News Update

Another week has come to a close here on Lake Superior, but that's not where I spent a lot of my time.

My work called me away up to Armstrong this week. A lot of input, data correction and just a bit of data massage was needed to satisfy OnSIS. However, at the end of the week, they are ready to work through the sign off procedure. Of course that takes time as well, so at the end of the week, with one day to go, I still have four of my fourteen schools not quite there! It's only a matter of the formality, but...

My leg continues to improve, but I still experience some pain around the site of the fibular fracture (about three inches below my knee). One night while I have my cast removed, I try getting down into a curling slide—nope, that didn't work! This could be more of a problem than I would have expected. I'm scheduled for my next checkup on October 12th—a total of over seven weeks since the break. I'm doing some therapy now each day, so I hope to be mobile enough to try some golf before the end of the season.

Meanwhile, back on the home front the family has enjoyed decent weather, frequent hikes for grandma and Kristian, and the usual work for Erin.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week draws to an end here on the shore of Lake Superior where all the children are above average!

I've had another good week at work. I worked around the home office on Monday and Tuesday. Then I travelled up to Red Lake(one of my schools) for Wednesday through Friday. We were able to make a lot of progress on the OnSIS reports so that seven of the fourteen schools are completed. The deadline is September 30th, so it's getting plenty close.

Another big event this week was the American greenback falling to parity with the Canadian dollar. As the chart shows, this has been a long time coming, but with the Bushies devastating the American economy, it was inevitable. Of course, as I've mentioned before the continually weaker greenback makes life a lot more difficult for Canadian manufacturers as the US is our biggest customer and all our stuff is about 20% more expensive just this year.

I continue to be hobbled with my leg, but the pain is gradually diminishing. I had a bit of a bad day on Wednesday what with driving up to Red Lake (7 hours) and too much walking around. But that was the only time I needed to take painkillers, so I'm improving.

Wendy keeps busy caring for Kristan each day while Erin works. She had a relapse of her back, shoulder and arm issues, but a trip to the chiropractor helped a lot. Her big project this week was draining, cleaning and putting away the pool.

Kristian enjoyed his second birthday last Sunday, and the rest of us just enjoy him everyday.

The tragedy of the week was the Riders losing to the BC Lions in a battle for first place this evening. The Riders started the season strong, but have now lost three straight and fallen into second place.

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

Things to Think About

An American friend wrote this... three things to think about!
1. Cows
2. The Constitution
3. The Ten Commandments

Cows
Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that our government can track a single cow born in Canada almost three years ago, right to the stall where she sleeps in the state of Washington? And, they tracked her calves to their stalls. But they are unable to locate 11 million illegal aliens wandering around our country. Maybe we should give each of them a cow.

The Constitution
They keep talking about drafting a Constitution for Iraq. Why don't we just give them ours? It was written by a lot of really smart guys, it has worked for over 200 years, and we're not using it anymore.

The Ten Commandments
The real reason that we can't have the Ten Commandments posted in a courthouse is this: You cannot post "Thou Shalt Not Steal," "Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery", and "Thou Shall Not Lie" in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians. It creates a hostile work environment.

News Update

Another week draws to an end here on the shore of Lake Superior where the women are strong, the men are handsome and all the children are above average!

I've had a full week of work. I travelled up to Nakina (one of my schools) for Monday and Tuesday. Then I had work at home and office meetings on Wednesday and Thursday, and finally, I completed the week with a full day workshop for all my secretaries on Friday. It was good.

Of course, I continue to be hobbled with my leg. I returned to the doctor first thing Friday morning to have the cast removed and further xrays and examination of the ankle in particular. The doctor expressed some relief over the progress and prescribed an 'air cast' for the next month. The air cast is rather slick. I strap it on, and then use a little pump to inflate bladders that increase the support of my ankle. And the best part is I'm allowed to take it off at night, or to have a shower. It's also a walking cast, so I've got rid of the crutches. Progress indeed!

Wendy keeps busy caring for Kristian now that Erin is working full-time. She has continued with stripping the old wallpaper in the kitchen and dining room. (I'm afraid this has some significance that has not fully dawned on me yet!) And today, she bought me a compressor with pneumatic nailer and stapler. (Again, I suspect some hidden agenda!)

Erin is enjoying her job, and preparing for Kristian's second birthday that we'll celebrate tomorrow! Happy birthday, little buddy! Grandma has been trying to teach him to blow out his candles, but he's resisting.

This weekend we have Erica and the boys here for the celebration, so that's a special treat. And that's the kind of week it's been.

News Update

Another week draws to an end here on Lake Superior. As noted elsewhere it has not been my best week, however, we carry on.

The remarkable news from my doctors here was to confirm that my fibula is healing well, but that I also have a fracture in my ankle. I couldn't quite see what they were referring to in the xray, but it seems the problem is in one of the bones in the ankle upon which the tibia rests. The crack or chip seems to be knitting together, but they were concerned with how I was adapting to the problem. It seems that in the interest of avoiding pain, I had maneuvered my ankle into an inappropriate position, and they felt this could lead to longer term disability. So they manipulated my ankle back the way they wanted it (ouch) and put me in a cast to keep it there! Seems effective! I am scheduled to go back next Friday for a follow up. In the meantime, I am on crutches with a cast up to my knee.

Work has returned to full swing and I have managed to get a couple of my schools to complete their June reporting to the Ministry. All schools are required to complete this by the end of September, or else there are monetary penalties that impact my program. Next week I am scheduled to begin my road trips to the schools.

Wendy has begun working on the house renovations; she feels that since I am disabled she should work twice as hard, so she can aggravate her back, shoulder and arm issues!! I feel she should take it easy on the renovations so she can take care of me!

Erin has begun work at Halfway Motors. She is enjoying her work. It mainly involves the accounting/bookkeeping for the Suzuki franchise that is part of the Halfway family of dealerships. Kristian is attempting to keep his grandpa amused while his mom his at work.

Travis has been off all week to Las Vegas where he is enjoying a Photoshop conference. He reports that the workshops have been excellent so far.

We are enjoying harvesting from our container garden. There are lots of tomatoes, but the beans seem to have quit producing. The corn is not ready yet, but is promising.

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

Warning from Pakistan

This morning, from a cave somewhere in Pakistan, Taliban Minister of Migration, Mohammed Omar, warned the United States and Canada that if military action against Iraq continues, Taliban authorities will cut off America's and Canada's supply of convenience store managers.

And if this action does not yield sufficient results, cab drivers will be next, followed by Bell and Sprint customer service reps.

It's getting ugly.

Another unfortunate break!

I was to the Fracture Clinic here in TBay today. I wanted to follow-up and ensure that my fibula was knitting back together properly. The good doctor (as mentioned, our doctors down here have to go to school to get a degree!) allowed as how the fibula was mending very well, but he was concerned about my broken ankle... my what!!? Yes, the ankle also fractured in the mishap, and he is concerned that things aren't quite as they should be there.

He noted that I must have a high pain threshold (And, to test out this theory, he manipulated my ankle back into the position he wanted!), and noted that the ligaments look good. The upshot is that I'm now on crutches and in a cast from knee to toes, and scheduled to go back next Friday (14th) for more xrays. Yikes!

News Update

The end of this week finds us cooling our heels on the shore of Lake Superior. We enjoyed a final Sunday with family in Regina and bade farewell to Rich & Sue as they head off for six months in Zambia, starting on Tuesday.

As planned, we drove from Regina to Kenora on Monday. This segment was punctuated by an enjoyable visit with Dave & Heather at the Tim Horton's in Brandon. We stayed overnight with Eric/A and the boys. Then, on Tuesday we completed the 5000 km tour with a 500 click drive back into TBay.

My leg is swollen and aching. I head to see the doctor on Wednesday. Perhaps these doctors who actually had to go to school to get a degree will know how to treat a fracture! Hmmm, well at least they are also surprised by the lack of a cast! They set me up for more x-rays (to be read by an expert, they assure me), and then they'll determine whether all is progressing well, or if they will need to operate and put in a pin. (Now there's an unpleasant thought!) And with the long weekend, I am delighted to hear that I can wait until next week for that announcement. Privately I have decided that no news is good news, and that the lack of a phone call indicates that all is well.

I get back to work, and am pleased to get my final two schools signed off on Thursday—a whole day to spare! I'll give them the weekend off as well, and then drop the hammer on them for the June reports! I've also been given a small project for Tangible Capital Asset management, so that's another fifteen days of work.

Wendy spends a few days getting the house and our books back in order. She's back in pretty good health, so that's a relief. She has decided to get back on the job hunt. Our garden is thriving—thanks, Trav, for keeping it watered. We have tomatoes, lettuce, radishes and beans. The corn is promising some cobs; the rhubarb is showing good growth. Even the peas are trying to produce although they have never really recovered from the frequent depredations at the teeth of the squirrels.

Erin got back just in time for a job interview. She landed the job, managing accounts at a car dealership, and is scheduled to begin next Tuesday. Kristian is thriving, and keeping us all entertained with his developmental growth and sense of humour.

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