. Our year end comes March 31st, and our budget approval only came Sept 15th, so there's a lot of time to make up—not a good system! Two of my schools get a fly-in trip this time, and the second one was more eventful than expected. We flew in one Monday morning, and we supposed to fly out Tuesday evening. Alas, fog had rolled in and the float plane could not come. So we began rearranging. Eventually we booked a trip on the VIA rail that cruises through the community at a theoretical time of 10:30pm. We boarded at 12:30am and finally got back to Armstrong and bed by 2am. Another not good system! Otherwise things are progressing well at the schools, although there remains much to be done. We need to catch up on the OnSIS reporting system from last year, and then I can begin rollout of our new Student Management System. Aren't we all excited!? All together my little schools cover about 1500 km of northern Ontario wilderness. It's Canadian Shield so there are rocky outcroppings everywhere and lakes over every hill. Of course it reminds me of Yellowknife, but a lot warmer! I'm still golfing here at the end of October; I just wish I'd had more free days to get out!

Ketchup?! Oh, Catch Up

OnSIS has decreed that each of my ten jurisdictions must prepare a catch-up plan detailing how and when they will complete last year's school reports. And OnSIS has been able to convince the Ministry of Education (MET) that we will not be informed of our budget until we get those plans duly developed, signed (in blue ink—gotta watch out for those electronic signatures, can't accept none of that stuff in an electronic program!!) and returned to them.

And so, I begin. I am struggling to get some of my jurisdictions to even understand what OnSIS is, let alone what they're demanding of us. Of course, I can't travel to explain this to them, no budget. I hope NSRA will keep paying me! No money coming in, none has since last February! I hope they'll keep paying me!! I work to convince OnSIS and the MET to accept something other than blue ink signatures—eventually they agree to accept faxes as long as I round up the blue ink for them some time. Well, that moves things a lot better. I make up the plans, fax them out, call them to cajol them into signing, and faxing them back. Then I fax them in, and voila, my budget is approved! What a meaningful exercise that was!

Anyway, my budget has been approved as requested and the money can now flow. Hurray, let's get the program going!

Kristian Leif Ulrich

Kristian Leif Ulrich arrived into our lives on 16th September 2005, and he continues to be a delightful addition!

He has had a bout of the flu recently, but is now back at work running his grandmother into the ground, and his mother to distraction. It seems he can mess up a living room in less than five minutes, although it is also true that he is an equal opportunity messer-upper! He can destroy any room in less than five minutes!

An almost endless series of photographic evidence to the above assertion can be found on line at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kristianleif/
And just for the sake of convenience, I'll post this one on his first birthday!

Back in the Business of Getting the Business

We got back to Thunder Bay, and I got back to work. Things were in turmoil. The Ministry of Education was at war with itself! My program is called Managing Information for Student Achievement (MISA), and as part of the plan to achieve this, Ontario Student Information System (OnSIS) has been set up. Well, OnSIS has determined to revamp the school reporting system and move to solely-electronic reporting. There are three main reports each school year: October, March and June. For the school year 2005-06, OnSIS decided that October would be done twice (once the old way, and then again the new electronic way-as a training program), then everyone would be ready to do March and June electronically only. Now you might suppose (well I would anyway) that to accomplish such a plan there would be an electronic reporting system in place. You might further suppose that it would be tested and have the bugs worked out of it before the plan was executed. But you would be wrong—this was a build-as-you-go strategy that soon turned into a catch-up-as-soon-as-possible plan! So... along about February OnSIS finally announced that the October reports could be begin! Except that, of course, they couldn't; the reporting system was now in place, but it didn't work! Soon, we were ordered to do March Reporting the old fashioned way, and that we would all catch up as soon as possible (and that is seldom soon, in case you haven't noticed it.) Okay fine, we thought, we can all be flexible while this works through. But we were wrong! OnSIS was in no mood to be flexible! Just because their application was not working was no reason to miss the scheduled reporting dates.

The MISA year ended on March 31st, and I prepared my reports on year one, and made my budget proposal for year two. Since year two funding was supposed to begin on April 1st, they promised a quick turn around (Government has a slightly different interpretation of 'quick turnaround' than I do.), and that we should have our budget approval in June and our money flowing by the end of August. What a nice coincidence, just when we get back from Zambia! Ah, but not so fast there Charlie. OnSIS has decided that we MISA types need to pay more attention to their problems. The monkey wrench is in the works. We will get no money; we won't even find out about our budgets until we develop a plan as to how we're going to catch up with the OnSIS reporting needs. Never mind that we've been without funding since April 1st, we can continue to starve in the dark until we come up with a plan. Never mind that my schools cover 1500 km and some are fly-in, I must get properly signed and authorized plans from each one of them detailing when they will get caught up on last year's reports.

Welcome back to Canada! "This is Africa" used to be my watch word; I see it applies more generally than I had thought.

Back in Business

Well, let's hope this is not another set of false hopes... but I'm back in the iBook business once again. One trouble is that there's been so much to comment on during the interim, and I've missed it!

Anyway, I'll try to catch you up on what's been happening since August 23rd, when I last posted. I'll date them for about each monthend; then we'll see how it goes after that. So, I've called this August 25th, although it's actually November 20th, but it'll keep it in the proper sequence... I hope!

In addition, you may wish to check out these other sites for updates on Kristian:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kristianleif/
Trav & Sylvia:
http://www.travisulrich.com/index/Welcome/Welcome.html

Family / History

As we spent a few days in Denmark on our way home from Zambia, we were again privileged to add to our knowledge of the members of the family, and of Dad's early years. The tragic deaths of his parents when he was but eight years old, created a crisis in my dad's family. The eldest son, Johannes was but twenty, but he was ready to fend for himself. He was posted to work, and later found himself invited to Farup to work on the farm of the local vicar, Ellith Hauvinkel. Hauvinkel was one of the uncles so judiciously selected by our great grandmother, the widow Cecilie, in her boarding house in Copenhagen. Now that father & mother were gone, these uncles played an important role in the family survival. It seems another of these uncles was instrumental in the success of Aase in Copenhagen, and there is speculation that the assignment of my dad at eight years old, and his even younger brother, Viggo, to the Edvard Mundt family of Sorø as also through the uncle connection! Cecilie's daughter Marie was married to Peter Kromann who attended school in Sorø. The Mundts, a childless couple from Sorø were the ones who took them in. Dad seemed to question and be concerned about why they had to go there. He did not seem to have a good childhood there. Still, he gave me Edvard as my second name, and we had a picture of Edvard Mundt on our living room wall.

Toyobonana alimwi

"See you later," or its companion expression in English, "We shall meet," are not lightly given farewells for Zambians. They are fundamentally expressions of faith. We find that our Zambian friends do not take people or relationships lightly. They, who have virtually nothing, value people very highly, while they will give you almost anything they have. We, who have virtually everything we could want, value things very highly, and sometimes are willing to sacrifice our relationships in defense of our things... I'm sure there's a sermon illustration there somewhere!

Reflections on Zambia

As we prepare to leave Zambia, I am reflecting on my experiences. It has been a time of both joy and sorrow. Certainly some of the situations are even worse than I expected, but there have been compensating and even surprising pleasures. Namwianga Mission is even in greater difficulty than I expected, and my friends there are suffering. On the other hand, things are developing very well in our community schools. We enjoyed great experiences in those schools and are encouraged that education is being made available to more and more children. It was especially rewarding to see how some communities are uniting to promote development. Community headmen and other leaders are organising the people and planning construction projects and other improvements. The people are willingly assembling construction materials and preparing bricks so work can go on. It was delightful to celebrate this progress with them. There was much singing and dancing, especially by the women.
Other highlights included The Haven--an orphanage developed by Steve & Joan and now operated by Thomas & Cecilia. What a delight it was to see how wonderfully it is progressing under their management! The place is clean and neat. The yard is both functional and decorative. This represents the cutting edge of our response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The tiny victims are struggling for life under Cecilia's dedicated and effective care. We are so proud and happy!

Rewarding / Worthwhile

After spending three weeks of celebration with our Zambian friends it is easy to understand how rewarding this work is. Zambians are endlessly grateful. They give tremendous appreciation for the stuff we do there for them. As we enjoyed their celebration at Zyangale, my friend asked me, "Bill, what are you doing in Canada?!" It is true that there is much to do, and the generous thanksgiving of the Zambians make doing it very rewarding, but the question for me is always becoming, "Is it worthwhile?" As I have told many people, the fundamental learning I've done in Zambia is that it is incredibly difficult to help people. There are so many things that we can do, and that we can afford to do for them. But should we? How can we be truly helpful? I have witnessed that many of our interactions in Zambia (likely in many parts of the third world) over the years have not been helpful. Instead we have created dependancy, and we have been guilty of economic enslavement. I am constantly in a personal struggle over whether what I'm doing is worthwhile; I have no doubt that it is rewarding!

Into Africa

A wonderful breakfast (complete with leverpostej) begins our day in Copenhagen on the right foot. After checking out, we check out the National Museum, but are disappointed to find that it is closed on Mondays. We walk around downtown for a bit (too much), and then catch the train out to the airport. Once there, we get another nice surprise‹our missing piece of luggage has caught up with us. We retrieve that and complete our check-in for Amsterdam, Nairobi and Lusaka. We change planes in Amsterdam and Nairobi, so we hope our luggage makes the change as well. I am experiencing some problems with my computer; it seems the video card is not behaving; twice now it has filled the screen with random lines and required me to reboot. This is not performance! Must be time to retire this old laptop and get a new one! I can't tell if something has damaged it on the trip, or what the problem is, but it is certainly frustrating. Anyway, we manage our plane changes, and land in Lusaka about 10am on the 18th, however, our luggage does not perform as well, and only one of our pieces has come with us. We fill in the necessary reports and when we go back in the afternoon to collect our Yellowknife team members, we have a report that two pieces have been found vacationing in Athens! So we hope they will arrive in the next day or so, and we hope the final bag will also be located soon. As it is we have very little of our own clothing; the one bag to make it contains mostly baby clothes to give away. Anyway, we get settled in with the rest of the team at Eureka camp in Lusaka, and continue our preparations for the month ahead.

And We're Off

The first legs of our journey take us to Copenhagen. We start off with a short flight down to Toronto. We spend three hours there finding our way around to the international departure gates and having a lunch at Tim Horton's—a last touch with Canadiana! Our flight is delayed, and then delayed again. Finally, they change airplanes from a Boeing 767 to an Airbus A340. Then they have to round up a different flight crew who know their way around an Airbus. Finally, we get boarded over an hour late. But we're in first class, and that makes all the difference. We relax our way through the night across the Atlantic to London, in our spacious digs. Imagine reaching out as far as you can with your feet, and not even coming close to the seat in front of you! Unfortunately, the flight ends about 2 am (body time) as we land at Heathrow. That's early morning in London, but not early enough. Our flight to Frankfurt leaves while we are trying to change terminals. We report to Lufthansa; they send us to Air Canada; they send us back to Lufthansa, who give us a new boarding pass to Frankfurt. This will be a lunch time flight instead of the morning flight we were expecting. They decline to give us another boarding pass for the trip up to Copenhagen. We'll have to check with Lufthansa when we get to Frankfurt and arrange that. Once in Frankfurt the wonderful connections counsellor advises us that all will be well, and even provides a gate number. When we get close to there we go to the check-in counter, and discover, as we feared, that our reservations for the leg up to Denmark were cancelled when we missed the scheduled flight to Frankfort. Eventually we are awarded new boarding passes on the original flight we were supposed to take in the first place! We arrive in the Danish capital in the early evening, and go to retrieve our luggage. Eventually three of the four pieces do show up. Our new Roots bag has a wheel broken loose, and our other wheeled bag is torn open, This must not be Africa—nothing is missing! The lovely lady at the luggage counter is very kind and helpful. She awards us a new bag—she has several for us to choose from—and takes note of the damage to the other one and invites us to claim for repairs. Then she tracks down the missing bag—it's still in Frankfurt, and promises to do all she can to get it to Copenhagen in time for us to take it with us to Africa. We manage to check-in for our Africa flight, sans one piece of luggage. Then we take the train into town, settle into our room at the Hotel Centrum, and try to catch up on the six time zones we've been flying over!

News Update

Another week is ending here on the shore of Lake Superior, and we don't plan another week like it for a while! We're off to Zambia tomorrow. We travel via Copenhagen, and look forward to spending a few days there on the return trip after mid-August.

It's been a busy week with many things to do in anticipation of Zambia or in completion of some projects here. Everything has come together well, and we feel ready to board the plane tomorrow at noon. I have also managed a couple of golf games, including a new low of 76 on the 11th! Then I followed that up with an 85 today. It was a little difficult to accept using nine extra strokes to play the same course two days later, but that's golf, and it was fun anyway. I've reduced my handicap to 12.2 from 13.9. I'm aiming to get to single digits, but it doesn't look like it will happen this year.

I also managed to get some progress on the work front as all my school boards are putting together plans to complete some data reporting for the Ministry of Education. I shall look forward to hearing news of second-year funding some time while we're in Zambia. Then I got a used computer and a new printer for our old friend in Zambia. I still have no assurance that the ink can be found there, but we've packed a few extra cartridges just in case. We're going to use the printer to produce photos of our students in Zambia. Most of them don't get pictures of themselves in their lifetime—no school photos there!

Wendy has been busy around the place getting things assembled and packed for the trip. The new weight restrictions for air travel mean our bags are forty per cent lighter this trip. However, they still seem plenty heavy to me!

The boys have been involved in summer day camp activities. This week Haaken was in a Business Camp operated by the University. He developed a business proposal, arranged a loan and operated a hamburger joint for two hours today. He cleared about $60 for his efforts. Erin and Kristian have had a rough week as Kristian has a cold as well as thrush. However, Kristian has continued to make steady progress in learning to walk. We're going to miss them all for the next five weeks.

Eric has been able to get a few bus driving charters this week, and has continued to hit the links with me as often as possible. His golf is progressing well, and I expect him to be playing about bogie golf by the end of the season. Erica has continued with work. She has recently negotiated a new office location, so they'll be renovating and moving while we're gone.

Travis and Sylvia are back from their honeymoon and back at work. Their car suffered another setback this week. The automatic transmission refused to shift. Then a small hose near the water pump blew apart, so they pumped all their coolant onto the engine. It made for a great cloud of steam! The transmission problems were electronic, so were easily fixed. The hose has been replaced, but is still not satisfactory. It requires a small, curved hose, and I fashioned one out of straight heater hose. It seems to be working for now! Anyway, they have our car while we're gone.

And that's the kind of week it's been.

Seventy-six!

I hit a new low today—seventy-six! The first nine went pretty well, as I had five pars and four bogies, but the second nine!!! Yi, yi, yi! There were a couple of scrambly holes, but I ended up with one bogie, one birdie, and seven pars. I was even par for the nine holes! Yowsa!

Eric and I were playing our first full round at Strathcona. We were joined by a regular for that course, and he proved quite helpful as he advised us on how to play each hole. He was also a nice, smooth player, although not as long as Eric or I are off the the tee. I was hitting my drives well; I was hitting my irons wonderfully. I hit a lot of greens, and those I didn't, I was close by. I made a few one-putts to salvage par, but also missed two birdie putts within six feet, so it could have been better!

Playing well is very uplifting; even playing poorly is a lot of fun!!

News Update

Another week draws to a close here on the shore of Lake Superior. The wedding accomplished, Travis & Sylvia are travelling south of the border this week, and are expected back this weekend.

I have also travelled some this week. On Wednesday, I flew over to Sudbury where representatives from our company met with our counterparts from northeastern Ontario to plan the professional development program for the next school year. I returned on Friday evening. The sessions went well.

I also managed a couple of golf games this week. On Sunday afternoon, Tom, Eric, Chris and I checked out the Whitewater Golf course here in Thunder Bay. It was a difficult experience, as the greens were faster than I was used to, and I also found them very tricky to read. I was also spraying the ball off the tee, so I was frequently in trouble and eventually staggered in with a 95. After corrections for triples, I posted a 92 for handicap purposes. Tom scored, as he described it, "The best of a bad lot!" He also found the course quite challenging, and the rough impossible. Later, I golfed with Eric back at Chapples, and that went better (84), as I was able to reduce my swing to merely Herculean proportions. I have concluded that golfing with a brother tends to bring out undue stress and very undue swing speeds!!

Wendy has spent time recovering from the exertions of the wedding preparations all the while continuing preparations for our next venture, i.e. to Zambia. We are scheduled to fly out of here next Saturday, the 15th! I shall try to post on Friday evening, and then as often as possible from Zambia while we spend the next month there.

Kristian continues to develop and grow. He is getting around famously, and driving his mother to distraction—the answer to a mother's curse!!

Liam and Haaken are enjoying summer holidays and a few special activities that come with the freedom from the school schedule. Haaken has taken to making movies, with a new release almost every day! Liam participates in some of the movies as a star, or a producer, or an extra, but he enjoys spending a lot of time outdoors riding his bike as well. The pool is in full operation in the back yard (along with a small one for Kristian), but they're not being used that much despite the thirty plus temperatures. We are really enjoying the newly installed air conditioning!

And that's the kind of week it's been.

SCAM

I hate it when people forward bogus warnings, and I have even done it myself a couple times... but this one is real, and it's important. So please send this warning to everyone on your e-mail list:

If someone comes to your front door saying they are checking for ticks due to the warming weather and asks you to take your clothes off and twirl around with your arms up, DO NOT DO IT!! IT IS A SCAM!! They only want to see you naked...

I only wish I'd been warned before yesterday... I feel so stupid!

The Royal Wedding 06

Since a picture tells a thousand words, this blog is already getting long. I hope you can see that it was a beautiful wedding, and that we all had fun! Travis and Sylvia are now travelling on their honeymoon and are expected back this coming weekend.

To help you make sense of the photos, I offer this commentary.
-the wedding party was set up under a bower of trees along the shore of Lake Superior. This beautiful setting provide on the property of John & Diane Whitfield.
-Travis sailed off (Viking that he is) to claim a bride and drag her back by the hair (hand) to be his wedded wife!
-After plighting their troth, the deed was duly sealed with exchange of rings, and duly signed paper work!

Travis, I'm sure, will develop a proper website of the wedding replete with a quantity of photos. When it is complete, I shall post the URL on my blog.

News Update

Happy Canada Day!

It's been another busy week here on the shore of Lake Superior. We have a lot of things to complete or get ready for the big wedding on Saturday. Wendy is building the wedding cake, and a wondrous sight it is. We are hosting a large crew here for a barbecue after the rehearsal on Saturday. And we have some additional house guests as well. All in all, it's a busy but good week. I'll prepare another post on the wedding as soon as I have some pictures ready to post.

I do manage to sneak in some golf and I also buy a couple of new drivers. I trade in my old driver, and now have two of the newer, big-headed variety to try out. Surely one of these can get me further into trouble. And no, I didn't say hard-headed... that's the golfer, not the equipment!

I get more of the yard work done, and begin building a walkway around the pool. The completion of that task will have to wait for another year, as the installation of the pool will need to be upgraded first.

Erin and Kristian both experience some sickness this week. Erin comes down with food poisoning after eating at a local restaurant. We get her to the hospital, and they get her rehydrated with four litres of IV fluids. She seems to be recovering well. Kristian comes down with a bout of thrush, so he's on medication now, and seems to be coming around fine.

My computer is still not back, so I'm still in mourning over that! Our preparations for Zambia can begin in earnest now that the wedding is accomplished.

And that's the kind of week it has been.

News Update

It's been a busy week here on the shore of Lake Superior. Wendy has me doing many errands in preparation for the wedding next Saturday. The garage has been cleaned out, and some stuff has been disposed of, while other stuff has found a new storage location. She has activated two of our fridges that are stored in the garage, as she needs more capacity for the wedding cake and other wedding preparations. Travis also has me helping with preparation of the house. We manage to complete installation of his new pedestal sink; we also install a fancy-dancy mirror. Sylvia and he have repainted the bathroom as well. I also work on his wireless system and finally manage to get that going after downloading new drivers from an internet source.

I find a little time for golfing with Eric, and another round with some local people I was placed with when I arrived as a 'walk-0n'. Both rounds were satisfactory; my iron play seems much improved, and the three-wood is keeping me in play off the tee most of the time. I scored 83 and 81. Always, it seems, there are places where I feel I could do much better, and places where I feel I have escaped with several saved strokes!

I get the pool filled and operating. I have installed a make-shift pool-heater by adding some garden hose into the filtration cycle. This seems to gradually assist in raising the temperature. I also get more yard work done, and continue my battle with the weeds and undergrowth.

Erin and Kristian are continuing to keep each other occupied, although lately, I think Kristian is winning the activity war! He gets around much more quickly now with his crawling, and sometimes terrifies his mother with what he can get into!

My computer is expected back tomorrow. It will sport a new hard drive. I still have no news on how much, if any, of my files can be restored.

And that's the kind of week it has been.

News Update

Another week has passed here on the shore of Lake Superior. We arrived back in Ontario on Monday evening after ten days out west. Work is basically over for me until September, but there are always some small items to keep working on. I have a teleconference with my opposite number from northeastern Ontario. We have agreed on a student management system for our schools and are now trying to arrange training for our secretaries, teachers and principals. This is moving forward well.

I got back to golfing with some reminders from my brother, Tom. He was quite helpful, but would have been more helpful if he had given me the advice before my game with him!! I have been able to achieve some respectable scores this week--78, 82, 83--after the 89 I managed last week with Tom. (I actually scored 91, but had to remove two strokes for handicapping purposes.)

The wedding planning continues apace. In addition to the usual stress, these plans are also bringing no small measure of distress. We hope all will be worked out before the special day. Wendy is working on the wedding cake; this has caused (allowed) a large amount of extra shopping as she looks for just the right pans and display options for this particular cake. She has also been working on bedding plants for the front and back yards. And she has dispatched me to do battle with the weeds! I have also begun work on the setting for the pool. I hope to get it set up next week.

Erin and Kristian keep busy around the edges. Kristian is always finding avenues to engage his cuteness into our activities. Erin managed to get another batch of pictures up on his website:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kristianleif/
and it was a good thing as my computer suffered a catastrophic failure! Apparently it got dropped or badly jarred while the hard drive was reading/writing and the hard drive is toast. I have passed it along to my friend to see whether anything can be salvaged, and to get the hard drive replaced. I am mourning a major loss of files. (Why weren't they backed up?!)

Special events are the order of the day at school, so Haaken and Liam are involved in trips and special days, and kindergarten graduation. They are also getting ready for their starring roles in the wedding.

And that's the kind of week it has been.

Golfing 201.5

I practise with my newer driver, the Taylor-Made Burner Bubble with the stiff shaft. Then I decide to retire it as well! I just can't make it go with that stiff shaft. I shall try to trade it in on something usable. I would like a Burner Bubble with a regular flex shaft. We'll see what Play It Again Sports has to offer.

Then I head back to the golf course with my new swing, and my newly refound confidence and my new discipline. You will remember that I scored a seven over, 78, the last time out, for my lowest recorded score! And sure enough, I also scored seven over this morning. I hope I do better on the back nine! Well, I had a little talk with myself and reviewed my swing, my confidence... and I scored a very satisfactory plus four on the back for a total of 82. Quite satisfactory all the way around but with lots of room for improvement in the consistency department.

Golf, an endlessly interesting game; much more than a good walk--spoiled!

Golfing 201

I had plenty of time to think about my golf game while I drove back to Thunder Bay. A couple of comments that Tom had made continued to percolate from my subconscious. "On the shots that go astray, it looks like you're hitting at the ball, rather than making a swing. You have to swing; just let the ball get in the way." I recall telling lots of friends and family that same advice! Now why wasn't I heeding it myself?! Tom also noted that a weaker left hand might help to avoid the snap hooks. So, this afternoon, I was back at it. And it worked. And it works!

I determined to take a practise swing before every shot. I figured that this might help me keep my mind on the swing, rather than on the result. I took the precaution of giving my driver the day off, which may have contributed some benefit as well! I had a consistent draw with my three-wood, so if I started it out down the right side it usually ended up in the centre of the fairway. Wow! So this is how Wayne feels! I still pulled a few irons, including the tee shots on two par threes right into the water hazard! I only played fourteen holes before coming in for supper, but I was at six over! And four of those strokes were penalty strokes. I went back after supper to complete my round. It continued to go well, except for a visit to the sand trap on the 7th hole (I played the back nine first.). I had pars on the other three holes, although one took a putt from the fringe to make it! I scored a new low of 78! Now I need to see if I can figure out how to swing this well on a consistent basis. The 89 and 91 the past two weekends were frustrating, although Chapples is two strokes easier than White Bear, and one stroke easier than Quarry Oaks. I will also dig out my newer driver and try to learn to hit it, or replace it. I hope I have permanently retired ol' scatter-gun!

News Update

We have had a week—mostly in Saskatchewan!

We are staying at Wendy's dad's place in Regina for most of the week. The weather is grand, until the rains begin on Thursday. On Friday, we start our trip back by driving to Winnipeg. Here we are staying at Tom & Mariette's place.

I enjoy getting in some golf practice, doing some long-distance phone work back to Ontario, and getting a few odd jobs completed at my father-in-law's place. Wendy gets in some shopping (mostly unsuccessful), and a lot of puttering around at the house. She does gardening, cleaning and beautification projects. Now dad will get to try to keep up with watering flowers and vegies, and holding back the weeds! We hope this will provide decoration, and some tasty vegies as the summer progresses. Erin & Kristian continue to add to our enjoyment and entertainment as we watch the progress of Kristian's life. He is now crawling, although he is using only one leg for pushing!

On Friday we drive down to Winnipeg and settle into my brother's place for the weekend. We have a wedding scheduled here for Sunday afternoon, and then will head back to Thunder Bay on Monday. On Saturday, I manage another golf outing with Tom & Wayne—one of the Olson brothers. I manage to continue my inconsistent play. I make some good shots, but a lot of wasted ones before finally completing at 91. Not good! Wendy suggests I need more practice! What a woman!

On Saturday evening we enjoy a barbecue with our nieces from Winnipeg, Angie and Damaris, along with their children. It's wonderful to catch up with them.

And that's the kind of week it's been!

'67 Cougar

Our first car, purchased just days before our wedding back in 1970, was a 1967 Cougar. This was the first year of Cougar production, and it was acclaimed as 'car of the year'. I needed no such third party acknowledgement, as I thought it was a beautiful car anyway! We eventually had to sell that car, and always missed it. We began searching for a replacement about ten years ago, and my brother John found one in Kelowna about five years ago. It is green, not white as our original had been, but it is still a pleasure to drive and to use as a source of reminiscence.

As you can imagine after 35 years, a car is no longer in showroom condition, and even though this one has lived in the enjoyable climes of BC, it still suffers from rust. After four more years of waiting while we were in Zambia, we finally found a body shop willing to take on the task for a level of funding we felt we could manage. And just last week, the body work was completed. It sports new rear quarter panels, and many places on the remainder of the car where the rusted parts were cut out, and new steel was welded in. It looks great, as you can see in the photos.

Ontario has a program for Classic Cars that allows us to add it to our insurance policy for only $150 per annum. However, they require a safety inspection, and will not accept Manitoba or Saskatchewan's inspection. So, I had reluctantly decided to drive it all the way back to Thunder Bay to get it licensed. However, while we were in Regina, I checked out what Saskatchewan had to offer. And their deal is even better! They will license it as for only $120 per year, and do not even require a safety. This is obviously minimal insurance (as was also the case in Ontario), but they will allow me to insure it for whatever I wish up to the appraised value. So, we decide to get it licensed in Saskatchewan, and leave it here. And my father-in-law graciously agrees to store it at his place. So that is what we do, and I get to drive back with the rest of the crew.

Golf Saskatchewan

Back in Saskatchewan, I manage a golf game with the Olson brothers: Brent, Mark and Wayne. Wayne plays his usual steady game, with the usual collection of, "Oh Wayne... oh Wayne!", and the occasional, "Oh Wayne, you dummy!", but he still scores in the low 80's and blows the rest of us away. I do not play well, and eventually stagger in with 89. I am at a loss to understand my wayward shooting. I am hitting both to the left and right, and even occasionally down the centre just to confuse my corrections!

Today, I head out to the course to try to work out the kinks. Everything is working well during my short time before the rain moves in; now, I'm really confused. I shall try to get some more practice time this week, before an expected golf date next Saturday in Winnipeg. As always, hope springs eternal.

News Update

We have had another week, but it has not been all spent on the shore of Lake Superior.

Monday and Tuesday were very busy as we completed necessary tasks before setting out for the prairies. On Wednesday morning, we packed up the car and set off for Winnipeg. Erin and Kristian were travelling with us. We enjoyed dinner and the night at Tom & Mariette's. Then on Thursday we drove out to Dauphin. Sounds rather uneventful, doesn't it? However, somewhere west of Dryden I suffered from the problem of too much thinking time while driving along. And I casually mentioned to Wendy, "You know, I can't remember putting the computer into the trunk!" Sure enough, when we got to Winnipeg and we checked the trunk‹no computer. So, I phoned my helpful daughter in Thunder Bay, and it seemed like no time before she called back to say the computer was on the bus and would be in Winnipeg in the morning. And it was; it was a great relief to have it back in my possession. Thank you, Erica! You don't know what a special gift you have of getting things accomplished. I value and count on that a great deal.

Once we got to Dauphin, I went to check on the '67 Cougar. The body shop considered it complete, but I demurred. I pointed out some imperfections on the trunk lid, and they agreed to repaint it. I should be ready on Friday morning. Well one delay followed another and I finally got it about 2pm on Friday. In the meantime we enjoyed our time in Dauphin. Dick and Sue Kirkpatrick treated us to a fine meal, and we retired to Mabel Bailey's for the night. We enjoyed getting caught up with her on the subject of her
recent tour in Africa.

On Friday evening and Saturday I took part in a men's weekend at Kenosee Lake, while Wendy proceeded to Regina with Erin and Kristian. I plan to drive up to Regina on Sunday afternoon.

And that's the kind of week it's been.

News Update

We have had another week here on the shore of Lake Superior.

It has been quite busy as we try to finish a few items on the 'to do' list before leaving for the prairies next week. My health has continued shaky as my coughing continues. I finally gave in and spent a day in bed, and I felt some better, but the last couple of nights have been noisy again—I don't know how Wendy gets any sleep either!

I finished up some items of work, but there are still a couple outstanding. I hope to get them done in the next couple of days... I managed to get out golfing a few times, and scored my first sub-eighty round on a regular course on Victoria Day. I've had two 82's since then; I start well, but fade badly on the back nine. I'm thinking that I either get mentally tired, or just lazy and lose my focus... then my shots become wayward! (Could be a sermon illustration there!) Wendy and I also managed a bit of work in the back yard. We finally repaired the fence (It was broken down when a large tree fell.), and also did some brush clearing and cleanup. I have assembled materials, but still haven't begun building the trellis/arbor/sunshade.

Erin has posted a number of new photos of Kristian. Check them out at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kristianleif/

Erica and Liam enjoyed a fly-in trip to Collins. Liam caught a couple of trout, and brought one back to show us. Nice fishing!

And that's the kind of week it's been.

Tommy

I've been reading my dad's journal from 1952 recently, and I read with interest his comment for April 20, 1952. At the end of his entry, he noted that they had gone to Gravelbourg "to hear T.D."

That would have been Tommy Douglas, then premier of Saskatchewan, and quite an amazing fellow. Tommy's political life was consumed by one central goal, to provide health care as a basic human right for all citizens. He became premier of Saskatchewan in 1944, and remained so until his retirement from provincial politics in 1961. He inherited administration of a province burdened with massive debt, and gradually repaid it and created a surplus. As the province's finances improved, his government introduced universal hospitalization and finally universal health care. (Med dee kal Care as he famously enunciated it!) Tommy went on to national politics as founding leader of the New Democratic Party, but never enjoyed any particular electoral success nationally. He was, however, instrumental in the establishment of our national medicare program through his work in parliament. He has been recognized recently as the Greatest Canadian in a national contest, and he has great significance in all our lives in line with one of his favourite quips, "Beware of the little fellow with an idea." My brief experience and limited study of history has given me to conclude that each major change in history can be traced to the activity of a single person. And the next great idea could come from you!

Seventy-nine!

Well, I finally did it. I almost blew it, but I hung on at the end. Actually, I was flailing away at the end! I had a very good front nine—one over par, but then I started the back nine with three bogies. The pressure was telling! However, I righted the ship with four pars, and when I came to seventeen, I knew it was within reach. So, I promptly double-bogied seventeen, for my first double of the day. And followed it up by doubling eighteen! I hadn't even dared to check the score card after seventeen, I was already feeling enough pressure. Fortunately, when I added it all up... ta da... seventy-nine! I have broken 80 before on short courses, but this is my first on a regular course. I have also reduced my handicap to 13.2, and I'm looking to improve that further. My goal is to get my handicap down to single digits. My golf coach is promising a seven-stroke improvement, and I was at 13.9, so we'll see if he's up to the challenge!

News Update

We have survived another week here on Lake Superior. It has been a hectic one, as we've been in preparations for the fortieth anniversary of our congregation here. Wendy has been particularly busy, as she enjoys painting, and is very particular about it. The church building has been reorganized, repainted and cleaned thoroughly in anticipation of our visitors this weekend.

The weather has been very pleasant; pollen is in the air; I am continuing to suffer from hayfever and the resulting coughing fits. I worked through ten days of Aerius, but it didn't prove to be particularly beneficial. I'm back on chlor-tripolon again. I hope the problem will ease soon. I was able to get out for two rounds of golf at the Municipal course. It's one of the courses on my golf membership, but it's on a very sandy base, so it dries out quickly after rains. It's also an easier course, with only one par three and one par five per nine holes. Anyway, I managed an 81 and a 78. Of course this should be cause for celebration, but I don't regard the Muni as a worthy test, so I don't accept breaking 80 there! We're hoping to try Chapelles on Monday; it should be dried out by now!

I was flew over to Sudbury on Monday for workshops with a Dr. Bernhardt on using data to understand how we're doing in schools. It was pretty good. I got back here late Tuesday night. Otherwise, I've been working on the few items left on my work plate. I've pretty well used up my days for the year, but I still have a few things to complete, so I'll continue working a few more days yet. Then I'm off until we get back from Zambia.

Everyone else is doing fine. The boys are experimenting regularly with their new golf sets, although Haaken has declared a declining interest. "I didn't know that golf was going to require so much focus," he complains! Liam is also playing soccer in the spring league. Eric coaches that team. Kristian continues to grow, develop and amuse us.

And that's the kind of week it's been.

News Update

Safely through another week here on Lake Superior, where the women are strong, and you know the rest!

I am continuing to enjoy hay fever season in TBay, NOT! Once the breeze started up, I found Erica's industrial strength antihistamine didn't do the job either! Thankfully, the friendly neighbourhood pharmacist noted that a new metabolite of the same drug used in Claritin is now on the market, and I might wish to try it. Well, Claritin never had any effect on me, but this new one, Aerius, seems to be working so far. It's been rainy since I changed over, so it's still too soon to tell. Now the weather has dried off again, so we'll see what develops.

With rain most of the week, in combination with a conference on Thursday and Friday, I've been I've been only able to accommodate one round of golf. The front nine went very well—40, and it should have been 38 if I could have putted! However, I think I lost focus on the back nine, and returned to some bad, old habits. As a result, I scored 45—not so good!

Kristian continues to grow and progress well. We enjoy watching him develop. He is a delightful little fellow, and sure keeps Erin busy! Erin has also kept active with some babysitting.

Wendy continues to keep up with her gym schedule. She has also done more painting at the church, but sliced into her finger on Friday evening while trying to cut up potatoes, so that's hampering her busyness.

Haaken and Liam got new golf sets this week. So far they've got more play out of the boxes the clubs came in! It's been a busy week for Erica as she was in charge of the conference. Travis is busily engaged in looking for a summer job now that he's out of school until September.

Anyway, that's the kind of week it's been. Next week I'm off to Sudbury for Tuesday and Wednesday.

News Update

Another week has been completed here on Lake Superior. Of course, all of the residents here continue to be above average... well, maybe not.

I am having my first spring in Thunder Bay, and am finding out what environmental factors may disagree with me. As a result, I've been taking Reactine to prevent my reaction. Alas, it failed! So, I upgraded to double dosing the Reactine—still no luck! Then I changed over to chlor-tripolon. Rats! Another failure! Finally, Erica provided me some industrial strength antihistamine (available by prescription), and my eyes and sinuses are thanking her. In the meantime, a week of post-nasal drip has left me with a persistent cough, so I'm not enjoying above average health.

It's been rather rainy this week, so I've only managed one round of golf. I shall wish for better luck next week. I've been able to make good progress on a couple of work projects, so that's good anyway. I need to make a presentation next Thursday about the progress of the MISA project and that's beginning to take shape. Then the plan for years two and three is due on the fifteenth, and I have completed another draft of that.

Kristian continues to grow and progress well. He gets around by rolling, as he hasn't learned how to crawl yet. Erin keeps busy looking after him, and also has been doing some babysitting for two of the other families we know here. She continues to consider and plan some educational upgrading next year. She thinks she would like to take bookkeeping.

Wendy has been busy with going to the gym, and repainting over at the church building. She has also continued lobbying for a number of interior changes in the house, and wants to make some yard improvements as well. Sigh!

Eric, Erica and the boys continue with their work and school. Liam has started into spring soccer league—Eric coaches the team. Eric is trying to get his golf season underway as well.

Anyway, that's the kind of week it's been.

Round Two

Golf has started for another season. I managed 87 on my opening round, but I was quite disturbed about my driving. I know the fairways were soft and all, but I was only getting it 200 yards, and I was hitting my 3-iron 190! Over the weekend I did some more thinking about it, and remembered buying a new driver last year. It was a concern because it has a stiffer shaft than I'm used to. Well, I reasoned that my newly manufactured golf swing might not be letting me swing hard enough to make the shaft work. Apparently, with graphite shafts you have to be more careful to get a shaft that matches your swing speed. So, I had two options—swing harder, or change clubs! Swinging harder has always been one of my problems, so I decided not to try that. I got my old driver back from Travis and put it into play for my second round. It paid immediate dividends. I was hitting a little farther (it seems I'm only good for 240 yards now!), but a lot straighter. Next time I plan to try my three-wood. It may go just as far! I used to hit it 230 off the fairway before.

My short game still needs a lot of work before I have any consistency around the greens, but my scoring improved to 81, so that's very encouraging. Eric has picked up a new putter, so I'm sure he'll want to get out and try it soon. Anyway, so far so good!

News Update

It has been another busy week on the shore of Lake Superior, and only some of us are making it above average.

Of course, the big news of the week is the reopening of the golf courses. As you may remember, I was given a golf membership, by my family, for the three courses owned by the city. My courses opened on Friday, and I played my first round of the season.

It has been a busy week of work as the annual reporting on my program is due at monthend. I managed to finish those up and send them Friday morning, and, so far, they haven't fired any of them back at me! Now my attention turns to revamping the plans for the next two years of this three year project. The plans are due by May 15th. I also have a semi-annual report to the school administrators group due on the 12th, so I'll be preparing my presentation for that event as well.

The others here have regained a healthier behaviour although there's still plenty of coughing going on. Wendy is back on her regular gym schedule, and has also begun painting next door at the church building. Erica was off to Ottawa this week—I hope she got some input into the federal budget that we're expecting next week! I have continued to suffer to a greater degree from seasonal hayfever. I finally gave up on my Reactine and moved onto Chlor-Tripolon, so we'll see how that progresses. I have been doing better in recent years, but there must be some additional issues down here on the shores of Lake Superior.

As I mentioned, I had my first golf game of the season. It did not go nearly as well as I had been imagining, visually, and dreaming! My newly refined, developed and enhanced golf swing did not reduce my game by the promised seven strokes! I shot 87—more work is needed. I'm still living with my dream of breaking 80! And I shall keep trying. There were some bright spots—my iron play was good, my putting and chipping were good. My driving was very bad! Sigh!

And that's the kind of week it has been.

Some Assembly Required!

The lovely spring weather has inevitably awakened thoughts of outdoor cooking, so we dug our venerable barbecue out of storage. Alas! It gave evidence that not all was as it used to be, or even should be. The venturi tube was laying on the ground, and Wendy was asking if we needed it! The handles came off in my hand—I guess that's where handles should be anyway—but, they failed to do their assigned task of lifting the lid! The wheels didn't. Perhaps sometimes we do need to reinvent the wheel! Reluctantly, I faced the fact that the old barbecue was (as they say in Zambia) finished! I loaded it into the back of the truck and Wendy hauled it out to the dump. Then we began the search for a new one! We shopped the flyers that conveniently had placed a number of barbecues on special this week. What do these suppliers know about the vagaries of storage?

I eventually settled on one from Canadian Tire. Wendy settled on a different one from Superstore. (Yes, mine was the cheapest available. Now get over it!!) We went to Canadian Tire, but they had none of my pick in stock, so we headed over to Superstore and picked up the nice one they had on display.

Once we got it home, I began to unpack it, and to consider their ominous notation, "Some Assembly Required." Indeed! I am happy to tell you that the assembly instructions had been translated from the original Korean by an Egyptian who was fluent in neither language. Thus we had items called, Left Foot, Right Foot and Whee Axle! I know where my feet are, and I'm sure I have a Whee Axle somewhere! It was surprising to find there was not only a Cup, but also a Cup Support—and nicely in time for Stanley Cup playoffs, no less. They also illustrated M6 Bolts, M6 Large Bolts, M6 Small Bolts, and M4 Bolts. Pictures of the two different types of M4 Bolts revealed that one had a round head and the other had a flat head. Instructions merely called for use of an M4 Bolt!! Nuts were also supplied—M6 Nuts and M4 Nuts and M10 Nuts!! They all looked the same in the illustration, no details were given as to their size, and we had no M10 Bolts, so... At least I was pleased with their comment that, "It will takes less than 40 minutes to assembly the grill." (It would 'takes' many hours to 'reassembly' their document into English!)

However, assemble I did; and after many renditions of "Align the holes in the top front panel(6) with the holes in one of the left side support(12), screwing a M6 Bolt(A) into each pre-drilled holes" and the like, and after much more than forty minutes, I had a new barbecue.

And, armed with a fresh bottle of propane, I even grilled some hamburgers on it!

News Update

Well, it's been a busy week here on Lake Superior, so busy in fact, that I did not even enter a single blog on this site! Yikes! And it's not like there's nothing going on in the world!

This week I completed my second round of school visits. I travelled up to Pickle Lake and also visited at Savant Lake. We have schools in each location. Things were going pretty much okay at the schools, but that's only one part of touring. The more hazardous areas are food and lodging. We had found a wonderful restaurant in Red Lake last week, but we were looking forward with some trepidation to what awaited us in Pickle Lake. We tried to put off the disaster by lunching at Ignace on the way up, and planning to lunch there again on the way back. Alas, the inevitable could only be avoided so long! There are no other options for meals in Pickle Lake, but we eventually did discover that there are two different cooks working shifts at the Winston. Thus, if we hurried back for lunch, we managed to get two decent meals before Chef Greasy Spoon took over. Suppers were an unmitigated disaster. We tried a variety of options, but finally considered that our best bet would be to have two pieces of pie and call it a night!

Wendy and I have been contemplating some improvements here at home. We're planning an arbor (aka trellis, pergola) for the deck attached to my office. We've even checked some books out of the library to assist. So, once I get my paperwork caught up, we hope to get it built.

Kristian and Wendy had doctor's appointments this week. The doctor was pleased about Kristian's weight gain, although he's still tall and slim, just like his grandparents! Wendy has continued her gym work with great determination. I've continued my golf lessons with equal determination. I even made it to the driving range today. Let's just say that more work remains to be done!

Eric and Erica have both suffered with illness, and both are on the mend, but not quite well. I have also been suffering some illness, but am feeling pretty well now, except for some coughing.

And that's the kind of week it's been here on Lake Superior...

News Update Happy Easter!

We've had another week here on the shore of Lake Superior. I've been travelling most of the week up to Red Lake to visit another of my schools. Red Lake is about six hundred clicks northwest of Thunder Bay. To get there we drove west past Dryden to Vermillion Bay, and then north two hundred clicks. It's a very pretty spot, and I'm looking forward to a return trip in June when I can try out their golf course! The work at the school went very well, but there remains a lot to do as we try to enhance their collection and use of student data.

I got back from Red Lake on Thursday afternoon, and promptly went to bed as I'm feeling the onset of a cold. Both Good Friday and Easter Monday are holidays down here, so I'll have a chance to keep rested over the weekend, and hopefully stop my cold in its tracks (if you can visualize that!). On Saturday we had a lovely Easter weekend luncheon at Trav & Sylvia's new house. Trav is all moved in, but he has been experiencing some breathing difficulties due to an allergic reaction to the house. We suspect it's the cats that lived there before. At any rate, he is finding the need for some antihistamines at least until the place gets cleaned out. The place is looking pretty good so far.

Kristian has had another week of growing! He now has six teeth, and enjoys grinding them together to the chagrin of his mother. She's afraid his face will get stuck in a permanent grimace!
Erica has had a week of battling a cold, so she even had to cancel one of her school visits. Our group works with ten school boards here in northwestern Ontario. Erica provides overall management and accounting for the group. We also have a variety of project officers and consultants who provide educational leadership and support, which is where I come in.

Wendy has continued dedication to her exercise program at the gym. Some days she tries a different exercise or machine and comes home sore! I've pretty much diverted from gym work to outdoor work at the nearby golf course and recreation complex. Now that I've started hitting balls, my golf stroke is not nearly as good as I visualized it!!

Anyway, that's the kind of week it's been.

OLD AGE IS A GIFT!

Thank you, Laura.

The other day a young person asked me how I felt about being old. I was taken aback, for I do not think of myself as old. Upon seeing my reaction, she was immediately embarrassed, but I explained that it was an interesting question, and I would ponder it, and let her know.

Old Age, I decided, is a gift.

I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body... the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror, but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to overeat, to be messy, to be extravagant. I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 A.M., and sleep until noon?

I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love... I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the bikini set.

They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten... and I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when a beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turn gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver. I can say "no" and mean it. I can say "yes" and mean it.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day.

Author Unknown

News Update

We've continued to enjoy good weather here on Lake Superior. I made a trip up to Armstrong in the middle of the week to visit the school there. I was disappointed with what I found there as far as technological infrastructure is concerned. It will be necessary to install a school computer network in preparation for greater data storage and use. Then, too, they're looking at staff changes at the end of the year with a new principal and some new teachers expected, so that leads to other kinds of uncertainty.

Travis and Sylvia took possession of their house this week. We helped Travis move in on Saturday. Wendy, Rauni (Sylvia's mom) and Sylvia spent a lot of elbow grease and time getting things cleaned up. The house looks pretty good with mainly hardwood floors both upstairs and down. There is room for development and improvement over time. The back yard is nice and fully enclosed.

I managed to continue my preparation for the golf season with more dry swinging and walking. I also hit a few balls, so that was revealing. I found that when I was looking up to see how the ball was doing, it wasn't doing well! Someone should make a golf tip about that! Other than that, my imaginary play went very well, but with a ball in play—not so good. The courses are drying out well, so I hope they open soon.

Erica travelled out to Red Lake this week and came back with a cold. Erin has also been suffering with a cold, and has not been able to find any medication to take due to her nursing. Kristian is doing well, growing tall and slim. He now has two teeth on the bottom and it looks like four on the top. He likes to grind them together.

And that's the kind of week it's been here.

THIS IS GOOD!

The story is told of a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, "This is good!"

One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off.
Examining the situation the friend remarked as usual, "This is good!"
To which the king replied, "No, this is NOT good!" and proceeded to send his friend to jail.

About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured him and took them to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake. As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone that was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way.

As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend. "You were right," he said, "it was good that my thumb was blown off. And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened. "And so I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad of me to do this."
"No" his friend replied, "This is good!"
"What do you mean, "This is good?" How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?"
"If I had NOT been in jail, I would have been with you."

Situations may not always seem pleasant while we are in them, but the promise of God is clear. If we love Him and live our lives according to His precepts, even that which seems to be bleak and hopeless will be turned by God for His glory and our benefit.

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

News Update

It has been a busy week here on Lake Superior. The end of the month marks government fiscal year end, so there was a lot of miscellany to cover. Thus there were meetings and considerations and configerations, followed by more of the same. However, it eventually came together fairly well. I also had a trip to Toronto to meet with the other MISA leaders for the province, and to get a dose of encouragement to get our financial affairs in order and prepare our annual reports. So that will occupy my time for the next couple of weeks. I also have some school trips each week to complete, so I shall easily be able to find a way to occupy myself.

The weather has been very nice. Spring is here, and we're enjoying seeing the greening grass. We even had three days of rain this week. The fairways are available, although sopping wet! I have received news from back in Dauphin that the Cougar is coming along nicely and nearly ready for painting. I shall look forward to seeing it with new rear quarter panels and all cleaned up and repainted.

Everyone here continues to do well. Kristian appears to have another tooth, this one on the top. So he's been fussing a bit as that develops. Wendy has continued with her work outs at the gym, while I have mostly transferred my exercise to walking and golfing outdoors. And my golf continues to improve, just as I predicted it would (until an actual golf ball appears). I am visualizing perfectly! Travis has finished his current job at the university, and is looking for something for over the summer. Some of that activity will be refurbishing the house he and Sylvia are buying.

And that's the kind of week it's been.